Letters on the controversy of the Alfonsine tables and refutation maintained between D.Vicente Mut Armengol and the circle of the Constable of Castile (De Sole Alfonsino Restituto).

Vicente Mut Armengol (Palma, 1614 – 1687), was a notable Spanish astronomer, historian, engineer and military man. He is the author of a Historia del Reyno de Mallorca (1650), second volume of the Historia General del Reyno Baleárico initiated by Juan Dameto. In this book Mut covers the period from 1311 to 1650, including two chapters specifically dedicated to King Sancho of Mallorca and Raimundo Lulio.

He left unpublished a volume where he made a detailed description of the Balearic Islands. He made a map of Mallorca, oriented towards the south, where he outlined the cities and towns, castles and colleges (1683). He wrote several works on military subjects, such as Arquitectura militar, primera parte de las fortificaciones regulares y irregulares (1664), Adnotaciones sobre los compendios de la artillería (1668), Instrucciones para la milicia y sus oficiales que se tiene que observar en caso de invasión o tocar arma en la isla de Mallorca (1683). He also published Principe en la guerra y en la paz (1640), about the emperor Justiniano I, a Tabla sobre los espacios horarios para fabricar los reloxes de declinante en la altura del polo de Mallorca (undated), Relación del estafermo que se corrió en Mallorca (1646), about the fights between Canamunts and Canavalls, Satisfacción por el Reyno de Mallorca y por sus síndicos a la información y memorial que se ha presentado a SM… (undated), Relación del estafermo que se corrió en Mallorca (1646), Satisfacción por el Reyno de Mallorca y por sus síndicos a la información y memorial que se ha presentado a SM… (undated), Relación de la ejecución de la ejecución de la talla impuesta en Mallorca sobre los bienes de realengo en el año 1654 por los gastos del contagio (undated), Vida de la venerable madre sor Isabel Cifra (1655), Commentarium anni MDCLXV (undated) and Observationes motuum caelestium cum adnotationibus astronomicis et meridianorum differentiis ab eclypsibus deductis (1666).

He helped to dismantle superstitious ideas about comets by explaining them as a natural phenomenon, since until his discoveries it was considered that they always announced catastrophes. He also introduced the figure of Galileo in Spain. He is considered one of the most important scientific observers of the time and for this reason the Italian astronomer Giovanni Battista Riccioli baptized a crater of the Moon with his name, Mutus. He left behind three treatises on astronomy published in Palma, which are De sole alfonsino restituto (1649), Observationes motuum caelestium (1666) and Comentarum anni MDCLXV (1666). This last document, of twenty pages, combats the apocalyptic beliefs related to the stars with tails, explaining the nature of a comet of the years 1664 and 1665, which important personalities of that time related to misfortunes.4 In the booklet he argues why they were not rays of the Sun, discarding magical, terrifying and misfortune-predicting components. He also made several investigations on stellar distances, planets, the moon and the Sun. He was convinced that rational knowledge came from direct observation. He was one of the first figures of astronomy in Spain at the time, a staunch defender of observation and experience. He corresponded with all the great European astronomers of the time and was the first Spanish historian to cite Galileo’s work.

Factitious volume composed of a printed volume and seven manuscripts in folio and two in octavo, of which the last six are unpublished manuscripts by Vicente Mut.