Part 10
[223] From the Archives of the Office for Foreign Affairs, at Paris.
No. 46.
PINCHESNE TO POMPONNE.
Venice, November 26th, 1678.
SIR,
I have received this week the two letters which you did me the honour to write to me, on the 4th and on the 7th of this month. I see by both of them, how much the King is disposed to receive the Count Matthioli favourably, and to listen willingly to his propositions, as soon as he shall be arrived at the Court. I think he must be there at present, as I have again received to-day a letter from him, from Soleure, dated the 9th of this month, in which he informs me that he has made as much expedition as possible, in order to arrive there quickly. * * *
DE PINCHESNE.[224]
[224] From the Archives of the Office for Foreign Affairs, at Paris.
No. 47.
POMPONNE TO PINCHESNE.
December 2d, 1678.
* * * * * *
I send you only a packet belonging to the Count Matthioli, who arrived here some days ago, and who acquaints the Duke of Mantua with the circumstance. You must take great care to send the letters that are in this packet to their destination.
I am, &c.
POMPONNE.[225]
[225] From the Archives of the Office for Foreign Affairs, at Paris.
No. 48.
Powers granted to Pomponne, to treat with Matthioli.
The Duke of Mantua having testified to his Majesty, through the medium of the Count Matthioli, the extreme desire he has to make known his zeal for his interests; and to acquire for himself, by the most intimate alliances into which he can enter with him, the same friendship and the same protection, which his predecessors have received from France on great and important occasions. His Majesty, therefore, who has always preserved a sincere affection for the family of the aforesaid Duke and for his person, has received with pleasure the sentiments that he has manifested to him; and in order to take the necessary measures with him for an alliance, which shall be both most intimate and most advantageous to the aforesaid Duke, he has given full power to the Sieur de Pomponne, counsellor in ordinary in all his councils, secretary of state and of his commandments and finances, in order to, with the aforesaid Count Matthioli, agree, treat, and sign such articles as to him shall seem good, for this particular alliance with the aforesaid Duke of Mantua; promising, on the honour and word of a king, to consent to, and to confirm and establish now and always, all that the aforesaid Sieur de Pomponne shall, for this effect, conclude and settle, without contravening, or suffering the contravention of any part of it, in any manner whatsoever, and to furnish his ratification of it in proper form, within the time that shall be stipulated by the treaty. In witness whereof his Majesty has signed the present with his hand, and has caused to be affixed to it his privy seal.
Done at Versailles, the 5th day of December, 1678.
LEWIS.[226]
[226] From the Archives of the Office for Foreign Affairs, at Paris.
No. 49.
LEWIS THE FOURTEENTH TO THE DUKE OF MANTUA.
Promises his protection to the Duke.
MY COUSIN,
The Count Matthioli, will instruct you so particularly, both of the manner in which he has acquitted himself of the orders with which you have charged him for me, and of the extreme satisfaction with which I have received the assurances he has given me of your zeal for my interests, that I can have nothing further to add upon these subjects. I am only desirous of testifying to you myself, the entire confidence which I wish you to place in my friendship. You may promise yourself, that it will be useful and glorious to you upon all occasions; and you may always rely with certainty and security upon my alliance. I hope to be able to give you very evident marks of this in the sequel; and after having borne testimony to you of the satisfaction which the conduct of the Count Matthioli, through the whole of this affair, has given me, I will not lengthen the present letter any more, except to pray to God that he may have you, my Cousin, in his holy and worthy keeping.
Written at Versailles, this 8th Dec. 1678.
LEWIS.
(And lower down),
ARNAUD.[227]
[227] From the Archives of the Office for Foreign Affairs, at Paris.
No. 50.
POMPONNE TO PINCHESNE.
December 16th, 1678.
* * * * * *
I SEND you a letter of the King to the Duke of Mantua, which you will deliver to the Count Matthioli, as soon as he shall arrive at Venice, taking care always to keep his journey very secret.
I am, &c.
POMPONNE.[228]
[228] Ibid.
No. 51.
PINCHESNE TO POMPONNE.
Interview of Pinchesne with Don Joseph Varano.
