No CrossRef data available.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 December 2020
The Dyalogus published by Johannes Stamler in 1508 when he was rector of the parish church in the little German town of Kissing, a suburb of Augsburg, has up to this time been so completely overlooked by literary critics that its appearance now may be in a measure classed as a discovery. Stamler himself has fared no better at the hands of biographers. A few bibliographers list the play, but with the exception of A. Veith in his Bibliotheca Augustana do scarcely more than quote the full title. Several give a detailed account of Hans Burgkmair's frontispiece, a woodcut depicting, besides the characters of the play, Pope Julian II, and the Emperor Maximilian I. But the woodcut was used only in the first edition, of which twenty-five copies have been located so far. It does not appear in the smaller Italian translation published the same year in Venice by the little-known Giovanni Padovano.
Note 1 in page 989 Fr. A. Veith, Bibliotheca Augustana. (Augustae: Vindeliciæ, 1788); Georg W. F. Panzer, Annales Typog., (Norimbergae: J. E. Zeh, 1793–97), vi, 137.—Bibliotheca librorum rariorum universalis supplementorum (Nürnberg: M. J. Bauer, 1774–91), Vol. ii.—Jacques C. Brunet, Manuel du libraire et de l'amateur de livres, etc. (Paris : Firman Didot frères, fils et cie., 1860–65), Vol. v.—G. W. Cole, Catalogue of books relating to the discovery and early history of North and South America, etc., (New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1907), Vol. i.—Henry Harrisse, Bill. Americana Vetustissima (New York: G. P. Philes, 1866).
Note 2 in page 989 Dyalogus Johannis Stamler Augustensis De Diversarum Gencium Sectis Et Mundi Religionibus. In fine legitur: Impressum Augustae per Erhartum Oglin & Georgium Nadler Cura correctione & diligentia venerabilis Domini Wolfgangi Aitinger Presbyteri Augustensis ac bonarum artium & etc. Magistri Collomensis anno nostrae salutis 1508.
Note 3 in page 989 Hans Burgkmair, believed to be a pupil of A. Dürer, was born at Augsburg in 1473. He is among the most celebrated engravers on wood in the early sixteenth century in Germany, with seven hundred woodcuts to his credit. Among his most famous designs is the engraving of “Conrad Celtis Widmung an Den Kaiser.” This was made the same year, 1504, that Dürer made his engraving of Celtis offering the Hrosvitha manuscript to Maximilian I. In 1507, besides the engraving for the Dyalogus, Burgkmair finished his great “Madonna” and “Der Kaiserliche Adler mit dem Emblem der Celtisgesellschaft.” He died about 1531.
Note 4 in page 989 Copies of the Dyalogus are catalogued in the following libraries: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Munich (5 copies); Universitäts Bibliothek, Munich (3 copies). There are single copies in each of the following: Staats- Kreis- und Stadtbibliothek, Augsburg; N.Y.P.L.; Met. Mus. of N.Y.C.; Lib. of Congress; Harvard; Huntington; J. C. Brown; B.M.; Vienna Nat. Bib. The Italian translation was printed in Venice in 1509 by Giovanni Padovano. Single copies of it are catalogued in N.Y.P.L.; Harvard; J. C. Brown; Huntington; Bib. Vaticana, Rome; Bib. Nazionale di S. Marco, Venice; B.M.; Bod.
Note 5 in page 989 Dr. E. Gratzl, a director of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, at the request of Dr. Camillo Von Klenze made a thorough search of the library for material about Stamler and reported to the writer, “Den Dyalogus selbst besitzen wir in 5 Exemplaren. Aber über die Biographie seines Verfassers haben wir auch so gut wie nichts herausbringen können.” He kindly copied the long article in the very rare Veith's Bib. Augustana in which is mentioned Stamler's matriculation at Tübigen University. Dr. A. Hilsenbeck, Director of the Universitäts-Bibliothek writes, “Literatur über den Verfasser Johann Stamler ist mir nicht bekannt.” He says further, “Unsere Bibliothek ja früher in Ingolstadt war.” Dr. Alselmo M. Albareda, Prefect of the Vatican Library writes, “We have only found an Italian translation of the Dyalogus.” Dr. Richard Schmidbauer, Director of the Staats-Kreis- und Stadtbibliothek in Augsburg pointed out a biographical note in a recent article by Friedrich Zoepfl, “Wolfgang Aytinger, ein deutscher Zeit- und Gesinnungsgenosse Savonarolas,” Zeitschrift für deutsche Geistesgeschichte (Salzburg: Forschungsinstitut, Heft 4, 1935), p. 179, 17n.
