Excuses for the delay of Matthioli.
Venice, July 9, 1678.
Sir,
After what I had the honour of acquainting you with in my last letter, on the subject of the Count Matthioli, I should not have any thing further to add to-day, if he had not begged me to let you know that he has only remained at Venice some days longer than he originally intended, in order to execute some little commissions which the Duke of Mantua gave him when he left the place; but that he will go and meet that Princethis week at Mantua, that he will follow him to Casale, and that from thence he will set off to go to Paris, where he expects to arrive during the month of September. We have together calculated the time, and he cannot and ought not to leave his master sooner. He has, however, been apprehensive that these delays might give a bad opinion of him, and he has wished, in order to set his mind at rest, that I would send you the letters he has written to the King and to you, Sir; although I assured him he need not take this trouble, and that it would be sufficient if I bore testimony to his zeal and to his goodintentions. ∗ ∗ ∗
The Abbé d’Estrades.205
205From the Archives of the Office for Foreign Affairs, at Paris.