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Ms. transcription of two Latin verses associated with Olybius's lamp followed by the text of a letter purportedly written by the Italian humanist Francesco Maturanzio (d. 1518)

 

 

Above:

 

Venetijs repertum in arca latente : in qua vas futile clausum erat.

 

Plutoni sacrum munus ne attingite fures.

Ignotum est vobis hoc : quod in orbe latet.

Nam[que] elementa graui clausit digesta labore

Vase sub hoc modico maximus olybius.

Adsit secundo custos sibi copia cornu :

Ne pretium tanti depereat laticis.

 

In eodem aliud uas fictile fuit inculsum cum his versibus.

 

Abite hinc pessimi fures :

Vos qui uoltis cum v[est]ris oculis emissitijs.

Abite hinc cum v[est]ro mercurio petasato : caduceato[que]

Maximus maximum donum plutoni hu[n]c sacrum facit.

 

Metaratij viri consumatissimi ep[isto]la de re ista ad amicum.

 

Nihil ex {corr. from: est} om[n]i anti[qui]tate uidisti mirabilius mi alphene: in uase illo interiori

lucerna fuit fictilis mire pulcritudinis lumine tot seculis mextinato :

Su[per] eam due ampulle parue : aurum in altera : in altera argentum fuit :

vtrun[que] li[qui]dum. et ut ex ramentis cognoscitur : primarium Argentum :

Aurum uero obryzum. Ego chimie artis : si modo uera potest esse ars

chimia iurare possum elementa fuisse et materiam. Omnia : vas utru[m][que]

cum epigra[m]matib[us] : lucerna : ampulle : aurum : olim in munere ad me uenere :

et penes me sunt : que si videas : obstupeseas : et ego cum mille aureis no[n]

sum co[m]mutaturus : vale. Da versus amicis rescribendos : et camerti

pontifici : at[que] amico Gratiano in primis uetustatis studiossimis.

 

[Ms. transcription of two Latin verses associated with Olybius's lamp, part of a classical burial putatively discovered still burning around the turn of the 16th century, followed by the text of a letter purportedly written by the Italian humanist Francesco Maturanzio (d. 1518) to a friend regarding this discovery. Cf. Corpus Inscriptionarum Latinarum V, pt. I, p. 22*, no. 194* (transcribed here).]

 

 

Below:

 

In Patrem cognomine Rubricam

alios rigide obseruantem.

Disticon.

Ante Patres soliti semper seruare Rubricam,

Nunc seruare Patres ipsa Rubrica solet.

 

In Patrem cognomine Myrtum,

Qui ut a Principe, q[uo]d cuperet obtineret, Amasiam

in mediatricem elegit.

Disticon.

Marti grata Venus, Veneri gratissima Myrtus,

Vt placeas Marti, Mirte, roga Venerem.

 

[Two ms. Latin couplets in a later hand.]

 

 

Penn Libraries call number: Inc A-938 Folio

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Uploaded on April 22, 2013
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