Cartographica Neerlandica Background for Ortelius Map No. 194

© Marcel van den Broecke © Title: GALLIA/VETVS,/Ad Iulij Cęsaris commentaria./ex/Conatibus geographicis/Abrah. Ortelij./1590. [Ancient France as it appears in Iulius Cęsar's Comments, from the geographical records of Abraham Ortelius, 1590.] (cartouche top right:) Cum Imp. Reg. et cancellarię/Brabantię priuilegio decennali. (cartouche lower left:) REVERENDIS:/SIMO IN CHRIS:/TO PATRI, DO:/MINO D. LĘVI:/NO TORRENTIO,/EPISCOPO ANT:/VERPIENSI, A:/PVD AMBIVA:/RITOS,/EIVS VIRTVTIS/CVLTOR ABRAH./ORTELIVS REG./MAIEST. GEOGRA:/PHVS DEVOTIS:/SIME DEDICAB. [Abraham Ortelius, His Majesties Royal Geographer, dedicates [this map] in devotion to the Lord and Master, highly praised in Christ, Mr. Lęvinus Torrentius, bishop of Antwerp for the Ambivirate people, adoring his virtues. (With a list of tribes and people of those tribes mentioned by name in Cęsar's writings (left edge, to be inserted) and tribes (right edge, to be inserted) in Gallia, as described by Cęsar)].

Plate size: 364 x 467 mm.
Scale: 1 : 4,000,000.
Identification number: Ort 194 (Koeman/Meurer: 18P, Karrow: 1/176, vdKrogtAN: 4000H:31A).

Occurrence in Theatrum editions and page number:
1590L4Addblank (100 copies printed) (identical to 1592L in text and typesetting, but here without page number; last line first text page, right aligned, : parent. ; last line second text page, left aligned, in cursive script like one line above it: "Cęsaris traditione in tres partes diuisionem quę postea,sub Augusto Imp.nempe,in quator prouincias diuisa fuit."),
1591G4Addblank (75 copies printed) (last line, full width, in Gothic script: lincker handt/wan sie nüchter sein/sehen auch nit zu ruck: welches sie wider alle gebrechen der schwein uń rinder gebrauchen/wie derselbe Plin. bezeugt.),
1592L5 (525 copies printed) (identical in text and typesetting with 1590L4Add, but here with page number 5; last line first text page, right aligned, : parent ; penultimate line: dia habetur,confidunt;in loco sacrato.huc omnes vndique qui controuersias habent,conueniunt:eorumque iudiciis, decretisq. ; last line second text page, left aligned, last line above two sides of an ancient coin: coloribus vestes addit. vnde hęc hauserit,ignoro, nam candidam vestem his tribuere Plinium,diximus.),
1595LE (500 copies printed) (last line, right aligned: contro-; penultimate line: comoedię,quę Plauti nomen pręfert)quę regio totius Gallię media habetur,confidunt;in loco sacrato. huc omnes vndique qui), 1601Lxiij (last line first text page, right aligned: Gab. ; last line second text page, in cursive script like one line above it, left aligned: "tes diuisionem; quę postea, sub Augusto Imp.nempe, in quator prouincias diuisa fuit."),
1602G12 (250 copies printed) (last line, full width, in Gothic script: lincker handt/wan sie nüchter sein/sehen auch nit zu ruck:welches sie wider alle gebrechen der schwein uń rinder gebrauchen/wie derselbe Plin. bezeugt.),
1603Lxiij (300 copies printed) (text and page number, but not typesetting, identical to 1609/1612S/L; last line, first text page, right aligned: immo- ; last line second text page, above two sides of a coin, in italic script: "tres partes diuisionem ; qua postea , sub Auguste Imp. nempe , in quator prouincias diuisa fuit".),
1606Exiij (300 copies printed) (last line, first of two text pages, italic like the entire text, full width: "and mediation to leaue off fighting,and will not offer to strike one stroke more. Thus euen amongst the most barbarous people that are,rage giueth place to wis-/dome",),
1608/1612Ixiij (300 copies printed) (last line first text page, right aligned: volta ; last line second text page, left aligned, in cursive script like one line above it: "sare ; la qual dapoi sotto Augusto Imperatore fu distinta in quattro Prouincie".),
1609/1612S=
1609/1612Lxiij (600 copies printed) (text in Latin, and page number identical to 1603L but typesetting is different; last line first text page, right aligned: vidisse; last line second text page, left aligned, italic: "nis,ex Cęsaris traditione, in tres partes divisionem;quę postea,sub Augusto Imp.nempe, in quator provincias diuisa fuit. Below this two pictures of the two sides of a coin.),
1624LParergon/1641Sxvij (1025 copies printed) (last line second column first text page, in cursive script: "Aut solis nescire datum: nemora alta remotis/Incoli-" ; last line second column second text page: gusto Imp.nempe,in quator prouincias diuisa fuit.).

Approximate number of copies printed: 3975.

States: 194.1 from 1590L4Add as described.
194.2: in 1595, a number of topographical names were added: near the Pyrenees: "Elu:/sates" and "Ausci", south of Paris "Drui:/dum sedes" becomes "Druidum sedes." "Agendi:cum" has been added just Northeast of the previous item. "Cavillonum" has been added near Luxemburg.
194.3: in 1624 a third state appears which is very similar to the second state but which has "CHRI:/STO" instead of "CHRIS:/TO in the dedication cartouche in the lower left corner. In the list of famous people along the left edge also shows differences between the second and the third state: "Commius" becomes "Cominius"; "Verodoctus" becomes "Verodoctius"; "Divicus" becomes "Divico".

Cartographic sources: made by Ortelius on the basis of ancient information from Cęsar's De Bello Gallico.

Remarks:
The text opens by saying that this map is only based on Cęsar's commentaries, which is true for the map but not for its text; the text also promises to finish the discussion on the Druids to turn to other matters, but in fact a great number of other text sources next to Cęsar are referred to as well, and the text is entirely devoted to the Druids.

Text

Bibliographical sources

No topographical names available