The Mascalcia is probably linked to the pseudo-Aristotelian De omnibus infirmitatibus equorum (cf. Vatican City, BAV, ms. Ott. Lat. 2412, ff. 101-112, as mentioned by Schmitt and Knox 1985), though Poulle-Drieux 1996 attributes the work to Giordano…
After a section devoted to the notion of virtue in general, the treatise is made up of several chapters concerning vices, virtues and other moral categories. It apparently follows the order of Aristotle's Ethics, but it also focuses on Christian…
The lecture addressed to Eleonora de Toledo, member of the Accademia degli Alterati under the name of "Ardente", is conceived as a general discussion of Alessandro Piccolomini's interpretation of Aristotle's Poetics, the Annotationi nel libro della…
The collection of tables and diagrams is meant to work as a compendium of logic. The anonymous author gives an interesting remark as introduction to the work: 'Le Tavole che comprendono molte cose in poche parole e con vago ordine, aiutano…
The academic oration is assigned by a later hand to Francesco Sommari who read it in the School of Simone della Rocca (cf. gloss in ms. Florence, BNC, Magl. VII.1207). Even though quite far from being an original text, the oration is widely based on…
Francesco de Vieri's Lezzioni d'amore are two lectures held at the Accademia Fiorentina in 1556. The work is conceived as a thorough commentary on Guido Cavalcanti's Donna me prega. Though their main subject is love, the two lectures are largely…
This is an incomplete commentary on the Poetics which seems to be lacking in references to other authors. There are several marginal annotations. The old Magliabechi catalogue refers it to Leonardo Salviati, but there is no certain relation with the…
Ms. Florence, BNC, Magl. VIII.1548 contains autograph works by Curzio Picchena, a Florentine diplomatist very close to Cosimo II de Medici (he also became segretario di stato). The excerpts from Aristotle's Politics are very difficult to read because…
The Breve ragionamento follows in the ms. Florence, BNC, Magl.XII.12 a Latin work by the same author on a similar subject (Epilogus doctrinam Aristotelis de anima quam brevissime complectens, ff. 4r-25v), dedicated - as the Italian one - to the duke…
Francesco de Vieri's La morale filosofia is a sort of compendium of moral philosophy much indebted to Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, though not exclusively based on Aristotelian materials. Ms. Florence, BNC, Magl. XXI.147 is a rough copy, rich in…
The Discorso sopra la felicità humana is a short treatise in the form of a lecture mainly dealing with the notion of human happiness and the distinction between contemplative and active life. The main source is Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, often…
The oration by Niccolò Aggiunti (who was one of Galileo's disciples and the successor of Benedetto Castelli as professor of mathematics in Pisa since 1626), held in front of the Tuscan princes, deals with a strong defence of Galileo Galilei mainly…
The anonymous 14th c. translation of Aristotle's Meteorology had a wide manuscript circulation (7 copies extant) before being published in 1554. The so-called Metaura plays a main role in the history of medieval translations of Aristotle into Italian…
Francesco de Vieri's commentary on Aristotle's Meteorology, first published in 1573 (3 books) was later completed and republished (4 books) in 1582. The commentary on book 4 is witnessed by a dedicatory manuscript copy addressed to Francesco I de…
Del Rosso's translation of Aristotle's On the Soul is dedicated to Francesco de Medici. Ms. Pal. 800 seems to be an autograph dedication copy. In the preface the author gives some interesting remarks on the method of translating.
The pseudo-Aristotelian treatise De perfecto magisterio deals with alchemic issues. The original text is accessible in J.-J. Manget, Bibliotheca Chemica Curiosa (Geneva: 1702), I, 641A.
Paolo Del Rosso's La fisica is an interesting example of poetical reworking of Aristotle's Physics. The work is conceived as a compendium of the treatise, but it is largely indebted to Dante's poetry as well, in terms of both structure and content.…
The lecture is very based on Aristotelian sources (Aristotle's works are often quoted). The author was a member of the Accademia degli Alterati. The lecture was given in 1564, under the leadership of Baccio Valori (cf. the later 1717 printed…
The commentary opens with an introduction in which the author — a member of the Accademia degli Alterati — gives some remarks on his notion of poetry in its relations to ethics and politics. Aristotle's Poetics is divided into several particelle;…
This is a vernacular translation of Aristotle's Problemata, XIX, On harmony. As we know from other works by Bartoli, he was very interested in Greek theories of music and musical harmony.
The lecture — related to the Accademia degli Alterati as well as the other pieces in the miscellaneous ms. Ricc. 2435 — deals with a defence of Dante's Commedia as a poema eroico: the author aims at demonstrating that the poem perfectly fits in with…