Add MS 8769

CARAFA LETTER-BOOK: Register of dispatches to Cardinal Francesco Barberini from Pier Luigi Carafa as papal nuncio to Cologne (15 June 1624 - 20 Nov. 1634); 1631-1642. Italian. Register copies. Dispatches for the year 1631 on ff. 12-72, for the year 1632 on ff. 73-167, for the year 1633 on ff. 168-231v (preceded by an unfoliated title-page), for the year 1634 on ff. 232-266v (preceded by an unfoliated title-page). The last two letters (ff. 266v-269v, 270-270v) were sent to Cardinal Barberini from Carafa and are respectively dated 30 Oct. 1635 and 4 Jan. 1642. Other collections of dispatches to and from Carafa in Add. 8765 and 8766-8768. Title added by a later hand (f. 1) 'Lettere di Monsignor Don Pierluigi Carafa Vescovo di Tricarico Nuncio Appostolico alla Germania inferiore scritte all'Eminentissimo e Reverendissimo Signor Cardinale Francesco Barberino dalli 3 di gennaio 1631 fino al 25 di decembre 1633', inc. (f. 12) 'Anno 1631 / Al Signor Cardinal Barberini a 3 gennaio 1631 / Mentre si chiudeva questo piego', expl. (f. 270v) 'Al Signor Cardinal Barberino. Li 4 gennaio 1642 / Non ho prima d'ora risposto ... assediata dagli eretici d'Hassia, et di Sassonia per due casi, e qui per fine umilissimamente riverisco la persona di Vostra Eminenza / Tricarico'. The dispatches are published also from the present MS. with full reference to MSS. and comprehensive bibliography in Nuntiaturberichte aus Deutschland, nebst ergänzenden Aktenstücken. Die Kölner Nuntiatur, ed. by Joseph Wijnhoven, Band vii, vols. 3-4 (Paderborn etc, 1995), vol. 3 pp. 1-464 passim, vol. 4 pp. 2-345 passim, with summaries of the contents of the present MS. in vol. 3, p. XIX, and vol. 4, p. XVII. For Pier Luigi Carafa see DBI, 19 (1976), pp. 596-599. Old table of contents (ff. 2-11v) by a later hand. Owned by Frederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford, but lacking his armorial bookplate. '527' in pencil in top left corner of first front old flyleaf. Purchased from R. H. Evans, 8 Dec. 1830, lot 527.

Paper; ff. 273+iv, plus two unfoliated interleaved blanks after f. 11, and one after f. 72. Modern foliation in pencil '1-270' (followed here), omitting title-pages after ff. 167 and 231, and repeating no. 139. Old foliation in ink '1-262' (ff. 12-269), comprising blank after f. 72 and title-pages after ff. 167 and 231. 317 x 213mm. Horizontal catchwords almost on each leaf. Two major Italian hands: - (a) ff. 12-128, 131-132v, 266-269v, possibly the hand called 'Hand B' (J. B. Ursinus?) by Wijnhoven (see Nuntiaturberichte, op.cit., vol. 1 p. LXXIII); - (b) ff. 129-130, 133-265v, possibly Carafa's secretary Antonio Abbondanti (see Nuntiaturberichte, op.cit., vol. 1 p. LXXII). Guilford binding of quarter vellum with covers of marble paper over pasteboards.