1550: Gelenius

(Adams T410)

1550 : GELENIUS : 5th Edition : Basle: Froben.  Edited by the Czech philologist Sigismund Gelenius (Ghelen), who had been Rhenanus' assistant at Froben and was credited as such in the 1539 edition. He used the ancient Codex Masburensis from Malmesbury in Wiltshire, which John Leland had sent to Beatus Rhenanus, and had then passed to Gelenius.  Gelenius however exaggerated its contents.

The following details are taken from the copy held at St. Johns College Cambridge, to whom many thanks.  The 1562 reprint however is also detailed online.

Copies:

• Adams T410(St.Johns, Pembroke(bdg), Christ's)
• There seems to be no copy in Oxford
• From a dealer catalogue: Q. Septimii Florentis Tertulliani...scripta, & plura quam ante, ; TERTULLIAN, Quintus Septimus Florens. Q. Septimii Florentis Tertulliani...scripta, & plura quam ante, & diligentius per industriam bene literatorum aliquot, ad complures veteres e Gallicanis Germanicisq(ue) bibliothecis conquistos recognita codices, in quibus praecipuus fuit unus longe incorruptissimus in ultimam usq(ue) petitus Britanniam: non omissis accuratis Beati Rhenani annotationibus ... Woodcut colophons on title and on verso od last leaf, head titles. 6 leaves, 909pp., index on title and on verso of last leaf, head titles. 6 leaves, 909pp., index of 30 leaves. Folio, cont. blind-tooled calf; spine and hinges mended. Basileae, apud Hier. Froben, 1550, mense martio.
  I have seen this offered for sale at $1200 and another copy at $900.

Details:

These are from the copy at St. Johns College, Cambridge.  This had a leather binding, of which the spine had been replaced, with 5 sewing points, shelfmark 25.A/G.4 in white bits of paper on the spine.  Inside on the board was a slip of printed paper, reading "Testamento legavit | THOMAS GISBORNE, M.D. R. & A.S.S. | Regis, Regiæque Familiae Medicus; | Collegii Regis Medicorum apud Londinium | olim Præses; | et hujus Collegii per quinquaginta et | quinque annos Socius."  Between the board and the first guard-leaf, a fragment of parchment protrudes, beginning "This indenture...".  On the recto of the first guard leaf is an old shelfmark, Rr.3.23, but with a line through it. On the first leaf is a price: 3^s. 6^d.  Followed by a handwritten note, "This edit. wants ad nationes &.c. first published by Jacobus Gothofredus, in 4° Genova 1625. There are two guardleaves, the second of which has illegible scrawlings on it. 

The pages have been trimmed, as may be seen from some truncated marginal notes (none interesting).  Current size of the title page is 31cm x 21cm.  Printed area (p19) is 25.5cm x 15cm.

Gatherings and pagination:

Pages: [12], 909, [3], [60].  The last 60 are the indices, the 3 are blanks, the first 12 pages are of course the first gathering.  Unnumbered pages are in [].

Gatherings: +6,a6,b6,c6,d6,e6,f6,g6,h6,i6,k6,l6,m6,n6,o6,p6,q6,r6,s6,t6,u6,x6,y6,z6, A6,B6,C6,D6,E6,F6,G6,H6,I6,K6,L6,M6,N6,O6,P6,Q6,R6,S6,T6,V6,X6,Y6,Z6, Aa6,Bb6,Cc6,Dd6,Ee6,Ff6,Gg6,Hh6,Ii6,Kk6,Ll6,Mm6,Nn6,Oo6,Pp6,Qq6,Rr6,Ss6,Tt6,Vv6,Xx6,Yy6,Zz6, AA6,BB6,CC6,DD6,EE6,FF6,GG6,HH6,II6,KK6,MM6.

The first gathering uses a cross-symbol, not a letter.  The first recto of the first gathering is the title page.

The final leaf of MM, 6verso, has the Froben symbol on it.  Two guardleaves follow.  The last but one verso of MM6 has a 'Series Chartarum' in which it lists these letters, and then adds, "Omnes sunt terniones".  Under this is the text, "BASILIAE APVD HIER FROBEN ET NIC. | EPISCOPIVM ANNO M.D.L. | Mense Martio."

Contents:

BIBLIOGRAPHY

M. WELTI, Gelen, Sigmund, Philologe, Neue Deutsche Biographie, Vol. 6 (1964), p.173.  Checked:

Gelen, Sigmund, Philologe, * um 1498 Prag, + 1554 Basel.

