66q Mr. R A "i 
and among the reft the Bucentaure, in which the Duke 
of Venice every Year efpoufes the Sea at three Miles 
diftance from the City, by calling into it a Ring, with 
thefe Words, / efpoufe thee in Token of perpetual Domi- 
nion. In this Arfenal are maintained at the Charge of 
the Publick, 1550 Workmen of all Sorts, fuch as Ship- 
wrights, Carpenters, Smiths, 
This City, according to its Epithet, Venice the Rich, 
once furpafled in Wealth all the Cities oi Europe, till the 
Paffage to the Eafi Indies by the Cape of Good Hope was 
difcovered, at which Time they were not the foie Ma- 
fters of the Eaji India Trade only, but were alfo in 
PoflelTion of all Lombardy and Friuli, of Ifiria and Dah 
matia, on the Continent, befides the Iftes of Cyprus and 
Candia, Zant, Cephalonia, Corfu, and feveral other Hies 
in the Archipe\ago : But fince the Lofs of that Trade, 
and their heavy Wars with Turks, (in which they 
loft Cyprus and Candia) their publick Treafure has been 
much exhaufted, yet the Inhabitants, who have never 
been fubjedl to any Ravages or Change of Government, 
are very rich, and the Government remains Hill in Pof- 
feftion of the following Dominions, viz. i. the Dogado, 
in which is the City of Venice. 2. The City and Terri- 
tories of Padua. 3. Oi Vicenza, 0‘s Verona. 5. Of 
Brefcia. 6. Of Bergamo. 7. Of Crema. 8. Marca 
Trevifana, under which are comprehended the Territo- 
ries and Cities of Peltre and Belluno. 9. Friuli. lo. 
JJiria. ii. The Territory of Rovigo, formerly be- 
longing to the Duke of Ferrara -, the whole extending 
^250 Miles in Length, and 125 in Breadth. Out of 
Italy they are poflelfed of Part of Dalmatia, the Elands 
of Zant, Cephalonia, and Corfu, belide others of lefs 
Note. We were credibly informed, that the ordinary 
annual Revenue of the whole Republick amounted to 
5,320,000 Venetian Ducats, one of their Ducats being 
fomewhat lefs than a French Crown : Of which Venice 
produces 1,400,000 yearly, Brefcia 1,000,000, Bergamo 
140.000, Padua 140,000, Vicenza 200,000, Verona 
230.000, Bergamo 140,000, Crema 100,000, Rovigo 
70.000, Iftria 150,000, II Friuli 100,000, La Marca 
Trevifana 190,000, Gli fiati di 450,000, La Zecca 
1 50.000, 
Venice abounds in Provifions of all Sorts, efpecially 
Fifh and Water-fowl, and excepting frefh Water, which 
muft be brought from the Land, and their rain Water 
they preferve in Cifterns. The Air of Venice is very 
lharp in Winter by its Vicinity to the Alps. This City 
is famous for the beft Treacle, for Paper, Turpentine, 
Needle-work Laces, Soap, and above all, for the beft 
Drinking and Looking-glaffes ; thefe are made at Mu- 
rano, a Town of three Miles in Circuit, in an Ele about 
a Mile diftant from Venice. 
Women of any Fafhion are kept in great Reftraint 
here, feldom appearing abroad, except it be at Church, 
when they are fure to have an old Woman for their 
Guardian. Their Daughters are put at feven or eight 
Years of Age into fome Nunnery, where they are edu- 
cated, and feldom ftir from thence till they are married. 
3. The Government is Ariftocratical in refpedl to the 
whole, the common People having not the leaft Share 
in the Government, but in reference to the Nobility 
may be called Democratical, every one pretending to his 
Share in it, the Doge or Duke being no more than an 
empty Title, without any princely Authority. The 
whole Adminiftration of the Government is in the Great 
Council, the Senate, or Council of Pregadi, the Col- 
lege, the Council of Ten, and the Signoria ; befides fe- 
veral other Magiftrates for the Adminiftration of Juf- 
tice ; all which, together with their Method of chufing 
by Lot, and other Ways of tranfading publick Affairs, 
are particularly deferibed by Contarini, Giarotti, and San- 
fovimis. The Procurators of St. Mark, though not to 
be number'd among thofe who have the Adminiftration 
of the Republick, yet are in great Reputation in this 
City, this Dignity continuing for Life, and fince its 
firft Eftablifhment, there having been but few Dukes 
who were not firft Procurators of St. Mark. In ancient 
Times there was but one Procurator of St. Mark, whofe 
Buftnefs was to provide for the Church of St. Mark, and 
the Treafure belonging to it, which encreafing by De- 
’j Travels Book II. 
grees, one more was added, and A.D. 1270, a third 
and not long after a fourth, till their Number was in- 
creafed to fix, and afterwards in 1423 to nine, and in 
1509 to fifteen. 
