FROM M A N N
17 D E C E M B E R 1741
NS
223
the gates yet all discourse about them is totally dropped and nothing
is spoke of but Gavi and his accomplices. H e is still in a church, and
what is more strange the priests think him too great a villain to harbour him, so that he is drove from one convent to another. T h e secret
is that as soon as they canfixh i m they intend to take h i m by force. I
pity his poor wife; she is with child and constantly attended night and
day by the sbirri in her room. She sent a complaint t'other day that
the sbirri non la lasciavano vestire con pace e che consumavano tutte
le bracie, che per I'amor di Dio dessero ordine che non toccassero
le bracie.1 T h e great concern for her small coal m a d e them suspect
a rat; upon examination they found 6,000 crowns2 under them; in different holes and corners they have found 18,000 crowns,3 but all in
silver, from which 'tis thought he found means to carry off his gold.
M a n y poor devils4 have been taken u p and m a n y rich ones aimed at
and publicly named, the Earl5 chiefly, against w h o m however it is
thought nothing will appear clearly, as all his orders were verbal. I
should swell this letter too m u c h if I were to mention all the particulars; some I cannot omit. Jadeau6 the builder of arches and catafalcos
was called upon to give an account of the m u c h m o n e y that had passed
through his hands. Hisfirstanswer was that he was surprised at such
proceedings, that w h e n people had commissions given to them, it was
a sign they were confided in and that all accounts were useless. H e was
told this was not sufficient; he answered that besides the good reasons
he had alleged before that he had the Great Duke's positive order not
to give an account to anybody. This he was told did not satisfy more
than the former, upon which he said that really he always had prepared himself to give his accounts in the most clear manner possible,
but on thefirstreport of the Spaniards coming here he had sent them
out of the country. Warren, the colonel, being sent for to the Council
and not being able to avoid answering some questions about m o n e y
affairs was instantly seized with so violent a colic that he was forced
to retire to his house; they have avoided as yet entering upon that subject for fear of occasioning a relapse.
A strange embroil has happened about Lady Walpole's things. She
1. 'Didn't let her dress in peace, and that 3. About £4,500.
they used up all the small coals; that for
4. Caldari and Frosini were among the
the love of G o d they should order them
number (Conti, Firenze dopo i Medici 256).
not to touch the small coals.'
5- Richecourt.
6
2. About £1,500.
- Iadot-