622 
no fewer than ten drawings accompany 
the notice he has Jeft concerning it. While 
there, he became acquainted with Char- 
din, the celebrated traveller, and ledged 
along with him among the barefooted Car- 
melites: he however removed from their 
habitation, and lived with Grelot, who 
had been treated by that author with much 
harfhnefs. 5 
«“‘ This perfon having communicated 
his extreme defire to withdraw himfelf 
from fuch an infupportable yoke, in order 
to return to his native country, A. Bembo 
eagerly feized the opportunity of attaching 
to his perfon a young man whofe talents 
in-the art of defign were foeminent. Char- 
din, on being informed: of this, was very 
much vexed, and avenged himfelf in a 
manner that conferred but little honour on 
himfelf. He accordingly refufed to pay 
Grelot his appointments during the latt 
twenty months he had been in his fervice, 
under pretence that he was: not to fettle 
with him until their return to France, ard 
that it was expre({sly flipulated in the agree- 
ment, that, if he left him anterior to that 
peried, he was to forfeit all claims whatfo- 
foever. Thus Grelot, who had enriched 
the Travels of Chardin with detigns which 
conftitute one of its principal ornaments, 
received no other recompence than what 
arofe from the reflection of ferving a mo- 
rofe and jealous patron. 
“On the other hand, in his curious 
ard valuable Account of Conftantinople, 
he difplays his gratitude and fenfibility to 
his new patron; for, while mentioning 
tlie-uncle and the nephew (Marco and’ 
Ambrogio), he exprefles himfelf concern- 
ing them as follows : 
«© The former of thefe two noble Ve- 
netians, fays he, acted as General of the 
Republic, in the expedition againft the 
Turks, which terminated in their defeat 
at.the Dardanelles, in. 1656. The latter 
is a young nobleman, his nephew, who 
haying’ perceived, when he hed attained 
the age of eighteen, that, according to the 
laws of his native country, he could not 
afpire to any great employment in time. of 
peace, generoufly forfook the pleafures of 
Venice for the exprefs purpofe of {pending 
five or fix years in the Eaft. He accord- 
ingly cheerfully underwent all the fatigues 
of fuch a voyage, forthe exprefs purpofe 
ef returving to hisinative country at an 
age competent for thofe offices beftowed 
by the republic, and in order that the fe- 
nate might beftcw, as it bas fince done, 
fome fituation proportionate to his merit. 
I had the goed tortune to become ac- 
¥ 
Retrofped of French Literature.— Biography. 
qvainted with him at Ifpahan, on his 
arrival from the Indies, and returned in 
his company to Europe.” 
In the courfe of the journey here alluded 
to, Grelot made fketches of every objec 
which excited the attention of Ambrogio 
Bembo, and, among others, copied the 
figures of a bas-relief, in one of the moun. 
tains of Curdiftans called Befutun, or Bi- 
funtun. They then vifited another, a 
defcription of which is accompanied in 
the original manufcript with fix defigns, 
not to be found in any other traveller. 
After leaving Perfia, Bembo, with his 
companion, traverfed the deferts of Ara- 
bia, and arrived fafe at Aleppo, where 
his uncle expected him with impatience. 
Having ftaid there but a fhort time, he 
fet out on his return, and landed at Ve- 
nice, on the 15th of April, 1675. 
‘s Having thus revilited his native coun. 
try, mature in experience rather than in 
‘years, Ambrogio Bembo was foon deftined 
to occupy feveral important places, for 
which he had been previoufly adapted 
both by his ftudies and his acquiitions. 
In 1683 he was nominated commandant 
of the Adriatic gulf, on which occafion 
he always employed two veflels of war to 
cruife again the Barbary pirates. He 
alfo affifted at the attack of Caftelnuovo, 
in Dalmatia; and two years after (in 
3685) he commanded a convoy of thir- 
teen fail, that repaired to Santo: Mauro 
(the ancient Leucadia), with a view of 
affiting in the conqueft of the Morea. 
He died in 1705, in the 53d year of- his 
age, honoured until the very laft moment 
of his life with the efteem of his fellow. 
citizens.”” 
5. GIANANTONIO SODERINI, 
The chief objet of the refearches of 
this noble Venetian appears to have been 
the: acquifition of medals. He went 
abroad fart, in 1671, at the age of thirty- 
one, and embarked in the fame veflel with 
Ambrogio Bembo, of whem we hawe jul 
made inention. 
<¢ Soderni remained a confiderable time 
at Cyprus, as the conful fromthe Vene- 
tian republic happened to be his relation. 
He then vilited Paleftine, Egypt, Atricas 
Syria,, Anatclia, together with Turkey in 
Europe, and carried back with him to his 
native country avery fine coileétion of 
icarce and valuable medals. 
cond part of the travels of Cornelio Mag- 
ni, anative of Parma, isto be found an 
interefting letter refpeCting this traveller. 
From it we learn that he- unfortunately 
loft a great part of his collection, in con- 
Ae: > fequence 
ea! Se 
in the fe- | 
