The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1884-02-14
A Biblical Relic.

Among the collection of rare old
books preserved from the gradually
decaying San Carlos Mission church
and brought to this city by Father A.
ID. Casanova, of Monterey, who is in
terestlng himself in the work of the
restoration of the half-ruined edifice, is
bible printed in the sixteenth century
and which is indeed an interesting relic
of that period of crude book-making
This bible, which is printed in Latin,
was published by William Roullio, un-
der authority of Charles TX, Christian
King of France, granted May /, 1872.
This book is bound in tough calf-skin,
in what was probably the highest style
of the binders art of the time. 1t is
about eight inches long, five inches
wide, and three inches thick. No let
tering other than the words ''Biblia
Sacra, appeared on the cover, but
there is an attempt at ornamentation
on the book in the shape of bronze
stamping. On the fy-leaf is the name
of Joseph Nicolas de Caneta," in old
time chirography, and below this, in
more modern lettering, "De la Mission
del Carmelo. On the title-page is d
curious design, probably the artists
masterpiece. Two burly human fig-
ures are represented as bearing upon
their heads piece of masonry, upon
which are reclining two cherubs, their
backs only being presented to view.
The title of the sacred work is placed
in the center of the page, with explain
atory remarks and the assurance that
the book is ''most elegantly illustrat-
ed. Then the name of the publisher
and the date of the printing-15S1-are
given. After long preface and pro-
logue, each chapter OF which is ended
in what printers term the pyramid
style, comes the book of Genesis, with
an appropriate cut, in which is seen
God speaking to Adam in the garden
of Eden. Goats, horses, elephants,
camels, and the birds of the air are
shown. together with the sun, moon,
and stars, crowded in somewhat dis
proportionately, it is true, but they are
''all there" Other pictures are Adam
and Ewes sin, their expulsion from the
garden, Abraham offering up Isaac,
the animals going into very square
looking ark, the flood, which, accord
inc TO the artists idea, was fastened
by the falling of raindrops of immense
size and of the shape of sky-rockets.
Then follow a great number of illustra-
tions of bible scenes, in which Isaac
blesses Jacob leaning out of bed at
least ten feet wide and sees angels as
cending into heaven on ladder about
eight feet high. Often there are two
illustrations on page in the first part
of the book, but toward the latter part
the artist grew tired and the woodcuts
are accordingly sparse. How Moses
managed to be secreted in clump of
five or six bulrushes might perhaps be
explained by the picture-maker, but
how the latter came to place the plague
OF frogs in an ancient Egyptian city,
constructed on modern Roman archi-
tectural plans, is an impenetrable mys-
terry. Interest is added to the latter
cut by the representation of dog in
the foreground, who is apparently
much frightened by the presence of an
enormous DuIIIrog on ms DaoK. Inere
are two or three maps included in the
work, which show the geographical
knowledge of the people of three hun
dred years ago as being comparatively
limited Full swing is given by the ar
tist to his imagination of the unearthly
in the book of Revelations, which is
more profusely illustrated than any
other of the New Testament books.
The paper and printing are good spec
linens of that kind of work in the six
teenth century, the type being clear
and readable, though the side notes are
not so numerous as in more modern
editions. As relic, this well-pre-
served ancient specimen is most inter-
esting and valuable. .-,SG12 francisco
Chronicle.