Nevves from Malta written by a gentleman of that iland, to a friend of his in Fraunce. Shewing the desperate assault and surprising of two castles of the Turkes, by the Italians forces, vpon the eight day of September last past. Translated according to the Italian copie.

¶ Simon confirmeth his assertion touching the desire to beare office to be good, by the Ettimologia ••n expo∣sition of the woord (Officium) Cap. 9. (Book 9)

NEighbour Pierce (quoth our Hoast) all these matters are easely deuided, vnto the which thus I answere. To the first which is their great desire to be in such Offices of receit, I say you mis-iudge of their desire because you doo not vnderstand the meaning of this woord Office and doo think him to be an Englishman wheras in very déed his Father is an Italian, whose proper significati∣on and meaning you doo not vnderstand, for in our English tung Office is no more to say nor nothing els but Seruice, so that whosoeuer desireth an Office hée desireth to doo ser∣uice or els a place wherin to doo seruice, now all men knowe that a priuate man is not able to compare with the Magis∣trate or Officer in abilitie and power. Therfore to desire an Office is to desire to be better abled, to expresse and de∣clare the hart••e good wil and affection which hée hath to bée seruiceable vnto God and his common welth, for that in pri∣uat estate his power answereth not vnto his good will therin, and therfore the better man the more desirous to be in Of∣fice and in the more Offices, for the greater is his power to shew his good affection towards God who is the Giuer of all these things.

¶ Neighbour Simon quoth Pierce, I connot tel what Cun¦trie mans Office is, neither doo I greatly force whether his Father be an Italian, Spaniard or Frenchman, but if he be the same in Latin that seruice is in English: I am suer that both in Lattin, French, Spanish and English hée stinketh when he is to fréely offered, and that (I am very sure) did Aesop mean in his Fable of the Sowe great with pig vnto whome (saith hée) there came a Fox who alleadging vnto her his great skil in the art of a Midwife profferd her his seruice toward her deliuerance, vnto whome she answered, that the greatest and best seruice that he could doo vnto her, was to kéep him far inough from her, which shée also praied him to doo, wher∣by you may gather what the Authors opinion was vpō this voluntary offer of seruice and yet hée dooth not alleadge that the Fox offered any money, I suppose because hée had no mo∣ney to offer. But Simon Magus offered money in y^e Acts of y^e

Apostles, and what the holy Ghost thought therof: ••ou may there vnderstand. Neighbour Pierce quoth our Hoas•• this is a colde reason and no Argument, to say that a mans earnest desire to haue an Office argueth his desire of priuat•• gaine & proffit, and so for his great desire to doo good: conde••me him of euil without proof therof. Neighboure Simon (quoth Pierce) I doo not so barely reason, neither so nakedly as you haue alleaged if you did mée right in repetition of m•• Argu∣ment, not intercepting the same nor seuering the pa••ces ther¦of as you haue doon, and so haue answered the first p••rt by it self which is the weakest and haue said nothing to th•• second part which is their great purchase and the strength & effect of the first, for my Argument taken wholy togithe•• is thus much to say, that their great desire to haue the Offices, and their great purchase of Landes and liuing following the same: sheweth that from the beginning there was m••nt nou∣ght els but priuate pouching, for euer the act that is last in exception: is the first in Imaginatiō in all mens dooings this is moste assured. Neighbour (quoth our Hoast) th••s Argu∣ment of yours which you holde so forcible is of no fo••ce at all whether the parties therof be considered ioyntly or s••uerally neither dooth this great desire to be in Office, neithe•• y^e great purchase ensuing the same in any wise disprooue my first A∣ssertion and maintenaunce of this great reuenues, fées and charges as you suppose, construing and taking m•• saying to néer vnto the letter. For wheras I haue alle••ged the Magistrates and Officers to be the Patrons and Fathers of the common welth, and these great reuenues a publi••ue trea∣sure in their hands to the vses and intents abooue r••hersed: yée alleadge against mée their great purchase of Lo••dships, Lands and Liuings as a repugnancie and disprais•• therof, which it is not but the greatest & strongest confirma••ion ther¦of that I my self haue alleaged, for although I ha••e made them receiuers: yet haue I not charged them méerly as Re∣ceiuers, but as baylifs & Gardens of trust whose authoritie extendeth to improoue for y^e benefit of their Cuntrie••. But a better Improouement can there not be made, the•• by al∣tring of money which is transitory: into land whi••h is per∣manent,

