VENICE. 



were difpoflefled of all tlicir towns and places in the king- 

 dom of Naples, the ccclefiaftical ftate, and the Milanefe. 

 They received another fevere blow from the Turks, who 

 drove them out of the ifland of Cyprus. In the lytli cen- 

 tury a (harp conteft arofe between the ftate, the clergy, and 

 the pope, in which, however, they had the advantage. 

 They were alfo long engaged in troublefome wars with the 

 Turks, lofing Candia, and gaining part of Dalmatia, and 

 all Morea; but the greater part of thefe have been loft in 

 fucceeding wars. Thus the republic of Venice continued 

 upwards of 1300 years, amidft many foreign wars and in- 

 teftine commotions. Its grandeur was chiefly owing to 

 trade and liberty ; and fince the decline of the former, its 

 ftrength and confeqiience muft have fuffered a confiderable 

 diminution. The power was lodged in the hands of the no- 

 bility, faid to be near 2000, including thofe whom pubhc 

 employments in the provinces obliged to refide out of Venice. 

 On the birth of a nobleman's fon, his name was entered in 

 the golden book, otherwife he forfeited his nobility. Every 

 noble was, indeed, a member of the fenate ; and on this ac- 

 count it was a received maxim, that they all were equal m 

 dignity. But the difference, notwithftanding, between the 

 intereft and authority of families, was very confiderable. 

 To the firft clafs belonged the ancient houfes, whofe ancef- 

 tors chofe the firft duke, and who, from thence, were called 

 " Le Cafe Eletterali:" and on them, preferably to others, 

 were conferred the higher offices. Next follow eight houfes, 

 almoft as ancient. The fecond clafs had its origin from the 

 Serrardel Configlio ; duke Grandonigo having palTed a law 

 that the council (hould perpetually confift of the families 

 \yhich then compofed it, and fome others which he ennobled. 

 This produced a fecond clafs of nobihty, who, accordingly, 

 were then regiftered in the golden book. It confifted of 

 upwards of eighty families, and fome of great wealth and 

 reputation. With thefe were alfo included families raifed to 

 nobility after the Genoefe war, on account of their large 

 contributions towards carrying it on with vigour. The 

 third and laft clafs was compofed of the Cittadini, or citi- 

 zens, whofe nobihty was purchafed for 100,000 Venetian 

 ducats, a refource of the republic for raifing money in ne- 

 ceffitous times. Crowned heads, German and other princes, 

 have not thought it any degradation to be made nobles of 

 Venice. The habit of the nobility, whilft at Venice, was 

 a black furred govi'n, reaching to their heels, with a belt 

 about three inches broad, and plated with lilver. Inftead of 

 hats they had long caps. The head of the repubUc was the 

 doge, or duke, who, on the demife of the former, was 

 chofen in a peculiar manner, by forty-one nobles, felefted 

 for this piirpofe by a procefs which it is needlefs to defcribe. 

 Thefe forty-one eleftors were confirmed by the grand coun- 

 cil ; and, being fhut up in a chamber of the ducal palace, 

 there remained till they had chofen a new doge. To the 

 due and legal election of a doge, it was required, that out 

 of the forty-one he fliould have twenty-nine votes. His 

 eleftion was followed by a kind of coronation ; the ducal 

 cap being placed with great ceremony on his head. This 

 vpas performed at his public entrance into St. Mark's 

 church. His yearly income was 12,000 Venetian ducats. 

 He was fubjeCl to a variety of reftriftions ; and he was under 

 the infpeftion and controul of the council of ten, who kept 

 a watchful eye over his whole adminiftration, and, at any 

 time, could come and fearch his moft private apartments. 

