ARISTOTLE 



Oe generatione.'^ The De an'imalihus also formed the 

 basis of a commentary in tAventy-six books by 

 Albertus Magnus.'' This was probably written soon 

 after the middle of the thirteenth century. Except 

 for the portions Avhich appear in Albertus 's com- 

 mentary, and the earlier part of the first chapter,<= 

 Michael's version has never been printed in extenso. 

 Michael died in or before 1235, and is reputed to 

 have been buried, as he was born, in the loAvlands of 

 Scotland. 



About the same time, at the request of a pupil of 

 Albertus, St. Thomas Aquinas (1227-1274), who re- 

 quired more accurate versions for his commentaries 

 on the Avorks of Aristotle, new translations, direct 

 from the Greek, were being undertaken by Wilham 

 of Moerbeke.'^ William was born about 1215. He 

 became a Dominican, Avas confessor to Popes Clement 

 IV. and Gregory X., and Avas Archbishop of Corinth. 

 He acted as Greek secretary at the Council of Lyons 

 in 1274. He died in 1286. The earhest dated trans- 

 lation made by him is one of the De partibus animalium. 

 The date 1260 occurs in a ms. of it at Florence (Fae- 

 sulani 168), which also contains Hist, an., De progressu 

 an., and De gen. an. This translation was made at 

 Thebes. 



Among later Latin translators of the zoological 



" According to Roger Bacon, Michael appeared at Oxford 

 in 1230, bringing with him the works of Aristotle in natural 

 history and mathematics. 



" Ed. princeps, Rome, 1478 ; latest ed., H. Stadler, 

 1916-1921. 



« 639 a 1 — 640 a 20, printed by G. Furlani in Rivista 

 degli Studi Oriental!, ix. (1922), pp. 246-249. 



<* A small town south of Ghent on the borders of Flanders 

 and Brabant. 

 42 



