Architettura con il suo commento et figure Vetruvio in volgar lingua raportato

CLEMENS PAPA. VII. Pope Clement VII

To all and singular who shall inspect these present letters, greetings and apostolic blessing. Since, as we have learned, our beloved son Ioannes Baptista Caporalis of Perugia intends to publish, or has already published and striven to deliver for printing, the books of Vitruvius on Architecture, recently translated from Latin into the Italian vernacular and most accurately corrected and emended by him, with his commentaries on the same and also figures never before printed, for the common utility of all; and because he has incurred no small expenses and labors in translating them and fears that others, by printing the same books, might frustrate and destroy the fruit of his labor and expenses, and has therefore humbly petitioned us for an appropriate remedy of justice. We, wishing to provide for the indemnity of the said Ioannes Baptista, as is equitable, and being inclined by such petitions, do inhibit all and singular printers and all others wheresoever constituted, especially in our cities, lands, and towns of the Holy Roman Church, mediately or immediately subject to us and the same church, under virtue of holy obedience and under penalty of excommunication of late sentence, and regarding our subjects also the forfeiture of the books and twenty-five gold coins, to be incurred irremissibly as often as they shall contravene, to be applied one part to the Apostolic Chamber, another to the said Ioannes Baptista, and the third to the judges or officials of the place in which the contravention shall have occurred, that they shall not presume in any way to print or cause to be printed, or permit to be printed by others, the same books recently figured and printed by the said Ioannes Baptista as aforesaid, within a decade calculated from the date of these presents, neither in the Italian vernacular, namely with these figures and commentaries, nor to provide counsel, aid, or favor to those printing, nor to sell, or cause to be sold, or hold or propose for sale in any places the printed work during the said decade. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary. Wherefore we command all venerable brothers, Archbishops and Bishops, and beloved sons their Vicars in spirituals, that they, assisting the same Ioannes Baptista with the shield of effective defense, shall not permit the same Ioannes Baptista to be molested or harmed against the tenor of these presents, restraining contradictors and the disobedient by ecclesiastical censures, the imposition of interdict, and other remedies of law, postponing appeal by our authority, and executing these present letters inviolably. Invoking also for this, if need be, the aid of the secular arm. We will also that full faith be given to the transumpts of these presents subscribed by the hand of a public notary and fortified by the seal of a person constituted in ecclesiastical dignity, as much in judgment as outside, and absolutely the same as would be given to the original letters if they were exhibited or shown. Given in our city of Bologna under the Fisherman's Ring, the 10th day of January, 1533, in the tenth year of our Pontificate.

Blosius.

Decorative initial V.