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V cecini poe a: The p esence o Vi gil in Rod igo
de Cas o’s De uniue sa mulie um medicina
Gab iel A. F. Sil a
(Uni e si y o Lisbon)
Abs ac
De uniue sa mulie um medicina, by he Po uguese physician Rod igo de Cas o, is a com-
plex gynaecological ea ise ha comp ises sou ces conce ning a ious medical aspec s, bo h
ancien and con empo a y o he au ho , and also non- echnical sou ces, namely poe s om
classical an iqui y. This being he i s a icle on he p esence o Vi gil in Cas o, he main goal
is o see whe e Vi gil’s Geo gics 4 and Aeneid 6 a e used in he De uniue sa mulie um medicina
and explo e how passages om he Vi gilian oeu e we e used by he Po uguese physician.
Keywo ds
Rod igo de Cas o; Vi gil; Geo gics; Aeneid; medicine
G aeco-La ina B unensia 26 / 2021 / 1
h ps://doi.o g/10.5817/GLB2021-1-11
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In oduc ion1
Rod igo de Cas o (c. 1550 Lisbon–c. 1627 Hambu g) was a Po uguese physician o
Jewish o igin. He belonged o a amily o enowned doc o s, some o whom had se ed
he Po uguese mona chy. I is p obable ha he s udied in Salamanca and É o a and,
a e ob aining his doc o a e, exe cised medicine in Lisbon. Pe haps o escape om
he Inquisi ion, he wen o Hambu g, whe e he published his majo wo k, De uniue sa
mulie um medicina.2
This monumen al ea ise comp ises wo pa s: pa one conce ns heo y (De na u a
mulie um), pa wo has a p ac ical na u e (De mo bis mulie um). Cas o shows knowledge
o he medical adi ion ha p eceded him, om An iqui y (including, o example, Hip-
poc a es and Galen) o his own ime (wi h Ama o Lusi ano and Luis Me cado, among
many o he s).3 Cas o was also well awa e o he impo ance o his magnum opus, as he
s a es in he p e ace o he i s edi ion ha o he books abou gynaecology had been
published bu desc ibes hem as incomple e o con using, and ailing o deal wi h he
subjec p ope ly.4
I is no su p ising ha Cas o had a deep knowledge o he Hippoc a ic and Galenic
doc ines, among many o he ancien and con empo a y medical au ho s. Wha may
seem cu ious is he use he makes o ancien poe s whose wo ks ha e no hing o do wi h
medicine, Vi gil o ins ance. This leads us o he i s ques ion o his a icle: how a-
milia was Rod igo de Cas o wi h he wo ks o Vi gil? I mus be no ed ha knowledge
o au ho s om G aeco-Roman an iqui y in Cas o’s ime was acqui ed in g amma
lessons, and pupils had con ac wi h he majo au ho s o La in li e a u e a school.5 In
1 This a icle was suppo ed wi h na ional unding by he Po uguese Founda ion o Science and Technol-
ogy (FCT) wi hin he amewo k o he p ojec ‘Gynecia: Rode icus a Cas o Lusi anus and he ancien
medical adi ion abou gynaecology and emb yology’ (Re . PTDC/FER-HFC/31187/2017). I am g a e ul
o C is ina San os Pinhei o, G ego io Rod íguez He e a, Ma ia Luísa Resende, and he anonymous e-
iewe s o hei commen s and sugges ions, which undoub edly en iched his a icle.
2 De uniue sa mulie um medicina. Nouo e an ehac a nemine en a o o dine absolu issimum opus; s udiosis omnibus
e u ile, ue o medicis pe necessa ium (1603). In 1617 his wo k had a second edi ion, unde a sligh ly di e en
i le (De uniue sa mulieb ium mo bo um medicina…) and wi h co ec ions by he au ho . Cas o is also he
au ho o a sho e ea ise abou he plague ha s uck he ci y o Hambu g, T ac a us b euis de na u a e
causis pes is, published in Hambu g in 1596, and he Medicus-poli icus (1614), a ea ise conce ning many
subjec s, among which he alue o medicine and he physician’s aining. Fo u he in o ma ion on Ro-
d igo de Cas o’s li e and wo k, see Kayse ling (1901–1906), s. . ‘Rod igo de Cas o’; A izabalaga (2009:
pp. 109–114); Fö g (2020: pp. 47–82); and Mo a & Pinhei o & Sil a ( o hcoming).
