A lemmatic commentary on the complete Almagest written by Gerard of Cremona on the basis of his own translation of the text (A.1.2). This work was previously known as the ‘Vatican Commentary’ (Zepeda), but Stefan Georges has demonstrated that the author was in fact Gerard of Cremona himself. In the three main manuscripts, the ‘opening’ of the text is somewhat abrupt and consists of a commentary on sections of Book I of Geber’s Liber super Almagesti (C.1.2) – a text also translated by Gerard of Cremona –, but it is unclear whether this opening was originally meant to be part of the text. The commentary otherwise starts with Almagest I.2. The text is followed by additional notes discussing matters pertaining to the various books (including I.1). These additional notes break off abruptly in all three manuscripts and appear to be most complete in MS Vatican, BAV, Vat. lat. 6795, where they amount to 18 chapters. Sections of the Notule Almagesti occur as glosses to the Almagest in Gerard of Cremona’s translation in the margins of at least five manuscripts: Berlin, SBPK, lat. fol. 753 (Görres 72); Florence, BML, Plut. 89 sup. 57; Oxford, NC, 281; Paris, BnF, lat. 16200; and Vatican, BAV, Pal. lat. 1365. The Notule Almagesti was revamped in England in the 1230s (C.1.5).

Text ‘(Madrid, BRAH, 97) (1r-2r) [opening] Quod perpendicularis cadens ex extremitate arcus super diametrum productam ab extremitate eius secunda sit sinus eius — nobis tunc nisi notitia anguli qui sequitur angulum quesitum. (2r-12v) [book i] In capitulo secundo Almagesti, sciendum est universaliora esse preponenda aliis et sensibiliora particularia minus sensibilibus — sunt descripti super duos polos orbis equatoris diei. (12v-20r) [book ii] Tractatus secundus libri Almagesti. Hic queritur quare Tholomeus hic distinctionem fecerit tractatus cuius rei duplex est causa — quicquid est usque ad finem planum est. (20r-34r) [book iii] Tractatus tertius. Postquam declaravimus etc. Vidimus oportunum esse ut illud quod ibi dictum est sequatur — ad quod declarandum talem subicimus figuram. (34r-48r) [book iv] Incipit dictio Almagesti quarta. Capitulum primum ex quibus considerationibus oporteat esse investigationem a Luna — secundum orbem revolutionis eadem invenitur proportio in omnibus illis eclipsibus. (48r-73r) [book v] Dictio quinta Almagesti libri. Capitulum primum de artificio, id est quomodo fiat instrumentum armillarum — ab orbe signorum et Luna in altera. Aliud vero totum planum est. (73r-90v) [book vi] Dictio sexta Almagesti tredecim continens capitula. In hoc dictione intendit Tholomeus tractare de eclipsibus — in qua sunt septem climata in secunda dictione Almagesti existit. (90v-94r) [book vii] Dictio septima Almagesti et reliqua totum quod continetur in capitulis istis facile est — et in eo quod non est in forma Capricorni sexies. (94r-98v) [book viii] Capitulum secundum de modo, id est quomodo sit orbis lacteus qui nominatur Almaierati — secundum viginti octo mansiones. (98v-108v) [book ix] Dictio nona in qua sunt undecimi capitula. In istis capitulis, hic nichil est dicendum — id est in parte Piscis in qua fuit Sol totum quod sequitur usque ad finem capituli planum est. (108v-116r) [book x] Dictio decima Almagesti in qua sunt decem capitula. Capitulum primum in declaratione etc. Illud quod dicitur in istis capitulis exponetur in principio eiusque capituli — totum vero quod sequitur usque ad finem huius capituli planum est et per se patet. (116r-121r) [book xi] Dictio undecima libri Tholomei qui dicitur Almagesti in qua sunt duodecim capitula. Capitulum primum etc. Qualiter capitula ista sint intelligenda in principio eiusque capitulorum dicetur — Quod vero sequitur usque ad finem huius capituli planum est. Expleta est dictio Almagesti undecima. (121r-127v) [book xii] Dictio Almagesti duodecima incipit in qua sunt 9 capitula. Capitulum primum etc. Qualiter capitula ista — sicut ibi ubi dicit: In stella autem Mercurii ponam causa allev<iationis>. (127v-138r) [book xiii] Incipit dictio tertiadecima Almagesti. In hac dictione ponuntur undecim capitula — similiter capitulum istud planum est et nichil est in eo dicendum. Finite sunt notule Almagesti. (138r-138v) [additional notes] Sciendum est quod in secundo libro est quiddam de proportionibus quod non est ibi bene enucleatur — esse est sine motu et non.’

Bibl. H. Zepeda, The Medieval Latin Transmission of the Menelaus Theorem, PhD dissertation, University of Oklahoma at Norman, 2013, 222-259; S. Georges, Glosses as a Source for the History of Science. The Case of Gerard of Cremona’s Translation of Ptolemy’s Almagest (forthcoming).

Modern ed. None, except I.12-II.12, ed. Zepeda, 573-636 (from the two Vatican MSS).