So, as promised above, a post about the "Laurels of Pallas".
The book is available in digitized form from the Warsaw University: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
The format is DJVU, but it should load seamlessly if your browser supports HTML5.
Unfortunately, there is no option to download the file (which is strange for content being in the public domain), and online representation is extra-slow (which is very annoying!), suggesting that the Warsaw University is in desperate need of expanding their IT budget.
It's not easy to get a sense of what's gong on here, given the bombastic style of the title page, and also the fact that the catalog record is not without apparent mistakes. Like, it asserts that Wojciech (???) Wróblewski is the "creator" of the book, and that Krzysztof Schedel is a "contributor".
In fact, there is no Wojciech Wróblewski here, and Albert Wróblewski is "creator" only of the preface (dedication). Schedel was a publisher in Krakow, and it's likely that it was him who published this very book as well, especially given that the book is dedicated to him. In the dedication he is attested as "Senatori Ciuitatis Cracoviensis", which hints that he was a member of the Senate of Krakow.
The title page (page 5) of the book runs something like this:
From this I conclude that the author of the book is Jacob Reinekker, with contribution by M. Jacobosvski. So it turns out that "Bibliografia Polska" gives us a totally distorted record of this, which was confusing, but after all it allowed us to track Wroblewski. It is strange that, while the book is authored by Reinekker and his "younger colleague" Jacobosvski, the dedication to the publisher is written by another person, that is Wroblewski. This can be explained with the assumption that the talent of poetry and the talent of praising the publisher are mutually exclusive.
In page 6, where, according to the contemporary tradition, we could expect the coat of arms of the man Schedel (if he was of nobility, which I'm not sure in), we find something strange instead, namely - an ornate frame with the shield missing. Probably, this is the logo of the printing house. The central part of this "logo" is a picture of a person of indeterminate mood, who is notable in that he holds a Voynichese-like star in his hand and wears an Eastern-looking turban loosely resembling that of the Voynich archer. I guess this symbolizes the light of arts and knowledge carried forth by the printing house and its authors.
The "logo" is followed by a praising verse authored by one Franciscus Orszeti, "stud. grammatices". Then the dedication by Wroblewski follows, and then the main content of the book is revealed at last, which is not extensive, being comprised of four odes "metrorum adornata corymbis" (of what's exactly the meter "corymbis", I could not find any reference, but we have an example in this book) spanning over just twelve pages, which meritable brevity would, I'd say, become some other poets, contemporary and otherwise.
As an esteemer of poetry, I took a look at the verses and noted that in one place Reinekker discusses his posthumous glory - which is a bit amusing. His posthumous glory is apparently inferior to that of Horace, although in "Bibliografia Polska" (Part III, vol. XV) two other books (also poetic) of his are mentioned. One of them, co-authored by Jan Reynekier (his brother, as would be immediately clear) in the year 1642, is called "Zalobnice na Oddanie Ostatniej Uslugi Cialu Katarzyny Orszetey przez zalosnych Siestrzenców Jana y Jakuba Reynckierów", which, in short, stands for the lament for Katarzyna Orszeti by her nephews Jan and Jacob. If we recall that the praising verse in the 1646 book is composed by a man of the surname Orszeti who studied grammatics, we may reliably consider him Reinekker's relative. Also, if in 1642 Reinekker buried his aunt, this means that he, most probably, was not an old man in 1646.
What about Wroblewski? I speculate that the letter "V." preceding his name in the title page stands for "venerabilis", which would mean that he was an old person already in 1646. If we suppose that this is the same Albertus Wroblicius, this makes sense, because in mid-1600s he was a student in Prague (suggesting maybe some 20-25 y.o.) That would count to some 65 y.o. in 1646. Second, he is attested as "Artium & Philosophiae
in Alma Academia Baccalaureo" ("Alma Academia" standing for the University of Krakow). In 1611 in Graz, Wroblicius received his degree in theology. But we don't know if he did not receive another bachelor's in Prague (in Velka Bites, 1624, he self-described himself as a bachelor, but without particulars of the discipline), or if "theology" and "arts and philosophy" did not stand as synonyms in Krakow.
All in all, I consider it quite possible that Wroblewski of the University of Krakow and Wroblicius whose book ended up in the library of de Tepenec is one and the same person. Although, no direct proof is available at the moment.
It is quite curious that quite a deal of information can be found about obscure persons who lived hundreds of years ago. Horace would not be astonished, but I'll bet that Reinekker would. Non omnis moriar - and if you slip through the memory of generations, you still have a chance to survive in catalogues and registers.
The book is available in digitized form from the Warsaw University: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
The format is DJVU, but it should load seamlessly if your browser supports HTML5.
Unfortunately, there is no option to download the file (which is strange for content being in the public domain), and online representation is extra-slow (which is very annoying!), suggesting that the Warsaw University is in desperate need of expanding their IT budget.
