Mélanges de Colbert 60 (Mel. Col. 60) is a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

astronomical Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest include ...

multiple-text manuscript preserved in the funds of

Bibliothèque nationale de France The (; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites, ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository of all that is published in France. Some of its extensive collections, including bo ...

. This manuscript was compiled, approximately, at the end of the 15th century, using different codicological units originating from the 14th and 15th century. The main interest in the Mel. Col. 60 in the history of astronomy, are the different versions of the

Oxford tables Oxford () is a cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world; it has buildings in every ...

and

John of Lignères John of Lignéres or Johannes de Lineriis () was a French astronomer who wrote several works on the calculation of moon, sun, and planetary positions. Many of his works are confounded with the works of similar named Parisian astronomer collaborators ...

' ''Tabule magne'', which underlines the circulation of these famous alfonsine texts between continental Europe and the British Isles starting in the 14th century. Another peculiarity of this manuscript is that the canons and tables of the ''Tabule magne'' are conserved within the same codex, which is unusual for the transmission of this work

History

Little is known about the composition and provenance of Mel. Col. 60. It was composed around the end of the 15th century. However, the codex consists of several quires, some of which might be from the 14th century, while the others are from the 15th century. The manuscript is made partly of parchment, and partly of paper, which makes it easier for scholars to distinguish the quires of different provenance. The identity of the compilator of Mel. Col. 60 remains unknown. There are at least two scribal hands that can be observed throughout the manuscript. For instance, the handwriting that copied John of Lignères' canon (starting on folio 34r) is different from one found on folios 42v or 43r, or from the one that has copied John of Mur's canon on folio 175r. File:Mel. Col. 60, page 34r.png, Mel. Col. 60, page 34r File:Mélanges de Colbert 60.jpg, Mélanges de Colbert 60

Content

Mel. Col. 60 is a type of astronomical manuscripts oriented towards practical use and containing various tables and canons that can assist in astronomical computations. The practical aim of Mel. Col. 60 is underlined by the high number of arithmetical tables, which show the compilator's interest in decimal numbers in particular. The historical interest of the manuscript pertaining to alfonsine astronomy are different Oxford tables and John of Lignères' ''Tabule magne''. However, Mel. Col. 60 contains other works, such as tables for mean motions of the luminaries and the planets (fol. 165r) or tables for conjunctions and oppositions from the year 1299 to 1525 (fol. 175r). There are canons to the Tabulae permanentes by Firmin de Beauval and John of Murs that can be found on folio 175r. File:Mélanges de Colbert 60, folio 165r.jpg, folio 165r File:Mélanges de Colbert 60, folio 20r.jpg, folio 20r File:Mélanges de Colbert 60, folio 40v.jpg, folio 40v

''Tabule magne''

John of Lignères. was one of the key figures in the history of the Alfonsine astronomy, to be precise of its Parisian period. His work ''Tabule magne'', consisting of tables accompanied by canons, was composed between 1320 and 1325. Later, John of Lignères integrated ''Tabule magne'' into a larger collection of his works, along with the treatises on ''Saphea'' and on ''

Equatorium An equatorium (plural, equatoria) is an astronomy, astronomical Mechanical calculator, calculating instrument. It can be used for finding the positions of the Moon, Sun, and planets without arithmetic operations, using a geometrical model to re ...

''. In the 14th and 15th centuries the text had been circulating around

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, but most important is its transmission to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, along with the other alfonsine material. The canons to the ''Tabule magne'' have been most likely composed by John of Lignères by combining different types of sources; some seem to be using original and alternative approaches to certain computations, while the others seem to follow a more traditional approach

Oxford tables

After flourishing in Paris during the 14th century, the Alfonsine tradition had made its way to the

British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...

, which resulted, alongside other works, into the composition of so-called Oxford tables. Mel. Col. 60 begins with the Oxford tables: folios from 1v to 17r contain double argument tables for the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...

and the planets. Further folios (63v–94r) contain Oxford tables (composed in 1348) attributed to William Batecombe, a 14th-century an English mathematician and astrologer, followed by the respective canons of the same authorship on folios 94v–96r. File:Mélanges de Colbert 60, folio 7r.jpg, folio 7r File:Mélanges de Colbert 60, folio 64r.jpg, folio 64r

References

{{reflist Bibliothèque nationale de France Astronomy books