,transcriber's ,note3 ,inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved4 ,obvious typographical errors have been corrected4 ,italic text is denoted by underscores and bold text by equal signs4 ,,by ,,the ,,same ,,author ,,beautiful ,,books ,,with ,,illustrations ,,in ,,colour ,,price #bj,s4 ,,net ,,each ,,japan ,,world',s ,,children ,,world ,,pictures ,,venice ,,brittany ,,the ,,thames ,a4 ,c4 ,,black 4 #d ,,soho ,,square 4 ,,london ,,venice ,illustration3 ,,crossing ,,the ,,piazza ,,venice 3 ,,by ,,mortimer ,,menpes 3 ,,text ,,by ,,dorothy ,,menpes ,,published ,,by ,,adam ,,and ,,charles ,,black,,london,w ,published ,may #aijd ,reprinted #aijf1 #aiab ,,contents ,,page ,,arrival ,,and ,,first ,,impressions #c ,,history #ag ,a ,,glimpse ,,into ,,bohemia #ci ,,architecture #ee ,,st4 ,,mark',s #gg ,,painters ,,of ,,the ,,renaissance #ia ,,streets1 ,,shops1 ,,and ,,courtyards #abe ,,the ,,islands ,,of ,,the ,,lagoon #adi ,,social ,,ups ,,and ,,downs #agc ,,gondolas ,,and ,,gondoliers #aic ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations #a4 ,crossing the ,piazza ,frontispiece ,,facing ,,page #b4 ,grand ,canal1 showing ,tower of ,st4 ,geremia #b #c4 ,a ,pink ,palace #d #d4 ,palazzo ,pisani #f #e4 ,the ,salute at ,sunset #h #f4 ,a ,ruined ,palazzo #ab #g4 ,palazzi on the ,canal #ad #h4 ,giudecca #af #i4 ,san ,giorgio ,maggiore #bj #aj4 ,off the ,giudecca #bb #aa4 ,st4 ,maria delle ,misericordia #bf #ab4 ,the ,custom ,house and ,church of ,santa ,maria della ,salute #bh #ac4 ,at ,chioggia #cj #ad4 ,church of ,san ,geremia #cb #ae4 ,the ,bridge of ,sighs and ,straw ,bridge #cd #af4 ,on the ,grand ,canal #cf #ag4 ,the ,bridge of ,sighs #ch #ah4 ,palace in a ,by-,canal #db #ai4 ,the ,orange ,door #dd #bj4 ,an ,unfrequented ,canal #ej #ba4 ,st4 ,mark's ,basin #eb #bb4 ,hotel ,danieli #ed #bc4 ,porta della ,carta #ef #bd4 ,grand ,canal looking towards the ,dogana #eh #be4 ,a ,famous ,palazzo #fj #bf4 ,entrance to the ,grand ,canal #fb #bg4 ,panorama seen from ,st4 ,mark's ,basin #fd #bh4 ,the ,dogana and ,salute #ff #bi4 ,palazzo ,contarini degli ,scrigni #fh #cj4 ,santa ,maria della ,salute #gb #ca4 ,palazzo ,mengaldo #gd #cb4 ,ospedale ,civile #gf #cc4 ,st4 ,mark's #gh #cd4 ,palazzo ,danieli #hj #ce4 ,francesca #hb #cf4 ,st4 ,mark's ,piazza #hf #cg4 ,scuola di ,san ,marco #hh #ch4 ,a ,quiet ,waterway #ij #ci4 ,canal ,priuli #id #dj4 ,osmarin ,canal #ih #da4 ,a ,sotto ,portico #ajb #db4 ,a ,narrow ,canal #ajh #dc4 ,bridge near the ,palazzo ,labia #aaj #dd4 ,the ,house with the ,blue ,door #aab #de4 ,canal in ,giudecca ,island #aad #df4 ,the ,orange ,sail #aah #dg4 ,a ,quiet ,rio #abj #dh4 ,humble ,quarter #abb #di4 ,rio di ,san ,marina #abd #ej4 ,a ,squero or ,boat-building ,yard #abf #ea4 ,the ,weekly ,wash #abh #eb4 ,a ,back ,street #acj #ec4 ,the ,wooden ,spoon ,seller #ach #ed4 ,work ,girls #adb #ee4 ,chioggia ,fish ,market #aej #ef4 ,chioggia #aed #eg4 ,in ,murano #aeh #eh4 ,mrs ,eden's ,garden in ,venice #afj #ei4 ,timber ,boats from the ,shores of the ,adriatic #afb #fj4 ,by a ,squero or ,boat-building ,yard #afd #fa4 ,in a ,side ,street1 ,chioggia #aff #fb4 ,santa ,maria della ,salute #afh #fc4 ,rio e ,chiesa degli ,ognissanti #agd #fd4 ,a ,campiello #agf #fe4 ,fishing ,boats from ,chioggia #agh #ff4 ,a ,woman of the ,people #ahj #fg4 ,chioggia #ahd #fh4 ,the ,fish ,market #aij #fi4 ,midday on the ,lagoon #aif #gj4 ,a ,traghetto #bjj #ga4 ,marietta #bjd #gb4 ,bambino #bjh #gc4 ,a ,squero or ,boat-building ,yard in ,venice #bab #gd4 ,under the ,midday ,sun #bad #ge4 ,the ,rialto #bah ,illustration3 ,,grand ,,canal1 ,,showing ,,tower ,,of ,,st4 ,,geremia ,,arrival ,,and ,,first ,,impressions ,there is no city more written about1 more painted1 and more misrepresented1 than ,venice4 ,students1 poets1 and painters have combined in reproducing her many charms4 ,usually1 however1 ,venice is described in a hurried1 careless way3 the subject is seldom gone deeply into1 and studied as it should be1 before attempting to compile a book4 ,it is only one who has been there1 and observed the life and characteristics of the people for years1 who can gain any true perception of their character4 ,those who have not been to ,venice must needs know by heart her attractions1 which have been so persistently thrust before the public2 but unless half a dozen really excellent books have been read concerning her1 the city of their imaginations must be a theatrical ,venice1 unreal and altogether false4 ,normally one feels that the last word about ,venice has been said--the last chord struck upon her keyboard1 the last harmony brought out4 ,but this is by no means the case4 ,there are chords still to be struck1 and harmonies still to be brought out3 her charm can never be exhausted4 ,the last chord struck1 no matter how poorly executed it may be1 goes on vibrating in our ears1 and all unconsciously we are listening for another4 ,how strange this is6 ,why should it be so8 ,what other cities impress us in the same way8 ,oxford perhaps1 and ,rome certainly4 ,these are the only two which come to my mind at the moment4 ,they are the cities of the soul1 round which endless romantic histories cling1 endless dear and glorious associations4 ,perhaps the reason why one never tires of books on ,venice1 or of pictures of ,venice1 is that they none of them fulfil one's desires and expectations--they never express just what one feels about her--there is always something left unsaid1 something uninterpreted2 and one is always waiting for that4 ,it is impossible to express all one feels with regard to ,venice4 ,one feels one's own incompetence terribly4 ,try as you may1 you can only give one day1 one hour1 one aspect of sea and sky1 only the four seasons1 not all the myriad changes between2--only four times of the day--dawn1 mid-day1 twilight1 and night--not the thousand melting changes1 not the continual variations4 ,it is not a panorama1 not a magnificent view permanent before one's gaze4 ,the cloud forms will never be quite the same as you see them at a certain moment2 the water will never be again of that particular shade of green2 the reflection of a pink palace1 with the black barge at its base laden with golden fruit1 will never again be thrown upon the water quite in that same way2 there will not always be that warm golden light bathing sea and sky and palace2 that particular pearly-grey mist in the early morning will never recur1 never quite that deep blue-black of night with the orange lights and the steely water4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,pink ,,palace ,when one lives in ,venice one becomes absolutely in sympathy with the place4 ,one feels her beautiful colour2 but it is quite another story when one comes to reproduce it4 ,words cannot describe nor brush portray it4 ,thousands have attempted to paint ,venice2 but few have succeeded4 ,the ,venetians themselves1 loving their country1 painted her continually2 but even they could only give one aspect of her4 ,the pictures of ,venice by ,venetian masters are chiefly of her pomp and glory1 her ,state functions and her water ftes4 ,however1 one finds marvellous glimpses of landscape work in some of the great masterpieces--sweeps of sky above the heads of some of the ,madonnas1 skies in which one can feel the shimmer of light so characteristic of ,venice1 the blending of the tones and the flaming glory of the sunset sky4 ,turner1 too1 caught the radiant1 shimmering1 bright and opalescent qualities of the lagoon scenery2 but even his palette could not cope with the ever-changing colour4 ,one must be either hot or cold with regard to ,venice4 ,you cannot be lukewarm4 ,the magic of her spell begins to work upon you immediately you arrive4 ,most of us imagine what the place will be like before we reach it4 ,we people it in our dreams1 and visualise it for ourselves--canals1 palaces1 streets1 the general appearance of things4 ,this imaginary city has no foundations save those which are supplied by pictures and stories4 ,illustration3 ,,palazzo ,,pisani ,one's first impressions are always those which one remembers longest1 and one's first impressions of ,venice are surpassingly beautiful4 ,in the train1 arriving1 you catch glimpses of flashes of light in the darkness1 more strangely fantastic than anything you could imagine2 you traverse a long causeway stretching over the lagoon2 you see the water on either side of you1 jet black1 stretching on indefinitely2 the train seems to float on air2 you cannot see the bridge--nothing but sky and water4 ,you arrive at a large terminal station1 and step into the gondola which is to take you into ,venice4 ,into most cities one arrives in a whirl and shriek of engines amid smoke and bustle2 but ,venice is different4 ,one arrives in a gondola4 ,the water is of a clear pale green2 the banks are scrubby grass and mud4 ,one watches the silver prow of the gondola as it shoots forward1 the sea air blowing keen and salt4 ,you realise that you are in a wide canal1 and that there are buildings on either side of you1 looming up white and gaunt1 with here and there a lantern glimmering at their base4 ,it is strange to see a city rising thus out of the sea4 ,venice seems double3 one sees it in the substance and in the reflections on the water4 ,after gliding along for some time you turn up narrow water lanes1 devious and branching1 running by low stonework1 very complicated in their turnings4 ,there are doors with water creeping up their steps1 striped posts looking like spectres1 and arches everywhere4 ,strange figures1 like phantoms in a dream1 appear in the gloom2 black gondolas1 like funeral biers1 lie silently at the base of the houses2 and the water laps dully at the steps4 ,the silence of the waterways is deathlike after the rush and noise of a long journey2 each shape that passes looks ghostly in the dim light2 it is like a city of eternal sleep1 a city of death4 ,what a perfect background it would make for melodrama or for tragedy6 ,no crime or intrigue could be too terrible to happen within those unfathomable shadows6 ,a brigand might pass within that heavy half-opened oak door silently and unnoticed4 ,a corpse with a stiletto buried in its breast might be gliding by in that black gondola4 ,one would be quite surprised and somewhat shocked on lifting the felce to discover a fat and florid tradesman returning from supper with a friend4 ,venice is not a fitting background for such a sordid everyday scene4 ,she is much better suited to the romances of ,maturin1 ,lewis1 and ,ann ,radcliffe2 to the ,great ,bandit1 the stories of the ,three ,inquisitors1 the ,council of ,ten1 masked spies1 and pitfalls4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,salute ,,at ,,sunset ,in the daytime one recognises ,venice as the ,venice of ,canaletto1 of ,bonington1 and of ,wild4 ,there is that same vague1 luminous atmosphere1 full of rays and mists2 the coming and going of gondolas or galiots2 the landing-place of the ,piazzetta1 with its ,gothic lanterns ornamented by figures of the saints1 fixed on poles and sunk into the sea2 the vermilion faade of the ,ducal ,palace1 lozenged with white and rose marble1 its massive pillars supporting a gallery of small columns4 ,with all this one has been familiar through the pictures of the masters whom ,i have mentioned2 