Chap. III. Low-Co UNTRIED 
here you fee the Pidures of all their Dukes, the Hiftory 
of the taking oi Conjiantinople in 1192, but was loft again 
within fixty Years after j among the relt they ihew 
you the Hiftory of Pope Alexander and Frederick Barba- 
rojfa, with the Pope’s Foot on the Emperor’s Neck, ot 
rather his Shoulder, as it is exprelfed here. If you re- 
member the Story of the Rebellion of Bajampnta againft 
the Senate, in 1210, I muft tell you, that this was the 
Occafion of the little Arfenal kept in this Palace, from 
whence there is a Palfage to the Hall of the Great Coun- 
cil where the Nobility afiemblci that in Cafe fuch ano- 
ther Defign fhould break out whilft they are aflembled 
in Council, they might readily be fupplied with Arms 
from thence for their Defence. It was upon the fame 
Score that they built the little Judgment-Seat called the 
Loggietta^ at the Foot of St. Mark's Tower, in Sight of 
the Palace and the Grand Council Chamber 5 Here are 
always fome Procurators of St. Mark upon the Watch 
whilft the Great Council meet and deliberate of Matters 
of State, for the Security of the Republick. 
This Arfenal is provided with a good Number of 
Fufils and Mufquets ready charg’d, befides many other 
Arms. Here they have an Engine that will light five 
hundred Matches at once : They preferve here alfo fome 
very curious Arms of an ancient Make, and among the 
reft, the Sword, of the famous Scanderheg. Here alfo 
they ftiew you the Bull of Francis Carrara^ the laft Lord 
of Padua, who for his Cruelties was ftrangled, with four 
of his Children, by the Command of the Senate Venice, 
in 1405. I obferved likewife a little Trunk with fix 
little Guns, which the fame Carrara fent for a Prefent to 
a Lady, and was fo contrived by certain Springs, that 
upon opening of the Trunk the Guns all fired at once, 
and killed the Lady. They alfo fhew’d us fome little 
Pocket Crofs-bows and Arrows of Steel of this Tyrant, 
with which his Cuftom was to kill fuch as paffed by, with- 
out knowing from whence they received their Wounds i 
and various whimfical Sorts of Locks and Bolts he ufed 
to keep his Concubines confin’d. Here I alfo faw the 
two little Statues of Adam and Eve, which Albert Durer 
made in Prifon with the Point of his Penknife only, and 
which purchafed him his Liberty. We muft not forget 
the antick Mouths under the inner Portico of this Pa- 
lace, and in divers Places of the Galleries, into the 
Throat of which any body may call a Note, to give 
Advice or Notice of any Thing he is able to the Inqui- 
fitors, v;ho have the Keys of thefe Boxes, and fome- 
times reward thofe who make what they call the Secret 
Accufation, who, to difcover themfelves, tear a Piece 
off the Billet, and by joining it again are known. 
The Library is kept in the Procuraties oppofite to 
the Palace, on the other Side of the Broglio ; it is none 
of the moft numerous, rare, and belt condition’d, and 
has but few Manufcripts, which are, for the moft Part, 
Greek j though they alfo Ihew you a Treatife, entituled, 
JDe Confideratione Dei, attributed to St. AuTtin j but to 
make Amends, it has many excellent Pidtures, done 
by Fitian and other great Mafters, and feveral exquifite 
Greek Statues, as that of Ganymede, a Venus, an Apollq, 
and two Gladiators. It is the Opinion of fome, that 
Venice has as many rare Pictures as Rome ; I will not 
pretend to determine that Matter, but only tell you, 
that the three moft celebrated Pieces we could fee, either 
in the Churches or in any other publick Place, are the 
Wedding of Canah by Paul Veronefe, in the Refedory 
of St. George Major \ the Prefentation of the Virgin in 
the School of Charity ; and St. Peter Martyr, in St. 
John and St. Paul's, both by Fitian, Venice is the pro- 
pereft Place in Europe for young Painters to improve 
themfelves, for in both the Academies they have the 
Opportunity of viewing naked Perfons of both Sexes, 
in what Pofture they pleafe. 
In Anfwer to your Queftion concerning the Flux and 
Reflux, I can only tell you, that the Sea flows fix 
Hours, and ebbs as many *, it is later every Day about 
three Quarters of an Hour, as it is generally upon the 
Coafts. The Tide commonly rifes at Venice four Foot, 
or four and a half, fometimes more, fometimes lefs. 
