Reading Lucretius in the Renaissance

415 Pages·2014·3.67 MB·English

by  Ada Palmer

I TATTI STUDIES IN
ITALIAN RE NAIS SANCE HISTORY
Sponsored by Villa I Tatti
Harvard University Center for Italian Re nais sance Studies
Florence, Italy

Reading Lucretius
I N T H E
Re nais sance
(cid:2)(cid:3)
Ada Palmer
Cambridge, Massachusetts
London, En gland
2014
Copyright © 2014 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College
all rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First printing
This book was published with the assistance of the
Melbern G. Glasscock Center for Humanities Research
at Texas A&M University.
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Palmer, Ada.
Reading Lucretius in the Renaissance / Ada Palmer.
pages cm. — (I Tatti studies in Italian Renaissance history)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-674-72557-7 (alk. paper)
1. Lucretius Carus, Titus. De rerum natura I. Title.
PA6495.P35 2014
871'.01—dc23
2014002577
Contents
List of Tables and Figures vii
Preface xi
1. Religion Trampled Underfoot 1
Epicurus, Atomism, Atheism, and Skepticism in the Re nais sance
2. Unchristian Opinion 43
Lucretius’s First Re nais sance Readers
3. Between Fits of Madness 97
Ancient References and Proto- Biographies
4. The Lofty Madness of Wise Lucretius 140
The Re nais sance Biographies
5. T he Poverty of the Language 192
The Lucretian Print Tradition
Conclusion 233
Deceived but Not Betrayed
Appendix A: Lucretius Manuscripts 243
Appendix B: Capitula 250
Appendix C: Lucretius Editions 258
Notes 265
Bibliography 335
Ac know ledg ments 355
Index 359

Tables and Figures
Tables
2.1. Manuscript sizes and materials 48
2.2. Frequency of annotation in diff erent types of Lucretius
manuscripts 50
2.3. Frequency of the types of nonphilosophical annotation
in Lucretius manuscripts 56
2.4. Frequency of diff erent types of annotation in Lucretius
manuscripts 74
3.1. Re nais sance Lucretius biographies 104
3.2. References to classical and medieval authors in biographies
and quotation lists 136
4.1. Re nais sance Lucretius biographies and their revisions 142
5.1. Chronology of Lucretius editions and related works 194
Figures
Following page 96
1. Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana Vat. Lat. 3276, fol. 132v. De rerum na-
tura V, showing rubricated capitula and inexpensive ink decoration.
2. Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana Ott. Lat. 1954, fol. 98r. De rerum na-
tura IV 1165–1 187, with anonymous Greek annotation providing the
equivalents of the transliterated nicknames for lovers.
vii
(cid:2)
viii Tables and Figures
3. Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana Vat. Lat. 3276, fol. 94v. De rerum na-
tura III 1033– 1050, with marginal annotation marking the names of
famous men in the underworld.
4. British Library I. A. 23564 (1495), fol. aiiiir. De rerum natura III
112– 140, with Girolamo Borgia’s transcription of Pontano’s notes,
marking the names of famous men in the underworld.
5. Piacenza Landi Cod. 33, fol. 51r. Illustration depicting the ostoma-
chion of Archimedes.
6. Piacenza Landi Cod. 33, fol. 100r. Illustration depicting possible
shapes of atoms, accompanying De rerum natura IV 647– 672.
7. Piacenza Landi Cod. 33, fol. 131r. The zodiac in alignment, illustrating
De rerum natura V 691– 704, labeled “Figura totius mundi et ostensio
orbito coelestium planetarum.”
8. Piacenza Landi Cod. 33, fol. 131v. Illustration depicting the sun’s orbit
with variable center, illustrating De rerum natura V 691–7 04, labeled
“Demonstratio inequalitatis dierum et noctium propter varium solis
cursum.”
9. Piacenza Landi Cod. 33, fol. 132r. Illustration depicting the relative
positions of sun, moon, and Earth, illustrating De rerum natura V
691– 704, labeled “Demonstratio quanto luna vicinior sit terrae.”
10. Piacenza Landi Cod. 33, fol. 132v. The twelve winds, illustrating De
rerum natura V 691– 704, labeled “Demonstratio duodecim ventorum.”
11. Piacenza Landi Cod. 33, fol. 133r. Illustration depicting the eight wind
theory, labeled “Superior demonstratio octo ventorum est secundum
Phavorinum Gelianum.”
12. Piacenza Landi Cod. 33, fol. 134r. Illustration depicting phases of
the moon, labeled “Demonstratio quomodo luna crescens sive nova
lumen a sole recipiat recedendo a sole orientem versus. ut patet
inspicienti.”
13. Piacenza Landi Cod. 33, fol. 134v. Illustration depicting phases of the
moon, labeled “De Anni Temporibus.”
1 4. Piacenza Landi Cod. 33, fol. 136r. Illustration depicting eclipses, illus-
trating De rerum natura V 771.
15. Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana Ross. Lat. 884, fol. 25r. Text of De re-
rum natura in the hand of Niccolo Machiavelli, with his marginal
note marking the description of the atomic swerve “motum varium
(cid:3)
Tables and Figures ix
esse et ex eo nos liberam habere mentem” (that motion is variable,
and from this we have free will).
1 6. Detail of Machiavelli’s note on Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana Ross.
Lat. 884, fol. 25r.
17. Naples Naz. IV E 51, fol. 66r. De rerum natura III 405– 426, with notes
of Pomponio Leto, including the capitulum “Animam nativam &
mortalem esse” and note “opinio non christiana” at 417.
1 8. Naples, Naz. IV E 51, front of inner fl yleaf. Pomponio Leto’s index of
the vocabulary that he noted in the margins of the manuscript, listed
by page number.
1 9. Naples Naz. IV E 51, fol. 71v. De rerum natura III 661–6 85, with notes
of Pomponio Leto, including the marginal labels “Contra pythago-
rani . . .” and “Contra platonem . . .”
20. Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana Ott. Lat. 2834, fol. 1r. De rerum na-
tura I 1– 27, white vine decoration and notes of Pomponio Leto or his
circle.
21. Utrecht, University Library. X fol. 82 (Rariora), fol. aiiir. A copy of the
1486 Verona edition, showing I 112–1 49, with “Clyo” printed by I 119,
the capitulum “Nihil de nihilo gigni,” and handwritten notes of Pom-
ponio Leto.
2 2. Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München Cod. lat. mon. 816a, fol. 27r. A
manuscript that belonged to Piero Vettori, showing the notes “tenuis
bissilabum” (tenuis scanned as two syllables) at De rerum natura II
232, and “Absurditas in sententia” (absurd in my opinion) beside the
discussion of the atomic swerve at II 244.
23. The Bodleian Libraries, the University of Oxford, Auct. 2 R 4.50
(1500), p. 15. The 1500 print edition, showing De rerum natura I 509–
545, a copy formerly owned by Donato Giannotti, with marginalia
discussing Aristotle.
24. The Bodleian Libraries, the University of Oxford, Byw. P 6.13 (1565–
1566), handwritten end fl yleaf 1. A copy of the 1565– 1566 edition of
Lucretius, showing manuscript quotations from Cicero, Cornelius
Nepos, Vitruvius, and Ovid.
2 5. The Bodleian Libraries, the University of Oxford, Byw. P 6.13 (1565–
1566), handwritten end fl yleaf 2. Manuscript quotations from Quintil-
ian, Statius, and Serenus.