Venice, December 24th, 1678.
SIR,
As soon as I had received, together with the letter that you did me the favour to write me on the second of this month, that which the Count Matthioli sent to the Duke of Mantua, under cover to Don Joseph Varano, who is here with that Prince, and who is one of the two persons to whom his Highness has confided the design he has to deliver Casale into the hands of the King, I made known to M. Varano, by the son of the Sieur Giuliani, that I was very desirous of being able to deliver to him a letter from a French gentleman, who was one of his friends, and who had begged me to give it into his own hands. He understood very well what that meant to say; and at the same time sent me word, that if I would find myself that evening in mask at the Opera, he would not fail to be there also; which was executed according to our resolution. He told me, when I gave it him, that the Duke of Mantua would be delighted to receive it; because, for some days, he had shown great impatience to hear of the arrival of the Count Matthioli at the court, and to know in what state the affair was, which he was gone there to negociate. He asked me, at the same time, if I could not give him some news upon the subject; but as I know nothing about it, I contented myself with only telling him that I did not doubt but it was in a good train, and that I was persuaded his Highness would receive, on this occasion, the marks of that esteem and friendship which His Majesty has for him. I thought, Sir, I might be permitted to speak to him in these terms; because what I told him was from my own head, and not as if I had received any order to that effect. We afterwards agreed together, that, during the stay of the Duke of Mantua at Venice, we would make use of the same means to deliver to him the letters which might come to me from the Count Matthioli. * * *
DE PINCHESNE.[229]
[229] From the Archives of the Office for Foreign Affairs, at Paris.
No. 52.
POMPONNE TO PINCHESNE.
A courier sent to Venice with a new cypher.
St. Germain, December 25th, 1678.
THIS courier, whom I despatch to you, has orders not to come to your house as a courier, but to enter Venice as a tradesman, or a private French individual, who comes there on his own business: he brings for you a cypher, which you will only make use of in what regards the affairs of the Duke of Mantua, according to the occasions which you may deem necessary after the return of the Count Matthioli. We have been afraid that, for so important an affair, the cypher of the Abbé d’Estrades was too old, and had probably been discovered, in the many times it has passed through the territories of Milan. You will make use of it as usual in your ordinary despatches; but you will only write on the affairs of Mantua in the new one, which this courier brings to you. Take care to inform us exactly, of the arrival of the Count Matthioli, and of all that he shall communicate to you on the subject of his journey.
I am, &c.
POMPONNE.[230]
[230] From the Archives of the Office for Foreign Affairs, at Paris.
No. 53.
LOUVOIS TO SAINT-MARS.
Catinat sent to Pignerol.
St. Germain-en-Laye, December 29, 1678.
THESE few words are to let you know, that it is necessary for the King’s service, that the person who will send you this note, should enter into the citadel of Pignerol, without any body’s knowing it. To this effect, cause the Gate of Aid[231] to remain open till night-fall, and send him one of your servants; or even, if you are able, go yourself to meet him, at the place to which his valet will conduct you; in order that he may enter in your suite into the aforesaid citadel, and into the aforesaid dungeon, without any one’s perceiving it.
I am truly yours,
DE LOUVOIS.[232]
[231] “Porte du Secours.”
[232] From the Archives of France.
No. 54.
POMPONNE TO PINCHESNE.
D’Asfeld sent to Venice.
St. Germain, Dec. 30, 1678.
The King has despatched this day the Sieur d’Asfeld, Colonel of Dragoons, who is to go to Venice, under pretext of a journey of curiosity and pleasure. He will not come directly to your house, but will appear as a stranger, whom curiosity alone leads to the place where you are. He will afterwards come to see you, as if on account of the natural obligation which all Frenchmen have to visit those who are placed in a country for His Majesty’s service. He will deliver to you, from me, a short letter, as of introduction for him, in which I request you to contribute to the success of his particular interests at Venice. He will communicate to you the orders he has received; and you will take the necessary measures to make known his arrival to the Count Matthioli, and to arrange a meeting between them, if necessary.
I am, &c.
