418 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 236. 



feelingly made, and that the aged Turk who 

 uttered it had experienced, during his residence 

 as a prisoner at Malta, all the horrors of slavery. 

 That no consideration was given to the comfort of 

 a slave, and little value set on his life, will be 

 briefly shown by the following anecdote : — On the 

 13th of April, 1534, an accusation was made 

 against an English knight of the name of Massim- 

 berg, to the effect that he had unwarrantably 

 drawn his sword and hilled four galley slaves ; and 

 being convicted of the crime on the 18 th of May 

 of the same year, he was asked why judgment 

 should not be given against him. Massimberg 

 thus replied, " In hilling the four slaves I did well, 

 but in not having at the same time hilled our old and 

 imbecile Grand Master I did badly.' 1 '' This plea 

 not being considered satisfactory, he was deprived 

 of his habit ; but two days afterwards, that is, on 

 the 20th May, 1534, he was reinstated in the 

 Order, though for a time not permitted to enjoy 

 his former dignity of a commander. This knight 

 was also accused of having stolen a slave from a 

 Maltese ; but this accusation he stoutly denied, 

 giving, in proof of his innocence, that the man 

 bore on his shoulder a brand, or marh, by which he 

 could be easily known as belonging to him. (Vide 

 Manuscript Records of the Order.) 



The next letter in the following list to which I 

 would briefly call attention is that under date of 

 June 21st, 1675, in which His Majesty Charles II. 

 refers to a misunderstanding which had taken 

 place between his admiral, Sir John Narbrough, 

 and the Order of Malta. The nature of this 

 difficulty is well explained by giving a correct 

 copy of the admiral's letter to the Grand Master, 

 which I have taken from the original now on file 

 in the Record Office of this island. It reads as 

 follows : — 



To the most eminent Prince, the Lord Nicholas 

 Cotoner, Grand Master of the Order of Malta. 



Most eminent Sir, 



After the tender of my humble service, with my 

 hearty thanks for the manifold favours vouchsafed 

 unto my Master, the King of Great Britain, &c, 

 a,nd for your highness' extraordinary kindness 

 manifested to myself — and, most eminent sir, since 

 your favour of product, I have sent on shore one of 

 my captains to wait upon your highness with the 

 presentment of this my grateful letter, and withal 

 to certify to your eminence that I did, and do ex- 

 pect, a salute to be given by your highness to my 

 Master's flag which I carry, correspondent to the 

 salutes which you give to the flags of the King of 

 Spain and the King of France, which are carried 

 in the same place, it being the expectation of the 

 King my Master. 



Formerly your eminence was pleased to make 

 some scruple of my command as admiral, which I 

 humbly conceive your highness is fully satisfied in, 



since you received the last letter from the King of 

 Great Britain. 



Sir, I have, since my arrival at your eminence's 

 port, often employed the Consul Desclaous to 

 wait upon your highness concerning the salutes, but 

 have not received any satisfactory answer thereto, 

 which I now humbly desire may be returned unto 

 me by my officer; and withal, that your eminence 

 will be pleased to honour me with your commands 

 wherein I may serve you, which shall be most 

 cheerfully embraced, and readily performed by, 

 Most eminent Sir, 

 Your highness' most humble 



And faithful Servant, 

 John Nabbkough. 



On board His Majesty's Ship Henrietta, 

 Malta, October 17, 1675. 



That the complaints of Sir John !N"arbrough, 

 with reference to the Grand Master's refusal to 

 salute the English flag, were, in the end, satis- 

 factorily explained and removed, will be seen by 

 the following extracts taken from the Diary of 

 Henry Teonge, published in London in 1825. 

 The reverend writer was serving as chaplain on 

 board H. M. S. "Assistance" at the time 

 (1675-76) his notes were written. 



" August 1, 1675. — This morn ivee com near Malta; 

 before wee com to the cytty, a boate with the Malteese 

 flagg in it corns to us to know whence wee cam. Wee 

 told them from England; they asked if wee had a bill 

 of health for prattick, viz., entertaynment ; our captain 

 told them he had no bill but what was in his guns' mouths. 

 Wee cam on and anchored in the harbour betweene the 

 old towne and the new, about nine of the clock ; but 

 must waite the governour's leasure to have leave to com 

 on shoare, which was detarded because our captain would 

 not salute the cytty, except they would retaliate. At last 

 cam the Consul 1 with his attendants to our ship (but 

 would not com on board till our captain had been on 

 shoare) to tell us that we had leave to com on shoare 

 six, or eight, or ten, at a time, and might have 

 anything that was there to be had ; with a promise to 

 accept our salute kindly. Wherupon our captain tooke 

 a glasse of sack, and drank a health to King Charles, 

 and fyred seven gunns : the cytty gave us five againe, 

 which was more than they had don to all our men of 

 warr that cam thither before." 



" August 2. — This cytty is compassed almost cleane 

 round with the sea, which makes severall safe harbours 

 for hundreds of shipps. The people are generally ex- 

 treamly courteouse, but especially to the English. A 

 man cannot demonstrate all their excellency s and 

 ingenuitys. Let it suffice to say thus much of this 

 place : viz. Had a man no other business to invite 

 him, yet it were sufficiently worth a man's cost and 

 paines to make a voyage out of England on purpose 

 to see that noble cytty of Malta, and their works and 

 fortifications about it. Several of their knights and 

 cavaliers cam on board us, six at one time, men of 

 sufficient courage and friendly carriage, wishing us 



