The French scholar Joseph Juste Scaliger has left us a not inconsiderable body of writings in Latin, Greek, French and other languages. Compiling a bibliography of Scaliger’s works, however, is no easy task. Many of his works were published anonymously or pseudonymously, or as appendices in other scholars’ publications. Several of his works appeared in print for the first time only after his death. The collected correspondence of Joseph Scaliger, for example, was not published in its entirety—1669 letters—until 2012.
Scaliger’s 19th-century biographer Jacob Bernays compiled the definitive bibliography of his works. It can be found as an appendix to his German Life of Scaliger (Berlin 1855), pages 269-316. Recently, this has been supplemented by Henk Jan de Jonge and Anthony Grafton’s Joseph Scaliger: A Bibliography 1852-1982, and by Rijk Smitskamp’s The Scaliger Collection, which includes a new edition of de Jonge & Grafton’s bibliography, updated to cover the period 1850-1993. This bibliography supplements Bernays’, and includes both primary and secondary sources. Among these are such arcane works as Scaliger’s Greek-Arabic Lectionary and his last will and testament.
Bernays’ biography is openly available online—in the original German—at the Internet Archive. Smitskamp’s book is not easily obtainable, but de Jonge & Grafton’s revised bibliography is online at the University of Leiden’s website.
Most of Scaliger’s works have been digitized for online reading, and links are included in the bibliography below. I only failed to track down two editions: the Metrical Greek Proverbs [Παροιμιαι Ἐμμετροι] of 1594, and the 1671 Utrecht edition of the Prima Scaligerana with notes by Paul Colomiès. Paul Botley & Dirk van Miert’s The Correspondence of Joseph Scaliger (Geneva 2012) is the only work not in the public domain.
Works Published in Scaliger’s Lifetime
Willem Canter, Novae Lectiones [New Readings], Johannes Oporinus, Basel (1564) - Pages 127-173 contain in the margins emendations by Scaliger to a recently discovered fragment of the Deipnosophistae of Athenaeus.
Varro, Marcus Terentius Varro, De Lingua Latina, First Edition, Robert II Estienne, Paris (1565)
Lycophron, Lycophron of Chalcis, Alexander or Cassandra, Literal Translation by Willem Canter, Verse Translation by Joseph Scaliger, First Edition, Johannes Oporinus & Pietro Perna, Basel (1566)
Catalecta, The Appendix Vergiliana and an Anthology of Latin Poetry, Guillaume Rouillé, Lyon (1572)
Vita Homeri, Life of Homer by Herodotus, A Fragment of the Parodies by Matron of Pitana, and the Contest of Homer and Hesiod, Henri Estienne, Geneva (1573)
Empedocles, Joseph Scaliger’s Notes on Empedocles, An Appendix (Pages 216-219) to Henri Estienne, Poesis Philosophica: Fragments of the Pre-Socratics, Henri Estienne, Geneva (1573)
Varro, Second Edition, Henri II Estienne, Geneva (1573)
Aias, Sophoclis Aiax Lorarius, Sophocles’ Aias, Edited and with a Latin Translation in the Tragic Style, J Benenatum, Paris (1573)
Ausonius, Decimius Magnus Ausonius, Selections from His Works, Antoine Gryphe, Lyon (1574)
Hermes Trismegistus, Hermes Trismegistus, Pimander, Adrien Turnèbe’s 1554 Greek Text and Latin Translation, Edited by Franciscus Flussas Candalle, Joseph Juste Scaliger, et al, Simon Millanges, Bordeaux (1574)
Festus, Sextus Pompeius Festus, De Verborum Significatione, First Edition, Mamert Patisson, Paris (1576)
Latin Elegiac Poets, The Elegies of Gaius Valerius Catullus, Albius Tibullus, and Sextus Propertius, Mamert Patisson, Paris (1577)
Hippocrates, Hippocrates, On Wounds to the Head, Critical Edition by Nicolaus Vincentius Pictaviensis Chirurgus [Nicolas Vincent, Surgeon of Poitiers = Joseph Scaliger], with a Latin Translation and Commentary by François Vertunien, Mamert Patisson, Paris (1578)
