St John's College MS 40
Al-Battani, De scientia astrorum
Contents
Language(s): Latin
Also called De motu stellarum or Opus astronomicum (eTK 0770D, 0669D, 0841B), ed. Bologna, 1565, but here with additional experiments, beginning at fol. 100 ‘Rerum’. The Bologna explicit agrees with that in the copy at BodL, MS Digby 51, fol. 17v. For Al-Battani, see Francis J. Carmody, Arabic Astronomy and Astrological Sciences in Latin Translation (Berkeley, Calif., 1956), 19.1 (129–30), without reference to our MS. The prologue is by the Latin translator, PLATO OF TIVOLI. Fol. iv is blank. On the basis of the colophon, in Watson, DMO, no. 869 (146) and plate 806 (fol. 12), where ‘Murro’ is identified as ‘Morone del Sannio, Campobasso province’ (Abruzzo).
Physical Description
A Waage/Balance: very like Piccard Type V, nos. 50, 58, 60 (1496 × 1498, Austria); cf. also nos. 22–31 (northern Italy 1487 × 1502), but here with two circles above the balance and on the chain (not between chains);
B Chapeau: probably Briquet, no. 3402 (Venice and Udine, 1499), appearing on only the five sheets of quire 9 (fols. 81–90).
Collation
Layout
In long lines, about 32 lines to the page. Bounded in stylus, no rules or prickings.
Hand(s)
Written in humanistica cursiva. Punctuation by point only.
Decoration
Headings, not all filled, in red.
Two-line red roman capitals at chapter heads (6-line for the prologue), parts of opening lines in capitals, sometimes in red.
Binding
A modern replacement. Sewn on five thongs. At the front, three paper flyleaves, the first modern, the second two the same paper-stock as the book (and fol. iii bounded in stylus, like the text leaves); at the rear, one modern paper flyleaf (v). The front fly-leaves have rust stains from nails fixing clasps or straps in an earlier binding.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
The old shelfmark ‘N.5’ (fol. ivv, s. xvi or xvii).
‘Liber Guilielmi Laud Archiepiscopi Cant et Cancellarij Vniuersitatis Oxon 1638’ (fol. 1, lower margin).
Record Sources
Availability
For enquiries relating to this manuscript please contact St John's College Library.
Digital Images
Digital Bodleian (full digital facsimile)
Bibliography
Funding of Cataloguing
Conversion of the printed catalogue to TEI funded by the Thompson Family Charitable Trust
Abbreviations
View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.
Last Substantive Revision
2021-10: First online publication