Add MS 8760

MEMOIR AND PAPERS RELATING TO CARDINAL LOUIS DE ROHAN; 1786. French, Italian, and Latin. Copies. Memoir and papers relating to the legal proceedings against Cardinal Louis René Edouard de Rohan, bishop of Strasbourg, in the so-called Affair of the Diamond Necklace (1785-1786) at the court of King Louis XVI of France. The Cardinal was acquitted of guilt, but lost his office of Grand Aumônier and was exiled from Paris. The Memoire and other papers included in the MS. are also hand-copied in a composite volume of manuscripts and printed pamphlets, now B.L. 8050.i.15.(2.). No. '148' in black ink in top left corner of front pastedown. Arms of Pope Pius VI Braschi (1775-1799) at centre of the gilt-tooled covers. Owned by Frederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford, but lacking his armorial bookplate. '119' in pencil in top corners of ff. i and i verso. Purchased, together with Add. 8718, 8720, 8728, 8729, 8745, 8752, 8756, 8757, 8758, and 8759, from R. H. Evans, 8 Dec. 1830, lot 119 (part). Contents as follows:

1. ff. 1-13v. Memoire corrected and signed by Cardinal de Rohan; n.d. Inc. 'Memoire / Le Prince Louis de Rohan aprés neuf mois et demi dela plus dure captivité'; another copy is art. xxiii in 8050.i.15.(2), where it is followed by the original text submitted to Cardinal de Rohan for approval by Laget-Bardelin and Camus and dated 10 Aug. 1786.

2. ff. 14-14v. Acceptance of Parliament proceedings by Rohan's relatives and representative; 30 July 1786. Inc. 'Nous Soussignés déclaron a que le Roi ... Le Prince de Montbazon Vice-Amiral de France / Le Marêchal Prince de Soubise / Le Prince Camille de Rohan'; another copy is art. iv in B.L. 8050.i.15.(2).

3. ff. 15-17. Petition to the Parliament by Cardinal de Rohan; n.d. Inc. 'A Nosseigneurs / de Parlement / Les Chambres Assemblées / Supplie Louis Réné Edouard de Rohan ... Disant qu'il se fera toujours un devoir'; another copy is art. v in B.L. 8050.i.15.(2). Printed as Requête au Parlament, les Chambres Assemblées, par le Cardinal de Rohan, Signifiée à Mr. le Procureur-Général (Paris: Emmanuel Flon, 1786), B.L. copy 1482.d.9.(2); and Mémoire en forme de Requêtes introductive au Parlement des Paris, pour le Cardinal de Rohan, Évêque de Strasbourg, concernant l'Affaire du Collier (Leiden: Etienne Luzac & Vandamme, 1786), pp. 3-6, B.L. copy F.2.(3).

4. ff. 18-45v. Petition to the Parliament by Cardinal de Rohan; n.d. Inc. 'A Nosseigneurs ... Supplie Louis ... Disant qu'on a fait servir à la fraude'; another copy is art. ix in B.L. 8050.i.15.(2). Printed as Requête introductive au Parlement, les Chambres Assemblées, par le Cardinal de Rohan, Signifiée à Mr. le Procureur-Général (Paris: Emmanuel Flon, 1786), B.L. copy 1482.d.9.(3); and Mémoire en forme de Requête introductive au Parlement, les Chambres Assemblées par le Cardinal de Rohan, Signifiée à Mr. le Procureur-Général (1786), B.L. copy 707.g.19.(15); and Mémoire en forme de Requêtes ... du Collier (Leiden:, 1786), op.cit., pp. 7-57.

5. ff. 46-48. 'Arrêt du Parlament / La Grand Chambre Assemblée / du 31 mai. 1786, decree of the Parliament concerning Cardinal de Rohan; 31 May 1786. Inc. 'Louis par la grace de Dieu, Roi de France et de Navarre ... à la Requete de notre Procureur Général Demandeur et Accusateur contre etc. / Notre dite Cour ... déclare les mots Approuvé et la Signature Marie Antoinette de France, frauduleusement apposés'. Printed with same title in Paris by Cl. Simon in 1786; B.L. copy 8050.i.15.(5).

6. f. 49. Letter from Cardinal Ignazio Boncompagni Ludovisi, secretary of state of Pius VI, to Cardinal de Rohan; 15 Feb. 1786. Italian. Inc. 'Eccellentissimo e Reverendissimo Signor mio Osservandissimo / L'imprudente, fatalissima, spontanea, ed irregolare scelta ... Roma, 15 febraio 1786 ... Cardinale Boncompagni Ludovisi'; another copy is art. xi in B.L. 8050.i.15.(2).

7. f. 50. Letter from the French ministers de Castries, De Vergennes, and Baron de Breteuil to Cardinal de Rohan; n.d. Inc. 'Le Roi instruit d'aprés les interrogatoires de la Dame la Motte-Valois'; another copy is art. iii in B.L. 8050.i.15.(2).

8. f. 51. 'Decretum a Sanctissimo Domino nostro Pio Pape VI pronunciatum in Consistorio Secreto Die 13 februarii 1786', papal decree against Cardinal de Rohan; 13 Feb. 1786. Latin. Inc. 'Auctoritate Omnipotentis Dei ... suspendimus Ludovicum de Rohan'; another copy is art. x in B.L. 8050.i.15.(2).

Paper; ff. 51+v, plus 7 unfoliated interleaved leaves after ff. 14, 17, 45 (two leaves), 48, 49, 50. The papers following the Memoire (arts. 2-8) marked by capital letters, 'A-G', in the left margins at beginning. 352 x 242mm. One French hand. Late 18th-cent. Roman binding of gilt-tooled red morocco bearing the arms of Pope Pius VI Braschi (restored); pastedowns of gilt decorated paper.