3 C . Pinhei o (2017: p. 292) on he s uc u e o he ea ise and o he sou ces used by Rod igo de Cas o.
4 Non amen exis imes, amice lec o , nos ac um age e, quia plu es ex en de mulie um mo bis ac a iones (…) Neque
ue o me la e , non i a p idem Basileae in aliquo uoluminibus conges os omnes e e auc o es, qui de hoc nego io
sc ipse un , uisse excusos: in quibus amen sup a enume a a incommoda p ocul dubio dep ehendes (‘Howe e , do
no hink, dea eade , ha wha we a e doing wha has al eady been done, because i al eady exis s many
o he ea ises abou women’s diseases (…) I know ha no long ago almos all he au ho s who w o e
on his heme we e p in ed in Basel, euni ed in a ew olumes: howe e , he e you ind, wi hou doub ,
all he de ec s lis ed abo e [i.e. being incomple e, con using, ailing o ea he subjec app op ia ely]’).
Cas o is he e e e ing o he Gynaecio um lib i, published in Basel in h ee edi ions (1566, 1586–1588,
1597). When no indica ed, ansla ions a e mine.
5 C . Toipa (2017: pp. 353–373). See also Domingues (2002).
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he Medicus-poli icus, mo e speci ically he chap e ‘Quinam auc o es sin euoluendi e
qualis debea esse medici biblio heca’, Cas o asse s ha , besides au ho s w i ing on
medical hemes, a physician mus also know he majo au ho s o G eek and La in li e -
a u e ( hose w i ing on ag icul u e o his o iog aphe s, and he majo poe s).6 They a e
conside ed models, since he mos p ominen ancien au ho s used hem as sou ces o
inspi a ion o hei own ex s:
sun insupe alii au o es, ad quos diue e e in e dum licea , non u i ciui, sed uelu i pe eg ino: ex poe is
quidem Home us, Vi gilius, Luc e ius, ho um enim es imonia cla issimi ac ue us issimi sc ip o es ci a e
e iam consue un .
The e a e also o he au ho s whom one is allowed o equen om ime o ime, no in he
same way as a ellow ci izen, bu like a s ange : ce ainly om among he poe s, he e a e
Home , Vi gil, Luc e ius, whose es imonies he mos amous and mos ancien w i e s we e
accus omed o ci ing.
1. Vi gil and God: Adap a ions o Ancien Themes
The i s chap e o De uniue sa mulie um medicina ha con ains e ses om Vi gil is ‘De
acul a e o ma ice’ (1.2.8). Cas o s a es, ega ding he cha ac e is ics o he o ma ix
acul as, ha his acul y is he po ency o he anima uege ans, which, because o di ine
in e en ion, has wisdom. He says ha his acul y was called hus because i does no
ope a e eely, bu a he depends on God’s in e en ion.7 In his complex and philo-
sophical chap e , Cas o quo es ou e ses o Vi gil:
Deum namque i e pe omnes
Te as ac usque ma is, caelumque p o undum
Inde hominum pecudumque genus, ui ae uolan um,
E quae ma mo eo e , mons a sub aequo e pon us.