but the real ,venice is still more beautiful1 still more wonderful1 still more fantastic4 ,if you climb up on any height and look down upon the lagoon1 you will see a sight never to be forgotten4 ,you will imagine that it is a dream which has taken shape1 a vision of fairy-land4 ,the sea is dotted with craft of all kinds4 ,there is a continuous movement of boats--gondolas1 sailing vessels1 and steam-boats pouring forth volumes of black smoke and making a disturbance on the peaceful lagoon4 ,the water is limpid1 the light radiant2 a row of stakes on the lagoon marks the channels which are navigable for ships4 ,there is the island of ,san ,giorgio1 with its red steeple1 its white basilica1 surrounded by a girdle of boats1 and looking like a sheet of burnished silver4 ,there is the ,giudecca1 a maritime suburb of ,venice1 turning towards the city a row of houses and towards the sea a belt of gardens2 it has two churches1 ,santa ,maria and the ,redentore4 ,there is ,san ,clemate1 at the back of the ,giudecca1 a place of penitence and of detention for priests under discipline2 ,poreglia1 where the vessels are quarantined2 and the little island of ,st4 ,peter1 almost invisible in the distance4 ,the only black cupola is that of ,st4 ,simeon the ,less4 ,those of the other churches are silvery4 ,the clouds and the islands seem to mingle one with the other1 and are as baffling as the mirage in a desert4 ,on a fine day in ,venice there is a certain brilliant crystalline clearness sharpening every outline2 every tower and dome stands out sharp and clear against the sky1 making the colours burn4 ,there is colour everywhere3 even the islands in the distance are blue and distinct4 ,there is colour in the groups that saunter by1 in the sapphire water1 and in the cloudless heavens4 ,the air is warm and still2 the streets are full of people1 walking and loitering at the doors of the shops2 sunbeams dance on the rippling water2 spring is everywhere4 ,as evening comes on the colours grow richer and deeper2 scarlet clouds float across the amber sky2 the canal takes on the hues of the upper air1 and is a rippling mass of liquid topaz and molten gold1 in rapid succession changing from gold to orange1 and from orange to deepest crimson4 ,in the soft hazy light1 against the rose tone of the sky1 the cupolas of the islands and the palaces seem to float1 shimmering with the hues of mother-of-pearl1 mysterious1 dream-like1 not like solid stone4 ,the soft lap of the water breaks the silence2 the vaporous mists float upwards4 ,across the light drifts a line of fishing boats1 their great brown sails set4 ,a streak of flame-colour strikes on the windows of ,venice1 a flush of orange and rose4 ,then in a second the sun is gone1 and a brief space of doubt ensues1 when day hangs trembling in the balance2 then night settles on the lagoon4 ,a hundred bells ring out over the city1 clashing and clamouring together in one brazen peal4 ,soon the peal subsides4 ,the evening breeze springs up mild and sweet from the sea1 and the soft and mellow cry of ,stali6 ,ah ,stali6 is heard everywhere4 ,it is the hour when all that is poor and unlovely melts into ethereal beauty4 ,the water is a deep blue-black1 save for rippling trails of light from the lamps1 which shine like golden stars from the prows of the gondolas4 ,the moon rises1 nearly full1 and is veiled by hazy clouds2 the outlines of the bell towers of the palaces are pale and delicate in the soft light4 ,the stillness of the water streets is soothing1 and the prattle of the city falls gently on the ears4 ,no matter how prosaic or how unimpressionable one may be1 one soon grows into sympathy with the atmosphere of ,venice4 ,it is almost impossible to avoid becoming sentimental as one floats in one's gondola at night1 with the twinkling stars above and the twinkling splashes below4 ,one almost unconsciously builds romances round the palaces tottering to decay4 ,venice is always ready to charm and allure you4 ,it is hard to believe that somewhere there is a working1 active1 busy life going on4 ,but indeed no one in ,venice seems to be in earnest4 ,it is as if the present time does not count1 as if it were but an echo of what passed long years ago4 ,people work without aim or energy1 and when they suffer it seems as if they were but mumming4 ,a sweetness and a docility steal into one's soul1 and one feels that one can do nothing but drift on for ever in this pleasant idleness4 ,harsh voices become modulated2 cross-grained1 querulous natures are sweetened2 even the flat-faced1 spectacled tourists1 when they step from the railway station into a gondola and glide into the mystic water city1 alive with a myriad glistening lights1 develop unconsciously1 and despite themselves1 into delightful people4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,ruined ,,palazzo ,on the day when ,i arrived in ,venice1 as ,i was wandering down a lane beyond the ,canareggio ,canal1 ,i found myself in the ,jewish part of the city4 ,it is a fetid and pestilential place4 ,there is about it nothing pleasant1 or wholesome1 or attractive4 ,the stonework is cracked and rotten4 ,the houses1 streaked with dirt1 bend over into the water with the weight of years4 ,most of them are nine stories high1 grimy and dirty1 and speckled with green spots4 ,there is not a straight line anywhere1 and not a whole pane of glass--paper is the substitute4 ,now and then one sees a patch of plaster on a house2 but for the most part the plaster has fallen away1 revealing the crumbly red bricks beneath4 ,it gives one a sickening feeling--this terrible poverty1 solitude1 and neglect4 ,everything is strange1 sullen1 mysterious4 ,men and women with curved noses and eyes set like burning coals in their pale faces glide noiselessly along with furtive glances4 ,the children are half naked1 and play about on benches in the streets4 ,i have seen poverty-stricken ,jewish quarters before1 but never anything so sad as this4 ,the sordidness and terrible despair of it make one's heart ache4 ,there are no green fields and trees to alleviate the misery of the people4 ,yet1 ,i suppose1 the condition of the ,jew was worse in the old days4 ,certainly the injustices and insults which once were prevalent do not occur now4 ,the ,christian to-day is on more or less friendly terms with the ,jew4 ,they meet one another on the exchange2 they talk together1 and partake of each other's hospitality4 ,illustration3 ,,palazzi ,,on ,,the ,,canal ,the ,christian may despise the ,jew2 but he has the grace to keep the feeling to himself1 for the ,jew possesses a great part of the trade of the city1 and in money matters has ever the upper hand4 ,he is educated1 intellectual1 patriotic1 and calls himself a ,venetian4 ,if he is rich he lives in a fine new house on the ,grand ,canal and is owner of other houses4 ,an instinct of the poorer class of ,jews in ,venice is to set up pawnshops and lend money to tradesmen in times of necessity4 ,the ,jews are decidedly useful4 ,in the old days they were driven into exile2 but they were soon called back4 ,they were made to wear a yellow badge1 distinguishing them from ,christians4 ,they were not allowed to buy houses or lands1 or to exercise any trade or profession excepting that of medicine4 ,they were given a dwelling-place in the dirtiest1 unhealthiest part of the city1 and called it a ,ghetto1 meaning a congregation4 ,it was walled in4 ,the gates were kept by ,christian guards1 who were paid by the ,jews1 and opened the doors at dawn1 closing them at sunset4 ,the ,jews were not allowed to emerge on holidays or feast days1 and two barges full of armed men watched them night and day4 ,a special magistracy had charge of their affairs4 ,their dead were buried in the sand on the seashore4 ,thither the baser of the ,venetians made it a habit to go on ,mondays in ,september1 to dance and make merry on the graves4 ,the ,jews were made to pay tribute to ,venice every third year4 ,in spite of all hardships and deprivations1 they flourished4 ,as the ,christians became poor1 the ,jews waxed rich4 ,they were not again expelled from the city4 ,they were never disturbed in their ,ghetto by actual ill-treatment and violence1 excepting on one occasion1 when a charge was brought against them of child murder4 ,so the ,jews lived peacefully in their own quarter until1 with the advent of modern civilisation1 their prison walls crumbled away1 and some of them went forth from the ,ghetto and fixed their habitations in different parts of the city4 ,many ,jewish families1 however1 cling to the spot made sacred for them by so much suffering and humiliation4 ,even to this day1 although the ,jews are distributed everywhere throughout the length and breadth of ,venice1 never a ,christian comes to dwell in the ,ghetto4 ,very many ,jews still live there4 ,some of the women are handsome1 with ,oriental grace1 delicate1 sensitive1 highly bred4 ,the only time when the ,ghetto has at all a picturesque appearance is the autumn4 ,then the air is filled with white floating particles1 feathers of geese1 which seem to be plucked by the whole force of the populace4 ,you see on every doorstep groups of ,hebrew youths plucking geese1 and on looking into the interior you will observe strings of the birds suspended from the rafters1 while an odour of roast goose greets your nostrils wherever you may go4 ,illustration3 ,,giudecca ,,history ,with her pomp and pageantry1 her wealth of art1 her learned academies1 her schools of painting1 and her sumptuous style1 ,venice at the prime of her life was great1 dazzling1 splendid4 ,her navy was supreme4 ,her nobles were the richest in ,europe4 ,this opulence and this pride led to her downfall4 ,she was unable to resist the temptation of building herself an empire on the mainland1 thereby causing jealousy among the other ,italian ,states4 ,rome became fearful of her own safety1 and1 with the intention of crushing the ,republic1 formed the ,league of ,cambray4 ,rome did not achieve her object2 but ,venice was weakened by the blow1 and misfortune after misfortune fell upon her4 ,the passage round the ,cape of ,good ,hope was discovered2 which took commercial trade with the ,east out of her hands1 and left her no longer the mart of ,europe4 ,then came the great battles with the ,turk1 in which both blood and money of ,venice flowed in vain4 ,europe was either powerless or too indifferent to help4 ,gradually the strength of ,venice was broken4 ,she declined and sank4 ,still1 the rigidity and the power of endurance of the ,venetian constitution were marvellous4 ,she kept a semblance of life long after the heart had ceased to beat4 ,the constitution of the ,state was the most elaborate imaginable1 and not easily brought to nothing4 ,nevertheless1 although there were occasional flashes of the old brilliancy of ,venice1 her day was over4 ,the last of her ,doges yielded the ,state to ,napoleon without a blow4 ,laying the ducal biretta on the table1 he called to his servants1 ,take it away3 ,i shall not use it more4 ,illustration3 ,,san ,,giorgio ,,maggiore ,when the first refugees came from the mainland and started life on the islands of the ,archipelago1 the mud-banks of ,torcello and ,rivoalto1 they little thought that they were founding a city which was to be the