# Primary Sources on Copyright - Record Viewer
Bosio's edition of the Statutes of the Knights of Malta (1589)

Source: 145 Sec Brev Reg F 116 (1589)

Citation:
Bosio's edition of the Statutes of the Knights of Malta (1589), Primary Sources on Copyright (1450-1900), eds L. Bently & M. Kretschmer, www.copyrighthistory.org

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Sec. Brev. Reg. 145 F. 116

Privilege Summary

Translation

His Holiness Our Lord Sixtus V by one of his Letters sent in Rome on the 18th of July of the present year 1589 has granted permission to Signor Giacomo Bosio acting for the Holy Order of Jerusalem [Knights of Malta], to have the present By-laws that he has translated into the vernacular [Italian] printed together with the Privileges of the Holy Order, by whichever  printer he chooses; notwithstanding whatever Privilege [previously] granted to whatsoever person, under whose force it would have been prohibited that the above-referenced By-laws and Privileges be printed by anyone other than themselves.[1] Forbidding expressly, that no one may print or have printed the By-laws of the said Holy Order translated into the vernacular, without the permission and order of the Most Illustrious Cardinal Grand Master [of the Knights of Malta], under penalty of 500 ducats, with respect to the subjects of the Papal State, and with respect to the others, under penalty of excommunication.

Handwritten Privilege

Translation

[1-6] For the future memory of the matter. Just as by our other letters in forma brevis, dated at Saint Mark’s on the 29th day of October 1588, verily in the fourth year of our pontificate we have granted, by motu proprio, to our dear son Tolomeo Veltronio, brother of the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, that:

[6-15] By certain censures and penalties herein set forth, no one else besides him or another who possesses the right from him, or unless [one has] the express permission of our dear son Cardinal Hugo, the Grandmaster, and of Tolomeo himself, might print the statutes of the Hospitaller Order, which the same Tolomeo, here in our Beloved City, as we have learned, had undertaken to print with the figures and likenesses of the grandmasters, and with certain other images; nor might [they] arrange for them to be printed.

[15-31] Nevertheless, moved by the prayers of the same man, our dear son the Grandmaster Cardinal Hugo, we grant and permit the authority and the ability, by motu simili, to our dear son Jacobo Boscio, the chronicler of the affairs of the Hospitaller Order in Rome, that [he may arrange] for the same bylaws—which from the order of the Grandmaster Cardinal himself he translated into the vernacular Italian speech for the common [use] of the brothers of the Hospitaller Order, and particularly for those who do not possess the exact skill of the Latin language—together with the privileges of the aforementioned Hospitaller Order, and with certain signs added by him for greater use here in this propitious city or outside it, or wherever it seems good to him, and by whichever typographer, or printer of books, although without the aforesaid figures and images , and to cause it to be printed, with the permission of no one required, freely and licitly,

[31-41] notwithstanding the aforesaid, or any other privilege granted by us, or by our predecessors, the Roman Pontiffs, at any other time to any persons, typographers, or printers of books, or even to the brothers of the aforementioned Hospitaller Order, and also whatever inhibitions or decisions of the said privileges forewarned by any authority of Judges, lest such statutes, privileges, and indulgences are printed or arranged to be printed by others.

[41-50] Ordering and restraining each and every one of the Christian faithful of whatever status, rank, position, or preeminence they appear to have, and particularly the typographers, printers of books, and all booksellers dwelling anywhere in our Beloved City, or its district, and in the entire ecclesiastic state subject directly or indirectly to us and to the Holy Roman Church,

[50-52] under the penalty of five hundred ducats of gold from their treasury, to be given to our exchequer, and to others verily under the broad sentence of excommunication (penalties),

[52-60] lest they dare or presume, by any pretense, trick, or artifice, to print the statutes of the same Hospitaller Order, having been translated into the vulgar Italian speech, without its figures and images, or [lest they] arrange for them to be printed without the special mandate and permission of the same Cardinal Grandmaster, and [lest they] hinder the same Jacobo Boscio, or those whom he permits to print the said statutes.

