ISTRUZIONI sopra gli obblighi piu principali de' caualieri di Malta. Opera d'uno di essi della. lingua di Francia (ed. by F.A.Pouget) tradotta del Francese. With a dedication to Emanuel Pinto da Fonseca by G.B. Alessandri.

Title with woodcut coat of arms, 1 full-page engraving with coat of arms of the Order, head- and endpieces and initials in woodcut. (6) ff., IX pp., 1 leaf, 149 pp., (1) p. 4to. Contemporary vellum. Malta, Niccolo Capaci for nel Palazzo, e Stamperia di S.A.S, 1758. First edition in Italian. A French version of instructions on the main duties of the Knights of Malta appeared already in 1713. Manuel Pinto da Fonseca (1661-1773) was the 68th Grand Master of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem from 1741 until his death. In 1764 he negotiated with King Frederich II (the Great) of Prussia a re-unification of the Protestant Bailiwick of Brandenburg. But as Pope Clement XIII would not allow admission into a Roman Catholic organization of men viewed as heretics by the Church, the agreement came to naught. Pinto undertook many buildings projects, introducing the Baroque style throughout Malta. This is one of the earliest books printed by N. Capaci at his new press, the Sicilian typographer began to work in June 1756 at the Palace of the Grand Master, the dedicatee of the present work, Emmanuele Pinto.- A nice and rare copy. - Not in British Library; cf. Hellwald, p. 231; cf. Cavagna, Anna. La tipographica professione di Niccolo Capaci. Milan, 2005. ORDER OF ST. JOHN ; ORDER OF MALTA ;