V Gregory Hruby, im Hofdienst in P., übersetzte Werke v. Petrarca, Cicero u. Erasmus ins Tschechische;  N. N.: 3 S.

Mit 7 Jahren kam G. unter die Obhut des Prager Domherrn Wenzel v. Pisek, der mit seinem Schüler nach Italien zog. G. studierte in Bologna und lernte während eines längeren Aufenthalts in Venedig Griechisch bei M. Musurus. Er bereiste Korsika, Sardinien, Sizilien, erhielt Einblick in die aufgewühlte Welt der ital. Kleinstaaten und kehrte über Frankreich find Deutschland in seine Heimat zurück. Da sein Vermögen inzwischen zusammengeschmolzen war, hielt er nach dem Tode seines Vaters in Prag eine Zeitlang Privatvorlesungen über griech. Literatur, begab sich dann aber nach Basel (ca. 1524), wo er die restlichen Jahrzehnte seines Lebens im Dienste der Frobeniana als unauffälliger Korrektor, Herausgeber und Übersetzer verbringen sollte. Durch seinen kritischen Scharfsinn gewann er sich die Zuneigung des Erasmus, der ihn vorübergehend sogar in seinen Haushalt aufnahm. Der Universität blieb er trotz seiner Immatrikulation fern, und auch eine Einladung Melanchthons, in Nürnberg Griechisch zu lehren, fand bei ihm kein Gehör. -- G. gehörte zum Kreis jener stillen, hochgebildeten Gelehrten, die mit ihrem Bienenfleiß die basler. Buchproduktion des 16. Jh. in ihrer Vielfalt und Fülle erst möglich machten, deren tieferes Wesen aber hinter dem entsagungsvollen Werk für uns leider noch weitgehend verborgen bleibt. G. hat bloß ein originales Werk hinterlassen, das Lexicum symphonum (Basel 1537, erweitert 1544], in dem er sich um den Nachweis von Affinitäten zwischen dem Griechischen, Lateinischen, Germanischen und den slaw. Idiomen bemüht. Die Zahl der von ihm edierten, zum Teil ins Lateinische übertragenen, zum Teil kommentierten, christlichen und paganen Texte antiker Autoren ist dagegen Legion (s. H. M. Allen, Opus Epistolarum Des. Erasmi Roterodami VI, Oxford 1926, S. 330, Anm. 8, L, dazu Verz. in: Brit. Mus. Gen. Cat. of Printed Books 83, London 1961, S. 390-93).

[[At the age of 7 G. came under the supervision of the Prague cathedral master Wenzel v. Pisek, who went with his pupil to Italy. G. studied Greek in Bologna and studied with M. Musurus during a longer stay in Venice. He travelled through Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, and received an overview of the Italian city-states, finding his way back to his homeland through France and Germany. Since his fortune was diminished in the meantime, after the death of his father for a while he held private lectures in Prague on Greek literature.  However he then went to Basel (approx. 1524), where he spent the remaining decades of his life in the service of the Froben press as an inconspicuous corrector, editor and translator. By his sharp critical sense he won the affection of Erasmus, who even accepted him temporarily in his household. He stayed away from the university despite having made his inscription, and also turned down an invitation from Melanchthon to teach Greek in Nuremberg. -- G. belonged to the circle of those quiet, highly educated scholars, whose diligence alone made possible the extent and variety of book production in Basle in the 16th century, the  deeper nature of which remains unfortunately still to a large extent hidden to us in anonymity. G. left only one original work, the Lexicum symphonum (Basel 1537, reprinted 1544 ], in which he endeavoured to prove the affinities between Greek, Latin, Germanic and Slavic languages. The number of texts of ancient Christian and pagan authors which he edited, partially translated into Latin, or partially commentated,  is legion (see H. M. Allen, Opus Epistolarum Des. Erasmi Roterodami VI, Oxford 1926, p. 330, note 8, L, in addition see: Brit. Mus. Gen. Cat. of printed Books 83, London 1961, p. 390-93).]]

L. ADB VIII; R. Wackernagel, Gesch. d. Stadt Basel III, 1924, S. 448 f.; Basler Zs. f. Gesch. u. Altertumskde. 43, 1944, S. 17 ff.; E. Bonjour, Die Univ. Basel v. d. Anfängen b. z. Gegenwart, 1960, S.230.

Manfred E. WELTI

Pierre PETITMENGIN, Chronica Tertullianea et Cyprianea 2003, p. 421 (reviewing entry 66), tells us that Gelenius was a strong protestant, but that his edition was acceptable to all.

This page has been online since 29th July 2002.

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