Add MS 8756

ANTONIO JOSÉ DEL GIUDICE Y PADACODA: Memoirs of France as Ambassador of Philip V of Spain; 1719-1733. Italian. Copy. Antonio Josè del Giudice y Padacoda, Duke of Giovinazzo and Prince of Cellamare, was the Spanish Ambassador at Paris in 1715-1718. In December 1718 he was forced to leave France because he was found to be involved in a conspiracy to replace the Regent Philip Duke of Orleans with Louis-Auguste, Duc de Maine and natural son of Louis XIV. The intrigue had been encouraged by Cardinal Giulio Alberoni, the Spanish Prime Minister, in order to reinstate the rights of Philip V to the throne of France, which had been cancelled by the Treaty of Utrecht (1713); see S. Denis, 'En marge de la Conjuration de Cellamare. Le retour en Espagne', in Bulletin Hispanique, t. liv, no. 1 (1952), pp. 34-44, and 'Cellamare, Antonio del Giudice' in DBI, 23 (1979), pp. 427-430, both mentioning the present MS. The title of the MS. (ff.1, 2), 'Memorie delle cose accadute a Don Antonio Giudice Principe di Cellamare Cavallerizzo maggiore della Regina Elisabetta Farnese Gentiluomo della Camera ed Ambasciadore del Ree Filippo V nella Corte di Francia', suggests that the text was copied after Cellamare was appointed cavallerizzo maggiore of Elisabetta Farnese, Queen of Spain. Inc. (f. 2) 'Essendo ito meco medesimo alcune fiate ', expl. (f. 426v) 'incarichi, a quali vengo destinato, sono, la Dio mercè consapevole / Fine della quarta, ed ultima parte'. Divided in two books of two parts (ff. 2, 91, 182, 305). Occasional corrections throughout. Owned by Frederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford, but lacking his armorial bookplate. '119' in pencil in top left corner of front pastedown. Purchased, together with Add. 8718, 8720, 8728, 8729, 8745, 8752, 8757, 8758, 8759, and 8760, from R. H. Evans, 8 Dec. 1830, lot 119 (part).

Paper; ff. 426+vi. Old foliation '1-180' (ff. 2-181) and old pagination '1-490' (ff. 182-426v), both in ink. 257 x 189mm. Horizontal catchwords on each leaf. One Italian hand. 18th-cent. binding of vellum. Edges mottled in red.