6 14 Bijhop B u R N E T i- Travels Book II 
it with fo much Vigour, that though the Duke defired 
him to defift, fince the Neceffities of the War required 
a great Supply, yet he periifted j and though one of 
the Savi fet forth with Tears the Extremities to which 
the State was reduced, he fell upon a new Conceit that 
turned the whole Council. He faid, they were not 
fure, if five Perfons could be found, that would pur- 
chafe at fuch a Rate, and then it would be a vaft Dif- 
grace to expofe the Offer of Nobility firft to Sale •, and 
then to the Affront of finding no Buyers when it was 
offered t And by this Means he put by the Refolution 
for that Time. But then another Method was taken, 
that was more honourable, and of a more * extended 
Confequence. Lahia was the firft that prefented a Pe- 
tition to the Great Council, fetting forth his Merits, 
and defiring that he might be thought worthy to offer 
a hundred thoufand Ducats towards the Service of the 
State ; that is, to be made noble at that Price. Bel- 
jino faid, he thought every Man might be well judged 
worthy to offer fuch an Affiftance to the Publick, and 
that fuch as brought that Supply might expedl a fuit- 
able Acknowledgment from the Senate, who might 
afterwards, of their own Accord, beftow that Honour 
on thofe that expreffed fo much Zeal for the Publick ; 
and this would maintain that Degree, which wquld be 
debafed, if it were bought and fold. But it feems the 
Purchafers had no Mind to part with their Money, 
and to leave the Reward to Gratitude *, fo the Petition 
was granted in plain Terms, and the Nobility fo acqui- 
red was not only to defcend to the Children of him that 
was enobled, but to his Brothers, and the whole Family, 
to a certain Degree. 
After Lahia^ a great many more came with the like 
Petitions, and it was not unpleafant to fee, in what 
Terms fuch as came to buy this Honour, fet forth their 
own Merits ; which were, that they had furnifti’d the 
Republick with Things neceffary for its Prefervation. 
There was a Sort of a Triumvirate formed, of a Jezv, 
a Greeks and an Italian, who were Brokers, and found 
out Cuftomers, and at laft brought down the Price from 
a hundred to fixty thoufand Ducats ; and no Qualifica- 
tions were required, if they had Money enough. For 
when Correge faid to the Duke, that he was afraid to 
afk that Honour for Want of Merit ; the Duke afk*d 
him. If he had a hundred thoufand Ducats ? And when 
he anfwered, The Sum was ready, the Duke told him. 
That was a great Merit. At laft feventy eight purchafed 
this Honour, to the great Regret of Labia, who faid, 
that if he had imagined fo many would have followed 
him, he would have bid fo high, that it fhould have 
been out of their Power. It is true, many of the Pur- 
chafers were ancient Families f but others were not 
only Merchants, but of the loweft Sort of them ; who 
as they had enrich’d themfelves by Trade, then impo- 
verifti’d themfelves by the Acquifition of an Honour, 
that as it obliged them to give over, and put them in a 
higher Way of living, fo it hath not brought them yet 
any Advantage to balance that Lofs j for they are fo 
much defpifed, that they are generally excluded, when 
they contend with the ancient Nobility ; tho’ this is done 
with that Difcretion, that the old Families do not de- 
clare always againft the new : For that would throw the 
new into a Fadion againft them, which might be a Pre- 
judice to them i for the new are much more numerous 
than the old. Another great Prejudice by this great 
Promotion is, that the chief Families of the Citizens 
of Venice, who had been long pradifed in the Affairs 
of State, and out of whom the Envoys, the Secretaries 
of State, and the Chancellor, that is the Head of the 
Citizens, as well as the Duke is the Head of the 
Nobility, are to be chofen, having purchafed the chief 
Honour of the State, there is not now a fufficient Num- 
ber of capable Citizens left for ferving in thofe Em- 
ployments j but this Defed will be redrefs’d in Time. 
