De diffinitionibus

¶ anicij Manlij Seuerini Boetij ex conſularijs patricij Liber de diffinitionibus Incipit.Icendi ac diſputādi priDſegxa xcxiima ſemꝑ oratio eſt ⁊ iādialecticis auctoribus ⁊ipſo. M. Tullio ſepiusadmonente que dr̄ diffinitio. Quippe cū ī certamen ꝯtētionēqꝫ nihilpoſſit (qd̓ tn̄ in dictiōeꝯſiſtat) aliqn̄ deduci niſi de quo futura pugnapoe. Eeſt prius fuerit ī definitione defixū vt poſſit inI¶ ¶xex vtrūqꝫ qui inituꝝ eeā litē eē manifeſtū ꝗd ſit illud de quo ī futura qōnetractabit̉. vn̄ nō ſolū cōmoditatis genere ꝑſpiciendaeſt virtꝰ definiendi: qꝛ per hanc orationē res ſemperuoluit̉. Et ꝙ illa ſit que illud de quo querit̉ explicateꝝ ēt ꝙ prīcipal̓ ſemꝑ adhibita maximum lumen ⁊nanifeſtū parit rei que in ꝯͣiuꝫ deducta hꝫ qōnem. ⁊ni ſi verba aut nota oībꝰ extitiſſent: aut vnā ſignifiantiā ſui ſemꝑ tenerēt ⁊ nō ambiguo vel obſcuro dito audientes fallerēt: ⁊ loquētes ſub diuerſa interp̄atiōe deciperēt oīo definitio neceſſario minime creleret̉. At cū noīa rebꝰ īpoſita voceſqꝫ ſingule ꝑ exiſtimnationē eius ꝗ ita res appellandas eē cenſuit ita ſintſtitute ⁊ ita arte cōpoſite vt nota quadā in reꝝ ſignificatiōe nō aperta declaratione ducerent audientes.Neceſſariū ad modū arbitror noſce ꝗd ſit definitio ꝙuſqꝫ ſpēbꝰ ac ꝑtibꝰ cōpleat̉: vt facillime ⁊ eā rē quāeclarat poſſit on̄dere. ⁊ tollit tn̄ cognitis modis ī diēdo ſua veritate faſtidiū: at priꝰ eiuſdē ipſius vt ordiē ꝑ precepta ſeruare videamur definitionis adhibēa eſt definitio. Definitio eſt: vt. M. Tullius in topiis ait oratio que id qd̓ definit explicat ꝗd ſit hoc itaz: ⁊ ita ītelligi neceſſe eſt: vt ⁊ in quo genere ſit definitio declarādū eē videat̉ ⁊ ꝗd cōprehendat ⁊ quēadnodū ꝑfecte eadē definitio definita eſt. Noīa vel voes interdū res ſignificāt interdū facta īterdū ſinguī dicta: īterdū orationes ⁊ quāqͣꝫ his oībꝰ factis acictis ⁊ orationibꝰ genus vident̉ eē qd̓ dicimus: resſi ꝓprio noīe ⁊ certa ſignificatione aliud eſſe videat̉ſꝫ ſcm̄ ē aliud qͣꝫ dictū ſingulare atqꝫ vnicū aliud qͣꝫratio. Ergo definitio non facti vox eſt nō rei alicuiꝰut corporal̓: aut īcorporalis ſed eſt oratio. Et enī tas dictio que exprimit ꝗd ſit id de quo querit̉ ſine duio appellat̉ oratio: vt oratio eſt exordiū ⁊ narratio ⁊etera que partes orationis eē dicimꝰ. Ita ergo ⁊ deinitio oratio ē. Sꝫ qm̄ hoc generale nomē eſt qd̓ vtidiximus cōuenit ēt expōni: narrationi: īuocationi: p̄dicationi: ceteriſqꝫ ſingul̓ q̄ vtiqꝫ orationes eſſe dicūtur vt id ꝙ general̓r appoſitū eſt poſſit ad id deducide quo q̄rit̉ adiecta eſt ſpēs. Querebamꝰ enī ꝗd eſſetdefinitio ad quā rē declarādū. M. Tullius adiecit q̄id qd̓ definit explicat qd̓ ſit talis oratio nō niſi definitio ē. Nā oratio ꝗdē eſt qͣ nō explicat qd̓ d̓finit: ſꝫ qd̓geſtū eſt. ⁊ itē alie ſingule oratiōes ī ſuis officijs actionibuſqꝫ ꝯſtitute aliud ſunt ⁊ oratio que id qd̓ definitexplicat ꝗd ſit: ita adiecta eſt ſpēs: vt cū genus ſupraſit oratio: ſpēs ſit que id qd̓ definit. Poſtrēo tn̄ adiūctu ſit quo certius id ⁊ quo magis ꝓpriū declaret qd̓dcm̄ eſt explicat ꝗd ſit. Sūt enī alie orationes que explicāt magis quale ꝗd ſit: aut quātū ſit. At v̓o hec nihil hoꝝ ſꝫ tm̄ ꝗd ſit explicat. diuerſa ē .n. ī iſta ꝑtitōe

cognitio ꝗppe cū alid̓ ē ſcir̄ qͣle ſit ⁊ ꝗd ſit explicare hͨenī ī ꝑcipiēda rei ſb̓a ꝯtinet̉ illud ī qͣlitate noſcēda. ⁊hoc ꝗdē Cicerōis ſit adhibita definitio. Nos tn̄ aptiid ip̄m ꝗd ſit definitio nr̄a explanatione faciamꝰ. Oēꝙ demōſtrat̉ oratiōe: aut an ſit: aut ꝗd ſit: aut qͣle ſiton̄dit̉. ꝙ cū adhibet̉ or̄o ad declarationē rei alicuiusan ſit n̄ ē definitio. Itē cū qͣle ſit aliꝗd or̄one mōſtrat̉pari mō definitio nō erit: cū v̓o ꝗd ſit on̄dit̉ qd̓ īter:an ſit ⁊ qͣle ſit mediū ē ve ē definitio. Ita .ſ. mediū vtan ſit nulla iā ſit dubitatio. Itē qͣle ſit nō eiꝰ ꝗ reꝗͥritſꝫ ꝗ definit ſit ī ſcīa collocatū. Mediū ī quē hoc genꝰqd̓ on̄dit idip̄ꝫ de quo q̄rit̉ ꝗd ſit definitio nūcupat̉.Oīs definitio ī qōne rē hꝫ īcertā. Oīs res ſi certa ē d̓finitiōe n̄ eget ſi īcerta ē neqꝫ res ē ⁊ q̄rit definitiōemōſtrari. Oīs .n. res ſi mō iā res ē quēadmodū diximꝰ certa ē. Cū v̓o iā certa ē ⁊ qͣlitates ſuas hēat ꝗbcū facile cōp̄hēdit̉ facile ꝗd ſit agnoſcit̉. Nūqͣꝫ .n. ꝗdſit ītelligi p̄t niſi qͣle ſit fuerit cōp̄hēſū. Oīs diffinitioaut reprobāde eā: aut ſi res ī qōe verſat̉ augēde autſi vel apud aduerſariū vel apd̓ auditorē q̄libꝫ iā notares ē cōfirmāde aſſumit̉. Nihilominꝰ tn̄ diffinitio vtres eadē q̄ nota ē ⁊ certa ⁊ fixa teneat̉ adhibet̉. Oīsdiffinitō: aut rhetorica ē or̄o autdialectica: ſi ē rhetorica originē ex ꝯtētiōe ſuſcipiēs ꝑ rei de qͣ q̄rit̉ ꝑtesſuas ſe diuidet nec ī vniꝰ tractatu