owing to the moisture of the air, which would have an ill effect on other kinds of furniture, as it fhows it self too visibly in many of their finest pictures. Though the Venetians are extremely jealous of any great fame or merit in a living member of their common-wealth, they never fail of giving a man his due praifes, when they are in no danger of fuffering from his ambition. For this reason, though there are a great many monuments erected to fuch as have been benefactors to the Republick, they are generally put up after their deaths. Among the many Elogiums that are given to the Doge Pifauro, who had been Ambassador in EngLand, his epitaph fays, In Anglia Jacobi Regis obitum mirá calliditate celatum mira fagacitate rimatus prifcam benevolentiam firmavit. The particular palaces, churches, and pictures of Venice are enumerated in feveral little books that may be bought on the place, and have been faithfully tranfcribed by many voyage-writers. When I was at Venice, they were putting out very curious ftamps of the feveral edifices which are moft famous for their beauty or magnificence. The Arsenal of Venice is an Ifland of about three miles round. It contains all the ftores and provifions for war, that are not actually employed. There are docks for their gallies and men of war, most of them full, as well as work-houses for all land and naval preparations. That part of it, where the arms are laid, makes a great fhow, and was indeed very extraordinary about a hundred years ago, but at present a great part of its furniture is grown ufelefs. There feem to be almoft as many fuits of armour as there are guns. The fwords are old-fashioned and unwieldy in a very great number, and the fire-arms fitted with locks of little convenience in comparifon of thofe that are now in ufe. The Venetians pretend they could fet out, in cafe of great neceffity, thirty men of war, a hundred gallies, and ten galeaffes, though I cannot conceive how they could man a fleet of half the number. It was certainly a mighty error in this State to af-. fect fo many conquefts on the Terra Firma, which has only ferved to raife the jealoufie of the chriftian Princes, and about three hundred years ago had like to have ended in the utter extirpation of the commonwealth; whereas, had they applyed themselves with the fame politics and induftry to the increafe of their strength by fea, they might perhaps have had all the Iflands of the Archipelago in their hands, and, by confequence, the greatest fleet, and the most fea-men of any other State in Europe. Befides, that this would have given no jealoufie to the Princes their neighbours, who would have enjoyed their own dominions in peace, and have been very well-contented to have seen so strong a

4

bulwark

bulwark against all the forces and invafions of the Ottoman Em pire.

This Republick has been much more powerful than it is at prefent, as it is ftill likelier to fink than increase in its dominions. It is not impoffi ble but the Spaniard may, fome time or other, demand of them Creme, Brefcia, and Bergame, which have been torn from the Milanefe; and in cafe a war fhould arise upon it, and the Venetians lofe a fingle battel, they might be beaten off the Continent in a fingle fummer, for their fortifications are very inconfiderable. On the other fide, the Venetians are in continual apprehenfions from the Turk, who will certainly endeavour at the recovery of the Morea, as foon as the Ottoman Empire has recruited a little of its antient ftrength. They are very fenfible that they had better have pushed their conquests on the other fide of the Adriatick into Albania, for then their territories would have lain together, and have been nearer the fountain-head to have received fuccours on occafion; but the Venetians are under articles with the Emperor, to refign into his hands whatever they conquer of the Turkish dominions, that has been formerly difmembred from the Empire. And having already very much diffatisfied him in the Frioul and Dalmatia, they dare not think of exafperating him further. The Pope difputes with them their pretenfions to the Polefin, as the Duke of Savoy lays an equal claim to the Kingdom of Cyprus. Tis furprifing to confider with what heats these two powers have contefted their title to a Kingdom that is in the hands of the Turk.

Among all thefe difficulties the Republick will still maintain it felf, if policy can prevail upon force; for it is certain the Venetian Senate is one of the wifeft councils in the world, though at the fame time, if we believe the reports of feveral that have been well verfed in their conftitution, a great part of their politics is founded on maximes which others do not think confiftent with their honour to put in practice. The prefervation of the Republick is that to which all other confiderations fubmit. To encourage idlenefs and luxury in the Nobility, to cherish ignorance and licentiousness in the Clergy, to keep alive a continual faction in the comcon people, to connive at the viciousness and debauchery of convents, to breed diffentions among the Nobles of the Terra Firma, to treat a brave man with scorn and infamy; in short, to stick at nothing for the publick intereft, are represented as the refined parts of the Venetian wifdom. Among all the instances of their politics, there is none more admirable than the great fecrecy that reigns in their public councils. The Senate is generally as numerous as our Houfe of Commons, if we only reck

en

on the fitting Members, and yet carries its refolutions fo privately, that they are feldom known 'till they discover themselves in the execution. It is not many years fince they had before them a great debate concerning the punishment of one of their Admirals, which lafted a month together, and concluded in his condemnation; yet was there none of his friends, nor of those who had engaged warmly in his defence, that gave him the least intimation of what was paffing against him, 'till he was actually seiz'd, and in the hands of justice.

