84 A Short History of Astronomy [Cn. ill. 



Charlemagne not only founded a higher school at his 

 own court, but was also successful in urging the ecclesi- 

 astical authorities in all parts of his dominions to do 

 the same. In these schools were taught the seven liberal 

 arts, divided into the so-called trivium (grammar, rhetoric, 

 and dialectic) and quadrivium, which included astronomy 

 in addition to arithmetic, geometry, and music. 



66. In the loth century the fame of the Arab learning 

 began slowly to spread through Spain into other parts of 

 Europe, and the immense learning of Gerbert, the most 

 famous scholar of the century, who occupied the papal 

 chair as Sylvester II. from 999 to 1003, was attributed in 

 large part to the time which he spent in Spain, either in 

 or near the Moorish dominions. He was an ardent student, 

 indefatigable in collecting and reading rare books, and 

 was especially interested in mathematics and astronomy. 

 His skill in making astrolabes (chapter n., 49) and other 

 instruments was such that he was popularly supposed to 

 have acquired his powers by selling his soul to the Evil 

 One. Other scholars shewed a similar interest in Arabic 

 learning, but it was not till the lapse of another century 

 that the Mahometan influence became important. 



At the beginning of the i2th century began a series of 

 translations from Arabic into Latin of scientific and 

 philosophic treatises, partly original works of the Arabs, 

 partly Arabic translations of the Greek books. One of the 

 most active of the translators was Plato of Tivoli^ who 

 studied Arabic in Spain about 1116, and translated Alba- 

 tegnius's Astronomy ( 59), as well as other astronomical 

 books. At about the same time Euclid's Elemwts^ among 

 other books, was translated by Athelard of Bath. Gherardo 

 of Cremona (1114-1187) was even more industrious, and 

 is said to have made translations of about 70 scientific 

 treatises, including the Almagest, and the Toletan Tables 

 of Arzachel ( 61). The beginning of the i3th century was 

 marked by the foundation of several Universities, and at 

 that of Naples (founded in 1224) the Emperor Frederick II., 

 who had come into contact with the Mahometan learning 

 in Sicily, gathered together a number of scholars whom he 

 directed to make a fresh series of translations from the 

 Arabic. 



