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Gemini For Museums: Mixed Greek + Latin OCR In A 1616 Book With Very Heavy Bleedthrough

Kalev Leetaru

Below is an opening poem from a 1616 printing of Delrio's Disquisitionum Magicarum. There is heavy bleedthrough from the verso and this particular page appears to have been poorly inked, making the text even more difficult to fully read. Here Gemini Carbon Medium Thinking does a superb job at both transcribing and translating the page's text, even offering commentary on printing oddities on the page!

Transcribe and translate in its entirety.

This page presents a parallel bilingual (Ancient Greek and Neo-Latin) Anacreontic liminary poem praising a newly reprinted edition of Martin Delrio’s treatise on magic (Disquisitionum Magicarum Libri Sex). It features 44 verse lines in each column, marginal reference letters (B–E) in the central gutter, and the catchword Eſt at the bottom right indicating that the final sentence continues onto the following page.

Diplomatic Transcription

Standard Renaissance typographic ligatures (such as Greek ȣ for ου, ϛ for στ, ϗ for καὶ, and Latin ſ, &, æ, œ) are preserved or expanded according to standard early modern conventions, retaining the exact printed spelling, breathings, accents, and punctuation of the page.

Left Column (Ancient Greek)

ΕἸΣ ΜΑΡΤΊΝΟΥ ΔΕΛΡΙΟΤΑ

ἐπανεσχάρακτον Μαγίαν Μει-

λύδριον.

ΚΕφαλαλγίη τυπεῖσα Ὗς καρκίνους λατύσσει Ποταμηγυὲς λόχευμα Εχέος πιοῦσα διὸν Ορείγανον χελώνη. Πεπαρμένη βέλεσσι Αἲξ δίκταμου φύτευμα [B] Ελατήριον μαστεύει Τὶ δ' οὓς βέβηκε δαίμων Εχίστε καρκινόστε, Βλαβερόντε πῆμα θνητῶν; Πάρεστε, δεῦτε πάντες Ὑπὸ δαιμόνων σφαλέντες Οσοι κελαινῶν αὐτῶν Α’λάλησθε θνητῇ, ὅσσοι Λιποχρίστου Μαγείης Μανίης τ' ἔχεσθε οἴστρῳ, [C] Απιστίης κατ' ὕπαρ Οσοι καθήκατ' ἰόν. Τέχνηστε θαυμάτωντε Φύσεως ὅσοι ἀγνοίη Βεβολῆσθε δεῦτε πάντες, Κατὰ χεῖρα ΔΕΛΡΙΟΙΟ Λάζυσθε βίβλον, ἠδὲ, Σοφὸν ἐκπόνημα, μᾶλλον Σοφίης λόχευμα δ' αὐτῆς Λάζυσθε καὶ πίεσθε [D] Οδυνηφάτους γὰρ ἔνδον Σελίδας κρηπτάσκει; Αἶσχος Πέλει λόγου ἄμοιρα Νόσου κάθαρμα γνῶναι Αειθαλοῦς ΘΕΟΙΟ Αμάρυγμα δ' ἄνδρα νόσου Ιαμα μὴ λαβέσθαι Σοφῆς φρενὸς, τεκούσης, Φίλες χερὸς πορούσης. [E] Βίβλος, ἥδε ΔΕΛΡΙΟΙΟ Προποδηγέτις σφαλέντων. Βίβλος, ἀρυχανδὲς ἠδὲ Θεόκραντον ἔστι δῶρον Αληθίης ἐρασταὶ Λάζυσθε τήνδε βίβλον. Περίεργα ἔργα ὅσσοις Φύσεως δαῆναι ἡδύ,

Right Column (Latin)

IN MARTINI DELRIO

nouiter excuſam Magiam

Odarium.

