The Limits of Influence: Pico, Louvain, and the Crisis of Renaissance Astrology

345 Pages·2003·18.415 MB·English

by  Broecke Vanden

THE LIMITS OF INFLUENCE
MEDIEVAL
AND
EARLY MODERN SCIENCE
Editors
JOHANNES M.M.H. THIJSSEN
University of Nijmegen
CHRISTOPH LÜTHY
University of Nijmegen
Editorial Consultants
Joël Biard, University of Tours
Simo Knuuttila, University of Helsinki
John E. Murdoch, Harvard University
Jürgen Renn, Max-Planck-Institute for the History of Science
Theo Verbeek,
University of Utrecht
VOLUME 4
THE LIMITS OF INFLUENCE
, ,
PICO LOUVAIN AND THE CRISIS OF
RENAISSANCE ASTROLOGY
BY
STEVEN VANDEN BROECKE
BRILL
LEIDEN (cid:127)BOSTON
2003
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Broecke, Steven Vanden.
The limits of influence : Pico, Louvain, and the crisis of Renaissance astrology / by
Steven Vanden Broecke.
p. cm. — (Medieval and early modern science, ISSN 1567-8393 ; v. 4)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 90-04-13169-8
1. Astrology, European—History. 2. Astronomy, Medieval. I. Title. II. Series.
QB25.B74 2003
520’.9’02—dc22
2003057805
ISSN 1567-8393
ISBN 90 04 13169 8
© Copyright 2003 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in
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printed in the netherland
ThisbookisdedicatedtoDriesClaeys(1915–2002)

