Ars scientiae gratia: Basilius Plinius and science in verse
Ars scientiae gratia: Basilius Plinius and Science in Verse

Summary/Abstract: This paper explores the principal concepts of poetry composition apparent in the poetic works produced by Basilius Plinius, a 16th-century physician and humanist from Riga. His corpus contains occasional poetry and panegyrical poetry, but the largest and the most important part of his œuvre is his didactic poetry; more specifically, didactic works of poetry on the subjects of natural sciences (winds, magnets, poisons, etc.) and ethical issues (desire and pain, the moral good, etc.). Although he provides only scarce direct insights on poetry, science and the connections between them, from certain passages of his works a conceptual grid can be outlined that served as the basis for his poetry composition, and for its interpretation. Among the most significant concepts within this grid are God, the mind, the natural world and poetry. Thus, this paper endeavours to present examples from his works of poetry regarding these concepts and others related to them. The study also aims to demonstrate the interrelatedness of these concepts throughout Plinius’s works.

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