Thus you see the Fidelity of the Iews to wards their Governours clearly proved. Now, that no man may think that their banishment out of Spaign & Portugal, proceeded from any suspition or faults of theirs, I shall clearly rehearse the reason of so sudden a determination, and what the thoughts of many Christian Princes have been there-upon. The business was thus: Ferdinand and Isabella, Governours of Castile, having gained the Kingdome of Granada, of which they took possession on the fifth of Ianuary, they resolved to thrust out all the Iews that lived in their Kingdomes, and so on the last of March, they made an Edict in the same City, in which they expressed: That seeing the Iews in their Countries drew many Christians to turn Iews, 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 Spain, drove out of his Country all the Iews 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 term of six 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 Jews at the request of the said King Ferdinand, were banished out of Portugal; but it being against the will of Emanuel, 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 Emanuel being dead, John III, succeeded in his place in the Kingdome of Portugal, who being excited by others, said, That what his Father Emanuel had done, concerning the not-troubling them, was of no valew, because they lived not as was convenient, & 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 amisse, they 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 Emanuel to the Jewes, publishing a generall pardon to all that were taken, which were about 1500, and they all were set free. Which Bull was graunted by Clement VII. by the intervention of all the Consistory of Cardinals. Afterwards the said king John sent once again to desire the former Licence with so many replications and triplications, that at length the Pope granted it: But a few daies after it was revoked again with a generall Pardon to all that were taken, which were 12000, with such a determination, that the same Licence should never be graunted, as being against all right and reason. This troubled Don John 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 rendred to the Pope for power to bring in the Inquisition into this Kingdome. The Pope would not graunt 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 Emanuel, his Father; and pardoned all the delinquents since the time of violence unto that day. Don Iohn seeing this, sent an Embassadour meerly for that businesse to the Pope, but could obtain nothing at all: for which cause King Iohn resolved to entreat the Emperour Charles the V. then 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 Emanuel; 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 replyed, Let that sinne fall on him, and the Prince his sonne, the Apostolicall seat shall be free from it. So the Pope graunted 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. graunted 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 businesse 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 fix the Pardon upon the doores of the Cathedrall Churches, and the Nuntio caused the Prisons to be opened, and there were set free about 1800 prisoners. He that sollicited this businesse 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 businesse with Clement the VII. seeing the Kings importunity, he made a Bull and gave licence to all the Portugals of that Nation of the Iews; that they might go and live in the Church-Dominions, & 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 the III. who confirmed the same Priviledges: Afterwards in the year 1550. Paul the III. died, and Julius the III. succeeded, who ratified the fore-mentioned Priviledges given by his Predecessours, and the whole Apostolike Seat inviolably. In those times there were many Doctors that wrote on this matter, amongst whom the chiefest were Alciat, and the Cardinal Parisius in 2 & 3 parte Consiliorum pro Christianis noviter conversis; shewing by reason and law, that considering they were forced and not converted willingly, that they had not fallen nor do fall under any Censure. These reasons being considered of by the Princes of Italy, they graunted likewise the same Priviledges: viz. Cosmo the Great, Duke of Florence, and Hercules, Duke of Ferrare, and within few years Emanuel Felibert, Duke of Savoye; and were by all his successours confirmed. In the year 1492, when they were banished from Castile, we read in the Chronicles of that Kingdome, that the Lords of that place did complain that their Cities and Towns were destroyed and dis-inhabitated; and had they believed any such thing, that they would have opposed the Kings decree, and would never have given their consent to it. That was the cause, that Don Emanuel of Portugal, seeing on the one side apparent dammage, should he let them depart his Kingdome; and on the otherside, not being able to break his promise made to the King of Castile, he caused them to be compelled to the Faith, upon paine of Death, that they should not depart out of his Dominions. The Catholiq King was blamed of all Christian Princes, and especially by the Senate of Venice, (as Marcus Antonius Sabellicus doth write) for having banished a Nation so profitable to the Publicq and Particular good, without any kind of pretence. And so the Parliament of Paris likewise did extreamly wonder at such a determination. And truely good reason there was to wonder; for we see since, what the Senat of Venice hath done, who never deliberats or puts into execution any thing, without great judgement: having the advantage of all Republicqs in their Government and leaving behind them the Romans, Carthagenians, Athenians, and most learned Lacedemonians, and that Parliament of Paris, which in the Government of affaires was alwayes most prudent. Most of those that were banished passed to the Levant, who were embraced by the Ottoman-family, all the succeeding Kings wondring at it, that the Spanjards, who make profession to be a politiq Nation, should drive out of their kingdomes such a people. Moreover Sultan Bajazet, and Sultan Soliman, received them exceeding well, the coming of the Iews to them being very acceptable: and so did likewise all their successours, considering of how great a profit and benefit their residing in their Dominions was. And in the year 1555. Paul the IV. being chosen Pope of Rome, who before was called Cardinal de Chiesi, an intimate to the Cardinal of Portugal, caused the Iewes to be held in Ancona, & other places of the Church, according to the Priviledges graunted to them by the Popes, his Predecessours in the name of the Apostolical Roman seat. Licurgus, Solon and Draco, and all Founders of Commonwealths, gave counsell that strangers ought to be loved and much made of, as in the Discourses of Se. in 7 de Legibus de Rep. is amply to be seen. And by the Divine Law (as Moses commanded us) we ought not to trouble a stranger, but he sayes, Remember you were strangers in the Land of Egypt.
