THE GARDENS OF VENICE 
by the death of two of her noblest sons. 1 “ Poor 
Navagero,” wrote Bembo, “ was a most rare being, who 
could not fail to do honour to his country. If he had 
been an ignorant fool, he would have lived.” 2 
Another distinguished friend of Navagero and 
Bembo, who owned a villa at Murano, was IYifone 
Gabriele, whom Ariosto calls the “ new Socrates.” So 
great was his reputation for learning that at the 
prayer of Cardinal Pole and Bembo, the Pope released 
him from a rash vow made in early youth to take 
priest’s orders, and abandon the study of pagan 
literature. Trifone would never accept any office or 
preferment from the State, and when he was offered 
the Patriarchate of Venice, replied in the following 
words: 
“ Siano degli altre le mitre e le corone, 
Rura mihi et rigus placeant in vellibus anmes.” 
He loved the woods and waters of his villa in the 
green Euganean hills, and planted pergolas of rose and 
honeysuckle, vines and jessamine in his garden at 
Murano. Here, in the happy days before Messer 
Andrea was sent abroad, he and T rifone studied the 
MS. of Bembo’s Prose , and revised the text of the classics 
which they edited for Aldus. Like Navagero, Trifone 
shared his good things freely with poorer scholars, and 
threw open his gardens to the members of the Aldine 
1 Sadoleto, Epist. Jam., 106. 2 Lett ere, v. 65. 
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