Add MS 8277

MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTION of relazioni, letters, manifesto, and peace treaties relating to the Papacy, Spain, Malta, England, France, the Council of Trent, Austria, Venice, the German Empire, Turkey, and Scotland; circa1458-1570. LatinandItalian. Copies, 17th cent. The MS. contains (ff. 138-160v) copies of letters of Cardinal Reginald Pole when papal nuncio to England, dated 29 July 1554 - 26 Jan. 1555, including (ff. 146-153) a relazioneto Pope Julius III on the matter of ecclesiastical properties in England. The MS. also includes: - (a) relazioneof Spain addressed to Pope Pius IV by the papal nuncio Carlo Visconti, Bishop of Ventimiglia, 1564 (ff. 2-36v): a copy of the instructions from Cardinal Borromeo relating to Visconti's mission to Spain in Add. 8302 (art. 28, ff. 150-158v); - (b) relazioneof Malta in the form of a dialogue with special reference to the religion, n.d. (ff. 37-137v); - (c) information given to cardinals before the election of Pope Paul III, 1534, in Latin(ff. 161-200v); - (d) instructions of the King of France [Francis II ?] relating to the Council of Trent, circa1560 (ff. 201-210v); - (e) relazioneof Austria by Lorenzo Contarini, [1548] (ff. 211-355), of which another copy in Add. 8262 (ff. 272-330v), published in Albèri, s. i, vol. i (Florence, 1839), pp. 369-469; - (f) letter from Pope Alexander VI to the Emperor Maximilian I relating to war against the Turks, 1494, signed by Ludovico Bruni, in Latin(ff. 356-365v); - (g) letter of Pope Innocent VIII relating to war against the Turks, circa1484-1492, in Latin(ff. 366-368v); - (h) deliberations by foreign ambassadors in Rome relating to war against the Turks, in Latin, n.d. (ff. 368v-375v); - (i) manifesto by Marcantonio Colonna, general of the papal fleet, relating to his dispute with Giovanni Andrea Doria, general of the Spanish fleet, 1570 (ff. 376-381v), another copy of which in Add. 8268 (art. d, ff. 18-21); - (j) heads of agreement between Scotland and France, when Francis II and his wife Mary Queen of Scots became king and queen of France, circa1559 (ff. 382-383v); - (k) heads of agreement between King Charles IX of France and the Huguenots, with a letter of the Queen Regent Caterina de' Medici, 1563 (ff. 384-389v); - (l) relazioneof theRosa aureaor the Golden Rose given to Siena by Pope Pius II in 1458, in Latin(ff. 391-395). Table of contents (ff. 1-1v), added later. Marked '16' in ink at centre of lower edge. Stamp of the Colonna library 'Libraria Colonna' in red on ff. ii, iii, 2, 58, 189, 395v, v (verso); for the Colonna library stamp see Bragaglia, vol. iii, T 32: circa1750. Previously believed to be from the library of Cardinal Giuseppe Renato Imperiali according to a note in Evans sale catalogue at lot 284. Owned by Frederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford, but lacking his armorial bookplate. '284' in pencil in upper left corner and 'Tomo XVI / A' in pencil in lower margin of f. ii. Purchased, together with Add. 8262-8276, 8278-8281, from R. H. Evans, 8 Dec. 1830, lot 284 (part).

Paper; ff. 395+v, plus one unfoliated blank after ff. 1, 37, 160, 355, three after f. 36. Old foliation in ink '1-400' (ff. 2-395, iv), including blanks. 268 x 202mm. Horizontal catchwords. Several Italian hands: same hand for arts. (b) and (e), to be found also in Add. 8279, arts. (g) and (k), and 8280, (ff. 335-420: excerpt of Paris the Grassis' diary) and arts. (k), (p), (u), (v), and 8281, (ff. 87-106v: tract by Lucian) and arts. (b)-(c), (g)-(h), and (k).