4. Here we faw, firft, the little Diaholus in Carcere, as 
fome call it, being no more than an Icuncula, or Giafs 
Bubble, put into a Cylindrical Giafs Tube full of Wa- 
ter, the Bubble having, in the heavier End of it, a lit- 
tle Hole of fuch a Poife,* as juft to keep it fmimmino' 
upon the Water *, the Giafs- tube being ftoptat one End^ 
they clap their Hand to the Mouth of the Tube, and 
fo preffing down the Air upon the Superficies of tho 
Water, the fame preffes upon the Air in the Bubble 
which giving Way, makes Room for the Water to enter 
through the Hole in the Bubble, which becoming hea- 
vier, finks to the Bottom, but upon the Removal of the 
Hand, the Air in the Bubble, by its elaftick Power ex- 
panding itfelf, forces out the Water, and afeends again ; 
lo, that in proportioning the Force, they can make it 
defeend or afeend, as much or as little as they pleafe. 
For the further Elucidation of which, I refer to Dr. 
Cornelius of Naples.. Progymnafmata Phyfica, in his Epiftle 
de Circumpulfione Platonica. Among" other Curiofities 
we faw here a Boy, who by bending his Head betwixt 
his Legs to the Ground, charged his Belly with Wind:, 
and afterwards difeharged it at Pleafure.. A certain 
noble Venetian alfo fhewed us a fulminating Powder, not 
much inferior to the Aurum fulminans, of which he gave 
us the following Receipt. R. Salt of Tartar one Party 
of common Brimjlone two Parts, and Saltpetre three PartSy. 
beat them fine and 7ni:n them well : This Powder put into 
an iron Veffel or Pan, and held over the Fire, as foon as 
it melts, will explode with almoft as much Noife as the 
fulminating Powder of Gold. 
The fame Gentleman introduced us to a Place where 
we faw the whole Procefs of making Venice Soap, which 
is accounted as good as Caftile Soap. The whole Com- 
pofition is made of Oil of Olives, and a certain Lye ; 
the laft they make thus : Take of the Allies of the Herb 
Kali, known in England by the Name of Beriglia, two 
thirds ; of Kelp, i. e. the Afhes of the ordinary Sea- 
wpek, one third j thefe beaten with a Mallet into fmall 
Pieces, and well mingled, are ground to a Powder in a 
Mill, not unlike our Cyder Mills, and being fifred af- 
terwards, they mix fome flacked Lime with the Powder, 
and make it up into Pellets, which they put into Troughs* 
and pounding Sea-water upon it, (frefh Water would do 
as well) makes the Lixivium or Lye, The Cauldrons 
wherein they boil their Soap are very large, the Bottoms 
of C'opper, but the Side made of Stone, bound about 
with iron Hoops, and enclofed in a wooden Cafe. One 
third Part of thofe Cauldrons they fill with Oil, and the 
remaining Part with the Lye, then putting Fire under 
it, let it boil continually till the Oil be all boiled away, 
ftill filling up the Defedl of the Lye as it boils away ; 
by which Means Part of the Oil, uniting itfelf with the 
Salt of the Lee, rifes up to the Top in Form of a Scum, 
which condenfing by the Coolnefs of the Air, produces 
that which we call Soap. The Trial they make of the 
Strength of the Lixivium is, when an Egg will fwim 
in it. The Cruft or Soap they take from the Surface 
of the Liquor, they fpread upon a Floor, whereon Lime 
Dull is ftrewed (to hinder the Soap from flicking to it) 
then fmooth it, and let it dry in a Bed of about the 
Thicknefs of a good Brick. This, when dry'd, they 
cut in leffer Pieces, and having cleanfed them by pa- 
ring the adhering Impurities, feal them with a Seal. 
N. B, That Beriglia alone would make the Soap too 
foft, as the Kelp alone would render it too brittle. The 
green Colour (of which the Germans are very fond) is 
given by putting a certain Quantity of Juice of Beet 
into the Cauldron, with the Oil and Lye. 
5. Padua, watered by the two Rivers Brenta and 
Bacchilio, is of great Antiquity, and if we credit Livy, 
who was born here, owes its Foundation to Antenor, 
after the Deftrudlion of Troy, which is alfo confirmed, 
not only by Virgil, but alfo by Martial, when he. ad- 
drefles himfelf to Valerius Flaccus, a Poet, and Native 
of Padua, in thefe Words, Antenorei fpes kA alumne laris. 
Notwithftanding which, fome will have the City of 
Altinum 