Vincentii Epistola, Nicolas Vincent, Surgeon of Poitiers [Joseph Scaliger], Epistle to Stéphane Naudin of Bresse [Louis Duret] Concerning the Lectures of Jean Martin on Hippocrates’ Book On Wounds to the Head, Sebastian Faucher, Cologne (1578)
Manilius, Marcus Manilius, Astronomica, First Edition, Mamert Patisson, Paris (1579)
Varro, Third Edition, Henri II Estienne, Geneva (1581)
Against Insulanus, Epistle against the Barbarous, Inept and Unlearned Poem of Insulanus [François de Lisle], Mamert Patisson, Paris (1582)
De Emendatione Temporum, On the Correction of Dates, First Edition, Mamert Patisson, Paris (1583)
Yvo Villiomarus, The Book of Yvo Villiomarus [Joseph Scaliger] in Response to Roberto Titi’s Loci Controversi, Mamert Patisson, Paris (1586)
Ausonius, Second Edition, Simon Millanges, Bordeaux (1590)
Festus, Omnibus Edition with Scaliger’s Corrections, Pierre de Saint-André, Geneva [or Jérôme Commelin, Heidelberg] (1593)
Metrical Proverbs, Παροιμιαι Ἐμμετροι: Proverbs in Greek Verse, Fédéric Morel, Paris (1593, 1594)
Cyclometrica Elementa, Books 1 and 2, Franciscus Raphelengius, Leiden (1594)
Mesolabium, Cyclometria Elementa, Book 1, Book 2, Appendix (Mesolabium), Franciscus Raphelengius, Leiden (1594)
Epistola de Vetustate et Splendore Gentis Scaligerae, Epistle on the Antiquity and Splendour of the Scaliger Family, and The Life Julius Caesar Scaliger, Franciscus Raphelengius, Leiden (1594)
Canon of Hippolytus, Hippolytus, The Canon Paschalis, Franciscus Raphelengius, Leiden (1595)
Catalecta, Revised Edition, Franciscus Raphelengius, Leiden (1595)
Ennius, Paulus Merula, Fragments of Ennius, Fragments Preserved in Maurus Servius Honoratus Provided by Joseph Scaliger from Pierre Daniel’s Edition in Manuscript (Published 1600), Jan Paets Jacobszoon & Lodewijk Elzevir, Leiden (1595)
Theocritus, Hieronymus Commelinus, The Fragments of Theocritus of Syracuse, Moschus, Bion and Simmias of Rhodes, Emendations by Joseph Scaliger & Isaac Casaubon, Douai (1596)
Lycophron, Lycophron of Chalcis, Alexandra, Edited with a Commentary by Johannes Meursius, Corrected by Joseph Scaliger, Lodewijk Elzevir, Leiden (1597)
Publilius Syrus and Dionysius Cato, The Sententiae of Publilius Syrus and the Distichs of Dionysius Cato, Translated into Greek by Joseph Scaliger, Franciscus Raphelengius, Leiden (1598)
De Emendatione Temporum, Second Edition, Franciscus Raphelengius, Leiden (1598)
Astrampsychus, Johannes Opsopäus, Oracula Metrica, With an Appendix (Pages 92-101) on Astrampsychus, The Interpretation of Dreams, Edited and Translated into Latin by Joseph Scaliger, Abel L’Angelier, Paris (1599)
Lycophron, The Alexandra of Lycophron, Second Edition, Commentary by Johannes Meursius, Emendations by Joseph Scaliger, Lodewijk Elzevir, Leiden (1599)
Manilius, Second Edition, Christoph Raphelengius, Leiden (1600)
Apuleius, Bonaventura Vulcanius, The Works of Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis, Originally Published in Leiden in 1594, Revised by Joseph Scaliger, Christoph Raphelengius, Leiden (1600)
24 Indices to Gruter’s Compilation of Inscriptions Janus Gruter, Corpus Inscriptionum, Commelin, Incices by Joseph Scaliger, Heidelberg (1603)
Maternus, Johann von Wowern, On the Error of Profane Religions by Julius Firmicus Maternus, Contributions by Joseph Scaliger (Pages 122-123), Johann Froben, Basel (1603)
Phrynichus, On Phrynichus and His Interpreter, Edited by David Hoeschel, Michael Manger, Augsburg (1603)
Serarius, A Refutation of “The Three Sects” of Nicolaus Serarius, Aegidius Radaeus [Gilles van den Rade], Franeker (1605)
