I saw my person being a Creature of the Popes advanced to the dignity of a Hat so I moumed to the degree of a Cardinall wherein I stand now Now if my voice had strength to unmask every particular thing you would be struck with amazement to discover a life so impious in the persons of them who glory in the title of Christs Disciples I 'le tell you in a word that from the time I obtain'd the Cardinallship I never kept Lent I never recited my houres I never confess'd to God till now in these extream agonies of my sicknes Such being the custome almost of all Cardinalls who finding themselfs in a posture to aspire to the Keyes of Heaven doe think perchance to be able one day to find a way to enter there without any necessity of good workes But woe is me I perceive now to have deviated from the wayes of Heaven I discern too well by the light of Divine grace which I know not by what excesse of mercy may please to save me for all this that to lead an ecclesiasticall life is an now accustomed is nothing at all to live a Christian But if Pagans yea Atheists preceiving their own errours have hopes to be sav'd why should I dispair This is the onely argument of my hopes although I think the salvation of an Infidell more easy than that of a perverse Christian because my soul finds at this very moment that the understanding is more easily illuminated than the will humbled and rectified being too tenacious of her delights in those pleasures which she must now relinquish with the Hat But father my spirit failes me give me an absolution for I feel my self upon point of expiring S. Paul having absolv'd the Cardinall upon his departure thence he met with an Angell who after som salutations fell to relate unto him what he had overheard in a Parlatory of Nunnes as followeth You know allredy O Apostle of God that I am of those Angells which never descended before on Earth and if in strange Countrys the curious mind of the passenger desires to satisfy it self I confesse that among other things which I coveted to see one was a Monastry of Nuns who were so much spoken of in Heaven that I took them to be Angells on earth Being come therfore to one of the prime Citties of Italy I took the form of a strange youth and entred at the privatest hour I could into a Monacall Parlatory I found at the windows a young Nun which had no other busines it seemes but to attend the comming of som body I was scarce spyed by her when she asked me an account of my Country and what fancy took me to traverse the World up and down in that maner I bethinking my self of Heaven answerd my Country most gentle Sister is too far distant from this place and whereunto few of this Region arrive Touching the fancy that leads me to traverse up and down the World it is no other than curiosity which often draws youthfull lightnes to neglect their own profit and to regard others Foolish youthfulnes which canst not learn how to value thy Countries good but a far of then I added happy are they who never departing from within the Paradise of these holy walls seem as so many Angels alwayes appearing before the face of God She being as full of Spirit as She was of beauty answered thus O how many of us would willingly change our Paradise for your peregrination wherfore then doe you complain so causelesly of your travels which being no other than the motions of a civill life it cannot chuse but be so much the sweeter to elevated minds by how much the higher the movements of their souls are Behold the Sun behold the Planets which never staying still in one place delight to be continuall travellers in the Univers I being much taken with the vivacity of this femal spirit replyed It is true Lady that the Sun and the Planets are in a continuall peregrination but there are in Heaven fixed Stars also which because haply they are more noble are superiour to the other and consequently nearer the throne of the Almighty These Nuns then who to serve God are always permanent in one place like the fixed Stars may more than any other mortalls comfort themselves with an assurance that they are nearer God The beauteous Maiden sighed at these words and then answered God I deny not dwels nearer to the fixed Stars but not to desperate souls And now you discover your self to be a stranger that you are not acquainted with our condition The cruelty of our Parents and the rigour of our destiny hath pend us in here for ever the Church of Rome concurring hereunto by admitting any pretext whatsoever bear with me Sir that I speak thus It is a hard fate to be born to a perpetuall prison while it is seen that all other living creatures have the whole World to solace themselves in And that Prison which it seems the very infants fly from when they sally out of their Mothers wombs