Chapter XLIII: Book I: chap. i., Gilbert names him amongst authors, like Antonius

Musae Brasavolus and Joannes Baptista Montanus, who tell of the efficacy of the loadstone in medicine.

REFERENCES.--“Thesaurus Literaturæ Botanicæ,” Lipsiæ, 1851, pp.
334–335; Larousse, “Dict. Univ.,” Vol. X. p. 796; “Dict. Hist.
de la Médecine,” par N. F. J. Eloy, Mons, 1778, Vol. I. pp.
106–107.

=Lynschoten=--Linschooten--Jan Huygan van--who, with Richard Hakluyt, we find mentioned by Edward Wright in his Address “to the most learned Mr. William Gilbert,” was a celebrated Dutch navigator (1563–1611) who accompanied Vicente Fonseca, Archbishop of Goa, upon his Eastern trip and first published a relation thereof during the year 1601. He is the author, also, of “Itinerario Voyage ofte Schipvært,” Amsterdam, 1596, 1604, 1605, 1623, and “Itinerarium, ofte Schipvært,” Amsterdam, 1614.

REFERENCES.--Lautz (G.), “Biog. de J. H. Van L.,” Amst., 1845;
Du Boys (Pierre), “Vies des Gouverneurs,” p. 4; “La Grande
Encycl.,” Vol. XXII. p. 299; Larousse, “Dict. Univ.,” Vol. X. p.
542; “Biog. Générale,” Vol. XXXI. p. 303.

=Machometes Aractensis.= _See_ Albategnius.

=Marbodeus Gallus=, surnamed Pelliciarius, who is briefly mentioned twice by Gilbert in _De Magnete_, Book I. chap. i., was a French writer, son of a merchant (Marbode, Marbœuf) who finally became Bishop of Rennes in 1081, and died at Angers in 1123–1125. He is best known by his poetical works, which were first published in 1524. As has already been said, Marbodeus is supposed to have used the manuscript of Evax-Euace--to make up his own book on precious stones. The latter work is alluded to by J. B. Hauréau in the second of his articles on the Latin MSS. of the Palatine--“Codices Palatini Bibliothecæ Vaticanæ”--wherein the first line is quoted:

“_Evax, rex Arabum, fertur scripisse Neroni_”

(“Journal des Savants,” Sept. 1887, p. 565, June 1891, p. 372; “Hildeb. et Marbod. Opera,” Col. 1637).

Bertelli quotes, at p. 96 of his “Pietro Peregrino” Memoir, four of the Latin lines, as well as those of Hildeberti, which can be translated as follows:

“The magnet stone is found amongst the Troglodites,
The same stone which India, its mother, sends;
This one is known to be of ferruginous colour
And its nature is to draw iron when near it.”

REFERENCES.--“The Lapidarium of Marbodus” (with translation of
the sixty-one chapters) at pp. 389–417 of “Antique Gems,” by
Rev. C. W. King, London, 1866; “Gallia Christiana,” XIV. col.
746; “Hist. Lit. de la France,” Vol. X. p. 343; “La Grande
Encycl.,” Vol. XXIII. p. 15; Larousse, “Dict. Univ.,” Vol. X^2.
p. 1126; “Biographie Générale,” Vol. XXXIII. pp. 366–367.

=Marco Polo.= _See_ A.D. 1271–1295, p. 55.

=Matthæus= Silvaticus. _See_ Silvaticus.

=Matthiolus=, Petrus Andreas--Pierre André Mattiole--(1500–1577), Italian naturalist and physician, is best known by his Commentary originally published at Venice under the title “Il Dioscoride con gli suoi discorsi” and translated into Latin, 1554, which is said to contain all that was known of medicine and botany up to that time (Larousse, “Dict. Univ.,” Vol. X. p. 1349; Eloy, “Dict. Hist. de Médecine,” Mons, 1778, Vol. III. pp. 190–193.)

Gilbert tells, in Book I. chap. i. of _De Magnete_, that Matthiolus, the translator of Dioscorides, “furbishes again the garlic and diamond story, in connection with the loadstone, that he also brings in the fable of Mahomet’s shrine having an arched roof of magnets so that the people might be fooled by the trick of the coffin suspended in air, as though ’twere some divine miracle, and, furthermore, that he compares the attractive virtues of the loadstone, which pass through iron, to the mischief of the _torpedo_, whose poison passes through bodies and spreads in an occult way.”

