The Duties and Qualifications of a Librarian (1780)/Notes
NOTES
* Notitia librorum est dimidium studiorum, et maxima eruditionis pars exactam librorum habere cognitionem. "An acquaintance with books abridges by one-half the path of knowledge; and he is already well advanced in learning who knows with exactness the works that contain it."—Gaspar Thurmann, quoted by the Abbé Rive, "Prospectus d'un ouvrage publié par souscription," page 59, notes.
† These two Cardinals were both librarians of the Vatican, and both foreign members of the French Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-lettres.
Quirini, or rather Querini, was born at Venice, March 30, 1680, and died January 6, 1759. His eulogy, by Lebeau, may be found in volume xxvii of "Memoires de l'Academie des Inscriptions."
Passionei (Dominick)—born December 2, 1682, deceased July 5, 1761—succeeded Querini in the office of librarian of the Vatican. He was a man passionately devoted to letters, and somewhat vehement in character. At the conclave of 1758, he was on the point of being elected Pope: he had obtained eighteen votes; but the fears inspired by the inequality of his temper caused him to be set aside. His eulogy may be found in volume xxxi of "Mémoires de l'Académie."
‡ Naudé (Gabriel), a learned bibliographer, who may be regarded as in fact the creator of the Mazarine Library, was born at Paris, February 2, 1600, and died in the prime of his life, July 29, 1653. Some particulars concerning him, equally curious and reliable, may be found in a work by M. Petit-Radel, entitled "Recherches sur les Bibliothèques Anciennes et Modernes" (Paris, 1819, 8vo). Naudé was the dearest and most constant friend of the learned and caustic Guy-Patin; and, such an intimacy existing, it is difficult to explain how he could be the eulogist of the Saint Bartholomew. "Le Sage dit, selon les gens, etc."
§ Muratori (Louis-Antoine) was born October 21, 1672, in the duchy of Modena, and died January 23, 1750. This indefatigable scholar left sixty-four works, which form a collection of thirty-six volumes quarto, published at Arezzo, 1767-80; or a selection of forty-eight volumes octavo, published at Venice, 1790-1810.
¥ Franck or Franke (Jean-Michel) was born in 1717, in Upper Saxony, and died June 19, 1775. His "Catalogue de la Bibliotheque du Comte de Bunau," Leipsic, 1750-6, in seven volumes quarto, is a masterpiece of patience and bibliographical learning. Unfortunately for science, this work was not wholly completed. Franck merits in every respect the praise bestowed upon him by the author of the Discourse; and it would be gratifying if all the editors of catalogues—though it would be too much to exact of them the power of this able bibliographer—would at least take him for a model before commencing their work.