USA, Baltimore, Henry Walter's Library, W. 66, fol. x1, digital image published by the Digital Averroes Research Environment (DARE), URI: https://dare.uni-koeln.de/app/manuscripts/BOOK-DARE-M-US-Z2A-HWL-W.66/page/0
Foliation:
The number of folios (244) includes a f.
113bis
.
Collation:
A composite manuscript out of three codicological sections: section 1 (ff.
1r
-
152v
), section 2 (ff.
153r
-
235v
) and section 3 (ff.
236r
-
244v
).
The quaternions in sections 1 and 2 consists of 8, 10 or 12 folios and have reclaimers. On f.
149r
, column a, this was written by an Italian hand from beginning of the 14th century, on ff.
149r
, column b, and
149v
-
152r
by current hands from the end of the 14th century.
Section 3 consists of one quaternion (8 folios), with one added folium.
Decoration:
In the major part of section 1 (ff.
1r
-
146r
), we have titles in red and blue on top of the pages. In section 2, we have titles in minium on top of the pages. At a later time, titles in minium were added on the verso, ff.
1v
-
71v
, titles in red and black on ff.
73r
-
148r
and titles just in black on ff.
153r
-
235r
. In section 1 and 2 we have initials in red and blue. The larger ones also have delineations and elongations. However, some are still just ornated in a simple style, with a fine red line. In section 3, the initial letter is depicted in red and blue. Some rubrics are left empty. In section 1 and 2 we have paragraph signs in red or blue. In section 3 we have no rubrics (f.
236r
).The explicit and some lemmata are sometimes in the margins, with a fine red line.
Layout:
F.
201r
is without script. Several other pages have little content, i.e. nib tests or ex-libris, cf. Additional and Provenance.
Hand Description:
Text is written by multiple hands.
Section 1 and 2 were written by many Northern librarians, possibly from Flanders.
According to
d'Alverny
, section 3 was written by one Italian librarian in the
beginning of the 14th century
.
Acquisition: D'Alverny
reprinted a letter from the Librarian & Keeper of Manuscripts of the Walters Art Gallery, which concludes, that the codex entered the collection around
1901 - 1902
.
Provenance:
On f.
235r
we have an ex-libris from the beginning of the 14th century: "fratris
Petri Lumbardi
de ordine predicatorum". The name ("
Petri
") is rewritten above a previously erased part.
F.
235v
is empty except for an ex-libris, which is mainly erased: "Iste liber philosophie est ... ordinis predicatorum".
D'Alverny
gives a hint (cf. p. 359), that the manuscript may be written in England, about 1240 - 1250. It was then later brought to Italy, where section 3 was added.
[Rubr.:] Incipit liber Phisicorum.
Quoniam [Written over an erased part by a later hand: quidem] intelligere et scire contingit circa omnes [superscript] scientias quarum sunt principia ...
[Commentary:] Huic libro premittit
philosophus
prohemium in quo ostendit ordinem procedendi in scientia naturali. Unde duo facit, quia primo ostendit [dicit?] quod opportet incipere a conscideratione [sic] principiorum ...
Explicit:
... et incorruptibile nullam etiam habens magnitudinem. Explicit octauus liber phisicorum. Deo gratias.
Note:
This is the old translation. The text has interlinear glosses and a commentary in the margins. On ff.
46r-
47v
we have part of the commentary on 1. VI with lemmata.
Fr[idericus]
Dei gratia Romanorum imperator semper Augustus Ierosolim. et Cicilie [sic] rex Uniuerse sacrosancte Romane ecclesie cardina-libus dilectis ... salutem et sincere dilectionis affectum. Cum sit
Christus
capud [sic] Ecclesie ...
Explicit:
... quas reuocare non possumus inuitus propulsate [propulsare?]. Datum Pad[ue].
Note:
Apparently, this was written by a current hand in Padua.
[Rubr.:]
Aristotelis
[partly erased] philosophi de causis proprietatum elementorum liber primus incipit.
Postquam premissus est sermo ...
Explicit:
... cuius volumus declarationem. [Rubr.:] Explicit.
Note:
In the margins we have a note for the rubricator by a current hand: "
Ar.
philosophi de causis proprietatum liber excip. [sic]". After the explicit, we have an inscription by a later Italian hand, if
d'Alverny
is not mistaken: "liber de proprietatibus elementorum
Aristotelis
phylosophi. Incipit liber
Ar.
phylosophi de generatione et corrupcione. Deo gracias. Amen." Below this, an older current hand notes, probably for the rubricator: "
Ar.
metheororum 1. primus incipit in factura impressionum superiorum ... et diuiditur in 4. libros quorum tres primos transtulit magister
Girardus
philosophus de arabico in latinum; quartum transtulit
Henricus Aristippus
de greco in latinum; tria ultima capitula in fine quarti addita ab
Auicenna
philosopho transtulit magister
Alvredus de Sareshulle
anglicus de arabico in latinum.
