Medieval Bestiary : Encyclopedia : Arnoldus Saxo

Arnoldus Saxo

Biography

Almost nothing is known about Albertus Saxo. The addition of "Saxo" to his name suggests he lived in Saxony. His dates of birth and death are unknown, though he most likely lived in the first part of the thirteenth century. He may have been a cleric. He also refers to himself with name Arnoldus Luca.

Writing

The works of Arnoldus other than De floribus rerum naturalium are not well known. He suggests in his prologue to that book that he had previously produced a book on the works of philosophers (Sermo de libris philosophorum), which appears to no longer exist. Other works attributed to him include a treatise on medicine (De causis morborum et figuris simplicibus quoque compositis medicinis), a treatise on vices and virtues, and a consolatio (Liber notabilium de consolatione Senecæ) [Draelants].

De floribus rerum naturalium

The De floribus rerum naturalium is an encyclopedia, albeit a short one, covering zoology, mineralogy, and astronomy, but the the zoological parts dominate, with chapters on quadrupeds, birds, fish and reptiles,.

Arnoldus used the Latin translation by Michel Scotus of Aristotle's De animalibus, which was published around 1220, so the De floribus rerum naturalium has to have been written after 1220 and probably in the 1230s.

The text of De floribus rerum naturalium is much shorter than that of other thirteenth century encyclopedias, which often fill 200 or more manuscript folios. Arnoldus's text, as found in the Erfurt manuscript, only requires 63 folios. While the text is organized in five parts (see below), the topics of each are not rigidly followed, with items that would logically appear in one appearing in another part, or in more than one. The entries for each animal are also brief, usually no more than a short paragraph, but the same animal often appears more than once, in descriptions of different properties. Overall, the text appears less structured and coherent than the other encyclopedias.

With the exception of Part 5 (De moralibus), Arnoldus generally follows Aristotle in describing the physical attributes of animals, without the moralizations and spiritual meanings found in the Bestiaries and in some other encyclopedias (e.g. the Etymologies of Isidore of Seville; the Liber de natura rerum of Thomas of Cantimpré).

Arnoldus's text was used by other encyclopedia authors, including Albertus Magnus, Bartholomaeus Anglicus and Vincent de Beauvais, though only Vincent actually cites him by name. He is also cited in the fifteenth century Hortus Sanitatis.

The five parts of the De floribus rerum naturalium and their chapters and articles, derived from the edition by Stange:

Capitula primi libri

De celo et mundo
On heaven and earth
De essentia prime cause
On the essence of the first cause
De bonitate prime cause
On the goodness of the first cause
De probatione prime cause
On the proof of the first cause
De providentia prime cause
Of providence in the first cause
De ydea
On the idea
De yle
On substance/matter
De anima mundi
Of the soul of the world
De anima rationali
On the rational soul
De immortalitate anime
On the immortality of the soul
De quiete et penis anime
On the quietness and penitence of the soul
De natura celi
On the nature of heaven
De forma mundi
On the form of the world
De mundo archetipo
On the archetypal world

Capitula secundi libri

De natura stellarum
On the nature of the stars
De motibus astrorum
On the motions of the stars
De natura planetarum
On the nature of the planets
De motibus et iudiciis planetarum
On the motions and judgment of the planets
De saturno
On Saturn
De iove
On Jupiter
De marte
On Mars
De sole
On the Sun
De venere
On Venus
De mercurio
On Mercury
De luna
On the moon
De eclypsi solis et lune
On eclipses of the sun and of the moon
De ascensione lune
On the ascension of the moon
De effectibus ascensionis lune
On the effects of the ascension of the moon
De anno mundano
On the world year
De natura circulorum orbis
On the nature of the circles of the world
De stridore circulorum orbis
On the sound of the circles of the world
De qualitate et distantia circulorum orbis
On the quality and distance of the circles of the world
De quantitate terre
On the quantity of land
De centro et figura terre
On the center and form of the earth

Capitula tertii libri

De generatione elementorum
On the generation of elements
De natura elementorum
On the nature of the elements
De effectibus elementorum
On the effects of the elements
De generatione et corruptione simplicium
On the generation and decay of simple things
De generatione et corruptione compositorum
On the generation and decay of compounds
De generatione animalium
On the generation of animals
De generatione plantarum
On the generation of plants
De alimento et aucmento plantarum
On the nourishment and growth of plants
De perfectione et essentia plantarum
On the perfection and essence of plants
De accidentibus plantarum
On the accident properties of plants
De diversitatibus plantarum
On the diversity of plants
De effectibus plantarum
On the effects of plants
De causa putrefactionis omnium
On the cause of the corruption and putrefaction of all things

Capitula quarti libri

De galaxia
On the galaxy
De comete
On comets
De perpendiculari igne
On the perpendicular fire
De assub
On the things below
De rotunditate continente solem
On the roundness of the sun
De pluvia
On rain
De tonitruo et coruscatione
On thunder and lightning
De yride
On rainbows
De rore et nive
On dew and snow
De grandine
On hail
De ventis
Of the wind
De turbine
On the whirlwind
De terre motu
On the movement of the earth [earthquakes]
De mari
On the sea
De aquis fluminum
On the waters of rivers
De aquis calidis
On warm waters
De locis ardentibus
On burning places

Capitula quinti libri

De generatione montium
On the generation of mountains
De generatione lapidum
On the generation of stones
De generatione minerarum
On the generation of minerals
De argento vivo
On mercury [quicksilver]
De plumbo
On lead
De stagno
On tin (?)
De ere
On "ere" (?)
De ferro
On iron
De argento
On silver
De auro
On gold
De effectibus minerarum
On the effects of minerals

