write to you, that I take care to keep up the negociation I have
entered into with the Duke of Mantua, and to hold it always in that
state that it may be terminated in whatever way the King shall judge
most according to his interests. Thus, Sir, I have only to assure
you, that I shall apply myself, as you command me in your last
letter of the 2d of this month, to gain time, and to confirm the
Duke of Mantua in the resolution he has taken of abandoning himself
to the King’s protection. He is as thoroughly persuaded as one could
wish, that he cannot take a better course, although the Spaniards
have lately been making him large offers of money and of employment,
in order to oblige him to declare himself openly in their favour,
and to allow of the introduction of a garrison of Germans into
Casale; but as he is always apprehensive, lest his want of affection
for the House of Austria should be discovered, he can never think
himself in security till he shall be supported by a treaty; and it
is this which gives him so much impatience to conclude the one he
intends making with the King.
* * * * * *
THE ABBÉ D’ESTRADES.[176]
[176] From the Archives of the Office for Foreign Affairs, at
Paris.
No. 13.
ESTRADES TO POMPONNE.
Plans of the Spaniards.--Dispositions of the Venetian
Government.
Venice, February 26th, 1678.
SIR,
I HAVE not had the honour of receiving any letters from you this
week. Indeed, I expected that the hurry of the King’s departure
would prevent your writing. I have learned from good authority, that
the government here have received intelligence, that the Spaniards
have renewed their proposals to form a league of the Princes of
Italy against France, and that it was at Rome that they concerted
the means to succeed in it: this is, without doubt, what has given
occasion to the report which has been current for some days, that
the Cardinal Porto Carrero[177], in his way to Spain, where he is
going to take possession of the Archbishopric of Toledo, is to visit
the different Courts of Italy, to try to engage them in the party
which they call _the common cause_. It is said, that the Grand
Duke[178] has already made known his opinion, that if they intend
to unite, it ought to be for the maintenance of their liberty, and
that they ought not to engage themselves in an extensive war, or
to assist in enabling one of the two belligerent powers to oppress
them eventually with greater ease. This intelligence has obliged
me to give all my attention to penetrate the sentiments of the
Venetian government upon this subject; and I have been informed,
upon good authority, that thus far the determination is to deliver
themselves from the importunities of the Spaniards, if they should
be too pressing, by a similar reply to that which is said to have
been given at Florence; but it now appears to me, that the fear and
jealousy of the power of the King, which existed here formerly,
is very much reviving, and they are becoming apprehensive that
the designs of his Majesty are not confined to the preservation
of the conquests he has already made, nor even to those he may
make in Flanders. The senate is confirmed in this opinion, by the
letters of M. Contarini,[179] who sends them word that they must
not look for peace, because the King is against it. This way of
talking persuades me, that M. Contarini is either ill-intentioned
or ignorant--and his intelligence is very capable of augmenting the
disquietudes of the senate. I have shewn, as well as I was able, to
those I have spoken to upon the subject, that it is impossible to
act with more sincerity in favour of peace, or to facilitate more
the means of procuring it, than his Majesty has done. There is,
however, no probability that, in the present state of the affairs
of the Republic of Venice, and under the perpetual fear she is
in of the Grand Vizier,[180] she will dare to declare herself in
favour of the enemies of the King; but, Sir, I can assure you, from
the knowledge I have upon the subject, that at the present time,
we must only reckon upon the weakness of the Venetians, and upon
the poverty of their finances, and not upon their good intentions
towards us. If I might be permitted to give my opinion upon the
present conjuncture, I should say that there is not a more ready,
or more certain way of ruining all the measures of the Spaniards in
Italy, and of terminating in the King’s favour the irresolutions
of the Senate, than by binding the Duke of Mantua by the treaty
which he is willing to make with his Majesty: not only is he always
in the same resolution of concluding this affair, on account of
the Emperor’s having sent word to him that he does not wish to
deprive him of the succession of the Duke[181] his father-in-law,
but that he only desires him to withdraw the garrison he has placed
in Guastalla: but besides, because his Imperial Majesty presses him
to execute a treaty made by the late Duke, his father; which was
an engagement that he should never have any but a German garrison
in Casale. The Duke of Mantua shows me the greatest confidence,
sends me word, by the Count Matthioli, what is deliberating on the
state of affairs, in order to know my opinions before he decides
any thing. You may be sure, Sir, that I omit nothing on my part
to encourage his good dispositions, and to keep the negociation
always in that state, that the King may be the complete master of
it. The Duke of Mantua requested me, ten days ago, to come and see
him ride at the academy. I went accordingly, and found that he was
really very firm on horseback, though he has not a graceful seat, on
account of his leg having been formerly broke, and that it is the
custom here to wear the stirrups very short. As he piques himself
upon being a good horseman, he was much pleased at my praises, which
were repeated to him by the Count Matthioli; and at my promising to
repeat them in the first letter I should have occasion to write to
you.
