Can anyone read a 1702 letter in Italian please?

[nat11911]

Hi.

I can cope with French and Spanish deciphering/translations but am clueless with Italian - can anyone please help me with working out the following:

1.   The date/day etc at top-right of scan;
2.   The text concerning the English/Dutch fleets at Vigo and their actions there – this is the important bit for me;
3.   The signature.

I’ve worked out (from the address-leaf and letter) that it is to Al[l] S[igno]re Sebastiano Finazzi, Bergamo, but that’s all I can manage (apart from the odd word)!

Thank you! Chris

[Mary50]

Hi Chris.  I've worked on this for a few hours and this is the best that I can come up with.  There's probably some mistakes but I think I have the gist of it.  Hopefully someone else who can do better will come along.

Mary50

                                                                                                                 Bruges? 170? ---?

Without making your ------- to tell you that a few days ago Capta’?, of a new woe in the burning of the fleet of gallions in the port of Vigo.  The English and the Dutch and also other help following, somewhat mitigated the damage.  We have brought a large part of the more precious goods and the cash were brought to a secure location.  The loss nevertheless will be very notable and can’t help but give new mortification to the trade of the head office?  Having met all ------your benefi-----
I have doubled with strong diligence and --------- your Rallo---o which finally netted? A 24.?.6 with a discount of 6 & ?.  The next payments of ------ & ------- you will have an account of the net proceeds.   Awaiting that you will favour me with the mission of other Rallo----i , I remain with ----- and greetings ---
Gio ------ ennio  ----alb

[nat11911]

Aww Mary - thanks very much for that! As I don't know Italian at all it's so difficult trying to predict individual letters/words (I'm much more at home with French/Spanish).

Thank you!

Chris

[JohninSussex]

I'm not convinced it says "Brughe" on the first line, the initial letter looks nothing like the B of Bergamo but more like a C.  Also the part after the 170? looks like "in Lione". 

The event was definitely in October 1702, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vigo_Bay , but it would be peculiar if a letter was dated with only the year not the day/month - especially as it refers to events "a few days ago".

So possibly the letter was sent from Lyon (Lione) on a date known as Cirighe or whatever that says, perhaps in the church calendar or similar.  Doesn't really matter as we know from the context when it was written.
   

[nat11911]

Thanks John.  I've discovered that it is indeed 'Lione/Lyon', and this is confirmed by a Venetian Republic red crayon mark on the address-leaf indicating postage-paid for delivery from the Swiss border (the logical route from France to Italy). The 'Brughe' word remains a mystery, but I have a feeling it somehow indicates a day/month/time/date or some such thing.

Yes. I'm aware of the Battle of Vigo, hence my buying this letter some time ago - I was interested in the content surrounding that event.

I'll keep dipping in and scratching my head. Thanks a lot.

Chris

[Karen McDonald]

Could it be Grighe?

I found a vague reference on the Internet which hinted at Grighe being an old form of Grigue, which appears to be a place on the Italian coast just east of Genoa.

Has nothing to do with Lyon, though... 

Bit of a shot in the dark, but who knows if there's a connection in there somewhere..? 

Best regards,
Karen

[nat11911]

Hi Karen. I must say that the first letter does look like a capital 'G' rather than B/C  etc - but I'm now wondering whether it's an abbreviation of a month/day/date to precede the 1702? I don't think it's a place-name as we already know the letter went from France ('Lione'/Lyon) to Italy (Bergamo) via Switzerland (re. crayon marking on address-leaf).

Thanks v. much.

Chris

[Karen McDonald]

The horizontal stroke is bugging me.

Maybe it's 2 words, perhaps something like Grug tre(?)...
(No idea what that could mean, though!)