Introduction 
11 
than in the case of English documents of a much later period. After the first 
third of the sixteenth century there is little trouble, except in the case of some 
legal documents, and from sheer bad writing. The larger part of the material 
is in Italian, often very strongly dialectic and often bad. A great portion is 
in Latin, which, while not perfect, shows some effect of Renaissance study. 
There are many Spanish and French documents, and one attempting any 
considerable study must be able to use these languages, with, of course, Ger¬ 
man for reference purposes. Need for Dutch and Portuguese, also, occa¬ 
sionally arises. As for speaking knowledge, there is probably no city in the 
world where so many languages are useful as in Rome, and where so few 
are necessary. Anyone with sufficient knowledge of Italian to work profitably 
with the manuscripts, will soon acquire all that is necessary for speaking pur¬ 
poses, while French, German, or English, whose usefulness is probably in 
the order named, will smooth away practically any obstacles which will yield 
to language. 
Institutes. Since the opening of the Vatican archives nearly every nation 
in Europe has made arrangements to have workers permanently at Rome for 
historical study. 29 The French school was already in existence, and was in¬ 
strumental in securing that change of policy. It is located in the Farnese 
palace, and possesses a very good library, but its interests remain chiefly 
archaeological. 30 The leading historical institution is undoubtedly the Prus¬ 
sian Institute, which occupies extensive quarters in the Giustiniani palace, 
and under the direction, formerly of Director Friedensburg, and now of Di¬ 
rector Kehr, has issued a continuous series of valuable publications, including 
the periodical Quellen und Forschungen aus Italienischen ArchivenF The 
Austrian Institute, of which there is a Bohemian branch, has published many 
admirable studies and collections, 32 and Dutch and Belgian institutes are con¬ 
stantly productive, while England, though without an organization, has al¬ 
ways at least two men employed by the government to calendar and copy 
documents. In addition to these national institutions there are many of a 
semi-official character. The Gorres-Gesellschaft, a German Catholic society, 
has a Roman Institute, and publishes various volumes under the general title 
of Quellen und Forschungen aus dem Gebiete der GeschichteF Hungarian 
and Polish associations support representatives and have published especially 
admirable studies. The brothers of St. Louis des Franqais have adopted a 
comprehensive scheme of publication which it will require many years to com¬ 
plete, and the various monastic orders detail many of their members for scien¬ 
tific work in Rome. Nearly all those belonging to these bodies are trained 
a Dom U. Berliere, Aux Archives Vaticanes (Bruges, 1903, pp. 46) ; G. Bourgin, Les 
Archives Pontxhcales et I’Histoire Moderne de la France (Besangon, 1906), pp. 4-9; 
Alfred Cauchie, De la Creation d’une Pcole Beige d Rome (Congres Archeologique de 
Tournai, 1895); C. H. Haskins, “The Vatican Archives”, in American Historical Re¬ 
view, II. 40-56. 
80 M. A. Geffroy, UEcole Franqaise de Rome, Ses Premiers Travaux (Paris, 1884), 
particularly pp. 69-76. See also Melanges d’Archeologie et d’Histoire, passim. 
81 Walter Friedensburg, Das Koniglich Preussische Historische Institut in Rom in 
den dreizehn ersten Jahren seines Bestehens, 1888-1901 (Berlin, 1903, pp. 154). 
82 Th. Sickel, Bericht iiber die bisherigen Arbeitcn des Istituto Austriaco di Studi 
Storici in Rom (Innsbruck, 1884, pp. 25). 
“Hermann Cardauns, Die Gorres-Gesellschaft, 1876-1901 (Cologne, 1901, pp. no); 
Mgr. Stephan Ehses, Das Romische Institut der Gorres-Gesellschaft im Jahre 1906 
(Munich, 1906, pp. 4). 
