Pages 197-199
Calendar of State Papers Relating To English Affairs in the Archives of Venice, Volume 28, 1647-1652. Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1927.
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Citation:
September 1651
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Sept. 2. Senato, Secreta. Deliberazioni. Corti. Venetian Archives. |
516. To the Ambassador in France. We desire to hear something of the events in England. It is some time since we received any news from Salvetti. We give you this hint with the best of intentions. Ayes, 114. Noes, 1. Neutral, 13. [Italian.] |
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517. To the Ambassador in Spain. Approval of his attitude towards the secretary of England. It is not possible for the moment to give any positive instructions on the subject since there is no minister of the parliament resident here. When the secretary has gone the Senate will be expecting to hear what answer is given on either of the two subjects. The ambassador will obtain whatever else he knows to be useful. Ayes, 114. Noes, 1. Neutral, 13. [Italian.] |
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Sept. 12. Senato, Secreta. Dispacci, Francia. Venetian Archives. |
518. Michiel Morosini, Venetian Ambassador in France,
to the Doge and Senate. Such favourable news comes from England that if there was not reason to fear that the queen announces it designedly, it might be possible to hope for the restoration of the monarchy. The king has entered England with 16,000 combatants, he defeated two corps of cavalry and is proceeding with growing prosperity, various towns having declared for him, while his forces are augmented by the nobles who keep flocking to him. But he is being followed by Cromuel, and here the Court prefers to hope rather than to fear. Paris, the 12th September, 1651. [Italian.] |
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Sept. 15. Collegio, Secreta. Esposizioni, Principi. Venetian Archives. |
519. The Resident of England came into the Collegio and
handed in a memorial, which was read. The doge replied, We know your good intentions, but the master is often the last to know the irregularities that occur in his house. The Resident then gave another memorial, which was read. The doge said, We rejoice at the success of his Majesty's arms and wish him all prosperity. At this the Resident bowed, made a reverence and went out. |
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Memorial. I deeply regret that having been sent to explain the treatment of my king by his rebellious and inhuman subjects, in order to stop the spread of the poison, and to solicit your Serenity for some assistance, I am so unfortunate as to be compelled to come to your serenity several times to assure you of my upright intentions. In this recent case of my gondolier I did not wish to defend the man but only to assure your Serenity that I had not the slightest idea why he was arrested, I certainly did not wish to take any guilty persons under my protection and I sent the Capitan Grande a note of those who were in my house so that if there were others who had fraudulently made use of my livery, they might be recognised. On the 4th July last, when informed that some of my house were committing irregularities, I promptly dismissed them. I am the latest arrival of the foreign ministers here and so I may be less skilled in the practices of the city. Other ministers shelter persons guilty of serious excesses, without question. But perhaps the fatality of my country is to blame. We are accustomed to receive such slights, but not to give them, as in 1641 when the Ambassador Giovanni Giustinian asked for the release of an English priest, named Clapton, (fn. 1) condemned as a traitor he was immediately restored to him. I relate this only to show how much I detest anything contrary to the laws and the public wishes, and to let my king know that his unhappy state is not the reason for such a slight, as I would rather die than be blamed justly by his Majesty for not having done what is right towards your Serenity. |
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Thomas Killigrew, Resident of the King of Great Britain. Memorial. At the beginning of August his Majesty had a large army in Scotland. There he was attacked by an equal force of rebels. These made great progress in that country, but with the king's consent, as he had a tacit understanding with his lieges in England, and so while the enemy was busy occupying places in Scotland, his Majesty with 10,000 horse and 4,000 dragoons entered the duchy of Lancaster, which is 150 miles in England. According to the last letters he is now there without any opposition and supported by all the nobles and leading people of those parts, where we hope, with the Divine assistance, his Majesty will soon recover his crowns. I desire this earnestly so that his Majesty may be in a position to acknowledge the great obligations he is under to your Serenity and this republic. Thomas Killigrew, Resident of the King of Great Britain. [Italian.] |
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Sept. 17. Collegio, Secreta. Esposizioni, Principi. Venetian Archives. |
520. I, Giovanni Gioseppe Hiarca, as directed by the
Secretary Bon, went to the house of the Resident of England to
read him the office of the Senate, upon the successes of his Majesty's
arms and their regard for him personally. At this, after showing
the greatest satisfaction, he explained that he must go to the
Collegio, to report further successes. With regard to himself he said he would inform your Serenity of the violence and audacity of some expelled from his house, to receive the commands of the state. He further said that he would inform his Majesty of this friendly office, of which he took a copy. I offered to report everything exactly, and then took my leave. [Italian.] |
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Sept. 19. Senato, Secreta. Dispacci, Francia. Venetian Archives. |
521. Michiel Morosini, Venetian Ambassador in France,
to the Doge and Senate. The Duke of Longueville is trying to remove the suspicions entertained about him. But there is still some apprehension, the more so because a secret understanding has come to light between the Huguenots of Dieppe and the English, and no doubt is felt that this is the work of Longueville, to maintain himself in his government. The affair is important because of the consequences involved, as if the Huguenots of Normandy took arms with the support of England there is no doubt that the rest would do the same, to the serious detriment of the Catholic religion and the ruin of the better part of the kingdom. To prevent this great evil many of the Council incline to recognise the parliament of England, especially as by the news of this week the king has lost 5,000 men and Cromuel with 40,000 is advancing rapidly to expel or surround him. But no decision has yet been taken, though as it represents the feeling of the most influential there is little doubt that it will be acted upon promptly when Condé has decided on hostilities. Paris, the 19th September, 1651. [Italian.] |
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Sept. 20. Senato, Secreta. Dispacci, Spagna. Venetian Archives. |
522. Pietro Basadonna, Venetian Ambasssador in Spain,
to the Doge and Senate. Don Juan d' Escovedo, secretary of Don Luis, showed me Cardenas' letter because Don Luis thought I had taken umbrage because he reconsidered his original intention of putting it in my hands. I asked him to let me have an extract, to which he immediately consented, and I enclose it. In his letter of the 11th July, Don Alonso informed his Majesty that he had suspended the remonstrance about parliament helping the Turk against Venice because he had discovered that the information on the subject was not certain. He spoke to some of the leading men of the Council of State about ordering their merchantmen not to serve the Porte. They said it could not be done, for since the republic of Venice is allowed to charter English vessels, the Turk would resent it if similar facilities were denied to him, and the prohibition would be opposed by the English merchants of the Turkey Company, on account of their property in the Ottoman Empire, which is liable to seizure on much slighter grounds. But they promised to warn the Directors of the Company in private to direct the captains of such ships as they may send unto the Levant to avoid entering the Turkish service by every possible means. The ambassador could not get any more from them at the time. Madrid, the 20th September, 1651. [Italian.] |