FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132  
133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   >>  
d of letters at his beck and call.' CHAPTER XV. FRENCH COLLECTORS--NAUDE TO RENOUARD. Gabriel Naude was a Doctor of Medicine, and held an appointment at one time as physician in ordinary to Louis XIII. But even as a student he manifested that passion for books which furnished the real occupation of his life. Before taking his degree at Padua he was librarian to Henri de Mesmes, and afterwards to Cardinal Bagni at Rome. On his patron's death he was placed in charge of the great library which Cardinal Barberini was establishing in his palace in the Piazza of the Quattro Fontane. Some part of his time was spent in collecting books for Cardinal Richelieu, who offered Naude the charge of his library in 1642; but, the Cardinal having died in that year, Naude transferred his services to Mazarin. He inspired his employer with the desire of emulating the magnificence of Barberini and the patriotic generosity of Borromeo; and the librarian's keen scent for books and minute knowledge of their values were thenceforth utilised in the work of creating the _Bibliotheque Mazarine_. Richelieu had done things on a grand scale. He had confiscated to his own use the whole town-library at La Rochelle; and Naude was anxious that Mazarin's great undertaking should begin with an acquisition _en bloc_. A provincial governor named Simeon Dubois had made a collection in the Limousin. His books had passed into the hands of Jean Descordes, a Canon of Limoges, who died in 1642 possessed of about 6000 volumes. Naude prepared the catalogue, and persuaded the Cardinal to purchase the whole property by private contract. A few months afterwards the King gave him the State Papers collected by Antoine de Lomenie. A great number of printed books were added under Naude's superintendence, and in a short time the new library was opened to the public. Its regulations were framed in a very liberal spirit, as may be learned from the first of Naude's rules: 'The library is to be open to all the world without the exception of any living soul; readers will be supplied with chairs and writing-materials, and the attendants will fetch all books required in any language or department of learning, and will change them as often as is necessary.' In reviewing the condition of the other great libraries, Naude pointed out that there was nothing like an unrestrained admission except at the Bodleian, the Ambrosian, and the Angelica Library at Rome. The public
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132  
133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   >>  



Top keywords:
Cardinal
 

library

 

librarian

 
Barberini
 

charge

 

Mazarin

 

public

 

Richelieu

 

Limousin

 

Antoine


Lomenie

 
collection
 

opened

 
superintendence
 
printed
 

collected

 

number

 

prepared

 

volumes

 

catalogue


persuaded

 

Descordes

 

Limoges

 

possessed

 

purchase

 
passed
 

months

 

property

 

private

 

contract


Papers

 

learned

 
change
 

learning

 

department

 

Bodleian

 

required

 

language

 

admission

 

pointed


libraries
 
unrestrained
 

reviewing

 

condition

 

Ambrosian

 
attendants
 

Dubois

 
framed
 
liberal
 

spirit