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Modena, Biblioteca Estense Universitaria, lat. 697 (Alfa W.8.20)

Date:

s. XV¹.

Or.:

northern Italy.

Paper, 36 f. (medieval pagination I-LXXI, I follow the modern foliation on the bottom left corner), three neat hands (f. 1-29r, 29v-30v and 31r-34r). Deluxe MS splendidly illustrated.

Astrology, divination and medicine: Revelatio Esdrae ‘Isti sunt versus de annoalibus. Die dominica. Si fuerint kalendae Ianuarii in die dominico, hiems bona est…’ (1r-1v); Revelatio Esdrae in verses ‘Incipiunt versus Sibille de annoalibus. Ut lector noscat quod tempus duxerit annus…’ (1v-2v); ‘Hec sunt quatuor partes anni…’ (2v); Ptolemaica (3r-8v); sphere of Apuleius/Pythagoras (9r); onomancy ‘Per alfabetum Arabicum computa nomen viri et mulieris et matris eius et divide per 30…’ (9v); Liber Alchandrei, 21.3-6 ‘Accipiat nomen suum et maternum et fatale, non illatum aliunde…’ (9v); Alchandreana ‘De capite Arietis. Qui nascitur in Alnat superiori hominis periose inferentem, bonam inveniet…’ (9v-15r); ‘Qui nascitur in die dominica securus et speciosus erit…( (15v); zodiologium ‘Cum autem Luna fuerit in Ariete bonum est incipere opus…’ (16r-17r); ‘Saturnus dat hominem esse fuscum, raros in barba, faciens pilos turpes…’ (17r-18v); ‘Incipit liber Genesalis. Ianuarius. Mense Ianuarii, signum Aquarii, pro eo Iohannes Baptista in flumine Iordani…’ (18v-24r); ‘Dies infelices. Isti sunt dies infelices et periculosi quos auctores Grecorum invenerunt…’ (24r-24v); onomancy ‘Accipe nomen viri et mulieris et congrega litteras et computa et adde VII…’ (24v); lunarium ‘Incipit somniale Danielis prophete. Luna prima quicquid somniaverit in bonum revertetur…’ (24v-25r); Somniale Danielis (25r-27r); Regimen sanitatis, attr. Pietro d’Abano (27r-27v); ‘Medicina pestis optima. Cum cito sentitur morbus subito fiat flobothomia…’ (28r); table: 168 planetary hours (28v-29r); lunarium ‘Luna prima factus est Adam, dies bonus in omnibus…’ (29v-30v); calendar (31r-34r). Blank: 34v-36v.

Bibl. P. McGurk, Astrological Manuscripts in Italian Libraries (Other than Rome), London, 1966, 48-51; D. Fava, M. Salmi, I manoscritti miniati della Biblioteca Estense di Modena, II, Milano 1973, 42-44 (‘Lat. 696’); D. Bini, P. Di Pietro Lombardi, L. Ventura, Liber physiognomiae. Lat. 697 = α.W.8.20 della Biblioteca Estense Universitaria di Modena, Modena, 2000 (facsimile, transcription and Italian translation of the whole MS).

3r–⁠8v	‘Aries. Mars [with representation of Aries in a medallion]. Natus sub Ariete a medio Martii usque ad medium Aprilis erit magne industrie, pertinax amore mulierum — anno XLIIII^or inter vitam et mortem calcabit. Dies Veneris, Lune sunt istis meliores, dies Martis, Saturni sunt mali et cetera.’ = Pseudo-Ptolemy, Liber de nativitatibus hominum (B.11) , without the preface. No glosses. One page per sign with two sets of illustrations: the zodiacal sign in a medallion at the top and three figures representing the planet surrounded by two of its ‘children’ at the bottom.

3r–⁠8v

‘Aries. Mars [with representation of Aries in a medallion]. Natus sub Ariete a medio Martii usque ad medium Aprilis erit magne industrie, pertinax amore mulierum — anno XLIIII^or inter vitam et mortem calcabit. Dies Veneris, Lune sunt istis meliores, dies Martis, Saturni sunt mali et cetera.’

= Pseudo-Ptolemy, Liber de nativitatibus hominum (B.11)

, without the preface. No glosses. One page per sign with two sets of illustrations: the zodiacal sign in a medallion at the top and three figures representing the planet surrounded by two of its ‘children’ at the bottom.