PRIVILEGE

OF POPE GREGORY XIII.

Decorative woodcut headpiece featuring a central grotesque mask within scrolling foliage and floral ornaments.

Historiated woodcut initial 'M' depicting a scholar and a child in an architectural setting with vegetation.

By his own motion, etc. Whereas, as we have received word, our beloved son Federico Commandino, a layman of Urbino, intends to print or cause to be printed for the public and common benefit of all scholars various new works not hitherto published: namely, the fifteen books of the Elements of Euclid, recently translated from the Greek; the book of Aristarchus on the magnitudes and distances of the Sun and Moon; the six books of Mathematical Collections of Pappus of Alexandria; the book of Pneumatics by Hero of Alexandria; the remaining works of Euclid; the book of Theodosius on Habitations, and his two books on Days and Nights; the two books of Autolycus on the rising and setting [of stars]; his book on the moving sphere; and all the works of Archimedes. And whereas he fears that such works might subsequently be printed by others without his permission, which would tend to his greatest prejudice, We, therefore, wishing to provide for his indemnity, grant and allow the same Federico that all and singular of the aforesaid works, or any of them, after they have been examined by the local ordinaries and the Inquisitors of heretical depravity of those regions, may not be printed by any person or persons without the license of the said Federico for ten years after the printing of said works or any one of them. Nor may they be sold by them or others, or held for sale in their shops or elsewhere, except those printed or to be printed by said Federico or by his order. We forbid all and singular the faithful of Christ, as well those existing in Italy as those outside it, especially booksellers and printers of books, under the penalty of excommunication incurred automatically original: "latae sententiae", and in lands subject to the Holy Roman Church, whether mediately or immediately, the penalty of five hundred gold ducats to be applied to the Apostolic Chamber, and furthermore, the penalty of confiscation of the books, to be incurred as often as there is a contravention. We forbid them to print, during the aforementioned ten years, the said works, or any one of them, without the express license of said Federico.