essays on de soldanis

ESSAYS ON DE SOLDANIS
general use. It was in their interest to be able to understand
Maltese rather than run the risk of being deceived by the
lower classes. Speaking through an interpreter was neither
satisfactory nor convenient. And as for foreigners married
to a Maltese, it was ridiculous to find children speaking
their mother tongue which the husband, being a foreigner,
could not understand. 64
There were Knights holding high office who had, in fact,
mastered the Maltese language and could speak it like a
native. They considered themselves lucky that they could
understand and speak Maltese because they could thus
carry out their duties better and derive greater satisfaction
from their work. Among these he mentioned the following:
Balì Fra Antonio Escudero Gran Prior di Navarra, Balì Fra D.
Francesco de Sousa, Balì Fra Giacomo Francesco di Chambray,
Commendatore Fra Bernardino de Marbeuf, Luogotenente del
Gran Tesoriere e Capitano della Valletta, the Knight Fra Paolo
Antonio di Viguier Capitano Comandante delle Guardie di S. A.
Ema., Fra Luigi Liberale Geoufre, Priore del Sacro Spedale di
Malta, Monsignor Fra Melchior Alpheran Priore della Maggior
Chiesa Conventuale di San Giovanni, il Cavalier Remiking,
the Knight Fra Allessandro le Matayer de la Maye Capitano
di una nave della Religione, Fra D. Pietro Zarzana, the Knight
Fra Francesco di Croze Lincel Comandante de’ Sciabecchi,
Commendatore Fra Lorenzo Ildaris, the Knight Fra D.
Saverio Doz Prodomo della Prigione o sia Bagno de’ Schiavi, the
Knight Milianchi, Sanese, the Knight Bonelli, Napoletano,
the Knight Fra D. Luigi Portoghese, the Knight De Almeida,
the Knight D. Ferdinando Melo, and several others. 65
The Gozitan canon was particularly forceful in stressing
the importance of Maltese for those aspiring to the
priesthood, as well as for those already ordained. Here he
64 Ibid., Lezione XVII, § VII, ff. 102v-105r.
65 De Soldanis, Della Lingua Punica, 62-63; also NLM Libr. 144, ff. 102v-105r.
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