a ſuis rebꝰ tota ꝯſiſtet: vt cū vniuſcuiuſqꝫ rei plena ⁊ certa ꝑfectio notaſit: cūctis ꝑ ꝑtes ſibi eādē diſtribuāt dicta certantiūSepulture violationē rē ēt certā plenāqꝫ ⁊ ꝑfectā retinemꝰ cū ī eruto ſepulcro ē ēt aīus ⁊ factū violantisvt ſtudio eruēdi ⁊ ꝓfanādi īanes hoc ꝗſpiā videaturaggreſſus. Ergo vti diximꝰ violatio ſepulture cōſtat⁊ aīo ⁊ facto. Plenaqꝫ ipſa res ē violati ſepulchri: exhis duobꝰ aꝑuit ſepulcꝝ ꝗdā vt auferret ornamēta.Idē ſepulchri violator reꝰ ī iudiciū deuocat̉. ſine dubio diffinitiuā or̄onē ⁊ ꝯtētionē exprimētē ꝗd ſit violatio ſepulture necͣio cā deſiderat: ſꝫ ſingul̓ ꝑtibꝰ totiꝰfacti ac plēi vtūt̉ oratoreſ. vt ſepulture violationē ponat vnꝰ qd̓ aꝑtū ſit ſepulcꝝ. cōtra aliꝰ ſepulture violationē dicat ī aīo ꝯtīeri ita exiſtit diffinitīe or̄onis iſtetractatꝰ: vt cū totū qd̓ agnoſcit̉ ī ſepulture violatiōꝫꝑ ꝑtes ſuas fuerit diſtributū: eaſqꝫ ꝑtes oratores ſingl̓i tēuerīt. ꝯtēdēdi gne̓ diffinitōe vti videāt̉. ſꝫ n̄ r̄ctedr̄ hmōi diffinitio cū nō ſit certa n̄ plēa n̄ ītegra diſfinitio niſi cū totū ꝗcꝗd ipſiꝰ rei ē de qͣ q̄rit̉ expͥmēsꝗd ſit or̄o declararit. veꝝ hec captioſa ⁊ falſa ē. n̄ certa rhetoꝝ diffinitio. eſt alia ēt q̄ rhetoribꝰ accōmodata cognoſcit̉: q̄ lōge a v̓tute diffiniēdi plēiſſime ſeꝑat̉q̄ ꝑ collectiōꝫ n̄ ꝗd ſit on̄t: ſꝫ h̓ eē a ſil̓i cū alid̓ ſit orōeꝯcludit: vt cū q̄rit̉ ꝗd ſit acciꝑe: vtiqꝫ re ꝓpria v̓a certa nihil alid̓ ē niſi ꝓpͥa māu aliꝗd ab aliquo oblatū ſume̓ ꝑ collectiōeꝫ m. tulliꝰ d̓finit pecūias accepiſſe verrē cū comites ſocij miniſtriqꝫ pecūias acceꝑit. Comites illi tui manꝰ erāt tue. Itē ī nullo exēplo cū q̄rit̉ ꝗdſit īimicꝰ dicimꝰ inimicū eē eū ꝗ aliꝗd mali molitꝰ ſitac cicero collectōe vtēs dicit. Inimicū eē ꝗ fac̄ ꝯͣ oīꝫrē volūtatē. honorē. dignitatē. Ex ꝗbꝰ colligimꝰ hmōidiffinitōeſ ꝯtētōi oratoꝝ maxīe ꝯuēire lōge tn̄ a v̓tute diffinitōis eē diſcretaſ. ſꝫ he diffinitiōes q̄ oratoribꝰ aꝑte ſt̓ ⁊ poetis: ſui explicatōe ī or̄one certū ordinēꝯtinēt. De qͣ re p̄cepta ī rhetoricis ſūt a. m. tullio cōſtituta: ita vt oīs diffinitio h̓ ē orō q̄ explicat d̓ qͦ qͣritur ꝗd ſit his mēbriſ ꝑtibuſqꝫ teneat̉. pͥmū vti breuiter id d̓ qͦ q̄rit̉ ꝗd ſit orō nr̄a ꝯtīeat. ⁊ hec appellaturdiffinitio. dein̄ eiꝰ diffinitōis ſupponat̉ approbatio qͣilld̓ on̄dimꝰ vt id ip̄ꝫ qd̓ breuit̓ ī diffinitōe poſuimꝰ