The Noble Venetians think themselves equal at least to the Electors of the Empire, and but one degree below Kings; for which reason they feldom travel into foreign countries, where they must undergo the mortification of being treated like private Gentlemen: Yet it is obferved of them, that they difcharge themselves with a great deal of dexterity in fuch embaffies and treaties as are laid on them by the Republick; for their whole lives are employed in intrigues of ftate, and they naturally give themselves airs of Kings and Princes, of which the Miniíters of other nations are only the Representatives. Monfieur Amelot reckons in his time, two thousand five hundred Nobles that had voices in the great Council, but at prefent, I am told, there are not at most fifteen hundred, notwithstanding the addition of many new families fince that time. It is very strange, that with this advantage they are not able to keep up their number, confidering that the Nobility spreads equally through all the brothers, and that fo very few of them are deftroyed by the wars of the Republick. Whether this may be imputed to the luxury of the Venetians, or to the ordinary celibacy of the younger brothers, or to the last plague which swept away many of them, I know not. They generally thruft the females of their families into convents, the better to preferve their eftates. This makes the Venetian Nuns famous for the liberties they allow themselves. They have Opera's within their own walls, and often go out of their bounds to meet their admirers, or they are very much misrepresented. They have many of them their lovers, that converse with them daily at the grate, and are very free to admit a visit from a stranger. There is indeed one of the Cornara's, that not long ago refused to see any under a Prince.

The Carnaval of Venice is every where talked of. The great diverfion of the place at that time, as well as on all other high occafions, occafions, is Masking. The Venetians, who are naturally grave, love to give into the follies and entertainments of such seasons, when disguised in a falfe perfonage. They are indeed under a neceffity of finding out diverfions that VOL. II.

may

may agree with the nature of the place, and make fome amends for the lofs of feveral pleasures which may be met with on the Continent. Thefe difguifes give occafion to abundance of love-adventures; for there is fomething more intriguing in the amours of Venice, than in those of o ther countries, and I queftion not but the fecret history of a Carnaval would make a collection of very diverting Novels. Opera's are another great entertainment of this feafon. The Poetry of them is generally as exquifitely ill, as the Mufick is good. The arguments are often taken from fome celebrated action of the ancient Greeks or Romans, which fometimes looks ridiculous enough; for who can endure to hear one of the rough old Roman's squeaking through the mouth of an Eunuch, efpecially when they may chufe a fubject out of courts where Eunuchs are really Actors, or reprefent by them any of the foft Afiatic Monarchs? The Opera that was moft in vogue, during my ftay at Venice, was built on the following fubject. Cæfar and Scipio are rivals for Cato's daughter. Cæfar's firit words bid his foldiers fly, for the enemies are upon them. Si leva Cefare, e dice a Soldati. A la fugga. A lo Scampo. The daughter gives the preference to Cafar, which is made the occafion of Cato's death. Before he kills himfelf, you fee him withdrawn into his Library, where, among his books, I obferved the titles of Plutarch and Taffo. After a fhort foliloquy he ftrikes himself with the dagger that he holds in his hand, but, being interrupted by one of his friends, he ftabs him for his pains, and by the violence of the blow unluckily breaks the dagger on one of his ribs, fo that he is forced to difpatch himself by tearing up his firft wound. This laft circumftance puts me in mind of a contrivance in the Opera of St. Angelo, that was acted at the fame time. The King of the play endeavours at a rape, but the Poet being refolved to fave his Heroine's honour, has fo ordered it, that the King always acts with a great cafe-knife stuck in his girdle, which the Lady fnatches from him in the struggle, and fo defends her felf.

The Italian Poets, befides the celebrated smoothness of their tongue, have a particular advantage, above the writers of other nations, in the difference of their Poetical and Profe language. There are indeed fets of phrases that in all countries are peculiar to the Poets, but among the Italians there are not only fentences, but a multitude of particular words that never enter into common difcourfe. They have fuch a different turn and polishing for poetical ufe, that they drop several of their letters, and appear in another form, when they come to be ranged in verfe. For this reafon the Italian Opera feldom finks into a poorness of language,

A

language, but, amidst all the meannefs and familiarity of the thoughts, has fomething beautiful and fonorous in the expreffion. Without this patural advantage of the tongue, their prefent poetry would appear wretchedly low and vulgar, notwithstanding the many trained allegories that are so much in ufe among the writers of this nation. The English and French, who always use the fame words in verfe as in ordinary.converfation, are forced to raife their language with metaphors and figures, or, by the pompoufnefs of the whole phrafe, to wear off any littlenefs that appears in the particular parts that compofe it. This makes our blank verfe, where there is no rhime to fupport the expreffion, extremely difficult to fuch as are not mafters in the tongue, efpecially when they write on low fubjects; and 'tis probably for this reafon that Milton has made use of fuch frequent tranfpofitions, latinifms, antiquated words and phrases, that he might the better deviate from vulgar and ordinary expreffions.

The Comedies that Ifaw at Venice, or indeed in any other part of Italy, are very indifferent, and more lewd than thofe of other countries. Their Poets have no notion of genteel Comedy, and fall into the most filthy double-meanings imaginable, when they have a mind to make their audience merry. There is no part generally fo wretched as that of the fine Gentleman, especially when he converses with his Mistress; for then the whole dialogue is an infipid mixture of pedantry and romance. But 'tis no wonder that the Poets of fo jealous and referved a nation fail in fuch conversations on the ftage, as they have no patterns of in nature. There are four standing characters which enter into every piece that comes on the stage, the Doctor, Harlequin, Pantalone and Coviello. The Doctor's character comprehends the whole extent of a Pedant, that with a deep voice, and a magisterial air breaks in upon converfation, and drives down all before him: Every thing he fays is backed with quotations out of Galen, Hippocrates, Plato, Virgil, or any Author that rifes uppermoft, and all answers from his companion are looked upon as impertinencies or interruptions. Harlequin's part is made up of blunders and abfurdities; he is to mistake one name for another, to forget his errands, to stumble over Queens, and to run his head against every post that stands in his way. This is all attended with fomething fo comical in the voice and gestures, that a man, who is fenfible of the folly of the part, can hardly forbear being pleased with it. Pantalone is generally an old Cully, and Coviello a Sharper.