Page:The library a magazine of bibliography and library literature, Volume 6.djvu/396

 384 The Library. the merit of being continued in perpetuity. Among these six we recognise the memorable name of Baronius. The task of finally separating the archives from the library more rigidly, was undertaken by command of PaulV. (1605-1621). The more private part of the archives eventually was transferred to the Castle of S. Angelo, about 2,700 vols. But the history of this would require a separate paper. The catalogue of the Latin MSS., Nos. 1-6025, by the Rainaldi, was made in six vols., and the work has gone on with- out intermission. Vol. vii., containing MSS. 6026-6458, was made by Pietro Colista in 1640, under Urban VIII. ; vol. viii., containing MSS. 6461 -7058, made at the close of the i7th century was destroyed by fire, and but imperfectly replaced in the i8th ; vols. ix. and x., containing MSS., 7059-8471, were made at the end of last century and the beginning of this. Vols. xi. xiii., contain- ing MSS. 8472-9849, were made by De Rossi himself, vol. xii. un- aided ; vol. xiv. was commenced by the late librarian, Cardinal Pitra. A catalogue of the Oriental MSS. given to the library by Clement XIII. was published by Assemani in three volumes in 1719-1728. Then by command of Innocent XIII. in 1721, was commenced the printing of a catalogue of all the Vatican MSS. Three volumes appeared in 1756-9,* and the catalogue was to have been completed in twenty. By 1768, when ten sheets of vol. iv. were burnt accidentally, all hope seems to have left the staff of carrying out so enormous a task. The Assemani died, the work already completed seems to have been lost or, as I have said, burnt ; and times soon followed in which, as De Rossi euphemistically puts it, about editing Vatican catalogues there was not even a possibility of thinking. After the peace the continuation of the catalogue of the Oriental MSS., commenced by the Assemani, was undertaken by Angelo Mai ; 2 and a catalogue of the Egyptian papyri was pub- 1 For an account of the Greek MSS. of the Library of Pius II., see the Cata- logue of them published separately by the Vatican Codices manuscripii graeci regincE Svecoruin et Pii PP. II. Bibliotheca Vaticance, recens. H. Stevenson, Senr. (Romae, ex typ. Vat., 1888), and cf. Muntz and Fabre, La Bibl. Vat., pp. 4-5- 2 De Rossi says of Mai (p. 130), that he may almost be considered the discoverer of palimpsest writing ; and remarks that too much contumely has been poured upon him, for employing acids in the recovery of inscriptions. In this he is supported by Studemund. De Rossi declares that he never applied any acids except with the greatest caution and under the most urgent necessity.