Sources:
The letter, with Kristina's spellings:
24 lestre dAmbur le 1 Sept. 1666 —
Jay receu Vostre onsieme escrit du septiesme du passe avec la ioye quon peut recevoir les plus grandes consolations dv monde, et Jespere que Vostre douxiesme lestre mapprendera qve Vous estes hors de paine povr Vostre lestre que ie Croiois perdue et Vous aurez appris quelle mavoit este heureusement rendus. Vous Voyez Que iay tousiour fait ce que Vous desirez qui est dagir avec la mesme precaution que si elle estoit perdue et que ie ne manque pas a me servir de la chiffre pour tout ce qui est important.
Jay receu Vostre onsieme escrit du septiesme du passe avec la ioye quon peut recevoir les plus grandes consolations dv monde, et Jespere que Vostre douxiesme lestre mapprendera qve Vous estes hors de paine povr Vostre lestre que ie Croiois perdue et Vous aurez appris quelle mavoit este heureusement rendus. Vous Voyez Que iay tousiour fait ce que Vous desirez qui est dagir avec la mesme precaution que si elle estoit perdue et que ie ne manque pas a me servir de la chiffre pour tout ce qui est important.
Je vous envoy par cet ordinaire la lestre de Lionne, que iay mis en Chiffre moy mesme Comme Vous voyez non obstant vn effroyable mal douleur de test qui ma dure huit Jour Continuels avec alteration febrile et auJourdhuy par malheur Jen suis enCore plus tourmente qua lordinare, ayant lestomaque et la teste si deconcerte que ie suis inCapable de tout, et cest un miracle que iay peu Vous escrire cet ordinaire ausi este vous le seul homme du monde pour qui ie puisse faire vn tel effort et Je vous prie de Croire que ie le fais avec plaisir et que ie nay peu trouer de soulagement a mon mal que celuy de vous entretenir.
Vous me donnez bien de la Joye en me faisant esperer la gerison du pape cest la meilieure novuelle que ie puisse recevoir et Je souhaitte que dieu me face la grace de le retrovver dans lestat ou Je lay laisse mais a Vous parler sincerement Je ne lespere pas Car son mal est dune nature a nous abbreger fort nos Contes, et Celuy de mon retour salonge tousiour et Je ne say plus quen Croire ny quen esperer.
Adamy est arrive en pomeranie Jl ne ma pourtan pas escrit enCore et Jattens ses lestres et les reponces sur les fermes. Strop sera Jcy dans peu de Jour et alors Je pouray Vous parler avec plus de fondement de toutte Chose.
Jl ny a point dAliance conclue entre la Suede et la france, et le petit roy de Suede na Jamais escrit aucune lestre au roy de france de sa main et nest pas en estat descrire de long temps de semblable lestres tout cela sont des fables ce qui est de veritable est que la neutralite est faitte et la maniere que la france la voulu lon a fait courir ce bruit pour rompre le negotiations de la Suede a Vienne et a londre et cet artifice a asse bien reusi a la Cour de france mais la paix tirera tout le monde de la paine ou Jl sont Car Jl y beaucoup plus d'apparence que Jamais quelle se fera entre toutes les parties, et les spectateurs sen trouveront ausi tres bien, et Je Vous puis asseurer que de touts les accteurs qui occupent auJourdhuy le theatre du monde Jl ny a personne qui ayt envie de rire.
lon dit ycy que lJmperatrise sen est retovrne malade a barcelone Vous saurez mieux ce qui en est. sil est Vray quelle est mal satisfait du galant elle a raison Car le portrayt et vne Chose effroyable en Core dit on que le peintre la flatte
Jay escrit vne lestre en Jtalien au Cardl. Sforza lon ne peut parler en francois de lherbe trastulla cet pour quoy Jay eu leffronterie de mhasarder a en parler en Jtalien ie crois que Vous pardonnerez toutes les fautes de la langue a une pauvre estrangere ignorante.
Jl ny a ycy rien de nouveaux, seulement que les Anglois se sont retires de la Coste dOllande et quon a oste la charge a tromp layant supsonne dJntelligence avec les Anglois en faveur du prince dorange. Jl est trop brave pour estre traitre mais lambition et la Jalusie quil porte a la gloire de Ryter lont perdu. lon a deCouuert vne Conspiration et Jntelligence de plusievrs officiers francois de la flotte et Cela a retarde sa sortiye mais lon a remedie a tout et les estats Ont donne quattre moys de paye avance a toutte leur arme navale. Cela Vous fera comprendre la force et la puisance de cet estat. les anglois on perdu quattre Vaissaux de gere dans lentreprise derniere et nont rien gange quon ruiner quantite de pauvre marchants par toutte la terre et lon Croit qve leur nation sen resentira Comme les austres y estant ausi interesse. lon estime quil ont brule pour vn million de marchandises dans les Cent et trente Vaissaux qui on este brules.
