An enquiry into the life and legend of Michael Scot / by Rev. J. Wood Brown.

  • Brown, J. Wood (James Wood)
Date:
1897
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An enquiry into the life and legend of Michael Scot / by Rev. J. Wood Brown. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    own observations. The arrangement of the whole is certainly original, nor can we better conclude our study of the Physconoma, than by giving a compre- hensive view of its contents in their order. The work is divided into three books, each having its own introduction. The first expounds the mysteries of generation and birth, and reaches, as we have already remarked, even beyond humanity to a con- siderable part of the animal world so much studied by the Arabians. The second expounds the signs of the different complexions, as these become visible in any part of the body, or are discovered by dreams. The third examines the human frame member by member, explaining what signs of the inward nature may be read in each. The whole forms a very complete and interesting compendium of the art of physiognomy as then understood, and must have seemed not unworthy of the author, nor unsuitable as an offering to the young prince, who by marriage was about to enter on the great world of affairs, where knowledge of men would henceforth be all-important to his success and happiness. The book attained a wide popularity in manuscript, and the invention of printing contributed to increase its circulation in Europe :* no less than eighteen editions I uss. of the Physionomia: Oxford, Bibl. Bod. mss. Canon. Misc. 555 (with the Liber Particularis) saec. xiv. ; Milan, Bibl. Ambros. L 92 sup. (with the Liber Particularis) ; Padua, Bibl. Anton. xxiii. 616, chart. saec. xvii; Vatican, Fondo della Regina 1151 perhaps saec. xvi. Printed editions: 1477 perhaps double; 1485 Louvain and Leipsic; 1499 s. 1. and five or six others of this century in 4to, s. ]. eta; 1508 Cologne, Venice, and Paris, the last in 8vo ; 1514 Venice 8vo; 1515s. 1. ; 1519 Venice 8vyo; 1584 Lyons 24mo along with the Abbreviatio Avicennae and the De animalibus ad Caesarem under the general title of De Secretis Naturae ; 1598 Lyons, De Secretis Naturae cum tractatu De Secretis Mulierum Alberti Magni ; 1615 Frankfort 8vo ; 1655 and 1660 Amsterdam 12mo. Editions of the Italian version appeared at Venice in 1533, 8vo, and 1537. During the sixteenth century an edition of the Latin text in 8vo appeared from the press of Pietro Gaudoul without date.
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