reason is the more strengthened when we see that not onely the Iewish Nation dwelling in Holland and Italy traficq with their owne stocke but also with the richesse of many others of their owne Nation friends kinds-men and acquaintance which not withstanding live in Spaine and send unto them their moneys and goods which they hold in their hands and content themselves with a very small portion of their estate to the end they may be secure and free from danger that might happen unto them in case they should fall under they yoke of the Inquisition whence not onely their goods but oftentimes also their lives are endangered IV. The love that men ordinarily beare to their owne Country and the desire they have to end their lives where they had their begining is the cause that most strangers having gotten richesse where they are in a forain land are commonly taken in a desire to returne to their natif soil and there peaceably to enjoy their estate so that as they were a help to the places where they lived and negotiated while they remained there so when they depart from thence they carry all away and spoile them of their wealth transporting all into their owne native Country But with the Jewes the case is farre different for where the Iewes are once kindly receaved they make a firm resolution never to depart from thence seeing they have no proper place of their owne and so they are alwayes with their goods in the Cities where they live a perpetuall benefit to all payments Which reasons do clearly proove that it being the property of Citizens in populous and rich countries to seeke their rest and ease with buying lands and faire póssession of which they live many of them hating commerce aspire to Titles and Dignities that of all strangers in whose hands ordinarily Trafique is found there are none so profitable and beneficiall to the place where they trade and live as is the Nation of the Iewes And seeing amongst the people of Europe the chiefest richesses they possesse come from Spaine those neighbour Nations where the Iewes shall finde liberty to live according to their owne Iudaïcall Lawes they shall most easily draw that benefit to themselves by meanes of the industry of our Nation and their mutuall correspondance From hence if it please your Highnes it results that the Jewish Nation though scattered through the whole World are not therefore a despisable people but as a Plant worthy to be planted in the whole world received into populous Cities who ought to plant them in those places which are most secure from danger being trees of most savory fruit and profit to be alwayes most favoured with Lawes and Priviledges or Prerogatives secured and defended by Armes An Exemple of this we have in our times His Majesty the Illustrious King of Danemarck invited them with speciall Priviledges into Geluckstadt the Duke of Savoy into Nisa of Provence and the Duke of Modina in Retio allowing them such conditions and benefices the like never were presented unto them by any other Prince as appeareth by the copy of those Priviledges which I have in my hands But supposing it would be a matter of too large extention if I should make a relation of all the places under whose Princes the Iewes live I will onely speaké briefly of the two Tribes Iudah and Benjamin These in India in Cochin have 4 Synagogues one part of these Iewes being there of a white colour and three of a tawny these being most favoured by the King In the yeare 1640. dyed Samuel Castoel Gouvernour of the City and Agent for the King and David Castoel his sonne succeeded in his place In Persia there is a great number of Iewes and they live indifferent freely there are also amongst them that are in favour and great respect by the King and who live there very bravely Some years past there was Elhazar Huza the Viceroy and now there is David Ian if yet he be living In the year 1636. the Saltan Amarat tooke in Bagdad and puting all to the sword he commanded that they should not touch the Iewes nor their houses and besides that he freed them from one half of the tribut they were wont to pay to the Persian But the chiefest place where the Iewes live is the Turkish Empire where some of them live in great estate even in the Court of the Grand Turke at Constantinople by reason there is no Viceroy or Gouvernour or Bassa which hath not a Iew to manage his affaires and to take care for his estate Hence it cometh that in short time they grow up to be Lords of great revenus and they most frequently bend the minds of Great-ones to most weighty affaires in gouvernment The greatest Viceroy of whole Europe is the Bassa of Egypt this Bassa always takes to him by ordre of the Kingdome a lew with the title of Zaraf-Bassa Thresurer viz. of all the Revenus of that gouvernment who receaves purses full of money seals them and then sends them to the King This man in a short time grows very rich for that by his hands as being next to the Bassa the 24 Gouvernments of that Empire are sould and given and all other bussinesses menaged At present he that