Two of the most considerable gentlemen of this republic, whose
names are, Cornaro the elder, called “of the great House,” and a
Foscarini, are already intriguing to succeed M. Contarini, in the
embassy to France, although the choice cannot be made till the month
of September; upon whichever of the two it shall fall, he will fill
the situation worthily, above all in the article of expense, as they
are both very rich and very generous.
Although I took the liberty, Sir, to request, in my last letter,
your protection with M. Colbert,[182] for the payment of my
appointment, and, above all, for the payment of those of the first
six months of the year 1676, for which I have long had the orders,
I have not yet been able to obtain them. I am, however, forced by
my pressing necessities to renew my request, and to supplicate you
most humbly to procure me this favour from M. Colbert. I trust, Sir,
you will be kind enough to afford me this mark of your affection,
which is the greatest I can possibly receive, in the embarrassment
in which I at present find myself; and that you will be always
persuaded that I am, with profound respect, and unalterable
attachment,
Sir, &c.
THE ABBÉ D’ESTRADES.[183]
[177] Lewis Emmanuel Ferdinand Portocarrero, second son of the
Marquis of Almenara: created a Cardinal in 1669, by Clement
IX.; Archbishop of Toledo and Primate of Spain, 1677; commander
of the order of the St. Esprit, and Bishop of Palestrina. Was
also, at different periods of his life, Viceroy of Sicily,
Ambassador at Rome, Lieutenant-General at sea, and twice
Governor of Spain. Died at Madrid, September 14th, 1709.
[178] Cosmo III., Grand Duke of Tuscany, son of Ferdinand II.
and Victoria Della Rovere, heiress of the Dukes of Urbino.
Succeeded his father in 1670, and died in 1723, aged 81 years.
He was a weak, narrow-minded, and bigoted Prince; and was the
Duke of Tuscany, whose travels in England, in the reign of
Charles II. have been published.
[179] At that time Ambassador to France, from the Republic of
Venice.
[180] The Grand Vizier, at this moment, was Achmet Coprogli,
the most illustrious, perhaps, of all the ministers who have
ever governed the Ottoman Empire. He inherited the eminent
talents of his father, Mahomet Coprogli, whom he succeeded as
Grand Vizier, in 1661; and was superior to him in humanity and
generosity. His military exploits were also more considerable.
In 1669, he successfully concluded the siege of Candia, which
had lasted twenty-two years. He died in 1678; having for
seventeen years sustained the throne, and rendered illustrious
the reign of his feeble and indolent master, Mahomet IV.
[181] Of Guastalla.
[182] John Baptist Colbert, one of the most eminent men of
the many who adorned and illustrated the reign of Lewis XIV.
He was an able and honest financier, a great statesman, and
an enlightened patron of letters and arts. The blots in his
character were, his persecution of Fouquet, and his enmity to
the virtuous Arnaud de Pomponne, to the disgrace of whom he
largely contributed. He was made Comptroller-general of the
Finances, in 1664; Secretary of State for the Marine, in 1669;
and died in 1683.
