Figures
1 The university library in 1610, with the Arca Scaligerana in the right foreground, as engraved by Willem van Swanenburgh after Johannes Cornelisz. Woudanus; reproduced in Stedeboeck der Nederlanden (1649). Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum Amsterdam 10
2 Jan Jansz. Orlers, Beschrijvinge der stad Leyden (1614). Orlers included an extensive description of Scaligerâs Oriental bequest. UBL 1122 A 17 11
3 The portrait of the printer-scholar Franciscus Raphelengius, aged 58. Icones Leidenses 26 35
4 In the galleries of the Palais du Parlement and the Palais de Justice in Paris, one could find more than 200 shops, including those of many booksellers. Rijksprentenkabinet Amsterdam RP-P-OB-42.103 59
5 Louis Chasteigner de la Roche-Posay, seigneur dâAbain, the protector of Scaliger. Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum 62
6 The jurist Jacques Cujas. Portrait collection of the University of Amsterdam 64
7 The title page of Levitaâs Lexicon Chaldaicum, of which Scaliger received a copy in 1572 from Johannes Pappus as a token of their friendship. UBL 839 A 6 67
8 The title page of the Pentateuch from the library of Charles Macrin, gifted to Scaliger by Chasteigner. UBL 515A 12 70
9 The title page of a copy of Scaligerâs Opus Novum de emendatione temporum (Paris: Sébastien Nivelle, 1583). The title page contains the inscriptions of two previous owners of this copy, Nicolai Massonis and Johann Jacobi. UBL 759 A 50 73
10 Title page of Giovanni Battista Castrodardo, LâAlcorano di Macometto (Venice: Andrea Arrivabene, 1547). Koninklijke Bibliotheek Brussel VH2482 80
11 Title page of the Icelandic Bible that Scaliger was able to acquire (Holum, Jon Jonsson, 1584). Lincoln College Oxford L.4.11 SR K 4 83
12 Title page of the Y Beibl Cyssegr-Lan. Sef Yr Hen Destament, Aâr Newydd (London: Christopher Barker, 1588), the first complete Welsh translation of the Bible, including the Apocrypha 85
13 Jacques-Auguste de Thou, librarian of the Royal Library in Paris. Rijksprentenkabinet Amsterdam RP-P-OB-55.710 94
14 The Italian scholar, collector and bibliophile Gian Vincenzo Pinelli. Rijksprentenkabinet Amsterdam RP-P-1908-2636 106
15 Saghmosaran [Psalterium] curante Abgario Tokatensi (Venice: Yakob Meghapart, 1565â1566). UBL 876 G 31 111
16 The heart-shaped Mappamondi or world map of Hajji Ahmed (Venice: Marco Antonio Giustiniani, 1559â1560) 112
17 Portrait of Pierre Pithou (1539â1596). Rijksprentenkabinet Amsterdam RP-P-1882.-A 629 115
18 A creed of confession (Doctrina Christam) in Tamil, printed in Quilon (Kollam) in 1578. Houghton Library, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 118
19 Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Pereisc (1580â1637). Rijksprentenkabinet Amsterdam RP-P-OB-33.164 124
20 The title page of Scaligerâs copy of Abraham ben David ha-Levi, Sefer Yeẕirah (Mantua: Jacob ben Naphtali ha-Kohen of Gazzuolo, 1562). UBL 875 E 24 127
21 David [Ben Solomon] ibn Jachja, Sefer lâshon limmudim (Constantinople: Dav[id] et Sam[uel] Ibn Nachmias, 1506). UBL 871 F 6 129
22 Painted portrait of Isaac Casaubon (1559â1614). Icones Leidenses 44 149
23 Painted portrait of Daniël van der Meulen by Bernaert der Rijckere, 1583. Collection and © The Phoebus Foundation; photography: Museum De Lakenhal, Leiden 157
24 The brothers Pierre and Jacques Dupuy, the sons of Claude Dupuy. Rijksprentenkabinet Amsterdam RP-P-OB-5659 170
25 Arabic typeface sample, produced by Le Bé. Collection Museum Plantin-Moretus Antwerpen 173