before they have as it were any sense of life we are constrainde to endure after that nature hath given us the perfect use of our sense and life and the knowledge of our miseries The destiny of that mortall must needs be a hard one who is born to live in restles infelicity This Cloyster which surrounds our Liberty is not as you imagine a Paradise for in Paradise there dwels no discontentment It is rather a Hell wherein the flames of inextinguible desire the naturall affections of our humanity are condemned to be tortured every minute I will not stand to expresse the cause why our Parents are so inhumanly cruell unto us for it is too well known that for to spare that dowry which is due to our Sex they condemne us twixt these walls to be deprived for ever of any worldly delight for no other cause but because we are born Women yet you must know that the shutting us thus by force between these stones cannot deprive us of those carnall affections which may well be covered but not quench'd in that religious habit that you see about us Nor can this kind of life conduce to Heaven considering ther 's no concurrence of the will which is so acceptable to the all-knowing Lord we are rather destinated to an Abisse by a course clean contrary to our genius being bereft also of that common privilege which other souls use to have to go to Hell what way they please In ancient times it was the custom to slay the Victimes first and then Sacrifice them to God because haply the principall seat of the corporeall affections lying in the blood 't was not held convenient to offer his Divine Majesty any holocaust which was not first purg'd by effusion of that bloud from all earthly passions But this is not observ'd in us by our Parents who do make Sacrifices of us with all our blood and passions
their Dominions specially the I le of Candy hereup on she rigs up her Gallies again but in the interim a Chiaus coms from Constantinople in quality of Ambassador extraordinary from Amurath to confirm the former peace This year 1573. The Duke of Aniou having bin newly elected King of Poland and scarce setled in the Throne and understanding his brother Charles was deceas'd in France and fearing to lose the 〈◊〉 for a Thistle viz. France for Poland got away surreptitiously from Cracovia accompanied only with three followers and passing through the Territories of divers Princes came at last to Italy with a curiosity to see the admired City of Venice being come upon the Confines he was met by a gallant troup of Noble men with eight hundred well arm'd soldiers the next day sour of the Senators came to him from Venice in quality of Ambassadors the Dukes of Ferrara and Nevers came also to visit him so being attended by infinite nombers of peeple he came first to Murano where the next day he was visited by the Prince and Senat with fourteen Gallies and being conducted thence to Lia he entred the Bucentoro together with the Prince and Senat from thence with mighty magnificence he transported to Venice all the channell 'twixt the City and Lia thronging with Boats made in fashion of Sea Monsters wherin were all the youth of Venice richly attir'd with infinite nomber of Gondolas which row'd before and on ev'ry side of the Bucentoro which was gently tow'd to the Palace stairs where he remain'd divers daies and was entertain'd to the height of all magnificence and here began that great League of Love which hath continued so firm 'twixt France and Venice ever since but presently after the Kings departure ther happen'd an ill-favor'd disaster for the Prince celebrating the day of his Election the Ducall Palace was like to be all consumâ—…d by a casuall fire and a fearfull plague remov'd it selfe from Trent to Venice where it began to rage fearfully thereupon no humane remedy appearing the Prince and Senat had recourse to God Almighty and meeting in the highest postures of reverenee at S. Marks Church the Prince in all their Names made a solemn Vow to God to build a Church and dedicat it to the worlds Redeemer imploring his Divine Majesty with heart and mouth that it might please him of his infinite mercy to hear them and appease his just wrath it pleas'd God that this furious contagion did thereupon cease in a wonderfull manner The Church was suddenly built at La Zuecca whither the Prince and Senat go in solemn procession every year ever since Baromeo did also as they write strange penances in Milan for asswagement of such a contagion the same year SEBASTIANO VENIERI succeeded MOCENIGO in the principality the peeple with extraordinary acclamations extoll'd this Election to the very Starrs in regard he had done such exploits while he was Generall so long at Sea both in the battail of Lepanto and elswhere but that which seem'd most strange