Michael Scot (Scotto)

MICHAEL SCOT (Scotto). - Philosopher and astrologer, Scottish by origin, d. ca. 1236.

In 1217, with the help of Abuteus the Levite, he completed the Sphaera of al-Bitrûgi, commonly called Alpetragius or Avenalpetras. Shortly before 1220 he translated from the Arabic the De animalibus of Aristotle, comprising 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 the translation of 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 the Sphaera of Sacrobosco. According to De Vaux, at the court of Sicily he would have translated the majority of the Averroistic commentaries, in collaboration with others, and would have been sent by the Emperor to present the new translations as a gift to the University of Bologna. In 1230, he dedicated to Frederick the translation of the De animalibus of Avicenna (v.). He is also the author of a treatise on Physionomia, of a De secretis naturae and of other writings, through which he acquired fame not only as a soothsayer and astrologer but also as a necromancer. The commentary Super auctorem Sphaere, in which the literal exposition is interspersed with quaestiones on the text of Sacrobosco, served in the schools as a model for many commentaries subsequently made on works of philosophy, medicine, etc.

Bruno Nardi