possesseth this place is called Sr. Abraham Alhula The number of the Iews living in this Kingdome of the Great Turke is very great and amounts to many Millions In Constantinople alone there are 48 Synagogues and in Salaminque 36 and more then fourescore thousand soules in these two Cities alone The first King gave them great priviledges which they enjoy untill this day for besides the liberty they have every-where of trading with open shops of bearing any Office and possessing of any goods both mooveable and immooveable he yet graunted them power to judge all Civill causes according to their own Lawes amongst themselves Moreover they are exempted from going to Warres and that souldiers should be quartered in their houses and that Iustice should take no place upon the death of any one that left no heir to his Estate In all which they are preferred before the naturall Turkes themselves For which cause they pay in some Cities to the King three Patacons and in others two and a half by the pole In this estate some of the Iewes have growne to great fortunes as Joseph Nasino unto whom Amatus Lusitanus dedicated his fifth and sixth Centuriae was by Sultan Solime made Duke of Maccia Earle of Andro Seignor of Millo and the seaven Islands And Iacob Ben-Iaes by Sultan Amurat was made Gouvernour of the Tiberiades so likewise others were exalted to very great and eminent Dignities as was that Selomo Rofe that was sent for Ambassador at Venice where he confirmed the last Peace with Amurat. In Germany there lives also a great multitude of Iews especially at Prague Vienna and Franckfurt very much favoured by the most mild and most gracious Emperours but despised of the people
last of March they made an Edict in the same City in which they expressed That seeing the Iewes in their Countries drew many Christians to turne Iewes and especially some Noble-men of their Kingdome of Andaluzia that for this cause they banished them under most heavy penalties c. So that the cause of their banishment was not any disloyalty at all Now what amongst many others in all Christendom one famous Lawyer in Rome and Osorius an excellent and most eloquent Historian have thought I shall here relate In the year 1492 saith the Lawyer Ferdinand called the Catholick being King of Spaine drove out of his Country all the Iewes that were living there from the time of the Babylonian and Roman Captivity and were very rich in houses and goods and that upon pain if they went not away within the terme of 6 moneths that all their houses and goods should be confiscated unto the Exchequer which as we have said were very great Whereupon they leaving the Kingdome of Castile they went over many of them into Portugal as being the nearest place In the year 1497 there being an Alliance contracted between the Kings of Castile and Portugal the Iewes at the request of the said King Ferdinand were banished out of Portugal but it being against the will of Emauël King of Portugal to have them banished out of his Country he resolved to oblidge them to become Christians promising never to molest them neither in Criminall matters nor in the losse of their goods and exempted them from many burdens and Tributs of the Kingdome This Emanuël being dead Iohn III. succeeded in his place in the Kingdome of Portugal who being excited by others said That what his Father Emanuë had done concerning the not-troubling them was of no valew because they lived not as was convenient and that without the authority of the Pope of Rome his father could not graunt any such thing for which cause he would that for those that lived amish there should be proceeded against as against the Mores in Castile And sending to Rome to disanull the said promises it was not onely not graunted to him but moreover they reprooved his appearance there and praised and approoved the promises made by his Father Emanuël to the Iewes publishing a general pardon to all that were taken which were about 1500 and they all were set free Which Bull was granted by Clement VII by the intervention of all the Consistory of Cardinals Afterwards the said king Iohn sent once againe to desire the former Licence with so many replications and triplications that at length the Pope granted it But a few dayes after it was revoked againe with a generall Pardon to all that were taken which were 12000 with such a determination that the same Licence should never be granted as being against all right and reason This troubled Don Iohn the King very much and withall the Cardinal his brother who came in these last dayes to be King of Portugal himself Great Paul III. of the house of Farnesia succeeding to Clement the VII there was a request tendred to the Pope for power to bring in the Inquisition into this Kingdome The Pope would not grant it saying He could not and that it was a thing against reason and Iustice but on the contrary confirmed the promises made by the King Don Emanuël his Father and pardonned all the delinquents since the time of violence unto that day Don Iohn seeing this sent an