Add MS 8374

ANONYMOUS ACCOUNT of the uprising of students in the Jesuit college at Rome in 1647 at the time of Innocent X (1644-1655); circa 1647. Italian. Copy. The student revolt was prompted by the introduction of stricter rules of discipline by Francesco Palazzi, the new dean of the seminary, and encouraged by an heretical student. This student may have been Francesco Giuseppe Borri (1627-1695), later renowned as an heretical doctor and alchemist. Borri was in fact expelled from the college in 1647 (for an account of his life see Add. 8357, art. 3, ff. 68-81v, and 8409, art. 8, ff. 139-154). The replacement of Father Palazzi by Father Paolo de Bellis did nothing to resolve- the problem and the students rose up during the Carnival of 1647. The revolt was placated only by the intervention of Father Torquato de Cupis and Cardinal Marzio Ginetti. Title (f. 1) 'Revolutione del Seminario Romano successa l'anno 1647 / e fedelmente messa in carta da Persona che si trovò presente'. Inc. (f. 2) 'Sospirò longo tempo la gioventù del Seminario Romano sotto l'austera disciplina del Padre Alessandro Gottifredi', expl. (f. 35v) 'nacque da cagioni agevoli a raddolcirli'. Old shelfmark (?) in ink 'P' in front pastedown. Possibly identifiable with Mattei MS. 33 in Guilford's catalogue Add. 8220, f. 30. Owned by Frederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford, but lacking his armorial bookplate. '84' in pencil in upper left corner of front pastedown. Purchased, together with Add. 8409, 8432, 8471, 8485, 8486, 8488, 8524, 8666, and 8690, from R. H. Evans, 8 December. 1830, lot 84 (part).

Paper; ff. 35+iii. 253 x 175mm. Horizontal catchwords on each leaf. One Italian hand. Early 19th-cent. binding of full vellum.