CHARA 
and called her city céwilis prudentie 
officina. 
Another reafon may be found for 
the long-continued profpetity of 
- Venice, in her conftant adherence 
to a precept, the neglect of which 
-muft at length fhake, or rather 
oofen the foundations of every 
flate ; for it is a maxim here, hand- 
ed.down from. generation to gene- 
ration, that change breeds more 
mifchief from its novelty, than ad- 
vantage from its utility :—gquoting 
the axiom in Latin, it runs thus: 
 Tpfa mutatio confuetudinis magis per- 
turbat novitate, quam adjuvat util- 
tate. And when Henry the Fourth 
of France folicited the abrogation 
of one of the Senate’s decrees, her 
ambaflador replied, That 2 decreti 
di Venexia raffmigl avano poco i 
Gridi di Parigi*, meaning the de- 
' elaratory publications of the Grand 
Monarque, — proclaimed to - day, 
_ perhaps, repealed to-morrow—« for 
_ Sire,” added he, “ our fenate deli- 
 berates long before it decrees, but 
_ what is once decreed there is feldom 
_ or ever recalled.” 
cir EB Ripl a7 
1600, part with their rings, brace- 
lets, every ornament, to make ropes 
for thote fhips which’ defend their 
dearer country. 
Mott of the fecond rank, and I 
believe ai] of the firit rank among 
them, have fome fhare in govern- 
ing the reft; it is therefoie necef- 
fary to exclude ignorance, and na- 
tural to encourage focial pleafures. 
Each individual feels his own im- 
portance, and {corns to contribute 
to the degradation of the whole, 
by indulging a grofs depravity of 
manners, or at leaft of principles. 
Every perfon lifted one degree 
from the loweit, finds it his inte- 
reft as well as duty to love his 
country, and lend his little fup- 
port to the general fabric of a ftate 
‘they all know ! how: to reipeét; 
while the very vulgar willingly 
perform the condition exacted, and 
punually pay obedience for pro- 
tection. They have an unjimited 
confidence in their rulers, who live 
amongft them; and can defire only 
‘their utmoft good. How they are 
governed, comes feldom into their 
f 
heads to enquire; “ Che ne penfa 
li*,”’ fays alow Venetian, if you 
afk him, and humoroufly points at 
a Clariflimo paffing by while you 
talk. They have indeed al] the 
reafon to be certain, that where 
the power is divided among fuch 
numbers, one will be fure to coun- 
teraét another if mifchief towards 
‘the whole be intended. § 
R OM E. 
This is the firft ‘town in Italy I 
have arrived at yet, where the ladies 
fairly drive. up and down a long 
ftreet, by way of fhewing their 
drefs, equipages, cc. without even 
_ The patriotifm inherent in the 
, breafts of individuals makes another 
_ ftrong caufe of this ftate’s exemp- 
tion from decay: they fay them- 
- felves, that the foul of old Rome 
has tranfmigrated to Venice, and 
i that every galley which goes into 
_ aétion confiders ‘itfelf as charged 
” with the fate of the commonwealth. 
" Dilee et decorum eff pro patria mori, 
‘feems a fentence grown obfolete in 
+ other Italian ftates, but ts ftill in 
- fall force here; and I doubt pot 
- but the high-born and high-fouled 
ladies of this day, would willingly, 
"as did their generous anceftors in 
tre The decrees of Venice little re 
femble the edi?s of Paris. 
‘ 
a) 
* Let sim look to that. 
# pre- 