POMPONNE.[233]
[233] From the Archives of the Office for Foreign Affairs, at Paris.
No. 55.
POMPONNE TO PINCHESNE.
St. Germain, Dec. 30, 1678.
SIR,
You will receive this letter by the hands of M. d’Asfeld, who goes to Venice, for an affair which he will communicate to you himself, and of which you will have had, before his arrival, a more particular instruction by my letters. All that I will therefore add is, that you will put an entire reliance on what he tells you, and that you will contribute, in every way that depends on you, to the success of his particular interests at the place where you are.
I am, &c.
POMPONNE.[234]
[234] From the Archives of the Office for Foreign Affairs, at Paris.
No. 56.
PINCHESNE TO POMPONNE.
Venice, Dec. 31, 1678.
SIR,
In order to deliver to Don Joseph Varano the letter, which I have received for him from the Count Matthioli, at the same time with that which you did me the favour to write on the 9th of this month, I have made use of the same means which I had the honour to acquaint you with in my last letter, and which we had agreed upon together, for the time during which the Duke of Mantua should remain at Venice. He told me, when he received it, that this prince had experienced great pleasure by learning from the first, that the affair was in a good state; and that he was most impatient to hear of the conclusion of it; to which I answered him in two words, that that was a hope which his Highness might, with reason, flatter himself to see realized. * * *
DE PINCHESNE.[235]
[235] From the Archives of the Office for Foreign Affairs, at Paris.
No. 57.
PINCHESNE TO POMPONNE.
Venice, Jan. 7, 1679.
SIR,
* * * * * *
As soon as the Count Matthioli shall arrive at Venice, I will immediately deliver into his hands the letter which the King has done the Duke of Mantua the honour of writing to him. That prince left this place the day before yesterday, to return to his own States; but he is to come back to Venice towards the end of this month, to pass the rest of the Carnival there. I will keep the journey of the Count Matthioli secret, as you order me; but I beg you to believe, Sir, that it was not necessary you should take the trouble to recommend this to me, since I know very well of what importance it is to preserve an inviolable secrecy in this affair.
* * * * * *
DE PINCHESNE.[236]
[236] From the Archives of the Office for Foreign Affairs, at Paris.
No. 58.
PINCHESNE TO POMPONNE.
Venice, Jan. 15th, 1679.
SIR,
* * * * * *
I shall execute with all the punctuality possible, every order which it shall please you to give me on this affair; and as soon as the Count Matthioli shall be returned to this place, I will not fail to acquaint you with it, and to give you an exact account of all he shall tell me respecting the business which he has been negociating at the Court.
* * * * * *
DE PINCHESNE.[237]
[237] From the Archives of the Office for Foreign Affairs, at Paris.
No. 59.
PINCHESNE TO POMPONNE.
Arrival of d’Asfeld at Venice.
Venice, Jan. 21st, 1679.
SIR,
Before I received the letter, which you did me the honour to write to me on the 30th of last month, and by which you informed me that the King intended to send here the Count d’Asfeld, Colonel of a regiment of Dragoons, he was already arrived, and had been to see me, to communicate to me the orders he had received from his Majesty; but as he was not charged with any letter from you, for me, I should have had some difficulty in opening my plans to him, in an affair of this consequence, if M. Giuliani, who happened to be with me just then, and who was come to see me for the first time since his return, had not told me, a few moments before, that there would shortly arrive here a gentleman from the King; and if I had not found him himself so well-informed of the whole of this affair, that I could have no doubt of the truth of what he told me; since it appeared to me impossible that he could know so much upon the subject without having learnt it from you, or from those who are alone acquainted with it. He told me that M. de Louvois had obliged him, before his departure, to burn the letter which you had given him to deliver to me, from fear lest, if he was stopped in the Milanese, it might give some ground of suspicion to the Spaniards. He even detailed to me so precisely all that it contained, that I could have no farther cause for fear, after I had seen that what he told me, tallied so well with all that you have done me the favour to write to me upon his subject. We have not been able to agree upon any thing together since he has been here, because the Count Matthioli is not yet arrived; but as he has written to me and to M. Giuliani, from whom he separated himself near Turin, in order to excite less observation, that he will be here in a few days, I hope to be able, by the next post, to give you an account of all we shall have settled with him. I will not fail, Sir, to represent strongly to him, according to the order which M. d’Asfeld has given me, on the part of the King, to that effect, that it is absolutely necessary for the Duke of Mantua to be at Casale by the 20th of next month, to make the exchange of the treaties; and I will make him so clearly understand that diligence is most necessary in an affair of this importance, lest, from delay, it should be discovered, that I am almost bold enough to promise, that he will persuade his master to go there at that time. However, Sir, if this prince, who is accustomed to pass the last days of the Carnival here every year, wished also to do so this year, in order not to make his conduct appear extraordinary; and that he should think that from the 15th of February, which is the first day of Lent, to the 20th, there will be too little time for his journey to Casale, without showing an anxiety which might occasion suspicions; and that, therefore, he might wish to defer for some days the exchange of the treaties, I think you will approve of my sending you an extraordinary courier to inform you of it; it being impossible for me to do so sufficiently quickly by the post.