admiration of the whole world1 that her navy would ride supreme in all known waters1 that ,venice was to be the pride of the ,adriatic4 ,when those early people1 the ,veneti1 from whom the ,venetians take their name1 drove in their first stakes and built their wattled walls1 they could not have foretold that this was to be the greatest of medival republics1 the centre of the commerce of ,europe4 ,nature helped ,venice handsomely4 ,had the channels been deeper1 men-of-war might have entered and conquered the city4 ,had the waves been stronger1 the airy structure that we know as ,venice would have been supplanted by the ordinary commercial seaport4 ,had there been no tide1 for sanitary reasons the city would have been uninhabitable4 ,had the tide risen any higher than it rose1 there would have been no water entrances to the palaces1 the by-canals would have been filled up1 and the character of the place spoiled4 ,one's imagination is inclined to run riot in ,venice4 ,one gilds1 and romances1 and fills the city with pomp and pageantry1 ornamenting the canals with ,state barges1 the piazza with noble men and fair women1 and the ,ducal ,palace with illustrious ,doges4 ,but far more interesting is it to see ,venice as she really is1 in her own simple strength4 ,think of the more rugged ,venice1 that city built by strong and patient men against such terrible odds1 and in so wild and solitary a spot4 ,in order to gain some idea of ,venice as she was in those early days1 it is well to go out in a gondola at low tide1 when the canal is a plain of seaweed4 ,as your gondola makes its way down a narrow channel1 you have some conception of the difficulties with which the founders of ,venice had to contend4 ,to the narrow strips of land1 long ridges guarding the lagoon from the sea1 ill sheltered from the waves1 the few hundred stragglers came4 ,their capital1 ,padua1 had been destroyed by the northern hordes1 and they took shelter in the islands of the lagoon4 ,so desolate and wind-swept were these islands that one can scarcely imagine men disputing possession of them with the flocks of sea-birds4 ,they were impelled by no whim1 however3 they were exiles driven by necessity4 ,here they looked for a temporary home1 lived much as the sea-birds lived1 and were quite fearless4 ,the soil1 composed chiefly of dust1 ashes1 and bitumen1 with here and there a layer of salt1 was rich and fertile4 ,this was in the fifth century of our era1 of which period there are but few ,venetian records4 ,illustration3 ,,off ,,the ,,giudecca ,still1 one thing is certain3 the ,veneti were not a primitive or barbarous people4 ,fugitives as they were1 they were for the most part of high birth and associations4 ,they had character and intelligence4 ,in their mud huts they possessed a social distinction and a political training such as would have graced the most sumptuous of palaces4 ,in quite early days they began to put their heads together and to form a definite system of polity4 ,year by year the little community was added to4 ,battle and bloodshed continued on the mainland1 and men and women flocked to the islands4 ,it is curious to notice how rank and social distinction assert themselves4 ,blood will out4 ,wherever human beings are gathered together1 whether on the islands of the ,adriatic or on those of the ,south ,seas1 and however sorry their plight or great their general misfortune1 different grades will become visible4 ,men and women will place themselves one above the other1 the master and the man1 the mistress and the maid--such is the law of humanity all the world over4 ,calamity did not in the long run have much effect upon the higher class of refugees1 and the position of the lower classes was not bettered4 ,sympathy had levelled social distinctions for a time2 but that was not for long4 ,soon1 in the natural course of events1 when the little colony grew into a city1 and the origin of the ,veneti had faded almost into a tradition1 the various ranks became distinct4 ,true1 they lived as sea-birds live1 one kind of food common to both1 and one kind of house sheltering both2 but the poor man and the rich did not live in equality4 ,as the community grew in importance they began to cultivate their islands and to build unto themselves ships4 ,by force of necessity1 they became expert in all matters of navigation1 as agile on the water as on land1 fearless4 ,they acquired a better means of navigation and a wider knowledge of the lagoons than any other ,state possessed4 ,then they began to be attacked4 ,with great courage and determination1 ,venice resisted all her foes--,gothic1 ,lombard1 ,byzantine1 and ,frank4 ,her position was peculiar1 vague4 ,she acknowledged a certain allegiance to the ,court of ,byzantium2 yet by her acts she recognised the supremacy of the kingdoms on the mainland4 ,neither ,byzantium nor ,ravenna1 and not ,padua1 could claim the lagoons4 ,venice was marvellously diplomatic4 ,she drew from ,east and ,west exactly what she wanted to make her a nation by herself4 ,while she pretended allegiance to several empires1 she was in reality struggling for independence4 ,in the stillness of the lagoon and the freedom of the sea air1 the germs of individuality grew and flourished4 ,they had a congenial soil and fitting nutriment4 ,it is wonderfully interesting to watch the progress of the little ,state--the diplomatic way she went to work3 how when she was weak and unable to stand alone she feigned allegiance to a stronger ,power1 yet never bound herself by written word2 how she played one ,power against the other2 and how in the end1 when sufficiently strong1 under the shelter of her various foster-mothers1 she struck out for freedom boldly4 ,there is a letter from ,cassiodorus1 ,prefect of ,theodoric the ,great1 which throws light upon the relations of ,venice with the ,goths4 ,theodoric endeavoured to veil his power over ,venice under the guise of alliance or of hospitality4 ,at the time of the famine in #ebj he came to their rescue with provisions4 ,this gave him a certain hold over the ,venetian people4 ,it imposed upon them a debt which was not to be easily discharged4 ,a letter written by ,cassiodorus in #ebc is neither more nor less than a demand to the ,venetians to bring supplies of oil1 wine1 and honey1 which the islands possessed1 to the ,goths4 ,the letter1 which is of florid style1 is one long sneer veiled in delicate flattery4 ,cassiodorus explains that the ,venetians own certain ships1 that they are well built1 that the sea is an easy path to them2 and he begs that the vessels will transport the tributes of ,istria to the shores of his country4 ,by this letter one realises that the ,venetians had already a reputation as pilots and mariners1 and knew well how to thread in and out the channels of the lagoons4 ,theodoric was a generous and powerful neighbour1 and the only homage the ,venetians could give the ,goths in return was their water service2 but they felt their weakness and dependence deeply1 and were continually waiting for an opportunity to better their position4 ,consequently1 when the war broke out1 after ,theodoric's death1 between his successors and the ,greek ,emperor1 the ,venetians struggled to make themselves of value1 and took an active share in the operations4 ,they sided with the ,lombards1 and conveyed a large reinforcement of ,lombard mercenaries to their destination4 ,that was the beginning of their intimate connection with ,constantinople4 ,two churches were erected in commemoration of the services of the islanders4 ,these were built of costly materials1 probably obtained from buildings on the mainland which were partially destroyed by the invaders4 ,the ,venetians were enabled to transport these treasures in their ships4 ,illustration3 ,,st4 ,,maria ,,della ,,misericordia ,much to the anger of the ,paduans1 ,venice was growing very rapidly1 and was gradually1 by sheer competence1 absorbing all the coast and river trade4 ,longinus paid a visit to ,venice1 begging that she would procure means of transport for his people4 ,this was granted2 but he endeavoured to force the ,venetians to accept the suzerainty of his master1 which was immediately refused in a grand and sovereign manner4 ,the ,venetians declared that1 amid much toil and labour1 and in the face of many hardships from ,hun1 ,vandal1 ,goth1 and ,lombard1 ,god had helped and protected them in order that they might continue to live in the watery marshes4 ,they proudly stated that this group of islands was an ideal habitation1 and that no power of emperor or prince should take it from them4 ,it was impossible to attack them1 they maintained1 unless by the sea2 and of that they were assured masters4 ,this reception must have impressed ,longinus4 ,in place of a weak little ,state requiring the protection of his country1 he found the ,venetians a fierce and self-reliant people4 ,he could obtain only a very vague promise from the diplomatic ,venetians4 ,they would acknowledge the ,emperor as overlord1 they said1 but only on their word of honour3 they would take no oath of fealty4 ,still1 the rule of the ,lombard over ,venice was of longer duration than that of any other ,state4 ,a great trouble beset ,venice at about this period4 ,when the first settlers began work on the islands1 each little group had a separate life1 its people retaining as far as possible the customs1 the religion1 and the constitution of their ruined homes on the mainland4 ,the largest townships which sprang up on the ,lido were ,heraclea1 ,jesolo1 and ,malamocco4 ,these gradually grew together into a federation of twelve communes1 each governed by its own tribune2 and the tribunes had regularly a general assembly for the settlement of such business as affected the common interests of the lagoon4 ,jealousy and civil feuds1 however1 sprang up among the islanders1 as one after another endeavoured to acquire supremacy4 ,heraclea tried to take the lead1 and to destroy ,jesolo2 but she in her turn was attacked1 and razed to the ground1 by ,malamocco4 ,the civil trouble well-nigh caused the destruction of ,venice4 ,the tribunes intrigued2 family rose against family1 clan against clan2 and there was terrible bloodshed4 ,for nearly two years and a half the ,republic was in anarchy4 ,the constitutional evil sapped the general prosperity1 obstructed trade and industries1 and brought property to havoc4 ,had it continued much longer1 the people would have frittered their strength away in private quarrels1 and the ,state of ,venice might never have emerged2 but pressure from the mainland was brought to bear on ,venice1 and it became necessary for the various committees to consolidate as one body and sweep away the perils that were confronting them4 ,the ,lombards were becoming bolder and bolder4 ,the ,monarchy grew and grew1 and at last the ,republic of ,venice feared that it might desire to add the islands of the ,adriatic to its dominions4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,custom ,,house ,,and ,,church ,,of ,,santa ,,maria ,,della ,,salute ,this awoke ,venice from lethargy4 ,it was the peril of the sea that formed and completed her4 ,the pressure was very severe4 ,east and ,west were beginning to ask her very plainly to choose on which side and under whose protection she intended to