Chap. III. Low-Countries, Germany^ 539 
are built, by Means of Bajlerdeaux, in the deepeft and 
moft rapid Rivers j nay, even in the Sea alfo, as at 
Fozzuolo and Dunkirk, befides feveral Moles. So that 
taking the Thing after this Manner, they could make 
fuch artificial Iflands where-ever they pleafed. 
We are not to give Credit to what is commonly faid 
of the Extent of Venice ; fome reckon it eight Miles in 
Circuit, and others allow but feven j as for me, I af- 
fure you, Venice is not either eight or feven Miles in 
Compafs, they reckon five Miles from MaSire to Venice, 
which Way we came in an Hour and an half with two 
Rowers, and we took a Turn about Venice in the fame 
Space of Time with two other Rowers, who made nei- 
ther more nor lefs Hafte than thofe of Me§fre. Judge 
then by this of the Circuit of that City *, confider too, 
that our Gondola was frequently obliged to deferibe a 
larger Compafs, to avoid the little Capes which the City 
makes in feveral Places •, and by Confcquence the Tine 
that it made, was much greater than the true Circuit of 
the City. Add to all this, that to mark the Circumfe- 
rence of a City, without confidering its Figure, is not 
a competent Way to determine the Largenefs of its Ex- 
tent. One might eafily demonftrate, without great 
Help of Mathematicks, that a City which is eight Miles 
in Compafs, for Example, may contain a lefs Number 
of Houfes, than a City which is only four Miles or lefs, 
if you pleafe. This depends upon the Regularity or Ir- 
regularity of the Figure. 
The Number of Inhabitants is another Thing which 
has often been determined, but feldom well examined. 
It is commonly reported at Venice, that there are two 
hundred thoufand Souls in the City, and fome have ad- 
vanced the Number to three hundred thoufand ; but 
we mull not rely upon thofe frivolous Opinions : When 
the Trade of Venice flourilhed, it is probable enough 
that the Number of its Inhabitants was much greater 
than it is at prefent, but if we may give Credit to the 
Report of a Perfon who hath been fettled here for a 
long Time, and afllires me that his Calculation is very 
exad:, Venice does not at prefent contain more than an 
hundred and thirty or forty thoufand Souls, comprehend- 
ing the He of Giudeca. Thofe who pleafe themfelves 
with reprefenting Venice as a very populous City, take 
great Care to put us in Mind, that it has neither Gardens, 
void Places, or Church-yards,- and that the Streets are 
very narrow. But when, on the other Hand, they 
would deferibe the Beauty of Venice, they magnify its 
Gardens, its Places or Squares, and the Breadth and 
Number of its Canals. I read the other Day, in a Ve- 
netian Author, that he counted in Venice fifty three pub- 
lick Places, and three hundred and thirty five Gardens. 
Thus you may fee how varioufly Things are r.eprefent- 
ed. But to fpeak freely, there is a Mixture of Truth 
and Fallhood on both Sides. I will not deny that there 
may be fifty three Spaces, great and fmall, to which 
this Author hath thought fit to give the Name of Places ; 
and the fame might be faid of his Gardens ; but if we 
take a particular View of thofe Places and Gardens, we 
muft conclude him to be too prodigal of fuch honour- 
able Titles. To fpeak properly, there is but one Place 
at Venice, the famous and magnificent Place of St. Mark, 
But let us allow him the Liberty of that Name to five 
or fix void Spaces more, which are n'either large nor 
beautiful j yet all this comes far fiiort of fifty three 
Places. There are alfo fome Gardens here, and 
particularly towards Santa Maria del* Orto, but if we 
fet afide fifteen or twenty, or Ihould even allow thirty 
or thirty five to be fo called, I can pofitively aver, that 
the three hundred which remain would not, one with 
another, be ten Foot fquare *, and are not thefe very 
noble Gardens ? Nor is the other Account exaifUy true, 
for befides the Gardens and void Spaces that are in Ve- 
nice, there are many Places very thinly inhabited. It is 
true indeed, there are no Church-yards. 
