Module: Johann Michael Vansleb
Contents
Works
Front page of the hand-written Italian original of Vansleb's report to King Louis XIV on his trip to acquire manuscripts (MS: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Italien 435). Source: BnF / Gallica
-> Vansleb’s first scholarly works were with Hiob Ludolf in Gotha and with Edmund Castell, whom he worked for in London on the Lexicon heptaglotton. What was the impact of those works?
-> Vansleb published two accounts on Egypt: one on his first travel, originally written in German, but first published in Italian, and one on his second travel in Italian. Both were subsequently translated into different languages.
- What does and what does he not describe?
- There are manuscript and edited versions of his two accounts on Egypt available. How do the accounts differ and how do the language editions differ?
- First account on Egypt:
- Account of his first travel, in German, edition of the original German manuscript; published 1794; p. 1-122: “Johann Michael Wansleb’s bisher ungedruckte Beschreibung von Aegypten im Jahr 1664.” In Sammlung der merkwürdigsten Reisen in den Orient, edited by Heinrich Eberhard Gottlob Paulus, Jena.
- Travel account of his first travel in Italian published 1671: Travel account of his first travel in Italian published 1671: Relazione dello stato presente dell’Egitto, Nella quale si dà esattissimo ragguaglio delle cose Naturali del paese: Del Governo Politico, che vi è: Della Religione de’ Copti: Dell’Economia delli Egizij, e delle magnifiche Fabriche, che ancor’hoggi- dì vi si ci veggono. Scritta dal signore Gio. Michele Vanslebio, d’Erffordia, hora Religioso dell’Ordine de’ Predicatori; E dedicata all’Altezza Sereniss. Cosmo de Medicis, Gran Duca di Toscana. Paris: Andrea Cramoisy. https://digitale-sammlungen.ulb.uni-bonn.de/content/titleinfo/67795
- Manuskript version in Italian, from p. 37: Vansleb, Johann Michael. n.d. “Mélanges sur l’histoire d’Afrique, d’Asie et d’Amérique. XVIIe-XIXe siècle. - Relazione dell’Egitto del P. Fr. Giovanni Michele Vanslebio, d’Erffordia, de l’Ordine de’ Predicatori.” Paris. BnF NAF 22335. Bibliothèque nationale de France.
- Arabic edition of Relazione dello stato presente dell’Egitto: Taqrīr al-ḥāla al-ḥāḍira li-Miṣr 1671. تقرير الحالة الحاضرة لمصر 1671. Translated by ʿAwḍ Wadīʿ. Cairo: al-Maǧlis al-Aʿalā li-l-Ṯaqāfa المجلس الأعلى للثقافة. https://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=https://www.dopdfwn.com/cacnretra/scgdfnya/pdf-books-org-38DHL.pdf
- Second account on Egypt:
- Vansleb’s own Italian manuscript: “Relazione dei viaggi, di Michele Vanslebio, intrapresi per l’acquisto di Codd. d’ordine di Luigi XIV (1). (1) Una raccolta di lettere del medesimo relative agli acquisti di Codd. orientali per la biblioteca del Re, è nel Cod. latino 17173 fra i documenti " De variis bibliothecis ".” Paris. BnF MS italien 435. Bibliothèque nationale de France.
- French edition: Nouvelle relation en forme de journal, d’un voyage fait en Egypte. Par le P. Vansleb, R.D. en 1672. & 1673. 1st ed. Paris: Estienne Michallet.
- Travel account of his second travel in German, translated from French, published 1794; p. 123-412: “Neue Beschreibung einer Reise nach Aegypten in den Jahren 1672. 1673. in Form eines Tagebuchs verfaßt von P. Wansleb.” In Sammlung der merkwürdigsten Reisen in den Orient: in Übers. u. Auszügen mit ausgew. Kupfern u. Charten, auch mit d. nöthigen Einleit., Anmerk. u. koll. Reg., edited by Heinrich Paulus, Jena. https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/paulus1794bd3/0132/scroll
- English edition of Nouvelle Relation: The Present State of Egypt; or, A New Relation of a Late Voyage into That Kingdom. Performed in the Years 1672. and 1673. By F. Vansleb, R. D. Wherein You Have an Exact and True Account of Many Rare and Wonderful Particulars of That Ancient Kingdom. London: R[obert] E[veringham] for John Starkey.
-> Vansleb also published an important work on the church of Alexandria:
- Vansleb, Johann Michael. 1677. Histoire de l’église d’Alexandrie fondée par S. Marc, Que nous appelons celle des Jacobites-coptes d’Egypte. Écrite au Caire même, en 1672 et 1673. Par le P. J.M. Vansleb, Dominicain du Convent de la Minerve, à Rome. Paris: Clousier & Prome.
- What is the tone of the work? What kind of sources is it based on?
