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3 translated pages

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Chapter 1 Page 1

      
                  LAW III.
      
      Don Felipe, and, on his behalf, Princess Doña Juana,
            Valladolid, pragmatica on 7 September 1558
      
      New order to be observed
      for printing books; and procedures that
      booksellers and Justices must follow-
            
      
      1(a) We order and uphold that,
under the threat of death and
loss of possessions, no bookseller
or any other person whatsoever
should bring or introduce into
these Kingdoms any books in Romance
that are printed beyond them,
even if they are printed
in the Kingdoms of Aragon, Valen-
cia, Catalonia and Navarre,
on any subject matter,quality or Faculty,
that are not printed under licence
signed in our name and stamped
by those of our Council:
regarding books in Romance printed up until now
that were brought in from beyond this Kingdom,
and before the publication of this letter
and pragmatica ::: whoever has them is obliged
to submit them to the Corregidor
or Mayor of the head party,
who will send our Council
a report on them, so it can be seen
and foreseen and meanwhile
they cannot have or sell them,
on threat of losing their possessions
and being perpetually exiled from these Kingdoms.
      
      2 We further uphold and order that
no book or work from any Fa-
culty whatsoever,whether in Latin or Romance or
in any other language, can be printed or even
printed within these kingdoms, without
the said book or work having been first submitted
to our Council. They will be read and
examined by the person or persons
our Council commissions to do so; and once done,
a licence signed in our name will be given
and stamped by those from our Council;
and whoever prints, or orders to be printed,
or whoever prints that book or work in another way,
and who does not precede this examination
and approval and obtain our licence
in the above-mentioned way, shall incur a death sentence
and lose all his possessions; and such books
and works will be burned in public.
      
      3. And having made the submission and
after our Council has examined it
and having obtained our licence,
the said book or work can be altered, changed or added to,

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Chapter 1 Page 2

      
                  BOOK VIII. TITLE XVI.
      

so that the above-mentioned formality is sufficient and later on it cannot be printed in any other way, and with other things it can be read and examined; to obviate this, and to avoid fraud, we order that having read and examined the original work and book submitted to our Council and which a licence should seemingly be granted for it, is stamped and signed on every page and sheet by one of our Registrars from the Chamber who lives at our council, and who they appoint. At the end of the book they should mark the number and amount of sheets and then sign with their name, signing and numbering whatever amendments there might be in the book, and saving them at the end; And that this book or work signed, stamped and numbered in this way be delivered so that by doing this, it shall be printed in no other way. Afterwards, it is compulsory that whoever does the printing brings the original he was given to our Council, with one or two volumes of the printed versions so they can read and verify if the printed versions comply with the said original which must remain at our Council: and the licence, tasa (price) and the privilege, if applicable, are printed at the beginning of every book, with the author’s and printer’s name, and the place where it was printed: and that this same order appears and is kept in the books which having already been printed,are newly printed: and that this new print cannot be made without our licence, and without the book, wherever it is to be made, is seen, signed and stamped in the manner and form as for new works and books: We order that it is kept and complies under the penalty that whoever prints it, or makes it available for printing, or who sells it printed in any other way,and by not having fulfilled and preceded according to the above formalities, succumbs to and incurs in losing his possessions and is perpetually exiled from these kingdoms. And we order that our Council keeps a bound book, which includes a summary of the licences granted for the said prints, and in the light and examination of them, who they were given to and the name of the author together with the day, month and year.        4. And as it would be of great hindrance and impediment to

generally keep this in all the books and works that must be stamped within these kingdoms; we allow missals, breviaries and diurnals, songbooks for Churches and Monasteries, hour books in Latin and Romance, primers for teaching children, Flos Sanctorum, synodal constitutions, Grammars, vocabularies, and other Latin study books,printed in these kingdoms, any books other than those mentioned, new works, but those that were printed again, can be printed and not submitted to our Council. They do not require the said licence and can be printed with a licence from the Prelates and Ordinaries in their districts and diocese; who shall examine and read and make learned persons and those of letters and conscience read and examine the said works and books: And following this, the licences that Prelates and Ordinaries grant, shall be put at the beginning of every book, according to what is stated in those submitted to our Council: this will be done like this and if it is done or printed or sold otherwise, it shall be under the threat of losing possessions and being perpetually exiled from this kingdom: but if the aforementioned books and works are new and not printed in these kingdoms, they shall be submitted to our Council, according to and in the way stated in the preceding chapter. And with regard to matters concerning the Holy Office, we allow those printed under licence from the Grand Inquisitor and of those from our Council and Saint and Grand Inquisition: and the papal bulls and matters belonging to the Crusades licensed by the Commissioner General: and information or briefs taken from litigations, which can be freely printed.        5. And because we are informed that in these kingdoms some people have hand-written works and books, which are not printed, that they report, publish and assign with others, and from whose reading and communication disadvantages and damages have stemmed; we order and uphold that no one of whatever quality or condition can have or communicate or assign or publish other books or new works by hand, about matters of the doctrine of the Ho-

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Chapter 1 Page 3

      
                  OF PRINTS, LICENCES, &c.

the Holy Scriptures, and of matters relating to the Religion of our holy Catholic Faith, without Our Council having read and examined them as stated above and having granted our license to print them, under threat of death and losing their possessions, and such works will be burned in public. And we order those from our Council that the examination, review and dispatch of the aforementioned books and works is not done briefly; And those that are good and profitable, be given a licence and those that are not, be ripped and torn up; and those that are condemned and broken in this way be recorded in the said book.        6. And because the above is observed and put into practice, from now on and with effect, visits should be made to see the books that are in the hands of booksellers and book merchants and others, whether secular, ecclesiastic or religious persons now and in the future; we order and entrust the Archbishops, Bishops and Prelates of these kingdoms in each of their districts, jurisdictions and dioceses, that they diligently and carefully, or the learned persons in letters and conscience they choose, jointly with our Justice and Corregidores of the heads of parties who we order to join them, see and visit bookshops, booksellers' shops and book merchants' shops, and whatever other private ecclesiastic and secular persons they like. They must send to our Council a signed list of the names of the books they consider to be suspicious or forbidden, or that contain mistakes or false doctrines, or that are dishonest matters and bad examples, whatever their manner and faculty, in Latin or Romance or in any other language, even though they were printed under our licence, so they can be read and provided for; And meanwhile they must be deposited with whoever is of their confidence. And we order that the Universities of Salamanca, Valladolid, and Alcalá, that the Universities within their cloisters appoint two Doctors or Masters who, together with the prelates and deputies appointed by our Justices make the said visit to the aforementioned places of Salamanca and Valladolid. And likewise we entrust and order

Grands, Provincials, Abates, Priors, Guardians, Ministries of whatever orders of our Kingdoms, accompanied by learned and Religious persons, to visit their Monasteries' libraries, and especially the books possessed by Friars and Nuns in their Orders, and to send a report to our Council, following the annual rules set out by the Prelates, Justices and religious Persons, and respecting what it is said.        7. And we order, for the penalties to those who contravene this regulation, according to this our letter, to be applied in the following manner: the third part would be for our Chamber; another third part for the Judge who decides and the other third part for the person who denounces it (law 24. tit. 7. book. I.R)

Translation by: Kay Leach