De divinatione mortis, et vitae Petosyris ad Necepsum Regem Aegypti Epistola.

Format:

• Book
• Manuscript

Author/Creator:

• Bede, the Venerable, Saint, 673-735.

Contributor:

• Posevinus, Antonius.
• Kircher, Athanasius, 1602-1680.

Language:

Latin

Subjects (All):

• Astrology--Early works to 1800.
• Astrology.
• Astronomy--Early works to 1800.
• Astronomy.
• Numeration--Early works to 1800.
• Chemistry--History.
• Chemistry.
• History.
• Numeration.

Genre:

• codices (bound manuscripts)
• diagrams
• tables (documents)
• Manuscripts, Latin.
• Manuscripts, European.

Penn Provenance:

• Acquired, 1961.

Physical Description:

13 leaves : paper, illustrations ; 227 x 160 (162 x 110) mm

Place of Publication:

[Italy], [between 1600 and 1699]

Language Note:

Latin.

Summary:

Work attributed to Bede (f. 3r-6v), preceded by a biographical note about Bede (f. 3r-v). The title page (f. 4r) is drawn to resemble the title page of a printed book and contains a diagram. The text is followed by astronomical or astrological tables (f. 6r-v). Also contains two works of Antonius Posevinus: 1.) Ex apparatu Antonii Posevini, Soc. Jesu, tomo. i. de Beda (f. 7r-8r; extract); and 2.) In verbo Caesar Baronius tom. i. pag. 281 (f. 8r-11v; on numbers). Also contains an extract from a work by Athanasius Kircher, Ex. lib. 2, parte 4, pag. 386: De magnete (f. 13r).

Notes:

• Ms. gathering.
• Title (of first work) from title page (f. 4r).
• First work (Bede), incipit and explicit: (text, f. 5r) De his, que a me ad humanae vitae ... (f. 6v) In VII remanent XI.
• Second work (Antonius Posevinus), incipit and explicit: (f. 7r) Inter eius autem lucubrationes ... (f. 8r) Y---- 159. Arnoldus.
• Third work (Antonius Posevinus), incipit and explicit: (f. 8r) Diem in urbe ipsa geruntur ... (f. 11v) sic enim se habet. [Three ff. of numerical charts and a fold-out diagram follow.].
• Fourth work (Athanasius Kircher), incipit and explicit: (f. 13r) Queritur utrum nulla alia ratio ... (f. 13r) sibi cavere lectorem, velim.
• Collation: Paper, 13; [i], 1² 2⁸ 3²( -1, +1); 109-120; contemporary foliation, upper right recto (effaced), indicating that this was originally part of a larger codex. Catchwords in lower right corner.
• Script: Written in a cursive script by a single hand.
• Decoration: Fold-out diagram (f. 12).
• Origin: Written in Italy in the 17th century (Zacour-Hirsch).
• Fragile. Stitching is pulling out; many of the leaves have become separated. Edges of leaves are split and torn; paper is brittle. Stains. Some damage due to oxidation of the ink.
• Forms part of: Edgar F. Smith Memorial Collection.

Cited in:

Described in Zacour, Norman P. and Hirsch, Rudolf. Catalogue of Manuscripts in the Libraries of the University of Pennsylvania to 1800 (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1965), p. 242 (Ms. E. F. Smith 38).

Cited as:

UPenn Ms. Codex 121.

OCLC:

155962604

Access Restriction:

Access to this item is subject to staff review.