Fo God hey saw, pe ades all hings, ea h and sea’s expanse and hea en’s dep h, hence
sp ing he aces o men and beas , he li e o winged c ea u es, and he mons e s ha ocean
bea s benea h his ma ble su ace.8
In a ma ginal no e, hese e ses a e iden i ied as belonging o Aeneid 6. Howe e , he
i s wo e ses a e clea ly Geo g. 4.221–222, conce ning he di ine o igin o bees and
o o he kinds o li ing c ea u es, hough he ollowing couple does indeed come om
6 Fo a comple e desc ip ion o Rod igo de Cas o’s ideal lib a y, see Ca doso (2012: pp. 159–167); and
F ade & Sil a (2011: pp. 51–94).
7 I is in e es ing o no e ha he sen ences p eceding hese quo a ions o Vi gil a e i ually iden ical o
hose o Rod igues de Veiga’s commen a y on Galen’s De locis a ec is (1586: p. 416). This migh show no
only Cas o’s knowledge o he heme in ques ion, bu also medical au ho s’ knowledge o each o he ,
using and ea anging hei colleagues’ ma e ial o he pu poses o hei own wo ks.
8 All ansla ions o Vi gil a e om Fai clough (1999).
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Aeneid 6 (728–729). The passage om Geo gic 4 ouches on he no ion ha bees possess
a di ine in elligence. Myno s w i es, commen ing on he Geo gics, ha ‘such a heo y
comes easily o hose who accep he pan heis ic ideas ha he e is god in all na u e, and
ha he i al spi i in men and quad upeds de i es om a ci cumambien ie y ae he ,
o which he bees (i seems) mus ha e access oo’.9 The couple om Aeneid 6 ea u es a
momen o he ka abasis ha conce ns he ansmig a ion o he soul and he spi i ha
nou ishes he sky and he ea h. This spi i was, acco ding o Ho s all, ‘easily ecogniz-
able o he scan ily-educa ed eade as he anima mundi’,10 which, as Cas o no es, was
God, who ules all hings in na u e.
To an inexpe ienced eye, his connec ion o wo exce p s om wo di e en wo ks
migh seem na u al. The echnique used by Cas o, p obably consciously, seems o be
simila o he composi ion o a cen o.11 I we ega d he wo exce p s, i is easy o see
ha hey sha e con en , ocabula y and s uc u e, as i hey belonged o he same poem:
deum namque i e pe omnes
e asque ac usque ma is caelumque p o undum.
Hinc pecudes, a men a, ui os, genus omne e a um (Geo g. 4.221–223)
inde hominum pecudumque genus ui aeque uolan um
e quae ma mo eo e mons a sub aequo e pon us (Aen. 6.728–729)
Rega ding he s uc u e o Geo g. 4.223, which is no quo ed by Cas o, one can see
ha i s a s wi h he connec o hinc, as Aen. 6.728 s a s wi h inde, a e which, he wo
lines comp ise e y simila elemen s ha ela e o a di ine na u e o spi i . Thus i does
no seem un easonable o hink ha Cas o, ha ing knowledge o bo h hese pieces by
Vi gil, consciously linked hem using he cen o echnique. Wi h inde, now e e ing o
deum o Geo gic 4 as he o igin o e e y hing, Cas o pe ec ly joins a hand ul o e ses
connec ed by bo h heme and s yle. I seems ha Cas o manipula ed he ex o se e
he pu pose o his chap e conce ning di ine in luence on he elemen s. Thus, ou o
con ex , wi hou u he e e ence o he bees o he Geo gics o he heo y o he ans-
mig a ion o he soul, Cas o moulded he Vi gilian ex (s) in such a way ha i would
con ey a message ele an o he con en o his chap e , allowing him o ha ness Vi gil’s
auc o i as.
We may be able o show ha he manipula ed bo h ex s i we hink abou whe e he
ook hese quo a ions om. Was Cas o in ima ely acquain ed wi h hese lines o did he
consul he Vi gilian co pus somewhe e, pe haps e en speci ically o he pu pose iden-
9 Myno s (1990: p. 285). T imalchio in Pe onius’ Sa y icon s a es ha bees a e di ine since hey p oduce
honey, he ood o he gods. See Pe on. 56: Apes enim ego diuinas bes ias pu o, quae mel uomun , e iam si
dicun u illud a Ioue a e e. See Schmeling (2011: ad loc.).
