Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-12-07
THE VATICAN LIBRARY.
some Of Its Historic Treasures
[From the Catholic Hevlew.

The following brief account, obtained
from reliable non-Catholic source, OF
the principal treasures in the Vatican
Library will be interesting at the present
time, when Pope Leo 8 recent letter again
calls attention to the treasures OF that
great storehouse OF learning.
The Vatican Library may be consider
ed to have been founded by Nicholas V.
1447) who transferred to his new palace
the manuscripts which had been collected
in the Laterau. The library at the death
of Nicholas is said to have contained nine
Thousand manuscripts, but many: OF them
we're dispersed by his successor, Calixtus
III. These losses were not repaired until
the time of Sixtus w., whose zeal in re-
storing and augmenting the library is Gel
ebrated by Ariosto md by Pladcletina,
who was appointed its librarian about IA.
80. The present building was erected by
Sixtus V. in 1888, from the designs Of
Fontana, new apartment having become
necessary to receive the collection made
by his immediate predecessors, and parti-
cularly by Leo x, who, like his father,
Lorenzo the Magnificent, has sent agents,
into distant countries to collect manu-
scripts.
The celebrity Of the library dates pro-
perly from the close of the sixteenth GEN.
tury, when the muniicence of the popes
was aided by the acquisition of other i'm
portant collections. The first was that of
Fulvins Ursinus Of the benedictine mon
astery OF Robbie, composed chiefly of
palimpsests that is, manuscripts which
have been written upon twice, the first
writing having been erased to make place
for the second. The library then con-
tanned 10, 900 manuscripts, Of which $500
were Latin and 2160 were Greek. The
Palatine Library, belonging to the Elec-
tor Palatine, captured at Heidelberg by
lie Tilley, and presented to Gregory XIV,
in 1921, by Duke MaIimilian OF Bavaria,
was the next accession. 1t contained 1885
! manuscripts, 1856 of which were Latin
! and 432 Greek. In 1868 the Vatican re.
ceived the library Of Urbino, founded by
Duke FEDERICO, whose passion for books
was so great that at the taking of Volterra
! IN l742, he reserved nothing but Heb
. rev Bible for his share OF the spoil
This collection enriched the Vatican witt
I'LL Greek and Latin manuscripts. Ii
!, 1900 the Bibliotheca Alexandria, tn,
collection of Christina, queen of Sweden
was added to the library it comprehend
!, ed all the literary treasures tpken by he]
e father. Gustavus Adolphus at Prague
, Wortzburg and Rremen, and amounted t,
\ 2291 manuscripts, OF which 2lO1 wer
Latin and 100 Greek. Clement XII, il
o the beginning Of the last century, pre-
sented fifty-fve Greek manuscripts to tn
G collection, and in TAG it received tn
= splendid library of the Ottobuoni family
containing 1862 manuscripts, OF whic
!, 1891 were Latin and 474 were Greek
II abont the same time it was augmented b
+ 166 manuscripts from the library Of tn
o Marquis Capponi. The last addition G
Importance was that Of 1862 Greek manu-
u scripts from the convent OF San Basili,
a at 1rotto Ferrats. At the peace OF 1Sl
u th' late king Of Prussia, al the suegsstio