in folio, without place or date, about the year 1474. [1] This
is a statement which has grown up by several stages.
Josias Simler in his Epitome of Gesner s Bibliotheca, published at Zurich in 1574, says on p. 254 " that William
scripsit philosophiani universalem lib. i. De naturis inferio-
rum, seu philosophiani primam lib. i. De superiorura naturis,
seu philosophiam secundam lib. i. Sunt autem duo magna
volumina, ante multos annos impressa.
Then n Possevinus spoke of a work by William super Opere sex Dierum, of which he had seen only the volume beginning with book xix. His description leaves no doubt that the work he mentions is the second volume of Vincent of Beauvais s Speculum naturale in the edition, s. l. aid a., presumed to have been printed at Strasburg in 1468[2] or 1473 (not in that of Nuremberg, assigned to the year 1483, and also in folio). The first page of this volume begins book xix. (after the table of contents) with an extract from William of Conches, headed con spicuously : De opere sexte diei. Et primo de amtnalibus. Guillerinus de conchis. This is the very title which has been constantly repeated as William’s by the bibliograpliers, and which even M. Haureau Ponce sought to restore to the catalogue of William s writings.[3] In 1722 Casimir Oudin connected the description given by Possevinus with the statement in the Epitome of Gesner.
Scripsit igitur Guillelraus de Conchis Magnam de naturis Philosophiam, desumptam ferme verbotenus ex Operibus veterum Ecclesise Patrum. sq., Leipzig
- ↑ The remainder of this excursus has been recast in the present edition.
- ↑ It is attributed to Mentelin’s press under this date by Robert Proctor, Index to early printed Books, No. 255 ; 1898 quarto. Both volumes are in the Bodleian library, Auct. Q sub fen. 4, 5.
- ↑ In correcting this mistake (which is repeated by cardinal Pitra, Spicileg. Solesm. 2. 188, Paris 1855 quarto), M. Haureau has fallen into a new one, in speak- ing, Singularites 236 sq., of the original as the Speculum historiale, in which what little is said about the sixth day of creation occurs in bk. ii. (misnumbered i.) ch. 38, and bk. xix. (opening with the history of Honorius) does not begin a volume.
