# Gessner's Greek Poems (Selection) ## expand\_more Gessner’s Greek poems are in books with connections to ancient Greek authors, such as Galen or Aristotle (or the Greek New Testament), they are also in Greek grammars and dictionaries that his Zurich friends such as Johannes Fries published, we have one of his Greek poems as an obituary poem for his Zurich Colleague Peter Martyr Vermigli in 1563, and one published in his own obituary by Josias Simmler, where Gessner presumably wrote about his own death. The following samples cover different stages in his life and show his affinities to friends and also, to specific disciplines. The list starts with a poem to honour Galen for a 1537 edition of Galen’s work that Thomas Platter did in Basel (translated by Enrico Prodi). Then follow two connections to Zurich Greek studies: a new edition of Ceporinus 1523 Greek grammar by Gessner’s friend Johannes Fries in 1546, and a long introductory poem to the Zurich minister, scholar and later antistes Rudolf Gwalther’s short sacred commedy Nabal (from I. Samuel 25) in 1549. For this introductory poem, a manuscript version sent in the form of a letter to Heinrich Bullinger (??) in the hand of Gessner, is in Zurich’s manuscript section of the Central library. (Not included in this exhibit: Other biblical editions with poems from Gessner are Birck’s concordance of the Greek New Testament from 1546; other more festive and comedic editions include two Ovid editions from 1542 and 1544 with poems in Greek by Gessner.) More Galen and Aristotle connections are visible also later: in Zurich, Alois Mondella published in 1551 his Dialogues with a poem of Gessner. We also get to know that Gessner made the index for this edition. The connection to Mondella produced later a large “Theatrum Galeni”, that is loci communes based on the works of Galen by Mondella that Gessner helped publish in Basel, but they were only published after the death of both Mondella and Gessner, in 1568. Urs Leu reconstructs the story of this edition in detail in his biography of Gessner, and he mentions the poem without expanding here. Another Basel edition facilitated by Gessner was the medieval Pachimeres epitome of Aristotle translated and with commentary by Philipp Bech, published in Basel in 1560. Bech was a medical doctor and professor of dialectics in Basel, and acquainted with Gessner. (Not included in this exhibit: Other medical work ornamented with Greek poems by Gessner and published in Zurich include Alexandrinus’ dialogue on medicine that came out in 1557.) To show Gessner’s devotion to his religion and his Zurich colleagues, there is his ephemeral poem for the obituary publication for the Zurich professor of Theology Peter Martyr Vermigli, that Josias Simmler organized and partly wrote. And finally there is a Greek poem that Gessner wrote to Adolphus Occo III in 1565 (or earlier) about his death. Josias Simmler published this poem in his obituary on Conrad Gessner in 1566. (Not included in this exhibit: Other Greek poems for Theologians who died: to Wolfgang Musculus 1563, which was only published in 1595 together with the full obituary to Musculus.) ## List of books with poems by Gessner here exhibited in translation Galenus 1537 Basel #Medicine #Baselpublisher #Pseudonym Galenus. *MEDICO||RVM SCHOLA,|| Hoc est,|| CLAVDII GALENI || Isagoge, siue Me-||dicus.|| EIVSDEM || DEFINITIONVM || Medicinalium || Liber.|| VTERQVE Graecè pariter & La=||tinè summo studio ac diligentia in artis || Medicae tyronum gratiam excusus, ... ||(Io.Guinterio Ander-||naco interprete.||)*. BASILEAE,|| M.D.XXXVII.||(PER THOMAM || PLATTERVM ET BALTHA||sarem Lasium, Mense Martio,||). Basel: Thomas Platter the Elder and Balthasar Lasius, 1537, publisher mark a3r-v. Ovid et al. 1544 Basel #Bologninus #Niger \[Franciscus Niger\] #Quintianus #Bonus #Baselpublisher Publius Ovidius Naso, *BARTHOLOMAEI || BOLOGNINI BO/||noniensis Epitome elegiaca in Pub.