namely béeing deliuered vnto them at their yéers of discretion vpon the account of their said Balifs or gardēs. And euen as it fareth betwéen the Garden and his pupil, y^e Bailifs and him to whose vse he is put in trust. So fareth it betwéen these Magistrates and Officers and the common welth as touching these receits.

And therfore those purchases of lands and possessions the best and moste allowable discharge vpon their account that can possible be made vnto God, the greatest and highest aduaūce∣ment of his honour and glory, the greatest and moste assured comfort and stay of his godly people and seruants vnto whōe the payment of the money from hand to hand had been but a temporall and a short reléef, for euery man hath not the go∣uernment ne right vse therof, so slipper is it and fugitiue.

But these Lands in the hands of these Landlords are a stay perpetuall and permanent wherunto the godly and ho∣nest person t•• sure of preferment and that for reason for why the Owners are such in whome is no acceptaunce of Woor∣ship, Fréendship, or of the greater offer, neither of other thīg then vertue and godlines, and therfore their rent must néeds be easie, for who should rate it by out bidding when the vn∣godly is no chapman neither dare presēt him self in the place for the godly person dooth it, no not vnto the wicked, much lesse vnto his godly Brother or Neighbour. This is no small commendation of Vertue and godlines and no small encou∣ragement therto, namely where a man may make as suer & a more sure account of his Farme: then some other can make of their inheritaunce and patrimony. which thing although it séem straunge: yet is it commonly verified in the Farmers of such Landlords. For wée sée to often that diuers honest and godly Men leaue their Inheritaunce vnto vngodly and vn∣thriftie Children (who falling into the hands of th'executor) doo little while inioy the same. The cause wherof is for that they came to their lands before they came to their Wit, and béeing Owners wared therby proude and in flatte béeing vn∣der no mans check and disdaining al mens counsel and so for∣getting God and them selues fall to folly and then (as the Prophet Dauid saith) Their table is made a snare to take them

and the things which should haue been for their pro••fit, are vnto them an occasion of falling. So fearfull and daunge∣rous is the singuler and sole proprietie of great La••des and possessions, as that oftentimes it not only bereaueth the ow∣ners of their right wit and Iudgemēts: but also through their pride, vnthriftines and prodigallitie it hazardeth the sincere administration & execution of lawes and Iustice, p••ocuring partialitie and fauour to vngodlynes and dissolute liuing, whilste they (whose dutie were to rebuke such perso••s and to restraine their libertie) had rather enter into their ••arge re∣uenues and possessions and to take and vse the oppo••tunitie of their wickednes and retchlesnes as the méetest occasion héerto. But in these Farmers and in their posterit••e other∣wise it is and that for the reuerend and honourable regarde between them and their Landlords at whose hands ••nd du∣ring whose good wil and pleasure they holde their liuings and whose great liberalitie and benignitie chargeth th••m with no small expectation aswel of godly and honest con••ersation of life, as also of hospitalitie and charitable dealīg with their Bretheren and Neighbours béeing by their mea••es very wel enabled therunto. These things (I say) are l••oked for at their hands and that by them whose expectation they dare not nor cannot without great shame falsifie, whic•• godly∣nes, thriftines and liberallitie in them is of no small force to mooue others therunto, and so mutuall looue and charity che∣rished betwéen euery degrée, & where these things are, God hath promised to blesse that house, Town, Cittie or Cuntry.