10 C . Ho s all (2013: p. 488), who no es ha ‘ he eade na u ally hinks back o G. 4.219–227’.
11 This echnique consis s o aking e ses om o he au ho s, no ably Home and Vi gil, o c ea e a new
poem in which hey a e gi en new meaning. Fo u he in o ma ion on his kind o poem, see, o exam-
ple, Salani o (1997: pp. 2314–2360) and McGill (2005).
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i ied abo e? I do no mean o claim ha he could no ha e had di ec knowledge o Vi -
gil, bu I hink one mus bea in mind ha he e we e o he sou ces o in o ma ion o
ancien ex s, namely he an hologies ha ci cula ed a ound Eu ope in his ime, whose
o ma and s uc u e allowed a hema ic sea ch, no only by au ho , making a ailable
ancien au ho s o a wide ange o people.12
The Illus ium poe a um lo es o Oc a ianus Mi andula, one o he mos well-known
an hologies o La in poe y, may be ele an o his in es iga ion.13 Wilson-Okamu a
s a es ha Mi andula’s an hology is pa icula ly use ul because i ells us which passag-
es o which ancien au ho s we e mos amous, and because i s con en is hema ically
o ganized.14 As can be seen in Figu e 1 in he Appendix, Mi andula’s chap e ‘De Deo’
p esen s, among o he s, h ee quo a ions o Vi gil: Ecl. 3.60–61, Geo g. 4.221–224 and
Aen. 6.724–730. I seems possible o es ablish a pa allel wi h he s uc u e and o de
o Rod igo de Cas o’s quo a ions om he same passages in his chap e ‘De acul a e
o ma ice’. Mi andula s a s a subchap e conce ning he anima mundi wi h a quo a ion
om Ecl. 3.60, and Cas o quo es pa o he same line in his ex :
idipsum es , quod uolui Vi gilius, dum Iouis omnia plena esse cecini .
The quo a ion o hese wo ds, in his e y speci ic con ex , seems o p esen a s ong
pa allel wi h he con en and s uc u e o Mi andula’s chap e abou he p esence o
God in e e y hing. I we conside ha he hi d Eclogue is no gene ally he bes known,
and hus pe haps less likely o be quo ed om memo y han he i s o he ou h, o
example, i seems plausible o sugges ha Rod igo de Cas o had ecou se o his pa -
icula an hology. The passage om Geo gic 4 may also o e some insigh since Mi an-
dula cu he i s wo wo ds o he e se o make i i he pu pose o his chap e abou
God; Cas o may ha e used his adap a ion when quo ing he same ex .15
The nex g oup o Vi gilian e ses ollows a quo a ion o A icenna ocusing on he
na u e o he ui us sepa a ix. He e he Po uguese physician s a es ha e e y hing in
na u e has been augh o obey he di ine C ea o . To illus a e his idea, Cas o quo es
Aen. 6.724–728:
12 C . Cas o Jiménez (2006: p. 294).
13 Mi andula (1538). I is wo h no ing ha he e a e many copies o Mi andula’s an hology lis ed in he
ca alogues o he uni e si ies o É o a and Salamanca, whe e Rod igo de Cas o may ha e pu sued his
medical s udies. This may indica e ha he physician was amilia wi h and used his wo k. On Mi andula,
see Moss (1996). The Illus ium poe a um lo es, and o he an hologies, may be consul ed a he Exce p a
P ojec websi e (h p://exce p a.ia ex .ulpgc.es).
14 Wilson-Okamu a (2010: p. 184). On he use o he Aeneid in an hologies, see Cu belo Ta ío & Paso Ca as-
co (2020a: pp. 29–67). See also Cu belo Ta ío & Paso Ca asco (2020b: pp. 47–60) on he use o exce p s
o he Appendix Ve giliana in an hologies.
