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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19232	The commonvvealth and gouernment of Venice. VVritten by the Cardinall Gasper Contareno, and translated out of Italian into English, by Lewes Lewkenor Esquire. VVith sundry other collections, annexed by the translator for the more cleere and exact satisfaction of the reader. With a short chronicle in the end, of the liues and raignes of the Venetian dukes, from the very beginninges of their citie; De magistribus et republica Venetorum. English	Contarini, Gasparo, 1483-1542.; Lewkenor, Lewis, Sir, d. 1626.	1599 (1599)	STC 5642; ESTC S108619	143,054	250

seemeth to require at my hands that I should likewise speake of the other partes branches of this gouernment which in seeming doe represent the rule gouernment of the nobles and best citizens seeing that especially the same doth in the city of Venice excell the rest as in the following volume I will by Gods help make manifest and plaine The end of the second booke The third Booke of the Magistrates and Commonwealth of the Venetians EVery institution and gouernment of man the neerer it aspireth to the praise of perfection and goodnesse the nearer shold it imitate nature the best mother of all thinges for so hath she disposed the order of the whole world that those things which are deuoide of sence and vnderstanding shoulde bee ruled and gouerned by those that haue sence and knowledge and therefore in this assemblie of men which of vs is called Citie olde men ought to bee preferred before the younger fort as those that are lesse subiect to the perturbations of the minde and withall hauing beene of longer life must needes be of greater experience in the affaires of the world Therefore Aristotle in his Politiques most wisely saith that in euery commonwealth which wold emulate and follow the wisedome policie of nature olde men should be placed at the helme and the office of the young men should bee to obey and to execute those thinges which the olde men should commande them Neither can the young men seeing this institution is nearest vnto Nature by any meanes finde fault or repine at the gouernment of olde men or stirre vppe therefore any sedition in the commonwealth seeing that in this difference which age onely maketh enuie hath no place neyther may there iustly bee any complaint so long as the young men shall assuredly hope to receiue the like obedience in their age of the following younger sort which opinion of Aristotle is allowed of all commonwealthes that euer were of any fame who alwaies preferred the counsell of the elder sort as The name of senate deriued from Senes signifieth olde men well in the gouernment of their Cittie as in the administration of their other publike affaires neither is the name of senate from else where deriued then from old men who in the Latine tong are called Senes I woulde alleadge heere the commonwealth of the Romaines of the Athenians of the Carthaginians of the Lacedemonians besides the lawes of sundry other cities but that the matter is of it selfe so manifest that it standeth not in need of any such proofe With this reason therefore was the Senate ordayned and established in this commonwealth of ours likewise the councell of the tenne who in the cittie of Venice in whose commonwealth as I said there is a mixture of the three gouernments royall popular noble do represent the state of the nobilitie are as it were the meane or middle which reconcileth and bindeth together the two extreames that is the popular estate represented in the great councell the prince bearing a shew of royaltie So saith Plato are the extreame elementes the earth and the fire ioyned and bound together with the middle elementes as in a well tuned dyapason the extreame voyces are concorded together by the middle tunes of the Dyatessaron and Diapente The number of right and lawfull senators are 120. To go forward therefore with my purpose the senate of Venice hath a hundred and twenty lawfull senators besides many other magistrates that do also obtaine the priuiledge and right of Senators so that now in this time of ours there are aboue two hundred and twentie that haue the authority of vsing their suffrages in the senate The lawfull Senators are euery yeare created by that assembly of citizens which as I haue often repeated is tearmed the great Councell Neyther hath this honour any vacation as the other magistrates haue but they may if their lot fall out and that the great councell bee therewith pleased which for the most parte happeneth continue euery yeare in that office The manner and meane of their election is of vs before declared when wee expressed the forme of the whole sessions There are in the monthes of August and September in euery session sixe Senators elected