[183] From the Archives of the Office for Foreign Affairs, at
Paris.
No. 14.
POMPONNE TO ESTRADES.
Recommendations of Delay in the Negociation.
Cambray, March 1st, 1678.
SIR,
I have rendered an account to the King, during his journey, of
your despatches of the 29th of January and 5th of February. I
shall not now have time enough to send you a long answer to them.
I shall therefore only tell you, that his Majesty saw in them the
continuation of the negociation which you have entered into with the
Count Matthioli; that you had been discussing the points which he
proposed to you, and those which his Majesty wishes neither to grant
nor to refuse; that you had even descended to the detail of the sum
which had been demanded, and that you had reduced it to one hundred
thousand crowns. On these subjects I have to inform you, Sir, that
his Majesty approves entirely of your continuing a negociation,
which may eventually be of very considerable importance; but for
this it is necessary that the opportunities should be favourable,
and the more so, as the basis of whatever treaty is concluded, must
necessarily be the King’s sending a powerful army across the Alps.
You, I am sure, are sufficiently aware, that thus far events do not
seem to favour such a project; it is, however, always advisable to
continue to encourage the belief of it, and this is what his Majesty
thinks it will be best for you to do; but he does not see the
necessity for your entering into any engagement upon a point, which
must fail of success, and which would render useless any expense his
Majesty may go to. Therefore, Sir, your best course to pursue is,
to cultivate always the good intentions of the Count Matthioli, and
through him those of his master; not to put an end to the hope they
have to see the arms of France in Italy; but to defer the answer
they expect from you, partly upon the ground of the journey and the
campaign in which his Majesty is at present engaged, which prevents
his writing to you, and partly upon other reasons; but still to
keep the negociation, as much as you are able, in such a state as
his Majesty may be able to take advantage of, according to the
conjuncture of affairs. * * *
POMPONNE.[184]
[184] From the Archives of the Office for Foreign Affairs, at
Paris.
No. 15.
ESTRADES TO POMPONNE.
Information respecting the Dispositions of the Venetians.
Venice, March 12, 1678.
SIR,
The hurry which I know always prevails on a march, left me but
little hope of hearing from you till you arrived at Metz, and I am
therefore the more obliged to you for your kindness, in writing to
me on the 15th of last month from Vitry.
I have nothing certain to send you to-day; but next week I shall
have the honour of sending to the King an account of the conference,
which I am decidedly to have to-morrow evening with the Duke of
Mantua. All the measures are taken for this purpose; and that
Prince has sent me word that he will explain to me the reasons
which oblige him to send the Count Matthioli, without delay, to
your Majesty; he will not, however, set off for ten or twelve days,
and I explained to him that it was necessary first that I should
be made acquainted with the subject of his mission. I thought it
necessary to obtain a knowledge of it, in order that his Majesty
may be fully informed before the Count Matthioli waits upon him.
I can only assure you at present, that things could not be better
disposed for the formation of a powerful league in Italy, to drive
the Spaniards entirely out of it, in case the King chooses to turn
his arms to this side. This is what you shall be informed of more in
detail, and more particularly, in my next despatch; because I shall
be able to speak to you upon the subject with certainty, after I
have learned from the Count Matthioli, the success of a negociation
which he has entered into lately with the Republic, in the name of
the Duke of Mantua, to which I am privy. We agreed that the pretext
he should make use of, was the desire of that Prince to regulate
himself by the counsels of the Senate, after having communicated
to them his legitimate rights to Guastalla, and the well-grounded
fears he entertains from the sentiments displayed by the House of
Austria towards him in this affair. M. Matthioli has already had
two conferences with a sage of the _terra firma_, named Lando, a
deputy of the College, and he is to have three more with him this
week; which will discover to us the real dispositions of the Senate
towards his Majesty. It is easy to see by the manner in which this
senator has already spoken, that if a French army was to arrive in
Italy, the Republic would prefer profiting by the misfortunes and
weakness of the House of Austria, by joining her arms to those of
the King, to remaining in a neutrality, which would appear to her
dangerous, while the army of so powerful a prince was carrying on
war at her gates. These political views of the Venetians justify
what I have already had the honour of remarking to you, that we must
expect nothing from them, except what fear or interest may oblige
them to. * * *
THE ABBÉ D’ESTRADES.[185]
[185] From the Archives of the Office for Foreign Affairs, at
Paris.