place herself1 and they did not intend to wait long for an answer4 ,venice1 subtle and diplomatic1 put off the evil hour as long as she possibly could2 but her policy became obvious soon4 ,she could no longer feign fealty first to one ,empire and then to another1 and meanwhile struggle for independence4 ,the time had come for action4 ,the critical moment was at hand4 ,either she must put herself under protection of the ,east or of the ,west1 or declare her independence4 ,any course was dangerous1 perhaps fatal4 ,out of the three possible issues1 ,venice chose the most perilous1 severing herself from both ,east and ,west4 ,the result was fortunate4 ,thrown upon her own resources1 she saved herself by energy4 ,king ,pippin invited ,venice to join in a war4 ,venice refused1 and prepared to defend herself1 trusting in the courage of her men and the intricacy of the lagoon4 ,from north and south ,king ,pippin could concentrate his forces upon ,venice1 and victory seemed easy2 but he had forgotten the natural defences of the sea-bound city4 ,he did not know the shoals and deeps of the sea home4 ,a life's study would scarcely have taught him4 ,a certain noble assumed the lead of the ,venetian people4 ,he commanded them to remove their wives1 children1 and goods to a little island in mid lagoon--,rialto1 impregnable from land or sea4 ,this done1 the fighting men took up positions on the outlying islands1 and awaited the attack of the ,franks4 ,pippin seized on ,brondolo1 ,chioggia1 and ,palestrina1 and tried to press his squadron on to the capital2 but the shoals stopped him4 ,his ships ran aground2 his pilots missed the channels2 and the ,venetians pelted them with darts and stones4 ,for six months ,pippin struggled2 but the ,venetians kept him at bay by their network of canals and their oozy mud-banks4 ,they shook off every assault4 ,in the summer there came a rumour that an ,eastern fleet was approaching4 ,pippin tried one more appeal to the ,venetians1 begging them to own themselves his subjects4 ,for are you not within the borders of my kingdom8 he said4 ,we are resolved to be the subjects of the ,roman ,emperor1 they answered1 and not of you4 ,the ,king was forced to retire4 ,this great victory seemed to have the effect of consolidating the ,venetians effectively4 ,they agreed thenceforward to work together for the common cause4 ,war had completed the union of ,venice4 ,she had emerged from her trial an independent ,state4 ,there was no more internal discord4 ,venetian men and ,venetian lagoons had made and saved the ,state4 ,the spirit of the waters1 free1 vigorous1 and pungent1 had passed during the strife into the being of the people4 ,illustration3 ,,at ,,chioggia ,this triumph was really the birth hour of ,venice1 and the people look back upon it with joy4 ,the victory over ,king ,pippin is cherished to this day as one of the finest events in history4 ,the ,venetians realised the peril of the sea from this attack4 ,also they realised the peril of the mainland from the ,hunnish invasion4 ,they then effected a compromise1 and chose as the future home of their ,state a group of islands mid-way between the sea and the land1 then known as ,rialto1 but thenceforth to bear the proud name of ,venice4 ,venice in this union of her people declared her nature1 so infinitely various1 rich1 pliant1 and free1 that to this day she awakens and in some measure satisfies a passion such as we feel for some person deeply beloved4 ,her people then struggled to attain from infancy to manhood4 ,for the first time they had learned their own power1 and union gave them strength4 ,they began to create their ,constitution1 that singular monument of rigidity and durability which endured1 with hardly a break in its structure1 for ten centuries4 ,they built with vigour and enthusiasm that incomparably lovely city of the sea4 ,the aristocracy of ,venice emerged4 ,her empire extended1 following the lines of her commerce1 in the ,east4 ,st4 ,mark was substituted for ,st4 ,theodore as patron saint4 ,the crusades were used as a means to conquer ,dalmatia1 and to plant the lion in the ,greek ,archipelago4 ,venice clashed with ,genoa1 and emerged victorious4 ,wealth flowed into her ,state coffers and her private banks4 ,the island of ,rialto proved the advantage of its situation1 and established a claim for gratitude as the asylum of ,venice in her hour of need4 ,the ,venetians had seen that the mainland was unsafe1 and the attack of ,pippin showed that there was danger on the sea4 ,thus1 experience leading to the choice of the middle point1 in #haj the seat of the ,government was removed to ,rialto under ,angelo ,badoer as ,doge4 ,rialto became a sacrament of reconciliation between ,heraclea and ,malamocco4 ,it was the glory of ,venice that of all parts of ,italy she alone remained unscathed by the foreign ravages of the fifth century and the conquest of the eighth4 ,venice alone was left out of all ,italy's ruin4 ,she alone escaped pure and undefiled4 ,illustration3 ,,church ,,of ,,san ,,geremia ,this marvellous period of her history--the repulses of the ,franks and the creation of her ,state--requires no embellishments2 yet the ,venetians loved to gather a mythology of persons and events4 ,cannon-balls of bread1 they say1 were fired into the ,frankish camp in mockery of ,pippin's hope of strong ,rialto surrendering4 ,then1 again1 there are the stories of the old woman who lured the invader to his final effort when half his forces were lost2 of the canal ,orfano1 which ran with foreign blood1 and won its name from the countless ,frankish hordes that day made desolate2 of the sword of ,charles1 which was flung into the sea when the ,emperor acknowledged his repulse and cried1 ,as this my brand sinks out of sight1 nor ever shall rise again1 so let all thoughts of conquering ,venice fade from out men's hearts1 or they will feel1 as ,i have felt1 the heavy displeasure of ,god4 ,all these stories were absolutely untrue2 but they were born of a pardonable pride4 ,the ,venetians held their country in a singularly powerful devotion4 ,possibly this was because they were so closely shut in on these few little islands1 precious morsels of land snatched from the devouring sea4 ,certain it is that they toiled for the ,state as no other nation has toiled before or since4 ,they were determined that ,venice should be great1 that she should be beautiful2 and century after century of ,venetians devoted their lives to this work1 sinking their own interests in hers4 ,the ,republic was before everything4 ,wherever one goes in ,florence1 one finds traces of great and famous men of all periods and of all crafts--painters1 poets1 writers1 statesmen1--in every square1 in every street1 you are reminded of them2 their spirits and their works live with you wherever you may go4 ,but in ,venice1 where are they8 ,there is the city--yes3 there is that2 and there are the archives1 the annals of the city1 histories without number1 marvellous histories2--but the familiar figures1 the great men that we honour and look for1--they are not here4 ,venice herself was the centre of all their aspirations1 all their affections4 ,she was erected as would be a treasure-heap3 all the choicest and all the best were there4 ,one knows but little1 for example1 of the great painters--the men1 with beautiful thoughts1 who filled the churches and the palaces with untold splendour1 glowing sunshine4 ,their works are left1 and their names2 but no more4 ,it seems as if they must have kept one another down1 that ,venice alone might shine4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,bridge ,,of ,,sighs ,,and ,,straw ,,bridge ,if one wishes to study the history of ,venice1 there is no difficulty4 ,historic documents without number are accessible4 ,every period1 every vogue1 every year1 is carefully studied and commented upon by keen observers1 men of the greatest talents4 ,these records glow with life and energy4 ,in quite early days1 when the ,republic was in its infancy1--when there was no aristocracy1 no great and powerful ,state1--even the fishermen and the merchants and the salt manufacturers had a longing to chronicle the doings of the community4 ,the palaces which were being built1 and the churches1--all these they wished to have chronicled for ever4 ,numberless historians there were1 and all nameless--men of extraordinary skill and genius4 ,embellishments and fables abound2 but on the whole these histories1 written with great realism1 bring back a vivid picture of the ,state4 ,no ,venetian ever tires1 ever did tire1 of the history of his country4 ,it is the one subject that is of endless interest to him4 ,the trade of ,venice1 her ceremonies1 her treaties1 her money1 the speeches of her orators--all are chronicled4 ,illustration3 ,,on ,,the ,,grand ,,canal ,venice was looked upon by ,italy very much as we look upon ,america4 ,she had no long and glorious history--at least1 no history of anything beyond handicraft--no literature1 no ancient manuscripts4 ,the ,florentines1 on the other hand1 had a great enthusiasm for ancient history4 ,they were proud of their descent1 and gloried in looking back to a long ,etruscan civilisation4 ,when one visits ,florence1 there is no difficulty in gathering knowledge concerning her great men of any period4 ,their shadows walk in her streets2 their memories will never fade4 ,you meet them everywhere--the painters1 the monks1 the gallants1 the statesmen1--the individualities of the men who were the makers of ,florence4 ,the ,venetians had no sympathy with the ,florentines4 ,they could not understand the ,florentine desire to live with the past rather than the present4 ,there are very few names which stand out prominently in the history of ,venice1 names concerning which a great deal is known2 but there are one or two stories that are picturesque and popular1 stories which are ever fresh to the ,venetians4 ,one is of a prince1 the beheaded ,doge ,marino ,faliero1--not at all an important incident in ,venetian history1 but one that is very dear to the hearts of the people1 because of its melancholy4 ,the prince was a man of hasty temper and haughty nature1 and could brook no slight to his dignity4 ,once a bishop kept him waiting1 and that worthy1 for his misdemeanour1 received1 to the astonishment of everyone1 a sound box on the ear4 ,before he came to the throne1 ,faliero was of great service to the ,state4 ,he was offered the throne of ,venice at the age of seventy-six1 and married a young and beautiful woman4 ,the story runs that a young gallant called ,michele ,steno1 having been turned out of her presence1 insulted the lady and her husband by pinning an impudent message to the chair of the ,doge4 ,the young man was brought before the ,forty1 excused on the plea of his age and impetuosity1 condemned to prison for two months1 and banished from ,venice for a year afterwards4 ,this slight punishment for so grave an offence stung ,faliero to the quick4 ,he felt that1 though he occupied the ,venetian throne1 he had scarcely more power than the beggar at his gate4 ,all his life he had been an active1 energetic man1 a ruler of men2 his word had been law1 and his counsels listened to with respect and acted upon4 ,now he was powerless4 ,he was insulted by the young nobles1 and