=Maurolycus=--Marulle--Franciscus (1494–1575) was Abbot of Messina and a celebrated geometer. His well-known “Opuscula Mathematica,” Venice, 1575, containing treatises on the sphere, astronomical instruments, etc., was preceded by his great book on Cosmography published during 1543, and he also wrote many other works which will be found enumerated in the Catalogue so ably made up by the Abbé Scina (Larousse, “Dict. Univ.,” Vol. X. p. 1365; Houzeau et Lancaster, “Bibl. Gén.,” Vol. II. p. 201).

Gilbert mentions Franciscus Maurolycus (_De Magnete_, Book I. chaps. i. and xvii., also Book IV. chaps. i. and xviii.), regarding the variation in the Mediterranean Sea and says that he discusses a few problems regarding the loadstone, adopting the current opinion of others, and that he believes the variation is caused by a certain magnetic island mentioned by Olaus Magnus.

REFERENCES.--Libri, “Hist. des Sc. Mathém.,” Paris, 1838, Vol
III. p. 102; “Nouv. Biog. Gén.” (Hœfer), Vol. XXXIV. p. 428;
“Vita del Abate. Maurolico,” Messine, 1613; Nicéron, “Mémoires,”
Vol. XXXVII; “Biog. Univ.” (Michaud), Vol. XXVII. p. 352;
Tessier (H. A.), “Eloges des hommes Illustres”; “Dict. Univ. du
XIX^e siècle” (Larousse), Vol. X. p. 1365.

=Menelaus= (called also Mileus, Milieus, by Apian and by Mersenne), was a celebrated Alexandrian, living end of first century A.D., who, in his brilliant treatment especially of spherical geometry, went considerably beyond all his predecessors. The only work of his, however, that has reached us is a treatise on the sphere in three books, of which the translation was made by Maurolycus and inserted by P. Mersenne in his “Univ. Geometriæ Synopsis,” 1644.

Menelaus is mentioned by Gilbert (_De Magnete_, Book VI. chaps. viii. and ix.) together with Ptolemy and Machometes Aractensis, who, says he, have held in their writings that the fixed stars and the whole firmament have a forward movement, for they contemplated the heavens and not the earth and knew nothing of magnetic inclination.

REFERENCES.--Montucla, J. F., “Hist. des Mathém.,” Vol. I. p.
291; Delambre, J. B. J., “Hist. de l’Astron. Moderne,” Vol. II.
p. 243.

=Merula=, Gaudentius, was an Italian savant living early in the sixteenth century, author of “De Gallorum ... antiquitate,” 1536, 1538, 1592, of “Memorabilium” 1546, 1550, 1551, 1556, and of several general histories, etc. Gilbert says (_De Magnete_, Book I. chap. i.) Merula advises that on a loadstone be graven the image of a bear, when the moon looks to the north, so that, being suspended by an iron thread, it may win the virtue of the celestial Bear.

REFERENCES.--Cotta (Lazaro Agostino), “Musæo Novarese,” p. 133;
Philippo Argellati, “Bibliotheca ... Mediol. ...” Vol. II. pp.
2131–2134; “La Grande Encycl.” Vol. XXIII. p. 732; “Biog. Gén.,”
Vol. XXXV. p. 127.

=Montagnana=, Bartholommeo, who is briefly alluded to at the end of Book I. chap. xv. of _De Magnete_, was the head of a well-known family of Italian physicians. He was born about 1400, practised medicine at Bologna and Padua, and wrote “Consilia Medica, edita Paduæ anno 1436,” also “De Balneis Patav.; de compositione et dosi medicamentorum,” the latter appearing at Padua in 1556.

REFERENCES.--Papadopoli (Nicolaus Comnenus), “Historia
Gymnasii Patavavini,” I; Manget (Jean Jacques), “Bibliotheca
Scriptorum Medicorum”; “Biog. Générale,” Vol. XXXVI. p. 34.

=Montanus=, Arias--Benedictus (1527–1598), eminent Spanish Catholic divine and orientalist, member of the Council of Trent, is best known by his Polyglott Bible--_Biblia Regia_ or _Biblia Plantiniana_--though he is the author of many works, mostly religious, published during the years 1569, 1571, 1572, 1574 and 1593. Upon completing the last of the eight folio volumes of the _Biblia_, he was offered, but declined, a bishopric by King Philip II, at whose request he had undertaken the work and who, later on, rewarded him with a liberal pension and other emoluments.

He is but briefly referred to by Gilbert, _De Magnete_, Book I. chap. i.

