|
Grotius left a great number of autograph documents. Of these, Leiden University Libraries possesses eight manuscripts and a few hundred letters. Among the manuscripts, De Iure Praedae (BPL 917; On the Law of Prize and Booty) is considered the most important. It examines the historical, political, and legal aspects of war, and stresses the freedom to navigate the seas. It was written by Grotius between 1604 and 1608, but was never published in its entirety.
|
Only the twelfth chapter appeared in print in 1609, titled Mare liberum. The manuscript clearly shows a work in progress as Grotius crossed out large parts of the text and made numerous alterations and additions. In 2015 the manuscript was subject of an extensive conservation treatment in order to be scanned for a digital edition, showcasing all of Grotius’ notes and changes. |
-
BPL 917 - Opening with corrections
This manuscript ‘On the Law of Prize and Booty’ is an autograph, and it is an exciting example of how the content and use of the work are related to the physical condition of the object. The material characteristics were explored and safeguarded during a conservation treatment in 2015, prior to digitisation of the volume. The manuscript has the nature of an autograph and a working document: parts of the text were crossed out, and intermediate and new texts were written on inserted loose leaves, to replace them. The volume thus consists of gatherings to which many loose leaves in different sizes were added throughout. It seems these gatherings and sheets remained unbound for a prolonged time. [1 – opening before dismantling, showing inserts and corrections] -
BPL 917 - During treatment
Sometime around 1900 the paper was repaired and the gatherings bound in a binding typical for that time and of poor quality; no traces of a former sewing structure were visible. The semi-transparent repair paper, used to secure half-sheets and repair fragile edges and tears, was discoloured and caused tension in the paper with risk of cracks and losses. The discolouration also hindered the readability of the text. The primary goal of the treatment therefore was to remove these repairs, strengthen the paper and rebind the volume in a more functional structure. [2 – during dismantling, illustrating the paper damage and uneven formats of the paper] [3 – detail of the deteriorated repairs] [4a, 4b and 4c – work on tape removal by Yvonne de Graaff] -
BPL 917 - Rodent damage and binding
De Jure Praedae remained unpublished during Hugo de Groot’s lifetime, except for chapter eleven, that deals with freedom of access to the ocean, Mare Liberum, first published in 1609. This chapter is written in two separate gatherings, nrs 6 and 7, whereas the other chapters seem written irrespective of the textblock structure. The second gathering, containing chapter three to five, have particular damage in the bottom margin close to the spine, caused by rodents. Most likely, mice have gnawed away at the paper to gather soft tissue for their nest. As the rest of the textblock does not have this damage, it tells us that these folios were once elsewhere. [5 Detail of the rodent damage] We decided not to fill in the missing paper, so that this particular phenomenon is immediately apparent and distinguishes the text of these three chapters also physically from the rest. Its condition may indicate it was written or kept in a different place than the other chapters and only added to the volume later on. The textblock was laced into a non-adhesive conservation binding, which is made of durable materials. The old binding has been stored away together with the treatment documentation. The final image shows the old and the new binding. [6 Structure of the manuscript] [7 The old and the new binding]