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Letter #859

Cornelis DE SCHEPPER & Nikolaus NIBSCHITZ (NIPSZYC) to Ioannes DANTISCUS
Innsbruck, 1532-11-30

English register:

De Schepper is in good health. Valdés died of plague in Vienna. When the Emperor [Charles V] left for Mantua, De Schepper had to stay behind in Vienna to ensure the provisioning of the army.

The journey to Mantua is dangerous because of the hostility of the inhabitants of Styria and Carinthia. The Italian troops that preceded the Emperor on his journey have burned down several villages in this region. In revenge, the peasants have killed a number of members of the imperial retinue. De Schepper witnessed their corpses when travelling to Mantua with Godschalk [Eriksen] and the Archbishop of Lund [Johan Weze]. He can give no details about his mission, which is similar to previous ones. De Schepper stayed for a week in Mantua, after which he was sent on a secret mission to the King of the Romans [Ferdinand I].

He has tried in vain to get appointed by the Emperor as Latin secretary in succession to Valdés. Idiaquez, a protégé of [Francisco] de los Cobos [y Molina], is now in charge of Neapolitan affairs. The Emperor has made it clear that he will no longer need a Latin secretary. De Schepper is very embittered about this rejection.

Flanders was hit by heavy flooding. De Schepper’s wife [Elisabeth Donche] must soon give birth while he is far away, and for months he has been without news of her. Although frustrated about the whole situation, he stresses his trust in God and his equanimity in adversity.

Upon his arrival in Innsbruck he met their mutual friend Nicolaus Nibschitz, the envoy of the King and Queen of Poland [Sigismund I and Bona Sforza]. De Schepper sends his present letter through Karl Koczer, whom he encountered in the company of Nibschitz. The latter is no longer as good at drinking as he used to be.

The Emperor will travel from Mantua to Bologna, where he will meet the Pope [Clement VII]. De Schepper asks Dantiscus for support in his career problems.

After several military successes in the Peloponnese, Andrea Doria was called back to Italy to escort the Emperor to Spain. In Judenburg in Styria [Christoph] von Württemberg left the imperial company for an unknown destination. The situation is worsening continuously: they face threats from the French and English, floods, general dissatisfaction, unrest and famine in Italy. Charles V and his entourage were treated by the Duke of Mantua [Federico II Gonzaga] in an unworthy manner.

De Schepper is solicited by the King of France [Francis I], who offers him good conditions, but he wants to keep his integrity despite his outrage over the way he is treated.

He expresses his despair over his loss of support at court, the floods and the threat of revolt in his homeland. He plays with the idea of seeking refuge with Dantiscus, to spend the rest of his days there in all tranquility.

He has written to Queen Bona that he has been unable to achieve anything for her case, due to the death of Valdés. At present, [Nicolas Perrenot] de Granvelle and Cobos have all the power at court.

He is desperate over his present situation and longs to see Dantiscus again.

In a postscript De Schepper conveys greetings from [Georg von] Logschau to Dantiscus.




Manuscript sources:
1fair copy in Latin, autograph, author's signature, UUB, H. 154, f. 104-105
2register with excerpt in Latin, English, 20th-century, CBKUL, R.III, 30, No. 72

Prints:
1AT 14 No. 528, p. 806-809 (in extenso; Polish register)
2DE VOCHT 1961 No. DE, 244, p. 162-163 (English register; excerpt)
3CEID 2/2 (Letter No. 49) p. 220-225 (in extenso; English register)

 

Text & apparatus & commentaryPlain textText & commentaryText & apparatus

 

UB H 154, f. 105v

Reverendissimo in Christo Patri et Domino, domino Ioanni Dantisco episcopo Culmensi etc., domino et patri meo honorandissimo

UB H 154, f. 104r

Reverendissime et excellentissime Domine, Pater honorandissime et cuius mihi ante oculos semper imago est.

