on, and carried it off to Rome, where she made a
triumphal entry with her books amidst the popular rejoicings.

Something may be learned about the Italian collectors in the age that
followed Grolier's death, from the story of the strange wanderings of the
manuscripts of Leonardo da Vinci. Very little was known upon this subject
until M. Arsene Houssaye found an account of what had happened among the
papers of the Barnabite Mazenta, who died in the year 1635. 'It was
about fifty years ago,' says the memorandum, written shortly before the
old monk's death, 'that thirteen volumes of Leonardo's papers, all
written backwards in his own way, fell into my hands. I was then studying
law at Pisa, and one of my companions in the class-room was Aldus
Manutius, renowned as a book-collector. We received a visit from one of
his relations called Lelio Gavardi; he had been tutor in the household of
Francesco Melzi, who was the pupil and also the heir of Leonardo.' Melzi
treasured up every line and scrap of the great man's works at his
country-house in Vaprio; but his sons did not care for art, and left the
papers lying about in a lumber-room, so that Gavardi was able to help
himself as he pleased. He brought thirteen volumes, well-known in the
history of literature, as far as Florence at first, and then to Aldus at
Pisa. 'I cried shame on him,' said Mazenta, 'and as I was going to Milan
I undertook to return them to the Melzi family. There I saw Doctor
Horatio Melzi, who was quite astonished at my taking so much trouble, and
gave me the books for myself, saying that he had plenty more of the same
sort in his garrets at home.' When Mazenta became a monk the thirteen
volumes passed to his brothers, who talked so much about the matter that
there was a rush of amateurs to Vaprio, and the Doctor was overwhelmed
with offers for the great man's books and drawings. 'One of these
rascals,' said Mazenta, 'was the sculptor Pompeo Leoni, who used to make
the bronzes for the Escorial, and he pretended that he would obtain an
appointment for Melzi at Milan, if he would get back the thirteen volumes
for King Philip's new library in Spain. Leoni got possession of most of
the books and kept them in his own cabinet. One of the volumes was
presented by Mazenta's brother to the Ambrosian Library and may still be
seen there, in company with the huge _Codice Atlantico_, which Leoni made
up out of hundreds of separate fragments. At Leoni's death his collection