Botrachion

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Complete text of entry:

Botrachion grece sed vatrachion proferunt .i. raninum, nam vatrachos rana, nos raninum apium dicimus, herbam sceleratam Dyascorides huius species sunt quatuor. Una que folia habet coriandro similia, sed latiora et pinguiora et alba florem mellinum et aliquando purpureum, virgam non longam, radicem albam non amaram fissam sicut elebori, nascitur locis aquosis, hec scelarata dicitur. Secunda est longioris tyrsi et foliis hirtis multis locis incisis, gustu acerrimis, hec multum in sardinia nascitur quam apium agreste dicunt. Tertia est folia habens parvissima vel brevissima tetri odoris atque incendiosa cum floribus aureis. Quarta species florem habet lacteum. Alterum genus est que staticem dicitur, nascitur locis sabulosis et in campis arenosis, radix eius articulo et similis que radiculas paucas et novissimas habet et cetera, sed Plinius ranunculum vocamus quam greci botrachion. Genera eius quatuor, unum pinguioribus quam coriandri foliis: et ad latitudinem malve accedentibus colore livido caule alio gracili et radice alba, nascitur in limitibus humidis et opacis, alterum foliosius pluribus foliorum incisuris altis caulibus, tertium minimum est gravi odore flore aureo, quartum simile huic flore luteo et cetera, hec herba apud Avicennam vocatur kebikegi.


Simon's text sectioned:

Philological remarks:

Botrachion grece sed vatrachion proferunt .i. raninum, nam vatrachos rana, nos raninum apium dicimus, herbam sceleratam

Apparatus:

vatrachion AC | vachion e | natrachion B {'u' placed upside down > 'n'}

vatrachos AC | vatracos e | natrachos B {'u' placed upside down > 'n'}

sceleratam (-taʒ A) AC e | seleratã B

Translation:

Botrachion is Greek, but they pronounce it vatrachion, which means in Latin raninum {"frog-, frog-like"}, because vatrachos is rana {"frog"} in Latin, and we call the plant raninum apium {(lit.) "frog-celery"} and herba scelerata {(lit.) "noxious plant"}.

Commentary:

Greek βατράχιον /batrákhion/, the expected Latin transliteration being batrachion, Simon replaces with a common Vulgar Latin collateral form botrachion, but Simon has also an entry showing the Greek vocalization Batrachion, which refers the reader back to this entry. βάτραχος /bátrakhos/ means "frog" and βατράχιον /batrákhion/ is the diminutive form, i.e. "little frog", but is mainly used as the name for a group of plants that were named in Latin ranunculus, a loan translation from the Greek, meaning "little frog" as well. The naming motive is the preference these plants show for a watery habitat. Simon translates botrachion as raninum, which is literally "frog-like; frog-". He comments on a sound-change /b/ > /v/ that Greek had undergone well before his time, resulting in the pronunciations /vatrákhion/ and /vátrakhos/.

And he goes on to mention two synonyms apium raninum "frog-celery" and herba scelerata (lit.) "noxious herb". For herba scelerata see the commentary in the section on Ps.Apuleius. Apium raninum, also apium ranarum - (lit.) "celery of the frogs" -, (e.g. in Alphita [Mowat] p.11) are synonyms trying to echo Greek βατράχιον /batrákhion/. Apium raninum already occurs in the Greek Dioscorides, 2, 175, ed. Wellmann (1906-14: I.242), RV, where amongst other synonyms the name of this synonym is attributed to the Etruscans: Θοῦσκοι ἄπιου<μ> ῥανίνου<μ> /Thoûskoi ápiou<m> rhanínou<m>, "The Etruscans call it apium raninum".


Simon's text sectioned:

Dyascorides huius species sunt quatuor. Una que folia habet coriandro similia, sed latiora et pinguiora et alba florem mellinum et aliquando purpureum, virgam non longam, radicem albam non amaram fissam sicut elebori, nascitur locis aquosis, hec scelarata dicitur. Secunda est longioris tyrsi et foliis hirtis multis locis incisis, gustu acerrimis, hec multum in sardinia nascitur quam apium agreste dicunt. Tertia est folia habens parvissima vel brevissima tetri odoris atque incendiosa cum floribus aureis. Quarta species florem habet lacteum.

Apparatus:

quattuor C | quatuor B | quatuor A | smudged but the medieval early form of the Arabic numeral 4 is added by a later hand e

similia C | sil'ia AB | similia habet e

longam (-ngã A) AC e | lũgã B

fissam C | fissaʒ A | scissam e | sissam B

scelarata AC e | selarata B

tyrsi AC | tirsi B | thissi e

hirtis AC | yrtis B e

hec multum AC | hoc multum B | hc ml'tũ e

sardina e | sardĩa AC | sardia B

Tertia ABC | 3a e

uel e | vl' AC | et uel B

lacteum C | lacteũ A e | lactteũ B

Translation:

Dyascorides says: there are four different kinds of it. The first has leaves similar to coriandrum {"coriander"}, but they are wider, thicker and white, a yellow flower, which can be purple sometimes and a not very long stem; it has a white root, that is split and not bitter like that of eleborus {"hellebore"}. It grows in watery places; it is called scelerata {sc. herba}. The second kind has a longer stem and hairy leaves and many incised spots, and the leaves are extremely bitter in taste. This herb grows abundantly in Sardinia and they call it wild apium {"celery"}. There is a third kind, it has very small and very short leaves, has an offensive odour, is burning hot, and it has golden-coloured flowers. The fourth kind has milk-coloured flowers.

