DiotimosReading Desk

A marginal reading of “most uncertain”

incertissimum

The basilisk margin prints incertissimum, a superlative meaning “most uncertain,” although the adjacent body asserts the poison’s unsurpassed potency with great confidence.

From the book

Nine Books on the Nature of Things

Attributed to Paracelsus · Diotimos Editions · 2026

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Meaning

The basilisk margin prints incertissimum, a superlative meaning “most uncertain,” although the adjacent body asserts the poison’s unsurpassed potency with great confidence. The edition preserves this unexpected reading rather than silently substituting a more convenient adjective. It is a useful reminder that a marginal summary is its own historical textual unit. The apparent inconsistency remains unresolved in the supplied edition.

Places to read

  1. Book 1 · Generation · Original marginal note 18Latin“Basilisci venenum incertissimum.”