Excerpt of Jacques Carpentier de Marigny's letter to Henri de Taillefer de Barrière on Kristina moving in at Rome and the beginning of her/his/their friendship with Azzolino, dated February 15/25 (New Style), 1656

Source:

A Collection of the State Papers of John Thurloe, Esq;, volume 4, page 540, published by Thomas Birch, 1742

https://books.google.com/books?id=70EqAQAAMAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&dq=state+papers+of+john+thurloe+1656&source=gbs_navlinks_s

https://www.british-history.ac.uk/thurloe-papers/vol4/pp535-548#h3-0010

The letter:

Brussels, February 25, 1656 [N. S.]

... I forgot in my last to tell you, that the good queen Christina hath sent away don Antonio de la Cueva and his wife, to whom she declared, that she was resolved to stay at Rome. And as she was told, that that was not what she had promised, she made answer, she would remain in a neuter state; and that moreover she had found in the Low Countries but two sorts of people, fools and blockheads. The fools were the Spaniards, and the stupid were the Walloons. Here Pimentel is also reformed, and the embassador and the gentleman of the horse, and the head-chamberlain sent word, they shall be here within two months. The queen hath made choice of a young cardinal call'd Azzolini, with whom she hath associated her self, who won his cardinal's cap under the deceased pope, in the service of Donna Olympia. He is not 40 years old.

With modernised spelling:

Brussels, February 25, 1656 [N. S.]

... I forgot in my last to tell you that the good Queen Kristina hath sent away Don Antonio de la Cueva and his wife, to whom she declared that she was resolved to stay at Rome. And as she was told that that was not what she had promised, she made answer [that] she would remain in a neuter state and that, moreover, she had found in the Low Countries but two sorts of people: fools and blockheads. The fools were the Spaniards and the stupid were the Walloons.

Here Pimentel is also reformed, and the ambassador and the gentleman of the horse and the head chamberlain sent word [that] they shall be here within two months.

The Queen hath made choice of a young cardinal called Azzolini, with whom she hath associated herself, who won his cardinal's cap under the deceased Pope, in the service of Donna Olimpia. He is not 40 years old.

French translation (my own):

Bruxelles, le 25 février 1656 [Nouveau style]

... J'ai oublié dans ma précédente de vous dire que la bonne reine Christine a renvoyé don Antoine de la Cueva et sa femme, à qui elle a déclaré qu'elle était résolue à rester à Rome. Et comme on lui disait que ce n'était pas ce qu'elle avait promis, elle répondit qu'elle resterait dans un état neutre et que d'ailleurs elle n'avait trouvé aux Pays-Bas que deux sortes de gens: les imbéciles et les cancres. Les imbéciles étaient les Espagnols et les stupides étaient les Wallons.

Ici Pimentel est aussi réformé, et l'ambassadeur, le cavalier et le premier chambellan ont fait savoir qu'ils seraient ici dans deux mois.

La reine a choisi un jeune cardinal nommé Azzolino, auquel elle s'est associée, qui a obtenu son chapeau de cardinal sous le feu pape, au service de donna Olympe. Il n'a pas 40 ans.

Swedish translation (my own):

Bryssel, den 25 februari 1656 [Nya stilen.]

... Jag glömde i mitt sista brev att berätta att den goda drottningen Kristina har skickat iväg don Antonio de la Cueva och hans hustru, till vilken hon förklarade att hon var besluten att stanna i Rom. Och när hon fick veta att det inte var vad hon hade lovat, svarade hon att hon skulle förbli i en neutral stat och att hon dessutom hade hittat två sorters människor i de Lågländerna: tokar och träskallar. Tokarna var spanjorerna och de dumma var vallonerna.

Här reformeras också Pimentel, och ambassadören och stallherren och överkammarherren sände bud att de skulle vara här inom två månader.

Drottningen har valt en ung kardinal vid namn Azzolino, som hon har umgåtts med, som vann sin kardinalhatt under den salige påven, i donna Olimpias tjänst. Han är inte 40 år gammal.

Above: Kristina.

Above: Cardinal Decio Azzolino.

Note: The deceased Pope = Pope Innocent X.