MICHELE SCOTO (Scotto). – Philosopher and astrologer, of Scottish origin, d. ca. 1236.
In 1217, with the assistance of Abuteus the Levite, he completed the Sphaera of al-Bitrûgi, commonly called Alpetragio or Avenalpetras. Shortly before 1220 he translated from Arabic Aristotle’s De animalibus, including under this title the 10 books of the Hist. anim., the 4 books of the De part. animal., and the 5 books of the De genere animalium. At Toledo he also began translating Averroes’ commentary on Aristotle. From 1220 he was in Italy at the papal Curia and then at the court of Frederick II, whose astrologer he became and to whom he dedicated his commentary on Sacrobosco’s Sphaera. According to De Vaux, at the court of Sicily he translated most of the Averroistic commentaries, in collaboration with others, and was sent by the Emperor to present the new translations to the University of Bologna. In 1230, he dedicated to Frederick his translation of Avicenna’s De animalibus (v.). He was also the author of a treatise on Physionomia, a De secretis naturae, and other writings, through which he acquired a reputation not only as a soothsayer and astrologer, but also as a necromancer. The commentary Super auctorem Sphaere, in which quacestiones on Sacrobosco’s text are interspersed with the literal exposition, served as a model in the schools for the many commentaries subsequently composed on works of philosophy, medicine, and other subjects.