had no power to punish them2 his authority was entirely disregarded4 ,this state of things grew worse and worse4 ,two of his old friends also were insulted by noblemen4 ,at last ,faliero's temper could endure no longer4 ,in the ,april of #acee he formed a conspiracy1 and tried to assert his supremacy4 ,six months after his triumphant arrival in ,venice as ,doge1 an old man and friendless1 enraged at the insults offered to him1 he struck one mad and foolish blow for freedom4 ,the plot was betrayed on the eve of the catastrophe4 ,the conspirators were strung up in one long ghastly line on the piazza4 ,faliero himself was beheaded at the foot of the stairs where a few short months before he had sworn the promissione on assuming the office of ,doge4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,bridge ,,of ,,sighs ,a ,,glimpse ,,into ,,bohemia ,on one occasion we arrived at ,venice early in the morning4 ,i was frightened at the darkness and the stillness1 and the tall black houses looming high above us3 it seemed that brigands must be lurking there1 ready to murder us4 ,absolute silence reigned1 except for mysterious sounds as if melodious voices were calling a refractory dog--,puppy1 ,puppy1 ,puppy1 we heard on every side4 ,it was the warning of the gondoliers as they passed one another in the darkness4 ,i longed for some accustomed natural noise4 ,if only something would fall and make a splash6 ,the silence set one's nerves on edge4 ,we hired a gondola1 and glided swiftly and silently out into the darkness1 our gondolier's ringing voice joining the chorus of ,puppy4 ,and so dexterously did he handle his dainty craft that1 even as we turned corners and passed other gondolas in the pitch-black darkness1 not a sound was made1 not a splash4 ,i felt like beating the water with the palms of my hands to make a disturbance4 ,this silent gliding went on for about twenty minutes1 until suddenly we drew up by an enormous silver-grey palace down a side canal1 one of the largest palaces in ,venice1 with broad marble steps and badly-made deal doors4 ,after some time the doors were opened1 and an old lady appeared1 bowing and talking in rapid ,italian4 ,she led us up the steps and through a colossal hall of marble1 all marble1 with staircases on either side leading on to spacious landings1 into a suite of rooms that seemed more like the state apartments of a king than those of an ordinary hotel4 ,one of the first things ,i did when ,i awoke in the morning was to get out on to the roof of the palace and look about me4 ,i always ask to be directed on to the roof when ,i arrive at a new place4 ,and there ,i remained the whole morning1 painting1 deaf to the pleadings of my friends that ,i should come down and eat4 ,it was the chimneys that fascinated me6 ,from the decorative standpoint they were quite startling4 ,chimneys1 chimneys1 everywhere1 and such chimneys--grouped into pictures in every direction6 ,there were clusters of twos1 and clusters of threes2 and wherever there were spaces that could be used for decoration they were used to the full4 ,each one of these chimneys seemed to have its own particular character4 ,some bulged out at the top in graceful lines2 some were square and stolid2 others were light and airy4 ,at the base of some bloomed a blaze of flowers from the roof gardens4 ,each one was different4 ,when ,i learned that a book had been published on the chimneys of ,venice ,i was not in the least surprised4 ,illustration3 ,,palace ,,in ,a ,,by-,,canal ,when my friends were able to tear me away from chimneys we got into our gondola and allowed the gondolier to take us where he pleased1 to drift about in the by-canals4 ,i wanted my impressions of ,venice to be quite haphazard4 ,we glided in the gondola past marble palaces--green palaces1 pink palaces1 blue palaces1 all toned and variegated with age4 ,venice struck me as being a highly-coloured city1 the most brilliantly coloured ,i had ever seen4 ,it was not1 as most cities are1 merely a background for brightly-dressed figures3 the buildings themselves were coloured1 and the gondolas and the figures were black and sombre4 ,every wall1 every doorway1 was coloured4 ,we glided past a series of crazy old doorways of blues1 greens1 and vermilions4 ,each door was broken with many changes of colour1 and the red1 rusty ironwork above1 just where it caught the sun1 was of a rich golden sienna4 ,certainly ,venice is the most highly-coloured city in the world4 ,how different from the impressions one finds in ,bond ,street--the vicious water-colours in which the artist always insists on orange and vermilion sails and crisp1 flowing reflections that have been painted on slanting tables3 the water-colours that are so sought after and so saleable6 ,that ,venice is vividly coloured ,i admit2 but there is a scumble over the city4 ,age has toned it4 ,the pink palace reflected in the green water is totally unlike the pink palace of the blobby water-colours4 ,there are blues1 and violets1 and old-rose tones1 and a certain bloom in it that these artists never seem to give4 ,and to a certain extent these pictures handicap one3 one feels annoyed to think that ,venice should be so caricatured4 ,you see the ,bridge of ,sighs at daybreak2 you see the ,salute by moonlight2 and somehow you cannot forget these eternal water-colours4 ,there is a certain resemblance1 sufficient to irritate4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,orange ,,door ,indolence was upon us4 ,already we were becoming apathetic4 ,there was something about the atmosphere that encouraged a delightful languor4 ,the residents said it was the sirocco4 ,the sirocco seemed answerable for many deficiencies3 it was always being blamed4 ,later1 when we came in touch with the artists1 we found that it was the normal excuse for not working4 ,we discovered groups of them sitting about in the square drinking1 and when we asked them if they had done any work they all said1 ,no3 there is a sirocco on now3 of course1 we can't work4 ,venice is overrun with artists2 yet how few you see at work6 ,here and there you will find a stray one in a gondola painting1 but very rarely4 ,we were drifting about idly4 ,our gondolier was quite a part of the picture--young1 very handsome1 with a musical voice4 ,and ,i began in a dreamy way to muse as ,i watched him4 ,my thoughts went back for the moment to the ,thames--to an old gentleman toiling in a punt4 ,he was once a handsome young gondolier like this one1 gracefully piloting a gondola through the canals of ,venice2 but now he had grown old on the ,thames4 ,there is no doubt that the gondola is made for ,venice3 it is futile to try it elsewhere4 ,and then the colour is right4 ,the gondola ought to be black4 ,it became so naturally and as a matter of economy4 ,people used to spend too much money on their gondolas1 and colours had to be forbidden4 ,i was in a dreamy mood1 and ,i began to wonder what became of the handsome young gondoliers--they were all handsome and all young4 ,they could not remain so for ever4 ,what became of the old ones8 ,i soon learnt4 ,when gondoliers grew to be too old for their tasks they drifted on to the landing-stages4 ,there we saw them1 with marvellous crooks1 catching the gondolas and drawing them into the proper places4 ,i examined these sticks1 and was surprised to find that some of them were of very great value4 ,the gondolier prizes and decorates his stick just as a bootblack tends his stand3 only1 where the bootblack has coppers and bits of tinsel1 the ,venetian has pure gold coins dating back to the time of the ,doges4 ,this love of collecting and cherishing beautiful things is characteristic of the peasant people of ,venice4 ,women will spend their savings in inches of gold chain1 which they join together into long strings1 and sometimes a woman will have festoons of gold chain collected for two or three generations4 ,it is their way of investing money4 ,we drifted along all the afternoon through the canals1 being hooked on to different landing-stages by these old gentlemen2 and we came to the conclusion that this was really the end of our handsome gondolier4 ,we were anxious to meet the artists of ,venice1 and had been told of a certain restaurant1 the ,panada1 where they generally congregated4 ,in the evening1 then1 we landed1 and went thither to dine4 ,the artists who went to the ,panada1 we had been told1 were those who had let themselves go more or less--who had been taken hold of by the sirocco and had settled down to loafing4 ,when they first arrived in ,venice they went to wine-shops1 little dark places1 and dined off macaroni and harsh drink4 ,the ,panada was more or less organised for the convenience of artists4 ,in the first place1 you were not bored by having to tip waiters--a duty that is always trying to an artist who is in between two exhibitions4 ,and nearly all the ,panada artists were in that condition4 ,they had nearly all had exhibitions in ,bond ,street which had been great artistic successes--in other words1 they hadn't sold any pictures4 ,another point about the ,panada that appealed to the artist was that his bills could run on indefinitely4 ,the bills did run3 in fact1 the only things that seemed to be at all active in ,venice1 in spite of the sirocco1 were the bills4 ,the ,panada was a paradise6 ,who could resist it8 ,the cooking was excellent1 as cooking must always be where painters are1 for they are very particular people4 ,the ,panada was perfect2 the ,panada had a sanded floor2 the ,panada was the noisiest restaurant in ,italy4 ,it was our first experience of ,bohemia1 the painter's world1 in ,venice2 and we sat there1 over our untouched dinner1 fascinated--fascinated by the general noise and confusion1 fascinated even by the unsavoury smells4 ,it was not clean2 there was a great deal of smoke1 and so much talk6 ,the guests seemed to be screaming and talking at once in all the languages of the world4 ,two words ,i heard continually--breadth and simplicity4 ,here and there was a little talk of mediums and technique1 but not much4 ,it was generally broad principles that were discussed4 ,there was no mistaking these groups of men4 ,they were artists to their finger-tips in everything save work4 ,they dressed like artists1 talked like artists1 and behaved like the artists one reads about in novels3 the ,ouida artists4 ,they wore neckties reaching down to their waists1 collars two sizes too large and cut very low2 their hands were always a little soiled1 and their finger-nails never quite clean4 ,the waiters also were soiled4 ,they were very toney indeed1 and very apathetic--toes turned inwards1 heads bent slightly forward4 ,they were dejected from want of variety3 there was no uncertainty in the ,panada as to tips4 ,they came in on the aggregate and received lump sums2 but there was a general depression about the people that waited4 ,all were soiled at the ,panada--the waiters1 the artists1 and the linen4 ,but we very soon began to talk of this dirt as tone1 and then it didn't seem to matter so much4 ,everything seemed to be worked on more or less artistic principles4 ,there were quaint decorative dishes4 ,the puddings were pink2 the butter was stained2 and altogether it required great habits to enjoy food at the ,panada4 ,by perseverance1 ,i was told1 it was possible to acquire an appetite4 ,there were tables of different sizes1 and groups of artists belonging to different sects--some antagonistic1 some sympathetic3 ,dottists1 and ,spottists1 and ,stripists4 ,sometimes when the ,dottists and ,spottists happened to be friends for the minute they would join their tables together and make one long one4 ,but this was only now and then4 ,usually the groups in the ,panada were formed of twos4 ,often genius sat alone4 ,now and then1 when a big picture was sold1 the restaurant was very festive3 the artist had a dinner-party1 to which everyone had been invited4 ,but generally it was a small water-colour that was sold1 and the party went off to a small caf down by a side canal4 ,there was one man who got himself up to look like ,king ,charles1 and he was ,king ,charles to the life6 ,long hair rested on his shoulders1 and an enormous tie adorned his neck2 his trousers and waistcoat were fringed1 and his boots and beard were pointed4 ,he had a coat of velvet that through age had become marked with an opalescent mottle4 ,if he stood in front of an age-toned palace you never knew which was coat and which was palace4 ,he possessed no earthly goods1 but paid his way all over the world by painting portraits4 ,he would either cut you out in black paper for fivepence or draw an elaborate portrait in pastel for one franc fifty4 ,this celebrated man came up to us1 and began to paint our portraits4 ,before we knew where we were he had cut out1 dry-pointed1 and stippled us2 and melted away1 leaving behind him a whole tableful of works of art1 side by side with his bill4 ,then another man introduced himself to us1 and explained that this was quite the usual thing for ,king ,charles to do4 ,he pointed out how romantic and interesting it all was3 he seemed quite convinced that the place was full of romance4 ,illustration3 ,,an ,,unfrequented ,,canal ,for us ,bohemia had lost its romance4 ,we felt that we had been green1 grass-green1 and that 7to use a vulgarism7 the gilt was off the gingerbread4 ,the room was becoming stuffy2 the ,bohemians were noisy and dishonest2 and the waiters1 no longer toney1 were dirty4 ,so we paid our own bill and ,king ,charles's1 and left the ,panada and romance for the open air4 ,in the piazza the band was playing the popular music that one knows so well from the barrel organs4 ,instinctively one thought of ,london1 ,soho1 and performing monkeys4 ,but this impression was swept away when ,i saw the picture that presented itself before me in ,st4 ,mark's4 ,what an extraordinary change had come over the piazza since dinner6 ,a swarm of locusts might have settled upon ,venice--a dark1 seething mass1 clustering round the walls of ,st4 ,mark's and filling up every inch of space4 ,they were pilgrims from ,russia1 thousands of them--men1 women1 and children--on their way to ,rome--poor peasants who had saved up for this pilgrimage during their whole lifetime1 sleeping the sleep of the righteous1 their bodies pressed close against the holy walls of ,st4 ,mark's as though for sympathy4 ,it was a dark-coloured crowd1 all dressed in black1 with big capes and long boots and little astrachan caps1--a strong silhouette of black against the brilliant background of ,st4 ,mark's4 ,it was a marvellous picture1 and pathetic4 ,these peasants seemed to be waiting for a greater1 deeper joy1 when they would be transformed to new creatures and fly back to their native land on the wings of a beautiful faith4 ,the moon herself shone down upon them caressingly1 lighting up many a weary1 travel-worn face1 turning their sombre hues to silvers1 and greens1 and violets4 ,st4 ,mark's1 with this dark mass of people at her base1 seemed almost flippant by contrast4 ,illustration3 ,,st4 ,,mark',s ,,basin ,this was a night of contrasts6 ,the dirt and filth of the little restaurant1 with its noisy ,bohemians3 and then the quiet night1 a clear1 bright1 silvery blue night such as one only sees in ,venice2 the weary pilgrims and the sumptuous cathedral2 the dainty lightness and gracefulness of ,st4 ,mark's and the broad1 simple1 strong tower rearing her head into the sky--the ,campanile1 now1 alas6 no more than a memory4 ,it was a picture such as you see but once in a lifetime4 ,this building of precious stones1 one of the most beautiful in the world1 so rich with gold and mosaic1 jewels1 marbles1 and lapis lazuli1 that even in the cold blue light of the moon and a few dim gas-lamps it seemed to be dancing and sparkling with colour1--this1 and the sleeping peasants in their rags--what a contrast6 ,then1 again1 what a contrast suddenly to turn from these dark groups to the jewellers' shops and the huge windows full of glittering ,venetian glass6 ,to see the gaily-dressed crowds sipping their coffee outside ,florian's famous caf that had never been closed during three hundred years6 ,here was nothing but brightness and gaiety4 ,an excellent band played in the middle of the piazza4 ,smartly-dressed young men and military officers in pale blue uniform strolled about the square1 quite conscious that they were being regarded favourably by girls and their mothers sitting at the coffee-tables4 ,florian's was an ideal place for the artist4 ,it was never shut4 ,it was quite the fashionable thing to drink coffee there after dinner1 and one had the chance of talking to one's friends and acquaintances4 ,fascinating fruits were brought round to us--grapes1 and figs1 and almonds dipped in caramel sugar and stuck on to sticks4 ,the men smoked cigars as long as those smoked in ,burma4 ,so capacious were they that they put them on little stoves in the way a woman heats her curling-tongs1 and by the time they had drunk their coffee the cigars were probably alight4 ,when the band had stopped playing we went to ,bauer's to drink beer4 ,and so ended a typical day in the life of an artist in that most fascinating city on the waters4 ,illustration3 ,,hotel ,,danieli ,thanks to the kindness of ,mr4 ,bozzi1 the manager of the well-known ,danieli's ,hotel1 who often piloted me about the intricate network of streets1 ,i became familiar with many of the unfrequented quarters1 which1 as a rule1 remain absolutely unknown to the tourist4 ,illustration3 ,,porta ,,della ,,carta ,,architecture ,in architecture one finds a history of ,venice4 ,it is the most definite expression1 the most faithful embodiment1 of the local genius4 ,it presents realistically the daily life and thought and work of a bygone race4 ,the intense love of the early ,venetians for colour shows itself in the gleaming gold1 the veined marble1 and the white sculpture4 ,another of their affections is symbolised by the frequent introduction of children in the sculptured works4 ,there are children of all periods1 of all appearances1 illustrating various of the changes in thought and in ideals that were continually coming to pass4 ,those of the earlier time are sturdy1 strapping youngsters1 with a purposeful look about them2 whereas the children of the fifteenth century are fat1 chubby1 and uninteresting4 ,in the early stage of her history ,venice was a ,greek rather than an ,italian city1 and her buildings were of ,byzantine type4 ,that is easily explained4 ,during her first great period ,venice was connected by sea with ,constantinople and the ,east1 but cut off by the lagoons and marshes from ,lombardy and the rest of ,italy4 ,only a few of the ,byzantine buildings remain4 ,the period is principally marked by the precious stones and coloured marbles encrusted in the brickwork1 and by the ancient reliefs inserted in the blank walls of churches and houses4 ,among ,byzantine buildings ,st4 ,mark's comes first4 ,the existing building began to be constructed at the close of the tenth century2 and ,byzantine architects worked at it for nearly a hundred years4 ,it was largely remodelled afterwards1 and was altered in decoration during the different reactions of architecture2 but the bulk of it belongs to the early period1 and is in the pure ,byzantine style4 ,parts of it remind one greatly of ,st4 ,sophia in ,constantinople1 on the lines of which1 ,i believe1 ,st4 ,mark's was partially modelled4 ,there were many ,gothic additions in the shape of pinnacles and pointed gables above the chief arches1 just sufficient intrusion of the ,gothic element to add a touch of bizarre extravagance2 and in the sixteenth century many of the old mosaics were superseded by jejeune ,renaissance compositions1 of no decorative value1 incongruous with the general scheme4 ,nevertheless1 the church as a whole1 as ,i have said1 still remains essentially ,byzantine4 ,the main fabric of the faade represents the original ,byzantine ,romanesque building1 and is in almost every particular similar to the picture of the church given in the thirteenth-century mosaic4 ,the turreted pinnacles and the false gables are ,gothic additions of the fifteenth century--merely screens of decoration with no roof behind4 ,the building is truly ,oriental4 ,in the shape of a ,greek cross with four equal arms1 it faces west1 and has a high altar and a presbytery at the east end4 ,it was first of all the domestic chapel of the ,doge's ,palace1 and then the shrine of the body of ,st4 ,mark the ,evangelist4 ,everywhere one sees the motto1 ,pax tibi1 ,marce1 ,evangelista mea 7,peace to thee1 ,mark1 my ,evangelist74 ,there are the symbols of all the four evangelists1--,luke1 a bull2 ,mark1 a lion2 ,john1 an eagle2 ,matthew1 an angel4 ,there are scenes from the life of ,christ--the ,adoration of the ,magi and ,annunciation to the shepherds4 ,illustration3 ,,grand ,,canal ,,looking ,,towards ,,the ,,dogana ,venice in the ,byzantine period must have been a city of great architectural wealth and splendour1--far in advance of other ,italian towns1 although1 of course1 destitute of the engineering glories of ,france and ,germany4 ,one can tell this by the few remaining ,byzantine palaces1--very few of them are purely ,byzantine4 ,there is the magnificent ,palazzo ,loredan1 one of the most beautiful of all the palaces on the ,grand ,canal1 and a splendid example of the ,byzantine ,romanesque period4 ,it has about it a distinct tinge of ,oriental feeling2 the capitals of some of the columns are exquisitely beautiful1 and there are not many ,gothic alterations4 ,next to this palace comes the ,palazzo ,farsetti1 ,romanesque of the twelfth century1 simpler in style and with less ornamentation4 ,it is really more nearly pure ,romanesque than ,byzantine1 and shows no ,oriental influence whatever4 ,it is graceful and dignified4 ,the ,fondaco dei ,turchi1 a very early ,byzantine ,romanesque palace1 assumed its name in the seventeenth century1 when it was let to the ,turkish merchants of ,venice4 ,originally a twelfth-century palace1 it has recently been so much restored as to have lost all its air of antiquity and the greater part of its earlier interest1 although it still represents symbolically the splendid homes of the ,byzantine period4 ,it is much like ,st4 ,mark's1 and is the only surviving example of a building all in one style4 ,the arches1 the capitals1 the shafts1 the parapets and decorative plaques1 are modernised1 to be sure2 but they are typical if not original1 and give one a very good idea of what the ,grand ,canal must have