their title to a kingdom that is in the hands of the Turk.

Among all these difficulties the Republic will still maintain itself, if policy can prevail upon force; for it is certain the Venetian fenate is one of the wifeft councils in the world, though at the fame time, if we believe the reports of several that have been well versed in their conftitution, a great part of their politics is founded on maxims, which others do not think confiftent with their honour to put in practice. The prefervation of the Republic is that to which all other confiderations fubmit. To encourage idleness and luxury in the nobility, to cherish ignorance and licentioufnefs in the clergy, to keep alive a continual faction in the common people, to connive at the viciousness and debauchery of convents, to breed diffenfions among the Nobles of the Terra Firma, to treat a brave man with fcorn and infamy, in short to stick at nothing for the public intereft, are reprefented as the refined parts of the Venetian wifdom.

Among all the instances of their politics, there is none more admirable than the great secrecy that reigns in their public councils. The fenate is generally as numerous as our house of commons, if we only reckon the fitting members, and yet carries its refolution fo privately, that they are feldom known until they difcover 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 leaft intimation of what was paffing against him, until he was actually feized, and in the hands of justice.

The Noble Venetians think themfelves 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 muft undergo the mortification of being treated like private gentlemen: Yet it is obferved of them, that they discharge themselves with a great deal of dexterity in fuch embafies and treaties as are laid on them by the Republic; for their whole lives are employed in intrigues of ftate, and they naturally give themselves airs of Kings and Princes, of which the minifters of other nations are only the reprefentatives. 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, con

fidering

fidering that the Nobility fpreads equally through all the brothers, and that so very few of them are destroyed by the wars of the Republic. 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 thrust the females of their families into convents, the better to preserve their eftates. This makes the Venetian nuns famous for the liberties they allow themselves. They have operas 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 converfe with them daily at the grate; and are very free to admit a vifit from a stranger. There is indeed one of the Cornara's, that not long ago refused to see any under a Prince.

The carnival of Venice is every where talked of. The great diverfion of the place at that time, as well as on all other high occafions, is masking. The Venetians, who are naturally grave, love to give into the follies and entertainments of fuch feafons, when disguised in a falfe perfonage. They are indeed under a neceffity of finding out diverfions that 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. These disguises give occafion to abundance of love-adventures; for there is fomething more intriguing in the amours of Venice, than in those of other countries; and I queftion not but the fecret hiftory of a carnival would make a collection of very diverting novels. Operas are another great entertainment of this feafon. The poetry of them is generally as exquifitely ill, as the mufic is good. The 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 Romans, squeaking through the mouth of an eunuch, especially when they may choose a subject out of courts where eunuchs are really actors, or represent 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 first words bid his foldiers fly, for the enemies are upon them: Si leva Cefare, e dice a foldati, a' la fugga, a' lo fcampo. The daughter gives the preference to Cæfar, which is made the occafion of Cato's death. Before he kills himself, you fee him withdrawn into his library, where, among his books, I obferved the titles of Plutarch and Taffo. After a short foliloquy, he strikes himself with the dagger

that

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 dispatch himself by tearing up his first wound. This laft circumstance 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 case-knife stuck in his girdle, which the lady fnatches from him in the struggle, and fo defends herself.

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 sets 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 discourse. They have fuch a different turn and polishing for poetical use, that they drop feveral of their letters, and appear in another form, when they come to be ranged in verse. For this reason the Italian opera feldom finks into a poorness of language, but, amidst all the meanness and familiarity of the thoughts has fomething VOL. IV. F beauti