DE PINCHESNE.[238]
[238] From the Archives of the Office for Foreign Affairs, at Paris.
No. 60.
PINCHESNE TO POMPONNE.
Delays of Matthioli, and of the Duke of Mantua.
Venice, Jan. 28th, 1679.
SIR,
* * * * * *
According to the letters which M. Giuliani and I received last week from the Count Matthioli, we thought he would, without doubt, be this week at Venice, with the Duke of Mantua. However, neither one nor the other are yet arrived, on account of a slight illness which the Duchess dowager of Mantua has had, which has obliged that prince to remain with her; but the Sieur Giuliani has received to-day a letter from Don Joseph Varano, in which he informs him, that the Count Matthioli is at present at Padua, where he is waiting for the Duke of Mantua, in order that they may come here together, on Monday, or Tuesday at the latest. This has obliged M. d’Asfeld and myself to send Giuliani this evening to Padua, to the Count Matthioli, to give him intelligence of the arrival of M. d’Asfeld at Venice, and to represent to him that it is of the last importance, on account of the shortness of the time, for us to have, as soon as possible, a conference together, in order to take all the measures that shall be necessary to induce the Duke of Mantua to be at Casale the 20th or 25th of next month, according to the wish of the King.
I think I can say to-day more securely than I did last week, that I shall inform you by the next post of all we shall have arranged with the Count Matthioli, since certainly the next week will not pass away without our meeting.
DE PINCHESNE.[239]
[239] From the Archives of the Office for Foreign Affairs, at Paris.
No. 61.
PINCHESNE TO POMPONNE.
Further Delays of Matthioli.
Venice, February 4th, 1679.
SIR,
* * * * * *
The Duke of Mantua has been here since Tuesday. The Count Matthioli was to have come with him, but the fever he has been suffering from for the last ten or twelve days prevented him, and obliged him to remain at Padua, where he still is, for the purpose of going through a course of remedies. Nevertheless, Sir, as time presses, M. d’Asfeld and I have sent M. Giuliani to him twice this week, to represent to him the necessity we have of seeing him, to arrange together the day when the Duke of Mantua is to be at Casale. He has sent us word for answer, that to-morrow he will certainly be at Venice, whatever his state of health may be, and that on Monday or Tuesday, at the latest, we may see one another, to conclude all things; after which, M. d’Asfeld can set off for Pignerol: that, besides, he could assure us, that in all the conversations he had had with the Duke of Mantua, since his return from France, he had found that Prince in the best possible dispositions for the success of the affair, within the time that had been fixed upon with you, and that he had even done himself the honour of acquainting you with this in a letter which he had written you. I have also seen, within the last two days, Don Joseph Varano, who has also given me assurances to the same effect on the part of his master. So, Sir, there is every reason to hope, that the King will soon receive the satisfaction that he expects from this business. When M. d’Asfeld and myself shall see the Count Matthioli, we will represent to him the diligence that is necessary to be made use of in this affair; which is the more so, because the march of the troops towards Pignerol begins to give suspicion to the Spaniards in the Milanese, although thus far they are persuaded that they are only sent to that place to work at the fortifications. M. d’Asfeld, who, as well as myself, is rendered uneasy by the delay of the Count Matthioli, had made a resolution, on Friday evening, to go and pay him a visit at Padua, and to take as a pretext his wish to go and see some of the towns of the Terra Ferma; but we reflected, that two days, more or less, was not of great consequence; and that, besides the uselessness of this journey, since it is necessary that the Count Matthioli should speak to the Duke of Mantua before he can settle any thing with us, it might also cause some suspicion in his inn, where there are many strangers, if he was seen to leave Venice during the time when the diversions there are at their height, to go and make a tour in towns where there are none. Therefore we have thought, that it was better to wait the arrival of the Count Matthioli in this city, in order not to risk any thing by too much precipitation, in an affair in which secrecy is so necessary, and respecting which one can never take too many precautions.