-> After Vansleb’s death a pamphlet circulated under his name: Vansleb (?), Johann Michael. 1679. A Brief Account of the Rebellions and Bloudshed Occasioned by the Anti-Christian Practices of the Jesuits and Other Popish Emissaries in the Empire of Ethiopia Collected out of a Manuscript History Written in Latin by Jo. Michael Wansleben, a Learned Papist. London: Jonathan Edwin.
Manuscripts
->Use this link to search Gallica, the digital viewer of the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), for manuscripts associated with Vansleb in the BnF's holdings.
- What are some of the different languages and times of writing you see represented among these manuscripts?
- What are some of the places he acquired these manuscripts?
- View a manuscript of interest to you and see if you can identify any notes left by Vansleb, aquisition stamps or waqf notes (especially on the flyleaves/first or last pages).
- Respond to the above questions by selecting the text of the question and posting a Hypothes.is comment.
-> Look through Vansleb’s lists of his acquired manuscripts https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b105159315
-> Look through the catalog by Vajda (-> links under bibliography) of the Arabic manuscripts, also mentioning Vansleb's manuscripts
-> Besides his acquired manuscripts, Vansleb also copied several works, like Biblioteca nazionale centrale di Firenze, Magl. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 83, as well as Bern, Burger-Bibliothek, B 49. Have a look at an example in the Bibliothèque nationale de France: Vansleb, Johann Michael. 1670. “Bahayla Mikhael. Le livre des mytères du ciel et de la terre copié par Michel Vansleb (a copy of BnF éthiopien 117 by Vansleb).” Paris. BnF éthiopien 118. Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Documents
-> Vansleb kept diary for the time prior to his first travel, (not digitalised) ”Notiz- und Tageb. v. Johann Michael Wansleben (Wanschleben).” Weimar. GSA 105/103. Goethe- und Schiller-Archiv Weimar.
-> Browse through Vansleb’s original letter exchange with de Carcavy and Colbert, including lists of acquired manuscripts here: “Documents sur l’histoire de diverses bibliothèques. Documents sur l’histoire de diverses bibliothèques.” Paris. BnF MS latin 17172. Bibliothèque nationale de France.
-> Vansleb owned a copy of Harrington’s ‘The Fundations & Modell of a Perfect Commonwealth’
- Read about its significance here: Mahlberg, Gaby. 2013. “Wansleben’s Harrington, or ‘The Fundations & Modell of a Perfect Commonwealth.’” In European Contexts for English Republicanism. Politics and Culture in Europe, 1650– 1750, edited by Gaby Mahlberg and Dirk Wiemann, 154–61. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing Limited.
Works
Front page of the hand-written Italian original of Vansleb’s report to King Louis XIV on his trip to acquire manuscripts (MS: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Italien 435). Source: BnF / Gallica
-> Vansleb’s first scholarly works were with Hiob Ludolf in Gotha and with Edmund Castell, whom he worked for in London on the Lexicon heptaglotton. What was the impact of those works?
-> Vansleb published two accounts on Egypt: one on his first travel, originally written in German, but first published in Italian, and one on his second travel in Italian. Both were subsequently translated into different languages.
- What does and what does he not describe?
- There are manuscript and edited versions of his two accounts on Egypt available. How do the accounts differ and how do the language editions differ?
- First account on Egypt:
- Account of his first travel, in German, edition of the original German manuscript; published 1794; p. 1-122: “Johann Michael Wansleb’s bisher ungedruckte Beschreibung von Aegypten im Jahr 1664.” In Sammlung der merkwürdigsten Reisen in den Orient, edited by Heinrich Eberhard Gottlob Paulus, Jena.
- Travel account of his first travel in Italian published 1671: Travel account of his first travel in Italian published 1671: Relazione dello stato presente dell’Egitto, Nella quale si dà esattissimo ragguaglio delle cose Naturali del paese: Del Governo Politico, che vi è: Della Religione de’ Copti: Dell’Economia delli Egizij, e delle magnifiche Fabriche, che ancor’hoggi- dì vi si ci veggono. Scritta dal signore Gio. Michele Vanslebio, d’Erffordia, hora Religioso dell’Ordine de’ Predicatori; E dedicata all’Altezza Sereniss. Cosmo de Medicis, Gran Duca di Toscana. Paris: Andrea Cramoisy. https://digitale-sammlungen.ulb.uni-bonn.de/content/titleinfo/67795
- Manuskript version in Italian, from p. 37: Vansleb, Johann Michael. n.d. “Mélanges sur l’histoire d’Afrique, d’Asie et d’Amérique. XVIIe-XIXe siècle. – Relazione dell’Egitto del P. Fr. Giovanni Michele Vanslebio, d’Erffordia, de l’Ordine de’ Predicatori.” Paris. BnF NAF 22335. Bibliothèque nationale de France.
