CHAP. IV. THE BRENTA-VENICE-ITS MAGNIFICENCE, POWER, DEGENERACY, AND FALL RETURN TO PADUA-THE ENVIRONS OF THAT CITY-THE FONS APONUS-COLLES EUGANEI-ARQUATO -VILLA AND TOMB OF PETRARCHA-OBSERVATIONS ON HIS CHARACTER. WE deferred the consideration of the neighbourhood of Padua, till our return from Venice, whither we hastened in order to enjoy the few remaining days of the expiring carnival. We accordingly embarked on the Brenta about ten o'clock in the morning, February the twenty-first, in a convenient barge drawn by horses, and glided rather slowly down the river. The country through which it flows is a dead flat, but highly culti vated, well wooded, and extremely populous. The banks are lined with villages, or rather little towns, and decorated with several handsome palaces and gardens. Among these, that of Giovanelle at Noventa, two miles from Padua ; that of Pisani, at Stra; of Trona, at Dolo; that of Bembo, at Mira, and about ten miles farther, that of Foscari, of the architecture of Palladio, merit particular attention. These celebrated banks have, without doubt, a rich, a lively, and sometimes a magnificent appearance, but their splendor and beauty have been much exaggerated or are much faded, and an Englishman accustomed to the Thames, and the villas that grace its banks at Richmond and Twickenham, will discover little to excite his admiration as he descends the canal of the Brenta. About five o'clock we arrived at Fusina, on the shore of the Lagune,* opposite Venice. This city instantly fixed all our attention. It was then faintly illuminated by the rays of the setting sun, and rising from the waters with its numberless domes and towers, attended, if I may be allowed the expression, by several lesser islands, each crowned with its spires and pinnacles, presented the appearance of a vast city, seated on the very bosom of the ocean. We embarked, and gliding over the Lagune, whose surface unruffled by the slightest breeze, was as smooth as the most polished glass, touched at the island of St. Georgio, half way, that is two miles from the main land on one side, and from Venice on the other, and then entering the city, rowed up the grand canal, and passed under the Rialto; admiring as we advanced, the various architecture and vast edifices that line its sides. *The Lagune are the shallows that border the whole coast, and extend round Venice; their depth, between the city and the main land, is from three to six feet in general, These shallows are occasioned by the vast quantities of sand carried down by the many rivers that descend from the Alps and fall into the Adriatic, all along its western shores. Ravenna, which lies much lower down, anciently stood like Venice in the midst of waters; it is now surrounded with sand, as Venice will probably be ere long, if it should continue subject to the Austrian government. The republic expended considerable sums in cleansing the canals that intersect and surround the city, removing obstacles and keeping up the depth of waters, so necessary for the security of the capital. The interest of a foreign sovereign is to lay it open to attack. Venice cannot boast of a very ancient origin, nor has it any direct connection with Roman story and classical recollections; yet I doubt much, whether any town in Italy, not even excepting Rome itself, contains so much genuine Roman blood; as none has, certainly, so long preserved the true spirit of the ancient Romans. Founded by the inhabitants of Aquileia, Padua and other Roman colonies bordering on the Adriatic, joined probably by several from the interior provinces, it escaped the all-wasting sword of Alaric and Attila; first eluded, then defied the power of succeeding invaders, and never saw a barbarian army within its walls till the fatal epoch of 1797. Its foundation dates from the year 421; the succession of Doges or Dukes from the year 697. Its name is derived from the Veneti, a people that inhabited all the neighbouring coasts, and appropriated as it has been, from a very early period to it, is a sufficient monument of the origin and numbers of its founders, and first inhabitants. Its government was at first popular; as the power and riches of the State increased, the influence of the nobles augmented; at intervals, the Doges acquired and abused the sovereignty; till at length, after six centuries of struggles, the aristocratic party prevailed, limited the power of the Doge, excluded the people, and confined to their own body all the authority and exercise of government. As Venice may justly be considered a Roman colony, so it bore for many centuries a striking resemblance to the great parent Republic. The same spirit of liberty, the same patriot passion, the same firmness, and the same wisdom that characterized and ennobled the ancient Romans, seemed to revive in the Venetians, and pervade every member of their rising state. That profound respect for religion also, which formed so distinguished a feature in the character of the former,* was equally conspicuous in the latter, but more permanent and effectual, because directed to a better object, and regulated by superior information. The same success in a just proportion accompanied the same virtues; and we behold Venice, from dirt and sea-weed, rise into magnificence and fame, extend its sway over the neighbouring coasts, wrest towns, islands, and whole provinces from mighty potentates, carry its arms into Asia and Africa, and struggle, often successfully, with the collected force of vast empires. As its greatness rested on solid foundations, so was it permanent; and Venice may boast of a duration seldom allowed to human associations, whether kingdoms or commonwealths, thirteen complete centuries of fame, prosperity and independence. It is not wonderful therefore that this republic should have been honored with the appellation of another Rome, considered as the bulwark and pride of Italy, and celebrated by orators and poets as the second fated seat of independence and empire. Una Italum regina, altæ pulcherrima Romæ, Act. Syn. Sannaz. lib. iii. Eleg. 1, 95. The appearance of Venice is not unworthy of its glorious Et si conferre volumus nostra cum externis, cæteris rebus aut pares aut etiam inferiores reperiemur; Religione, id est, cultu Deorum, multo superiores.-De Nat. Deor. ii. 3. destinies. Its churches, palaces, and public buildings of every description, and sometimes even its private edifices, have in their size, materials and decorations, a certain air of magnificence, truly Roman. The style of architecture is not always either pure or pleasing, but conformable to the taste that prevailed in the different ages when each edifice was erected. Hence, the attentive observer may discover the history of architecture in the streets of Venice, and trace its gradation from the solid masses and round arches, the only remains of the ancient graud style in the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth centuries, through the fanciful forms and grotesque embellishments of the middle ages, to its revival and re-establishment in these latter times. The church of St. Mark, with its accompaniments, its tower, its square, its library, and its palace, from its celebrity alone deserves the traveller's first visit. The tower has neither grace in its form, nor beauty in its materials. Its only merit is its height, which, though not extraordinary in itself, yet from the flatness of the surrounding scenery, gives the spectator a very clear and advantageous view of the city and its port and shipping, with the neighbouring coasts, and all their windings. The famous Piazza de S. Marco, surrounded with arcades, is more remarkable for its being the well known scene of Venetian mirth, conversation and intrigue, than for its size or symmetry. It is inferior, in both respects, to many squares in many great cities; yet as one side is the work of Palladio, and the whole of fine marble, its appearance is grand and striking. The church of St. Mark, the great patron of the city and republic, occupies one end of this square, and terminates it with a sort of gloomy barbaric magnificence. In fact, the five domes that swell from |