ARISTOTLE 



De gejieratione.^ The De animalihus also formed the 

 basis of a commentary in twenty-six books by 

 Albertus Magnus.'' This was probably written soon 

 after the middle of the thirteenth century. Except 

 for the portions which 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 lowlands 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 works of Aristotle, new translations, direct 

 from the Greek, were being undertaken by William 

 of Moerbeke.^ William was born about 1215. He 

 became a Dominican, was confessor to Popes Clement 

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

 He acted as Greek secretary at the Council of Lyons 

 in 1274<. He died in 1286. The earliest 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. 'princepsy Rome, 1478 ; latest ed., H. Stadler, 

 1916-1921. 



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

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



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

 and Brabant. 

 42 



