58 
Vatican Archives 
are sometimes paged and the letters are nearly always arranged chronologic¬ 
ally, though not perfectly so. About 140 numbers are loose sheets in paste¬ 
board covers. In these the items are not often numbered, but are arranged 
chronologically. There are two buste or cases with loose sheets. Many of 
the volumes originally numbered by De Pretis have disappeared, but Hino¬ 
josa says that these losses may be made good by the use of other collections, 
except in the case of 75 and 278 The extreme dates of the documents are 
1524 and 1808. 
For the period before Sixtus V. (1585-1590) there exists but one register 
of letters from the secretary of state to the nuncios, that between Dec. 26, 1561, 
and Oct. 31, 1563; there are, however, many of the original letters brought 
back from Spain by the nuncios. 34 From that date, the original dispatches are 
not to be found at Rome, but the registers of letters or minutes of letters are 
complete. Of the letters of the nuncios there are some registers covering 
their general correspondence, but chiefly the letters themselves are preserved 
in bound volumes. There are for most periods special registers of the ciphered 
correspondence, the deciphered answer being found in the same volume with 
the secretary’s letter. In addition there is correspondence with the numerous 
nuncios extraordinary, and with the collectors, for such times as that separate 
office existed. Still further, there is much miscellaneous correspondence with 
minor ecclesiastical officials, with Spanish ecclesiastics and other Spaniards of 
importance, with the Spanish minister at Rome, besides papers properly be¬ 
longing to the nunciature of Portugal. 
The nuncio of Spain was always an important, and from the resignation 
of his estates by Charles V. to the treaty of Westphalia, the most important 
diplomatic representative of the papacy. In addition to the innumerable polit¬ 
ical points of contact between the Holy See and Spain, the financial relations 
were mutual and more intimate than in the case of any other country. In 
Spain alone, outside of Italy, the papacy retained the right to the “ spoils ” 
of bishops and the fruits of vacancies. 30 The Spanish government was in¬ 
debted to the Pope, moreover, for the privilege of taxing the enormously 
wealthy clergy of Spain. Under Philip II. the ecclesiastical revenues of the 
Crown amounted to 6,000,000 in gold ( scudif) A and after the middle of the 
seventeenth century the question of decimae in the Western Indies became 
one of great moment. The financial interests of Rome in Spain had orig¬ 
inally been represented, as in other countries of Europe, by a collector; out 
of this office developed that of the nuncio, and the two, while separate in 
theory, were in fact nearly always united. 37 The Spanish nuncio, moreover, 
at the request of Charles V., enjoyed special ecclesiastical functions as legate 
a latere .“ This gave him extraordinary ecclesiastical powers and meant that 
many of the dispensations, indulgences, favors, and privileges ordinarily 
referred to the Dataria at Rome, were adjudged and granted in Spain. As 
the granting of such supplications involved the payment of fees, a large rev¬ 
enue accrued, 39 and in 1628 he was expected to provide for himself, and remit 
33 Hinojosa, p. 7. 
34 Ibid-, PP. 13 , 15-16. 
35 Richard, “ Origines des Nonciatures Permanentes ”, in Rev. Hist. Eccl, VII. 320. 
35 Confalonieri collection, 46, f. 149. 
37 Richard, “ Origines des Nonciatures Permanentes ”, Rev. Hist. Eccl., VII. 56-59. 
38 Hinojosa, p. 13. 
39 Ibid. 