It's not easy to get a sense of what's gong on here, given the bombastic style of the title page, and also the fact that the catalog record is not without apparent mistakes. Like, it asserts that Wojciech (???) Wróblewski is the "creator" of the book, and that Krzysztof Schedel is a "contributor".
In fact, there is no Wojciech Wróblewski here, and Albert Wróblewski is "creator" only of the preface (dedication). Schedel was a publisher in Krakow, and it's likely that it was him who published this very book as well, especially given that the book is dedicated to him. In the dedication he is attested as "Senatori Ciuitatis Cracoviensis", which hints that he was a member of the Senate of Krakow.
The title page (page 5) of the book runs something like this:
Quote:Laurus Palladis
Metrorum adornata Corymbis
et
Ingenuo ac Venerabili D[omi]no
Iacobo Reynekker
Dum in Peraugusta Diui Iagellonis Aula se-
cundam in Artibus & Philosophia Lauream
publice & solenniter prensaret.
CONFERENTE,
Excellentissimo ac Doctissimo
M. IACOBOSVSKI
Collega Minore, Praeposito ad aedes
S. Adalberti.
V. ALBERTO WRÓBLEWSKI, Artium & Philosophiae
in Alma Academia Baccalaureo,
DEDICATA:
_____________
Cracoviae
Anno 1646, 16 April
From this I conclude that the author of the book is Jacob Reinekker, with contribution by M. Jacobosvski. So it turns out that "Bibliografia Polska" gives us a totally distorted record of this, which was confusing, but after all it allowed us to track Wroblewski. It is strange that, while the book is authored by Reinekker and his "younger colleague" Jacobosvski, the dedication to the publisher is written by another person, that is Wroblewski. This can be explained with the assumption that the talent of poetry and the talent of praising the publisher are mutually exclusive.
In page 6, where, according to the contemporary tradition, we could expect the coat of arms of the man Schedel (if he was of nobility, which I'm not sure in), we find something strange instead, namely - an ornate frame with the shield missing. Probably, this is the logo of the printing house. The central part of this "logo" is a picture of a person of indeterminate mood, who is notable in that he holds a Voynichese-like star in his hand and wears an Eastern-looking turban loosely resembling that of the Voynich archer. I guess this symbolizes the light of arts and knowledge carried forth by the printing house and its authors.
The "logo" is followed by a praising verse authored by one Franciscus Orszeti, "stud. grammatices". Then the dedication by Wroblewski follows, and then the main content of the book is revealed at last, which is not extensive, being comprised of four odes "metrorum adornata corymbis" (of what's exactly the meter "corymbis", I could not find any reference, but we have an example in this book) spanning over just twelve pages, which meritable brevity would, I'd say, become some other poets, contemporary and otherwise.
As an esteemer of poetry, I took a look at the verses and noted that in one place Reinekker discusses his posthumous glory - which is a bit amusing. His posthumous glory is apparently inferior to that of Horace, although in "Bibliografia Polska" (Part III, vol. XV) two other books (also poetic) of his are mentioned. One of them, co-authored by Jan Reynekier (his brother, as would be immediately clear) in the year 1642, is called "Zalobnice na Oddanie Ostatniej Uslugi Cialu Katarzyny Orszetey przez zalosnych Siestrzenców Jana y Jakuba Reynckierów", which, in short, stands for the lament for Katarzyna Orszeti by her nephews Jan and Jacob. If we recall that the praising verse in the 1646 book is composed by a man of the surname Orszeti who studied grammatics, we may reliably consider him Reinekker's relative. Also, if in 1642 Reinekker buried his aunt, this means that he, most probably, was not an old man in 1646.
What about Wroblewski? I speculate that the letter "V." preceding his name in the title page stands for "venerabilis", which would mean that he was an old person already in 1646. If we suppose that this is the same Albertus Wroblicius, this makes sense, because in mid-1600s he was a student in Prague (suggesting maybe some 20-25 y.o.) That would count to some 65 y.o. in 1646. Second, he is attested as "Artium & Philosophiae
in Alma Academia Baccalaureo" ("Alma Academia" standing for the University of Krakow). In 1611 in Graz, Wroblicius received his degree in theology. But we don't know if he did not receive another bachelor's in Prague (in Velka Bites, 1624, he self-described himself as a bachelor, but without particulars of the discipline), or if "theology" and "arts and philosophy" did not stand as synonyms in Krakow.
All in all, I consider it quite possible that Wroblewski of the University of Krakow and Wroblicius whose book ended up in the library of de Tepenec is one and the same person. Although, no direct proof is available at the moment.
It is quite curious that quite a deal of information can be found about obscure persons who lived hundreds of years ago. Horace would not be astonished, but I'll bet that Reinekker would. Non omnis moriar - and if you slip through the memory of generations, you still have a chance to survive in catalogues and registers.
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