Insets – Les Globes de Mercator de l'UNIL

The terrestrial globe has seven text insets. Most are actually captions, a bit longer than usual, dealing with geographic features. Two others provide information on the globe’s design.

SignatureDedicationScaleEuropean citiesCaptions

First there is the inset in which Mercator signed the globe as his creation and indicated the year it was made (or rather the year the copper printing plates were made).

Edebat Gerardus Mercator Rupelmundanus cum privilegio Ces. Maiestatis ad an. sex Louanii an. 1541

Then there is an inset dedicating the work to the Lord of Granvelle, Nicolas Perrenot.

Perrenot was an important figure in his time. He was chancellor in the court of Charles V and even a close adviser to the emperor. By 1541 he had held the position of guardian of the seals for nine years. On the globe, above Mercator’s dedication, are the Lord of Granvelle’s coat of arms and the words Sic visum superis (“Thus you will see the world from above”).

Illustriss[imo] D[omi]no Nicolao Perrenoto Domino a Granvella Sac[rae] Caesareae Ma[iesta]ti a consiliis primo dedicatu[m]

A third inset can be compared to the scale indicated on present-day maps. Given the wide range of units of measure used in his time, Mercator provided a key for converting some of them.

Si quorum voles locoru[m] distantia[m] cognoscere lector, circinu[m] eoru[m]de[m] distantiae adaptatu[m] in aequatore[m] transferto hic tibi q[ua]libet particula i[n]tercepta mille aria referet Hyp:18, Gal:20, Germ:15, Milia pas:60, Stadia:500

If you, reader, wish to know the distance to certain places, measure it as adjusted by the compass placed on the equator; the distance will be 18 Spanish miles, 20 French miles, 15 German miles, 60,000 podes, 500 stadia.

Given the density of place names in Europe, Mercator had to list certain cities in a separate inset, replacing them with a mere number on the globe.

Europae aliquot insigniorum civitatum nomina, quae suis inferi locis angustia operis prohibuit

Here are the names of a few famous cities in Europe that lack of space prevented Mercator from indicating below their position.

Albionis (England)
1 Saltzburgum (Salisbury)
2 Bristou (Bristol)
3 Vestchester
4 Chester (Chester)
5 Jorc (York)

Scotiae (Scotland)
6 Edinburgum regia (Edinburgh)
7 Catnes

Hyberniae (Ireland)
1 Unflor
2 Solli
3 Dondal (Dundalk)
4 Dubelyn (Dublin)
5 Wacfort (Wateford)
6 Lamerich (Limerick)
7 Galuei (Galway)

Hispaniae (Spain)
1 Bermeo (Bermeo)
2 Soria olim Numantia (Soria formerly Numance)
3 Burgus (Burgos)
4 Compostella (Compostelle)
5 Marbella (Marbella)
6 Bera
7 Carthago nova (Cartagena)
8 Valentia (Valencia)
9 Tarracon (Tarragona)
10 Barsalona (Barcelona)

Galliae (Gaule)
1 Monspessulanus (Montpellier)
2 Tullium (Toul)
3 Roari (Rouen)
4 Verodunum (Verdun)
5 Sedunum (Sion)
6 Basilea (Basel)
7 Colonia Agrippina (Cologne)
8 Gandanum (Ghent)
9 Amsterodamum (Amsterdam)

Germaniae (Germany)
1 Marcheburgum olim Amasia
3 Francofordia (Frankfurt)
4 Augusta Vindelicorum (Augsburg)
6 Norenberga (Nuremberg)
7 Praga (Prague)
8 Erfordia (Erfurt)
9 Brunsuiga (Brunswick)
10 Hamburgum (Hambourg)
11 Copenhaga metropolis Daniae (Copenhagen capital of the Danes)
12 Arhusen (Aarhus)
13 Schlesibyc (Schelswig)
14 Lubecum (Lübeck)
15 Stetin (Szczecin)
16 Brandenburgum (Brandebourg)

Italiae (Italy)
1 Patavium (Padova)
2 Aquilegia (Aquila)
3 Florentia (Florence)
4 Perusium (Perugia)
5 Sessa
6 Policastro (Policastro Bussentino)
7 Brundusium (Brindisi)
8 Adria

Greciae (Greece)
1 Messena (Messina)
2 Corinthus (Corinth)
3 Athenae (Athens)
4 Ambracia nunc Narta (Ambracie now Nartë)
5 Thessalonica (Thessaloniki)
6 Philippipolis
7 Adrianopolis (Edirne)

Finally, three insets contain more detailed captions: one in Europe, one in Asia and and one near Antarctica.

Albion & Hybernia insulae communi nomine Britannicae vocantur

The islands of Albion and Hybernia, commonly referred to as the British Isles.

Mangi nobilissima provincia 9 habet in se regna & 1200 civitates, evicta est a Tartaroru[m] Imp[eratore] Cublai anno 1268. Inter Mangi aute[m] et Zipangri insulam 7448 numeratas ait a nautis insulas M. Paul. Venetus lib. 3. cap. 8.

Mangi, the noblest of the provinces containing nine kingdoms and 1200 towns and cities, was defeated by the Emperor of the Tartars, Kublai, in 1268. Paulus Venetus says in book 3 chapter 8 that between Mangi and the island of Cipango the sailors counted 7448 islands.

Insulas hic uspiam esse testatur M. Paul. Venetus in quibus certo anni tempore ruc avis apparet tam vastae magnitudinis ut elephantem in sublime attollat

Paulus Venetus states that there are islands somewhere in this area. At certain times of the year one can observe the rokh, a bird so large that by accounts it can lift an elephant into the air.