Archivio di Stato, Venetia,
VIII Inghilterra 1609, Marco Antonio Correr Amb., Senato III, Secreta
Report of
Britain's Burse
, in a dispatch
sent home by the Venetian ambassador, Marc Antonio Correr. It is dated 6 May
[i.e. 26 April] 1609 and numbered 11
in a parchment bound collection of letters ranging between 12 March 1609-25 Feb.
1610 (pp. 68-73).
Il Signor r Conte di Salsberi ha’ fatte fabricar uicino alla Corte doi Gran Gallerie, ornate
specialmentete al di fuori di molti intagli, et sculture. Dentro di ogn’una di esse dall’ una,
et l’altra parte stanno botteghe per tutte sorti di merceria, che gli rendera’ un’utile
immenso. Ha’<condotto to>la settimana passata il Re’, la Serenissima ma Regina, et li Principi a’ uederle, et haueua fatto molto ben ornare una di esse
botteghe con un motto sopra, che diceua, ogn’altro luoco da’ per denari, qui tutto si dona per
amore. Et da essa leuo’ per il Re’ un Gabinetto, et per la Regina un quadro d’ argento
dell’Annontiata, che tutti dicono importare quattromila scudi. Al Principe ha’ donato
un fornimento da Cauallo di gran ualore; ne fu’ persona della Compagnia, che per al
meno non riceuesse un’anello d’oro. et sua Maesta’ diede il nome a’ questo luoco,
chiamandolo Bursa Britanica.
Translation
The
Earl of Salisbury
has built two great galleries near the court. They are decorated, especially outside,
with much carving and sculpture. Inside each of them, on either side, there are shops
for the sale of all kinds of goods. These will bring him an immense profit. Last week
he took the King
, Her Highness the
Queen
, and the Princes to see them. He has fitted up one of the shops very beautifully,
with the motto above: ‘All other places give money, here all is given for love’. To
the King
, he gave a cabinet, and to the
Queen
a silver picture of the Annunciation, which everyone says is worth four thousand scudi.
He gave
the Prince
a horse’s trappings of great value; nor was there any one of the retinue who did not
receive at the very least a gold ring. His
Majesty named the place Britain’s Burse.
Bibliography
CSPV 1607-1610, 267-70
McMillin (1968), 157