Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1889-08-29
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THE VATICAN LIBRARY.
One Of the Most Interesting Of the
SIGHTS of the EtarnaI Cltu

| One Of the Most Interesting OF tho
Sights of the Eternal City.
One Of the most interesting sights in
Rome, says letter from the Italian
capital is the vatican library. 1t is
said to contain 23,5S0 manuscripts,
large proportion of which are oriental
and Greek. 1t practically dates from
the beginning of the seventeenth cen-
fury, when the most important collec-
tiOns were embodied in it, The visitor
on first entering the vatican finds him
self in brightly, not to say gaudily
painted room, on the floor OF which,
dotted at intervals, arc brightly paint
ed cupboards. In these cupboards-
safe, commodious dry receptacles-
the great mass OF manuscripts which
form the glory of the library are stored.
Every here and there among the cup
boards are various works of art, gifts
to different pOpes, and glass-covered
cases and tables, such as are TO be
found in other libraries, contain such
Illuminated manuscripts and other
treasures as are best suited for exhibit
ton.
The cases and tables are carefully
covered up with wooden shutters.
Among the treas ures in the cases are
not only the famous Terence, several
famous Nirgils, the Palatine Nirgi!
among them, and many other manu-
scripts OF the classics, but also the
world-famous manuscript of the Greek
bible, the wCll-knOwn but little studied
| CodeX-V aticanus.
This famous manuscript has hithcr-
to been so jealousy guarded that even
profesSed scholars have found it difficult
TO obtain more than passing glimpse
OF it. More liberal counsels have now,
however, come to prevail. One other
treasure also to be found in the same
case is the palimpScst copy, discovered
| by Cardinal Nal, of Ciccro's Grafton,
| "De Rcpublica." The most interesting
| feature in this interesting fragment is
the complete success with which tho
ancient underlying writing has been
recovered 1t is hardly possible to be-
| lieve that the clear, wcll-defined letters
before you have been covered up with
other writing for perhaps 1000
years.
The great hall which forms the main
building of the library terminates in a
series Of corridors of enormous length.
On the floor OF these are arranged the
various presents given to the present
| pope last year on the attainment of his
| jubilee. All along the wall are vases fill.
ed with countless and almost inestima-
bic treasures. In one is collection OF
articles gathered from tho catacombs
and early christian tombs; in another
collection of chalices and patens and
other early church plate; after this
wonderful series of specimens of the
early Florentine painters, from Gina
| bue downward, arranged chronologic-
| ally; opposite these again is small
| collection OF the most lovely paintings,
some OF them carly Christian paintings
| from the catacombs; others heather
works found from time to time in the
neighbOrhood Of Rome.
There is another series of most in
tcrcsting rooms-the Borgia rooms, as
they are called, built for Alexander
vi. These rooms are now devoted to
| printed books, which, us in an ordi-
nary library, are here arranged on
| shelves along the wall. The ceilings
are most beautifully painted by Pin
| turicchio. The pictures seem singu-
larry beautiful. particularly the series
representing scenes from the Savior's
| life.