TABLEOFCONTENTS
Acknowledgments ................................................. xiii
Listofillustrations ................................................. xv
Introduction ....................................................... 1
Chapterone.Somepreliminaryremarksonastrology ......... 7
1.Theproblem:“astronomy”and“astrology” .............. 7
2.Naturalandsuperstitiousastrology ....................... 9
3.Teachingthe“scienceofthestars”........................ 12
4.Thestructureofthe“scienceofjudgment” .............. 17
4.1.Astrologicalphysics .................................. 18
4.2.Judicialastrology..................................... 19
5.Astrology,naturalphilosophy,andsecrecy ............... 19
5.1.Astrologyandnaturalphilosophy .................. 19
5.2.Epistemicsecrecy .................................... 21
5.3.Epistemologicalsecrecy ............................. 22
6.LucioBellanti’sDeastrologicaveritate (1498) ............. 24
Chaptertwo.Astrologyandlatemedievalacademicculture.
Louvain,1425–1516 ..................................... 29
1.Academicastrologicalgenres.............................. 30
1.1.Annualalmanacs .................................... 30
1.2.Conjunctionsandcomets ........................... 32
2.Theusesofacademicastrology ........................... 33
2.1.Academicastrologicalconsulting:Louvainand
theBurgundiancourt ........................... 33
2.2.Theimportanceofbeingprinted:patronage,
secrecy,andcensorship ......................... 36
3.Theteachingofacademicastrology ...................... 40
3.1.Mathematicsattheartsfaculty ..................... 40
3.2.Astrologicalinstructionatthemedicalfaculty .... 43
4.Astrologyandtheologyinlatemedievalacademic
culture ................................................ 46
4.1.TheLouvainunionofrevelationandastrology ... 46
4.2.Logic,revelation,andfuturecontingents ......... 49
4.3.Astrologyandfuturecontingents .................. 52
viii tableofcontents
Chapterthree.Betweenastrologicalreformandrejection:
GiovanniPico’sDisputations (1494)..................... 55
1.Theproblem:Picoandtheastrologers ................... 55
1.1.Pico,Ptolemy,andastrologicaltheory ............. 57
1.2.Picoandthechallengesofconjunctionism ....... 60
1.2.1.Thebackground:conjunctionistastrology
inlatefifteenth-centuryItaly............... 60
1.2.2.Picoandastrologicalboundary-work ...... 63
2.Thesolution:Aristotle,mathematics,andexperience 65
2.1.Aristotleandastrologicalphysics ................... 66
2.2.Mathematicalastronomyandastrologicalphysics 71
2.3.Thevalueofcommonastrologicalexperience .... 73
2.3.1.Theantiquityofempiricalrecords......... 73
2.3.2.Theinaccuracyofastronomy............... 74
2.3.3.Contradictionsintheastrologicalcanon 74
2.4.Theshapeofastrologicalreform ................... 77
3.Astrologydemonized:GirolamoSavonarola’sattitude
toastrology ........................................... 78
Chapterfour.Humanismandcourtastrology:the1524
conjunctionsatLouvain ................................. 81
1.Introduction ................................................ 81
2.The1524conjunctionsandtheexpectationofanew
Flood .................................................. 82
3.AlbertPiggheandthereturntoPtolemaicpractice
(1519) ................................................ 85
3.1.AnastrologicalpractitionerattheFrenchcourt .. 85
3.2.Humanismandastrology ........................... 87
3.3.Indefenseofreformedannualprognostications 89
4.GasparLaetindefenseofpersonalexperience(1520) 91
5.ThedebateatLouvainuniversity:ThomasMontis’
disputation(1521)................................... 94
6.Prudence,faith,reason,andastrology:Scepper’s
Assertion (1523) ...................................... 97
6.1.Scepper’sdream ..................................... 97
6.2.ScepperandtheLouvainhumanists ............... 100
6.3.Scepper’sproblem................................... 103
6.4.Scepper’sastrologicalcritique ...................... 105
6.5.Scepper’sphilosophicalarithmetic ................ 106
tableofcontents ix
Chapterfive.AstrologyandtheLouvaincosmographical
tradition ................................................... 113
1.Introduction:cosmographyandthe1524debates ...... 113
2.TheriseofLouvaincosmography:GemmaFrisius ...... 115
3.Newopportunitiesforcosmographicalpatronage ...... 118
4.Cosmographyandacademicmathematicalinstruction 121
5.Humanismandcosmography ............................. 125
6.Astronomyandcosmography ............................. 127
7.Astrologyandcosmography ............................... 129
8.Cosmographicalinstrumentsandastrologicaltheorica:
GerardMercator’sastrologicalinstrument(1551) 131
9.Gemma’sfamilia:mathematicsteachingandthe
medicalprofession ................................... 134
Intermezzo.Afewcommentsontheuseandnatureof
astrologicalreform ....................................... 137
1.Businessasusual:AlbertPigghevs.GasparLaet ......... 137
2.Secrecy,openness,andastrologicalreform .............. 139
3.Thenatureofastrologicalreform......................... 142
4.Meanwhile,amongtheprognosticators .................. 143
Chaptersix.CopernicanastronomyandLouvainastrology .... 147
1.Introduction ................................................ 147
2.Copernicanastronomyandprivateastrologicalpractice 149
3.Patronage,politics,andastrologicalactivity.............. 153
3.1.Politicsandthepositionofthefixedstars ......... 154
3.2.Thepredictionofeclipses .......................... 158
4.Copernicanastronomyandastrologicalphysicsin
Gemma’sfamilia...................................... 160
4.1.Letterwriting,Copernicanastronomy,andthe
virtualfamilia .................................... 161
4.2.Planetarydistancesandthesystemicvirtuesof
Copernicanastronomy.......................... 164
4.3.TheLouvainbackgroundtoDee’sPropaedeumata
aphoristica (1558)................................ 168
4.4.TheinterpretiveproblemofthePropaedeumata ... 170
4.5.ThePiconianbackgroundtothePropaedeumata 171
4.6.TheLouvainconnection:astrology,optics,and
mathematics ..................................... 174
4.7.Pico’sDisputations andplanetarydistances ........ 179
5.Astrologicalreformandtheemergenceofscientific
realism ................................................ 181
x tableofcontents
Chapterseven.Ptolemy,parapegmata,mathematics,and
monsters.Thereformofmundaneastrology .......... 185
1.Ptolemy,politics,andprognostication.Cornelius
Gemma’sEphemerides (1561)........................ 186
2.Parapegmata andpopularerrors.JoannesStadius’Defixis
stellis (1560) .......................................... 191
2.1.Stadius’restorationofancientparapegmata........ 192
2.2.Medicalastrologyinsixteenth-centuryLouvain... 193
2.3.Particularexperienceandancientauthority ...... 196
2.4.PopularerrorsandthenewPtolemy ............... 198
2.5.EmulatingPtolemy’sPhasesoftheFixedStars ....... 201
3.JohnDee’sweatherobservations:towardsa
mathematicalastrologicalphysics(1548).......... 203
3.1.WeatherobservationsatNuremberg:Werner,
Camerarius,andSchöner....................... 204
3.2.WeatherobservationsatLouvain:JohnDee....... 206
3.3.Mathematicaloperationalism,natural
philosophy,andastrologicalreform ........... 208
4.Strangeheavens:teratology,prognostication,and
Neoplatonisminthe1570s ......................... 212
4.1.CorneliusGemmaandthenewstarof1572 ...... 212
4.2.Neoplatonism,Augustinianism,andthe
cosmocriticalart ................................. 215
4.3.Teratologyandastrologyinthecosmocriticalart 220
4.4.Thepoliticalandtheologicalrelevanceofthe
cosmocriticalart ................................. 222
Chaptereight.Prorogations,houses,andnatalastrology ...... 227
1.Horoscopecollectionsandastrologicalexpertise ....... 229
1.1.JoannesStadiusandtheartofprorogation ....... 229
1.2.Particularexperienceandthereformofnatal
astrology.......................................... 231
2.Housedivision,prorogation,andthesearchfor
Ptolemaicauthority .................................. 235
2.1.Regiomontanus’restorationofPtolemaic
prorogations ..................................... 235
2.2.Prorogationandastrologicalhousedivision ...... 236
2.2.1.Abandoningthestandardmethod:
RegiomontanusandPtolemy .............. 238
2.2.2.Coexistingtraditions.GemmaFrisiuson
housedivision ............................... 241