But if this Increafe of the Nobility hath leffen’d the 
Dignity of the ancient Families, there is a Regulation 
made in this Age, that preferves a confiderable Diftinc- 
tion of Authority in their Hands. Crimes againft the 
State, when committed by any of the Nobility, were 
always judged by the Inquifitors, and the Council of 
Ten \ all other- Crimes were judged by the Council of 
Forty j but in the Year 1624, one of the Nobles was 
accufed of Peculation committed in one of their Govern- 
ments, and the Avogadore, in the Pleading, as he fet 
forth his Crime, called him a Rogue and a Robber. Yet 
though his Crimes were manifeft, there being but fix 
and twenty Judges prefent, twelve only condemned 
him, and fourteen acquitted him. This gave great 
Offence j for though he was acquitted by his Judges, 
his Crimes were evident, fo his Fame could not be re- ~ 
ftored ; For the Dcpofitions of the Witneffes, and the 
Avogadore^^ ( or Attorney General’s) Charge were heard 
by the People : It was propofed to make a Difference 
between the Nobility and other Subjeds ; and fince all 
Tryals before the Forty were publick, and the Tryals 
before the Ten fecret, it feemed fit to remit the Nobili- 
ty to be try’d by the Ten. Some forefaw that this 
would tend to a Tyranny, and raife the Dignity of the 
ancient Families (of whom the Council of Ten is com- 
pofed) too high ; therefore they oppofed it upon this 
Ground, that fince the Council of Forty fent out many 
Orders to the Governors, it would leffen their Autho- 
rity, if they were not to be Judges of thofe who were 
to receive their Orders. But, to qualify this, a Provifo 
was made, that referved to the Council of Forty a 
Power to judge of the Obedience given to their Or- 
ders ; but other .Accufations of the Nobility were 
remitted to the Council of Ten ; and the Body of the 
Nobility were fo pleafed with this Diftindtion between 
them and other Subjects, that they did not fee this 
really enflaved them the more, and brought them under 
greater Danger ; fince thofe who judge in Secret give 
freer Scope to their Paffions, than thofe in Publick ; and 
who, in Effedt, are to be judged by the Publick, which is 
a very effedtual Reftraint upon Judges themfelves. But 
the Council of Ten being in the Hands of the Great 
Families, whereas all Sorts are of the Council of Forty, 
formerly the chief Judicatory of the State, and much 
ancienter than that of Ten ; It had been more wifely 
done, to have been ftill judged by the Forty : And if 
they thought it for their Honour to have a Difference 
made in judging the Nobility and other Subjedls, it 
had been more for their Security to have brought the 
Tryals of all other Offenders on with open Doors, and 
the Nobility, when they were judged, to have the 
Doors fhut, which is what they very much defire now, 
but without Hope of obtaining it : For this Power of 
judging the Nobility is confider’d as the Right of the 
Ten ; and if any Man would go about to change it 
the Inquifitors would be very quick with him, as a 
Mover of Sedition, and, in that Cafe, prove at once 
Judges and Parties. Yet the Inquifitors, being appre- 
henfive of the Diftafte that this might breed in the 
Body of the Nobility, have made a Sort of Regulation, 
though it amounts not to much ; which is, that the 
Nobility fhall be judged before the Council of Ten for 
enormous Crimes ; but that for other Matters, they 
are to be' judged by the Forty 1 yet the Council of 
Ten draws all Cafes before them, and none dare difpute 
with them. 
This leads me to fay a little to you of that Part of 
this Conftitution fo much cenfured by Strangers ; but is 
really both the greateft Glory, and chief Security of this 
Republick ; which is, the unlimited Power of the In- 
quifitors, that extends not only to the chief Nobility, 
but to the Duke himfelf, who is fo fubjecff to them, 
that they may not only give him Reprimands, but fearch 
his Papers, make his Procefs, and put him to Death, 
without being bound to give an Account of their Pro- 
ceedings. This is the. Dread not only of Subje6ls, but 
the whole Nobility, and makes the greateft among 
them tremble, obliging them thereby to an exafl Con- 
duft. For though it cannot be denied, that, upon 
fome Occafions, they may have been a little too fud- 
den, as in the known Story of Fofcarini ; yet fuch Se- 
verities have occurred lb feldom, that the Wifdom of 
this Body, in making and preferving fuch an Inftitution, 
cannot be enough admired. In Ihort, the Infolence, 
the Neceffities, and Ambition, that muft needs poffefs 
many Members of fo vaft a Body, as the Nobility of 
Venice, muft have thrown them often into many fatal 
ConvulfiOns, 
