An extensive commentary on the Centiloquium composed by George of Trebizond in Naples in 1453-1454 and addressed to King Alfonso V of Aragon. George prefaced the commentary with his own translation of the original text from the Greek (B.1.7). In six manuscripts (Gloucester, CL, 15; Jena, TULB, 4 Phil. X.12; St Petersburg, RNB, lat. Q.III.636; Vienna, ÖNB, 10534; Wroclaw, ZNO, 759; and Wroclaw, ZNO, 764) and two printed editions (Cologne 1544 and Basel 1550), the text and the commentary are given in alternating sequence for each proposition. MSS Basel, UB, O.III.30 and Chicago, NL, Case 93-2 contain George’s autograph corrections. Four manuscripts (Cracow, BJ, 1839; Cracow, BJ, 3224; London, LP, 478; and Vienna, ÖNB, 4782) preserve the translation only and omit the commentary. George’s translation was used in commentaries C.2.21 and C.3.20.

Note In addition to the manuscripts listed below, sections of George’s translation occur as glosses in one manuscript of Plato of Tivoli’s translation (C.3.1.1), MS Cracow, BJ, 2490, and in one manuscript of the ‘Iam premisi’ version (C.3.1.4), MS Berlin, SBPK, Hdschr. 95.

Text ‘(Paris, BnF, lat. 7309) (1r-9v) [translation] [george of trebizond’s preface] Liber Claudii Ptolomei qui vocatur fructus ad illustrissimum Alfonsum regem Aragonum et utriusque Siciliae a Georgio Trapenzontio ex Greco in Latinum versus. Librum Claudii Ptholomei mihi Alfonse rex inclyte traductum quem vulgo Centiloquium ipse fructum appellat — et quod nec Ptholomeus sentit nec apparentia nonum ponere orbem cogere videntur. [author’s preface] Iam pridem perutiles ad previdendum operationes stellarum, o Syre, quas in hoc composito efficiunt mundo exposuimus… [1] Primus aphorismus. Abs te et a scientia, non est enim possibile ut huius scientiae professor particulares rerum ideas prevideat… [2] 2. Quando qui deliberat queret ipsum melius non erit… [3] 3. Qui ad rem aliquam aptus est habebit omnino stellam eius… [4] 4. Animus qui ad intelligentiam rerum aptus est… [5] 5. Potest huius scientie professor multos effectus stellarum evertere… [6] 6. Tunc dierum atque horarum electio confert… [7] 7. Nemo potest complexiones stellarum percipere nisi… [8] 8. Animus sapiens celesti potestati cooperantur… [9] 9. Forme que generantur et corrumpuntur coelestibus formis… [10] 10. In electionibus dierum atque horarum infortunantibus etiam stellis… [51] 51. Ubi est Luna in tempore nativitatis, illu signum in conceptione… [60] 60. In egrotis respice creticos dies et locum hunc in angulis figure… [99] 99. Transcurrentes stellae siccitatem aeris significant… [100] 100. Stelle vero comate quae undecim a sole distant — Sin vero non moventur hostis indigena erit. Finis. (9v-68r) [commentary] [george of trebizond’s preface] Commentarii et expositiones Georgii Trapezontii in aphorismis libri fructus Ptolomei ad Alphonsum regem Aragonum et utriusque Siciliae. Libellus hic quem de Greco traductum nomini tuo dedicavimus, illustrissime rex… [comm. 1] 1. Abs te et a scientia: Abs te inquit, hoc est a quadam insita… [comm. 2] 2. Quando qui deliberat: Questionum ac interrogationum apexit fundamentum… [comm. 3] 3. Qui ad rem aliquam: Nam qui ad fingendas fabulas… [comm. 4] 4. Animus qui: Hic aphorismus omnibus facultatibus… [comm. 5] 5. Potest huius scientie professor: Utilitatem in hoc aphorrismo huius scientie… [comm. 6] 6. Tunc dierum atque horarum: Si principium agenda rem eligis… [comm. 7] 7. Nemo potest complexiones: non qod calide aut frigide… [comm. 8] 8. Animus sapiens: Differt a quinto, ibi enim… [comm. 9] 9. Forme que generantur et corrumuntur: huiusmodi sunt omnes que de potentia… [comm. 10] 10. In electionibus: Non fortunantibus solum et ut ita dicam… [comm. 51] 51. Ubi est Luna: Apertus clarusque per seipsum… [comm. 60] 60. In egrotis respice creticos: D<ies> cretici dies a medicis dicuntur… [comm. 99] 99. Transcurrentes stelle: Dixit in precedenti quam vim habeant stellae … [comm. 100] 100. Stelle vero comate: Quae undicim inquit signis — ut sicut raro apparent, sic inconsueta significare videantur.’

Bibl. R. Lemay, ‘Origin and Success of the Kitāb Thamara of Abū Jaʿfar Aḥmad ibn Yūsuf ibn Ibrāhīm from the Tenth to the Seventeenth Century in the World of Islam and the Latin West’, in Proceedings of the First International Symposium for the History of Arabic Science (Aleppo, April 5-12, 1976), Aleppo, 1978, II, 91-107: 105; J. Monfasani, Collectanea Trapezuntiana: Texts, Documents, and Bibliographies of George of Trebizond, Binghamton (NY), 1984, 689-697 and 750-751; R. Lemay, Le Kitāb aṯ-Ṯamara (Liber fructus, Centiloquium) d’Abū Jaʿfar Aḥmad ibn Yūsuf [Ps.-Ptolémée], 1999 [unpublished], I, 397-412; M. Rinaldi, ‘Pontano, Trapezunzio ed il Graecus Interpres del Centiloquio pseudo-tolemaico’, Atti della Accademia Pontaniana, Nuova Serie 48 (1999), 125-171; M. Rinaldi, Le Commentationes in Ptolemaeum di Giovanni Giovano Pontano: fonti, tradizione e fortuna del Centiloquio pseudo-tolemaico dalla Classicità all’Umanesimo, PhD dissertation, Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”, 2002, 73-95 and 257-260; L. Giorgetti, ‘Da Giorgio Trapezunzio a Luca Gaurico intorno a Tolomeo’, Roma nel Rinascimento (2002), 201-212: 202-203; M. Rinaldi, ‘La traduzione ed i commentari sul Καρπός pseudo-tolemaico di Giorgio da Trebisonda’, MHNH 11 (2011), 544-556; J.-P. Boudet, ‘Astrology Between Rational Science and Divine Inspiration. The Pseudo-Ptolemy’s Centiloquium’, in Dialogues among Books in Medieval Western Magic and Divination, eds S. Rapisarda, E. Niblaeus, Firenze, 2014, 47-73: 55; A. Lerch, Scientia astrologiae. Der Diskurs über die Wissenschaftlichkeit der Astrologie und die lateinischen Lehrbücher 1470–1610, Leipzig, 2015, 38; A. Calcagno, El libro delle Cento Parole di Ptholommeo. Saggio di edizione critica del volgarizzamento fiorentino del Centiloquium pseudo-tolemaico, Milano, 2021, 19-20.

Modern ed. None, except for the prefaces to Alfonso V, ed. Monfasani, 97-98 (preface to the translation) and 99-100 (preface to the commentary), and v. 2 and 38 by Rinaldi, Le Commentationes, 258-260 (from MS Basel, UB, O.III.30).