15 I mus also be no ed ha hese Vi gilian e ses o he Geo gics and he Aeneid a e e e enced, o example,
by Augus inus S eucus in De pe enni philosophia, in a con ex simila o his one in Rod igo de Cas o’s
ea ise, conce ning he anima mundi. Al hough S eucus uses hese e ses sepa a ely and co ec ly a ib-
u ed, i shows ha his opic was o en employed in Cas o’s ime, and ha hese e ses, besides ha ing a
s ong p esence in an hologies, we e associa ed wi h his speci ic heme. See S eucus (1540: pp. 86–87).

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P incipio caelum, ac e as, camposque liquen es,
Lucen emque globum lunae, Ti aniaque as a
Spi i us in us ali , o amque in usa pe a us
Mens agi a molem e magno se co po e misce ,
Inde hominum pecudumque genus.
Fi s know ha hea en and ea h and he wa e y plains, he moon’s b igh sphe e and Ti an’s
s a , a spi i wi hin sus ains; in all he limbs mind mo es he mass and mingles wi h he migh y
ame. Thence sp ing he aces o man and beas .
Once again, Cas o uses he beginning o he exposi ion on he ansmig a ion o he
soul o show ha e e y hing, each o he acul ies ha go e n he wo ld, is anima ed by
a di ine spi i us, which is why animals ollow hei ins inc :
B u a animalia agnoscun suos pas us, suas domos, suo um mo bo um emedia e he bas e iam nobis
igno as, cae e asque pe iciun unc iones, ui ulus co nu pe i , p iusquam co nua p oduxe i , pullus
equinus nondum solidis unguibus calci a , ca ulus lice den es nondum ualidos habea , ad mo dendum
inci a u .
I a ional animals know hei ood, hei habi a s, he emedies o hei diseases and e en
he bs ha we igno e, and hey pe o m o he unc ions: he cal a acks wi h his ho n be o e
he has g own ho ns, he oal kicks wi h hoo s ha a e no ye solid, he puppy is d i en o bi e
al hough his ee h a e no ye s ong.
The passage om he Aeneid is s ongly in luenced by Luc e ius and his s yle, wi h i s
opening wo d p incipio, con eying a s ong didac ic pu pose, as Ho s all asse s.16 The
exce p is connec ed o a la e one om he Geo gics, since a Geo g. 4.221, he anima o
spi i us ha ac i a es he uni e se is called deus. The iden i ica ion o spi i us wi h he ani-
ma mundi would be clea o anyone. To conclude his idea, in his inal Vi gilian quo a ion
in he chap e ‘De acul a e o ma ice’, a e a quo a ion om Luc e ius (3.741–742),
Cas o uses wo and a hal e ses om Geo g. 4.219–221, conce ning he na u e o bees:
His quidam signis a que haec exempla secu i
esse apibus pa em diuinae men is e haus us
ae he eos dixe e…
Led by such okens and such ins ances, some ha e augh ha he bees ha e ecei ed a sha e
o he di ine in elligence, and a d augh o hea enly e he …
These e ses p ecede he i s ones quo ed abo e om he Geo gics, and appea in
Mi andula’s an hology in a sec ion called ‘De animalibus’. Taking a look o he exce p
as a whole (Geo g. 4.219–222), he second pa is emo ed om i s o iginal con ex and
appea s in a di e en sec ion, no conce ning animals, bu God.
16 See Ho s all (2013: p. 487).
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Fu he on, Cas o discusses he possibili y o ep oduc ion be ween di e en species
(‘Possin ne diue sa gene e coi e’, 1.3.6) and o e s a b ie s udy o c ea u es like lemu es,
genii, la uae, pygmaei and gnomi, among o he s. Focusing mo e speci ically on he di e -
ences be ween la uae and daemones, he alks abou hei essence and na u e, highligh ing
hei peculia i ies and he ales associa ed wi h hem. He e he quo es Aen. 6.730–734:
igneus es illis uigo e caeles is o igo
seminibus, quan um non noxia co po a a dan
e enique hebe an a us mo ibundaque memb a.
hinc me uun cupiun que, dolen gauden que, neque au as
espiciun clausae eneb is e ca ce e caeco.