Je nay rien de plus a Vous dire pour cette fois sinon que Je Vous envoy la remise et vn petit proiet de lestat de mes affaires. adieu souvenez Vous de moy adieu
Joubliois de Vous dire que lon Croit que les Anglois sont alle Cherger larme navale de france pour la Combattre. Cette Conietture me semble asse probable neamoins le temps nous lapprendera —
English translation (my own):
24th letter from Hamburg, September 1, 1666 —
I received your eleventh letter from the seventh of last month with the joy that one can receive the greatest consolations in the world, and I hope that your twelfth letter will teach me that you are out of trouble for your letter that I thought was lost and that you will have learned that it was thankfully returned to me. You see that I have always done what you wish, which is to act with the same precaution as if it were lost, and that I do not fail to use the cipher for all that is important.
I received your eleventh letter from the seventh of last month with the joy that one can receive the greatest consolations in the world, and I hope that your twelfth letter will teach me that you are out of trouble for your letter that I thought was lost and that you will have learned that it was thankfully returned to me. You see that I have always done what you wish, which is to act with the same precaution as if it were lost, and that I do not fail to use the cipher for all that is important.
I am sending you by this ordinary the letter from Lionne which I have encrypted myself, as you see, notwithstanding a frightful headache which lasted me eight continuous days with feverish alteration, and today, by woe, I am even more tormented than usual, having my stomach and my head so disconcerted that I am incapable of anything, and it is a miracle that I have been able to write to you by this ordinary. So you are the only man in the world for whom I can make such an effort, and I beg you to believe that I do it with pleasure and that I could not find relief for my pain except that of entertaining you.
You give me great joy by making me hope for the healing of the Pope. This is the best news I can receive, and I hope God will grant me the grace to find him in the state in which I left him; but, to speak to you sincerely, I do not hope it, because his illness is of a nature to shorten our accounts for us, and that of my return always lengthens, and I do not know anymore what to believe of it nor what to hope for it.
Adami has arrived in Pomerania. He hasn't written to me yet, however, and I'm waiting for his letters and answers on the estates. Stropp will be here in a few days, and then I can speak to you with more foundation about everything.
There is no alliance concluded between Sweden and France, and the little King of Sweden never wrote any letter to the King of France by his hand and is not able to write for a long time from similar letters. All of these are fables. What is true is that neutrality is done and in the way that France wanted it. This rumour has been spread to break off the negotiations between Sweden in Vienna and in London, and this device has succeeded fairly well at the court of France; but peace will draw everyone out of the trouble they are in, for there is much more appearance than ever that it will happen between all the parties, and the spectators will also find it very good, and I can ensure that of all the actors who occupy the theater of the world today, there is no one who wants to laugh.
It is said here that the Empress returned sick to Barcelona. You will know better. If it is true that she is dissatisfied with the gallant, she is right, because the portrait is a dreadful thing. Still it is said that the painter flattered her.
I wrote a letter in Italian to Cardinal Sforza. One cannot speak in French of the trastulla herb, this is why I had the impudence to venture to speak in Italian. I believe that you will forgive all the mistakes of the language to a poor, ignorant stranger.
There is nothing new here, only that the English have withdrawn to the coast of Holland and that the charge has been removed from Tromp, having suspected him of intelligence with the English in favor of the Prince of Orange. He is too brave to be a traitor, but the ambition and the jealousy which he carries to the glory of Ruyter lost him. A conspiracy and intelligence from several French fleet officers was discovered, and this delayed its release; but everything has been remedied, and the states have given their entire naval army four months' prepayment. This will make you understand the strength and power of this state. The English lost four warships in the last enterprise and gained nothing but to ruin a quantity of poor merchants all over the world, and it is believed that their nation will feel it like the others, being there also interested. It is estimated that they burned a million goods in the one hundred and thirty vessels that were burned.
I have nothing more to tell you this time, except that I send you the discount and a small draft of the state of my affairs. Farewell. Remember me. Farewell.
I forgot to tell you that it is believed that the English went to look for the French naval army to fight it. This guess seems fairly likely to me, however, time will tell. —
Above: Kristina.
Above: Cardinal Decio Azzolino.
Note: In Italian, "dare l'erba trastulla" means to comfort someone by making them hope in vain for something. Kristina seems to have interpreted this idiom literally, an indicator that she/he/they might have been autistic.
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