Commentary:

Simon's excerpt is from Dyascorides alphabeticus, cf. Codex Bodmer 58, f 21r, s.v. Botracion, which it follows more closely than the source text, i.e. ultimately Dioscorides Longobardus, 2, 161, ed. Stadler (1899: 242) De votraciu.

The original Greek text is found in 2, 175, ed. Wellmann (1906-14: I.242-3), βατράχιον /batrákhion/.


Simon's text sectioned:

Ps.Apuleius:

Alterum genus est que staticem dicitur, nascitur locis sabulosis et in campis arenosis, radix eius articulo et similis que radiculas paucas et novissimas habet et cetera

Apparatus:

ē quod dicitur stacticẽ B | que staticem dicitur ms. e | est (ē A) que structicem (-cẽ A) dicitur AC

articulo ABC e Dyascorides alphabeticus | verticillo/ v.l. verticello/ v.l. verticulo Herbarius Ps.Apulei

Translation:

There is yet another kind, which is called statice. It grows in gravelly and sandy places, its root is similar to a joint {Pseudo-Apuleius: the whirl of a spindle/ joint} and it has few rootlets, which are very fresh {Pseudo-Apuleius: very thin} etc.

Commentary:

This excerpt is from the Herbarius of Ps. Apuleius, that somehow found its way into Dyascorides alphabeticus. In Codex Bodmer 58, f 21r, s.v. Botracion, it is interpolated between the third and the fourth kinds of the Dyascoridean botracion. Here in Simon's entry it follows the fourth kind. Simon was possibly unaware of its ultimate origin.

The text is from chapter IX. Herba Botracion Statice and it reads: Nascitur locis sablosis et campis/v.l.: campestris arenosis. Radix ejus verticillo/v.l. verticulo est similis, radiculas paucas et tenuissimas habet - "It grows in sandy places and gravelly fields. Its root is similar to a spindle whirl/ joint, and it has few and very thin rootlets".

Statice, here used as a distinguishing epithet to botracion, is derived from Greek στατική /statikḗ/ {sc. πόα /póa/ "herb"} < στατικός /statikós/ "bringing to a still-stand"; apparently preparations with this plant were thought to be astringent.

The synonym herba scelerata {"noxious herb"}, which Simon mentions twice above, comes from the Ps.Apuleian chapter VIII Herba Scelerata, ed. Howald (1927: 39-40), where in the synonymy at the chapter's end it says:

Nomina herbae: A Graecis dicitur botracion; alii stalticen/ v.l.: staticen; Siculi selinon agrion, Romani apium rusticum, alii/ v.l.: Galli herba scelerata; alii apiurisu.


Simon's text sectioned:

sed Plinius ranunculum vocamus quam greci botrachion. Genera eius quatuor, unum pinguioribus quam coriandri foliis: et ad latitudinem malve accedentibus colore livido caule alio gracili et radice alba, nascitur in limitibus humidis et opacis, alterum foliosius pluribus foliorum incisuris altis caulibus, tertium minimum est gravi odore flore aureo, quartum simile huic flore luteo et cetera, hec herba apud Avicennam vocatur kebikegi.

Apparatus:

botrachion ABC e | batrachion Pliny

eius quattuor (quatuor e) C e | eius quatuor A | eius sunt quatuor B

coriandri B | coriãdri AC | coriandra e

accedentibus A | accedentibus C | acedentibus (-dẽt- B) B e

caule alio ABC e | alto Pliny

limitibus B | limitibus A e | limittibus C

pluribus C | pluribus e | pluribus A | cũ pluribus B

incisuris AC e | ĩcissuriis B

aliis AC | altis B e

tertiũ minimum (minimũ A) est AC | Tertiũ minimuʒ est e | tertiũ ē minimũ B

luteo AB | luceo C | lacteo e Pliny

hec herba apud Auicen. vocatur (Auic. uoc- B) ABC | hec herba vocatur apud auic. e

Translation:

But Pliny says: The plant that we {i.e. "the Romans"} call ranunculus is the one the Greeks call botrachion. There are four different kinds of it. One kind is with thicker leaves than those of coriandrum {"coriander"} approaching the width of malva {"mallow"} leaves, it is of a leaden hue, with a different {in Pliny: tall and} slender stem and a white root. It grows on damp and shady paths. The second kind is leafier and has more incisions in its leaves, with tall stems. The third kind has a strong scent and a golden-coloured flower; and the fourth kind is similar to the third kind but the flower is yellow {Pliny says: milk-white}, etc. {And Simon adds:} This herb is called kebikegi in Avicenna.

Translation:

Simon's excerpt is from Pliny, cf. 25, 109, 172, ed. Rackham (1938-63: VII.258). Pliny and Dioscorides must have used the same source since their accounts clearly agree in much of their botanical descriptions as well as in the sequence of presentation.


See also: Ranunculus, Kebikegi

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