 In general, his authority, effentially confidered, was no 

 greater than that of a private perfdn, unlefs he could in- 

 fluence the whole council. On his death a formal inquiry 

 was made, whether he had abufed his power ; whether, from 

 a care of his own concerns, he neglefted thofe of the pub- 



lic ; whether he lived agreeably to his dignity, &c. If 

 found guilty of any thing alleged to his charge, his heirs 

 were fined in proportion to the nature of the crime. On 

 Afcenfion-day, the doge, or, in cafe of illncfs, the vice-doge, 

 performed the annual frivolous ceremony of marrying the 

 Adriatic fea. ( See Doge. ) In the grand council, all nobles 

 of the age of twenty-five years might take their place, 

 though fome younger found means to obtain admittance. 

 The fenate, or pregadi, were a committee of the grand 

 council, by whom they were alfo chofen. This fenate had 

 the management of the moft fecret and important ftate 

 aff^airs, as the making alliances and peace, declaring war, 

 fending ambaffadors, coining money, filling up offices, im- 

 pofing taxes, &c. Next was the collegium, in which all 

 public inftruments direfted to the ftate and doge were read, 

 audiences given to foreign minifters, and other matters of im- 

 portance tranfatted. The procurators of St. Mark had not 

 only the infpeftion of the church of St. Mark, its library, 

 and the records of the republic, but hkewifc managed all 

 aff^airs relating to the poor, together with wills, guardian- 

 fiiips, redemption of Chriftian flaves, and bringing over-rigid 

 creditors to a reafonable compofition. Their number never 

 exceeded nine : their office was of great authority, and 

 during life ; and out of them the doge was generally chofen. 

 Titular or extraordinary procurators of St. Mark were more 

 numerous ; the republic gladly felling thefe titles in a pub- 

 lic Icarcity of money. II configlio di dieci was a high penal 

 court, which confifted of ten counfellors, the doge, who 

 was prefidcnt, and his fix configlieri. The eftablidied religion 

 was the Roman Catholic ; but Greeks, Armenians, and 

 Jews, were allowed the pubhc exercife of their worftiip, and 

 Proteftants, obfcrving privacy; remained unmolefted. The 

 patriarch of Venice, the chief ecclefiaftic of the republic, 

 was chofen by the fenate ; and though confirmed by the pope, 

 muft, in all other refpedls, be independent of the papal 

 chair. The territories of the republic were under governors 

 chofen out of the nobihty, changed at the expiration of a 

 certain term of years. The annual revenue of the republic 

 was computed at 8,200,000 ducats, and was under the direc- 

 tion of three governatori dell' Entrate. In war-time, both 

 the nobles and the other fubjefts, even the doge, contributed, 

 proportionably to their incomes, towards defraying the pub- 

 lic expences. The ftates of Italy fiibjcft to the Venetians 

 were the Dogado, the Paduan, the Polefine di Rovigo, the 

 Veronefe, the Vicentin, the Breftan, the Berganiaico, the 

 Cremafco, the Trevigiano, the Feltrin, the Bellunefe, the 

 Cadorin, great part of Friuli and Iftria ; to thefe may be 

 added a part of Dalmatia, the idands of Corfu, Zante, Ce- 

 phalonia, and fome others. The number oi inhabitants in 

 the city of Venice was eftimated at 160,000, and, of the 

 whole ftate, at 2,500,000. In the year 1797, in confe- 

 quence of fome partialities which the Venetians ftiewed to 

 Auftria, the French attacked and made themfelves mailers 

 of the city. By the peace of Luneville, Venice with its 

 dominions was given to Auftria ; but by the peace of Pref- 

 burg transferred to the new kingdom of Italy. In Decem- 

 ber 1807, prince Eugene Napoleon was created prince oi 

 Venice by the emperor Napoleon. 



Venice has always been renowned for its cultivation of 

 the fine arts, and for giving birth to great profeffors, parti- 

 cularly in painting, architecture, and mufic. At the head 

 of the firit, Titian, Paul Veronefe, and Tintoret ; of the 

 fecond, PalI.=dio and Scamozzi ; and of the third, Zarlino, 

 Lotti, Marcello, and Galuppi ; names that can never be 

 heard without plcafure by the votaries of thofe arts. Print- 

 ing, too, has been carried on at Venice with great fpint 

 ever fince the year 1459, when it was eftablilhed there by 



Nicholas 



