Giuseppe Tartini - Lettere e documenti / Pisma in dokumenti / Letters and Documents - Volume / Knjiga / Volume II

432 144. Tartini to G.B. Martini I should have acknowledged the receipt of the book to Your Reverence on the Friday of last week, as I had received it from Padre Paolucci six days earlier. But as His Eminence Cavaliere Venier, a very famous amateur of practical and scientific music, is here in Padua, I had agreed with him to place it immediately in his hands, as I did; hoping, moreover, to have it back in three or four days at the most. I was greatly mistaken, as His Eminence has actually no intention of returning it to me, if I do not provide him with another one with his money. So it happened that I wished to have a quick look at it before replying, but was not able to do so; and thus there arose the inconvenience of last Friday passing without my being able to reply to you, given that I had counted on having read it by the present Friday. But as this was all in vain, I am replying to you as is my double duty; I thank you profusely for the favour received, which for a long time I have strongly wished for, and assure you that you shall soon receive the tobacco that Your Reverence enjoys, and I entreat you to provide me with another book as soon as you can, with the indication of the price. I am terribly impatient to read it, and Your Reverence, who knows how much I hold your worthiest person in esteem, can imagine this. Once I have read it several times (my first reading will be a devouring), I beg you in advance to allow me, if there is anything either dubious or difficult for me to understand, to write to you with our usual confidence, so that, in accordance with my talent, I too am able to understand the book from cover to cover and have the consolation, before my death, of having a better understanding of the art that I profess. God bless you, preserve you and give you the strength to carry on, while conveying to you my most cordial regards, as I beg you to convey them on my behalf to the Most Illustrious Signor Dottor Balbi, I remain most heartily Your Fatherhood Most Reverend’s most humble, devoted and obliged servant Giuseppe Tartini Padua, 9 January 1761 145. Tartini to G.B. Martini His Eminence the Lord Procurator Girolamo Venier is not the Most Excellent Cavalier Francesco Venier, who is here in Padua, so although Your Reverence carried out a most gracious act, you mistook the person. I must therefore beg you again for