CAput icta ſus dolore Fluuiatilem obteritq́ue Exeſtque ſæpè cancrum. Et ante viperina Teſtudo tabe pota Mundam vorat conilen. [B] Iaculis onuſta capra Virtute præpotentis Dictam ni opem ſibi fert. Quos icit ipſe dæmon, Siue ille cancer, ſiue Serpens, nocenſve peſtis, Quid agant ? adeſt cuncti. Huc dæmonum tenebris Illuſe, quiſquis erras: Deſertione quiſquis [C] Chriſti furis, Magiæ Maniæq́ue captus œſtro : Tabeſcis, & qui amaro Felle INFIDELITATIS: Huc, quiſquis inſciens es NATVRÆ, & artis eias, DELRI liber ſagacis Mox in manum inferatur, DELRI liber SOPHIÆ Germanus ille fœtus, [D] Animo imbibatur alte. Nam paginæ recondunt Animi medelam. Egentes Ratione noſſe morbi Purgamina : æuiternæ De MENTIS igne cuſum Hominem, ſibi medelam Animo ſagace promptam, Manuq́ue latam amica, Abiudicare, turpe eſt. [E] Hoc DELRII volumen Cœli euolutum ab arce Per ianua in viam dux Erronibus pateſcit, Hoc in manum volumen Date VERI, & AEQVI amantes. Penituſq́ue quid recondat NATVRA, cui voluptas [Catchword:] Eſt

Complete Translation

Because the Greek poem and its parallel Latin verse rendering differ slightly in imagery and phrasing, full translations of both columns are provided below.

Translation of the Greek Column

A Little Ode on Martin Delrio’s Newly Reprinted Magic

Struck with a headache, a pig crushes [or devours] crabs, the river-born offspring; and having drunk a viper’s venom, a tortoise [devours] oregano. Pierced with arrows, [B] a wild she-goat seeks out the arrow-expelling plant of dittany.

What then of those whom a demon has assailed—both viper and crab [cancer], and baneful plague of mortals? Be present, come hither, all you who have been tripped up by demons, all you mortals who wander because of those dark ones [or: in their dark night]; all you who are held by the gadfly of Christ-abandoning Magic and Mania [C], all you who in waking reality have swallowed down the venom of Unbelief.

All you who have been struck with ignorance both of the art of marvels and of Nature, come hither, all of you: take into your hand the book of DELRIO, and—a wise work, or rather the very offspring of Wisdom herself—take and drink deeply [D]! For within, it conceals pain-quelling pages.

It is a disgrace that creatures devoid of reason know the cure for their disease, while man—a spark of the ever-flourishing GOD—refuses to accept a remedy for his illness when a wise mind has brought it forth and a friendly hand has offered it [E].

This book of DELRIO is the fore-guide for those who have stumbled. The book is a richly capacious and God-wrought gift. Lovers of Truth, take hold of this book! All you for whom it is sweet to learn the curious works of Nature, [continues on next page…]

Translation of the Latin Column

A Little Ode on Martin Delrio’s Newly Printed Magic

Struck in the head with pain, a sow often crushes and eats up a river crab. And having previously drunk viperous venom, a tortoise devours clean wild marjoram (conile). [B] Laden with darts, a she-goat brings help to herself through the virtue of all-potent dittany.

Those whom the demon himself strikes—whether he be that crab [cancer], or serpent, or baneful plague—what should they do? Come hither, all of you! Hither, whoever you are who wander, deluded by the darkness of demons; whoever you are who rage in desertion [C] of Christ, seized by the gadfly of Magic and Mania; and you who waste away with the bitter gall of INFIDELITY:

Hither, whoever you are who are ignorant of NATURE and of her art: let the book of sagacious DELRIO soon be placed into your hand; let the book of DELRIO, that genuine offspring of WISDOM, [D] be drunk deep into your soul. For its pages conceal within a cure for the mind.

That creatures lacking reason should know the remedies for their disease, while man—forged from the fire of the eternal MIND—rejects a cure for himself, brought forth by a sagacious mind and offered by a friendly hand, is shameful.

[E] This volume of DELRIO, unrolled from the citadel of heaven, opens wide through the doorway to wanderers as a guide onto the true path. Take this volume into your hand, you lovers of the TRUE and the JUST. And you for whom it is [catchword: is] a pleasure [to learn] what NATURE hides deep within… [continues on next page]

Textual & Typographical Notes

 

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