Collection ID: 0002 | Metadata type: TEI | TEI XML | Data

Title

Reponse ou avis des conseaux à son altesse l'Archduchesse Marie Elisabeth sur le projet de placcart touchant les livres defendus stipulé par les ecclesiastiques du Païs Bas

Other related names

• Maria Elizabeth, Archduchess of Austria, 1680-1741, recipient
• Lea, Henry Charles, 1825-1909, former owner

Call number

Ms. Codex 1191
(Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Rare Book & Manuscript Library)

Alternate identifiers

• bibid: 4316622
• http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/d/medren/4316622

Publisher

The University of Pennsylvania Libraries

Language

French, with citations in Latin and Dutch

Origin

Date

after 1730

Place

Netherlands or Belgium

Summary

Advice to Archduchess of Austria Maria Elizabeth, governor of the Austrian Netherlands from 1724 to 1741, regarding the censorship of books. The question regards the dispute over jurisdiction in restricting the publication and dissemination of controversial books. The text argues that the acts of censorship are the sole jurisdiction of the temporal authorities and claims that ecclesiastical efforts of suppression and censorship impinge on the sovereignty of Maria Elizabeth. The work further proposes more lenient standards for censoring that have been condemned by the clerical authority of the Catholic Church. The author(s) also claim that the Church has restricted more works than necessary by applying unfair and arbitrary standards and by judging the authors' reputations instead of the contents of their works. Of particular note are attempts to convince Maria Elizabeth to restore those works which argue in favor of extending the power of temporal authorities; twenty such prohibited works are listed (f. 43v-45r). The text uses the case of Jansenist theologian Zeger Bernard van Espen as a specific example and claims that although his works were approved by the Conseil General and by the royal censor in Austria and although the works received the royal privilege for publication, they were, nevertheless, wrongfully condemned by the Bishop of Mechlin. The author(s) conclude that all matters of censorship should be handled by the agents of the temporal power and not by the Church.

Notes

• Ms. codex.
   
• Title from title page (f. 1r).
   
• Incipit: Madame, la lettre de V.A.S. du 24e Octobre dernier avec le projet de reglement pour les librairies et imprimeurs, le catalogue et cahier, aiant pour titre Qualificationes et censurae librorum nous a êté remi...(f. 2r); Explicit: il nous semble encore qu'il convient d'entendre les autres conseils des provinces de ce paÿs, les etats de ce Duelgé et le corps des imprimeurs et libraries pour prevenir toutes contestations et oppositions (f. 96v).
   

Watermark

"Tuin," Garden of Holland or maid of Dort with initials G. K.

Extent

98 leaves : 195 x 160 (160 x 120) mm. bound to 203 x 165 mm

Foliation

Paper, 98; [1-96], [ii]; modern foliation in pencil, lower right recto.

Support

Paper

Binding

Contemporary calf (Zacour-Hirsch); gilt spine and title Avis sur les livres defendus.

Layout

Written in 20-25 long lines.

Script

Written in a cursive script, possibly by multiple hands.

Provenance

• Formerly owned by Henry Charles Lea (bookplate inside upper cover and inscription dated 1892 on verso of first flyleaf).
   

Subjects topical

• Netherlands.--Laws, etc.--Edictum de librorum prohibitorum catalogo observando
• Censorship (Canon law)
• Censorship--Religious aspects--Christianity
• Censorship--Netherlands
• Challenged books--Netherlands
• Conflict of laws--Jurisdiction--Netherlands

Genres

• Codices
• Treatises
• Memorandums
• Proposals
• Manuscripts, French--18th century
• Manuscripts, European

Licenses

• Text

  This description is ©2015 University of Pennsylvania Libraries. It is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License version 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. For a description of the terms of use see the Creative Commons Deed https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

  URL

  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

• Text

  All referenced images and their content are free of known copyright restrictions and in the public domain. See the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark page for usage details, http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/.

  URL

  http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/