was that among such multitudes of all sorts of peeple who went to congratulat his new Dignity ten Turks who were then in Venice came and kiss'd his feet saying aloud This is that invincible Generall who by defeating our Fleet and Us hath justly pourchas'd to himself this deserved Crown of honor unto whom we wish a long and happy life Pope Gregory the thirteenth sent him a little after a Rose of Gold which useth to be one of the greatest favors that the Pope useth to confer upon Princes Alexander the Third sent the like in the year 1177. to Sebastian Ciani for preserving him from the fury of the Emperour Barbarossa Old VENIERI had scarce govern'd nine moneths but being strucken deeply in years and having lost much bloud in the warres he payed nature her last debt the Arch-Duke of Austria with other Princes desir'd to have his picture and about the same time Anno 1578. Don Iohn of Austria died in the Netherlands having bin both Generalls in the battail of Lepanto NICOLO PONTE a grave and learned Senator succeeded VENIERI in the Dukedome being aged eighty eight years Francisco de Medici great Duke of Toscany a powerfull Prince in those daies was desirous to marry Signora Bianca daughter to Capello a Venetian gentleman to which end he sent Maria Sforza to acquaint the Senat the Senat sent for Capello and his Son Vittorio whom they Knighted then they adopted Bianca who was to be Gran Duchesse daughter to the Signorie in the same manner as they had done Catharina Queen of Cyprus This year divers new Constitutions were enacted against lux in apparell 1. The use of all sorts of Perl tru or counterfeit was prohibited onely women might weare a small coller about their necks 2. Costly Skins and Furrs were wholy forbid to be worn 3. All gold and Silver Lace was prohibited upon garments 4. No Courtezan must wear any Jemms or Jewells or use any Tapistry 5. Excessive expences were forbidden at womens Churchings and the extraordinary invitation of friends except nere kinsfolk was restrain'd 6. A decree was made against all super fluous diet and that no double dish of fish or flesh shold be serv'd in These Laws are exactly observ'd to this day In this Dukes time and partly by a hint given from him the Calenlendar was reform'd for Pope Gregory the XIII finding by consultation with the best Astronomers that because the Solar motion had not bin rightly observ'd the Vernall Equinoctiall had gotten ten daies before â—…he course of the Sun whereby the Feast of Easter whereon all other moveable Feasts depended was not celebrated at the just time appointed in the Primitive Church by the Councell of Nice the incongruity thereof was were it not reform'd that the Festivalls of Winter will be celebrated in Sommer and those of Sommer in Winter hereupon the chiefest Mathematicians of Europe were summon'd to Rome to confer their speculations about this point and commanded after an exact calculation of the course of the Planets to refer the Vernall Equinoctiall to the twenty one of March as it had bin in old time decreed by the Fathers of the sayed Councell of Nice and so to find out some rule that the same inconvenience might be for ever remov'd These learned men did what the Pope commanded by referring the Equinoctiall to its true place and by taking for once ten daies from October the Pope concurring with them in opinion and being a great Theorest himself enjoyn'd this computation to be observ'd all Christendome over Lodovicus Lilius a famous Astronomer was one of the chiefest instruments in this businesse 1581. In this Dukes time ther happen'd a contrasto 'twixt the Republic and the Knights of Malta because they had taken some Turky Vessells in the Venetian Seas whereat Amurath did thunder out a revenge the Republic complain'd to the Gran Master intreating him to forbear the taking of any Turkish Vessells in her Seas while
Italie except the Venetian Republic in the conciliation of whose frendship the King ought to labour much for by Her Lawes it is severely prohibited that none of Her Subjects receave any pension from a forren Prince Cardinall Arnoldus Ossat in his 353. Epistle THe Venetians to speak truly have no more devotion than needs yet they manage their affaires with as much prudence and gravity as any other Prince you remember without doubt how after the death of the last King they presently acknowledgd this present King viz. Henry the 4. and how they respected our Ambassador as formerly yet they would not admitt him to com with the other Ambassadors to the Chappell till the King was reconcild to the Church of Rome This they did because the Pope with the King of Spain and all the world might bear wittnes that howsoever what they did for politicall reasons yet they were exact observers of the Catholic