Opuscula Diversa, Adrien Beys, Paris (1605)
(1) Greek Metaphrase of Dionysius Cato’s Distichs
(2) On the Verses of Ennius and Others Translated by Theodore Gaza from Cicero’s De Senectute
(3) Selections from Publilius Syrus’s Sententiae Translated into Greek
(4) Στρωματευς Παροιμιων Ἐμμετρων [Miscellany of Proverbs in Verse]
(5) The Interpretation of Dreams of Astrampsychus
(6) Poems on the Deaths of Claude Dupuy, Christophe de Thou, and Jean de ThouClusius, Carolus Clusius, Ten Books of Exotica, Some Very Useful Notes on the History of Garcia de Orta’s Spices by Joseph Scaliger (Pages 243-252), Franciscus Raphelengius, Leiden (1605)
Thesaurus Temporum, First Edition, Thomas Basson, Leiden (1606)
Caesar, The Extant Writings of Julius Caesar, Franciscus Raphelengius, Leiden (1606)
Florilegium Epigrammatum Martialis, Translations into Greek of Epigrams Selected from Martial, Robert III Estienne, Paris (1607)
Gnomic Iambs, Edited by Daniel Heinsius, Hendrik van Haestens, Leiden (1607)
Pareus, A Refutation of Two Chronological Orations by David Pareus, Hendrik van Haestens, Leiden (1607)
Confutatio Fabulae Burdonum, Daniel Heinsius, Two Satires: Help Me, Hercules! Or, The Illegitimate Münsterian, Appendix (Pages 145-411), Joseph Scaliger, A Confutation of the Silly Fable of the Asses, Johannes Patius, Leiden (1608)
Posthumous Publications
Opuscula Varia, Adrien Beys, Paris (1610)
(1) Observations on Melchiorre Guilandino [Melchior Wieland], Papyrus: A Commentary on Three Chapters on Papyrus by Pliny the Elder (Venice 1572)
(2) Diatribe on Tithes according to God’s Law
(3) Notes on Gaul, Toponyms and Ethnonyms in Julius Caesar’s Gallic Wars
(4) Three Diatribes on (a) European Languages (b) French People Today (c) The Various Ways of Pronouncing Certain Letters
(5) Opinion on a Certain Chronological Thesis
(6) An Exposition of the Silver Coinage of the Emperor Constantine
(7) The Orphic Mysteries, or Sacred Hymns to the Muses, Translated into Latin Verse
(8) Latin Prologue to Quintus Septimius Florens Christianus’s [Florent Chrestien’s] Latin Translation [Lost] of the Prometheus Bound of Aeschylus
(9) Certain Epigrams Translated into Latin from an Anthology of Greek Poets
(10) Certain Poems and Epigrams Not Previously Edited
(11) Observations on the Tragedies of Lucius Annaeus Seneca
(12) Three Elegies and Epigrams of Asinius Cornelius Gallus [Gaius Cornelius Gallus], with Observations
(13) 43 Letters to Various Correspondents
(14) Observations on the Cyclops of Euripides
(15) French Discourse on the Linking of Seas, the Draining of Marshes, and the Improvement of Rivers to Make them Navigable
(16) French Discourse on Certain Peculiarities of the Roman Militia
(17) French Letters Dealing with the Explanation of Some MedalsPrecession, Diatribe on the Precession of the Equinoxes, Jérôme Drouart, Paris (1613)
Arabic proverbs, كتـاب الأمثـال [Kitab al-Amthal = Book of Proverbs], or Two Centuries of Arabic Proverbs, Franciscus Raphelengius, Leiden (1614)
Collected Poems, [The Collected Poems of Joseph Juste Scaliger, Edited by Petrus Scriverius, Franciscus Raphelengius, Leiden (1615)
[A] Poems in Latin or Greek Originally
(1) Silva Variorum Carminum
(2) Encomia Librorum
(3) Funebria
(4) Iambi Gnomici
(5) Στρωματεὺς Ἐμμέτρων Παροιμιῶν [Miscellany of Proverbs in Verse]
[B] Poems Translated into Greek
(6) Comic Verses of Ennius and Statius, Cited by Cicero in his “De Senectute”
(7) Florilegium Epigrammatum Martialis
(8) Latin Lines from the “Prometheus Bound” of Aeschylus in Cicero’s “Tusculan Disputations”
(9) Elegies of Catullus to Hortalus [65], Berenice [66], a Little Boat [4], and the Appendix Vergiliana’s Priapean Elegy [Ego Haec, Ego Arte...]