|| Ouidij Nasonis Libros XV.|| Metamorphoseon.|| FRANCISCI NI/||gri Bassianatis Epitome Sapphica || in eosdem Pub. Ouidij Libros || Metamorphoseon.|| ITEM IO. FRANCISCI QVIN-||tiani Stoae Poetae laureati Disticha elegiaca || et quaedam Sapphica quoque in singu-||las Fabulas Metamorphoseos || Ouidianae.|| PRAETEREA IACOBI BONI || Epidaurij Dalmatae De Raptu Cerberi || Libri tres.|| Vnà cum indice rerum memorabi-||lium diligentissimo.||*, BASILEAE.||(IN OFFI-||CINA ROBERTI VVINTER,|| ANNO M D XXXVIII || MENSE MARTIO.||)(ANNO || M.D.XLIIII.||) (Basel: Winter, Robert, \[1544\]). Ceporinus 1546 Zürich #Ceporinus # Fries #Greekgrammar #Zurichpublisher Ceporinus, Jacob. *COMPEN||DIVM GRAMMATICAE || Graecae Iacobi CEPORRINI, ex || postrema authoris editione, nunc || primum opera Frisij Ioãnis Tigu||rini castigatum & auctum.|| ... ||*. TIGVRI APVD CHRISTOPH.|| Froschouerum, Anno || M.D.XLVI.||. Zürich: Froschauer, Christoph d.Ä., 1546. Gwalther 1549 #Zurichpublisher #Gwalther **Gwalther, Rudolf:** NABAL.|| RODOLPHI GVAL||THERI TIGVRINI COMOEDIA || sacra, quę inscribitur Nabal, desumpta || ex I. Samuelis XXV. cap. nunc || primum conscripta || & aedita.|| \[Zürich: Christoph Froschauer d.Ä. 1549\]. 51 Bl. : D. ; 8 **Permalink:** ; ZB UZH, Shelf Mark: 18.183,3; Persistent Link: \*\*Gessner manuscript letter with poem in Zurich manuscript collection. Mondella 1551 #Medicine #Zurichpublisher #Galenexpert Mondella, Luigi. *ALOISII MVN||DELLAE BRIXIANI, CLA=||RISSIMI IN ITALIA MEDICI ET || Philosophi, Dialogi Medicinales decem, nunc pri=||mum in lucem editi: in quibus multa & uaria || tum artis theoremata, tum historiae & || experimenta doctissime ex=||plicantur.|| ... Indicem || uerò in fine.||*. TIGVRI APVD FROSCHOVERVM || Mense Octobri, Anno M.D.LI.||. Zürich: Froschauer, Christoph d.Ä., 1551. Pachymeres 1560 #Basel #Aristotle #Fries Georgius <Pachymeres>. *GEORGII PACHY-||MERII HIEROMNEMONIS, IN || VNIVERSAM FERE ARISTOTELIS PHILOSOPHIAM, EPITO-||me ... || è Graeco in Latinũ sermo-||nem nunc primùm ... conuersa, à ... D.PHI-||LIPPO BECHIO, Philosopho, Medico, at#\[que\] inclytae Aca-||demiae Basiliensis professore Dialectico ordinario.|| SVBIVNCTVS EST HVIC PERIPATETICO, PHILOSOPHVS || Platonicus, Synesius Cyrenaeus,per Ianum Cornarium Medicũ, Physicum, nunc || primùm Latinus factus ... ||*. BASILEAE, M.D.LX.||(PER || HIER.FROBENIVM ET NIC.EPISCOPIVM,|| MENSE SEPTEMBRI ... ||). Basel: Froben, Hieronymus d.Ä. und Episcopius, Nik. d.Ä., 1560. Simmler-Martyr-1563 #Zurichpublisher #obituary Simmler, Josias. *ORATIO || DE VITA ET OBI=||TV CLARISSMI VIRI ET PRAESTAN-||tissimi Theologi D. PETRI MARTYRIS VER||MILII diuinarum literarum professoris in scho=||la Tigurina, habita ibidem à IOSIA || SIMLERO Tigurino.|| ITEM Scripta quaedam D. Petri Martyris de || Eucharistia, nunquam antehac edita.|| HIS accesserunt Carmina doctorum aliquot virorum || in eiusdem obitum conscripta.||(D.Petri Martyris Vermi-||lii Florentini ... || EPITOME Defensionis aduersus Ste=||phanum Gardinerum.|| CONFESSIO de Coena Domini exhi=||bita Senatui Argentoratensi.|| SENTENTIA de praesentia Corporis || Christi in Eucharistia, proposita in col=||loquio Poissiaco.|| EPISTOLA de causa Eucharistiae ... ||)*. TIGVRI APVD CHRISTOPHORVM || Froschouerum Iuniorem, Anno M.D.LXIII,||. Zürich: Froschauer, Christoph d.J., 1563. Simmler-Gessner-1566 Zürich #Zurichpublisher #obituary Simmler, Josias. *VITA || CLARISSIMI PHI=||LOSOPHI ET MEDICI EX=||CELLENTISSIMI CONRADI GES=||NERI Tigurini, conscripta à IOSIA || SIMLERO Tigurino.|| ITEM, Epistola Gesneri de libris à se editis. Et Car-||mina complura in obitum eius conscripta.|| HIS ACCESSIT || CASPARI VVOLPHII Tigurini Me-||dici & Philosophi HYPOSCHESIS, siue, de || CON. GESNERI Stirpium historia ad IOAN.|| CRATONEM S.CAES. Maiest. medicum ex-||cellentis, Pollicitacio.||*. TIGVRI Excudebat Froschouerus, 1566.||. Zürich: Froschauer, Christoph d.J., 1566, c.19v-20r.