Religion Interdicti Veneti Histor. Lib. 1. THe Republic of Venice excludes all Ecclesiastiques from the participation of Her goverment and only She neither gives or takes any pensions from the Court of Rome Paulus Paruta in Histor. Venet. Lib. 4. OUr Progenitors took singular care that the Cittizens of Venice shold employ their industry to navigation and maritime negotiation for the encrease and improvement of public and privat wealth and that the Venetian name might be propagated to remote and outlandish Nations The situation of the Cittie seemes to invite Her to such studies and exercises and to infuse such a propensity into the minds of Her Inhabitants In regard that the Citty having not of Her-self any Lands to cultivat which might answer their industry and make them rich and being destitut of all things els that are necessary for humane subsistence necessity herself did excite them to naval industry and to furrow the Sea which fills her with abundance and affluence of all things conducing to a being and well-being This made Her employ hundreds of Shipps and Gallies abroad into forren Countreys as well to Christian Regions as to Infidells and bring back rich commodities of all sorts not only for Her own ocasions but to exercise comerce and exchange comodities with Her neighbours farr and neer to Her unspeakable advantage In these Gallies many young men of the Gentry and Patrician Order do use to imbark themselfs as well for marchandizing as to gain experience up and down the world specially in the Art of Navigation Many wherof use to sojourn a long time among forren peeple and dispatch not only their own affaires but do favours and negotiat for others Wherby they attain to a great proportion of knowledg in all things and being returnd and salted as it were in the world and composd to frugality and modesty they com to the management of the public affaires of the Commonwealth Bodinus de Repub. Lib. 3. BUt because no man may think that so many Counsells shold breed a confusion in so well ordred a Republic he must think that She divides Her Councells into â—…ower principall Classes besides the Senat ther is the Councell of Sages which is calld the marine Councell then is ther the Councell of Sages who have the incumbency of matters by Land Then is ther a Councell of Decemvirs and Septemvirs wherin the Duke as in all other Colleges presides Which Councells though they be sejoynd in Colleges and Offices yet when the quality of the affair requires they all consociat The Senat is composd of 60. Gentlemen who with so many more Cittizens have the greatest management of affaires Idem ibidem WHat we have spoken for matter of taking Counsell it is no where practisd better than it is in Venice for when ther is a doubtfull deliberation of things in both the Councells of Sages they use to expedit it conjunctly with the Decemvirs Therfore it is subscrib'd underneath the decree con la giunta but if all this be not sufficient to put a period to the busines in agitation in regard of discrepancy of Opinions the Septemviri are consulted and if this will not serve the turn for discrepancy of censures the Senat is assembled where the whole matter is displayed but if the authority of the Senat will not suffice but ther will be still dissentient suffrages then it is finally determin'd by the Great Councell Idem Lib. 5. THe Venetians restrain Dowries by a specall Law viz. that the Portion of a Patrician Damsell or Gentlewoman be but 1600. Crownes lest the wealth of illustrious Families be exhausted but if a Gentleman marry a Plebean the dowry is terminated to 2000. Crownes But they suffer now this Law to be in a maner antiquated that the poverty of som Gentlemen may be repaird by the dowry of a Wife But this is prudently observ'd that they use as much as may be to remove Women from hereditary right if ther be any Male extant Idem Lib. 6. NOt long since in the yeer 1566. the Venetians created three Magistrats and endowd them with a Censorian power whom they calld a Triumvirat for the Reformation of the manners of the Citizens commonly calld I Signori sopra il ben vivere della Citta and they were thus entitled because the word Censor seemd to grave and severe for a Cittie that was so free from the beginning and abounding with affluence of all plesures Idem Eodem Lib. THe Venetians do dayly exercise and entertain above 4000. persons in public works than which nothing can be more profitable to the common peeple more commodious to the Citty and more delightfull to all men And as they employ so many in public works so with wonderfull benignity they distribut part of the public wealth for the relieving and sustentation of the aged and indigent Paulus Paruta in Hist. Ven. Lib. 7. IT hath bin provided by a singular