54 
Vatican Archives 
fices. 18 Under Julius II. and Leo X., most of the collectors-general disappear, 
and promptly a corps of nuncios, at first temporary and with special missions, 
but quickly becoming resident and with general powers, succeeded them. 14 
The functions of the nuncios varied from country to country, and such dif¬ 
ferences, where significant, are described in connection with each particular 
collection. In general the diplomat of the sixteenth and seventeenth century 
was far from holding himself aloof or impartial, and the papal representative 
stood not for a power which was wholly foreign, but for one which permeated 
with influences material and spiritual the country in which he resided. In 
most cases he had recognized relations not only with the sovereign but with 
the people, and his position called for unusual breadth as well as skill. The 
character of the experience obtained was such, indeed, that it was a usual line 
of promotion to the papacy. 
The correspondence which a nuncio was expected to carry on with the 
department of state was voluminous, and soon acquired a definite and pre¬ 
scribed character. This is perhaps best exemplified in the copies of the dis¬ 
patches of the seventeenth century which are found in the Barberini library. 15 
Each courier carried a letter in cipher, or several such letters, each on a special 
subject; a plain letter; of news-letters, one for each country; and, finally, 
enclosures. In return the nuncio received, at times, a general instruction as 
to his mission as a whole, but this was more often given verbally before he left 
Rome; continuous instructions as to minor points; and such news of Rome 
and the world as might affect his purposes. Dispatches both to and from the 
nuncios were sent ordinarily in duplicate or triplicate. 16 The valedictory re¬ 
lations, characteristic of the princely diplomacy of Italy, are rarely found 
in that of the papacy. 
The ciphered letters passed through the hands of the secretary of ciphers, 
an officer of great dignity. 17 These were naturally the more important, for 
while the ciphers were seldom impenetrable if they fell into the hands of a 
foreign court, they at least rebuffed vulgar curiosity. 18 The three classes of 
letters, however, represented an over-elaboration of method, and no definite 
indications as to just what should be looked for in the plain letters and in the 
ciphers can be given. It was, perhaps, the best practice to put all strictly 
diplomatic material in cipher and make the plain letter a running comment on 
the news-letters. Often a portion of a letter was ciphered, while the rest 
was plain. 
The news-letters contain the bulk of the material relating to America. They 
were highly regarded, made with great care, and read with anxiety. The 
papal court constantly stimulated the activity of its agents in collecting news, 
and apparently desired to receive whatever of importance came to their knowl¬ 
edge. In 1611 the secretary of state wrote to the collector in Portugal: “ Ac- 
cettissimi sono stati gl’avvisi d’Africa, delle filippine, et di Inghilterra, et ogni 
altro, che verra a sua notitia, si come si leggera volontieri, cosi non lasci di 
13 Hinojosa, Despachos, pp. 19-22. 
14 Richard, l. c., p. 320. 
10 Note analogy with the registers. L. Duchesne, “Rapport sur la Publication des 
Registres Pontificaux ”, in Melanges d’Arch. et d’Hist., XXV. 447. 
10 Hinojosa, Los Despachos, pp. 16-17. 
17 Grimaldi, Les Congregations Romaines, p. 18. 
15 Aloys Meister, Die Geheimschrift im Dienste der Pdpstlichen Kurie, vol. XI. ol 
Quellen und Forschungen aus dem Gebiete der Geschichte . . . Gorres-Gesellschaft 
(Paderborn, 1906). 
