Add MS 8356

RELAZIONI AND POLITICAL INSTRUCTIONS relating to Venice, the Papacy, and Spain; circa 1607-1643. Italian. Copies. Ownership note (front pastedown) 'Ex Libris / Marii Marefusci', partly cancelled; old shelfmark in black ink 'Cod. 192' in lower left corner of front pastedown; old shelfmark in faint roman numerals 'CXCII' in lower spine: identifiable with Marefoschi MS. 192 in Guilford's catalogue Add. 8220, f. 32v. Also shelfmark '14' in brown ink in left margin of front pastedown. Owned by Frederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford, but lacking his armorial bookplate. '392' in top left corner of front pastedown. Purchased, together with Add. 8340, 8376, 8406, 8475, 8481, 8535, 8675, 8702, 8732, 8763, and 8777, from R. H. Evans, 8 Dec. 1830, lot 392 (part).

Paper; ff. 196+i, plus one unfoliated blank after ff. 49, 188. Composite volume. Old foliation '1-198' (ff. 1-196), including blanks. 259 x 205mm. Horizontal catchwords on each leaf in arts. 3, 5, 6. Several Italian hands. Late 17th-cent. Italian binding of full vellum.

Contents as follows:

1. ff. 1-4v. 'Instruttione a Monsignor il Vescovo di Rimini destinato Nuntio alla Republica di Venetia dalla Santità di Nostro Signore Papa Paolo Quinto', instructions to Berlingerio Gessi, Bishop of Rimini (later Cardinal, 1626), appointed papal nuncio to Venice by Paul V; 1607. Inc. 'E' informata Vostra Signoria delle cause', expl. 'In Roma 4 giugno 1607'.

2. ff. 5-8. 'Relatione di quello è passato nel negotio dell'assolutione de Signori Veneziani concessa loro dalla Santità di Nostro Signore per mano del Magnifico Cardinale di Gioiosa', account of the negotiations for the annulment of the interdict on Venice carried out on behalf of Paul V by Cardinal François de Joyeuse in 1607; 1607. Inc. 'Di Roma il di 28 aprile 1607 / Venne a Roma il Cardinale di Gioiosa'. Oher copies in Add. 16515, ff. 246-257v, and Eg. MS. 1089, pp. 405-412.

3. ff. 9-49v. 'Relatione della Corte di Roma e de Riti da osservarsi in essa e de suoi magistrati e officii con la loro distinta giurisditione fatta dell'anno 1623', relazione of the Papal Court written by the nobleman Girolamo Lunadoro of Siena, allegedly for a Cardinal de' Medici, around 1611; 1623. Inc. 'Il sommo Pontefice ha per suoi Collaterali settanta Cardinali'. Other 17th-cent. copies, with some textual differences, in Add. 8356 (art. 1, ff. 1-41), 8471, 8472, 18660 (ff. 85-136), Arundel 21 (dated 11 Jan. 1611), Egerton 2210 (ff. 112-163), and Royal 14.A.xx (art. 6, ff. 546-622v); a shorter version in Harley 754 (ff. 2-38v); a short excerpt in Add. 4458, art. 13, ff. 95-96. For other information on the text and its printed editions see Add. 8471.

4. ff. 51-99v. 'Relatione delle cose di Venetia fatta da Don Alfonso della Cueva Ambasciatore di Spagna ultimamente partito', relazione of Venice presented to Philip III of Spain by the Spanish ambassador Alfonso della Cueva, Marqués de Bedmar, after leaving Venice in June 1618 because he was suspected by the Venetians of involvement in a plot against the Republic; 1620. Imperfect. Inc. (f. 167) 'Laboriosa impresa per certo è questa alla quale m'accingo'. Other copies of the same text in Add. 1834, 5471 (ff. 140-201), 8329 (art. 11, ff. 172-339v), 8355 (art. 9, ff. 206-251v), 8590 (art. 1, ff. 1-124), 10219 (ff. 1-86), 10800 (ff. 1-83v), 10814 (ff. 1-73), 14008 (ff. 912-947v), 17359 (ff. 1-94v), 30670 (ff. 201-269), and 48131 (Yelverton MS 146; art. 1, ff. 2-119v), Harley 5126, Royal 14 A.XVIII (art. 10). On Bedmar's spying activity see P. Preto, I servizi segreti di Venezia (Milan, 1994), pp. 123-128, 147-154 and passim.

5. ff. 100-188v. 'Relatione del Signor Leonardo Moro Ambasciatore Veneto appresso la Maestà Cattolica l'anno MDCXXVII', relazione of Spain, commonly attributed to the Venetian ambassador Leonardo Moro (d. 1626); 1626, [but 1627]. Inc. 'Tra tutte le cose che portano benefitio al governo di stato'. Other copies in Add. 8355 (art. 10, ff. 252-283v), 48148 (Yelverton MS. 160; art. 11, ff. 163-211v), and Stowe 96 (art. 5, ff. 131-207). Mentioned, but not published, by Barozzi – Berchet, ser. 1, vol. i (1856), p. 598.

6. ff. 189-196. 'Relatione degl'Interessi della Nuntiatura di Spagna', anonymous relazione of the Spanish court and of the household of the papal nuncio at Madrid while Gaspar de Guzmán, Conde-Duque de Olivares, was prime minister and favourite of King Philip IV of Spain; before 1643. Inc. 'La Nuntiatura di Spagna è una machina'.