The Care of Books

by John Willis Clark

Master Giovannino of Florence and Master Marco his brother, a carpenter, received xxv ducats in part payment for the desks which are being made in the library now added by His Holiness our Master, 18 July, 1480[388].

These workmen received 100 ducats up to 7 April, 1481, but the account was not then settled. Up to this period the bookcases had cost the large sum of 580 ducats or, if the value of the ducat be taken at six shillings and sixpence, £188 10s. of our money.

The purchase of chains began in January 1476[389]. It is worth notice that so simple an article as a chain for a book could not be bought in Rome, but had to be sent for from Milan; where, by the way, the dues exacted by the government made the purchase irksome and costly. The total number of chains bought was 1728, and the total cost 102 ducats, or rather more than £33. The rings were found to be too small, and were altered in Rome. Nothing is said about the place from which the rods came (ferramenta quibus catenæ innituntur).

In 1477 (14 April) "John the chain-maker (Joannes fabricator catenarum)" supplies "48 iron rods on which the books are strung on the seats[390]" and also 48 locks, evidently connected with the same number of rods supplied before. In the same year a key-maker (magister clavium) supplies 22 locks for the seats and cupboards in the Bibliotheca secreta[391]; and in 1480, when the Bibliotheca pontficia was being fitted up, keys, locks, chains, and other ironwork were supplied by Bernardino, nephew of John of Milan[392].

For further information we must turn to the catalogues. For my present purpose the first of these[393] is that by Platina, of which I have already spoken, dated 14 September, 1481. It is a small folio volume, written on vellum, with gilt edges, and in plain binding that may be original. The first page has a lovely border of an enlaced pattern with the arms of Sixtus IV. in a circle at the bottom.

The compiler of the catalogue goes through the library case by case, noting (at least in the Latin Library) the position of the case, the subjects of the books contained in it, and their titles. This is succeeded by an enumeration of the number of volumes, so as to shew, in a couple of pages, how many the whole Library contained. MM. Müntz and Fabre print this enumeration, but, so far as I know, the catalogue itself has not as yet been printed by any one. For my present purpose I shall combine the headings of the catalogue, the subjects, and the number of the volumes, as follows:

Inventarium Bibliothecæ Palatinæ Divi Sexti Quarti Pont. Max.

[I. Latin Library.]
Ad sinistram ingredientibus
In primo banco. [Bibles and Commentaries]							51
In secundo banco. Hieronymus. Augustinus							55
In tertio banco. Augustinus. Ambrosius. Gregorius							47
In quarto banco. Ioannes Chrysostomus							50
In quinto banco. Thomas							47
In sexto banco. In Theologia. In divino officio							54
In septimo banco. Ius canonicum							43
In octauo banco. Ius canonicum							41
In nono banco. Ius civile							42
							——	430
In primo banco ad dextram ingredientibus. Philosophi							53
In secundo banco. Astrologi. In Medicina							48
In tertio banco. Poetæ							41
In quarto banco. Oratores							43
In quinto banco. Historici							33
In sexto banco. Historici ecclesiastici							48
In septimo banco. Grammatici							47
							——	313
[II. Greek Library.]
In primo banco Bibliothecæ Grecæ. Testamentum vetus et novum							42
In secundo banco. Auctores clariores [Fathers]							31
In tertio banco. Auctores clariores							46
In quarto banco. Auctores clariores							49
In quinto banco. Ius civile et canonicum							58
In sexto banco. In Philosophia							59
In septimo banco. Oratores et Rhetores							57
In octauo banco. Historici. Poetæ et Grammatici							58
							——	400
[III. Inner Library.]
[A. Banchi.]
In primo banco Bibliothecæ Secretæ. [Bibles, Fathers, etc.]							29
In secundo banco. In Theologia							37
In tertio banco. In Philosophia							41
In quarto banco. Ius canonicum							20
In quinto banco. Concilia							34
In sexto banco. In Astrologia. In Hebraico. In Dalmatico. In Arabico							29
							——	190
[B. Armarium.]
In primo armario Bibliothecæ Secretæ. Libri sacri et in divino officio							173
In secundo armario. Ius canonicum. Ius civile							148
In tertio armario. Expositiones. In sententiis. Poetæ Grammatici et Historici Greci							242
In quarto armario. In medicina. Mathematici et Astrologi. Ius canonicum et civile. Oratores et Rhetores. Platonis Opera. In Philosophia							186
In quinto armario. Auctores clariores							89
							——	938
[C. Capsæ.]
In prima capsa primi banchi Bibliothecæ Secretæ. In Theologia							107
In secunda capsa primi banchi. Diversa facultas [Miscellanea]							66
In prima capsa secundi banchi. [Privileges and Royal Letters in 3 volumes]							3
In secunda capsa secundi banchi. [Miscellanea]							124
In prima capsa tertii banchi. Philosophi							90
In secunda capsa tertii banchi							[00]
In prima capsa quarti banchi. Historici							65
In secunda capsa quarti banchi							[00]
In prima capsa quinti banchi. [Official forms]							43
In secunda capsa quinti banchi. In Arabico							23
In prima capsa sexti banchi. In Historia ecclesiastica. Ceremonialia							67
In secunda capsa sexti banchi. Libri sine nomine ad quinquaginta parvi et modici quidem valoris							50
							——	638
[D. Spalera.]
In prima capsa spaleræ Bibliothecæ Secretæ. In Poesi. Oratores Rhetores							69
In secunda capsa. In divino officio et sermones							59
In tertia capsa. Concilia et Canon. De potestate ecclesiastica							54
In quarta et ultima capsa. In Medicina. In Astrologia							34
							——	216
[IV. Bibliotheca Pontificia.]
[A. Banchi.]
In primo banco Bibliothecæ Pontificiæ. Testamentum vetus et novum							19
In secundo banco. Expositores							22
In tertio banco. Augustinus							14
In quarto banco. Hieronymus							23
In quinto banco. In Theologia							22
In sexto banco. In Theologia							18
In septimo banco. Thomas							23
In octavo banco. In Philosophia							29
In nono banco. [Greek and Latin Classics]							25
In decimo banco. Ius canonicum							28
In undecimo banco. [Civil Law]							17
In duodecimo banco. [New Testament. Fathers]							19
							——	259
[B. Spalera.]
Regestra Pontificum hic descripta in capsis Spaleræ Bibliothecæ Pontificiæ per Platinam Bibliothecarium ex ordine recondita et in capsa prima							21
In secunda capsa Spaleræ Bibliothecæ Pontificiæ							47
In tertia capsa Bibliothecæ Pont. Regestra recondita par Platynam Bibliothecarium							16
In quarta capsa Spaleræ Bibliothecæ Pontificiæ Regestra recondita							16
In quinta capsa Spaleræ Bibliothecæ Pontificiæ Regestra recondita							15
These lists give the following results:
Latin	Library,	left	hand,	9	seats		430
"	"	right	"	7	"		313
							——	743
Greek	Library			8	"			400
Inner	"			6	"		190
				Armaria			938
				Capsæ			638
				Spalera			216
							——	1982
Bibliotheca Pontificia				12	seats		259
				5 Capsæ (Regestra)			115
							——	374
								——
Total								3499

Before proceeding farther, it should be noticed that, on a rough average, each seat in the Latin Library, left hand, contained 47 volumes, and in the same Library, right hand, 43 volumes. In the Greek Library, each seat contained 50 volumes; in the Inner Library, 31 volumes; in the Bibliotheca pontificia, 21 volumes.