way of circumspection and for the advantage of the Republic that Her Ambassadors which She employed abroad upon legations of State to forren Princes shold not reserve to themselfs what is given them by way of gift but to confer it to the public but if by particular favour such Ambassadors were permitted to retain such presents such a grace must passe by the suffrage of the Senat to oblige them therby more to the benevolence of the Senat than to the bounty of any forren Prince Paulus Iovius Lib. 1. THe Citty of Venice is ample and magnificent by navall study and Mercantile Negotiations She grew up from small beginnings but for Her incredible advantage of situation She is admird and preferrd before all other Citties under the Sun because that She being girt about with the waters of the interfluent Hadrian Sea and so not exposd to any sudden surprises or assaults She securely enjoyes Her-self and Her tresure hoording it up for times of danger For ther is no approch to Her by Land in regard 40. Stades of Sea intercede nor any advenue by Sea in regard of the blind and low foords
saevissimos hostes experimur qui nihil aliud expetunt quà m Veneti nominis interitum Tua ista clementia conservata Te Urbis nostrae Parentem Genitorem Conditoremque appellabimus Ingentia tua beneficia in Annales referemus liberis nostris perpetuò memorabimus Nec verò parva haec erit ad laudes tuas accessio Te primum esse ad cujus pedes Veneta Respublica supplex se humi prosternat cui cervices supponat quem velut Deum coelo delapsum colat revereatur observet Si Deus optimus maximus eam mentem Majoribus nostris dedisset ut Res aliorum non attingere non studuissent jam nostra Respublica gloriae plena reliquas Europae civitates longè superarat quae nunc in squalore sordibus foetore languescens ignominia probroque deformis ludibrio atque contumelia referta unico momento omnium victoriarum laudem amisit Sed ut unde incepit eò mea revertatur Oratio in tua potestate est Caesar Venetis tuis ignoscendo condonando nomen laudemque comparare qua nemo unquam Vincendo majorem splendidiorémque adeptus est Hoc monumentum nulla vetustas nulla antiquitas nullus temporis cursus è memoria hominum delebit sed omnia saecula Te pium clementem omnium principum gloriosissimum praedicabunt confitebuntur Nos tui Veniti quod vivimus quod auras coelestes carpimus quod hominum comercio fruimur id omne tuae virtuti faelicitati clementiaeque tribuimus Though this pittifull Speech be not to be found among the Records of this Republic yet it is kept to this day in the Archives of the Empire and because it is so remarkable a one we hold it not amisse to render it in English MOst invincible Emperour the ancient Philosophers and the great Men of their times did not err in their opinions when they esteemd that glorie which one gaines by a Conquest over himself to be the truest the most firm and best of victories and to exceed all other acquests achievements trophyes and triumphs This pourchasd Scipio Major more honor and made him more illustrious than by debelling of Afric and daunting the proud Cittie of Carthage Did not the same kind of victorie make that great Macedonian immortall when King Darius being discomfited by him prayed the Immortall Gods that they wold establish his Kingdom which if they pleasd to ordain otherwise he desird no better Successor than so mild an Enemy and gentle a Conqueror That Caesar the Dictator from whom you have your sirname and whose fortune liberality magnificence and other high virtues you inherit was not he judgd worthy to be placd among the Gods for his clemency concessions gentlenes and mercy Lastly the Senat and peeple of Rome who were the tamers of the World whose Empire is now soly in you and whose amplitude and Majesty doth so shine in you did not they reduce more Nations to their obedience by their justice equity and mansuetude than by warr and arms Since this is a know truth O Caesar it will not be the least of your glories since that you have the victorie ore the Venetians now in your hands and power to call to mind how frayl all humane things are and consequently to use your victory with moderation and to incline more to the study of peace than the doubtfull events of warr for how inconstant all mundane affaires are how casual various false and flattering how obnoxious the state of Mortalls is to hazard and danger I shall not need to illustrat either by new or old examples The Venetian Commonwealth shewes it sufficiently which being a little while agoe florishing and splendid illustrious and renowned and so powerfull that her name and renown was not contented to be bounded within the precincts of Europe only but it passd over to Afric and Asia and rebounded with no ordinary applause in the extremest parts