Note 6 in page 990 An account of the University of Ingolstadt, known since 1826 as the Ludwig-Maximilian Universität, is given by J. W. Krull, Annales Ingolstadiensis Academiœ (Ingolstadt, 1782). The University was founded in 1458 with the aid of Pius II, and Louis, Duke of Bavaria. Famous alumni and scholars of Ingolstadt include Matthew Lang, later Cardinal and adviser to Maximilian I, Conrad Celtis, Johannes Turmair, Johannes Eck, and Jacob Locher, translator of the Narrenschiff.
Note 7 in page 990 Op. cit., pp. 101–102.
Note 8 in page 990 Dr. Schmidbauer describes this piece as follows: “Ständers Dyalogus in Religionis et juris detractores (von dem Ich nicht weiss, ob er überhaupt bekannt ist) umfasst die Blätter 8–25 einschliesslich unserer Handschrift 4° Cod. 11. Die sprechenden Personen sind: Stilpho, Amarillus und Calimachus senex, eine Einteilung in Akte ist nicht vorhanden.”
Note 9 in page 991 “These “Tractuli” were possibly the Cosmographiae Introductio published by Waldseemüller in Strasbourg in 1507. The volume contains two treatises, one a concise explanation of cosmography and the other the four letters of Americus Vespucci in which he describes his explorations in the new world. In the first treatise, Waldseemüller started the famous fallacy that Americus Vespucci “invenit” the new world and for that reason the territory should be called “America.” Martin Waldseemüller, Cosmographiae Introiuclio (Catholic U. S. Hist. Soc., 1907), p. xxxvi.
Note 10 in page 991 Op. cit.
Note 11 in page 992 The position taken by Stamler toward churchmen and church discipline offers an interesting contrast to the critical attitude of his contemporaries, Brandt, Erasmus, and Barclay. The Narrenschiff was published in 1497, and the Encomium Moriae and The Ship of Fools in 1509, two years later than the Dyalogus.
Note 12 in page 993 A full account of the position of astrology in the sixteenth century is given in Astrologie und die Reformation von Johann Friedrich (München: Rieger, 1864).
Note 13 in page 993 B. Engelbert Klupfel, De Vita et Scriptis Conradi Celtis (Friburgi Brigovrae, 1827), p. 225.
Note 14 in page 994 St. Ambrose Select Works and Letters, (New York: Christian Lit. Co. 1896), x, 346–347.
Note 15 in page 994 Kurt Michel who mentions neither play in his recent Das Wesen des Reformationsdramas entwickelt am Stoff des Verlorenen Sohn (Düren, 1934), declares that the theme was used in art as early as the thirteenth century in France, Italy, and Spain. In 1495, Johan Meder used it in illustrating a series of “Predigten” and Dürer made his famous engraving “Prodigus Filius.” Michel writes that in the early sixteenth century, “Der Beliebeste und am meisten dramatisierte Stoff war die Parabel vom verlorenen Sohn,” as told in the gospel of St. Luke. See also O. R. Kuehne, A Study of the Thais legend with reference to Eroswitha's Paphnutius (Univ. Penn. Press, 1922).
Note 16 in page 994 A full account of the various versions of the prodigal son theme as treated in Germany and England from G. Macropedius' Asotus (1510) to George Gascoigne's Glasse of Government (1575) is given by C. H. Herford, “Latin Drama” in Studies in Lit. Relations of England and Germany (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1886).
Note 17 in page 995 Christopher St. John, The Plays of Roswitha (London: Chatto and Windus, 1923).
Note 18 in page 995 Celtis discovered the manuscript in the Benedictine monastery of St. Emmeran, Ratisbon. It was printed in 1501. Dürer made the frontispiece for the first edition.