As for the Argument that is brought from the Nar- 
rownefs of the Streets, it is a Sophifm eafy to be clear- 
ed. The Streets are narrow, I confefs, and fo narrow, 
that the Juftling of Elbows, in the moft frequented of 
them, is very troublefome ; but then, fure, the Canals 
ought to be reckoned inftead of Streets ? If the Ca- 
nals were filled and paved, the Narrownefs of the 
Streets could not be alledged. I muft tell you, fince 
we are on this Subjedt, that all the City is fo divided 
with thefe Canals and Streets, that there are but few 
Houfes which you may not go to by Water as well as 
by Land, though every Canal is not bordered with a 
double Quay, as in Holland \ for the Conveniency of 
thofe who go on Foot, there are indeed fome of thofe, 
but very often the Canal takes all the Space from one 
Row of Buildings to another. The Streets are in the 
little Ifles th^t are borrowed from the Canals, and there 
are about four hundred and fifty Bridges difpers’d 
among thofe Canals, fo that there are few Parts of the 
City to which one may not go either with or without a 
Gondola. It is true, all thefe little Paflfages, and all 
the Turns that muft be made to find the Bridges, make 
Venice a true Labyrinth ; but the beft Way of giving 
you a true Idea of the Plan of Venice, is to fend you a 
Draught of it, which is the moft exadf of all thofe that 
have been feen by me. 
The firft Place we vifited was the Palace of St. Mark, 
the Glory of Venice ; the Church of St. Mark fronts one 
Endof it, and that of St. Geminian the other and betwixt 
both thefe Churches, the Procuraties, of Inns of Court 
and Offices of Lawyers, built very regularly of fine 
Marble, border both Sides of it with lofty Piazzas. 
This Place is two hundred and eighty Foot long, and one 
hundred and ten broad. As you are going from the 
Church of St. Geminian towards that of Sr. Mark, and 
inftead of entring there, to the right Hand you come 
into another Square two hundred and fifty Paces long, 
and eighty broad, called the Broglio, the Extremity of 
which reaches to the Sea-fide. The Doge*^ Palace takes 
up one Side of it, and the Procuraties are continued on 
the other. 
The Tower of St. Mark being near the Angle of the 
Square within, does in fome Meafure fpoil the Symme- 
try of the Place ; its Height is three hundred and fixty 
Foot, including the Angel that fervesfor aWeathercock, 
formerly it was finely gilt, and could be difeerned thirty 
Leagues at Sea, but the Gold being now worn off, it 
appears at no great Diftance. The Broglio is the Place 
where the Nobles walk, who fometimes take one, fome- 
times the other Side, according to the Conveniency of 
the Sun or Shade, and no body elfe is admitted to mix 
with them on that Side the Walk, but the other is free 
for every body ; they are fo nice in this Point, that 
when a young Nobleman comes to an Age that qualifies 
him for the Council, and to take the Robe, four Noble- 
men of his Friends introduce him the firft Day into the 
Broglio ; and if any Nobleman is excluded from the 
Council, he is no longer admitted into the Broglio. 
About the ninth Age, the Merchants of Venice tranf- 
ported the Body of St. Mark from Alexandria in Egypt 
to Venice *, and as Chrift is faid to have faluted this 
Evangelift in Prifon with thefe Words, Peace be unto 
thee Mark, my Evangelift fo the Body of this Saint 
was received With the fame Words by the Senate of 
Venice who order’d the fame to be written in the open 
Book held by the Lyon of St. Mark in the Arms of 
Venice, and the Church of St. Mark to be built to his 
Honour •, though at the fame Time they were fo carelefs 
in obferving his Shrine or Tomb, that now they can’t 
precifely tell where it is. I will not detain you with the 
Story of his Apparition, when he fhew’d his Arm to the 
I)oge, and beftow’d upon him the Golden Ring, which 
is carried with great Solemnity in Proedfion every Year 
on the 28th of June, becaufe it is fabulous. 
The Patriarchal Church, dedicated to St. Peter and 
Sc. Mark, is no more than the Doge*s Chapel, and the 
Primicerio or Dean of the Canons of St. Mark wears a 
Mitre and Rochet like a Bifhop, and has no Dependance 
on the Patriarch ; I faw him ofiiciate in great Pomp on 
Chrijimas-Day *, he muft be always a Noble Venetian^ 
and his annual Revenue may be about a thoufand Pounds 
Sterling, 
The Church of St. Mark is a fquare Struflure after 
the Greek Way, being a Crofs ftiortned, but not very 
lofty, and fomewhat dark ; its chief Ornaments confift 
in excellent Mofaick Work and Marble % the Roof has 
feveral 
