Feilding- Hamilton Correspondence: GD 406/1/9494 Page 02-03

Palatine's affairs, whose offices have produced
no other effect than what was conjectured be-
fore in England, his power being unequal
to so hard a task, and the King of Hun-
gary's Court wholly governed by the coun-
sels of Spain, for instead of an an-
swer from there, he was referred to this
Spanish Ambassador to receive orders in what
concerned that business, which was so ill a
presage of success that I was sorry to
have been the author of so fruitless
a motion in England. Yet since no good
can be done, there have some ill offices been
performed betwixt the King of Hungary's
Ambassador and the Spanish Ambassador who
would take upon him too peremptorily
to tutor the other and direct him in his
master's affairs, which is ill taken, and
rejected with scorn. If I were to stay
here I might make some advantages
of it if I might have leave to visit the King
of Hungary's ambassador, which I forbore as
fearing it might not suit with His Majesty's

pleasure, who hath not yet approved of the
election of the King of the Romans, as
I conceived likewise that my making
difficulty therein and upon those grounds
might prepare a way for me to ren-
der me more acceptable at Turin.
The good old Procurator Priuli, who
lately sold Your Lordship the St Margaret
of Raphael, entangling his foot in
his gown, fell down a pair of stairs
and is since dead, which moved the whole
broglio at St Mark's to say that
it was impossible he should live af-
ter he had parted with his saint.
The last week I gave Your Lordship an ac-
count of the buying and packing of
your pictures and before my depar-
ture from hence I shall inform Your
Lordship of the order taken for the safe
conveying of them to you, wherein all care
and diligence shall be taken, as also in the
execution of all Your Lordship's commands by
Your Lordship's
Most humble, most faith-
ful and most affec-
tionate servant
Venice February 9/19 1637/8 B Feilding

[along side]

I fear the packet wherein I sent to Your Lordship
several letters to the King and Queen to show my most humble
thanks for the honour conferred upon me by this new em-
ployment is miscarried, since Your Lordship hath taken no notice
of them to me. This Rep[ublic] is at lengthe resolved, without formalising, to send
their desired ambassador for England. But if His Majesty do not inconvenient
[word concealed by fold]
he upon his arrival

[along top, upside down]
there nominate another for this place, these will incline
much to recall him, and be resolute in standing upon
their term in going equal with crowns.

Transcription by Rosalind K. Marshall 2006