“Most blessed Father. These two globes, which represent the heavens and the earth, constructed by myself with painstaking industry, ought not to be dedicated to any one but to Your Holiness, who with one hand controls the keys and with the other wields the scepter. I reflect that the empire of Your Holiness, having no boundaries to restrict it, is so vast that it scarcely can be grasped by the human imagination, since earth has not mountain, river, or even ocean that can set limits thereto; nor is there sky, or planet, or star, or constellation so dense as to check or hinder Your Holiness from reaching the gate of empyrean which You open and shut at will. Reflecting therefore upon the expanse, and so to speak, upon incomprehensibleness of Your Holiness’ Empire, I determined, with a view to furthering the knowledge of it to give a representation of both worlds (that is of the celestial and of the terrestrial), much reduced, as it were, upon these two spheres of no mean size, on which the eye will be able at one glance to recognize what the human intellect with all its powers is impotent to grasp; and over which Your Holiness, when at times relieved from the pressure of overwhelming responsibilities, will be able to cast your glance in order to view the aforesaid vastness of Your Dominion. “Wherefore I trust that Your Holiness will be inclined to accept these my feeble labors, as those of a subject whose real capacity is that of Your Holiness’ servant, and that You may be willing to take the great size of these globes as the measure of the vastness of the obligation which I avow myself under to Your Holiness. And now wishing Your Holiness the age and the years of Nestor, I humbly prostrate myself upon the ground, and kiss Your Most Holy Feet. “San Stefano del Cacco, Rome, 28, December 1671. “Your Holiness’ most humble, most devoted, and most obliged servant and subject, “Dom Carlo Benci “Silvestrin monk.” Near this dedication is a portrait of the Pope, the subscription reading “Clemens Decimus Pont. Max.” The terrestrial globe shows the parallels at intervals of ten degrees, and the meridians at like intervals counting from that passing through the Island of Ferro which has been taken as the prime meridian. The polar circles, the tropics, and the ecliptic are made especially prominent. Place names and legends are given either in Latin or in Italian, some of the briefer legends taking note of geographical discoveries of special importance, and clearly indicating that the author was well informed on the progress of discovery.