Add MS 8343

MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTION of historical papers relating to the Papacy and its relations with Poland, Venice, the Holy Roman Empire and Spain; 1530-1596. Italian and Latin. Copies, 17th cent. The MS. includes: - (a) summary (art. 1, ff. 1-81v) of negotiations between Bonifacio Vannozzi, secretary to Cardinal Enrico Caetani, papal legate at Cracow, and Joannis Tamoscio, Grand Chancellor of Poland: the negotiations led to the Synod of Brest-Litovsk, and the conversion of Orthodox Poles to the Roman Church, 1596; - (b) relazione of Rome (art. 2, ff. 84-92) by the Venetian ambassador Gaspare Contarini, 1530; - (c) speech (art. 3, ff. 96-102) presented by Cardinal Rodolfo Pio di Carpi to Charles V on the art of good government, 1543; - (d) instructions (art. 4, ff. 108-125) to Cardinal Carlo Carafa from Pope Paul IV Carafa relating to the peace negotiations with Philip II of Spain, 1557. Table of contents (f. xii), added later. Old shelfmark '[.]37' in fourth spine compartment. Owned by Frederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford, but lacking his armorial bookplate. '378' in pencil in upper left corner of front pastedown. Purchased, together with Add. 8514, 8532, 8715, 8716, 8717, 8764, and 38162, from R. H. Evans, 8 December 1830, lot 378 (part).

Contents as follows:

1. ff. 1-81v. 'Ristretto della doppia negotiatione fatta dal Vannozzi col Signor Gran Cancelliere di Polonia, mandatovi dall'Illustrissimo Signor Cardinale Caetano quando vi fu legato de latere di Nostro Signore Papa Clemente Ottavo l'anno 1596', summary of negotiations between Bonifacio Vannozzi and Joannis Tamoscio, with correspondence; 1596. Italian. Copy. Inc. 'L'Illustrissimo e Reverendissimo Signor Cardinale Caetano trovandosi in Polonia'. Another copy in Add. 48122 (Yelverton MS. 137), art. 14, ff. 355-448.

2. ff. 84-92. 'Relatione del clarissimo Messer Gasparo Contarini ritornato ambasciatore da Papa Clemente 7^o e dall'Imperatore Carlo V l'anno 1530', relazione of Rome and the Empire by Gaspare Contarini; 1530. Italian. Copy. Inc. 'Serenissimo Principe e Exellentissimi Padroni, io existimo certo che saria ragionevolmente tenuto', expl. 'alli ... di marzo nel 1530. Published by Albèri, s. ii, vol. 3 (Florence, 1846), pp. 255-274. A copy of an earlier relazione of Germany by Contarini (1525) in Lansdowne 840 (a-b), art. 1.

3. ff. 96-102v. 'Discorso del Reverendissimo Cardinale de Carpi del 1543 a Carlo V Cesare del modo di dominare', speech offered by Cardinal Rodolfo di Carpi to Emperor Charles V; 1543. Italian. Copy. Inc. 'Serenissimo e Invittissimo Cesare / Due sono le persone', expl. 'alla sua posterità o descendenti'.

4. ff. 108-125. 'Scrittura in persona del Papa al Cardinale Carafa sopra il negotio della pace con il Re Filippo / 1557', instructions to Cardinal Carlo Carafa from Pope Paul IV; 1557. Italian. Copy. Inc. 'Molte cose Figliolo carissimo ci confortano a sperare', expl. 'di gloria premiata'. Other copies of the same text in Add. 8401 (art. 3, ff. 145-166) and 16397 (ff. 131-160v). Printed in Opere di Monsignor Giovanni Della Casa (Naples, 1733), pp. 27-42; BL copy 12227.aa.13.

Paper; ff. 125+xxix; ff. 82-83, 93-95, 103-107 blanks. Old foliation in ink '1-125' (followed here), including blanks. 298 x 213mm. Horizontal catchwords on each leaf. Two Italian hands: - (a) ff. 1-81v; - (b) ff. 84-125. 17th-cent. Italian binding of full vellum.