| Record ID | cp012243 |
| Voet reference number | 1838 |
| Museum Plantin-Moretus | c:lvd:3243556 |
| Author | HORTA) ORTO (ORTA; HORTO |
| Title page transcription | AROMATVM, ‖ ET ‖ SIMPLICIVM ALIQVOT ‖ MEDICAMENTORVM APVD ‖ INDOS NASCENTIVM ‖ HISTORIA: ‖ Ante biennium quidem Lusitanica lingua per ‖ Dialogos conscripta, D. GARCIA AB ‖ HORTO, Proregis Indiȩ Medico, auctore: ‖ Nunc verò primùm Latina facta, & in Epitomen ‖ contracta à CAROLO CLVSIO Atrebate. ‖ ⊕ 17 ‖ ANTVERPIÆ, ‖ Ex officina Christophori Plantini, ‖ CIƆ. IƆ. LXVII. ‖ CVM PRIVILEGIO. |
| Collation | 8⁰ [121]: A-Q⁸, R⁴; pages 1-250, [251-264] |
| Fingerprint | 156708 - # b1 A2 rcit$ : # b2 R r |
| Number of sheets | 16.5 |
| Pages | [1]: Title [2]: Privilege (Brussels, 3 September 1566, signed by I. de Witte) 3-6: Magnifico viro…Iacobo A.F. Fuggero, comiti in Kirchperg et Weissenhorn, Carolus Clusius A. (Bruges, 13 December 1566) 7: Benevolo lectori (italic type) 8: Table 9-250: Text (italic type, parts and marginals in roman type) [251-260]: Index (on two columns) [261]: Errata (italic type, parts in roman type) [262]: EXCVDEBAT CHRISTOPHORVS ‖ PLANTINVS ANTVERPIÆ, ANNO ‖ M.D.LXVII. MENSE APRILI [263-264]: Blank |
| Edition information | |
| Illustrations | Woodcuts: 16 illustrations of varying dimensions representing plants of India (for more details see Notes) |
| Copies | Museum Plantin-Moretus- A 103Allard PiersonKBR Royal Library of BelgiumCambridgeGhent University LibraryKB National Library of the NetherlandsBiblioteca Nacional de PortugalBiblioteca Nacional de EspañaJohn Carter Brown Library, Providence- Rhode IslandUtrecht University LibraryVatican Apolstolic Library.UNamur- R16A0700- R4Z.0064 |
| Bibliographical references | Ruelens-de Backer, page 75 (1567, no. 25) Bib. Belgica (1964–1970 éd.), IV, pages 577-578 Nissen, C. Die Botanische Buchillustration (2. Aufl.), no. 949 Palau y Dulcet, 6, page 106, no. 99516. Facsimile reprint in 1963 (Nieuwkoop; Dutch Classics on History of Science, no. 6), with introduction and annotations by M. de Jong and D.A. Wittop Koning. Another reprint at Lisbon, 1964, with introduction by J. Walter and Manuel Alves, and a Portuguese translation of the Latin textCockx-Indestege, E. Belgica typographica 2274 Bib. Belgica (1964-1970 éd.) O 5 |
| Online bibliographical references | STCV c:stcv:12921441USTC 401311 |
| Note 1 | Treatise on plants of India (especially medicinal ones), with some digressions on diseases and social-cultural remarks. The original edition, in the form of dialogues between the author and a colleague newly arrived at Goa, was published in Portuguese in Goa by Joannes de Endem (Audem) in April 1563, under the title Coloquios dos simples, e drogas he cousas mediçinais da India, e assi dalgūas frutas achadas nella oude se tratam algūas cousas tocantes a mediçina, pratica, e outras cousas boas…(a copy in Leiden University Libraries and British Library London). |
| Note 2 | Adaptation and Latin translation by Carolus Clusius. As the botanist explains in the dedicatory to Jacob Fugger and in the note to the reader, when travelling in Spain, he came into the possession of a 'libellum, qui Goae excusus, recens ex Orientali India allatus erat'. Clusius found the treatise very interesting, and wished to promote it in an internationally known language. He consequently translated the text into Latin, arranging it somewhat by deleting the dialogues and making of it two books, divided into two chapters, with at the end of practically each chapter his own comments and remarks. The dedicatory to Fugger is dated 13 December 1566, but, as stated in the note to the reader, owing to the troubles [in the Netherlands] the publication came out somewhat later than planned ('Cogitabam sane superioris aestatis initio eam in publicum dare; verum ob nostras has turbas editionem differri coacti sumus'). About the genesis of the publication see also Clusius's letters to Crato a Craftheim, quoted below. Content and illustrations are detailed in BB, IV, pages 577-578. |
| Note 3 | According to the colophon the printing was finished in April 1567. |