* * * * * *
DE PINCHESNE.[240]
[240] From the Archives of the Office for Foreign Affairs, at Paris.
No. 62.
LOUVOIS TO SAINT-MARS.
St. Germain, Feb. 7th, 1679.
I SEND you a letter for the same person[241] to whom you were to deliver the two packages, which the individual named Barrere ought to have brought you by this time. I beg that you will give it to him, and send me by the return of the same courier, who will deliver to you this letter, whatever answer he shall make to it. The person who despatches this courier from Lyons, has orders to tell him, that he is the bearer of the letters of Madame Fouquet. It will be right for you to tell him the same thing when you send him back. You will observe, if you please, to put an envelope over your letter to me, addressed to the Sieur Du Bois, Clerk of the Foreign Post at Lyons.
If the person to whom you have to deliver this letter is not arrived, you will send me word of it by the return of the courier, and will keep the letter till his arrival.
DE LOUVOIS.[242]
[241] This person was Catinat, who was now on his way to Pignerol, under the assumed name of Richemont.
[242] From the Archives of France.
No. 63.
PINCHESNE TO POMPONNE.
Interviews with Matthioli.--Further Delays in the Ratification of the Treaty.
Feb. 7th, 1679.
WE had hoped, M. d’Asfeld and I, according to the promises which had been given us to this effect by the Count Matthioli, through M. Giuliani, as often as we sent him to Padua, that we might be able to dispose the Duke of Mantua to go to Casale the 25th of this month, according to the King’s intentions; but notwithstanding all that we have been able to allege to the Count in the two conferences we have had with him, last Thursday and this morning, we have not been able to succeed, and we have therefore been obliged to defer the day of the exchange of the ratifications of the treaty till the 10th of next March; on which day the Duke of Mantua promises to be, most assuredly, and without any further delay, at Casale.
We have despatched you this extraordinary courier, Sir, to give you intelligence of this; and we have so strongly recommended diligence to him, that we hope our letters will still arrive soon enough at court, to afford the King sufficient time to give whatever orders his Majesty shall judge necessary, for the delaying of the march of the troops towards Pignerol.
M. d’Asfeld writes in this intention, to M. de Louvois; but I will take the liberty to request you, Sir, in case the King has any new orders to give us on this affair, to order them to be sent directly to me; because, as it is possible that M. d’Asfeld may be obliged to depart before they arrive, I could not be made acquainted with them if they were sent to him, the cypher he has received from M. de Louvois being different to that which you have sent me. We think, nevertheless, we can assure you, Sir, that we do not see, from this delay of time, any reason to doubt the sincerity of the sentiments of the Duke of Mantua; who has again assured us, through the Count Matthioli, that he is more than ever in the intention of executing the treaty he has just made with his Majesty, and of keeping the promise he has given to him.
The Count Matthioli had written to you; but as his letter was not in cypher, and did not contain any thing but what I have sent you word of in this, I have not thought it necessary to send it to you.
DE PINCHESNE.[243]
[243] From the Archives of the Office for Foreign Affairs, at Paris.
No. 64.
LOUVOIS TO SAINT-MARS.
St. Germain, February 15th, 1679.