Ego recte valeo, Deo gratia, relictus a caesare Viennae ad prospiciendum ipsius exercitui de commeatu. Interim decessit ad caelos orig. coeloscaeloscaelos orig. coelos noster Valdesius a me visitatus in media peste. Ego aegre secutus sum caesarem Mantuam, nam rustici in Styria et Charinthia plurimos interfecere nostros ob Italos, qui praecesserant caesarem et omnes exusserant vicos, per quos transiverunt. De ratione profectionis nihil possum scribere, fuit enim similis actionibus nostris solitis, de quibus si scriberem, ut nihil novum scriberem, ita me torquerem fessum tot rebus vide visis. Omnino vero ita habe. Relictus ego tot in aerumnis, Dei potentia adiutus, solus cum Godtscalco et Lundensi, cui sum coactus obsequi mea sponte iure veteris agnitionis, pertransivimus montes passim videntes cadavera nostrorum, qui sunt a rusticis caesi orig. cesicaesicaesi orig. cesi, venimusque Mantuam. Hic non fui, nisi diebus septem, cum sum missus ad regem Romanorum orig. RhomanorumRomanorumRomanorum orig. Rhomanorum in negotiis secretis. Interim egi apud caesarem, et stain[et]et stainsi videretur maiestati ipsius dignus Cornelius, qui succederet in locum secretarii Latini pro Valdesio, permissa interim cura Neapolitanarum rerum cuidam Diacques homini, qui neque litteras, neque natare, versatus vero est apud Cobos fuitque apud eum loco praefecti domus ipsius. Respondit se non velle amplius habere secretarium Latinum. Ita tuus ille Cornelius destitutus est opinione et credulitate, missus vero per postas et tempore malo, sed cui iam assuevit, sine spe et successu.

Interim Caurus ventus patriam nostram submersit iterum, cui malo non possumus amplius occurrere. Uxor vicina partui, ego absens omnibus ludibrio, nihil assecutus, nisi dehonestamentum exspectationis orig. expectationisexspectationisexspectationis orig. expectationis, quae fuerat de me, Deo tamen semper fidens, sanus et imperterritus et talis, de quali ait poeta: „Si fractus illabatur orbis, impavidum ferient ruinae.”. Deo interim reliqua committo. De me nihil sum sollicitus, tantum miseret uxoris, de qua a tertio mense nihil accepi litterarum, et magnitudinem doloris ut supprimam, facit ipse dolor. Sed ad haec studium philosophiae.

Nunc vero, cum orig. quumcumcum orig. quum venissem Oenipontem, incidit in me dominus et amicus communis Nicolaus a Nyptzitz missus a serenissimis regibus huc, nescio quibus de causis. Is de te nihil, fuit vero in illius societate homo bonus et prudens dominus Carolus Cotzer, cuius frequenter mentionem habuisti, cui has ego litteras commisi. Is petiit tibi commendari. Dominus Nyptzitz petiit excusari. Est alius, quam prius, amplius enim non bibit et memoriam tui tametsi poculo heri epoto fecerimus, tamen fuit hodie pigrior. Nescio, an senectus adimat calorem, e quo est amor, queritur enim se quinquagenarium. Caesar it Bononiam e Mantua. Venturus est eo pontifex maximus, qui abiit Rhoma decima octava orig. decimaoctavadecima octavadecima octava orig. decimaoctava huius.

UB H 154, f. 104v

Si quando rebus nostris es bene apprecatus, nunc, quaeso orig. quesoquaesoquaeso orig. queso, id age. Egemus enim bono intercessore et de rebus minus spero de die in diem. Alibi mera paupertas, alibi merus contemptus et defectus iudicii.

Andreas Auria expugnata Corone, Patris, Castello Novo et castellis aliquot revocatur in Italiam ex Peloponneso transvecturus caesarem ex It written over hhtt written over halia in Hispanias, quod fiet vere proximo.