which session being in those sessions tenne times remoued make vp the number of threescore elected Senators the other threescore are ioyned or as it were ascribed to the former and they all are chosen together at certain particular sessions For vpon the nine twentieth day of September the senate doth assemble then euery senator and other that hath authority of suffrages nameth a citizen in the Senate And the next day early at three a clocke in the morning the whole number of citizens commeth into the session house and then the names being rehearsed by the Secretary of all those citizens who the day before were named of the Senators the names of all are put into a potte and afterwardes taken out by chaunce By and by they go to their lottes of which threescore of those that shall haue most lottes in their fauour so that they exceed not the halfe are that yeare ascribed in the number of Senators but yet in that sort that there may not bee in that last number aboue two of a kindred so that in the whole number of lawfull Senators there cannot in all be aboue three of a kindred which ordinance seemeth to haue beene established with exceeding wisedome in behalfe of the commonwealth considering that there cannot happen to a commonwealth a more daungerous or pestilent contagion then the ouerweighing of one parte or faction aboue the other for where the ballance of iustice standeth not euen it is vnpossible that there should bee a friendly societie and firme agreement among the citizens which alwaies happeneth where many offices of the commonwealth meete together in one For as euery mixture dissolueth if any one of the elementes of which the mixed body consisteth ouercome the other and as in musicke the tune is marred where one string keepeth a greater noyse then hee shoulde doe so by the like reason if you will haue your commonwealth perfect and enduring let not one parte bee mightier then the other but let them all in as much as may bee haue equall share in the publique authoritie With excellent wisedome and prouidence therefore did our auncestors cause this to bee established as a perpetuall law and decree in our commonwealth that not onely in the senate but also in all other offices there shoulde not bee any more of one kindred or allyance then the preseruation of equalitie required Neyther seemeth the order of electing the Senate inuented with lesse forecast and prudence which is that threescore citizens should bee chosen according to the accustomed vse of the sessions chaunce election and iudgement being therein mingled altogether but that the choyce of the other threescore should bee after another sorte such as you haue heard wherein chaunce hath

THE COMMON-WEALTH AND Gouernment of VENICE WRITTEN BY THE Cardinall Gasper Contareno and translated out of Italian into English by Lewes Lewkenor Esquire Nel piu bel vedere cieco VVith sundry other Collections annexed by the Translator for the more cleere and exact satisfaction of the Reader With a short Chronicle in the end of the liues and raignes of the Venetian Dukes from the very beginninges of their Citie LONDON Imprinted by Iohn Windet for Edmund Mattes and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the Hand and Plow in Fleetstreet 1599. To the right Honourable and most Vertuous Lady the Lady Anne Countesse of Warwicke I Am accused of presumption right excellent Lady by this noble Common-wealth which I heere present vnto you who gloriously shining in the cleere knowledge of her owne incomparable worthinesse doth like a beautifull virgine that seeing her faire picture foulely handled of an vnskilfull painter blush at the view of her wronged beauty and reproueth me for hauing with such feeble forces so farre presumed in the description of her rich and royall history a matter which the rarest forraine spirites of our time haue by their learned pens so highly enobled with such excellent art ornaments she wel knoweth the cleernes of your iudgement and therfore feareth bearing the burthen and blemishes of so great a weakenesse to approch the rayes of a censure so vndeceiueable and absolute I haue no shield nor excuse to oppose against this iust imputation but onely the defence of your Ladishippes fauours who though by former experience knowing my vnfitnesse for such a worke did neuerthelesse impose this taske vpon me Now therefore my humble request is that howsoeuer the vntuned harshnesse of my disioynted stile shall seeme vnpleasant in your eares yet that you will vouchsafe to be a gentle propitious defendresse to this renowned Commonwealth that nothing more desireth then to bee gracious in your sight and here frankely offreth vnto your view the naked full discouerie of her faire and be utifull lineaments not concealing any part of her rarest perfections Onely she humbly desireth that