[61-72] Notwithstanding even the apostolic customs constitutions and ordinances, privileges, and also indulgences, and [notwithstanding] the apostolic letters granted, approved, and renewed to any persons, and even to the brothers of the Hospitaller Order, under whatever tenors and forms, and with whatever exceptions from the derogations, and other more effective and unfamiliar clauses, and voiding clauses, and other decrees [made by] even motu proprio and ex certa scientia, and consistorialiter[2], and otherwise to the contrary in any way,

[72-78] to all of which, even if concerning them and also their entire tenors, specific, express, individual mention, or some other utterance that would come about—not however, by the same common clauses here in this case; to the extent of those clauses specially and expressly we derogate them, and all other things to the contrary whatsoever.  Dated in Rome at Saint Mark's on the 18th day of July, 1589, in the fifth year.

Our Most Holy Lord ordered it to be accomplished

S. Card. Lancelottus

M.  Vestrius Barbianus

[1] This probably references the 1588 Privilege to Tolomeo Veltroni, Sec Brev Reg 138 F. 1039, to print an illustrated edition of the By-laws of the Knights of Malta.

[2] Motu proprio means that the favor, law, or regulation in question is being provided at the pope's own wish rather than as the result of a petition, at least in theory.  Ex certa scientia meant that the Pope has his own knowledge of the situation (rather than, perhaps, having just been told about it by his advisors).  Both phrases ensure that the document in question is valid even if fraud would otherwise viatiate it.  For example, because motu proprio indicates that the pope is acting on his own initiative and ex certa scientia indicates that the pope is acting on his own knowledge, the document has effect even if the reasons alleged for its issuance turn out to be false.  Consistorialiter does not seem to have as formal a definition as the other two phrases, but its literal translation ("in/from/as per a consistory") suggests that it refers to decrees or decisions made in a consistory, i.e., a formal meeting of the College of Cardinals.  See Patrick Zutshi, The Papal Chancery and English Documents in the Fourteenth and Early Fifteenth Centuries, in Papsturkunde und europäisches Urkundenwesen : Studien zu ihrer formalen und rechtlichen Kohärenz vom 11. bis 15. Jahrhundert 201, 207 (Peter Herde & Hermann Jakobs eds., 1999), http://elec.enc.sorbonne.fr/cid/cid1996/art_12.




    

Superscript = inserted by original or different author between lines

[ ] = inserted by original or different author in margin

{ } = supplied by transcribers

script [or] Bold Script or scribble = written in a different hand(s)

Strike through = crossed out, but legible

[XXX] = illegible

Sec. Brev. Reg. 145 F. 116

Privilege Summary [from 1589 Edition][1]

Transcription

La Santità di Nostro Signore Sisto Quinto per un suo Breve spedito in Roma sotto li xviij di Luglio del presente anno 1589. hà conceduto licenza al Signor Iacomo Bosio Agente della Sacra Religione Gierosolimitana, di poter fare stampare li presenti Statuti da lui tradotti in volgare, insieme con i Privilegij della Sacra Religione, da qual si voglia Stampatore à lui ben visto; non osta[n]te qual si voglia Privilegio conceduto à qual si voglia persona, per vigore del quale fusse prohibito, che li Statuti, e Privilegij sopradetti da altri, che da loro, stampare non si potessero.  Vietandò espressamente, che niuno possi stampare, ò fare stampare gli Statuti della detta Sacra Religione tradotti in volgare, senza licenza e commissione dell’Illustrissimo Cardinale Gran Maestro, sotto pena di 500 ducati di Camera, in quanto a i sudetti dello stato Ecclesiastico; & in qua[n]to agli altri, sotto pena de Scommunica.

 

Handwritten Privilege

Transcription

[116r]