In summe, to the same purpose might be brought many other and more powerfull reasons, but because they are out of our consideration, we passe them over. And here to declare some particulars, worthy to be known for advise and example, that befell our Nation in those bitter banishments; part whereof Hieronymus Osorius recites more at large, in the first of his elegant two Books de Rebus Emanuelis. The first title he giveth to those miserable successes, is this, which he puts for a Postil in the margent of his booke, Iudæorum Liberi pervim ad Christianismum pertracti: and than rehearses, how that in the year 1496 the King decreed, that all the Iewes and Mores, that dwelt in his Kingdome, and would not become Christians, should depart his Dominions in a short time; which being past, all that should be found in his Kingdome, should loose their liberty, and become slaves to the King. The time being now at hand (as Osorius proceeds) in which the Iewes, that would not turne Christians, were to depart the Kingdome, and all of them as many as they were, had with all their power provided, and taken a firme resolution to be gone: which the King seeing, and not able to endure it, thought upon a businesse (as he saith) facto quidem iniquam & injustam, which to do was really wicked and unjust, and that was to command that all the children of the Israelites, that were not above 14 years old, should be taken out of the power of their own Parents; & when they had them, they should force them to become Christians; a new thing that could not be done without a wonderfull alteration of their minds: for it was (as Osorius speaks) a horrid and miserable spectacle, to see the tender Infants wrestled out of the arms and brests of their lamenting mothers, to dragge along their poore fathers that held them fast, and to give them many wounds and blows to draw them out of their handes; to hear their cryes that ascend to heaven, their groanes, lamentations, and complaints every-where, so that this cruelty was the cause, that many of those distressed Fathers threw their children into wells, and others killed themselves with their own hands, that they might not see so bitter a thing with their eyes. The cruelty of Emanuel ended not here, but going on with compulsion and revilings, gave cause to his owne Chronographer to make the second title or postil, with these words; Vis & Dolus Iudæisillata: That is, The force and deceit used towards the Iewes. And so he goes on, declaring how he had promised in the condition they had made, that he would assigne them three Ports in his Kingdome to embarque at, viz. Lisbon, Setuval, and Puerto: and neverthelesse he forbad them afterwards to embarque themselves in any place but Lisbon: for which cause all the Iewes of the Kingdome came to that City, from whence besides a thousand molestations and extortions, he drove them (as Vasquo saith) as sheep in the stalls, and there forced their afflicted bodies to counterfeit, that which their soules and thoughts never meant nor approoved of. Works, of which his own Chronologer saith, Fuit hoc quidem neque ex Lege, neque ex religione factum. That is, This was done neither according to Law, nor Religion. Let men of clear mind, and free from passion consider for Gods sake, if such violences can work any good impression or character in men: or what Law, either Humain or Divine, National or Modern, can bear, that the souls of men (which the Most High hath created free) be forced to believe what they believe not, and to love what they hate? This cruelty was reproved and censure of many Princes of the world and learned men. And his own Chronologer reprehends it with a new postil, and speaks freely; Regis in Iudæos facinorum reprehensio. That is, A censure of the Kings wickednesse against the Iews. Truely with just reason doth Osorius call the works, which the King did unto us, Iniquities and injustices, deceitfull violences, and wicked attempts: and so goes on, reproving them with most elegant Reasons.
Further what happened to the Iews under other Princes in other Kingdomes and Countries, is notorious and enough known to all the world, and therefore not necessary here to relate. So farre concerning their Bannishment.
Now, I will not conceale to say, but that alwayes there have bene found some calumniators, that endeavouring to make the Nation infamous, laid upon them three most false reports, as if they were dangerous to the Goods, the Lives, and withall to the very Souls of the Natives. They urge against them their usuries, the slaying of infants to celebrate their Passe-over, and the inducing Christians to become Iews. To all which I shall answer briefly.
