Add MS 8278

CERVINI'S LETTERS, CLAUDIO TOLOMEI'S DISCOURSE, AND VISCONTI LETTER-BOOK; 1540-1562. Italian. Copies, 17th cent. The first part of the MS. (ff. 2-29v) contains dispatches to Cardinal Alessandro Farnese from Cardinal Marcello Cervini degli Spannochi, papal legate at the court of the Emperor Charles V in 1540. The second part (ff. 30-119) contains a discourse by Claudio Tolomei, later Bishop of Korcula in Dalmatia, discussing whether Pope Paul III should form an alliance with the Emperor Charles V or with King Francis I of France, circa 1544. Other two copies of the text in Add. 48120 (Yelverton MS. 135; arts. 1-2, ff. 2-68v, 70-100); other MSS. copies mentioned in L. Sbaragli, Claudio Tolomei, umanista senese del Cinquecento. La vita e le opere... (Siena, 1939), pp. 205-206. The rest of the present MS. (ff. 120-388v) contains the first part of the letter-book of Carlo Visconti, Bishop of Ventimiglia and confidential minister of Pope Pius IV at the concluding sessions of the Council of Trent (29 May 1562 - 6 Sept. 1563). The second and third parts of the letter-book, originally from the same MS. as part one, can be found in Add. 8274 (ff. 2-257). The dispatches, contained in this first part of the letter-book, are dated 1562 and addressed to Cardinal Carlo Borromeo. The catchword 'Libro secondo' at the end of the text (f. iv verso) links it to part two in Add. 8274, which is dated 1563 and contains letters addressed to the papal legates at the Council of Trent (ff. 2-91v) and to Cardinal Carlo Borromeo (ff. 92-257). Another copy of Visconti letter-book in three-volumes in King's MS. 15. Table of contents (f. 1), added later. Marked '17' in ink at centre of lower edge. Stamp of the Colonna library 'Libraria Colonna' in red on ff. ii, iii, 1, 119v, 388v, iv (verso); for the Colonna library stamp see Bragaglia, vol. iii, T 32: circa 1750. 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 right corner and 'Tomo XVII / A' in pencil in upper left corner of f. ii. Purchased, together with Add. 8262-8277, 8279-8281, from R. H. Evans, 8 Dec. 1830, lot 284 (part).

Paper; ff. 388+iv, plus one unfoliated blank after f. 1. Old foliation in ink '1-387' (ff. 2-388, iv). 268 x 200mm. Horizontal catchwords. Three Italian hands.