Original: The oldest known document in Maltese is '' Il Cantilena '' ( Maltese : Xidew il-Qada ) a poem from the 15th century , written by Pietro Caxaro and the first known Maltese dictionary was written by the French Knight Francois de Vion Thezan Court in 1640 .
Simplified: History The oldest known document in Maltese is '' Il Cantilena , '' a poem from the 15th century written by Pietro Caxaro .