1. As for usury, such dealing is not the essential property of the Iews, for though in Germany there be some indeed that practise usury; yet the most part of them that live in Turky, Italy, Holland and Hamburg, being come out of Spaigne, they hold it infamous to use it; and so with a very small profit of 4. or 5. per Cent, as Christians themselves do, they put their money ordinarily in Banco: for to lay out their money without any profit, was commanded only toward their brethren of the same Nation of the Iews; but not to any other Nation. And however by this Charity is not hurt: for it stands in good reason, that every one should gain and get some advantage with his money, to sustaine his own life: and when any one to supply his own wants, doth take some course of Marchandise, by which he hopes to gaine by other mens moneys taken up on trust, ’tis no inhumanity to reckon and take from him use: For as no man is bound to give his goods to an other; so is he not bound to let it out, but for his own occasions and profit, and not to leave himself destitute of the profit he could make of the monyes. Onely this must be done with moderation, that the usury be not biting and exorbitant, which the Christians themselves use, amongst themselves; as even in the Mounts of Piety at Padua, Vicenza and Verona is to be seen, where they take 6 per Cent, and elsewhere yet much more. This in no manner can be called Robbery, but is with consent and will of the Contracter; and the same Sacred Scripture, which allows usury with him that is not of the same Religion, forbids absolutely the robbing of all men, whatsoever Religion they be of. In our Law it is a greater sinne to rob or defraud a stranger, than if I did it to one of my own profession: because a Jew is bound to shew his charity to all men: for he hath a precept, not to abhorre an Idumean, nor an Egyptian; and that he shall love and protect a stranger that comes to live in his land. If notwithstanding there be some that do contrary to this, they do it not as Iewes simply, but as wicked Iewes, as amongst all nations there are found generally some Usurers.
2. As for killing of the young children of Christians; it is an infallible truth what is reported of the Negros of Guinea and Brazil, that if they see any miserable man that hath escaped from the danger of the sea, or hath fallen or suffered any kind of ill-fortune, or Shipwrake, they persecute and vex him so much the more, saying, God curse thee. And wee that live not amongst the Blacke-moors and wild-men, but amongst the white and civilized people of the world, yet wee find this an ordinary course, that men are very prone to hate and despise him that hath ill fortune; and on the other side, to make much of those whom fortune doth favour. Hereof the Christians themselves have good experience; for during the times of their suppression and persecution under the Roman Empire, they were falsely slandred of divers Emperours and tyrannicall Princes. Nero accused them, that they had set Rome on fire; Others, that they were Witches and Conjurers; and others againe that they slew their children to celebrate their Ceremonies, as wee find in divers Authors. Even so likewise it is with the Jewish Nation, that now is dispersed and afflicted, though they have moneys: There is no slander nor calumny that is not cast upon them, even the very same ancient scandall that was cast of old upon the innocent Christians, is now laid upon the Jews. Whereas the whole world may easely perceive, it is but a meer slander, seeing it is known that at this day, out of Jerusalem, no sacrifice nor blood is in any use by them, even that blood which is found in an Egg is forbidden them, how much more mans blood? Moreover I could produce divers memorable examples which out in our own times in Araguza to a Jew: how he was accused of this same wickedness, and not confessing it, how they imprisoned him betwixt to walls, and being in that distresse, how he cited before God all the Judges to answer there for what they did; and how within a year after, many of the Iudges died, and those that lived, fearing the like might befall them, and loose their lives, set him free: But I must not be too prolix; it may suffice to say, that by the Pope himself it was defined in full Counsell the accusation to be false; and so likewise judged all the Princes of Italy; as also Alphonso the Wise, King of Spain, and that it was onely a meer invention to drink the blood, and to swallow up the goods of the harmlesse Iews.
3. As for the third Point, I say, that although Ferdinand & Isabell, giving colour to so indiscreet a determination, said, that they induced the Nobles to become Iews, yet truely this cannot be said, but by some false informations. For if so be, amongst those difficulties and impossibilities, it may happen, that some of the Sect of the Papists, of a better mind, embrace the Iewish Religion; it cannot therefore be presumed, that they were induced thereunto by the Iews; seeing the Iews do not entice any man to professe their Law: But if any man of his own free-will come to them, they by their rites & Ceremonies are obliged to make proof of them, whether they come for any temporall interest, and to persuade them to look well to themselves what they do: that the Law unto which they are to submit themselves, is of many precepts; and doth oblige the transgressor to many sore punishments. And so we follow the example of Nahomi, cited in the Sacred Scripture, who did not persuade Ruth to go along with her; but said first to her: Orpa thy sister returned to her Nation and her Gods; go thou and follow her. But Ruth continuing constant, then at length she received her.
Besides this, the Iews indeed have reason to take care for their own preservation; and therefore will not go about by such wayes to make themselves odious to Princes and Common-wealths, under whose Dominions they live.
Now, because I beleive, that with a good conscience I have discharged our Nation of the Iews of those three slanders or calumnies, as elsewhere I have more at large written about it; I conceive I may from those two qualities, of Profitablenesse and Fidelity conclude, that such a Nation ought to be well entertained, and also beloved and protected generally of all. The more, considering they are called in the Sacred Scriptures, the Sons of God; and ’tis said by all the Prophets, that they who shall wrong them, shall be most severely punished; and that he that toucheth them, toucheth the apple of Gods eye. And at least, it was alwayes the opinion of Augustine, as he made it appear in his works Libr. de Doctrina Christiana cap. 28. where he saith, Quod omnes homines æque diligendi sunt. That all men are equally to be beloved.