Page:The Roman index of forbidden books.djvu/10

2 are the three later editions (1901, 1904, 1907), the last two issued under, and by order of, our gloriously reigning Pontiff, Pious X. When the critic felt his heart beat with joy upon being allowed to view with his own blessed eyes a book so rare, so expensive, and so jealously guarded by "the leaders of the Church," a whole edition of that same book had already been sold, and a second was about to be put on the market. Its title is now:

''Index librorum prohibitorum, Leonis XIII Sum. Pont, auctoritate recognitus SS. D. N. Pii P. X iussu editus. Præmittuntur Constitutiones Apostolicæ de examine et prohibitione librorum.'' (Index of forbidden books, revised by the authority of Pope Leo XIII, and issued by order of His Holiness Pope Pius X. Preceded by the Apostolic Constitutions on the examination and prohibition of books.)

A glance at the neatly printed volume will disclose the reason why it is called "Index";—almost nine-tenths of it consists of a catalogue of books condemned by the Roman authorities. Of still greater