Notes: Italy

Most Serene and Excellent Sirs and Honorable Patrons,

By the orders of your most serene Excellencies it remains obligatory that the Jews who reside in this land must permanently wear a hat or cap of yellow color under penalty of a twenty lira fine for each transgression applied for a half to your Chamber, half to the Judge and for the same to your most serene Excellencies. And on the 3rd day of last October, they [Angelino and Lazaro] wrote to me telling me that they had no intention of observing that decree, and given what they had written to me, the trangressor being Lazaro Nantua a Jew residing here, I charged him with the full penalty of the law. Then, Angelo Nantua the brother of Lazaro, having also been a transgressor, my lieutenant charged him the twenty lira. Meanwhile he wanted to ignore the condemnation such as it was decreed, but it appeared from the appeal that this was not granted to them, except under the condition that they pay the stated fine.  And notwithstanding the said appeal, the above-mentioned Jews complained about both condemnations before your most serene Excellencies and through a petition that they sent to me to which I responded. But while I thought to start legal proceedings for the second charge, I was presented with a memorandum by the magnificent podestà of Costi who conceded to the above-mentioned Angelino, without having presented them with any legal proceedings, that I shouldn’t change anything. And although I wrote to them to revoke the said memorandum, it was on the condition that the case must be presented before your most serene Excellencies. However I received a response such that I am of the impression that I cannot make them observe the decrees and it seems that they want to make me act in one way or another. Under this pretext, the said Angelino, wore a hat made of taffeta of golden color, decorated with a black veil outside and lined with black taffeta on the inside, of such beauty that it was closer to a ceremonious style than to anything else. And especially since this color has been permitted to be worn for ten years, the above mentioned Jew Lazarino wears a hat of orange color, similar to the sample that I send you, lined in black, different from the yellow hat that he used to wear in the old days, garnished on the outside with a little black veil. I don’t know if it is of the mind of your most serene Excellencies that they should therefore be punished or how and if, for these reasons, they should be allowed the appeal. Therefore I have done everything to advise you and also to inform you that in Pallodio, they wear the black hat without being punished, it seems for ten years, much to the scandal of the people of the town as well as those of Gavi. Also the said the Jews claim they don’t have to obey [this law], and they let be understood, notwithstanding that they are under contract by your most serene Excellencies, and that they are only permitted to reside here, that they want to charge interest on the poor as if they had the right to practice usury, and therefore they hope to be dismissed of charges. In fact since they have been permitted to live around here I find that they have been lending money at interest and have made themselves be paid in this manner and about this I have already written to your most serene Excellencies. Based on your knowledge, give me orders and instruct me of your wishes, whether these Jews must observe the above mentioned things, or if I must dismiss the above mentioned 20 lira because they observed everything to the fullest and it was not decreed for another offense.

May our Lord find you prosperous and in happy state. Gavio, January 11, 1595

D. VV. SS. Ser.mw

Signature  Francesco Casamanari Podesta

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