Cartographica Neerlandica Background for Ortelius Map No. 181

Title: PEREGRINATIONIS DIVI PAVLI | TYPVS COROGRAPHICVS. | In quo et novi testamenti, in primis autem apostolorum historiae, | ą Sancto Luca descriptę, omnia ferč loca geogra:|phica, oculis inspicienda, exhibentur. [A chorographical map of divine Paulus' peregrination, based on the the first history of the apostles of the new testament, as described by Saint Luke, on which are displayed, for your eyes to behold, all geographical places,] (Bottom right corner:) "Cum priuilegio Imp. | et Regię Maiestatis". [With a privilege from his imperial and royal majesty] (Bottom left corner:) "Abraham Ortelius describebat 1579". [Designed by Abraham Ortelius, 1579.] (Cartouche along bottom:) QVONIAM IGITVR SCIMVS ET PERSVASVM HABEMVS, QVOD QVAMDIV IN CORPORE HABITAMVS, PEREGRINAMVR A DOMINO; PER | FIDEM ENIM AMBVLAMVS, ET NON PER VISVM; PROPTEREA CONFIDIMVS ET PEROPTAMVS PEREGRINARI A CORPORE, ET ES:|SE APVD DOMINVM NOSTRVM. SATAGIMVS AVTEM SIVE PEREGRINI SVMVS, SIVE INCOLĘ, VT ILLI PLACEAMVS. "2. Corinth.5". [Since we know and are convinced that we, as long as we reside in our body, and travel far from the Lord, (for we travel in faith, and not by sight); therefore we believe, and long to travel outside our body, and to be with our Lord. Let us exert ourselves, whether we are at home or abroad, to please Him. 2 Corinth 5[:6-8]. (Lower left:) "Melita insula, D. Pauli | naufragio nobilis". [The isle of Malta, well known because of the shipwreck of Saint Paul.]
(The medallion in the upper left shows the conversion of Saulus on his way to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9). God appears in the clouds and directs rays of light to him. Blinded, Saulus falls from his horse and is helped back to his feet. In the background to the right, two men lead the blinded Saulus to Damascus, which can be seen in the background.
The medallion top right shows Paulus being shipwrecked on the coast of Malta (Acts 27: 39-44). The victims light a fire. When St. Paul throws extra wood into the fire, a snake bites his hand. He shakes it off into the fire without being hurt, which leads the by-standers to think he is divine (Acts 28: 1-6). Vuylsteke (1983, Vol. 1, p.132) cannot point to an example of these scenes and suggests that Ortelius may have designed them himself).

Plate size: 352 x 502 mm.
Scale: 1 : 1,500,000
Identification number: Ort 181 (Koeman/Meurer: 1P, Karrow: 1/129, vdKrogtAN: 0850H:31).

Occurrence in Theatrum editions and page number:
1579L2Add70a (250 copies printed) (last line, centred like one line above it: rit, aliquando tentare non denegamus.),
1579L(A)91 (250 copies printed) (last line, centred like one line above it: rit, aliquando tentare non denegamus.),
1579L(B)91 (250 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: tare non denegamus.),
1580/1589G91 (350 copies printed) (last line, centred like 4 lines above it, in Gothic script like the entire text: wollen.),
1581F91 (400 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: ques ą present,comme nous pouvons sēauoir.),
1584L114 (750 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: denegamns.),
1587F110 (250 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: sēauoir.),
1592L23 (525 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: prorogauerit , aliquando tentaturos promittimus.),
1595Ld or 114 (500 copies printed) (last line, left aligned, italic: "rursus ą Nerone captus vltimo eius imperij anno,qui Domini erat 70.Roma interficitur".),
1598F117 (525 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: ques ą present, comme nous pouuons sēauoir.),
1598/1610/1613D88 (100 copies printed) (last line, in Gothic script like the entire text, centred like 3 lines above it: ons Heeren 70.tot Roomen ghedoodt.),
1601Liiij (200 copies printed) (6th line from the bottom, in cursive script, ends "Phœnicen"; 10th line from the bottom ends: "tan-" ; last line, left aligned, in cursive script like most of the text: "rursus ą Nerone captus vltimo eius imperij anno,qui Domini erat 70. Romę interficitur".),
1602G3 (250 copies printed) (last line, centred like 4 lines above it, in Gothic script like the entire text: wollen.),
1603Liiij (300 copies printed) (text and page number, but not typesetting, identical to 1609/1612L/S; 6th line from the bottom, in cursive script, ends "Phœnicen"; 10th line from the bottom ends: "prophetat" ; last line, left aligned, in italic script like most of the text: "rursus ą Nerone captus vltimo eius imperij anno, qui Domini erat 70. Romę interficitur".),
1606Eiiij (300 copies printed) (last line, full width, partly italic like the rest of the text, first text page: "called" Stancon, "as" Bellonius "affirmeth, or" Lango, "as" Bordonius, Volatteranus, "and" Sophianus "have written) thence the | day") ; last line second text page, left aligned, in cursive script like most of the text: "yeare after the birth of Christ".),
1608I/1612Iiiij (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: Roma decapitato.),
1609/1612Siiij or xxjx (300 copies printed) (text in Latin) =
1609/1612Liiij ((300 copies printed) text and page number, but not typesetting, identical to 1603L; 6th line from the bottom in italic script, ends "por-" ; last line, left aligned, in italic script: "rursus ą Nerone captus vltimo eius imperij anno, qui Domini erat 70. Romę interficitur".),
1624ParergonL = 1641Sv but in Latin (1025 copies printed) (last line second column, in cursive script like most of the text: "interficitur.").

Approximate number of copies printed: 7125.

States: Ort 181.1 as described.
181.2: between 1587 and 1592, the entire plate was revised. The place name "Phestia" on the South coast of Crete was changed to "Phestū" and "Lazęa" was added on this South coast as well. On the coast of Palestina, "Ptolemais" was added; to "Heroum" on the Northern tip of the Red Sea "urbs" was added. "Balagea" on the river Euphrat was changed to "Balatœa" and "Belgijnea" near Babylon was changed to "Belgnęa". There were also numerous ornamental changes: coast lines were somewhat extended.The picture upper left received additional hachuring. especially below the horse front left; in the top right picture, the blank part upper right has now been filled in.
Ort 181.3: in the 1624 Parergon edition, "Corographicus" has been corrected to "Chorographicus", and stippling has been added behind the sea name MARIS MEDITERRANEI PARS, but not behind other sea names.

Cartographic sources: Mercator's 1554 map of Europe, and a compilation of maps displaying St. Paul's travels by Orontus Fineus of Dauphine in France, Peter Apian, Mark Jordan, Christiaan Schrot and B. Arias Montanus of Sevilla.

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