of the World This this Republic is now by one and that but a slight battail deprivd of the glory of all her Tropheys She is bereft of her wealth torn as it were in peeces and trampled upon daunted and overcom being destitut of all things specially of Councel so that the image of her former virtues are faded and allmost utterly defacd and her wonted heat in arms quite allayed For in former times the Venetians being oppressed with greater calamities and harassd with worse miseries ill successes and misfortunes yet they never lost their spirits no not then when with infinite losses dangers and hazards they bore up for many yeers against that most cruell tyrant the Turk nay from being overcom they became conquerors afterwards They might hope the like now but the redouted name of your Majesty and the invincible vertu of your military forces being understood their hearts are so dejected that ther is little left us to resist much lesse to overcom But they are deceav'd yea mightily deceav'd if the French attribute any thing of this to their valour Therefore all Armes being cast away we place all our hopes in the rare clemency or rather the Divine piety of your imperiall Majesty And in the name of the Prince the Senat and peeple of Venice with humble devotion and in most supplicant maner we pray beseech and implore that you wold vouch safe to behold with the countenance of compassion our most afflicted condition and to apply som comfortable remedy unto them All the Laws of peace that you shall impose upon us we will embrace we shall obey all just honest and equitable comands not swarving from reason But haply we deserve that we lay a necessity upon our self that all things may return to you as tru and lawfull Prince that which our progenitors took from this sacred Empire and the Dukedom of Austria which that it may be don more handsomly we add whatsoever we possesse in the continent we yeeld notwithstanding any rites we can clayme unto them Moreover we are willing to pray every yeer to your Majesty and the lawfull successors of the Empire 500 weight of Gold in lieu of tribut and we are ready to obey all Decrees Manats Precepts or Lawes that come from your Majesty Defend us therefore from those we beseech you with whom we lately joyned our armes who we find now to be most cruell enemies which study nothing more then the utter ruin of the Venetian name Being preserved by this our clemency we shall call you our farther and parent our protector and founder and we shall digest these your mighty benefits into our annalls and our late Nephews shall be ever mindfull of them And truly this will be no small accession of glory to you that you were the first before whom the Republic of Venice did present her self to whom she layed down her neck whom she adores and reverenceth as som God decended from Heaven If Almighty God had given our Ancestros that mind that they had not middled so much with other mens things our republic
had surpass'd by this time all the Citties of Europe whereas she is now forlorn and squalid coverd over with ashes ignominy and shame having in a moment as it were had her beauty blasted and becom a derision to all Nations and lost the glory of all her former victories But that my speech may return where it began it lieth in your power O Caesar that pardoning and absolving your Venetians you pourchase now to your self a name and glory then which never any got a greater by conquest or victory This Monument no age no time no antiquity or cours of mortall things shall ever deface out of our memories but all Ages shall confesse declare and proclaime you to be the most pious and most glorious of all Princes We your Venetians shall ascribe it to your goodnesse that we live and breath the celestiall air that we have the conversation of men we impute it all to your vertu felicity and clemency This was the lamentable speech that the mayden Republic breath'd out before the Emperour Maximilian by the mouth of her Ambassador Antonio Iustiniano but 't is known that Mayds have teares at will therefore most men thought these words were not cordiall but meer complements and to temporize yet they produced a peace and 't is a cheap peace that is got by a complement but this submission the Republic made was partly recompencd by a generous and pious act she did in refusing the help and Auxiliaries which the Turk offered her so earnestly in those her extremities About Addua she receavd the mortall'st blow that ever she had and it was like to have bin as fatall to her as Canna to the Romans or Pavia to the French King The Genoways also brought her once to a low ebb so that she sent very low proposalls to him which he refusing she made vertu of necessity and reinforcing her self soundly bangd him Before