Retrofpedt of French Literature.—Bicgraphy. 621 
But as Bembo was very fevere in the 
adminiftration of juftice, and as his cha- 
ratier, together with the aufterity f his 
menners, formed a ftriking contraft with 
the general manners of the age, he made 
bur few friends among the Patricians. 
Accordingly ic was nat until the year 
1525 ‘hat he obrained the government of 
the iflands of Sciata and Scypelo, in the 
Archipelago, which, on account of their 
little importance, was ufualiy conferred 
on the lower order of nobility. Bembo 
defcribes it as ** Sentina honorum majoris 
concili.” He however did not keep this 
preterment long ; for having quarrelled 
with his chancellor, and punifhed him with 
an extra idinary degree of rigour, this cir- 
cumftance attracted the hatred of his fel- 
low-citizens, in confequence of which he 
was removed. From 1536 until his death, 
which appears to have occurred in 1545, 
we have no turther documents telative to 
the life of this celebrated traveller, except 
fome particulars refpeéting the death of 
his wife, who appears to have enjoyed a 
large portiomof his affections, and to have 
been greatly lamented by him. Thit 
his mind was cultivated, and that he was 
a correct obferver of mankind, appears 
pretty evident ; but, on the other hand, 
there was 2 certain harfhnefs in his temper 
which barred the road to honour and to 
fortune. I: muft not be forgotten, how- 
ever, that this harfhnefs, as it was termed, 
might arife out of an auftere probity, 
which would not permit him to capitulate 
with his confcience. 
In 1780.a manyfcript in 4to., written 
by him, was difcovered at Bologna, of 
which the following is the title :—** In- 7 
{criptiones antiqua ex variis locis fumpize 
a Joanne Bembo Veneto, Vici Birii Divi 
Canciari, qui eas hoc in libro feribebat an- 
no orbis redempti M D.XXXVI.”> The 
in{criptions fill 148 leaves, among which 
are eleven in Greek profe. ; 
3. PELLEGRINO BROCARDI. 
All that we know of this traveller is, 
that in 1557 he vifited Lower Egypt, in 
the character of an enlightened obdjerver. 
While there, he {ketched antiquities, which 
he trainfmitted to Venice, accompanied 
with Italian defcriptions, addreffed to a 
friend, whom he charaéterized by the 
name of Antonio. A copy of the whole 
is depofited in the library of St. Mare; 
and the Abbé Morelli has added curious 
and interefting notes to the printed works 
publifhed by him. 
4. AMBROGIO BEMBO. 
The travels of this noble Venetian 
would be almoft entirely unknown to us, 
were it not that he has taken care to con- 
fign a hiftory of them to pofterity inama-~ 
nufcript journey intitled, ‘* Viaggio e 
Giornale per parte dell” Afia di quatroam- 
no in circa, fattodame Ambrofio Bembo, 
nobile Veneto.”” There are but: two co- 
pies in exiftence: that from which the 
Abbé Morell: has publithed the traé be- 
fore us is enriched with notes by the au- 
thor, and ornamented with the defigns of 
Grelot, reprefenting the views of Citiesy 
edifices, coftumes, &c. 
Ambrogio Bembo appears to have gone 
abroad at a very early period of his life, 
for he commenced his travels at the age of 
nineteen, after having made two cam- 
paigns during the war of Candia. As he 
was not permitted at fo early a period to 
afpire to any place worthy of his rank, he 
accompanied his uncle Marco Bembo, 
who had been nominated conful from the 
republic of Venice to Aleppo. After re- 
fiding there until the conclufion of the. 
year 1672, he learned by means of a bil- 
Jet, attached to one of thofe pigeons call- 
ed meffengers, of the arrival of an Englith 
veflel at Alexandretta, on board of which 
he foon after embarked, with a Portu- 
gueze Francifcan monk, called Giovanni 
di Seabra della Trinita, who had been 
nominated provincial of Goa. Having 
accompanied him to the Eaft Indies, he 
refided a confiderable time at Goa, where 
he made inquiriés relative to the religion 
the manners, and cuftoms, of the natives, 
as well as concerning the various products 
_ of the foil. 
After a refidence of twelve months he 
determined toreturn to Aleppo, through 
Perfia, and having entered that kingdom 
in June 1674, he {pent four months in vi- 
fiting it. The ruins of Perfepolis were 
the firft objects that attracted his curiofity. 
They are known by the name of Tzilmi- 
nara, or Cheilminar, and are commonly 
termed Tchche!-minar, which fignifies the 
forty columns. Thefe are vulgarly fup- 
pofed to be the ruins of the palace of Da- 
rius, and an ample defcription of them is 
here prefented to the reader. It is accom. 
panied in the manufcript with three draw- 
ings ; the firft exbibits a view of the an- 
tiquities of Cheilminar; a fecond repre- 
fents one of the tombs, which pafs under 
the name of Darius, and of which Chardin © 
has mace mention ; the third contains a 
Jac-fimile of the infcriptions. 
After vifiting the antiquities of Nak {ehi- 
Ruftan, of which a fucciné dcfcription is 
here prefented, he repaired to Iipahan, a 
city which he appears to have examined 
with an extraordinary degree of attention: 
No 