- Arabic edition of Relazione dello stato presente dell’Egitto: Taqrīr al-ḥāla al-ḥāḍira li-Miṣr 1671. تقرير الحالة الحاضرة لمصر 1671. Translated by ʿAwḍ Wadīʿ. Cairo: al-Maǧlis al-Aʿalā li-l-Ṯaqāfa المجلس الأعلى للثقافة. https://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=https://www.dopdfwn.com/cacnretra/scgdfnya/pdf-books-org-38DHL.pdf
- Second account on Egypt:
- Vansleb’s own Italian manuscript: “Relazione dei viaggi, di Michele Vanslebio, intrapresi per l’acquisto di Codd. d’ordine di Luigi XIV (1). (1) Una raccolta di lettere del medesimo relative agli acquisti di Codd. orientali per la biblioteca del Re, è nel Cod. latino 17173 fra i documenti “ De variis bibliothecis „.” Paris. BnF MS italien 435. Bibliothèque nationale de France.
- French edition: Nouvelle relation en forme de journal, d’un voyage fait en Egypte. Par le P. Vansleb, R.D. en 1672. & 1673. 1st ed. Paris: Estienne Michallet.
- Travel account of his second travel in German, translated from French, published 1794; p. 123-412: “Neue Beschreibung einer Reise nach Aegypten in den Jahren 1672. 1673. in Form eines Tagebuchs verfaßt von P. Wansleb.” In Sammlung der merkwürdigsten Reisen in den Orient: in Übers. u. Auszügen mit ausgew. Kupfern u. Charten, auch mit d. nöthigen Einleit., Anmerk. u. koll. Reg., edited by Heinrich Paulus, Jena. https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/paulus1794bd3/0132/scroll
- English edition of Nouvelle Relation: The Present State of Egypt; or, A New Relation of a Late Voyage into That Kingdom. Performed in the Years 1672. and 1673. By F. Vansleb, R. D. Wherein You Have an Exact and True Account of Many Rare and Wonderful Particulars of That Ancient Kingdom. London: R[obert] E[veringham] for John Starkey.
-> Vansleb also published an important work on the church of Alexandria:
- Vansleb, Johann Michael. 1677. Histoire de l’église d’Alexandrie fondée par S. Marc, Que nous appelons celle des Jacobites-coptes d’Egypte. Écrite au Caire même, en 1672 et 1673. Par le P. J.M. Vansleb, Dominicain du Convent de la Minerve, à Rome. Paris: Clousier & Prome.
- What is the tone of the work? What kind of sources is it based on?
-> After Vansleb’s death a pamphlet circulated under his name: Vansleb (?), Johann Michael. 1679. A Brief Account of the Rebellions and Bloudshed Occasioned by the Anti-Christian Practices of the Jesuits and Other Popish Emissaries in the Empire of Ethiopia Collected out of a Manuscript History Written in Latin by Jo. Michael Wansleben, a Learned Papist. London: Jonathan Edwin.
Manuscripts
->Use this link to search Gallica, the digital viewer of the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), for manuscripts associated with Vansleb in the BnF’s holdings.
- What are some of the different languages and times of writing you see represented among these manuscripts?
- What are some of the places he acquired these manuscripts?
- View a manuscript of interest to you and see if you can identify any notes left by Vansleb, aquisition stamps or waqf notes (especially on the flyleaves/first or last pages).
- Respond to the above questions by selecting the text of the question and posting a Hypothes.is comment.
-> Look through Vansleb’s lists of his acquired manuscripts https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b105159315
-> Look through the catalog by Vajda (-> links under bibliography) of the Arabic manuscripts, also mentioning Vansleb’s manuscripts
-> Besides his acquired manuscripts, Vansleb also copied several works, like Biblioteca nazionale centrale di Firenze, Magl. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 83, as well as Bern, Burger-Bibliothek, B 49. Have a look at an example in the Bibliothèque nationale de France: Vansleb, Johann Michael. 1670. “Bahayla Mikhael. Le livre des mytères du ciel et de la terre copié par Michel Vansleb (a copy of BnF éthiopien 117 by Vansleb).” Paris. BnF éthiopien 118. Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Documents
-> Vansleb kept diary for the time prior to his first travel, (not digitalised) ”Notiz- und Tageb. v. Johann Michael Wansleben (Wanschleben).” Weimar. GSA 105/103. Goethe- und Schiller-Archiv Weimar.
-> Browse through Vansleb’s original letter exchange with de Carcavy and Colbert, including lists of acquired manuscripts here: “Documents sur l’histoire de diverses bibliothèques. Documents sur l’histoire de diverses bibliothèques.” Paris. BnF MS latin 17172. Bibliothèque nationale de France.
-> Vansleb owned a copy of Harrington’s ‘The Fundations & Modell of a Perfect Commonwealth’
- Read about its significance here: Mahlberg, Gaby. 2013. “Wansleben’s Harrington, or ‘The Fundations & Modell of a Perfect Commonwealth.’” In European Contexts for English Republicanism. Politics and Culture in Europe, 1650– 1750, edited by Gaby Mahlberg and Dirk Wiemann, 154–61. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing Limited.