26 Title page of Petrus Bertiusâs Nomenclator (Leiden: Franciscus Raphelengius, 1595), UBL 1408 I 57 184
27 Title page of Daniel Heinsius, In obitum V. Illustr. Iosephi Scaligeri (Leiden: Ex officina Plantiniana Raphelengii, 1609), UBL 1011 C 14: 1 190
28 One of the first pages from Scaligerâs will, written in French, according to a transcript in the collection of the Leiden professor of history, Greek and rhetoric, Jacobus Perizonius, UBL PER Q5, f4r 192
29 Title page of the Catalogus librorum Bibliothecae Illustr. Viri Iosephi Scaligeri. Leiden 1609. University library of Copenhagen, Collection Older, Cat. 79: 2, 39, vol. I (4) 196
30 Title page of Cleomedis Meteora Graece et Latine (Bordeaux: Simon Millanges, 1605). According to an inscription by Rudolph Snellius on this copy, the auction of Scaligerâs books lasted at least until 12 March 1609. UBL 758 C 26 197
31 Depictions of Scaligerâs epitaph and of one of the tombs of the Della Scalas in Verona. UBL 116 B 15 and UBL 1011 C 14 207
32 Proof of the engraving of the university library (1610), with in the right foreground the Arca Scaligerana The texts that adorned the front of the Arca had not yet been cut into the plate. Rijksprentenkabinet Amsterdam RP-P-1895-A-18679 209
33 Bonaventura Vulcanius, Catalogus Librorum omnium qui hodie conservantur a Josepho Scaligero. UBL VUL 108 pars 5 216
34 Paullus Merula, Catalogus rariorum Biblioth[ecae] Acad[emiae] Lugdun[ensis], 1607. UBL BA C N 3 222
35 Daniel Heinsius, Catalogus librorum Bibliothecae Lugdunensis (Leiden: 1612), UBL BA C N 2c 226
36 Alongside âAll my books in Oriental languagesâ, Scaliger also bequeathed his Latin and Greek manuscripts to the university of Leiden. He also donated to the library a selection of his own works, some of which were published posthumously. UBL 540 D 19 230
37 In his funeral oration of 1609, Daniel Heinsius was the first to announce the news of Scaligerâs momentous bequest to the University of Leiden. Remarkably, he did not mention any of Scaligerâs Russian books in the process. UBL 1011 C 14 232
38 Title page of Thomas Erpenius, Novum Testamentum Arabice (Leiden: In typographia Erpeniana, 1616), UBL 842 D 36 235
39 Title page of Daniel Heinsius, Catalogus Bibliothecae Publicae Lugduno-Batavae (Leiden: Abraham and Bonaventura Elsevier, 1640), UBL BA C n 4 242
40 Title page of Frederik Spanheim junior, Catalogus Bibliothecae Publicae Lugduno-Batavae (Leiden: The widow and heirs of Johannes Elzevier, 1674), UBL BA C N 6 247
41 Racuyoxu i.e. Lexicon Sinico-Japonicum et Japonico-Sinicum. While this page indicates that this work used to belong to Franco Duyck [ens], the following page had a slip of paper applied that reads Ex Legato Illustris Viri JOSEPHI SCALIGERI. UBL SER 36 250
42 Title page of Catalogus Librorum [â¦] Bibliothecae Publicae Universitatis Lugduno-Batavae (Leiden: Petri van der Aa, 1716). UBL 1418 A 5 253
43 The university library as depicted in the Les délices de Leide of 1712, with the Arca Scaligerana and Vulcaniusâs Arca in the left background, underneath the staircase. UBL 403 G 15 258
Tables
1 Scaligerâs most important correspondents during his period in France, 1561â1593 89
2 Overview of the auction of Scaligerâs books by discipline, as categorised by H.J. de Jonge 199
3 Overview of Scaligerâs bequest as reflected in the catalogues of the Leiden University Library, 1612â1716 215
4 Hebrew and Arabic books, partially selected from Burnettâs canon, owned by Scaliger in comparison with those owned by Raphelengius, Drusius, Bodley and Bullioud 273