[2817] Digby 83, fol. 24, “Epistola Ethelwodi ad Girbertum papam. Domino summo pontifici et philosopho Girberto pape athelwoldus vite felicitatem.. ..” Gerbert of course did not become pope until long after Ethelwold’s death, but this Titulus and Incipit are open to suspicion anyway, since if Gerbert had become pope he should have been addressed as Pope Silvester. The article on Ethelwold (DNB) states that “a treatise on the circle, said to have been written by him and addressed to Gerbert, afterwards Pope Silvester II, is in the Bodleian Library (1684, Bodl. MS. Digby 83, f. 24).” William of Malmesbury mentioned “Adelboldum episcopum, ut dicunt, Winterbrugensem” as the author of the letter to Gerbert, quoted by Bubnov (1899), 388.
[2818] It has always been so printed: by Pez, Olleris, Curtze, and Bubnov, and seems to be ascribed to him in most MSS, for which and other evidence pointing to the bishop of Utrecht as author see Bubnov (1899), 300-309, 41-45, 384, etc. Bubnov, however, failed to note Digby 83 either in connection with this letter or at all in his long list of mathematical MSS (XVII-CXIX). It may therefore be well to note that the letter as given in Digby 83 differs considerably from the version printed by Bubnov. It in general omits epistolary amenities which do not bear directly on the mathematical question in hand, notably the entire first paragraph of Bubnov’s text and the close of the second and third paragraphs. It also abbreviates portions of the fifth paragraph and the last sentence of the eighth and last paragraph. On the other hand after the first sentence of the fifth paragraph of Bubnov’s text it inserts the following passage which seems to be missing in Bubnov’s text of the letter: “Si quis ergo vult invenire quadraturam circuli dividat lineam in VII partes spatiumque unius septime partis semotim ponat. Deinde lineam in VII divisam in duo distribuat et spatium alterius duorum separatim ponat. Post hoc lineam in VII partitam triplicet cui triplicate spatium unius septime quod semoverat adiciat. Ipsa denique totam in IIII partiatur quarum quarta angulis directis per lineam quadrangulam metiatur. Ad ultimum sumpto spatio alterius duorum quod prius reposuerat deposito puncto in medio quadranguli eodem spatio circumducat circinum (circulum) et sic inveniet circuli quadraturam.”
[2819] Bubnov (1899), 41-42, “quod tantum virum quasi conscolasticum iuvenis convenio.”
[2820] Bubnov does not include it in his edition of the mathematical works of Gerbert, but as we have seen he was unaware of the existence of this MS, i.e., Digby 83.
[2821] And also to the Incipit of a treatise in a tenth century MS at Paris, BN 17,868, fol. 14r, “Quicumque nosse desiderat legem astrorum....” The treatise or fragment in this Paris MS seems to end at fol. 17r, or at least at fol. 17v, after which most of the few remaining leaves of the MS, which has only 21 leaves in all, are blank. There is some similarity of contents, but the Paris MS is more astrological. Possibly, however, it is a different part of, or rather extracts from the same work, since we shall see reasons for thinking that the text in Digby 83 is incomplete.
[2822] At least such seems to me to be the meaning of the passage, fol. 21r, “Quippe cum aliquando per situm gentium ipsarum positionem stellarum demonstrati simus precognita populorum habitatione rei effectus ad faciliorem curret eventus.”
[2823] Fol. 22r.
[2824] Fol. 76r, the closing words are, “Quod autem de elementis diximus idem de temporibus deque humoribus intellige sicut hec figura evidentissime designat.” But the figure is not given.
[2825] Fol. 27v.
[2826] Fol. 31v, “per que predicti planete revoluti diversa in diversis possunt et etiam secundum genethliacos bonum quidam in quibusdam malum vero in quibusdam quidam nativitatibus hominem astruunt.”