PRIVATE LIBRARIES IN ROME. 
ARCHIVIO CAETANI. 1 
The Prince of Teano, present head of the family of Caetani, whose histor¬ 
ical work is so well known, and whose knowledge of the collection is complete, 
graciously gave permission to state on his authority, that it contains no refer¬ 
ence whatever to America, North or South. 
CHIGI LIBRARY. 
The Chigi library in the Chigi palace at the corner of the Corso and the 
Piazza Colonna is the most important of the libraries at Rome still remaining 
in private hands. Fabio Chigi, Alexander VII., was Pope from 1655 to 1667, 
at the time when the interest in collection of manuscripts and particularly of 
archive material was at its height; and furnished his family library with copies 
of nearly all the important records of his reign, and with many originals, par¬ 
ticularly of his own correspondence. These have been preserved, added to, 
and ordered with the utmost care until at present the library consists of about 
16,000 printed and 3000 manuscript volumes in the best condition. The library 
was regularly accessible to students with proper introduction, on Thursdays 
from 10 to 12, until a few years ago; since then it has been seldom opened. 
It is still, however, possible to say something of its contents. Indici 200 - 209 , 
and 218 , in the Archivio Vaticano, 2 3 give accounts of it, and Gachard in his re¬ 
port to the Royal Commission of History of Belgium inventories the diplo¬ 
matic material. 8 The library itself contains a catalogue of the date 1764 with 
two supplements. 4 * * * 
The most important material is the diplomatic, which is inventoried by 
Gachard, who does not, however, discuss the extent to which it consists of 
originals and of copies, and how far it is duplicated in the Vatican and other 
libraries. So far as could be judged from the inventories in the Vatican the li¬ 
brary contains no relations not duplicated elsewhere in Rome, but contains 
1 Notizie dell’Archivio Caetani scritti da G. B. Carinci, Archivista della famiglia Cae¬ 
tani (Rome, 1868, pp. 7). Hinojosa, Los Despachos, pp. 351-352, refers to a volume of 
correspondence between the Patriarch of Alexandria and the secretary of state, neces¬ 
sary to complement the Nunziatura di Spagna. 
2 200. “Indice delle Materie che si contengono in diversi Tomi di MSSti in folio 
essistenti nella Libraria deirEcc mo Sig. Principe Chigi.” 
201 . “ Nominum et Cognominum rerumque omnium quae in Codicibus Manuscriptis 
continentur Index Generalis a Vincentio Mannaiono ordinatus et conscriptus.” 
202 . “ Index brevis Auctorum ”, by same hand. 
203. “ Inventarium Manuscriptorum.” 
204. Duplicate of 205. 
205. “ Inventario de Manuscritti della fel. memoria dell’Em. Signore Cardinale Flavio 
Chigi, che si ritrovano nella Biblioteca delPEcc ma Casa Chigi.” 
207. “ Index Manuscriptorum quae in Bibliotheca Chisiano asservantur.” 
209. Fragment of a bibliography relating to books in the Chigi library on Spain and 
Naples. 
218. pp. 10 ff. “Inventario de Manuscritti della fel. mem. dell’Em 0 Sig r Cardinale 
Sigismondo Chigi esistenti nella Libraria de Manuscritti di Casa Chigi.” 
3 Bulletin de la Commission Royale d’Histoire, third series, X. 219-224, “ La Biblio- 
theque des Princes Chigi, a Rome ”. 
4 Ibid. The description is, “ Codicum Manuscriptorum qui. in Bibliotheca. Chigiana 
Romae adservantur Catalogus, cui praemittitur numeri antiqui cum recentiori Consen¬ 
sus ”. This is alphabetically arranged by names of authors and subjects; it was by C. 
Assemani. 
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