Fie y is he igou and di ine he sou ce o hose seeds o li e, so a as ha m ul bodies clog
hem no , o ea hly limbs and ames bo n bu o die. Hence hei ea s and desi es, hei
g ie s and joys; no do hey disce n he hea enly ligh , penned as hey a e in he gloom o hei
da k dungeon.
The Vi gilian con ex o hese lines is Anchises’ explana ion o Aeneas o he o igin o
he elemen s and he o ce ha pu hem in mo ion. He s a es ha i is a ‘ ie y igou ’
ha makes hem mo e and ha he o igin o he elemen s is di ine. This passage is hus
adap ed o i s new con ex o a discussion conce ning he na u e o la uae and o he
c ea u es, making e e ence o hei mo al condi ion and hei non-human bodies, c e-
a ing a connec ion o he p e ious con ex conce ning he o igin o elemen s.
2. F om P o eus’ Me amo phosis o Women’s Su oca ion
The las wo quo a ions o Vi gil in Cas o’s De uniue sa mulie um medicina a e ound
in he second olume o he wo k, in he chap e ‘De s angula u ex u e o’ (2.2.1). In a
scholium dedica ed o his heme, Cas o s a es ha ecei ed wisdom has i ha in cases
o su oca ion o he u e us, women some imes make noises esembling animals:
Ab immundo spi i u co ipi su oca as uulgus exis ima , quia solen ple umque in illis mi andae exaudi-
i uoces, ex imis uisce ibus, nunc uelu i ana um coaxa us, nunc se pen um sibili, c oci us co uo um,
gallo um cucu i us, canum la a us…
People hink ha when hey a e su oca ing hey a e possessed by a d ead ul spi i , because
hey usually hea many as onishing oices coming om he dep hs o hei en ails, now like
he og’s c oak, now he se pen ’s hiss, he c ow’s caw, he oos e ’s cluck and he dog’s ba k…
This idea ha women may esemble animals may ha e been bo owed om Co nelius
Gemma’s De na u ae diuinis cha ac e ismis, since Cas o quo es e y closely Gemma’s
wo ds on his opic.17 In illus a ing his popula belie , Cas o uses Geo g. 4.406–409:
17 Gemma (1575: p. 153): unde e uoces mi andas ex imis uisce ibus exaudi i, nunc uelu ana um coaxa us, nunc
se pen um sibilos, c oci us co uo um, gallo um cucu i us, la a us canum...
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Tum ua iae illuden species, a que o a e a um,
Fien enim subi o sus ho idus, a aque yg is,
Squamosusque d aco e ulua ce uice leaena
Au ac em lammae soni um dabi .
Then will mani old o ms ba le you, and igu es o wild beas s. Fo o a sudden he will become
a b is ly boa , a deadly ige , a scaly se pen , o a lioness wi h awny neck; o he will gi e o h
he ie ce oa o lame.
Cas o wa ns his eade s ha one should no gi e up on he ea men , al hough i
may seem di icul . To illus a e he pe sis ence needed, he physician quo es Vi gil,
Geo g. 4.411–414:
Sed quan o ille magis o mas se ue e in omnes,
Tan o, na e, magis con ende enacia uincla:
Donec alis e i mu a o co po e, qualem
Vide is incep o ege e cum lumina somno.
Bu he mo e he u ns himsel in o all shapes, he mo e, my son, should you igh en his e e s,
un il a e his las changes o body he becomes such as you saw when he closed his eyes a he
beginning o slumbe .