Embassadour meerly for that busines to the Pope but could obtaine nothing at all for which cause King Iohn resolved to entreat the Emperour Charles the V. than passing for Rome as Conquerour over the Turks having wonn Tunis and Goleta that in this his Triumph he would take occasion to desire this favour from the Pope that the King of Portugal might set up the Inquisition in his Kingdome it being an old custome that those that triumphed should aske something of the Pope that they most desired The Emperour than having desired this the Pope answered him that he could not do it by reason of the agreement made and the promises of the King Don Emanuël which he had found by an Apostolicall Nuntio in Portugal in the year 1497 at which time the Iewes were forced and compelled to become Christians The Emperour replied Let that sinne fall on him and the Prince his sonne the Apostolicall seat shall be free from it So the Pope granted it because the Emperour Charles the V. was brother in law to King Don Iohn of Portugal and besides they treated at that time to enter further in affinity and to marry their children which since was effected After Paul the III. granted this there was a new Pardon given in generall to all that were taken unto that time amounting the Number unto 1800. But the King refusing to obey the Pardon and to free the Prisonners the Pope tooke it very ill and sent for this onely busines for his Nuntio one Monsegnor Monte Paliciano who since was Cardinal of the Church of Rome And the King for all this not obeying the Pope made the Nuntio to six the Pardon upon the doores of the Cathedral Churches and the Nuntio caused the Prisons to be opened and there were set free about 1800 prisonners He that sollicited this busines at Rome was one Seignor Duarte de Paz a Cavallier of the Order of St. Iohn whom to search out there were appointed at Rome ten men disguised these having found him gave him fifteen wounds and left him for dead thus wounded he was carried to the house of Seignor Philip Estrozi This being reported to the Pope Paul the III. he caused him to be carried to the Castle of S. Angelo where he gave order to have him nobly cured That same Seignor was by the Pope by all the Cardinals and the whole Court in great respect At the same time that this man was hurt the Emperour Charles the V. was at Rome with his Army On the time when he began to treat of this busines with Clement the VII seeing the Kings importunity he made a Bull and gave licence to all the Portugals of that Nation of the Iewes that they might go and live in the Church-Dominions and whosoever will come in the said Dominions that he shall have freedom to live as at the first in his Iewish profession and that at no time they should be enquired into but after the same manner as they were wont to live in Portugal so they should live there The said Bull passed all the Consistory and being confirmed and received by the said Portugals they began some of them to depart to live in Ancona being a sea-port more commodious then others which being known by the King and Cardinal of Portugal they caused to be proclaimed in all the Kingdome that upon paine of death and losse of all their goods no man should dare depart the Kingdome Clement being dead in his place succeeded as we have said Pope Paul
being a Nation not very finely garnished by reason of their vile cloathing yet notwithstanding there is not wanting amongst them persons of great quality The Emperour Matthias made Noble both Mardochai Mairel and Ferdinando Jacob Bar Seba. But yet a greater number of Iews are found in the Kingdome of Poland Prussia and Lethuania under which Monarchy they have the Iurisdiction to judge amongst themselves all causes both Criminal and Civil and also great and famous Academies of their owne The chief Cities where the Nation liveth are Lublin and Cracow where there is a Iew called Isaac Iecells who built a Synagogue which stood him in one hundred thousand Francs and is worth many tons of gold There is in this place such infinite number of Iewes that although the Cosaques in the late warres have killed of them above one hundred and fourescore thousand yet it is sustained that they are yet at this day as innumerable as those were that came out of Egypt In that Kingdome the whole Negotiation is in the hand of the Iews the rest of the Christians are either all Noble-men or Rustiques and kept as slaves In Italy they are generally protected by all the Princes their principall residence is in the most famous Citie of Venice so that in that same City alone they possesse about 1400 Houses and are used there with much courtoisy and clemency Many also live in Padoa and Verona others in Mantua and also many in Rome it self Finally they are scattered here and there in the chief places of Italy and do live there with many speciall priviledges In the Gouvernment of the great Duke of Tuscany they are by that Prince most graciously and bountifully dealt with having power from him graunted to have their Iudicatory by themselves and to judge