WRITINGS NOT RELATED TO MINING, INCLUDING LOST OR UNPUBLISHED
WORKS.
Latin Grammar.
This was probably the first of Agricola' s publications, the full title
to which is
Georgii Agricolae Glaucii Libellus de prima ac simplici institutione grammatica.
Excusum Lipsiae in Officina Melchioris Lottheri. Anno
MDXX. (4to), 24 folios. 16 There is
some reason to believe that Agricola also published a Greek grammar, for there is a letter 17
from Agricola dated March 18th, 1522, in which Henicus Camitianus is requested to send a
copy to Stephan Roth.
Theological Tracts.
There are preserved in the Zwickau Rathsschul Library 18 copies
by Stephan Roth of two tracts, the one entitled,
Deum non esse auctorem Peccati,
the
other.
Religioso patri Petri Fontano, sacre theologie Doctori eximio Georgius Agricola salutem
dicit in Christo.
The former was written from Leipzig in 1522, and the latter, although
not dated, is assigned to the same period. Both are printed in
Zwei theologische Abhandlungen
des Georg Agricola,
an article by Otto Clemen,
Neuen Archiv für Sächsische Geschichte,
etc.,
Dresden, 1900. There is some reason (from a letter of Fabricius to Melanchthon, Dec. 8th,
1555) to believe that Agricola had completed a work on the unwritten traditions concerning
the Church. There is no further trace of it.
Galen.
Agricola appears to have been joint author with Andreas Asulanus and J. B.
Opizo of a revision of this well−known Greek work. It was published at Venice in 1525,
under the title of
Galeni Librorum,
etc., etc. Agricola' s name is mentioned in a prefatory
letter to Opizo by Asulanus.
De Bello adversus Turcam.
This political tract, directed against the Turks, was written in
Latin and first printed by Froben, Basel, 1528. It was translated into German apparently
by Agricola' s friend Laurenz Berman, and published under the title
Oration Anrede Und
Vormanunge . . . . widder den Türcken
by Frederich Peypus, Nuremberg, in 1531
(8vo), and either in 1530 or 1531 by Wolfgang Stöckel, Dresden, 4to. It was again printed
in Latin by Froben, Basel, 1538, 4to; by H. Grosius, Leipzig, 1594, 8vo; it was included
among other works published on the same subject by Nicholas Reusnerus, Leipzig, 1595;
by Michael Lantzenberger, Frankfurt−am−Main, 1597, 4to. Further, there is reference by
Watt to an edition at Eisleben, 1603, of which we have no confirmation. There is another
work on the subject, or a revision by the author mentioned by Albinus 19 as having been,
after Agricola' s death, sent to Froben by George Fabricius to be printed; nothing further
appears in this matter however.
De Peste.
This work on the Plague appears to have been first printed by Froben,
Basel, 1554, 8vo. The work was republished at Schweinfurt, 1607, and at Augsburg in
1
831
1614, under various editors. It would appear from Albinus 20 that the work was revised by
Agricola and in Froben' s hands for publication after the author' s death.
De Medicatis Fontibus.
This work is referred to by Agricola himself in
De Natura
Eorum,
21 in the prefatory letter in
De Veteribus et Novis Metallis;
and Albinus 22 quotes a
letter of Agricola to Sebastian Munster on the subject. Albinus states (
Bergchronik,
p. 193)
that to his knowledge it had not yet been published. Conrad Gesner, in his work
Excerp−
torum et observationum de Thermis,
which is reprinted in
De Balneis,
Venice, 1553, after
Agricola' s
De Natura Eorum,
states 23 concerning Agricola
in libris quos de medicatis fontibus
instituerit copiosus se dicturum pollicetur.
Watts mentions it as having been published in 1549,
1561, 1614, and 1621. He, however, apparently confuses it with
De Natura Eorum.
We
are unable to state whether it was ever printed or not. A note of inquiry to the principal
libraries in Germany gave a negative result.
De Putredine solidas partes humani corporis corrumpente.
This work, according to
Albinus was received by Fabricius a year after Agricola' s death, but whether it was published
or not is uncertain. 24
Castigationes in Hippocratem et Galenum.
This work is referred to by Agricola in the
preface of
Bermannus,
and Albinus 25 mentions several letters referring to the preparation
of the work. There is no evidence of publication.
Typographia Mysnae et Toringiae.
It seems from Agricola' s letter 26 to Munster that
Agricola prepared some sort of a work on the history of Saxony and of the Royal Family
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832
thereof at the command of the Elector and sent it to him when finished, but it was never
published as written by Agricola. Albinus, Hofmann, and Struve give some details of letters
in reference to it. Fabricius in a letter 27 dated Nov. 11, 1536 asks Meurer to send Agricola
some material for it; in a letter from Fabricius to Meurer dated Oct. 30, 1554, it appears
that the Elector had granted Agricola 200 thalers to assist in the work. After Agricola' s
death the material seems to have been handed over to Fabricius, who made use of it (as he
states in the preface) in preparing the work he was commissioned by the Elector to write,
the title of which was,
Originum illustrissimae stirpis Saxonicae Libri,
and was published in
Leipzig, 1597. It includes on page 880 a fragment of a work entitled
Oratio de rebus Gestis
Ernesti et Alberti Ducum Saxoniae,
by Agricola.
WORKS WRONGLY ATTRIBUTED TO GEORGIUS AGRICOLA.
The following works have been at one time or another wrongly attributed to Georgius
Agricola:
Galerazeya sive Revelator Secretorum De Lapide Philosophorum,
Cologne, 1531 and
1534, by one Daniel Agricola, which is merely a controversial book with a catch−title, used
by Catholics for converting heretics.
Rechter Gebrauch der Alchimey,
a book of miscellaneous receipts which treats very
slightly of transmutation. 28
Chronik der Stadt Freiberg
by a Georg Agricola (died 1630), a preacher at Freiberg.
Dominatores Saxonici,
by the same author.
Breviarum de Asse
by Guillaume Bude.
De Inventione Dialectica
by Rudolph Agricola.