Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A48578
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The city and republick of Venice in three parts / originally written in French by Monsieur de S. Desdier.
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S. Desdier, Monsieur de.
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1699
(1699)
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Wing L2306; ESTC R34981
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188,059
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407
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Congregation of Gondaliers in which this sort oâ— People who are not indeed very well instructed in the Necessary Points of Religion Assembled every Sunday to learn the Duty of Christians and the most important Truths of our Faith So this Congregation became in a little time very numerous and there was much reason to believe it would have been attended with the best Effects but some of the Noble Venetians knowing very well that their Gondaliers were not ignorant of what passed in their Families nor even their more publick and private Designs of which they discourse in their Gondalo's occasioned them to suspect that the Jesuits intended to penetrate into these Matters informing themselves of their Affairs and secretest Intrigues by the means of this Congregation Upon this bare Conjecture the Matter was made known to the Senate where it was adjudg'd to be of greater consequence than it appeared so it was resolved at that instant to send an Order of the Senate requiring them to desist the continuance of that Congregation as likewise their Orders to the Father that undertook the Business to leave Venice and not return before such a time There hath been lately another Instance of Severity upon the Jesuits that was equally surprizing to every Body A Young Man of Padua after the Deaâ—h of his Father retired to their Order as designing to receive the Habit he being left in full Possession of the Estate his Father gave him pass'd a Procuration to the Father Rector at Padua enabling him to sell his Effects and dispose of them as should be thought convenient while he perform'd his Noviceship at Boulogna to which place he was sent The Mother of the Young Man perceiving the Injury done her made her Complaint to the College of the Republick who referr'd the Matter to the Tribunal of the Council of Ten they immediately summon'd the Father that received the Procuration with Orders to deliver it up to them The Rector at Padua by reason of his great Age and his Indisposition of the Gout sent a Father of their Order to appear for him but omitted sending the Procuration The Order was immediately repeated whereupon the Father took Boat from whence he was brought to their Presence in a Chair but these Judges making his Disobedience an Affair of State delivered him to the Inquisitors of the Republick who sent him to the Leads which is a very dismal Prison where he continued a Fortnight the Procuration was retain'â— and the Young Man appearing declar'd he would not be a Jesuite The Senate hath lately thought fit to lay the greatest Infliction imaginable upon them by obliging thâ—m to go several times a Year in Procession like the other Communities with the Surplice and Candles in their Hands so to pass over the Place of St. Mark in the presence of the Seignory then accompanied bâ— the Nuncio and other Ambassadors residing at Venice But the Parte or Decree that the Senate lately made which forbids any of that Order to remain above three Years within the States of the Republick is the most sensible Blow that could have been given them for it seems to overthrow the most Essential Maxims of their Society I shall leave it to any ones Judgment if these Examples of severity towards one of the most powerful Societies and which 〈◊〉 the best received by mâ—st Courts of Europe are not sufficiently perswasive to retain all the other Religious and Ecclesiasticks in that absolute Dependance which the Republick requires from them in respect of the Governmâ—nt especially seeing they do not permit the Ecclesiastical Superiours to regulate their Conduct or trouble them for their disorderly ways of Living Of the Inquisition of Venice WHEN it is known with what Spirit this Republick governs and the Jealousie they have of the Ecclesiastical Authority one cannot at first but wonder to see the Inquisition established in the City and Dominions of this Republick yet when the Circumstances of the Admission are known and how that Jurisdiction is limited we must cease wondring to admire on the contrary the Wisdom of the Senate who perfectly knowing all the Consequences of that Formidable Authority have been no ways less careful from the very beginning to prevent the Estabâ—ishment of it with that ample power which this Tribunal hath in other Countries than they of the Court of Rome on the other hand have us'd Skill and Authority for the gaining of this important Advantage but the Consent of the Senate being necessary to the Establishing of this Matter the Pope was forc'd to agree to such Conditions as render this Tribunal of the Inquisition little less dependant upon the Political Government than of the Secular Courts The Holy Office is Compos'd of the Pope's Nuncio Residing at Venice of the Patriarch of Venice who as a Noble Venetian is a Religious Observer of the Laws of the Republick of the Father Inquisitor who is ever of the Order of St. Francis and of two Principal Senators as Assistants without whose Presence and Approbation all other Proceedings are invalid and their Decrees of no effect by which means and through the Pretences that the matter in question will be contrary to the Interest and Laws of the State The mighty business of this Tribunal is reduced to a narrower compass than one would easily believe Manifest Heresie is almost the only thing to which the Inquisition hath Right of Cognizance it is said manifest because the greatest part of those things that attend or may proceed from it and support it belong to the Secular Judges who having the care of the Publick Tranquillity committed to them do both cause an exact Observance to all Orders and particular Inspection to be made into these Matters Besides the Inquisition is not to concern themselves with such as do not profess the Roman Catholick Religion and since the compiling of the Catalogue of Forbidden Books which the Republick caus'd to be made upon the Setting up of the Inquisiâ—ion about one hundred Years past the Holy Office is not permitted to censure any others than what are Condemn'd by the Republick Nevertheless that the Senate may be the more assur'd of their own Conduct as well in relation to Matters of Religion as in regard of the just Rights of the Court of Rome they have thought fit to maintain two Doctors which are called Counsellors of State one is Religious the other is a Secular according to whose Opinions they take their necessary Measures in these Occasions insomuch that the Senate doth never receive either Bulls Briefs or Excommunications until such time as these Doctors have throughly examined them and reported them to contain nothing contrary to the Laws and Liberty of the State The Republick doth permit the Greeks and Armenians the free Exercise of their Religion which they enjoy in their several Churches altho the Greeks have so much moderation as not to declare themselves to be Schismaticks yet they sufficiently own that they depend on the Patriarch of
