Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 3.djvu/584

Rh 572 PTOLEMAEUS. catalogue is the one which should be cited. It gives the readings of the Florence and Paris manu- scripts (from Halma), of the Greek of Grynoeus and Halma, and of the Latin of Liechtenstein and Trapezuntius, with corrections from our present astronomical knowledge very sparingly, and we believe veiy judiciously, introduced. The astro- nomer might easily make Ptolemy's catalogue what it ought to have been ; the scholar, from criticism alone, would certainly place many stars where it is impossible Ptolemy could have recorded them as being. From frequent conversation with Mr. Baily during the progress of his task, we can confidently say that he had no bias in favour of making his text astronomically correct at the expense of cri- tical evidence ; but that he was as fully impressed with the necessity of producing Ptolemy's errors as his truths. Mr. Baily remarks, as to the catalogue, and the same appears as to other parts of the Almagest, that Halma often gives in the text he has chosen read- ings different from those of aZZ his principal subjects of collation. This means that he has, in a consi- derable number of cases, either amended his text conjecturally, or preferred the reading of some minor manuscript, without particular mention. This is no great harm, since, as the readings of all his great sources are always given, it amounts to hav- ing one more choice from an unnamed quarter. But it is important that the critical reader of the edition should have notice of it ; and the more so, inas- much as the readings are at the end of each volume, without * text-reference from the places in which they occur. On the preceding summary of the bibliographical history of the Almagest, we shall remark that the reader is not to measure the currency of it by the number of its editions. It was the gold which lay in the Bank, while paper circulated on its authority. All the European books on astronomy were fa- shioned upon it, and it was only the more learned astronomers who went to the common original. Euclid was actually read, and accordingly, as we liave seen, the presses vvere crowded with editions of the Elements. But Ptolemy, in his own words, was better known by his astrology than by his as- tronomy. We now come to his other writings, on which we have less to say. 2. TeTpd§LSos avvra^is, generally called Tetra- biblon, or Quadripartilum de Apotelesmatibus et Ju- diciis Astrorum. With this goes another small work, called Kapirbs, or Fructus Librorum Suorum, often called Centiloquium, from its containing a hundred aphorisms. Both of these works are as- trological, and it has been doubted by some whether they be genuine. But the doubt merely arises from the feeling that the contents are unworthy of Ptolemy. The Tetrabiblon itself is, like the Alma- gest and other writings, dedicated to his brother Synis : it refers, in the introduction, to another work on the mathematical theory. Both works • If editors will put the various readings at the end of their volumes, instead of at the bottom of the pages, we should wish, when there are more volumes than one, that the readings for one volume should be inserted at the end of another. It would then be practicable to have the text and its variations open before the reader at one and the same moment, ■which, when two or three instances come close to- gether, is very desirable. PTOLEMAEUS. have been twice printed in Greek, and together ; first, by John Camerarius (Gr. Lat.), Nuremberg, 1535, 4to. ; secondly, with new Latin version and preface, by Philip Melancthon, Basle, 1553, 8vo. (Fabricius, Hoffmann). Among the Latin editions, over and above those already noted as accompany- ing editions of the Almagest, Hain mentions two (of both works) of the fifteenth century ; one by Ratdolt, Venice, 1484, 4to. ; another by Bonetus (with other astrological tracts), Venice, 1493, fol. There is another, translated by Gogava, Louvain, 1 548, 4to. (Hoffmann, Lalande) ; and there is ano- ther attached to the collection made by Hervagius (which begins with Julius Firmicus, and ends with Manilius), Basle, 1533, folio ; and all except the Firmicus and Manilius seem to have been printed before, Venice, 1519, folio (Lalande). There is mention of two other editions, of Basle and Venice, 1551 and 1597, including both Firmicus and Ma- nilius (Lalande). The Centiloquium has been sometimes attributed to Hermes Trismegistus : but this last-named author had a Cerdiloquium of his own, which is printed in the edition just described, and is certainly not in matter the same as Pto- lemy's. Fabricius, mentioning the Centiloquium^ says that Ptolemy afe ^/ec^iom^Ms, appeared (Lat.), Venice, 1509,. Perhaps this is the same work as the one of the same title, afterwards pub- lished as that of the Arab Zahel. The English translation (1701) purporting to be from "Pto- lemy's Quadripartite" (Hoffmann), must be from the paraphrase by Proclus, as appears from its title-page containing the name of Leo Allatius, who edited the latter. The usual Latin of the Centilo- quium is by Jovius Pontanus : whether the Commen- taries attributed to him, printed, Basle, 1531, 4to. (Lalande), &c., are any thing more than the version, we must leave to the professedly astrological biblio- grapher. It was printed without the Quadripar- iitum several times, as at Cologne, 1544, 8vo. : and this is said to be with the comment of Trapezuntius, meaning probably the version. The commentaries or introductions, two in number, attributed to Proclus and Porphyry, were printed (Gr. Lat.) Basle, 1559, folio (Lalande). 3. Kaj/wy Baai€wv. This is a catalogue of Assy- rian, Persian, Greek, and Roman sovereigns, with the length of their reigns, several times referred to by Syncellus, and found, with continuation, in Theon. It is considered an undoubted work of Ptolemy. It is a scrap which has been printed by Scaliger, Calvisius (who valued it highly), Petavius and Dodwell ; but most formally by Bainbridge (in the work presently cited), and by Halma, as above noticed. 4. ^dcrei^ airKavay darepcov Kal (Twaywyr) (iriarri- fxaaeiwu, De Apparentiis et Signijicationibus inerran- tium. This annual list of sidereal phaenomena has been printed three times in Greek : by Petavius, in his Uranologion, Paris, 1630, folio ; partially in Fabricius, but deferred by Harless to a supple- mentary volume which did not appear ; and by Halma, as above noticed. There are three other works of the same name or character, which have been attributed to Ptolemy, and all three are given, with the genuine one, by Petavius, as above. Two (if them are Roman calendars, not worth notice. The third was published, in Latin, from a Greek manu- script, by Nic. Leonicus, Venice, 1516, 8vo. (Fabri- cius) : and this is reprinted in the collection begin- ning with Julius Firmicus, above noticed. We have