PREFACE

...[the treasu]ry, Northern History, the Law and History of the Franks.

The third [room] contains Philosophers, Astronomers, Mathematicians, Chronologists, Geographers, Genealogists, the municipal law of various nations, and Spanish History. Likewise, it holds works on Politics, Medicine, Physics, literary History, Lexicographers, Poets, and vernacular Philologists. Finally, it contains those authors marked with the black theta original: "nigro theta signatos" — in antiquity, the Greek letter theta (θ) was used on ballots to signify "thanatos" (death); here it refers to authors whose works were condemned or prohibited by the Church, especially the Heterodox, whose reading is forbidden without the permission of Catholic superiors.

This most well-equipped collection of books—a significant portion of which the purple-clad great-nephew Cardinal Giuseppe Renato Imperiali had received as passed down to him from his uncle of most famous name, Lorenzo Cardinal Imperiali—was long ago greatly increased by the very rich library of Cardinal Jean Walter Sluse, whose printed catalog was compiled by François Deseine, easily the most learned among the booksellers of our time. Indeed, from that source, the most outstanding volumes of rarer editions from every faculty migrated, acquired with a generous hand, into this library of ours. Furthermore, as these were being greatly increased daily, even very recently as the present Catalog was being brought to its conclusion original: "ad umbilicum perduceretur" — literally "brought to the navel," a Latin idiom for finishing a scroll or book, a new and most select addition was made of books that were missing—especially Italian ones—from the famous library in the City Rome of Marcello Severoli, a man born for seeking out rare merchandise of this kind. From this source, the entire Catalog was able to be completed and enriched by a significant Appendix of volumes which had gradually arrived while the same Catalog was being printed.

Having premised these things regarding the Library itself, the method which it was decided to use in compiling the Catalog will now be explained in a few words. Since those who preceded us in publishing scholarly works of this kind each walked a different path, the alphabetical order was more pleasing than the others, as it seemed the most efficient and suitable of all for setting before the eyes the authors who might be desired as the occasion arose. However, so that nothing should be missing from this alphabetical Catalog, another has been added at the end, arranged according to the classes of sciences and arts, to serve as a guide to the first.