while it tends to weaken the more violent and fierce emotions" "Ingenuas didicisse fidelitur artes Emollit mores, nec sinit esse feros. "These polish'd arts have humaniz'd mankind, CHAPTER XVIII. VENICE. A general Description of the City of Venice under the Republic ...... And of the Manners of its Inhabitants...... The Venetian School of Painting......Liberality of the Government towards her Great Men.......Tintoretto.......A few Words respecting Canova......A Hint, en passant, to young Artists ...... Character of the Venetians and of the English contrasted......Milton......Shakespeare.......Dante.......Ariosto ......The Novellieri......Blessings of Peace. To enumerate the paintings which are to be seen at Venice, nearly all of them super-excellent, and to point out their respective beauties, would be a task far beyond the design which I at first proposed to myself; namely, that of merely giving a rapid sketch of what I had beheld, interspersed with such observations and reflections as were naturally suggested to my mind, by the topics under examination. For the present, I shall advert to the city of Venice itself; which may be said to rest neither on earth, nor water, nor sky, and which seems the work of divine, rather than of human agency. It is impregnable, though unprotected by fortresses. As Martinelli observes, its boundaries and commencement cannot be traced; neither can its termination be ascertained. Most plentifully supplied, on every side, with whatever is necessary for the use of man, the liberal and mechanical arts were cherished; and commerce was seen flourishing. Men of genius and of talent, in every art and science, were brought forward and rewarded, without parade or ostentation. Grandeur, devoid of glarish frivolity, was every where visible. The costume of the nobles was sober, yet rich, and calculated to attract respect from their inferiors. The dress of all classes of the people was consistent with the simplicity and decency of good sense and of genuine religion. Liberty and tranquillity were every where enjoyed, while prepotency found an instant corrective in wise laws, speedily administered by impartial and upright men, and enforced in behalf of the poor as well as of the rich. Illustrious, too, by the felicity of her un dertakings, and the respect in which the republic of Venice was held by every other state, her victories rendered her the admiration of the rest of the world, and respected for her maritime power, as well as her terrestrial dominion-alike feared by land, and formidable on the ocean. Her government combined profound policy with genuine Christianity, and remained uncontaminated, amidst a profuse waste of treasure and of blood, in wars carried on for the defence of religion. The multiplicity of churches, hospitals, chapels, and other holy places, which were built and endowed, not only decently, but sumptuously, together with the manifold acts of charity offered up to the Deity, and to the afflicted amongst mankind, justify the claim or Venice to the title of the sanctuary of Religion, and the abode of Christian piety and genuine benevolence. This city, as I have already observed, may be said to rest neither on earth, nor water, nor sky. Not on sky; because, although elevated above the ground her splendid edifices tower aloft, they are nevertheless the abode of mortals. Not on earth; since, out of this, the Almighty has ordained that there should grow fruits and herbs, and not lofty and stupendous palaces, temples, and noble mansions. And, for the same reason, perceiving those majestic elevations in masonry soaring to the clouds, it cannot be water. Therefore I know not whether this place should be called immoveable water, or unsteady land; terrestrial sky, or aerial earth. This renowned city may be said to have no foundation; the substratum being neither rock, nor sand, nor solid earth; but mere mud, which yields to the pressure of the foot, yet nevertheless sustains this wondrous pile of buildings; reminding one of the language of the royal Psalmist, when speaking of the Supreme Architect of the Universe, " qui firmavit terram super aquas," " with regard to his power in forming the universe. For truly the immortal and eternal Spirit could alone have stirred up mortality to raise a work of this kind, to become, as it were, a city of refuge for the righteous, and a sanctuary for the followers of the true faith, amidst clouds of barbarism, and a wilderness of the most furious persecutions! Behold a city, strong without fortifications! For no walls encirele her; nor are there towers or battlements for purposes of war. Neither are there gates, or highways, or other fixed passages, for egress and regress. But, both by day and by night, around and throughout, this famous city is open and unguarded. Nevertheless, under Heaven, it possessed not only the means of defence for her own inhabitants, but for the protection of those of the other cities, who reposed under the safeguard of her invincible Lion. Her beginning is unknown; since there exists no memorial of the arrival of her first citizens. And although historians date her commencement from the 25th of March, A.D. 421; which happened to be the time of laying the foundation of Saint James of Rialto, her first church (supposing it to be the first), and which, for those days, was of extraordinary magnificence ;it is impossible that that should have been the period; inasmuch as a church is ever preceded by other habitations, especially in the midst of swamps and water. In fact, it is known that, previous to the year 400, people resided there; for then it was that the Gepids and Goths ravaged all Italy, and forced numerous opulent and noble families to repair for safety to the Venetian Lagunes, among the people there settled. In consequence of this emigration, from a state of actual poverty and destitution, the city thenceforward grew and spread with the strides of a giant. Besides the sublime square of St. Mark, there are at Venice hundreds of noble palaces and stately buildings. Indeed, according to Sanso |