Add MS 8418

ACCOUNTS AND DIARIES OF CONCLAVES FROM MARCELLUS II TO INNOCENT IX, OMITTING PAUL IV; 1555-1591. Italian and Latin. Copies, woodcut portraits. Three full-page woodcut portraits (ff. 84v, 161v, 231v, of Sixtus V, Pius IV, and Gregory XIV) illustrate the accounts of the respective conclaves. The name 'Domenico Bianchi' is written in ink in top left corner of f. 350 (the first leaf of art. 12). Armorial bookplate of Frederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford, with shelfmark L/18/E (front pastedown). '87' in pencil in top left corner of front pastedown. Purchased, together with Add. 8368, 8369, 8382, 8391-8396, 8397, 8398, 8399, 8412, 8413, 8417, 8419-8425, 8462, 8487, 8515, 8525, 8660, 8706, 8721, 8722, 8723-8724, 8753, 8754, 8755, 8772, and possibly 8366, 8589, and 8727, from R. H. Evans, 8 Dec. 1830, lot 87 (part).

Paper; ff. 564+vii, plus single unfoliated blanks after ff. 55, 154, 166, and two after f. 230. Modern foliation in pencil '1-564' (followed here); there are two other main sequences of old foliation and pagination in ink throughout the volume. Arts 3(ii), 7-12 belong to one foliated sequence '209-517'. The main series of accounts of (seven) conclaves included in this volume and described in art. 1 (Marcellus II to Gregory XIV, omitting Paul IV) is all in the same Italian hand and paginated in a separate sequence throughout ('1-160', '355-382' and '415-654'). Composite volume. Circa 270 x 195mm. Horizontal catchwords in sequence comprising art. 1. Several Italian hands. Guilford binding of quarter vellum with decorated paper covers over pasteboards.

Contents as follows:

1. ff. 1-36, 56-67, 85-94, 98-111, 118-154v, 209-311. Series of accounts of conclaves written as a uniform collection (see Add. 4017, art. 5 for the first 14 conclaves and Add. 4019, art. 1 for continuation of series), all with separate title-pages ('Conclave fatto per la sede vacante di papa ... nel quale fu creato pontefice il card. ... detto ...') but with the first three accounts here bound out of chronological sequence. Contents as follows: (i) ff. 1-36, 'Pio V' (1566), inc. 'Non é meraviglia che di quanto s'é operato nel conclave', expl. 'Geronimo Albano bergamasco. In tutto numero 20'; for other copies of this version see Add. MSS. 4350 (ff. 1-43v) and 6901 (ff. 39-50); for versions without the added prologue see art. 2 below and Add. MSS. 8412 (art. 19, ff. 192-203v), 8413 (art. 19, ff. 218-246), 8426, 28464 (ff. 69-79), 48072 (art. 1(e), ff. 74-92), 48074 (art. 14, ff. 154-170v), with a printed version in Conclavi, pp. 165-186; (ii) ff. 56-67, 'Gregorio XIII' (1572), inc. 'Non è dubio veruno che la creatione del sommo pontefice romano', expl. 'Giulio Acquaviva napolitano'; for references to copies of other versions of this account see Add. MS. 8412 (art. 20); (iii) ff. 85-94, 'Sisto V' (1585), inc. 'Doppo d'havere li cardinali udita l'oratione', expl. 'et in mercordi fu incoronato su la piazza di S. Pietro'; for references to copies of related versions see Add. MS. 8412 (art. 21); (iv) ff. 98-111, 'Marcello II' (1555), inc. 'Il Cardinale di Ferrara dal primo dì', expl. 'Cardinali assenti ... Panormitano'. Other copies in Add. MSS. 6901, 8413 (art. 16, ff. 175-184v), 28464 (ff. 38-48), 48072 (art. 1(b), ff. 43v-49v), 48074 (art. 11, ff. 126-134v), 48154 (art. 6, ff. 229-242v), Royal MS. 14.A.XXI, with a printed version in Conclavi, pp. 187-201. Other accounts of the conclave in Add. MSS. 8412 (art. 17, ff. 176-183), 8414 (art. 1(xvii), ff. 106-109v), 8418 (art. 6, ff. 112-117); (v) ff. 118-154v, 'Pio IV' (1559), inc. 'A di 19. di agosto 1559 Papa Paolo quarto peggiorò', expl. 'la salva dell'artigliarie che in quel tempo haveva bellissime Castel S.to Angelo'. The Latin version, of which this is a translation, can be found in Add. MS. 48073 (art. 15, ff. 593-620) and 6901; for references to other accounts of the conclave and their copies see entry for Add. MSS. 8412 (art. 18); (vi) f. 209-230, 'Urbano VII' (1590), inc. 'Papa Sisto Quinto di felice mem. dopo di essere stato alcuni giorni travagliato di febre', expl. 'et il popolo si nobile come plebeo mostrava di grand allegrezza'; for references to other copies or related versions see Add. MS. 8412 (art. 22); (vii) ff. 232-311, 'Gregorio XIV' (1590), inc. 'Giusto desiderio veramente, e laudabile curiosità è quella che V. S. mostra', expl. 'e la prudenza civile, et humana fu creato a XV di decembre 1590'; for other copies of this version see Add. MSS. 8412 (art. 23, ff. 225-261v), 8415 (art. 8, ff. 225-320), 28464 (ff. 112-171), 48075 (art. 4, ff. 31-81), 48082 (art. 6, ff. 213-263), with a printed version in Conclavi, pp. 225-280.

