Bod-Inc: J-188
Johannes de Sacro Bosco
Sphaera mundi (comm. Jacobus Faber Stapulensis).
Analysis of Content
a1r [Title-page.]
a1v Faber Stapulensis, Jacobus: [Letter addressed to] Carolus Borra. Rice 26-8.
a2r [Table of contents.]
a3r Faber Stapulensis, Jacobus: ‘Nonnulle ad sequentia note'. Incipit: ‘[C]irculus est figura plana . . .’
a3v [Woodcut: ‘Urania Astronomia Ptolomeus'.]
a4r Johannes de Sacro Bosco: Sphaera mundi. Incipit: ‘[L]ibrum de sphera quattuor libellis distinguimus . . . [S]phera igitur ab Euclide sic describitur . . .’ See J‑179.
a4r Faber Stapulensis, Jacobus: [Commentary.] Incipit: ‘[A]pud Syracusas Archimedes Syracusanus sphere inuentor proditur . . .’
d1r Bonetus de Latis: Anulus Astronomicus. [Preface addressed to] Alexander VI, Pont. Max. ‘Anuli astronomici utilitatum liber'.’ Incipit: ‘[N]on est gloria sicut gloria notitiam habentis dei . . .’ See Thorndike–Kibre 918.
d1r ‘Capitula presentis opusculi'.
d2r Bonetus de Latis: Anulus Astronomicus. ‘Capitulum primum de declaratione anuli'.’ Incipit: ‘[N]ota quod anulus debet fieri de auro uel argento . . .’ See Thorndike–Kibre 933.
d5r Bonetus de Latis: [Explicit.] Incipit: ‘Parce precor rudibus que sunt errata Latina. Lex Hebrea mihi est, lingua Latina minus . . .’
d5v Euclides [pseudo-]: [Preface to] Geometria II, [addressed to] Patricius. Translated by Boethius. Boethius, De institutione arithmetica. De institutione musica, ed. Johann Gottfried Friedlein (Leipzig, 1867, repr. Frankfurt, 1966), 373.
d5v Euclides [pseudo-]: Geometria II [extract]. Translated by Boethius, as stated in the heading. ‘De mensura'.’ Incipit: ‘Mensura uero est quicquid pondere capacitate longitudine . . .’ ed. Friedlein 373-92; see Boethius, Geometrie II: ein mathematisches Lehrbuch des Mittelalters, ed. M. Folkerts (Wiesbaden, 1970); for this edition see ed. Folkerts 41-2. Boethius' Geometria is a translation or a paraphrase of Euclid's Elements I–V, possibly even the entire text of Euclid: see M. T. Gibson, L. Smith, and J. Ziegler, Codices Boethiani: A Conspectus of Manuscripts of the Works of Boethius, Warburg Institute Surveys and Texts, 25 (London, 1995), no. 212 and references given there. David Pingree, ‘Boethius' Geometry and Arithmetic', in Boethius, ed. Margaret T. Gibson (Oxford, 1981), 155-61, at 157 notes that ‘the Geometria Euclidis . . . begins with a dedication to Patricius that echoes the title ‘patrician' given to Symmachus in the preface to the De Institutione Arithmetica’.
Imprint
Imprint: Paris: [Johannes Higman, for] Wolfgang Hopyl, 1 Sept. 1500. Folio.
Collation
Collation: a8 b6 c10 d8.
Illustrations: Woodcuts.
Remarks: Leaf a1r, title (wanting in the copies described): ‘TEX | tus De Sphe | ra Iohannis de Sa= | cro boſco Cum additione | (quantum neceſſarium eſt) ad= | iecta: Nouo commentario nuper | edito Ad vtilitatē ſtudētiū Philoſophi= | ce Pariſien̄. Academie illuſtratus | Cū Cōpoſitione Anuli Aſtro= | nomici Boni Latenſis. Et Geometria Eu | clidis Mega | renſis.' The woodcut on the title-page enclosing the letterpress is that used in Aristoteles, Ethica. Paris: Higman and Hopyl, 12 Apr. 1497.
References
ISTC: ij00423000
Hain: CR 5207 = C 2396;
Goff: Goff J‑423;
Proctor: not in Pr;
Others: CIBN J‑279; Sack, Freiburg, 2127; Sheppard 6352-3.
LCN: 14026455
Copies
Copy number: J-188(1)
Bound with:
1. Aristoteles, Libri logicorum. Paris: Wolfgang Hopyl and Henricus Stephanus, 1503;
2. Boethius, Arithmetica. Paris: Wolfgang Hopyl and Henricus Stephanus, 27 June 1503;
3. Jordanus Nemorarius, Arithmetica. Paris: Johannes Higman and Wolfgang Hopyl, 22 July 1496 (J‑214(2)).
Wanting gathering d containing the tracts of Bonetus and Euclid and the colophon.
Binding: Sixteenth(?)-century blind-tooled calf over wooden boards, with remains of two leather clasps; rebacked. On both covers, quadruple fillets form an intersecting double frame. Within the outer frame, merrythoughts form lozenges; diagonal quadruple fillets divide the inner rectangle into four triangular compartments, each with a merrythought.
Size: 291 × 210 × 89 mm.
Size of leaf: 280 × 202 mm.
Front pastedown consists of a printed leaf from an edition of Augustinus Hipponensis, De Genesi ad litteram.
Marginal notes, extracting key words, and pointing hands in a sixteenth-century hand which has annotated the other items as well.
Initials are supplied in red.
Provenance: Liesborn, Westphalia, Benedictines, SS. Cosmus, Damianus, et Simeon; inscription on a1r of item 1: ‘Liesborn | classe 2 philosophorum'. James Orchard Halliwell, afterwards Halliwell Phillipps (1820-1889); inscriptions at the beginning of each item: ‘J. O. Halliwell August 1838. Given to the Savilian Library, Oxford'. ‘Bibliotheca Saviliana'; book-plate; the library belonging to the chair of astronomy at Oxford. The library was handed over to the Bodleian Library in 1884.
SHELFMARK: Savile Mm d.135(4).
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