(10) Prologue of Decimus Laberius in Macrobius’s “Saturnalia” [Book 2, Chapter 7]
(11) The Tenth Eclogue of Virgil
(12) Horace’s Epode 17
(13) Elegies 2:27 and 3:17 of Propertius
(14) Elegies 1:4 of Albius Tibullus
(15) Prologue to the Satires of Aulus Persius Flaccus
(16) The Moretum of the Appendix Vergiliana (translated 1561, presented to Ronsard 1563)
(17) Excerpt from the Triumph of Love of Petrarch (End of Chapter 3)
(18) Two Other Italian Epigrams of Uncertain Provenance
(19) Protrepticon (Au Roy, Ode to Henri III of France) by Catherine Des Roches fille of Poitiers
(20) Another French Epigram of Uncertain Provenance
(21) A Rude Inscription of a Canopy from Segusio [Susa, Piedmont] at the Foot of the Alps
(22) Selections from the Sententiae of Publilius Syrus
(23) The Moral Distichs of Dionysius Cato [End Part 2]
[C] Poems Translated into Latin
(24) Select Epigrams from the Greek Anthology
(25) A Few Songs of Theognis and Others
(26) The Ajax of Sophocles
(27) The Cassandra [Alexandra] of Lycophron
(28) The Orphic Hymns, or the Indigitamenta of the GodsDe Re Nummaria, A Dissertation on Coinage, Franciscus Raphelengius, Leiden (1616)
Marcilius, Petrus Scriverius, A New Edition of the Works of Marcus Valerius Martialis, Pages 139-168, Joseph Scaliger, A Critical Diatribe on Théodore Marcile’s Edition of Martial’s Epigrams “On the Spectacles”, Johannes Maire, Leiden (1619)
Galen, Joseph Scaliger, A Most Learned Explanation of Difficult Passages in Galen, Jacob Marcus, Leiden (1619)
Collected Correspondence, Daniel Heinsius (editor), The Correspondence of Joseph Juste Scaliger, Bonaventura & Abraham Elzevir, Leiden (1627)
De Emendatione Temporum, Third Edition, Pierre de la Rouvière, Geneva (1629)
Manilius, Third Edition, Johann Joachim Bockenhoffer, Strasbourg (1655)
Thesaurus Temporum, Revised Edition, Johannes Janssonius, Amsterdam (1658)
Secunda Scaligerana, Scaligerana Vassanorum, The Table-Talk of Joseph Scaliger, Recorded by Jean & Nicolas de Vassan, Unauthorized First Edition, Edited by Isaac Vossius, Adrian Vlacq, The Hague (1666) - Title page claims it was published by Petrus Columesius [P Colomiès?] in Geneva
Secunda Scaligerana, Johannes Dallaeus [Jean Daillé] (editor), Another Edition, Rouen (1667) - Title page claims that it was published by Gerbrand Schagen in Cologne
Secunda Scaligerana, Second Edition A, Cornelius Dreihuysen, Leiden (1668)
Secunda Scaligerana, Second Edition B, Johannes Vlacq, The Hague (1668)
Secunda Scaligerana, Second Edition C, Johannes Vlacq, The Hague (1669)
Prima Scaligerana, Scaligerana Vertuniani, The Table-Talk of Joseph Scaliger, Recorded by François de La Vau de Saint-Vertunien, Edited by Tanaquil Faber [Tanneguy Le Fèvre], Saumur (1669) - Title page claims that it was published by Petrus Smithaeus in Groningen
Prima Scaligerana, Tanaquil Faber [Tanneguy Le Fèvre] (editor), Peter Elzevir, Utrecht (1670)
