Digital library IV: Bartolus's Tractatus de fluminibus seu Tyberiadis

After beginning the digital library of historical environmental law with works from the last few hundred years, we go back in time this week to the fourteenth century and the Tractatus de fluminibus seu Tyberiadis (1355, 1576 edition (source of the images in this post) here) of the great medieval Italian jurist Bartolus of Saxoferrato.

As Bartolus explained at the beginning of the work, he was inspired to write the book while on vacation near Perugia, despite his attempts to enjoy his vacation and stay away from legal scholarship:
This river [Tiber]... circles that splendid mountain on which the city of Perugia is situated and while flowing a great distance through its district, the river itself is bordered by plains, hills and similar places. These places are also well inhabited, enhanced with many beautiful buildings and luscious orchards bearing lots of fruit. Thus, when I was resting from my lecturing and in order to relax, was travelling towards a certain villa situated near Perugia above the Tiber, I began to contemplate the bends of the Tiber, its alluvion, the islands arising in the river, the changes of the river-bed as well as a host of unanswered questions which I had come across in practice. There were also other matters, which came to mind from my own observance of the river. I began to consider in various ways what the legal position was, not believing that I would take it any further, lest not to spoil my vacation, the reason why I had come. And thus while I slept that night, I had a vision near dawn that a certain man, whose countenance I found gentle, came to me and he said the following: "Write down what you have begun to think about and since there is a need for illustration, provide mathematical diagrams: Look! I have brought you a reed pen to measure and draw circles as well as a ruler to draw lines and to construct diagrams". I told him to spare me from illustrating legal matters with geometrical diagrams, since were I to do that, there would be many more scoffers than supporters. Then, looking at me with a troubled countenance, he said: "Bartolus, I know that you have something (in you) of God, but are you indeed afraid to be ridiculed for your service? 
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