REFERENCES.--Antonio (Nicolas), “Bibl. Hisp. Nova”; D. Nicol. M.
Serrano, “Appendice al Dicc. Univ.,” Madrid, 1881, Vol. XIV. p.
407; “Diccionario Enciclopedico Hispano-Americano,” Barcelona,
1887, Vol. II. p. 596; Loumyer (C.), “Vie de B. A. Montano,”
1842; “Biog. Gén.,” Vol. III. pp. 145–146; Rosenmüeller (Ernst
Friedrich Carl), “Handbuch für die Literatur,” Vol. III. p. 296;
Colomiès (Paul), “Italia et Hispania Orientalis,” p. 241.

=Montanus=--Da Monte--Joannes Baptista (1488–1551), already mentioned in connection with Lusitanus, was a Professor of Medicine at the Padua University and regarded as one of the most celebrated physicians of his day. He is the author of many valuable works, including “Metaphrasis Summaria,” 1551, “De Differentiis Medicamentorum,” 1551; “In Nonum librum; Rhazès ad Almansorem Expositio,” 1554, 1562.

REFERENCES.--Tiraboschi (Girolamo), “Storia della Letteratura
Italiana”; Facciolati (Jacopo), “Fasti Gymnasii Patavini,” par.
III; Gilbert, _De Magnete_, Book I. chap. i.; “Biog. Générale,”
Vol. XXXVI. pp. 108–109.

=Myrepsus=--Myrepsius--Nicolaus, Greek physician, living in the thirteenth century, became very prominent in Rome as a great student of the Arabic writers. He is the author, more particularly, of a medical treatise, divided into forty-eight sections containing as many as two thousand six hundred and fifty-six formulæ, which was translated by Leonard Fuchs under the title “Nic. Myr. Alex. medicamentorum opus,” Basle, 1549, and frequently reprinted, whilst another translation was made by Nicolas de Reggio, who, like Matthæus Silvaticus, was a physician at Salerno and who called it “Nic. Alex. liber de compositione medicamentorum,” Ingoldstadt, 1541. The last-named work has, by some, been confounded with the “Antidotarium” of Nicolas Præpositas.

Myrepsus is spoken of by Gilbert, Book I, at end of chap. xiv. _De Magnete_ treating of the medicinal virtue of the loadstone. Nicolaus, says he, puts into his “divine plaster” a good deal of loadstone, as do the Augsburg doctors in their “black plaster” for fresh wounds and stabs; because of the exsiccating effect of the loadstone without corrosion, it becomes an efficacious and useful remedy. Paracelsus, in like manner, and for the same end, makes loadstone an ingredient of his plaster for stab wounds.

REFERENCES.--Fabricius (Johann Albert), “Bibliotheca Græca,”
Vol. X. p. 292; Vol. XII. pp. 4, 346; Kastner (Christian
Wilhelm), “Medicin. Gelehrten-Lexikon,” p. 577; Freind (John),
“Hist. of Physic,” Vol. I. p. 464; Hœfer (M. F.), “Hist. de la
Chimie,” Vol. I; Sprengel (Kurt Polycarp Joachim), “Geschichte
der Arzneikunde,” Vol. II. p. 334; Larousse, “Dict. Univ.,” Vol.
XI. p. 744; “Biog. Générale,” Vol. XXXVII. p. 92.

=Nicander of Colophon=, whom Gilbert mentions twice in his first book, chapter ii., “On the loadstone, what it is: its discovery”--was a Greek poet and physician who lived second century B.C. and of whom comparatively little is known. Only two of his many reported works remain: these are treated of at pp. 917–920, Vol. XXXVII of the “Biographie Générale,” where can likewise be found the titles of all the others according to Fabricius (Johann Albert), “Bibliotheca Græca,” Harles edition, Vol. IV. p. 345).

REFERENCES.--Haller (Albrecht von), “Bibliotheca Botanica”;
Charlant (Johann Ludwig), “Handb. ... die Æltere Medicin”; G. A.
Pritzel, “Thesaur. Lit. Bot.,” 1851, pp. 210–211.

=Nicetas=--Hicetas--of Syracuse, a Pythagorician of the fourth century B.C., native of Chonæ in Phrygia (the old Colossæ of St. Paul) alluded to by Gilbert in conjunction with Heraclides of Pontus, was doubtless the first, according to Diog. Laert (VIII, 85), to teach the earth’s rotation. Humboldt remarks (“Cosmos,” 1860, Vol. II. p. 109) that Nicetas, Theophrastus and Heraclides Ponticus appear to have had a knowledge of the rotation of the earth upon its axis; but Aristarchus of Samos, and more particularly Seleucus of Babylon, who lived one hundred and fifty years after Alexander, first arrived at the knowledge that the earth not only rotated on its axis, but also moved around the Sun as the centre of the whole planetary system. Cicero, “Academica,” lib. iv. cap. 39: “Nicetas of Syracuse,” as Theophrastus says, “believed that the heavens, the sun, the moon, the stars--in brief, all things above--stand still; alone, the earth, of all things in the world, moves. Because it is rapidly turning and twisting upon its axis, it gives the effect of the whole sky moving, and that the earth stands.”