| Note 4 | The cost-accounting note in Arch. 4, folio 115, gives the following details about 'Aromatum historia': the drawing and cutting of the illustrations were paid 10 florins Carolus guilders 10 stuivers, the privilege 3 florins Carolus guilders, 'le port et raport dud[ict] livre à diverses fois' 11 stuivers The wages for composing and printing are entered on 1 March (A-H) and 3 May (I-R) and amount to 29 florins Carolus guilders, with an additional expense of 15 stuivers 'pour le format et affustage'. As each copy contains 16½ sheets, and as 1,250 copies were printed, 43 reams of paper 'grande coronne' (including 1 ream 15 'mains' 'imperfections') were used, which, at 1 florins Carolus guilders 2 stuivers per ream, came to 47 florins Carolus guilders 6 stuivers, bringing the overall costs to 91 florins Carolus guilders 2 stuivers 'qui est la pièce peu moins de 1½ stuivers'. |
| Note 5 | The expenses for the illustrations, the privilege, and 'le port et raport' are also noted, with some more details, in Arch. 3, folio 59, at the date of 25 October 1566: Pieter van der Borcht received for drawing the illustrations on the blocks, for 15 figures, at 6 stuivers a piece, 4 florins Carolus guilders 10 stuivers, while the woodcutter Arnold Nicolai was paid, at 8 stuivers a piece, 6 florins Carolus guilders The 'port et raport' is here explained as 'Le port et rapport des figures à Malines [where Van der Borcht lived]'. Cf. also Arch. 31, folio 52 (payments in September 1566 for the execution of the blocks to Nicolai) and folio 90 (payments on 22 August 1566 to Van der Borcht). |
| Note 6 | The edition has 16 woodcuts, but Van der Borcht and Nicolai were only paid for 15 blocks: one block may already have been in Plantin's possession. The original drawings which Van der Borcht copied on the blocks had been provided by Clusius as is made clear in the note to the reader ('Addidimus insuper…, et aliquot icones aromatum, quae quidem nobis nancisci licuit, ad vivum exprimi curavimus'). |
| Note 7 | Interesting details about the genesis of the publication are given in some letters of Clusius to Crato a Craftheim: 29 November 1566 (Suppl. Corr., no. 15: 'Nam initio aestatis tradidi typographo Plantino meam Epitomen: at neque illi, neque mihi aula benevoli privilegium (sine quo quidquam excudi vetitum est) unquam impetrare potuerunt, aula videlicet his nostris motibus nimium fatigata, et alio occupata. Sub finem vero autumni tandem impetratum est, pollicitusque est typographus ante mensem cum apud eum Antverpiae essem brevi se eam praelo commissurum. Huic praeter aliquot annotatiunculas, pauculas quasdam icones addidi eorum aromatum de quibus meus Gracias agit, quaeque hic nancisci potui, sed eas a nemine adhuc exhibitas, aut ab aliis non satis fideliter expressas. Adjunxissem meas observationes, nisi et his motibus privatum accessisset incommodum'); 14 April 1567 (Ibidem, no. 22: 'Per absentiam typographi in Francofurtano mercatu mea Epitome excudi coepta est, sed ob turbas intermissa, et negligentius, ut verum fatear, ob meam absentiam curata. Omnes ad me quaterniones praeter duos postremos missi sunt, ut si quid mendarum esset corrigerem. Sed satis sero, nisi ut mendae ad calcem libelli rejiciantur. Ubi fuerit absolutus exemplar mendatum curabo'); 23 April 1567 (Ibidem, no. 25: 'Scripsi ante decem dies…nostram Epitomen aromatum sub praelo esse, brevique absolvendam. Nunc cum intellexerim absolutam et dispersos quaterniones in unum corpus collectos, dedi negotium Plantino typographo, ut exemplar per Maternum [Cholinum] ad te curaret…Commissa sunt aliquot errata per meam et ipsius typographi absentiam. Solent enim per heri absentiam negligentiores esse operae, praesertim cum nemo illis adest, qui aut typographicam intelligat, aut emunctioris naris corrector. Graviora autem errata ad calcem ipsius libelli rejici curavi'). |
| Note 8 | A copy was mailed to de Çayas (letter of Plantin, 1 October 1567: Corr., I, no. 84, page 187). |
| Note 9 | The sale of the edition was so satisfactory that on 12 April 1568 Plantin had to tell Camerarius that of the Aromatum historia no copy was left (Suppl. Corr., no. 58). |
| Note 10 | Listed in M 296, folio 1r (Aromatum hist[ori]a Gar[cia] ab horto, a⁰ -, f[euilles] 17, [price:] stuivers 4), and M 164, folio 1r. |
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