The Shore beyond Venice is extremely pleafant, the long 
and narrow Ifies enclofing this City from North to 
Y 0 In II. Numb, 10^, 
I, G E R M A Y, ^C. -|4f 
South, in the Form of a Semicircle. The main Sea 
affords fome Shell-fifli, and abundance of Oyfters, but 
they are neither fo favoury nor fo wholfome as ours. 
The Venetians boaft much of their Policy and Liberty 
for the Proof of the firft they generally alledge, that 
they have maintain’d themfelves for thirteen hundred 
Years. This Reafon might perhaps ftand,» if they could 
boaft to have maintain’d the fame Form of Govern- 
ment 5 whereas it is beyond all Contradidion,- that the 
Government of Venice has often chang’d its Gonftitu- 
tion, fince their Dukes were heretofore as abfolute as 
Cafarwd.s 2.1 Rome not long before his Death. Ano- 
ther Confideration is, that the Republick of Venice hz- 
ing confin’d to fuch narrow Bounds, in Comparifon 
of the more powerful States of Europe, and furrounded 
by Neighbours lefs potent than itfelf, it feems not 
to require fuch profound Maxims of Policy to maintain 
itfelfj by living quietly and peaceably with the reft j 
and notwithftanding all this, the Senate of Venice have, 
with all their Policy, not been able to prevent the De- 
clenfion of their State at divers Times. As for their 
liberty, of which they fo loudly talk, it amounts chiefly 
to this 5 that provided they don’t intermeddle with States 
Affairs, and commit no enormous Crime, that muft of 
Neceflity, or by its Notoriety, fall under the Cenfure of 
Juftice, every body is at Liberty to live as he pleafes : 
Hence it is that the Greeks^ Armenians^ and Jews, are 
allowed the publick Exercife of their Religions *, and 
all the other Seds are tolerated, or at leaft connived at, 
provided they manage with a little Diferetion : It is 
true, the worfhipping of Images and Relicks, and fuch- 
like Superftitions, abound as much among the common 
People of Venice, as in othe? Places, but the better Sore 
fet no great Value upon them. They are now as jealous 
of the Liberty of the Venetian Church, as the French were of 
the Gallican ; and it is for this Reafon they keep the Je- 
fuits fo much in Awe ; they allow none in their Convents 
but their own Subieds, and will not admit any Superior, 
except a Native of the City. They do not hefitateto per** 
mit thefe Fathers to wear Masks during the Carnival, toi 
entertain their Concubines, to fing on the Stages, and 
what elfc they think fit, provided only they keep their 
Fingers out of publick Affairs. 
Concerning the Faith of the Greeks here, 1 can’t but 
be of Opinion, that they differ in many Points from the 
Greek Churches of the Eaji, though they exclaim hea- 
vily againft the Ufurpation of the Church of Rome $ 
they declare for Tranfubftantiation ; they make ufe of 
common Bread, mingle Water with Wine, and com- 
municate under both Kinds. In their Churches they 
have two Altars, one called the Altar of Preparation^ 
the other of Confecration \ the firft they make ufe of to 
cut the Bread with a Knife fliap’d like the Iron Point 
of a Launce, where they alfo mix the Water and 
Wine, and the Prieft takes it with a Sponge out of the 
Veffel in which it was firft mix’d, and afterwards 
fqueezes it into the Chalice. They embrace one ano- 
ther before they have communicated, and the Commu- 
nicants receive the Bread fteep’d in the Wine, the Prieft 
putting it with a Spoon into their Mouths : Of all this 
I was an Eye-witnefs. The Archbiflaop officiated in a 
Mitre not unlike an Imperial Crown, and all his Orna- 
ments were exceeding magnificent, and were changed 
feveral Times, according to the different Parts of the 
Service. They abound in myfterious Ceremonies 5 
whenever the Bifhop bleffes the People, he has in his 
Right-hand a threc-branch’d Candleftick, with as many 
lighted Tapers ; this, they fay, is an Emblem of the 
Trinity, as the Candleftick with two Branches he holds 
in his Left, is of the two Natures of Jefus Chriji. They 
divide their Churches into four feveral Parts ; the Altars 
ftand at one End, which they call holy, none but the 
Prieft who officiates, and his Attendants, are admitted 
there 1 the next to that is appointed for the other Ser- 
vice I the third is where the Men are feparated from 
the Women by little Balifters 5 the Women fitting be- 
hind Lettices at the other End of the Church, or in 
the Galleries. They perform their Divine Service in 
the vulgar Greek, and highly condemn the Ufe of an 
unknown Language in the Church, They worfhip 
6 Y ftandinga 