2. ff. 37-55. Account of the conclave which elected Pius V in 1566. The initial leaf or leaves are missing since the text on f. 37 appears to begin in mid-sentence ('pensavano, che Mantova fosse Papa al sicuro'); the formal account of the conclave begins on f. 41 (inc. 'Nel conclave, nel quale fu creato papa Pio V il numero de cardinali passava cinquanta'); 1566. Italian. Copy. Imperfect. For other copies and versions see art 1(i) above.

3. ff. 68-79v. Three separate recensions of the same account of the conclave which elected Gregory XIII in 1572; 1572: (i) ff. 68-71, 'Avviso del conclave di Gregorio XIII', dated from Rome 23 May 1572 (inc. 'Vi promessi l'altro giorno di narrarvi'); (ii) ff. 72-75, as (i) but adding the list of 'Cardinali presenti a questo conclave'; (iii) ff. 76-79v, 'Conclave nel quale fu creato papa Gregorio XIII' as (i) (inc. 'Vi proposi l'altro giorno di narrarvi'). Italian. Copies. See art. 1(ii) above for a related version of these accounts.

4. ff. 80-83v. Accounts of secret consistories held in Oct. and Nov. 1577; 1577. Latin. Copy. Inc. 'Die 9.a mensis octobris feria 4.a. 1577. Fuit Consistorium secretum'.

5. ff. 95-97. 'Conclave nel quale fu creato Papa Sisto V', an account of the conclave held in 1585; 1585. Italian. Copy. Inc. 'L'elettione del sommo pontefice e senza dubio la maggiore et la più sublime attione'. For related versions see arts. 5, 8.

6. ff. 112-117. Two accounts of the conclave which elected Marcellus II in 1555; 1555. Italian. Copies. Inc. (f. 112) 'Alli 6 del medesimo di febbraio alle 14 hore, expl. 'e questo è quanto è occorso, et occorre di presente'; inc. (f. 116) 'Alli 22 di marzo 1555 di sabato alle 19 ore', expl. 'Giovanni di Toledo Cardinale di S. Giacomo'. For closely related versions of the second account see Add. MS. 8412 (art. 17, ff. 176-183) and 8414 (art. 1(xvii), ff. 106-109v). For another account possibly based on the notes written by the 'conclavista' Giovanni Francesco Lottini see Add. MS. 8413 (art. 16, ff. 175-184v) and references there.

7. ff. 155-160. 'Conclave nel quale fu eletto Papa Pio 4^o'; 1560. Italian. Copy. Inc. 'Il conclave nel quale fu creato Pio quarto per la lunghezza della sede vacante', expl. 'il Cardinal de Medici il quale in quel modo ch'è notorio fu creato Papa'. For references to copies of other versions of this account see Add. MS. 8412 (art. 18).

8. ff. 162-166. 'Successo della sede vacante per morte di Gregorio XIII et conclave, dove fu creato Sisto V^o'; 1585. Italian. Copy. Inc. 'Domenica il di sette d'aprile M.D.L.XXXVII Papa Gregorio 13^o celebrò messa', expl. gl'ha data il governo di Fermo, che vale 405 mila scudi l'anno'. For related versions see arts. 1(iii) and 5 above.

9. ff. 167-208v. Diary of conclave (8 Oct. to 4 Dec. 1590) following the death of Urban VII which elected Cardinal Sfondrati as Gregory XIV; 1590. Italian. Copy. Inc. 'Per la morte di Papa Sisto quinto, che fu alli 27 d'agosto', expl. 'Cardinali assenti ... Razivil'.

10. ff. 312-329v. 'Conclave della sedia vacante di Papa Urbano VII nella [sic] quale fu creato Papa Gregorio XIIII', with missing final leaf or leaves since the text ends in mid-sentence on f. 329v. with a catchword unmatched by the following leaf in the volume ; 1590. Italian. Copy. Imperfect. Inc. 'Entrorno in conclave à di 8 de ottobre 1590 cinquanta tre cardinali', expl. 'gl'havevano in quei giorni fatta l'esclusione benche'. For another version of this account see Add. MS. 48072 (art. 5, ff. 121-127v).

11. ff. 330-349v. 'Conclave della sede vacante di Papa Gregorio XIIII nel quale fu creato Papa Innocentio Nono', with missing final leaf or leaves since the text ends with a catchword 'Il C. Sauli' indicating the continuation of the list of cardinals present at the conclave; n.d. Italian. Copy. Imperfect. Inc. 'Essendo alli XV di ottobre 1591 martedi alle otto hore di notte passato a meglio vita'. For other copies of this version see Add. MSS. 8412 (art. 24, ff. 262-266v), 8414 (art. 1(xxiii), ff. 162-165v), 8419 (art. 2, ff. 15-26v), 28464 (ff. 173-182); for references to other versions see 8412 (art. 24).

12. ff. 350-564v. 'Conclave di Gregorio XIIII', account of the conclave which elected Gregory XIV, with an authorship inscription 'scritto da Lelio Marretti gentilhuomo sanese' added in another hand, also responsible for marginal amendments, additions and cancellations found throughout the text; 1590. Italian. Copy. Inc. 'Ancorche la brevita della vita d'Urbano settimo', expl. 'Cardinali che intervennero nella creatione di Gregorio XIIII ... Rovere'. On Lelio Marretti and for bibliographical references on him see description for Add. MS. 8807; for another version of this account see 8414 (art. 1(xxii), ff. 129-161v).