Note 19 in page 995 Turcophobia was at its height during the seventy years from 1450 to 1520. Among the many surviving Turkenschauspiels is the Spectaculum written by Jacob Locher in 1502 and produced in the same year at Ingolstadt. Quite contrary in sentiment to the Dyalogus, Locher's play might be called a propaganda piece in as much as the play-emperor is urged to take up arms against the Turk as the avowed enemy of Christianity and the play ends with the martial call:
Note 20 in page 996 In part Pius II wrote, “Scripturi ad te aliqua pro tua salute & gloria, proque communi multarum gentium consolatione & pace: hortamur et benigne audias verba nostra, nee prius damnes quamque judices, nee prius judices quamque singula diligenter intelligas. Accipe quae scribimus in bonam partem, & usque in finem patienter audi, si bona sunt quae suademus, amplectere sin mala, respue, & in ignem mitte.” Histories De Saracenorum she Turcorum origine Moribus, etc. (Basilias, 1543). The volume contains Mohammed's reply.
Note 21 in page 996 J. W. Krull, Bibliothecœ Academicœ Ingolstadiensis Incunabula Typographien (Ingolstadt, 1789). 4 vols.
Note 22 in page 996 Petrus Alphonsi (Moses Sephardi) was born in Huesca, Spain, in 1062 and baptized in his native city on June 29, 1106, King Alfonso standing god-father. The day of his baptism being the feast of St. Peter, Sephardi took the name, Petrus Alphonsi. He was made physician in ordinary to the king. Alphonsi is the author of the Disciplina Clericalis, a work consisting of a series of moral stories, some of them of Arabian origin. A few appear in the Gesta Romanorum and Chaucer used several in the Canterbury Tales. Some were printed by Caxton at the end of his translation of Æsop's Fables as Thirteen Apologues of “Alfonse.” Alphonsi wrote a controversial work of twelve Dialogues between Pedro and Moses, which represent himself before and after his conversion. For a full account see Hugh J. Schonfield, The History of Jewish Christianity from the first to the twentieth century. (London: Duckworth, 1936). Also D. S. Margoliouth, The Relations Between Arabs and Israelites (London: Oxford Univ. Press, 1924).
Note 23 in page 996 Meier Spanier, “Zur Characteristik Johannes Pfefferkorns,” Zeitschrift für die Geschichte der Juden (Berlin, 1936), vi, 209–229.
Note 24 in page 996 The following is an example of a comparatively short note in the margin of the dedicatory letter to Cardinal Matthew Lang by Stamler: “Somnium aut est proprium aut alienum, coele, publicum aut generale. Très somniatores sacra scriptura commemorat. Scilicet Joseph egiptium Danielem hebreum et Scipionem Romanum: Tarnen divinorum speclamatores plures fuerunt uti secuti prophetæ & ipse scrutator celestis Johannes evangelista.” Some of the notes fill each side and the bottom margin on the page.
Note 25 in page 996 Eunuchus Malo principio magna familiaritas conflata est. (v, ii, 36).
Dyalogus Exili principio firmissima conflatur societas. (Drama secundum.)
Eunuchus Lingue hæret metu. (v, vi, 6).
Dyalogus Lingua erat metu. (Drama secundum.)
Note 26 in page 997 The works of these writers and others mentioned in the marginal notes are nearly all listed in the Bibliotheca Academicae Ingolstadiensis, op. cit.
Note 27 in page 997 Professor John S. P. Tatlock suggested to the writer that Stamler was probably influenced by an earlier mediaeval poet. It is interesting to note that Hrosvitha consistently used internal rhyme in her poems. Her Maria begins,
K. A. Barack, Die Werke der Hroswitha (Nürnberg, 1858).
Note 28 in page 997 Joachim Camerarius was one of the greatest philologists and classicists of early sixteenth-century Germany. The poem mentioned above is in the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in Munich in their Camerarius-Briefsammlung as Cam. 15, 201.
Note 29 in page 997 Cf. F. Zoepfl, “Wolfgang Aytinger,” etc., op. cit.