Dux Wirtembergensis iunior noster secutus est caesarem usque ad Iudenburgum Styriae. Ibi dimissis familiaribus omnibus et praecone tuo Philippo duobus tantum famulis assumptis nescio quo profectus est, neque enim, quantumvis magna industria, quae adhibita est, per nos resciri potuit, ubinam sit.

Res nostrae vadunt in deterius. Duo reges, Francus et Anglus, sunt simul in confinibus Flandriae. Patria nostra iterum aquis obruta, ut audio, periculosius quam prius. Nemo contentus. Itali saeviunt. Caritatem annonae, quae est in Italia, non possum exprimere, indignitatem minus. Adest in causa dux Mantuae, illo nomine indignus et faenerator orig. foeneratorfaeneratorfaenerator orig. foenerator turpis et inhumanus, qui se talem praestitit nobis, qualem nemo umquam orig. unquamumquamumquam orig. unquam tyrannus. Et id crede tibi a Cornelio dictum non ab affectu neque sine causa, quae t(?)ua ms. t(?)ue(!) t(?)uat(?)ua ms. t(?)ue(!) minima ex parte superinscribedex parteex parte superinscribed, sed et me, cum potuit, et omnes nostros curiales inauditis hactenus modis tractavit, ita ut nusquam indignius.

Caesar abiturus est Bononiam. Ego te cupio recte valere, est enim spes de te mihi. Sollicitor a Franco dignis condicionibus orig. conditionibuscondicionibuscondicionibus orig. conditionibus ego indignus, qui solliciter, et dignus meliore apud meos successu, neque tamen sum mercennarius, sed te imitabor patrem et parentem, et integritatem hanc tibi persuade non esse exuturum Cornelium, quantumvis possit indignatio. Sed tamen non ero bestia et forte ita sum victurus, ut nihil a viro bono possit impingi. In isto meo privato dolore amissis omnibus amicis in aula, submersa patria sine spe recuperandi, tempestate, quae videtur paritura bellum apud nos civile aut, si mavis, seditionem popularem, cum ego nullarum possim esse partium et malim per alios, quam per me, scandala obvenire, statui alicubi fugere, et ad te, nam reliquae cogitationes, de quibus pridem, non videntur mihi successum habiturae.

Nolo tamen molestus esse tibi, cui molestus esse non possum, sed aliquem angulum mihi reser hidden by binding[r]r hidden by bindingva, in quo possim latere et reliquum vitae transigere. Et hoc tibi puta serio dictum, nam diutius ego multa concoquere non possum, si tamen volo, possum mederi. Sed haec orig. hechaechaec orig. hec Deo nostro.

Nunc scripsi ad reginalem maiestatem, in cuius negotio nihil est actum ob mortem <Valdesii>, cuius non sine summo dolore mentionem facio. Penes Grandtvellanum nunc sunt omnia imperii Latina, Gallica, penes Cobos Neapolitana, Hispana, summa rerum. Ego cuperem te semel adhuc videre ex animo et veniam ad te forte brevi, et te videbo, postea de me faciat Deus, quod bonum est in oculis suis. Tu interim, mi pater, recte vale et Deus te conservet, qui solus nos creavit, quo salvo neque mihi UB H 154, f. 105r meus est animus periturus, quo adempto desperatus iste Cornelius Deum est precaturus orig. praecaturusprecaturusprecaturus orig. praecaturus, ut et adimatur et, quos vita coniunxit, eosdem mors non separet. Campensem Deus conservet t stain[t]t stainecum. Hic nihil boni. Germaniae silent. In Italia nos sumus contempti. Sed haec longius. Te, mi Pater, conservet Christus.

Ex Oeniponte, pridie Kalendas Decembres anno XV-c XXXII-o.

Reverendissimae Celsitudinis Tuae filius Cornelius Scepperus

Nykel Nybszycz yn Ynspruk myt egner hant

Postscript:

Communis noster amicus Loxanus sese tibi commendat.