De vetula
Encyclopedia
De vetula is a long thirteenth-century poem written in Latin. It is pseudopigraphically signed "Ovidius", and in its time was attributed to the classical Latin poet Ovid
. It consists of three books of hexameter
s, and was quoted by Roger Bacon
. In its slight plot, the aging Ovid is duped by a go-between, and renounces love affairs. Its interest to modern readers lies in the discursive padding of the story.
; but this is not universally accepted. The attribution to Ovid was reinforced by an implausible claim that the poem had been found in his tomb. The poem presents him as a Christian convert. The authorship of Ovid was questioned by the fifteenth-century humanist Angelo Decembrio
; in fact Petrarch
had already denied that Ovid could be the poet.
There was a translation or paraphrase of the 1370s into French as La vieille ("The Old Woman") by Jean Le Fèvre. This was followed by a Catalan prose translation Ovidi enamorat by Bernat Metge
in the 1380s.
The work was published in 1470.
and gambling
. The numerical game Rithmomachia is praised in it, and an ancestor of backgammon
is mentioned. Another pastime given extended treatment is fishing
.
At least in some manuscripts, the account of a dice
game was accompanied by an enumeration of the combinations of three conventional cubic dice, and an explanation of the connection between the number of combinations and the expected frequency of a given total.
and astronomy
. He also was influenced by work of the astronomer Abumashar as represented in the poem. Another who cited it out of scientific interest was Thomas Bradwardine
.
Richard de Bury cites it in his Philobiblon, and Juan Ruiz
drew on it for his Libro de buen amor.
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
. It consists of three books of hexameter
Hexameter
Hexameter is a metrical line of verse consisting of six feet. It was the standard epic metre in classical Greek and Latin literature, such as in the Iliad and Aeneid. Its use in other genres of composition include Horace's satires, and Ovid's Metamorphoses. According to Greek mythology, hexameter...
s, and was quoted by Roger Bacon
Roger Bacon
Roger Bacon, O.F.M. , also known as Doctor Mirabilis , was an English philosopher and Franciscan friar who placed considerable emphasis on the study of nature through empirical methods...
. In its slight plot, the aging Ovid is duped by a go-between, and renounces love affairs. Its interest to modern readers lies in the discursive padding of the story.
Attribution
Its actual author, "Pseudo-Ovidius" to scholars, has been thought to be Richard de FournivalRichard de Fournival
Richard de Fournival or Richart de Fornival was a medieval philosopher and trouvère perhaps best known for the Bestiaire d'amour .-Life:...
; but this is not universally accepted. The attribution to Ovid was reinforced by an implausible claim that the poem had been found in his tomb. The poem presents him as a Christian convert. The authorship of Ovid was questioned by the fifteenth-century humanist Angelo Decembrio
Angelo Decembrio
Angelo Decembrio was a Milanese humanist who began his career in Ferrara, where he arrived in 1430. The son of Uberto Decembrio, who was the first Renaissance translator of Plato's Republic, and outshone among his contemporaries by his brother Pier Candido, Angelo is known especially for the seven...
; in fact Petrarch
Petrarch
Francesco Petrarca , known in English as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar, poet and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch is often called the "Father of Humanism"...
had already denied that Ovid could be the poet.
There was a translation or paraphrase of the 1370s into French as La vieille ("The Old Woman") by Jean Le Fèvre. This was followed by a Catalan prose translation Ovidi enamorat by Bernat Metge
Bernat Metge
Bernat Metge was a Catalan humanist, best known as the author of Lo Somni .He held a position at the court of Joan I of Aragon, and, following some troubles, once more served Martí of Aragon....
in the 1380s.
The work was published in 1470.
Non-poetic content
It existed in numerous manuscripts, and is of independent interest because of its references to astronomyAstronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
and gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
. The numerical game Rithmomachia is praised in it, and an ancestor of backgammon
Backgammon
Backgammon is one of the oldest board games for two players. The playing pieces are moved according to the roll of dice, and players win by removing all of their pieces from the board. There are many variants of backgammon, most of which share common traits...
is mentioned. Another pastime given extended treatment is fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
.
At least in some manuscripts, the account of a dice
Dice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
game was accompanied by an enumeration of the combinations of three conventional cubic dice, and an explanation of the connection between the number of combinations and the expected frequency of a given total.
Influence
Roger Bacon took from Book III of De vetula a link between AristotleAristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
and astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
. He also was influenced by work of the astronomer Abumashar as represented in the poem. Another who cited it out of scientific interest was Thomas Bradwardine
Thomas Bradwardine
Thomas Bradwardine was an English scholar, scientist, courtier and, very briefly, Archbishop of Canterbury. As a celebrated scholastic philosopher and doctor of theology, he is often called Doctor Profundus, .-Life:He was born either at Hartfield in Sussex or at Chichester, where his family were...
.
Richard de Bury cites it in his Philobiblon, and Juan Ruiz
Juan Ruiz
Juan Ruiz , known as the Archpriest of Hita , was a medieval Spanish poet. He is best known for his ribald, earthy poem, Libro de buen amor .-Origins:...
drew on it for his Libro de buen amor.