been like before the invasion of the ,gothic style and the ,renaissance4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,famous ,,palazzo ,one gleans a very good idea by means of these palaces of how extremely civilised and peaceful ,venice must have been at that early period4 ,in northern ,europe the homes of medival nobles were dark and gloomy castles built mainly for defence1 having single heavy oak doors studded with nails1 and great iron gates and drawbridges2 there were no openings in the ground floors1 and the windows above were small and grated4 ,for ,venice such fortifications were unnecessary4 ,her palaces were airy and graceful2 for she was protected from the outside by her moat of lagoons1 and from the inside by her strong internal ,government4 ,these ancient buildings1 the ,fondaco dei ,turchi and the rest1 were even then gentlemen's palaces1 always open and undefended1 the homes of pleasure1 with free means of access1 broad arcades1 plenty of light1 and presenting a general air of peace and security4 ,it is interesting to notice the later ,venetian architecture 7as exhibited in the ,libreria and the ,procuratie ,vecchie71 developed from this early open and airy style4 ,the native ,venetian ideal seems to have traversed all styles1 and persisted through them all in spite of endless architectural changes4 ,the ,grand ,canal was the street of the nobles--the finest street in the world1 in the way of architectural beauties4 ,from end to end there are palaces of all periods1 from the ,byzantine time to the eighteenth century1 and all are palaces of the ancient ,venetian nobility4 ,the ,grand ,canal is to ,venice what the ,strand is to ,london and the ,rue ,st4 ,honor to ,paris4 ,it is the most wonderful street in the world4 ,there is nothing so bizarre1 so fairy-like1 to be seen in any other city through the length and breadth of the globe4 ,it is a marvellous book wherein every family of the ,venetian nobility has signed its name4 ,every wall tells a story2 every house is a palace2 each was erected by some well-known architect4 ,pietro ,lombardo1 ,scamozzi1 ,sansovino1 ,sammichele 7the ,veronese71 ,selva1 ,vissenti--these were the men who drew the plans and directed the construction of the houses2 but unknown architects of the ,middle ,ages built some of the most picturesque4 ,illustration3 ,,entrance ,,to ,,the ,,grand ,,canal ,there were palaces of all styles4 ,after a palace of the ,renaissance comes one belonging to the ,middle ,ages in ,gothic ,arab style1 much like the ,ducal ,palace1 with balconies1 lancet windows1 and trefoils4 ,then there will be a palace adorned with great plaques or medallions of differently coloured marbles2 anon a great bare sweep of rose-toned wall4 ,all styles are here--,byzantine1 ,saracen1 ,lombard1 ,gothic1 ,roman1 ,greek1 and ,rococo--fanciful capitals1 ,greek cupolas1 mosaic and bas-relief1 classic severity combined with the elegant fantasy of the ,renaissance4 ,it is a gallery open to the sky1 full of the art of seven or eight centuries4 ,think of the genius and money and talent expended on this one street by brilliant artists and munificent patrons6 ,the ,grand ,canal was originally one of the navigable channels by whose aid the waters found their way1 through the mud-banks1 past the mouth of the ,lido to the open sea4 ,it is the original deep water which first created ,venice4 ,up this canal the commerce of all countries used to reach the city in the days of her splendour4 ,the ,rialto1 the most beautiful bridge in ,venice1 bestrides the canal in a single span4 ,it was built by ,antonio da ,ponte4 ,there are two rows of shops upon it2 and one of the most picturesque scenes in the ,grand ,canal lies round about it--old houses with platformed roofs1 bulging balconies1 and stairways with disjointed steps4 ,it is interesting to watch how ,byzantine architecture gave place to ,gothic when ,venice began to conquer on the ,italian mainland4 ,thus ,gothic architecture came in1 and the conquest of ,padua and ,verona completed it4 ,the term ,gothic is very elastic2 but there are certain points by which one can tell whether a building is ,gothic or not4 ,it is ,gothic if the roof rises in a steep gable high above the walls2 if the principal windows and doors have pointed arches and gables2 if it has a steep roof2 if the arches are foliated--that is to say1 if the shapes of different leaves are cut into the stone to form a species of delicate tracery like lacework1 letting in the daylight4 ,foliation is especially characteristic of ,gothic architecture2 some of the windows in ,westminster ,abbey are foliated4 ,gothic architecture is very rough and loose and irregular2 yet it has a wonderful tenderness and variation of design4 ,changeableness and variety are the great requirements of perfect architecture4 ,one should be enabled to derive just as much pleasure and instruction from looking at a perfect piece of architecture as from reading one of the finest of classic books4 ,gothic architecture is essentially truthful and naturalistic4 ,the architects of this period were peculiarly fond of vegetation1 which is a sign of gentleness and refinement of mind4 ,gothic is principally independent4 ,it juts out continually with many pinnacles2 there is nothing broad1 or uniform1 or smooth1 about a ,gothic building2 it is variable1 rough1 and jutting1 though1 nevertheless1 graceful in the extreme4 ,the materials were rougher then than in the time of the ,byzantine architecture1 and to atone for this it was necessary to introduce much workmanship4 ,illustration3 ,,panorama ,,seen ,,from ,,st4 ,,mark',s ,,basin ,the artists were enthusiastic in their love of ,nature1 and felt deeply all her changing and complex moods4 ,for example1 you may see the difference between a ,renaissance and a ,gothic palace by imagining the surroundings of the former1 its background1 gone4 ,it would then be deprived of its charm2 whereas if you took a ,gothic palace and placed it anywhere1 it would still be beautiful4 ,the ,ducal ,palace expresses the ,gothic spirit to perfection4 ,it was the great work of ,venice at this period4 ,the best architects1 the best labourers1 and the best painters were employed in beautifying it4 ,at one time the palace fell into decay1 and it was obvious to everyone that it should be rebuilt and enlarged4 ,but the alteration would be extremely expensive4 ,therefore a law was passed preventing anyone suggesting such alterations unless he had previously paid one thousand ducats to the ,state4 ,at last a man arose who cared not for the thousand ducats1 and suggested the necessary alterations4 ,the palace was then rebuilt4 ,it was palace1 prison1 senate-house1 and office of public business1 all in one4 ,there were thirty-six great pillars supporting the lower stories alone1 all decorated in the richest possible manner4 ,there was no end to the fantasies of the sculptors at that period--exquisite curves1 studied outlines1 graceful but complex1 solid and strong and beautifully proportioned braided work2 lilies and flowers of all kinds intertwined4 ,much of the sculpture is snow-white1 with gold as a background2 some of it has glass mosaic let into the hollows4 ,the cross is used a good deal2 also the peacock1 the vine1 the dove4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,dogana ,,and ,,salute ,the palace of ,semitecolo has some beautiful early-,gothic windows1 having false cusps in the arches1 so as to make the head a trefoil4 ,one sees here the gradual growth of the arch until it culminates in the ,doge's ,palace type4 ,there are beautiful balustrades to the balconies1 original and belonging to the period4 ,in the early-,gothic palaces one notices a certain softening of the angles--that is to say1 in the fine fourteenth-century ,gothic buildings4 ,the early ,gothic architecture has no cusps to the arches2 it shows a transitional form between ,venetian ,romanesque and ,venetian ,gothic4 ,there are first-floor arcades early-,gothic1 with a somewhat ,oriental curve in the arch derived by the early ,venetian ,gothics from ,alexandria or ,cairo4 ,the capitals of the columns are characteristic of the period3 there are dainty balconies with graceful1 slender columns1 and cusps to the arches4 ,these ,gothic palaces were built by a people who were laborious1 brave1 practical1 and prudent2 yet they had great ideas of the refinement of domestic life1 and the ,gothic palaces remain to-day much the same as when they were newly built--marble balconies1 great strong sweeps of delicate-looking tracery1 clustered arches4 ,it is the ,gothic window that is so perfect1 so strong1--built1 too1 with material that was by no means good4 ,there is so much rivalry1 vanity1 dishonesty1 in the present day1 that houses are badly and cheaply built2 even in the best of them1 bad iron and inferior plaster are used4 ,how many of them1 ,i should like to know1 will be standing fifty years hence8 ,mr4 ,ruskin is much against our modern windows and the manner in which they are quickly constructed out of bad materials1 and the bricks all placed one on top of the other slanting anyhow4 ,the doors of ,gothic palaces are all semicircular above4 ,at one time the name of the family was placed over the entrance1 and a prayer inserted for their safety and prosperity1--also a blessing for the stranger who should pass the threshold4 ,inside the houses there is always a large court round which all the various rooms circle1 with a beautiful outside staircase supported on pointed arches with coned parapets and projecting landing-places4 ,in the court there is always a well of marble superbly sculptured4 ,illustration3 ,,palazzo ,,contarini ,,degli ,,scrigni ,the centres of the early ,renaissance architecture were ,florence1 ,milan1 and ,venice4 ,venice is the only city in which important examples of all three periods of the ,renaissance are to be found--the early period1 the culminating period1 and the period of decay4 ,the ,renaissance found better expression in ,venice than elsewhere in ,italy4 ,in fact1 when ,florence and ,rome had entered upon quite another period1 ,venice continued it for fully twenty-five years longer4 ,the ,venetians were ambitious1 exceedingly so2 and this ambition was a source of great trouble to the rest of ,italy4 ,the balance of power seemed1 in their opinion1 to be weighing too heavily in the direction of the ,queen of the ,adriatic2 and the peace of the peninsula1 they felt1 was not by any means assured4 ,the greatest period for ,venice was at the end of the fifteenth century1 when she had conquered all the land about her from ,padua nearly to ,milan1 and seawards to ,dalmatia and ,crete4 ,in the market-places of ,padua1 ,vicenza1 ,verona1 and ,brescia1 the ,lion of ,st4 ,mark was set up as a sign of the subjugation4 ,even now one can trace the influence of ,venice upon the art of these various places4 ,but the ,venetians certainly learnt a great deal from the people whom they conquered4 ,other influences were brought to bear upon ,venetian architecture--as1 for example1 the ,lombardi family1 who probably belonged to some part of ,lombardy4 ,venice seems at this time to have gathered unto herself many fine suggestions from the rest of ,italy4 ,in fact1 ,venice absorbed talent from the rest of the world4 ,in