No. 16.
ESTRADES TO POMPONNE.
Fears of the Duke of Mantua.
Venice, March 19th, 1678.
SIR,
I have not had the honour of receiving any letter from you this
week. You will see by the account I send to the King, what passed
at the conference I had with the Duke of Mantua. I will only add to
it, Sir, that, if his Majesty deems it to his advantage, that this
Prince should be united with him, according to the conditions which
have been proposed, it appears to me that it will be necessary,
before the Count Matthioli sets off for Paris, to put this affair
in a situation in which it is no longer liable to be broken off;
because I have seen the Duke of Mantua so alarmed at the menaces of
the Spaniards, and at the protection they afford openly to the Count
de Prades,[186] who pretends that the Duchy of Guastalla belongs
to him, that I have been unable to tranquillize his fears, except
by giving him the hope that the return of the Count Matthioli will
deliver him from all his embarrassments; and if he was to see him
return without bringing the King’s consent for the conclusion of the
affair, and without a certain assurance of speedy assistance, I do
not know whether the fear of being stripped of his territories would
not make him change his resolution. I have thought, Sir, that I
ought to inform you faithfully of the situation in which I find the
mind of the Duke of Mantua, in order that you may regulate yourself
accordingly.
The Senate has discovered that the Pope[187] has let drop, of his
own accord, the affair of the adjustment between the Republic and
Spain, on the occasion of what has passed at Trieste, because His
Holiness wishes to be the only Mediator of the Catholic Princes at
the Assembly of Nimeguen, and that the Ambassador of Venice should
not divide this honour with his Nuncio. * * *
I am, &c.
THE ABBÉ D’ESTRADES.[188]
[186] This is one of those mistakes into which the French are
so liable to fall from their slovenly way of writing the names
of foreigners. The _Count de Prades_ means Emmanuel _Count
d’Eparêdés_. Viceroy of Valentia, a Spanish nobleman, whose
daughter married Vespasian Gonzaga, only brother of Ferdinand
III., Duke of Guastalla. The sole offspring of this marriage
was Maria Louisa, who, as has before been mentioned, (see note,
page 18,) married Thomas de la Cerda, Marquis of Laguna.
[187] Innocent the Eleventh (Odescalchi;) see note, page 109.
At this time, the conferences for the peace of Nimeguen had
commenced. That peace was concluded and signed on the 10th of
August of this same year.
[188] From the archives of the Office for Foreign Affairs, at
Paris.
No. 17.
ESTRADES TO LEWIS THE FOURTEENTH.
Account of his Interview with the Duke of Mantua.--The
latter insists upon sending Matthioli to Paris.
Venice, March 19th, 1678.
