Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1957, Page 83

CHAPTER II
63
of P. Rarru Grammatica1. Ramus’s division and arrangement are
retained unaltered; the definitions are for the most part repeated
exactly and the whole presentation followed chapter for chapter.
AJ abridges in places, but much more often he expands the text
with additional examples and the like, chiefly taken from Mel-
anchthon’s grammar2; occasionally he quotes Linacer3 also and
refers to the pages in his own copy (“mihi Pag. . This last
item, in conjunction with AJ’s words in the introductory verses,
suggests that he had made the revision himself, at least in part.
I have not succeeded in discovering any direct model for the
work, but countless revisions of Melanchthon’s and Ramus’s
grammars existed, of which I have only seen a few. In some
places the revision is rather clumsily done and does not give the
impression of any very deep comprehension of Ramus’s ideas, on
occasion the additions from Melanchthon simply disagree with
Ramus’s definitions. Thus, the revisor has plainly failed to un-
derstand properly Ramus’s distinction between i and u (vocales)
and j and v (consonantes), for he inserts Melanchthon’s old
definition here with no further explanation, whereby the whole
becomes topsy-turvy. Similar inaccuracies are found elsewhere,
though they are less serious. Several of AJ’s university teachers
were adherents of Ramus’s theories (cf. above p. 6), so that
it would not be strange if AJ had wished to introduce his gram-
mar into the school at Holar, even though in a somewhat modi-
fied form. We know of only one issue of the work, which is now
extremely rare; Halldor Hermannsson knows only one copy (in
the Royal Library, Copenhagen) and I have found no others.
We know of two other Latin school-books printed at Holar
in this period. The first, printed in the same year as the gram-
mar, was Elegantiarum Latini Sermonis Præceptiones aliqvot . .
Auctore M. Georgio Vogelmanno . . Anno M. DC. XVI. It is
1 First published 1559. I have used P. Rami Grammatica, ab eo demum recognita
et variis ipsius scholis et prælectionibus breviter explicata, Francofurdi 1585.
2 First published 1525 and in countless later editions. I have used Ph. Melanch-
thonis Parva Grammatica Latina, Hafniæ 1610.
3 Thomas Linacer (Lynacre) (1460-1520); the work in question is Thomae Lina-
cri Britanni De emendata structura Latini sermonis libri sex. I have used the
edition Parisiis 1540, but AJ’s page-references show that he had a different edition.