BENEDICT XIV

Pope Benedict XIV, previously Archbishop of his native Bologna, was an accomplished scholar, always cheerful and wiity, but no less earnest and conscientious. He demanded more humane treatment for the Indians of Brazil and Paraguay, and rebuked the Jesuits for accommodating themselves to the Chinese devotion to their ancestors. He instigated the cataloguing of the Vatican Library, and his own collection of 25,000 volumes is now at Bologna.Jean Bouget, reader in Hebrew at the seminary of the Propagation of the Faith, was of Benedict XIV's inner circle of literary friends. The Pope was strongly attracted to him on account of his consistently gay and witty character and his highly-refined culture; they frequently competed with each other in quoting from the classics. The abstemious Benedict was especially amused at Bouget's lack of practical sense and of his weakness (though he was otherwise a good priest) for the pleasure of the table. There are numerous witty allusions to this in the Pope's correspondence with Cardinal Tencin... (Ludwig Pastor, History of the Popes, 1961, Vol. XXXV, page 9).Private Autograph letters of Benedict XIV are rarely found on the market.Provenance: Saffroy (Booksellers) of Paris, 1923.We are informed by the previous owner that the handwriting has been authenticated by the Archivio di Stato of Bologna.(Transcription)Mandiamo al nostro M[onsigno]r Bouget l'annessa lettera, e quando farà il Poema minacciato in essa si farà lo stesso, acciò lo consideri e l'esamini, dicendo l'Autore d'aversi consumati dodici anni di continua fatica. Il Poema non è anche arrivato; e però per ora si può sospendere la risposta all' Autore. Che è quanto &c.11. Ottobre 1753.M[onsigno]r Bouget /[In another hand]Biglietto di Benedetto XIV (Lambertini) a Monsignore Bouget(Translation)We send our Monsignor Bouget the enclosed letter, and when [the writer] has finished the Poem mentioned ['threatened'] therein We will send that as well, so that Monsignor Bouget can consider and examine it. The Author says it has taken twelve years of continuous toil. The Poem has not yet arrived, and so one can hold back from replying to the Author for now. Which is all [for the moment] etc.[In another hand]Note from Benedict XIV (Lambertini) to Monsignor Bouget