sithence it is her happe to bee brought into Englande she may haue free and quiet passage vnder your honourable safe conduct and protection for such is the generall loue and reuerence which the great worthinesse and integritie of your vnblemished life and your long constant continued course in the exercise of a spotlesse vertue hath vniuersally gained you that bearing with her the faire warrant of your so many waies enobled name she shall not need to feare any vnciuill or disgracious vsage no not of those whose minds are diseased with the greatest enuie Finally I beseech you good Madame not to measure my duetie towardes you by this meanes wherein I seeke to shew it for this I know to bee ordinary and vulgar and so farre from the satisfaction of mine owne mind as that I am in a manner therewith displeased but the other if euer your commandement opportunity of time and occasion or the vttermost strain of my inuention and indeauour giue me leaue shall discouer it selfe in a better proportion for I will neuer forget but still retaine engraued in the marble table of a thankefull memory besides the dutie our family oweth vnto that noble house wherein you matched the many fauours you haue done me in particular and he many wayes you haue sought to doe me good wherein though the violence of my own fortune hath stil encountred your enaeuor yet ther remaineth vnto me no small comfort withal I doe somewhat the better esteeme my selfe in that your Ladishippe whose iudgement wisedome and vertue passeth with such generall allowance hath deemed me worthy of your honourable good opinion and thereof hath made me assured by many most essentiall testimonies In conclusion Madam I will neuer cease to honour you and in the meane time humbly beseech you to accept in good part these the fruites of my extream idlenes the poore pledges of that duty which I would discharge towardes you in greater matters if I were able and for my part I will neuer cease to pray vnto the almighty to blesse you with honour and happines such as so great worthinesse and vertue deserueth Selsey this thirteenth of August 1598. Your Ladyshippes most faithfully to commaund LEWES LEWKENOR THe antique Babel Empresse of the East Vpreard her buildinges to the threatned skie And Second Babell tyrant of the West Her ayry Towers vpraised much more high But with the weight of their own surquedry They both are fallen that all the earth did feare And buried now in their own ashes ly Yet shewing by their heapes how great they were But in their place doth now a third appeare Fayre Venice flower of the last worlds delight And next to them in beauty draweth neare But farre exceedes in policie of right Yet not so fayre her buildinges to behold As Lewkenors stile that hath her beautie told Edw. Spencer FAyer mayden towne that in rich Thetis armes Hast still been fostered since thy first foundatiō Whose glorious beauty cals vnnumbred swarmes Of rarest spirits from each forrein natiō And yet sole wonder to all Europes eares Most louely Nimph that euer Neptune got In all this space of thirteene hundred yeares Thy virgins state ambition nere could blot Now I prognosticate thy ruinous case When thou shalt from thy Adriatique seas View in this Ocean Isle thy painted face In these pure colours coyest eyes to please Then gazing in thy shadowes peereles eye Enamour'd like Narcissus thou shalt dye I. Ashley VEnice inuincible the Adriatique wonder Admirde of all the world for power and glorie Whom no ambitious force could yet bring vnder Is here presented in her States rare storye Where all corrupt means to aspire are curbd And Officers for vertues worth elected The contrarie wherof hath much disturbd All states where the like cause is vnrespected A document that Iustice fortifies Each gouernment although in some thinges faultie And makes it dreadfull to the enuying eyes Of ill affecting foes and tyrants haulty Lewkenor whom armes and letters haue made knowen In this worke hath the fruits of either shewen Maur. Kiffen TI 's not affected grace or mockt disguise Assures a true returne from forren partes Trauell confounds the vaine confirmes the wise Leukenor liue thou esteemde for thy deserts While thy last trauels do thy first commend To straungers prou'd in them a gratefull frende And for thy absence to thy natiue clyme A welcome Venturer of rich priz'd time Henry Elmes To the Reader THough I haue been euer readier to wonder at the effect of things extraordinarily strange then wel prouided of iudgement to examine their causes subiecting sundrie times mine eares to the report of rare and vnusuall accidents with a greater bent of attention then perchaunce to a well tempered stayednes will seem conuenient yet mee thinketh that this humor of mine howsoeuer faulty is much more excusable then that contemptuous derision