2 TR A V E L S THROUGH
VENICE appears, from the continent, rifing majeftically out of the fea, whofe fury ilie
fcems t o brave, as formerly her ancient inhabitants braved the fury of At i la, king of the
H u n s , and the tyranny of thofc barbarians, who at that time fubdued all Italy : and it "
was entirely to the dread of falling into their power that Venice owed its liberty.
THE Germans, the Gauls, and the different nations of Italy, had felt the dreadful
cfFcfls of the ferocity of thpfe barbarians : even the great and famous city of Rome
was befieged ; when in tlae fifth century the people of Heneti,. or Vencti, unable of
themfelvcs to refift the calamities that awaited them, forfook their peaceable habitations,
and, as an afylum, retired to a clufter of fmall illands, fituatcd at t!ie extremity
o f the Gul f of Venice, in the middle of {hallows. They immediately conftruded a few
huts, by way of a temporary refidence; and, at laft, after fcvcral fruitlefs eiîbrts to
r e t u r n into their country, they there determined to fix their refidence. On this
f p o t is built the ancient city of Venice. Thofe families, iiowever, whom the lové of
l i b e r t y had united, finding it woul d be impoffiblc to contend againft their enemies, who
w o u l d in all probability foon purfue them j as alfo againft the element that furrounded
them, without the greateft unanimity and harmony among themfelves, refolved on
c f t a b l i i h i n g fome form of government—a ftriking inftance of the neceiTity of enafling
laws to maintain order in a riling ftate; which, without fuch fupport, woul d be in
danger of falling into anarchy and confufion.
THE firft form of government this people chofe for themfelves was a kind of democracy.
E a c h of the fmall ifiands whi c h compofed this infant ftate, agreed to appoint a judge, or
m a g i f t r a t c (by them called Tribune), who ihould adminifter juftice in his department,
where he was looked up to as chief, and d e f i e d annual ly. He was, however, compelled
t o give a proper account of his adminiftration to the general afl"embly, before his
f u c c e f l b r coul d be appointed. (See the Hiftory of Venice by the Abbé L'Augier.)
THE whole country of Italy having been invaded by the Huns, the Vandals, the
Herules, and the Oftrogoths, prefented a pitiable and diftreiGng fcene : Venice, alone
and unprotcâed, remained tranquil in the midft of all thofe ftorms, enjoying peaceably
t h e happinefs which ihe derived froni her liberty, induftry, and commerce ; even giving
p r o t e d i o n to the miferable and wretched viftims of tyranny, whofe fortunes had fallen
i n t o the hands of their enemies.
THIS happinefs and tranquillity were not of long duration ; for the Republ ic, which
was not only refpefted, but feared by the ufurpers of the Gaul s and the Italians, became
a n objeft of envy, and was attacked at the end of the fifth century by another horde of
barbarians, full as ferocious as thofe I have already mentioned. They were inhabitants of
t h e frozen regions of Scythia : who, having made themfelves mafters of Iftria, Carinthia,
and Dalmatia, not even fatisfied with thofe conquefts, determined on befieging Venicc ;
but.
T H E R?IIETIAN ALPS. 3
b u t , prefuming too much on their fuccefs, became negligent, and were defeated,
t h o u g h not without confiderabie lofs to the Republic, whof e watchful carcs and expcnfive
preparations had coft them immenfe funis.
THOSE barbarians, who were as bold as they were enterprifing, were not' intim
i d a t e d by this repulfe, but kept continually harafling them ; and, by repeated attacks,
o b l i g e d them to be inceflantly on the watch. Thus terminated the firft epoch of
t h e i r tranquillity.
THESE, however, were not the greateft difiiculties with which this rifing ftate had to
c o n t e n d ; for it was nourifhing, unknowingl y , within itfelf evils wliich proved in the end
m u c h more formidable. Finding an abfolute neccffity of encouraging trade, they were
o b l i g e d to ufe every means that might attrad ftrangers to fettle among them. Unfort
u n a t e l y thofe emigrants, by introducing all kinds of luxury, ambition, and fraud,
c o n t a m i n a t e d the manners of this happy but fimple people ; for, foon after, the office of
tribu7ie (or oliicf magiftraic) could only be auahicd by the moft fordid means.
DURING thofe cabals and intrigues, Venice was verging towards her ruin, whi c h would
i n all probability have been foon completed, had not one virtuous man been found to
' ftcm the torrent. In the raidft of a general afiembly, which had met to deliberate on
t h e alarming profped of aifairs, he dared to ftand forward and propofe to the Venetians
t o chufe from among themfelves a perfon on whom they could depend for their chief,
a s the only method of re-eftabliftiing them in their former tranquillity.
THIS man, to whom they were indebted for their prefcrvation, was the brave and
virtuous Grado. His plan being adopted, Paul Luke Anafefta, citizen of Heraclee (a
man univerfally efteemed), was elefted in 697, and v^s the firft who bore the title of
D U K E , which was foon after changed to that of D O G E . Here ends their firft form
o f government, which had exifted two hundred years.
THE Venetians, under the new form of government (which vvas a kind of monarchy)
refumed their former courage, that liad lain dormant for a length of time, and no
longer kept themfelves on the defenfive, but vigoroufly attacked their enemies, even in
their own country, and returned vidorious.
THE Lombards were amongft thofc who felt the effeds of their valour: but then it
was that the Venetians became cruel and vindidive, and that thofe who governed them
f r e q u e n t l y fell a faerifice to their growing ambition—A melancholy pidure of the
f r a i l t y of human nature !
THE right of fuccefiion to the dignity of Doge was not made hereditary till the reign
o f the feventh Doge, which was in the eighth century, and lafted but a ihort time.
E v e n during tliat period, the fuccefiion was not only contefted, but divided bet
w e e n two families, each enjoying that dignity alternately, which nearly occafioned
t h e