Add MS 8331

MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTION of political treatises, discourses, satires and other papers relating to Rome, Genoa, France, Germany, Tuscany, and Sweden; circa 1613-1652. Italian. Copies. The MS. includes: - (a) three treatises (arts. 1-3) relating to ambassadorial precedence at the papal court for representatives of the Republic of Genoa, after 1641; - (b) discourse (art. 4) addressed to Queen Christina of Sweden by the Dutch scholar Theodor Ameyden in celebration of the treaty of peace with the Emperor Ferdinand II, 1648; - (c) letter (art. 6) to Cardinal Giulio Mazarin from Duke Maximilian I, Prince Elector of Bavaria, justifying his new alliance with the Emperor Ferdinand II, 1647; - (d) speech (art. 7) on Tuscany's neutrality addressed to Grand Duke Ferdinand II by Traiano Maffei, 1648; - (e) lament (art. 8) attributed to the Auditor of the Contraddette and forger Francesco Canonici (1609-1652), called Mascambruno, circa 1652; - (f) notes (art. 9) relating to addresses and salutations used in formal letters in the Papal Chancery during the papacies of Gregory XIII, Clement VIII and Paul V, after 1621; - (g) discourse (art. 10) on good government allegedly given by Charles V to his son Philip II, possibly a political exercise of Italian origin, circa 1548-1549. Also included (art. 5) a selection of satires, called ragguagli, on contemporary events and personalities from the 'Centuria terza' of the 'Ragguagli di Parnaso' by Traiano Boccalini (1556? - 1613), before 1613. All fourteen satires of the present selection (see art. 10 for details) are included in a similar collection of eighteen ragguagli in Naples, Bibl. Nazionale, cod. XII.E.58; nine among them are also included in Lyon, Bibl. de la Ville, MS. 1376, a presentation copy sent by Boccalini to Charles de Neufville, Marquis d'Alincourt, after 1609 (see L. Firpo, 'Nuovi "Ragguagli" inediti del Boccalini', in Giornale Storico della Letteratura Italiana, vol. cxxxi (1954), pp. 145-174). Of the present collection, only ragguaglio xii (ff. 237v-243) appeared in print in La Cetra d'Italia sopplimento de' ragguagli di Parnaso di Traiano Boccalini (Venice: s.n., 1614), no. 4, pp. 30-54, and in Pietra del paragone politico tratta dal monte Parnaso dove si trova i governi della maggior monarchia del universo (Cormopoli [but Venice]: Ambros Teller, 1614), no. 13, pp. 48-62. The other thirteen satires were published for the first time by L. Firpo in T. Boccalini, Ragguagli di Parnaso e scritti minori, vol. iii (Bari, 1948), pp. 550 and 468-507 passim. For Traiano Boccalini see DBI 11 (1969), pp. 10-19, and Letteratura Italiana. Gli autori, vol. i (Turin, 1990), pp. 306-307. Table of contents (f. 1), added later. Old signatures in pencil 'Tom. XCVII' in upper right corner of f. i, and '[541]' in ink in fifth spine compartment: identifiable with Mattei MS. 541 (vol. 97 of 'Materie diverse') in Guilford's catalogue Add. 8220, f. 24. Owned by Frederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford, but lacking his armorial bookplate. '106' in pencil in upper left corner of front pastedown. Purchased, together with Add. 8317-8330, 8332, 8346, and 8347, from R. H. Evans, 8 Dec. 1830, lot 106 (part).

Contents as follows:

1. ff. 2-41. 'Essame delle Preminenze Reali della Serenissima Republica di Genova nella Corte Romana', treatise relating to the right to royal precedence at the papal court for the representatives of the Republic of Genoa; after 1641. Italian. Copy. Inc. (f. 3) 'La sovranità ne Prencipi è quel carattere'. Marked 'Tomo 56', corrected in '57' in upper left corner of f. 2.

2. ff. 42-81. 'Parere sopra l'Esame delle Preminenze Reali della Republica di Genova nella Corte di Roma', reply with comments to the preceding treatise (art. 1); after 1641. Italian. Copy. Inc. (f. 43) 'Mi commanda Vostra Santità ch'io scriva'. Mentions (f. 48) Prince Frederick Henry of Orange as father-in-law of Mary, the eldest daugher of Charles I of England, who married William II of Orange in 1641.

3. ff. 82-84v. 'Considerazioni sopra il discorso il cui titolo Essame delle Preminenze Reali pretese dalla Republica di Genova nella Corte di Roma', another commentary on art. 1; after 1641. Italian. Copy. Inc. 'Fu sempre mai lecito discorrere intorno all'opre'.

4. ff. 85-129. 'Alla Serenissima e Potentissima Prencipessa la Signora Christina Regina de Suechi e Wandali, Gran Prencipessa di Finlandi, Duchessa d'Eustonia Carelia e Pomerania, Signora d'Ingria, Humile ricordanza di Theodoro Amayden', celebratory discourse to Queen Christina of Sweden by Theodor Ameyden; 1648. Italian. Copy. Inc. 'Serenissima ... Regina / Nel giubilo universale di tutta Europa per la pace', expl. 'Roma 26 dicembre 1648 / ... Theodoro Ameyden'. With marginal annotations, trimmed by the binder.

