The Intellectual Interests Reflected in Libraries of the Fourteenth and ...

274 PEARL KIBRE
works in the fifteenth century was that of Elizabeth von Volkensdorf,
who had in her possession fifty of them.82 Yet for all these
Greek, Hebrew and vernacular books, the great bulk of the contents
of the libraries of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries remained
true to the Latin tradition. Works composed originally in Greek,
Hebrew, and Arabic, continued to circulate chiefly in Latin translations
as they had during the earlier middle ages, with additions,
to be sure, of a considerable number of new humanistic Latin translations
from the Greek of literary, philosophical and scientific
works.
In addition to their overwhelming Latinity, many of these fourteenth
and fifteenth century collections both cisalpine and transalpine
show a remarkable uniformity in subject matter and in
arrangement.83 Although some Italian collections were classified
according to languages, as in the case of the Este library, where
before the death of Niccol6 III in 1436, the Latin books were listed
first, then those in Italian, and thirdly those in French,84 others of
the ducal or princely collectors in Italy, followed the canon or rules
for a library prepared by Thomas Parentucelli of Sarzana, who
later ascended the papal throne as Nicholas V (1447-1455).85 His
canon or list of minimum essentials for a library followed the general
outlines of medieval ecclesiastical collections. It was drawn
up at the request of Cosimo de'Medici primarily for the library of
San Marco in Florence, but was also used for the formation of La
Badia at Fiesole, as well as for the libraries of Alessandro Sforza
at Pesaro, and of the dukes of Urbino.86 According to this plan the
82 Theodor Gottlieb, Ueber Mittelalterliche Bibliotheken, 28. But ef. Wattenbach,
op. cit., 598, where the number is given as 45.
83 Sabbadini, Le scoperte dei codici (1905), 204; A. de Hevesy, La bibliotheque
du roi Matthias Corvin (Paris, 1923), 21.
84 D. Robathan in J. W. Thompson, The medieval library, 528 ff.
85 Vespasiano, Vite di uomini illustri, I (Coll. di opere inedite o rare, vol. 68),
35; G. Sforza, La patria, la famiglia e la giovinezza di papa Niccolo V, rieerehe
storiehe, Atti della reale accademia Lucchese di scienze, lettere ed arti, XXIII (1884),
151-52; App. A, 360-81; K. Lbffler, "Papst Nikolaus V als Bucherfreund," Zeitschrift
fur Biicherfreunde, n.F., I (1909-1910), 175; E. Piecolomini, "Ricerche
intorno alle condizioni e alle vicende della Libreria Medicea privata dal 1494 al
1506," Append., Archivio storico italiano, ser. 3, XXI (1875), 102-106; XIX (1874),
114.
86 Pieeolomini, loc. cit., XXI (1875), 102; G. Sforza, loc. cit., XXIII (1884),
151; Vespasiano, Vite, I, 35. For the library at Fiesole, see Vespasiano, III, 50-52;
and see below for the Urbino library.
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