[Rubr.:] In nomine Domini nostri
Ihesu Christi
. Amen.
[Rubr.:] Liber
Aristotelis
translatus ab
Henrico Aristippo
de greco in latinum, correctus et per capitola distinctus a magistro
Alvredo de Sar.
secundum commentum
Elkindi
[sic] super eundem librum. C.1. non idem esse generationem et alterationem.
De generatione et corruptione ...
Explicit:
... non esse corruptibilis.
Note:
This is the old translation. The text has interlinear glosses and a commentary in the margins.
... in eo quod est semper sic longioris vite. [In black and red letters:] Explicit liber
AR.
de morte et vita. Incipit liber de differentia spiritus et anime.
Interrogasti me, [Written into the margin by a contemporary hand: honoret te Deus] de differentia spiritus et anime ut tibi scriberem quid dixerunt antiqui in ea ...
Explicit:
... cuius tempus iam prolongatum est [Added by a contemporary hand: et hec sufficiant].
Inscribed into the margin, in red and black letters, we have: "Incipit liber de vegetabilibus et plantis. Hic deest prologus." Similarly, we have: "Explicit liber de vegetabilibus et plantis." The text has interlinear glosses and contemporary marginal notes, some leaden.
[With a fine red marginal line: In nomine Domini
Ihesu Christi
.] Domine T. gratia Dei Yspan. regine
Iohannes Hyspan.
salutem. Cum de utilitate corporis ...
Explicit:
... et tristicias frequentas habere. [With a fine red marginal line: Explicit epistola
Aristotelis
ad
Alexandrum
regem.] [Added to the margin in red: Deo gracias. Amen.]
Note:
D'Alverny
gives the fuller title "Epistola de dieta ad
Alexandrum
regem, e Secreto Secretorum excerpta et a
Iohanne Hispalensi
translata". Inscribed into the margin, in red and black letters, we have: "Epistola
Ar.
ad
Alexandrum
regem de custodia diete et sanitatis."
[Compendium of the first book, f.
149r
, column a:] Primo libro Phisicorum cap. primo. Tunc opinamur unumquodque cognoscere cum causas cognoscimus primas et principia prima ...
[Compendium of books I-VIII, f.
149r
, column b:] Primo libro Phisicorum C. primo. Circa unumquodque cognoscere arbitrandum cum causas et principia usque ad eius elementa cognoscimus ...
Explicit:
[Compendium of the first book, f.
149r
, column a:] ... et priuatio, etc.
[Compendium of books I-VIII, f.
152r
:] ... sicut per logicam vel methaphisicam.
Note:
The text has two parts: a compendium of the first book in an Italian hand from about 1300 and a compendium of the whole Physics in a current hand from the end of the 14th century. On f.
152r
, column b, we have a vanishing inscription in Hebrew letters.
Bonorum honorabilium notitiam opinantes magis autem alteram altera ...
Explicit:
... linguam vero quatinus significet aliquid alteri.
Note:
This is the old translation. A later hand added in red: "Liber primus de anima". The text has marginal and interlinear glosses. Furthermore, it has some quaestiones on the De anima in the margins, written by current hands from the
end of the 13th century
.
... et scias quod hec questio est valde bona. Explicit iste tractatus.
Note:
Added in red on top of the page is: "Incipit tractatus de substantia orbis secundum quosdam". A note in the margin by the same scribe reads: "De modo compositionis rerum celestium tractatus incipit". The text has some marginal notes. According to the HIW Microfilm Database, KU Leuven, this text contains only the beginning of the De Substantia Orbis.
A later hand added in red "Liber primus", to which in turn "Metaurum" was added in black letters. The text has interlinear glosses as well as marginal commentaries and many notes in current hands. The subsequent text follows this one without any distinction.
[F.
232v
:] Terra pura lapis non fit ...
[F.
233v
:] Montes quoque quandoque fiunt ...
[F.
234r
:] Corpora mineralia ...
Explicit:
[F.
233v
:] ... propter multum temporis.
[F.
234r
:] ... in montes conuersa.
[F.
235r
:] ex hoc quedam res extranee. Explicit liber.
Note:
This text follows the previous without any distinction. The second part of the text (ff.
233v
-
234r
) has a contemporary marginal note: "hoc de generatione montium et corruptione eorumdem ...". In the ultimate part, we have some emendations and often marginal notes of the same age.
[Rubr.:] Expositio intellectus secundum sententiam
P[latonis]
et
Ar[istotelis]
...
Intellexi quod quesciuisti [sic] de describendo sermonem in ratione abreuiatum enunciantem sermonem sententiam
Ar.
et
P
...
Explicit:
... sermo enuntiatiuus sufficit. Explicit.
Note:
Authorship is not clear.
D'Alverny
gives
Gerard of Cremona
as translator.
IFFF
