A commentary on two chapters of Valentin Nabod’s In Claudii Ptolemaei Quadripartitae constructionis apotelesmata commentarius novus et eiusdem conversio nova (C.2.30) dealing with directions, published by Giovanni Antonio Magini (1555-1617) in Venice in 1607, as the final part of his De astrologica ratione. The two chapters, here numbered III.10-11, correspond to Tetrabiblos III.9-10 in Robbins’s edition of the Greek text. Magini gave selected sections of Nabod’s text (=MS London, BL, Sloane 216, f. 147r-192r) and added to them a short commentary, which he calls Appendix (III.10) and Additio (III.11) respectively. The work title is taken from the front page of both early printed editions.

Text ‘(ed. Frankfurt/M. 1608) (158-164) [III.10] De annui temporis mensura in directionibus ex commentariis Valentini Naibodae, mathematici eruditissimi super caput decimum Apotelesmatici tertii Claudii Ptolemaei. [valentin nabod’s text] His adiicio quaestionem, circa quam multos doctos haesitasse cognovi — si non in capite 10 quod est de temporum anni potestate. (162) [magini’s comm.] Appendix Io<hanni> Antonii Magini. Si ante mearum tabularum primi mobilis editionem Naibodae opinionem cognovissem — hanc curiositatem parvi egomet aestimo [followed by two tables]. (165-187) [III.11] [valentin nabod’s text] De directionibus ex commentariis Valentini Naibodae in caput undecimum Apotelesmatici Ptolomaei. Textus Ptolemaei. Caeterum annorum numerus quem partes sustentativo et peremptorio loco interiectae concernunt… Valentini Naibodae commentarius. De his quae sequuntur conqueritur Cardanus tanquam a Ptolemaeo obscure prolatis et haud iniuria conqueritur… (185) [magini’s comm.] Additio Io<hanni> Antonii Magini. Valentini Naibodae modus deducendi significatores extra angulos constitutos ad suos promissores — memorato coeli culmine usurpatur. Haec vero a priore reiecta relinquit arcum huiusce directionis gr<adus> 27.9′.8′′ sicut prius. Finis.’

Bibl. L. Thorndike, A History of Magic and Experimental Science, VI, New York, 1941, 122 n. 63; P. Pizzamiglio, L’astrologia in Italia all’epoca di Galileo Galilei (1550-1650). Rassegna storico-critica dei documenti librari custoditi nella Biblioteca «Carlo Viganò», Milano, 2004, 143.

Modern ed. ---