SIRE,
A week ago I communicated to M. de Pomponne that I was to have a
conference the next day with the Duke of Mantua. We met, as had been
concerted, at midnight, in a small open place, which is at an equal
distance from his house and mine. I was an entire hour with him,
and not only did I tell him all that your Majesty had desired me
to apprize him of, and which he had already learned from the Count
Matthioli, but besides, I re-assured him, as much as I was able,
upon the subject of the constant, and indeed well-grounded, alarms
he is in with regard to the Spaniards. I did not explain myself to
him with regard to the present your Majesty intends making to him
in money, as soon as the treaty shall be concluded; but contented
myself with promising that he should have reason to be content with
it. He appeared to be much satisfied with our conversation; and,
on my side, I have no less reason to be so; since he has confirmed
to me all that the Count Matthioli told me from him. I have given
so exact an account of these things to your Majesty in the letters
I have had the honour to write to yourself and to M. de Pomponne,
that it is useless for me to enlarge more upon this subject. When we
were upon the point of separating, the Duke of Mantua represented
to me the risk he is in of being overwhelmed by the Spaniards,
whose bad intentions he cannot doubt of, after their late earnest
persuasions to him, to admit the Germans into Casale, to withdraw
his garrison from Guastalla, and to declare himself openly and
without delay in their favour. He added, that I must be aware, that
under the resolution he had taken of serving your Majesty, both with
his person and his territories, he would do nothing prejudicial
to your interests; but that, if the Spaniards did not give him
more money than what they were accustomed to furnish him with,
for the support of the garrison of Casale, as they had declared
to him was their intention, he should not be able to support the
expense of it himself, or to preserve that fortress; that the danger
was so pressing, that no time was to be lost in placing him in
a state of safety, and that affairs went on so slowly by means
of despatches, that he found himself obliged to send the Count
Matthioli to your Majesty, to expose to you the state to which he
finds himself reduced, and to implore you to deliver him from it as
quickly as may be possible.
I have not dared, Sire, to oppose myself to this journey, because
I perceived that the Duke of Mantua had taken some offence, or at
least that he had some uneasiness at the length of this negociation,
which I have protracted upon different pretexts as much as I was
able, without endangering it, as your Majesty had ordered me; and
because besides I have thought that you would be the more assured
of the firmness of the Duke of Mantua, when the Count Matthioli,
in whom he has a blind confidence, and who governs him absolutely,
should be with you. He will make known to your Majesty, better than
can be done by letters, the facilities you would find in conquering
the Milanese, the intelligences that may be established there, and
the detail of the whole negociation he has had with the Republic of
Venice in the name of the Duke of Mantua, who demanded the advice
of the Senate upon the affair of Guastalla, and its assistance, in
case it was attempted to disturb him by force in the possession of
that Duchy. The Senate has sent word to Matthioli, by a Sage of
_terra firma_, who was deputed for this purpose, that the Duke of
Mantua ought to retain possession of Guastalla; that the Republic
would render him all the good offices she could, and that even if
her intercession should be of no avail, she would still assist
him secretly with advice and money, and not abandon him. This
Senator gave him to understand, that if your Majesty was to send
an army into Italy, and that the Duke of Mantua should be in your
interests, the Republic would not be disinclined to enter into the
same party; and the Procurator Nani,[189] with whom he has also had
two conversations, explained himself upon this subject still more
clearly.
As the Count Matthioli is not to receive his instructions till the
day after to-morrow, he will not, certainly, set off from hence till
towards the end of the week. I shall have the honour of acquainting
your Majesty with what they contain of most importance, as well as
with the time by which the Count Matthioli can be with you.
I am,
with every kind of respect and submission,
Sire,
Your Majesty’s
most humble, most obedient, and
most faithful Servant and Subject,
THE ABBÉ D’ESTRADES.[190]
[189] John Baptist Felix Gaspar Nani was descended from an
illustrious family at Venice, and was born on the 30th of
August, 1616. He distinguished himself early in diplomacy, and
was for twenty-five years ambassador from the Republic to
France. He was subsequently chosen Procurator of St. Mark, the
next dignity in the Republic to that of Doge. He is best known
to posterity by his “Istoria della Republica Veneta,”--which is
a valuable and useful work, though it has been reprobated as
being partial, and written in a vicious and incorrect Italian.
He died on the 25th of November, 1678.
[190] From the archives of the Office for Foreign Affairs, at
Paris.
No. 18.
ESTRADES TO POMPONNE.
Reasons for consenting to the mission of Matthioli to Paris.
Venice, March 26th, 1678.
SIR,