Capitula sexti libri

De natura generationis hominis
On the nature of the generation of man
De natura operationis hominis
On the nature of the activity of man
De natura generationis quadrupedum
On the nature of the generation of quadrupeds
De natura operationis quadrupedum
On the nature of the activity of quadrupeds
De natura generationis avium
On the nature of the generation of birds
De natura operationis avium
On the nature of the activity of birds
De natura generationis piscium
On the nature of the generation of fishes
De natura operationis piscium
On the nature of the activity of fish
De natura generationis reptilium
On the nature of the generation of reptiles
De natura operationis reptilium
On the nature of the activity of reptiles

Short descriptions of 80 stones

De homine
On man
De animalibus rapacibus
Of predatory animals
De domesticis et eorum membris
On the domestic animals and their members
De avibus
On birds
De piscibus
On fish
De reptilibus
On reptiles
De plantis
On plants
De lapidibus
On stones and gems
De speculis
On mirrors
De visu
On vision

Capitula primi libri

De virtutis diffinitione
On the definition of virtue
De virtutis divisione
On the divisions of virtue
De virtute intellectuali et consuetudinali
On intellectual and customary virtue
De beatitudine
On bliss
De temporis observantia
On the observance of time
De loci constantia
On the constancy of place
De vite perseverantia
On the persistence of life
De mortis presentia
On the presence of death
De eternitatis custodia
On the guard of eternity

Capitula secundi libri

De prudentia
On prudence
De doctrina
On doctrine
De disciplina
On discipline
De conversatione
On conversation
De iustitia
On justice
De iudicio
On judgment
De conscientia
On conscience
De religione
On religion
De amicitia
On friendship

Capilula tertii libri

De fortitudine
On fortitude
De divitiis
On riches
De paupertate
On poverty
De patientia adversitatis
On patience in adversity
De adversitate mortis
On the adversity of death
De temperantia
On temperance
De misericordia
On mercy
De clementia
On clemency
De beneficiis
On kindness/service

Capitula quarti libri

De dignitatibus
On dignity
De improbanda felicitate presenti
On the improbable present happiness
De felicitatis inconstantia
On the inconstancy of happiness
De ambitione
On ambition
De adulatione
On flattery
De voluptate
On voluptuousness
De crudelitate
On cruelty
De discordia
On discord
De stultitia
On stupidity

Capitula quinti libri

De superbia sive de inani gloria
On pride or vainglory
De ira
On anger
De invidia
On envy
De desidia sive de accidia
On apathy or sloth
De avaritia
On avarice
De gula sive de castrimargia
On gluttony or over-eating
De luxuria
On luxury
De diversitate delictia
On the diversity of delight
De malitia incorrigibili
On incorrigible malice

Sources

Arnoldus refers to various books of mostly ancient writers. Several of the works of Greek and Arabic authors had been translated into Latin by the time Arnoldus wrote his book, so he could have read any or all of the texts in this list, either directly or via the works of his contemporaries.

Aristotle: De anima (On the soul), De animalibus (On animals), De proprietatibus elementorum (On the properties of elements [attributed]), De somno et vigilia (On sleep and sleeplessness), De vegetabilium (On plants [attributed]), Meteorologica (Meteorology)
Alchyldis (unknown): De venenis (On poisons)
al-Ghazali (Arab philosopher,11th-12th century): De sensu et sensato (On sense and the sensible)
Avicenna (Arab philosopher, 10th-11th century): Libro medicinali (Book of medicine)
Belbetus (unknown): De sensibus (On the senses)
Constantinus Africanus (11th century translator of Arabic texts): De coitu (On sex), Libro viaticum (a book on medicine, actually by Ahmed Ibn Al Jazzar)
Aesculapius: De membris (On the limbs)
Galen [Galenus] (Greek physician and philosopher, 1st-2nd century): De spermate (On sperm), De complexionibus (On the complexions)
Isaac Judaeus [Isaac Israeli ben Solomon] (9th century Jewish physician): De dietis particularibus (On diet in particular), De dietis universalibus (On diet in general)
Jorach [Iorach] (unknown Jewish author whose text is lost): De animalibus (On animals)
Pythagoras: Libro Romanorum (Book of the Romans)
Serapion the Younger (12th century Arabic physician): De simplici medicina (On simple medicaments)
Zeno [Zenon, Pseudo-Zeno] (probably not the philosopher Zeno): De naturalibus (On nature)

For more on Arnoldus's sources, see Draelants, 2000.

Manuscripts

There are about 15 manuscripts containing parts of the De floribus rerum naturalium, but very few existing manuscripts that include the entire text. The most complete is the one used by Stange for his edition, Universitätsbibliothek Erfurt, O. 77. A possibly abbreviated copy is found in Bodleian Library, MS. Lat. e. 34. Extracts from the text are included in a few manuscripts, especially from Part 5, De moralibus. Part 3, the lapidary, appears on its own in several manuscripts, for example Bibliothèque Nationale de France, lat. 7475.

Animals

Unlike the other thirteenth century encyclopedias, the De floribus rerum naturalium does not have a section where each animal is described individually. Instead, multiple animals are dealt with in each of the animal-related chapters of Parts 2 and 4. Each animal has only a brief entry, never more than a few sentences. There is no real structure to the animal descriptions; some animals have repeated mentions. The animals are not always confined to the appropriate sections, with some quadrupeds appearing in chapters on birds or fish and birds appearing in quadruped chapters, as well as in their own sections. Some animals are covered in two or more locations in a chapter, as though Arnoldus simply wrote down the accounts as he thought of them.

This lack of organization makes a list of animals as they appear in the text meaningless, so the following list is in alphabetical order.