any other Condition This Conjecture banishes all difficulties that might be made against Courting of them so they likewise are no ways offended in hearing themselves agreeably Complimented and to entertain that familiariny with the World which in most other Places is only us'd by such as are particularly engag'd to it No People are so well acquainted with Private Matters or the Gallantries of particular Persons as they really are There are scarce any Amorous Intrigues wherein they have not some share or to which are not at least Confidents for upon this Topick of secrecy they place their principal Point of Honour and even to administer their best Offices and more effectual Endeavours between the Gentlemen of their particular Acquaintance and such Ladies as are either their Relations or their intimate Friends As they frequently present their Friends of both sorts with variety of Presents Flowers and those sort of things so by the means of these Presents our Lovers convey their Letters and Tokens to the Ladies without giving any manner of Suspicion Those Nuns who have Brothers keeping Courtisans do rarely miss taking the opportunity of the Masquerades in the Carneval to bring these disguis'd Young Women to their Parloirs where they take much Pleasure in entertaining them with the Advantages they have of possessing the Friendships of their Brothers they Regale and Caress them with Tenderness even so far as to call them their Sisters One ought not to be much surpriz'd at this proceeding for even those Nuns who are Exemplary for their good Lives and whose Conduct is free of all reproach yet having made some sort of intimacy with Gentlemen that are Strangers they do expect to be inform'd of their Gallantries and if these Gentlemen own an Affection to any particular Lady they earnestly desire the sight of her to whom they express all the Civilities imaginable and shew by their little Presents the esteem they have for the Gentleman whose tenderest Affections they have acquir'd No Places are more frequented than the Parloirs of these Nuns notwithstanding the severity of the Magistrates against these Monasteries yet the Nobbes that frequent them are not to be kept from making their continual Visits As there is not a Pretty Young Nun that has not variety of Gallants so all the vigilance and precautions of the Lady-Abbess serve only to make these Young Creatures more Ingenious in finding of Expedients to try their Lovers I do remember upon this occasion That an Old Aunt chiding her Niece for having answer'd to the Assiduties of an Enamour'd Noble who stood a great while in the Church to observe her at the Grate of the Choir where she often appear'd because she was not permitted the liberty of the Parloir as she desir'd was only answer'd That it was the least thing she cou'd do to avoid being thought Uncivil and Ingrateful to a Gentleman that Honour'd her with his Service One of the things most inconvenient to the Religious is the openness of their Parloirs that is there are several Grates in one or several Rooms into which all People go without attending the coming away of Company there before them But when they hear how we Converse in France with the Nuns in separate Parloirs they do acknowledge That such Conveniencies would be extremely agreeeble to their Humours In Carnaval-time the Parloirs are the Rendevous of the Masque and the more they are Buffoon and Ridiculous the better they are receiv'd The Young Gentlemen make it their endeavours to Disguise themselves as extravagantly as possibly they can and then go from Convent to Convent diverting of the Nuns with a Thousand pleasant Cajoleries The Lady-Abbesses sometimes appear to get both the Masques and the Religious to retire but as these go away of one side so they return again on the other in the mean while the Masques Play their Tricks which oftentimes makes the Abbess Laugh and forces her to retire with the Flock Upon the last Days of Carnaval one sees at the Grate of some of these Monasteries several of the Religious disguis'd in the Dress of the Fashion some I have seen in Mens Cloaths with Feathers in their Hats and playing the Gallant in amplest order I knew a Noble Venetian that had so great an Engagement for a Beautiful Religious That when he went to see her he took his Place in the Parloir as soon as it it was opened in the Morning where he remain'd with his Head against the Grate without ever stirring until the entrance of the Night and without either Eating or Drinking unless a Bisquet or some such thing which the Nun might chance to get him But to maintain a Conversation of this length the Lady-Abbess must be deceiv'd by the diligent watching of her Friend or principal Confident who are ever ready to render their Friends the like Services in such Junctures The greatest part of these Nuns go no oftner to the Choir than they think fit they Rise and go to Bed when they please frequently entertaining each other with what their Acquaintance send them which oftentimes amount to entire Meals and Collations that their industrious Friends get pass'd into the Convent By this it seems as if the Inclosure only distinguish'd them from People in the World Notwithstanding the Scandal which this may occasion and the Stories that are told of some Nuns who have had the Curiosity to see the Opera and that they found the means of doing it Yet I am apt to beleive that these are Untruths and that the other Liberties they enjoy which are of small Consequence at Venice have been the occasion of saying more than the Truth in this matter One can see nothing more singular or agreable than the Habits of Five or Six several Orders of Nuns at Venice for instead of Vail Fillet and Biggin they have only a Forehead-cloth of fine white pleated Gause somewhat like those that are in France worn upon Mournings with a little Biggin of fine pleated Linnen that covers the Top and Hind-part of the Head rhe two Ends of which meet under the Throat their Hair comes out behind which is Cut so as to fall about the upper part of their Necks they have their Hair on the Forehead usually Curl'd and oftentimes Enamel'd Buckles in their Ears for Pendants In most of the Monasteries their Habits are of white Camblet and their Bodies are stiffened a sort of fine black Crape is sow'd round about the upper part of their Bodies this is brought straight down before for the advantage of the Shape which is likewise no small Grace to the Neck that is almost wholly expos'd to the Eye The Necks of their Shifts are of the finest Linnen and ruffled at Bottom they come only a little below the Elbow where being ty'd with Ribbans they have the appearance of Ruffles As these Ladies are extremely Neat in their Linnen the gayest of them being never without Flowers which they fasten before them or in their Bosoms so it