Add MS 8700

IPPOLITO CAMILLO GUIDI: Relazione of Spain and of the Count-Duke of Olivares; circa 1643. Italian. Copy. A relazione of Spain in the 1620s focused on the life and role played in Spanish politics by Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares, prime minister and favourite of King Philip IV. The anonymous text has been recognised by A. Morel-Fatio as a relazione presented to Francesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena, by the Dominican Father Ippolito Camillo Guidi, the Modenese envoy to Spain from 1639 to 1643 (see A. Morel-Fatio, 'Caduta del Conte d'Olivares', in Bulletin Italien, 12 (1912), pp. 29-32, with mention of another copy of the text in Paris, Bibl. Nat., MS ital. 1358). The relazione begins with Olivares' birth in 1587 and an account of his youth, and ends in 1630 with the Mantuan War, mentioning the death of Ambrosio Spinola, Marqués de Los Balbases, General Commander of the Spanish Army in Italy and Governor of Milan, and the spread of plague in Italy. The text includes the Italian translation of letters and relazioni by King Philip IV and Olivares, and of a brief from Urban VIII to Olivares. The original Spanish texts can be found in another copy of the text in Add. 8701, art. 1, ff. 1-156v. Title (f. 1) 'Relatione Politica delle più particolari attioni del Conte Duca, e Successi della Monarchia di Spagna con la forma del suo Governo', inc. (f. 2) 'Discorso Primo nel quale si tratta la Vita del Conte Duca sino al Matrimonio della sua figlia in cinque Punti / Ritorno (per la Dio gratia) da Madrid alla Patria a presentarmi a piedi di Vostra Altezza Serenissima', expl. (f. 61) 'con buona licenza di Vostra Altezza Serenissima terminerò questa mia relazione augurandoli augumento de stati et il complimento de suoi desiderij / Fine'. The text is divided into 5 'Discorsi'. With detailed table of contents (ff. 1-1v). Stamp of the Colonna library 'Libraria Colonna' in red on ff. 1 and 61v (for the Colonna library stamp see Bragaglia, vol. iii, T 32: c. 1750). Owned by Frederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford, but lacking his armorial bookplate. '254' in pencil in top left corner of f. i. Purchased, together with Add. 8685, 8687, 8689, 8691, 8703, 8705, and 8708, from R. H. Evans, 8 Dec. 1830, lot 254 (part).

Paper; ff. 61+i. Old foliation in ink 1-60 (ff. 2-61). 259 x 194mm. One Italian hand. Horizontal catchwords on each leaf. Edges mottled in red.