Matthias Ringmann: Grammatica Figurata

GENDERS--GENERA

(p. 12a)
CVIVS GENERIS: Si dictio proposita fuerit masculini generis Respond. Masculini: quia praeponitur ei in declinatione hic/ ut hic magister: eijciaturque charta in qua curatus cum puero masculo. Si foeminini: quia praeponitur ei haec ut haec musa: et proijcienda charta in qua curatus cum puella. Si neutri: quia praeponitur ei hoc/ ut hoc scamnum eijciendaque charta ubi curato adiungitur scamnum/quod est neutrum. Neque enim masculus neque foemella: ergo neutrum. Hinc et a Donato ponitur pro exemplo neutrius generis.
Si omnis: quia praeponitur ei hic et haec et hoc: ut hic et haec et hoc foelix: et eijiciendus curatus cum puero et puella iunctim scamno insidentibus. Si communis: quia praeponitur ei hic et haec/ut hic et haec sacerdos: proijciendusque curatus cum hermaphrodito quodam/ qui a Graecis vocibus viru ac mulierem significantibus etiam amorogymos appellari solet Cuiuimodi fuisse Scythonem Ovidius in methamorphosi hiis verbis testatur.

Non loquar ut quondam naturae iure novato
Ambiguus fuerit modo vir modo foemina Scython

Si epiconi: quia sub uno articulo utrumque sexum significat: ut hic passer/haec mustela: et eijciatur charta ubi circa curatum indicatur haec mustela/ per quam istiusmodi promiscuum genus insinuare libuit.

OF WHICH GENDER: If the given word should be of the masculine gender, respond "Masculine", because hic [the masculine pronoun] is placed before it, as in hic magister [this teacher]. Also throw out the card on which the curate is with the masculine boy. If of the feminine gender, because haec [the feminine pronoun] is placed before it, as in haec musa [this muse]. Also throw out the card on which the curate is with a girl. If it's of neither gender, because hoc [the neuter pronoun] is placed before it, as hoc scamnum [this bench], also throw out the card where the bench (which is neuter) is joined with the curate. For it is neither masculine nor female, therefore neuter. The bench is used by Donatus too as an example of the neuter gender.
If every gender, because hic and haec and hoc are placed before it, as in hic et haec et hoc foelix [happy (male) or (female) or (neuter)]. And the curate should be thrown out with the boy and girl sitting together on the bench. If common, because both hic and haec are placed before it, as in hic et haec sacerdos, Throw also the curate with a certain hermaphrodite, who is called from the Greek words meaning man and woman, also called amorogynos [apparently poor Greek for androgynos] Ovid in the Metamorphosis [sic] alludes that Scython was of this type with these words:

I will not tell of how once, when nature's law was overturned
Ambiguous Scython was now a man now a woman.

If epikoine (communal) , because it stands for both sexes with one article, as hic passer [this sparrow, which can refer to male or female sparrows] or haec mustela [this weasel, which can refer to male or female weasels] Let also the card where this weasel is depicted around the curate be thrown out. The weasel is chosen to suggest mixed gender of this type.

(page 12b-13a)
Non autem existimavimus inconveniens anteaque ad alia progrediamur paucissimis verbis respondere tetricis Catonibus: quibus ita insedit Hipolyti Penelopesque pudor/ ut veluti rem spurcam damnandum putent quod partium declinabilium genera expresserimus per imagines ubi sexus manifestis signis cognoscitur. Abeant queso contenti isti critici de virtute loquentes hoc tributum reverentiae et pudori: quod non pro genere masculino depinxerimus rubrum hortorum custodem Hellespontiacum illum Priapum/ qui membrosior aequo fertur esse: necque etiam pro foeminino nudam Venerem aut aliquid illecebrosius: quod prospicientem ad libidinem provocaret. Fecimus pueros depingi non ab scondentes pudibunda ad manifestam sexus discretionem quod cum decere possit infantes/ adultos vel maxime dedeceret. Quare si isti tetrici non velint quiescere vadant in templa/ et puerum salvatorem e sinu virginis matris tollant: ut eum vel circumscindant denuo vel (iuxta praeceptum evangelicum) lumbos ipsius praecingant: cum a summis opificibus nudus sine omni perizomate formari soleat. Sed hec dixisse supervacuaneum putabitur. procedamus nunc ad alia.

Before moving on to other topics, we did not think it inconvenient to respond with a few words to those harsh Catos. They are so endowed with Hippolytus' and Penelope's shame, that they think this book should be condemned as a disgusting thing because we've illustrated the genders of the declinable parts of speech with pictures where the sex can be recognized by obvious signs. Please let those so-called critics of virtue go off content noting this testament to reverence and modesty, namely that we didn't depict the masculine gender with the red Hellespontic guardian , the famous Priapus, who is said to be more endowed than the norm. Nor for the femiline gender did we depict a nude Venus or something even more disreputable which would entice the viewer to lust. We have made boys be depicted without hiding their private parts for the clear distinction of their sex, which can be decent in the case of infants, but is extremely indecent for adults. But if these gloomy critics won't keep quiet, let them go to the churches and snatch the boy savior from his virgin mother's lap, so they can either circumcise him again or gird his loins according to the evangelic precept. For he is usually depicted by the best artists nude without any loincloth at all. But it will be considered superfluous to have said all this--let us move on to other things