The collections of the Museum of the Order of St John include a little known, but internationally significant and fascinating collection of early printed books and bound manuscripts. Thanks to a donation from a generous Museum supporter, this collection is the subject of an ongoing cataloguing project.

The Project Librarian, who has been immersed in the surprising texts and rare publications for several months now, has selected some of her favourite items to showcase in this exhibition.

 

Full title: Varj componimenti in lode dell’eminentissimo, e reverendissimo Principe Antonio Manoel de Villena nella sua essaltazione alla dignità di Gran Maestro della Sacra Religione Gerosolimitana

This rare volume from the Museum’s Historic Library is one of the few surviving copies of the first and only edition of poetic praises presented to Portuguese nobleman Antonio Manoel Vilhena (1663-1736) on his election as Grand Master of the Order of St John of Jerusalem in 1722. Compiling laudatory poems in Italian, Latin, French and Greek, the work was edited by Ettore Marulli, a Knight of the Order of St John from Italy, and it was published in Naples in 1723, a year after Vilhena’s appointment as Grand Master of the Order.

Here is an example of a poem from the volume:

Translation in English:

“He was chosen among the most trusted soldiers with the noble white sign on their chest so that the rebellious and Proud Ottoman would bend his horns 

God the Lord chose you, o Manuel, Iberia adorns itself with prestige, in fact it returns to the old glory, when the enemies were the Goths

You were selected for sublime and memorable deeds, o Lusitan Champion, you will go triumphant to the Great Tomb

Throughout Asia and where the law of the haughty Macone rules, the name of Christ will resonate”

What makes the copy in the Museum Library unique is the fact that it was bound for and owned by the Grand Master Vilhena himself. As evidence to this, the binding of the book has Vilhena’s coat of arms gold-stamped on the beautiful red morocco covers.

After Vilhena’s death, the book had a rather interesting ownership history. According to a manuscript letter laid within, it was owned, in the 19^th century by Fra Calcedonio Tonna, Rector of the Liesse Church in Valletta and a member of the Order of St John on the island of Malta. In 1858, Fra Tonna presented the volume to Sir John Gaspard Le Marchant (1803-1874), a British Army officer who had recently been appointed Governor of Malta. Through this gift, Fra Tonna was expressing his gratitude and appreciation for the Governor’s decision to move the statue of António Manoel de Vilhena from Fort Manoel (on Manoel Island) to a more prominent public space, the centre of Queen’s Square in Valletta.

A translation in English of the letter accompanying the gift sent by Fra Calcedonio Tonna can be seen in the images below:

 

 

As can be observed in the second image, the letter is dated 12^th of October 1858 while Governor Le Marchant’s ownership inscription at the beginning of the volume bears the date of May 1858.

The discrepancy in dates, together with the note in the upper left corner of the letter indicating it is a translation, has led us to speculate that Governor Le Marchant probably received the book sometime before May 1848, and had the accompanying letter translated into English (from Maltese) several months after, in October 1858.

It is also possible that Sir John G. Le Marchant brought the volume with him to England when he retired, because, according to our records, the item was bequeathed to the Museum of the Order of St. John by Baron Harold Caccia (1905-1990), a British diplomat and Lord Prior of the Order of St John in England between 1969 and 1981.

Click here to return to the exhibition homepage and choose another book in our collection to learn about.