5. ff. 130-243. 'Raguagli politici di Traiano Boccalini', a selection from the 'Ragguagli di Parnaso' by Traiano Boccalini (1556? - 1613), a series of prose satires on contemporary events and personalities; before 1613. Italian. Copy. Inc. 'Perciò che da pochi mesi'. The collection comprises the following ragguagli from the 'Centuria terza' (nos. according to the printed edition by L. Firpo, Ragguagli di Parnaso e scritti minori, op.cit.): lxxxix (ff. 130-131), xxxi (ff. 131-136), xxxviii (ff. 136-140; with no mention of the name of Don Alonso Gonzales, as in Naples, Bibl. Nazionale, cod. XII. E. 58), lxxxi (ff. 140-143), xc (ff. 143-145v), lxviii (ff. 145v-182), xci (ff. 182-193), xcii (ff. 193v-201v), xciii (ff. 201v-216), xxxiii (ff. 216-222), xxxvii (ff. 222v-226v), xciv (ff. 226v-234v), xlv (ff. 234v-237), xii (ff. 237v-243: only first part, as in Naples, Bibl. Nazionale, cod. XII. E. 58). All the ragguagli are in Naples, Bibl. Nazionale, cod. XII. E. 58, while only nine, i.e. xxxi, xxxiii, xxxvii-xxxviii, xlv, lxviii, xc, xcii, xciv, are also included in Lyon, Bibl. de la Ville, MS. 1376.

6. ff. 244-253. 'Lettera del Signor Duca di Baviera scritta al Signor Cardinal Mazzarini, giustificando il suo ritorno al partito Imperiale', letter to Cardinal Giulio Mazarin from Duke Maximilian I, Prince Elector of Bavaria; 1647. Italian. Copy. Inc. 'Eminentissimo Signore / Non devo dubbitare', expl. 'da Monaco li 18 di settembre 1647'.

7. ff. 254-267v. 'Discorso al Gran Duca di Toscana sopra la sua neutralità', speech on Tuscany's neutrality addressed to the Grand Duke Ferdinand II by Traiano Maffei; [1648]. Italian. Copy. Inc. 'Serenissimo Prencipe / Non è privilegio dovuto a penna volgare'. Other copies in Add. 8322 (art. 15, ff. 324-338), 8329 (art. 3, ff. 66-79), and 8347 (art. 5, ff. 145-159v).

8. ff. 268-274v. 'Lamento del Mascambruno dopo datoli l'avviso della morte e degradatione fondato su la speranza di non dover morire', lament attributed to the Auditor of the Contraddette and forger Francesco Canonici (1609-1652), called Mascambruno; circa 1652. Italian. Copy. Inc. 'Fu sempre guidato dalla scorta della speranza'. Marked 'Tomo 56' in upper left corner of f. 268. Copies of a Mascambruno's life in Add. 8357 (art. 1, ff. 2-30v), 8392 (art. 25, ff. 587-607v), and 8409 (art. 7, ff. 105-138).

9. ff. 275-277. Notes on addresses and salutations used in formal letters in the Papal Chancery during the papacies of Gregory XIII, Clement VIII and Paul V; after 1621. Italian. Copy. Inc. 'Nel pontificato di Gregorio XIII io osservo che al Nuntio di Spagna'.

10. ff. 278-404v. 'Ragionamento dell'Imperatore Carlo V al Prencipe suo figliolo', discourse on good government allegedly given by Charles V to his son Philip II, possibly a political exercise of Italian origin; circa 1548-1549. Italian. Copy, 17th cent. Inc. (f. 279) 'Parte Prima / Del tempo della Pace / Io mi sono risoluto figliuolo dilettissimo'; inc. (f. 338) 'Parte Seconda / Nel tempo della guerra / Vengo hora figliuolo dilettissimo'. Other copies in Add. 20045 (art. 3, ff. 265-337), Royal 14.A.XXI (art. 2, ff. 6-108). An English version by Lord Henry Howard, Earl of Northampton with a preface addressed to Queen Elizabeth I in Harley 836 and 1506, Kings 166 (preface signed by Lord Howard), Stowe 95 and 161; other copies lacking the preface in Add. 61728 (art. 1, ff. 1-44), and Sloane 1432. Published by P. de Sandoval, Historia de la vida y echos del Emperador Carlos V, vol. ii (Pamplona: Batholome Paris, 1614), p. 641.

Paper; ff. 404+xviii, plus two unfoliated blanks after ff. 41, 81, 243, 253, three after ff. 84, 129, 274, 277, four after f. 267, and one after f. 337. Old foliation in ink '1-414' (ff. 2-404), omitting nos. 141, and 346-355. 255 x 194mm. Horizontal catchwords on each leaf. Several Italian hands. Late 17th-cent. Italian binding of full vellum.