It can hardly be spoken and much hardlyer wri••ten how greatly and how mightely this procureth and ad••aunceth Learning, Godlynes and Vertue, how much it fu••thereth the desire of contemplation and godly exercises of th•• minde, against which there is no Impediment nor hinde••aunce so great as either the destitution or want of a compete••t liuing and maintenaunce, or els the dayly feare to be supp••anted or disappointed therof, and consequently the thoughts and cares either to prouide for a competent liuing or els to maintaine and defend the same against the dayly Allarms and assaults of the Couetous and the vngodly against which the benigni∣tie

and goodnes of Owners and Landlords is the greatest yea the only protection. These are the effects and frutes of these purchases alleadged by you to be made by y^e gains, fées and reuenues aforesaid which doo far differ from the common purchasing of other priuate persons by whome (through your Ignoraunce or els of malice) you doo Iudge & measure these which are nothing like nor comparable, as the effects and frutes therof will euidently declare, namely in the purchase of the Merchant, the Chapman, the Grasier, the clothier and such other like Artificer what soeuer, at y^e hands of all which persōs no such thing is hoped or looked for. First for that they doo not sustaine any such charge of expectation, neither is any reason that they should, except a Shoomaker bying an Oxe hide for thrée shillings & foure pēce, might sel shooes for twen¦tie shillings a paire: for that would alter the case. Therfore as his calling is base and mean: so is his iudgement as tou∣ching Vertue and y^e Felicitie and end of mans life, which hée Iudgeth to consist in getting and hauing, for that hée sée'th men accounted and estéemed therafter, and other or farther Contemplation hath hée very little or none. So that in his Oppinion hée spéedeth his matters wunderfull wel if hée re∣turn his Chaffer to his gain, & the more and greater: so much the better, be it land or lease of Farme or house, if he can sel it again for duble or treble that it cost him or let it for thrée times the rent that hée payeth him self for it. All this hée ac∣counteth honest gain and very wisely handled, so that when he hath any thing to let or set, vp goeth the Drum & as wel∣come to him the Deuil of hel, yea Belzabub him selfe as the Godlyest person in England, yea as an Angell of heauen, for godlynes, vertue or honestie is the last question that hée wil aske, only Quid vultis mihi daré? Thus is the godly per∣son sure to be put back or els to take the thing to his vtter detriment, so that vpon the matter no question or difference whether of them spéed, for the euil man is made a great deale wursse, namely for that the greatnes of his rent stoppeth the mouth of him whose reduke hée should moste feare & whome hée would and should moste reuerence and regarde, and ther∣fore wil hée be as wicked and as vngratious and corrupt as

many others as hée can and dare for feare of the law••s. The godly person although he gladly would doo good: yet wanteth hée power therto being ouer set with the greatnes o•• his rēt, so that in conclusion whether the good or euil may spéed: they are forced to deale hardly with the world wherby a••iseth lit∣tle or no amitie, fréendship or charitable looue, amo••g men, but euen all for the peny as among méer Straunge••s nor a∣ny zeale vnto God nor to doo any good for his sake.

By all these arguments, it appéereth manifestly h••w much it were to be wished and desired at the hands of Almightie God that only or chéefly such were purchasers & La••d-lords whose very estates and callings and the manner of the get∣ting of their gaines wherwith they purchase doo cha••ge them with a reuerend and fatherly regarde in letting and setting the same to the honor and glory of God who hath so mightely blessed them, yea so far abooue all that they euer co••ld with out shame haue wished or desired, so heaping hot coales vpon their heads in their vnthankfulnes and dealing ot••erwise, which (as I haue alredy said) is not or at the least no•• so great¦ly to be hoped or looked for at their hands of bace an•• meane calling. And therfore Neighbour Pierce (quoth hée) admit∣ting and confessing the greatnes of their purchase: y••t can yée not conclude against mée the proper or priuate rece t or im∣ploying of Charges, fées and reuenues aforesaid ne ther wil I graunt it vnto you for the slaunderous and shame full con∣sequence which it inferreth necessarily as hath alr••ady béen duly prooued.