A History of Magic and Experimental Science, Volume 2 (of 2): During the First Thirteen Centuries of Our EraThorndike, Lynn
History
A History of Magic and Experimental Science, Volume 2 (of 2): During the First Thirteen Centuries of Our Era
Thorndike, Lynn
Magic -- History; Science -- History
Twyne perhaps made his extracts from Arundel 377, for
immediately after them he gives extracts “from William of
Conches who is together with Daniel Merlai in our library,”
and in Arundel 377 Daniel’s work is immediately followed
by that of William of Conches. Moreover, of the Selden MSS
which are now in the Bodleian, Supra 72 was once owned by
Lord “William Howarde” who died in 1640, while Supra 77 is
marked “Arundel,” referring presumably to Thomas Howard,
Earl of Arundel, who died in 1646, and Supra 79 consists
of astronomical and astrological treatises copied by Brian
Twyne. If MSS which once belonged to the Arundel collection
and to Twyne have thus passed somehow into the Selden
collection and are found listed there in close proximity to
one another, it is at least tempting to conjecture that the
MS containing Daniel’s treatise, followed by that of William
of Conches, which Twyne says was once “in our library,”
somehow became Arundel 377.
BN 6415 does not contain _De philosophia Danielis_, as
stated by C. Jourdain (1838) p. 101; Jourdain, however,
regarded Adelard of Bath as the author of _De philosophia
Danielis_, and BN 6415 does contain Adelard’s _Questiones
naturales_.
Balliol 96, 15th century, a commentary upon Aristotle’s
eight books of Physics in the form of questions and preceded
by a prologue, “Expliciunt questiones super 8 libros
phisicorum compilate a domino Marlo magistro in artibus
Tholose ac canonico de Timsey.” This does not seem to be a
work by Daniel of Morley; a cursory examination revealed no
reason for thinking that _domino Marlo_ should read _Daniele
Merlai_, or that _Tholose_ should be _Tholeto_.
I have not examined two MSS at Queen’s College, Oxford, Reg.
lxxi; lxxiv, 4) containing pedigrees of the Morlay or Morley
family which may possibly throw some light upon Daniel’s
identity.
All the printing that has been done of Daniel’s treatise
has been based upon Arundel 377. J. O. Halliwell, _Rara
Mathematica_, 1839, and Thomas Wright, _Biographia
Literaria_, London, 1846, II, 227-30, printed the preface
and other brief extracts for the first time.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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