It is a collection that brings together mathematical, literary and theological texts. Inside there are works or modifications by Barozzi or Barocci; some pieces are originals saved after the
fall of Constantinople. Subsequently Francesco's nephew, Iacopo Barozzi, inherited and enriched it. The Earl of Pembroke's purchase cost him £700; his donation was bound in 242 volumes. He was persuaded to make the deal and gift by
William Laud. Some remaining manuscripts from the collection were given by
Oliver Cromwell in 1654. Both Pembroke and Cromwell were
Chancellor of the University of Oxford at the time of their gifts. In fact the manuscripts of Barozzi were already with Laud: they had been brought to England by Henry Featherstone in 1628. Featherstone acted as agent for the Bodleian, from 1621. In 1636, they were included in a Catalogue of the Greek manuscripts in the Bodleian Library made by the scholar
Edmund Chilmead (died 1654), who edited and translated into Latin the
Chronographia of
John Malalas. Dr
Edward Bernard made an extensive abstract of Chilmead's Catalogue of the Barozzi manuscripts. The arrival of the Barocci manuscripts acted as a catalyst for Oxford’s printing ambitions. The origins of the
Oxford University Press are connected with Laud's plan to have these manuscripts edited and published, even though it took around 40 years and the efforts of
John Fell to take the practical steps to create a scholarly publishing house in Oxford. During those years, the Barocci manuscripts remained the foundation of the original project, standing as the blueprint for an editorial tradition that was still finding its definitive shape within the university’s academic landscape. == Manuscripts ==