in all matters both Civill and Criminall besides many other Priviledges whereof I my self have the Copies in hand The rich and illustrious families that flourished in these Countries are many viz. The Thoraces who being three Brethren shared betwixt them above 700 thousand Crownes In Ferrara were the Viles whose stock was above 200 thousand Crownes The Lord Ioseph de Fano Marquis de Villependi was a man much respected of all the Princes in Italy and was called by them The Peace-maker and appeaser of all troubles because he by his auctority and entremise was used to appease all troubles and strife rising amongst them Don Daniel Rodrigues because of his prudency and other good qualities was sent in the year 1589 from the most Excellent Senat of Venice into Dalmatia to appease those tumults and scandals given by the Usquoquibs in Clissa which he most manly effected and caused all the women and children that were kept cloose prisonners to be set at liberty brought also to an happy issue many other things of great moment for which he was sent Alphonso II. the Duke of Ferrara sent also for his Ambassador to the Imperiall Majesty one Abraham de Bondi to pay and discharge Investiture of the States of Modena and Reggio The Prince of Sasol and the Marquis of Scandia likewise had to their Factors men of our Nation In the King dome of Barbary there lives also a great number of Iewes who-ever cruelly and basely used by that Barbarous Nation except at Marrocco the Court and Kings house where they have their Naguid or Prince that gouverns them and is their Iudge and is called at this day Seignor Moseh Palache and before him was in the same Court that Noble family Ruthes that had power and Iurisdiction of all kinde of punishment onely life and death excepted In the Low-Countries also the Iewes are received with great Charity and Benevolency and especially in this most renowned City of Amsterdam where there are no lesse then 400 Families and how great a trading and Negotiation they draw to that City experience doth sufficiently witnesse They have there no lesse then three hundred houses of their own enjoy a good part of the West and East-Indian Compagnies and besides have yet to set forth their Traficq such a stock that for setting a side onely one duit of every pound flamish for all kind of commodities that enter and again as much for all what goes out of this towne and what besides we pay yearly of the rents we get from the East-Indian Compagnie to the reliefe and sustenance of the poore of our Synagogue that very money amounts ordinarily every year unto the summe very neare of 12000 Franks whereby you may easely conceive what a mighty stock it is they trade with and what a profit they needs must bring into this City In Hambourg likewise a most famous City of Holsace in Germany there lives also a hundred families protected by the Magistrat though molested by the people There resides Sr. Duarck Mines d'Acosta Resident for his Majesty the King of Portugal Gabriel Gomes Agent for his Majesty the King of Danemarck David de Lima a Ieweller for the same his Majesty and Emanuël Boccaro Rosales created by the Emperour a Noble-man and a Count Palatin In all these places the Iewes live in a manner all of them Merchants and that without any prejudice at all to the Natives For the Natives and those especially that are most rich they build themselves houses and Palaces buy Lands and firme goods aime at Titles and Dignities and so seeke their rest and contentement that way But as for the Iewes they aspire at nothing but to preferre themselves in their way of marchandize and so employing their Capitals they send forth the benefit of their labour amongst many and sundry of the Natives which they by the traficq of their Negotiation do enrich From whence it 's easy to judge of the profit that Princes and Common-wealths do reap by giving liberty of Religion to the Iewes and gathering them by some speciall priviledges into their Countries as Trees that bring forth such excellent fruits So that if one Prince ill advised driveth them out of his Land yet another invites them to his and shews them favour Wherein we may see the prophety of Iacob fulfilled in the letter The staffe to support him shall not depart from Iacob untill Messias shall come And this shall suffice concerning the Profit of the Iewish Nation How Faithfull The Nation of the Iewes are THe Fidelity of Vassals and Subjects is a thing that Princes much most esteem off for there-on both in Peace and Warre depends the preservation of their estates And as for this point in my opinion they owe much to the Nation of the Iewes by reason of the faithfulnesse and loyalty they show to all Potentates that receive and protect them in their Countries For setting aside the Histories of the Ptolomies Kings of Egypt who did not trust the Guard of their persons nor the keeping of their Forts nor the most important affaires of their Kingdom to any other Nation with greater satisfaction then to the Iewes the Wounds of Antipater shewed to Julius Caesar