Censorinus Grammaticus. Liber de die Natali. Hamburg: Michael Hering, 1614. 4to. (:)4, [*]2, A-2B4 [-2B4,blank]. [12...

Description

Censorinus (3rd c. A.D.), Roman grammarian and author of this work on Natal days. "The first part deals with human life, particularly its origins, the second with time and its divisions." This edition follows Carrio's text and is the first of Lindenbrogius' (1570-1642) editions. Which were the standard for the next hundred years. "...De die natali, which is extant, is dedicated as a birthday present to a little-known patron, Quintus Caerellius; according to Censorinus' own statements, it was written in 238. The content of this comprehensive work can be divided into three parts... The first part, which is based on the Roman savant Varro, deals chiefly with human procreation and pregnancy, with excursuses on the influence of the stars and on music. In the second part, which is based on a lost work by Varro, Censorinus treats the different divisions of time (age, year, month, day, etc.). As in the first part, he mentions the doctrines of Greek philosophers.  Not all of the De die Natali has survived; the manuscript of the conclusion has been lost, as are its author and title. This work, now entitled Fragmentum Censorini, is a more important for the history of science...It contains a series of short tractates from an encyclopedic work on astronomy, geometry, music, and metrics. The chapter on geometry, which deals with the definitions, postulates, and axioms of book I of Euclid's Elements, differs greatly from the other known translations of Euclid. The chapters on metrics are very detailed. This part contains the oldest known information on Roman metrics and may be based on a work by Varro. Thus De die Natali and Fragmentum Censorini enrich our view of Greek and Roman science..."