This episode comes om he amous epyllion o A is aeus, whe e Cy ene gi es he
son clea ins uc ions on how o lea n he cause o he loss o his bees om he see
P o eus. A is aeus will need s eng h o hold P o eus down o , as Cy ene wa ns him, he
will assume he o ms o a a ie y o animals in o de o escape, and make hei noises.
Al hough his is a ha d ask, A is aeus mus be s ong and o o ce P o eus o speak,
ega dless o he o ms he may assume.
As abo e, hese quo a ions may be seen as a show o e udi ion by Rod igo de Cas o.18
The popula belie ha women su e ing om u e ine su oca ion make noises esem-
bling animals is connec ed o he a ie y o animal o ms ha P o eus assumes du ing
his con lic wi h A is aeus. I he ea men ails, Cas o says ha one mus pe sis – he
same ad ice ha Cy ene gi es A is aeus. In con as o his use o he o he Vi gilian
quo a ions, he e i seems ha Cas o is making use o pe sonal knowledge o he Geo gics
and using i o bes ow Vi gilian auc o i as upon his own ex .
This speci ic passage o he Geo gics seems no o be well- ep esen ed among he an-
hologies o Cas o’s ime, so his knowledge o he e ses conce ning P o eus’ epyllion
may come om his you h ul s udies. This being one o he bes -known episodes o he
Geo gics – o e en he mos well-known – i should no be su p ising ha educa ed peo-
ple knew i . The Ra io S udio um ecommends he ou h book o he Geo gics as one o
se e al ex s wi h which o lea n g amma :19
18 This migh be wha Conde Pa ado (2001: p. 266) calls ‘o namen quo es’.
19 Ra io a que Ins i u io S udio um Socie a is Iesu (1635: pp. 135–136). I is possible, as no ed a he beginning
o his a icle, ha Cas o had con ac wi h La in poe s h ough his educa ion be o e he began his medical
aining. C . also Mi anda (2001: pp. 83–111) and Toipa (2017: pp. 358–360).
179
Gab iel A. F. Sil a
V cecini poe a: The p esence o Vi gil in Rod igo de Cas o’s De uniue sa mulie um medicina
ČLÁNKY / ARTICLES
al e o quaedam i em selec a, e pu ga a ex Ca ullo, Tibullo, P ope io, e Vi gilii Eclogis; uel e iam lib i
eiusdem acilio es, u qua us Geo gico um, quin us e sep imus Aeneidos...
on he o he hand, [ he e a e] also a ew selec ed and expu ga ed poems om Ca ullus, Tibul-
lus, P ope ius, and om Vi gil’s Eclogues, o mo e app oachable books o Vi gil, like he
ou h o he Geo gics, he i h and he se en h o he Aeneid...
Conclusion
I is ce ain ha Rod igo de Cas o knew he wo ks o Vi gil. Bu his knowledge, d awn
om a scholas ic basis common o all he educa ed people o his ime, seems some imes
o come om seconda y sou ces like an hologies, such as he Illus ium poe a um lo es
o Oc a ianus Mi andula. These an hologies epea edly quo e ce ain passages like he
episode o Aeneid 6 conce ning he ansmig a ion o he soul, used by Cas o. One can
hus ge an idea o wha we e he main ex s used a ha ime. Ne e heless, li e a y
knowledge was no only con eyed by an hologies: be o e s a ing his medical ca ee ,
Cas o, like all his educa ed con empo a ies, had s udied La in g amma and li e a u e,
which would ha e b ough him in o con ac wi h he poe y o Vi gil, augh in schools
since An iqui y. The limi ed numbe o ex s and ci a ions o Vi gil may hus be ela ed
o bo h Cas o’s own school expe ience, o he common sou cebooks in ogue du ing
his p o essional ac i i y and o o he medical sou ces known o Cas o. By using Vi gil’s
poe y, Rod igo de Cas o is no me ely embellishing his gynaecological ea ise, bu
also ein o cing he no ion, as he would la e no e in he Medicus-poli icus, ha a g ea
physician mus ha e a as cul u e and know a wide ange o au ho s.