  1.  Ad futuram rei memoriam.  Licet alias per nostras
  2. in forma Brevis litteras sub Datas videlicet apud Sanctum
  3. Marcum die 29 men Octobris 1588.  Pontificatus
  4. vero nostri anno quarto, Dilecto filio Ptolomeo
  5. Veltronio fratri hospitalis Sancti Joannis Hierosolimitanis motu
  6. proprio concesserimus, ut nemo alius praeter ipsum
  7. seu causam ab eo habentem aut nisi cum expressa
  8. dilecti filii nostri Ugonis Cardinalis Magni Magistri
  9. et ipsius Ptolomei licentia, statuta eiusdem
  10. Hospitalis, quae idem Ptolomeus, hic in alma
  11. Urbe nostra, ut acceperamus, imprimi curaverat,
  12. cum figuris, vel effigiebus magnorum Magistrorum
  13. certisque aliis imaginibus imprimeret, seu imprimi
  14. facere posset sub certis censuris, et poenis ibid
  15. adiectis.  Nihilominus eiusdem dilecti filii nostri
  16. Ugonis Cardinalis Magni Magistri precibus inclinati
  17. motu simili Dilecto filio Jacobo Bosio eiusdem
  18. Hospitalis in Rom. Curia negotiorum gestori, ut
  19. eadem statuta, quae de mandato ipsius Card.
  20. Magni Magistri, et ad communem eiusdem hospitalis
  21. fratrum utilitatem, et praesertim eorum, qui latinae
  22. linguae exactam peritiam non habent, in vul-
  23. -garem Italicum sermonem transtulit, unam
  24. cum privilegiis dicti Hospitalis, et certis In-
  25. -dicibus ab eo pro maiori commoditate adiectis
  26. hic in alma Urbe, vel extra eam, ubicumque ei
  27. videbitur, et a quocumque Typographo, seu
  28. Librorum Impressore [sine tamen figuris et imaginibus praedictis][2] excudi, et imprimi nullius
  29. requisita licentia, libere, et licite facere
  30. possit, auctoritatem et facultatem con-
  31. cedimus, et elargimur[3] non obstantibus praefato,
  32. vel quocumque alio Privilegio per Nos, aut

[116v]

  1. Praedecessores nostros Rom. Pontifices alias
  2. concesso quibuscumque personis typographis
  3. seu librorum Impressoribus, vel etiam dicti Hospitalis
  4. fratribus, necnon quibuscumque Inhibitionibus
  5. seu decretis per quoscumque iudices vigore
  6. dictorum Privilegiorum appositis quibus
  7. caveretur expresse, ne Statuta, Privi-
  8. legia, et Indulta huiusmodi ab aliis, quae a praefatis
  9. imprimi, vel imprimi fieri possent.  Man-
  10. dantes, et inhibentes universis, et singulis
  11. Christifidelibus cuiuscumque status, gra-
  12. dus, dignitatis, aut praeeminentiae existant
  13. et praesertim typographis, seu librorum
  14. Impressoribus, et Bibliopolis quibuscumque
  15. in Alma Urbe nostra, vel illius districtu
  16. ac toto statu ecclesiastico Nobis, et S.R.E.
  17. mediate, vel immediate subiecto ubilibet
  18. commorantibus, sub 500 ducatorum auri de
  19. Camerae fisco nostro applicandorum, caeteris vero sub
  20. excommunicationis latae sententiae poenis ne eiusdem Hospitalis
  21. statuta in vulgarem Italicum sermonem
  22. traducta sine figuris, et imaginibus im-
  23. -primere, vel imprimi facere sine speciali
  24. mandato et licentia eiusdem Cardinalis Magni
  25. Magistri, ac ne eundem Jacobum Boscium
  26. seu illos quibus dictorum statutorum impressio-
  27. nem commiserit quovis quaesito colore
  28. vel ingenio impedire, vel molestare
  29. audeant, seu praesumant.  Non obstantibus
  30. etiam apostolicis consuetudinibus, constitutionibus
  31. et ordinationibus privilegiis quoque
  32. et indultis, et litteris apostolicis quibuscumque

 personis

[117r]

  1. personis, ac forsan dicti hospitalis fratribus
  2. sub quibuscumque tenoribus et formis, ac cum
  3. quibusvis etiam derogatoriarum derogatoriis aliisque
  4. efficacioribus, et insolitis clausulis, irritantibusque
  5. et aliis decretis etiam motu proprio et ex certa scientia
  6. et consistorialiter, ac alias in contrarium
  7. quomodolibet concessis, approbatis, et innovatis
  8. quibus omnibus etiam si de illis eorumque totis
  9. tenoribus specialis, specifica, expressa, ac
  10. individua, non autem  per clausulas generales idem
  11. importantes mentio, seu quovis alia
  12. expressio habenda foret, hac vice duntaxat
  13. specialiter, et expresse derogamus, caeterisque
  14. contrariis quibuscumque.  Datum Romae apud S. Marcum etc.[4] die 18 Julii 1589 anno Vo

Smus D.N. mandavit expediri

S. Card. Lancelottus

M.  Vestrius Barbianus

[1] This edition can be viewed via this link.

[2] Inserted via left margin note.

[3] Synonym for concedimus

[4] Likely an abbreviation for the phrase “sub Annulo Piscatoris,” which often appears in the signature.



    

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