Thus the drafting of Greek MSS. into the libraries of Western Europe has
been a long and gradual process. Many of the best, that were secured by
individual scholars such as Giannozzo Manetti, Aurispa, and Niccolo
Niccoli, found their way into the Laurentian Library at Florence;
others, collected by Nicholas V. (d. 1455), are the nucleus of the
Vatican collection; a third set was the gift of the Greek Cardinal
Bessarion (d. 1468) to Venice. But probably in quality, and certainly in
quantity, the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris excels even the Italian
storehouses of Greek MSS. The premier Greek MS. of France is a copy of
the works attributed to Dionysius the Areopagite, which the Greek
Emperor Michael the Stammerer sent to Louis the Pious in the year 827.
It was long at the Royal Abbey of St. Denis, but strayed away somehow;
then, bought by Henri de Mesmes in the sixteenth century, it came into
the Royal Library in 1706, and has been there ever since. Its present
number is Bib. Nat. Grec 437. Another treasure of ancient times which
was once at St. Denis is the sixth-century uncial Greek MS. of the
Prophets known as Codex Marchalianus, now in the Vatican; but when it
came to France is not clearly made out. Coming to later times, the not
inconsiderable collection made by Francis I. received a notable increase
in that of Catherine de' Medici, once the property of Cardinal Ridolfi,
and the reigns of Louis XIV. and XV. were for it an epoch of rapid
growth. Between 1645 and 1740 the number of volumes swelled from 1,255
to 3,197. The Revolution period added the collection of Coislin, or
rather of Séguier--400 more. At the present day Paris must possess 5,000
Greek MSS.
In Central Europe Vienna may be reckoned the chief repository. It
contains the remarkable collection of the traveller Augier de Busbecq,
made in the East about 1570, which was once at Augsburg. Spain--I think
principally of the Escurial Library--has suffered from depredation and
from fire, and is poorer than the prominence of its early contributions
to the cause of learning deserves.