Cartographica Neerlandica Background for Ortelius Map No. 198

Title: BELGII VETERIS | TYPVS | "Ex conatibus geographicis Abrahami Ortelij". | HAC LITTERARVM FORMA, VETVSTIORA PINXIMVS. | Quæ paulo erant recentiora, his notavimus. | "Nulla autem antiquitate illustria, hoc charactere | Recentissima vero, his vernaculis ab alijs distinximus". [A map of the ancient Low Countries, from the geographical efforts of Abraham Ortelius. With this type (CAPITALS) we recorded the oldest Roman names. Those of later times with this type (lower case). Names that do not derive from antiquity with this type (lower case cursive). While for modern names we use this type (phantasy lower case cursive).(Oval cartouche upper right:) S[enatus].P[opulus].Q[ue].A[ntwerpiensis]. | PATRIAM AN:|TIQVITATI A SE | RESTITVTAM | DEDICABAT | LVB. MER. | ABRAHAMVS | ORTELIVS | CIVIS [round on edge of cartouche:] NESCIO QVA NATALE SOLVM DVLCEDINE CVNCTOS DVCIT, ET IMMEMORES NON SINIT ESSE SVI. (quote from Ovidius' "Ex Ponto" 1,3,5). [With pleasure the citizen Abraham Ortelius dedicates this map of his native country to the senate and people of Antwerp; I do not know what has a sweet hold on all the native soil; it does not tolerate oblivion]. (Cartouche lower right:) "1594 | Cum priuilegio | Imperiali et Bel:|gico, ad de:|cennium". [With an imperial and Belgian privilege for ten years]. (Cartouche left bottom:) "Prisca vetustatis Belgæ monumenta recludit | Ortelius, priscas dum legit historias. | Collige prima soli natalis semina Belga, | Et de quo veteri sis novus ipse vide. | Favolius caneb". [By studying books on ancient history, Ortelius rediscovered the antique monuments of the Netherlands in Roman times, Collect, reader, the first grains of your native soil, and learn from which ancestors you are the offspring. From the poetry of Favolius] (a friend of Ortelius, physician and poet).

Plate size: 382 x 490 mm.
Scale: 1 : 1,400,000
Identification number: Ort 198. (Meurer: 33P/I, not in Koeman or Karrow, vdKrogtAN: 3000H:31B).

Occurrence in Theatrum editions and page number:
1595LG (500 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: Virgilius Georg.1 [italic:]"Belgica vel molli melius feres esseda coll."[end italic] Lucan.lib.1. [italic:] "Et docilis rector rostrati Belga couini".),
1601Lxiij or xiiij (200 copies printed) (13th line from the top begins: guntur : ; last line, left aligned: Martialis in Xenijs, (cursive lettering:) "Cæretana mihi fiet, vel massa licebit, De Menapis lauti de perasone vorent".),
1602G13 (250 copies printed) (last line, left aligned, in Gothic script like the entire text: gleichen zu Graitz in Styrien/vnd zu Neaples.),
1603Lxiiij (300 copies printed) (text and page number, but not typesetting, identical with 1609/1612S/L. 13th line from the top begins: haec ; last line, left aligned: Martialis in Xeniis. "Cæretana mihi fiet, vel massa licebit, De Menapis lauti de petasone vorent".),
1606Exiiij (300 copies printed) (last line, italic like the bottom half of the text, left aligned: "vel massa licebit, De Menapis lauti de petasone vorent".),
1608/1612Ixiiij (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned, in cursive script like two thirds of the page: "pii,che van sotto nome di Giambons do Maienco, cioè Magontia".),
1609/1612L/Sxiiij (600 copies printed) (this text and page number, but not the typesetting, identical with 1603L. 13th line from the top begins: Neruiis ; both 1609/1612S and 1609/1612L editions have text in Latin, last line, left aligned: Martialis in Xeniis. "Cæretana mihi fiet, vel massa licebit, De Menapis lauti de petasone vorent".),
1619 BertiusYY (100 copies printed) (Some copies use Ortelius' Ort198, others use Kærius' Belgii Veteris Typus, but all use the text of the 1609/1612L/S text, which was reset); (last line first text page, cursive, right aligned: "tacere" ; last line second text page, cursive, centred: "De Menapis, lauti de petasone vorent".),
1624LParergon/1641Sxviij (1025 copies printed) (last line second column first text page, in cursive script: "quo maximè vtuntur ad aucupium. Humi decumbunt | etiam-" ; last line second column second text page, centred, in cursive script: "De Menapis: lauti de petasone vorent").

Approximate number of copies printed: 3575.

States: 198.1 only.

Cartographic sources: made by Ortelius on the basis of classical sources. The ones he mentions, notably Cæsar, deal with peoples and names, rather than with the geography of the area.

References: H.A.M. van der Heijden "Ortelius and the Netherlands", p. 271-290 in: M. van den Broecke, P. van der Krogt and P. Meurer (eds.) "Abraham Ortelius and the First Atlas", HES Publishers, 1998. H.A.M. van der Heijden "Old Maps of the Netherlands, 1548-1794, Canaletto, Alphen aan de Rijn, Netherlands, 1998, map 28, p. 200-202, map 42, p. 245-246; H.A.M. van der Heijden (2004) "De bataafse mythe in de cartografie", in "Caert-Thresoor" 23.2, p. 37-41.

Remarks: this map replaces Ort 197, which bears the date 1584, in 1595L.

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