I part with this Mayden City I will make a parallel betwixt her and old Rome for of all the Cities of Italy ther 's none resemble her more in her constitutions and policy nay she is more like old Rome then Rome her self as now she is as if the soul of old Rome by a Pythagorean kind of meterapluchosis were transmigrated into her she is obdurated with the same kind of vigor and vertu as old Rome but it seemes that she is of a far stonger constitution and more constant in her way of policy som do brand the one to be a Shepheards Town at first and Venice a Fisher Town 'T is tru that Rome is fabled to be so so that it might be said that when the Pope came to be her head she was reduced to her first principles for as a Shepheard was the founder so a Shepheard spirituall is still her preserver from utter ruin otherwise she had bin long since turn'd into a heap of rubbish which had becom her Tomb So that Providence seems to have a care of her still though present Rome may be sayed to be but the monument of her self compard to times passd when she was in that florish wherin Saint Augustin did wish to see her She was then of 50. miles circumference as Vopiscus witnesseth and she had 500000. free Cittizens in a famous cense that was made in Claudius his time which allowing but six to evry family in Women Children and Servants came to 3. millions of Soules but She may be sayed to be now but a Wildernes in comparison of that nomber yet She is esteemd to have yet bout 14. miles incircuit Moreover She is much humbled since the Church came to be her Head for wheras She was before elevated upon seven Hills She now spreads her-self upon a flatt having descended to the Plaines of Campus Martius So She who tamd the World seemd to tame her-self at last and falling under her own weight grew to be a prey to Time who with his iron teeth consumes all bodies at last making all things both animat and inanimat which have their being under that changeling the Moon to be subject unto corruption and dissolution A Parallel twixt the Government of old Rome and Venice THe greatest thing wherin old Rome differs from Venice is that after Kings or Souverain Princes Rome was governd by Consulls but here clean contrary after Consulls a Doge or Princely Head came to govern yet doth he carry still the badg of a Consull in the vest upon his back Among the Romans Tribunus Celerum he who had the comand of the Cavalrie had the chiefest charge just so the Venetians use to create a Captain General of the Armies in the Continent and as he at Rome defended the King and Cittie and was the first that assalted the Enemy and the last that left the field so doth the Venetian General therfore he hath the next place to the Prince himself Moreover a good while passd when the Consulls could not levy the cense which evry one according to his substance was bound to pay in regard of other more important affaires wherin they were involvd therfore the Censors were chosen so calld because their first office was to gather the cense which was to know the nomber of Cittizens and putt an estimat upon their states and so a tax afterwards this Magistrat did grow to that esteem and use that he came to have authority allso over the maners and customes of the Romanes and to have Superintendency both of the Senat the Cavalry and Gards In conformity to this office ther are ten Censors in Venice which are calld vulgarly Gli dieci Savii the ten Sages who supervise not only the cense but the Customes allso of the Cittie But the Cittie encreasing and peeple multiplying daylie with busines Venice did choose other Censors giving them authority over the pomp the food and rayment of the Cittizens which Magistrats are calld la Giustitia nuova instituted in the time of Renier Zeno who have authority over all Inns Hostries and Lodgers of Strangers The Romans peeple still encreasing and having Warrs in divers places created in tract of time a new Officer of greater authority whom they calld Dictator from him ther was no appeale to be made and he had in the highest way of authority power over the life 's of men The General of the Sea among the Venetians hath som resemblance with this Officer only with this difference that he is chosen upon extraordinary ocasions but as long as he is abroad he hath a Dictatorian power for to what maritim place soever he arrives he hath the Keys of the Town brought him with those of any Castle or Fortresse But here it is to be observd that this Officer cannot enter Venice with any armed Gallie but as soon as he comes to Istria which is distant 100. miles from Venice he payes the Mariners and all other Officers their Salaries and so disbands them and returns to Venice with a very few of his retinue This corresponds with the custom of the