REFERENCES.--Fabricius (Johann Albert), “Biblioth. Græca,” Vol.
I. p. 847; “Biog. Générale,” Vol. XXIV. p. 642; “La Grande
Encycl.,” Vol. XX. p. 63; Houzeau et Lancaster, “Bibl. Gén.,”
Vol. II. p. 214; Gilbert, _De Magnete_, Book VI. chap. iii.

Page 9 _verso_ of Ms. Fr. No. 1338, now in the
Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris.]

=Nuñez=, PEDRO--Nonius, Petrus--was a celebrated Portuguese mathematician (1492–1577) who, after his voyage to the East Indies, became chief cosmographer of the kingdom, and made a great many improvements in astronomical instruments, the merits of which were recognized notably by Tycho Brahé and by Dr. Halley. Of all his books, the most important are the “Tratado da sphera ...” 1537; “De arte atque ratione navigandi,” 1546; “Opera Mathematica,” 1566 (containing many treatises on navigation, instruments, sailing cards, etc.); “Annotaçoes à Sphera de Sacro Bosco,” 1567[65]; “Instrumenta Artis Navigandi,” 1592. Stockler observes that the last-named treatise, which is an amplification of the 1537 “Tratatos das cartas de marear,” would alone justify placing Nonius among the most distinguished geometricians of his time.

REFERENCES.--Fernandez de Navarette, “Recherches ... sciences
nautiques” (tr. M. D. de Mofras), Paris, 1839; Varnhagen
(Francisco Adolfo de), “Historia geral do Brazil”; Machado
(Barb.), “Biblioth. Lusitana”; Houzeau et Lancaster, “Bibl.
Générale,” 1887, Vol. I. part i. pp. 216, 574–575, and part ii.
p. 1222; Gilbert, _De Magnete_, Book IV. chap. viii.; “La Grande
Encycl.,” Vol. XXV. p. 140; “Biographie Générale,” Vol. XXXVIII.
pp. 361–363; “Estromento de Sombras” of Pedro Nuñez, copied in
Dr. G. Hellmann’s “Neudrucke,” 1898, No. 10; J. F. Montucla,
“Hist. des Mathém. ...” (Supplément), Vol. II. pp. 656–659,
for names of many other authors of treatises on navigation.
For Sacro Bosco: “Dict. of National Biography,” edited by
Sidney Lee, London, 1891, Vol. XXVII. p. 217; Larousse, “Dict.
Univ.,” Vol. IX. pp. 934–935; Græsse (J. G. T.), “Trésor des
livres rares,” Vol. VI. pp. 209–211; “Biog. Gén.,” Vol. XXVI.
p. 555; Fabricius (Johann Albert), “Bibliotheca Latina Mediæ
... Ætatis”; Delambre (J. B. J.), “Astron. du Moyen-Age,” Vol.
II; “Hist. Litter. de la France,” Vol. XIX. p. 1; “Ency. Brit.”
ninth edition, Vol. XXI. pp. 140, 543.

=Oribasius=, SARDIANUS, was an eminent Greek physician, born about A.D. 325 at Sardes, the capital of Lydia. Gilbert (_De Magnete_, Book I. chap. i.) alludes to Chapter XIII of Oribasius’ “De Facultate Metallicorum,” which is embraced in one of the only three authentic treatises of his that have reached us, the first being part of a compilation relative to seventy medical books, whilst the second is a Synopsis, or rather an abridgment, of the first, and the third is called _Euporistes_, or manual of practical medicine.

REFERENCES.--“Dict. Hist. de la Médecine,” par N. F. J.
Eloy, Mons, 1778, Vol. III. 419–422; Eunapius, “Vitæ Philos.
et Soph.”; Sprengel (Kurt Polycarp Joachim), “Hist. de la
Médecine”; “La Grande Encycl.,” Vol. XXV. p. 561; “Biog.
Gén.,” Vol. XXXVIII. pp. 786–789; Fabricius (Johann Albert),
“Bibliotheca Græca,” Vols. IX. p. 451; XII. p. 640, and XIII.
p. 353; Linden (Joannes Antonides van der) “... de scriptis
medicis,” Amst., 1651, pp. 476–477.

=Orpheus=, to whom Gilbert alludes (_De Magnete_, Book I. chap. ii.;