Prima Scaligerana, Tanaquil Faber [Tanneguy Le Fèvre] (editor), Notes by Paul Colomiès, Peter Elzevir, Utrecht (1671)
Prima Scaligerana, Tanaquil Faber [Tanneguy Le Fèvre] (editor), Second Edition, Peter Elzevir, Utrecht (1671)
Scaligerana ou Bons Mots, Tanneguy Le Fèvre & Paul Colomiès (editors), Alphabetized Edition of the Prima Scaligerana and the Secunda Scaligerana, Les Huguetans, Amsterdam (1695) - Title page claims that it was published in Cologne
Scaligerana, Thuana, Perroniana, Pithoeana, et Columesiana, Volume 2, Pierre Desmaizeaux (editor), Prima Scaligerana, Seconda Scaligerana, Covens & Mortier, Amsterdam (1740) - Volume 1 is the Table-Talk of the other four individuals
Collected Correspondence, Daniel Heinsius (editor), The Correspondence of Joseph Juste Scaliger, Bonaventura & Abraham Elzevir, Leiden (1627)
Lettres Françaises, Jacques Philippe Tamizey de Larroque (editor), Lettres Françaises Inédites de Joseph Scaliger, Agen (1879)
Complete Correspondence, Paul Botley & Dirk van Miert (editors), The Correspondence of Joseph Justus Scaliger (1540–1609), Volumes 1-8, Librairie Droz, Geneva (2012)
In subsequent articles in this series, we will take a closer look at these works.
Itaque hic finem faciam.
References
- Jacob Bernays, Joseph Justus Scaliger, Wilhelm Hertz, Berlin (1855)
- Peter Burmann (editor), Sylloges Epistolarum, A Compendium of Epistles to Famous Men in Five Volumes, Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3, Volume 4, Volume 5, Samuel Luchtmans, Leiden (1727)
- Anthony Grafton, Joseph Scaliger: A Study in the History of Classical Scholarship, Volume 1, Textual Criticism and Exegesis, Clarendon Press, Oxford (1983)
- Anthony Grafton, Joseph Scaliger: A Study in the History of Classical Scholarship, Volume 2, Historical Chronology, Clarendon Press, Oxford (1993)
- Henk Jan de Jonge & Anthony Grafton, Joseph Scaliger. A Bibliography 1852-1982, First Edition, Cristal-Montana Press, The Hague (1982)
- Philippe Tamizey de Larroque (editor), Lettres Françaises Inédites de Joseph Scaliger, Alphonse Picard, Paris (1884)
- Mark Pattison, Joseph Scaliger, in Essays, Volume 1, Pages 132-243, Clarendon Press, Oxford (1889)
- George W Robinson, Joseph Scaliger’s Estimates of Greek and Latin Authors, Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, Volume 29, Pages 133-176, Department of the Classics, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA (1918)
- Rijk Smitskamp, Anthony Grafton, Henk Jan de Jonge, The Scaliger Collection, Smitskamp Oriental Antiquarium, Leiden (1993)
Image Credits
- Joseph Juste Scaliger: Antoine Calbet (artist), La Salle des Illustres de l’Hôtel de Ville d’Agen, Agen, Public Domain
Online Resources
- The Warburg Institute
- Leiden University Libraries
- The Correspondence of Joseph Justus Scaliger
- Scaliger at BNF
