HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

241

of mosaic work! What a number of the most beautiful columns, and otherlike pieces of the most curious workmanship !. What city is there on the face ofthe earth, that has a greater concourse of foreigners, who come hither partlyfor the benefit of living securely in this free and blessed country, and partlyfor the sake of commerce ? Hence is Venice plentifully supplied with all sortsof merchandize and manufactures, whence the riches of our citizens are con-tinually increasing, and our republic receives a greater revenue within the com-pass of this city only, than many kings from their whole kingdom. I saynothing of the numbers of learned men in all arts, and sciences, the brightnessof the scholar, and the bravery of the soldier, by means of which, in conjunc-tion with other advantages, this republic has acquired more glory to itself, andto its subjects, from its exploits, than ever any nation obtained, since the timeof the Romans. I omit to observe, how surprising it is to see in a city, wherenothing grows, and which is very full of inhabitants, a superfluity of all things.Our command was at first confined to these barren and naked rocks, but thebrave spirit of our ancestors extended their sway, first over the nearest sea, andthe circumjacent lands, from whence afterwards, by happy successes, they en-larged their dominions to more distant seas and provinces, and penetrated tothe utmost bounds of the east, acquiring so great an empire by sea and land,and maintaining it so long a time, still increasing their power, and enlargingtheir bounds to such a degree, that during a long course of years, Venice wasthe dread and terror of all the other cities of Italy, and no other means wasthought sufficient to humble and depress her, than a concurrence of the fraudsand forces of all the princes in Christendom.”

But though the consequence of this people, particularly as merchants, stoodconfessedly the highest, many other countries, either allured by the observationof advantage, or excited by a thirst of enterprise inherent in themselves, appearedso strongly addicted to the same pursuit, as to threaten becoming, at least,competitors in the same course. Though perhaps unequal to the task of bearingaway the palm, they appeared fully resolved they would not be disgracefullyoutran. The Adriatic seemed as it were the natural property of the Venetians,and was not only considered, but actually claimed by them as such, which thepompous and extravagant ceremony annually performed in subsequent timessufficiently proves: but the Genoese, soon as they acquired power, as was thecase in the eleventh century, set up almost equal pretensions to the exclusiveright of navigating the Mediterranean. The jarring interests of two rivals,

Vol, I. I i situated