On the first editions of the chemical writings of Democritus and Synesius / by John Ferguson.

  • Ferguson, John, 1838-1916.
Date:
[1885]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the first editions of the chemical writings of Democritus and Synesius / by John Ferguson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    never been mentioned by any writer on the subject, the following account of it may be given :— Title: Antoiiii Mizaldi ^Slon- | hiciani Galli, Medici, i Memorabilivm, Sive Area- I norvm omuls ge- | iieris, | Per Aphorismos Di- | gestorum, Cen- turise IX. | Et | Democritvs Abderita, De | rebus Naturalibus, & Mysticis. I Cum I Synesii, ct I'elagii | Commentarijs. | Iiiterprete de Grjeca liugua, | Dominico Pziimentio Vibonen- | si, Italo. | Trncfatio, | In omnes hoscc libros. | Coloiiiae, | apud loannem Birckmaunum i . Anno. D.M.LXXIII. | Cum Gratia & Priuilegio Cajsar. Maiestat, | •5 '/i6 by 2 '^1,6 inches. Signnfiins in twelves: ff. ','> unnumhtred. 2^5 numhered. Printed in italics. Folio 2 recto: De Mizaldi Arcanis...Prsefatio, ends/, .il ver.'^o. Folio 32 redo: Index Rerum to f. J/o redo. ^5 verso is blank. Thej-e is no table of Errata. The text begins on A, f. 1, and goes down to f. 212 redo. I'erso is blank. Fol. 213 recto: Ex | Veneraudas Graecse vetustatis do ar- | te Ckymica, relliquijs (.sic). ] Democritvs | Abderyta, de Arte ] sacra: Sive, De Rebvs I naturalibus & my- | .sticis, | Necnou i Synesij, & Pelagij, Autiquorum ! Philosophorum : iu cundem, | Commentaria. j Intcrprete | Dominico Pizimentio Vibo- j nensi Italo. | Small scroll ornament. Folio 21.'f redo: Fizimenti's address, which ends f. 218 recto: Romas, Calend. Septemb. M.D.LXX. Folio 218 ver,w: Ex ltel)vs Na- \ tvralibvs et My- | sticis Demo- | criti. Folio 228 recto: .Synesii Phi | losophi ad Dio- | scorvm in Librvm | Democriti. | Scholia, (•.•) \ followed by large scroll ornament. Folio 239 rect'j: Pelagii Philo- | sophi de eadem j Divina et Sacra | arte (•. •) I ends f. 2Jf5 verso. Comparison of these two editions sliows tlmt, though identical in sonie points, they differ materially in othei's ; for example, in the prelimiiuiry matter, which occupies 52 ff. in one copy, and 45 ft', in the other; in the absence of a table of errata in the 1573 edition, and in many details of typography, which show that the type must have been taken down and set iip again before the 1573 edition was printed off. 10. The discoveiy of these two editions, however, has more impor- tant bearings. It introduces new difticulties, and makes the con.struction of a complete and authoritative list by no means so simple as at first sight ajipears. Seeing that the edition of Padua (1573) has to cede the first place to that of Cologne (1572), a difficulty is created thereby which cannot, with our present knowledge, be well got over. Tt seems to me rather improbable that a translation by an Italian should be published for the first time at Cologne. It