Book of Causes

The text of our book used by the Scholastics is Gerard's translation 146. The various titles of that text in the manuscripts 147. The linguistic character of Gerard's translations 148. A second translation of our book into Latin (in particular, a translation by Michael Scot) cannot be demonstrated 149.

The manuscript transmission of the Latin translation. Previous editions of the same. Preliminary remarks on the following edition.
pp. 152—162.

The multiplicity of titles. The alleged authors. The distinction between text and commentary 152. List of the manuscript copies known to me 153.

The editio princeps first printed edition of the Latin translation (from the year 1482) 154. The first printing of the commentary of St. Thomas 155. The second edition of the Latin translation (from the year 1496) 156. The commentary of Giles of Rome 157. The complete edition of the works of Aristotle and Averroes from the year 1552 157. Later printings of the Latin translation 158.

The following edition goes back to Nos. 527 and 162 of the Latin manuscripts of the Royal Court and State Library in Munich and the first two printings from the years 1482 and 1496. Description of those manuscripts 159. The relationship of the mentioned textual witnesses to one another 160. I have not indicated their deviations from one another in their full extent 160. In some points, admittedly more of an external nature, I have departed from the authority of the named manuscripts and editions, supported by other evidence 161.

Text of the Latin translation. pp. 163—191.

Characterization and criticism of the Latin translation. pp. 192—203.

The work of Gerard of Cremona is less a translation than it is an anxious imitation of the Arabic text 192.

By and large, a correct understanding of the original is reflected in it; in individual instances, various errors can indeed be pointed out, which, however, are not to be attributed solely to the inattentiveness or haste of the translator, but were often caused by incorrect readings in his Arabic source 195.

This source of Gerard's, as it generally shimmers through his translation clearly, exhibits a wealth of deviations in comparison to the Leiden manuscript 199. A large number of smaller lacunae gaps/missing passages also belong to the class of errors 199. Otherwise, however, Gerard's source approached the original wording far more than the Leiden manuscript 200. Some smaller textual differences cannot be determined in their value or lack thereof due to the lack of external witnesses 201. Repeatedly, Gerard's manuscript and the Leiden manuscript also coincide in errors 202. Two details 203.