quite early days she adopted ,byzantine and ,arabic architecture2 then1 in the sixteenth century1 she took unto herself the art of the ,milanese1 who enriched the city with their work4 ,a truly ,renaissance building did not appear in ,venice until sixty years after the first was erected in ,florence1 and then1 strangely1 it had little of the ,florentine character4 ,this1 after all1 is not extraordinary when one comes to think of the bitter war between ,florence and ,venice in #adfg4 ,she took her style of architecture from the countries which she had conquered and naturalised1 such as the district of ,lombardy2 and in her turn she influenced them4 ,the adoption of the ,greek forms of ,roman architecture which originated in ,florence gradually spread and reached ,venice2 but the ,venetians did not struggle1 as did the ,florentines1 to revive and purify ,roman architecture4 ,simply the tendency of the general taste inclined in that direction1 and gave to their own ,venetian forms of architecture a certain classic air4 ,in the general form of the work of this period one cannot detect the classical influence2 but1 if you examine into it carefully1 you will notice in small details1 such as a capital1 that some classical subject has been introduced in place of the usual symbolical one4 ,you will also detect in purely ,gothic composition signs of the new art influence4 ,for example1 in the mouldings there is an introduction of cupids among the foliage1 and all the strange fables and gods of the heathen are represented there4 ,this was the period when people were becoming more learned4 ,later1 buildings were erected on purely classical lines2 yet they still kept to the ,gothic arch4 ,bartolomeo ,buono of ,bergamo was one of the greatest architects of his time4 ,in #aebj the work of another architect was noticeable--that of ,guglielmo ,bergamasco4 ,the question of the church exterior was one of the most difficult problems of the early-,renaissance architect1 and he never solved it quite4 ,the churches of ,venice nearly all belong to the ,renaissance2 there were many of them rebuilt under the influence of either ,palladian or ,jesuit style4 ,palladio was a great architect2 but he had nothing of the ,catholic feeling4 ,he was really more suited to build a pagan temple than to build a ,christian church4 ,the ,jesuit style1 moreover1 is horrible1 with its stumpy columns1 bloated cherubs1 unhealthy affectations1 and fiery ornaments4 ,it is a display without beauty or grace1 merely overloaded and heavy4 ,the church of the ,scalzi is of extravagant richness4 ,the walls are encrusted with coloured marble2 there are frescoed ceilings by ,tiepolo and ,sansovino2 bright tones prevail--more appropriate to a ballroom than to a house of prayer4 ,one can quite imagine a minuet under such a ceiling4 ,many of the churches in ,italy are built in this style1 and are compensated only by the number and interest of the valuable objects which they contain4 ,almost every church has a museum such as would honour the palace of a king4 ,there one sees ,titians1 ,paul ,veroneses1 ,tintorettos1 ,palmas1 ,giovanni ,bellinis1 ,bonifazios4 ,the church of the ,scalzi has a broad staircase in red brocatelle of ,verona1 with truncated columns in marble1 gigantic prophets1 stone balustrades1 and doors of mosaic4 ,the ,romanesque churches are really beautiful1 with their pillars of porphyry1 antique capitals1 images standing out upon a glitter of gold1 ,byzantine mosaics1 slender columns1 and carved trefoils4 ,the church of ,santa ,maria della ,salute has been made famous by the picture of her by ,canaletto in the ,louvre4 ,one of the most beautiful things within is a ceiling by ,titian4 ,venetian arabesque ornament of the ,quattri cento is tenderly sculptured1 and the friezes are undercut in a reverent and delicate manner4 ,illustration3 ,,santa ,,maria ,,della ,,salute ,one of the most beautiful palaces of the ,grand ,canal is the ,palazzo ,corner-,spinelli4 ,it is especially noticeable because of the number of windows in the basement1--there is no observable order in the placing of them4 ,then1 again1 there are contrasts in the shape of balconies4 ,some are small and curved inwards2 others are long and straight4 ,in #adha the palaces became of a more advanced character4 ,the central windows were grouped together2 but this last feature is characteristic of ,venetian architecture of all periods4 ,one of ,sammichele's finest works is the ,palazzo ,grimani1 on the ,grand ,canal4 ,it was carried out by others after ,sammichele's death2 nevertheless1 it is very fine4 ,it has great dignity and majesty1 and is a composition such as will be found in ,venice alone4 ,venice is1 architecturally1 the most interesting city in ,italy4 ,it contains works of all periods1 from the early ,christian foundation to the eighteenth century2 and perhaps the best examples of each are there4 ,first there was the school of the ,lombardi2 next1 that of ,sammichele and ,sansovino1 quite distinct1 an influence direct from ,rome4 ,then came1 closely following1 the schools of ,palladio and ,scamozzi2 and a fourth is that of the seventeenth-century artists1 who did good work in ,venice1 but on different lines4 ,the best example of this late period in ,venice is ,santa ,maria della ,salute1 erected in token of the cessation of the plague4 ,it is situated at the sea gate to the presence-chamber of the ,queen of the ,adriatic4 ,few churches of any age can rival it architecturally4 ,the composition is mainly pyramidal4 ,the barocco style is nowhere so appalling as in ,venice4 ,it is most untruthful and unprincipled in character4 ,there is a great deal of ostentation and bombastic pomp about it4 ,a terrible example of this can be seen in ,doge ,valiero's tomb1 where the marble is made to imitate silk and cloth wherever possible4 ,the ,palazzo ,pesaro was built1 rich and gross1 typical of the domestic ,renaissance1 when architecture tended to decay4 ,technically it is a most inferior building4 ,the figures in the sculpture are spasmodic in action1 and restless2 there is a projecting1 diamond-like rustication1 far too bold in treatment4 ,the angles are an exaggeration of the style of ,sansovino4 ,illustration3 ,,palazzo ,,mengaldo ,there are three great causes of the decadence of ,venetian architecture4 ,first of all1 it was started by purists who were bound too firmly to ancient usages1 too much regulated by precedent1 coldness1 and formality4 ,secondly1 a more disastrous influence was brought to bear--that of ,michael ,angelo1 the example of freedom to the verge of licence4 ,this revolution was brought about partly by the revolt of the public feeling against the restrictions of the purists1 partly by real want of knowledge and failure to understand traditional weaknesses and systems of design with regard to construction4 ,the purpose and use of features was misunderstood2 uncontrolled freedom was allowed2 ornament was added for its own sake1 instead of being bound up in architectural lines4 ,by such freaks and caprices almost every building at this time1 though not ignoble in composition1 was completely disfigured4 ,thirdly1 the architects made the fatal mistake of using the excrescences of a weakness of the great masters and endeavouring to raise them to the dignity of features of design4 ,thus ,venetian architecture withered and decayed1 fading out into a pale shadow of what it had once been4 ,that glorious art1 which had once been so superb in the hands of the masters1 sank into the execution of feigned architecture1 false perspective1 and fictitious grand faades1 with bad statues in unreal relief4 ,illustration3 ,,ospedale ,,civile ,illustration3 ,,st4 ,,mark',s ,,st4 ,,mark',s ,when you arrive before the ,church of ,st4 ,mark's you realise that at last1 after all your travels throughout the length and breadth of the globe1 you have before you a building in which colour and design unite in forming perfection4 ,here stands without a shadow of doubt the finest building in the world1 flawless4 ,it is impossible to imagine that ,st4 ,mark's has been built stone by stone1 that the brains of mere men have designed it1 and that the hands of mere men have set it up4 ,it must1 you think1 have been there from all time just as it is1--formed as the bubble is formed1 and the opal4 ,it is a revelation to look upon such perfect symmetry1 such glorious colouring4 ,like an opal1 ,st4 ,mark's shows no sign of age4 ,it glitters like a new jewel1 and might have been built but yesterday4 ,unlike most churches1 it has no sombre1 frowning air4 ,its spires do not launch themselves into the sky4 ,it does not bristle with towers and arched buttresses4 ,rather the building seems to stoop and crouch4 ,it is surmounted by domes1 as is a ,mohammedan mosque1 and is a strange mixture of ,oriental ornamentation and ,christian symbolism4 ,horses take the place of angels2 grace and splendour1 the place of austerity and mystery4 ,who ever heard of gold1 alabaster1 amber1 ivory1 enamel1 and mosaic being used in the construction of a ,christian church8 ,who ever heard of dolphins1 tridents1 marine shells1 trefoils1 cupolas1 marble plaques1 backgrounds of vividly coloured mosaics and of gold8 ,it is more like a fairy palace1 or an ,alcazar1 or a mosque1 than a ,catholic church2 more like an altar to ,neptune than one to the ,christian ,god4 ,illustration3 ,,palazzo ,,danieli ,the ultimate result of this apparent incoherence is a harmonious whole4 ,reverence and ,christianity are here--an absolute and living faith4 ,even the most devout ,catholic has no cause for complaint4 ,with all its pagan art1 ,st4 ,mark's preserves the character of primitive ,christianity4 ,the exterior is extremely complicated4 ,there are many porticoes1 each with columns of marble1 jasper1 and other precious materials2 many mosaics on grounds of gold over each doorway2 many historic stories and legends that these mosaics represent2 many fantastic forms of angelic beasts1 saints1 ,byzantine and ,middle-,ages bas-reliefs1 magnificent bronze doors1 arcades1 lamps1 peacocks--so many that it is impossible to attempt to describe them in detail4 ,even to tell of the delicate structure and the subtle1 ever-changing1 iridescent colour is beyond me4 ,it is almost bewildering when one thinks that at the time ,st4 ,mark's was built every house in every side street had much of the same extravagant richness1 beauty of colouring1 and superb architecture4 ,as ,mr4 ,ruskin says1 it is absurd to imagine that churches were designed in a style particularly different from that of other buildings4 ,there is nothing specially sacred in what we call ecclesiastical architecture4 ,all the houses were built much in the same way4 ,only1 while the houses have fallen into decay1 the church has been preserved by a devoted populace4 ,it is not often that one sees a coloured building1 a building teeming with colour2 but ,st4 ,mark's vibrates with colour4 ,there are no blank spaces of grey stone4 ,every square inch is beautiful4 ,when one enters from the bright sun1 ,st4 ,mark's appears dim and dark2 but you must not judge by that4 ,to appreciate its beauties1 the student should visit the church day after day4 ,gradually they will unfold themselves4 ,that is what constitutes one of the charms of ,st4 ,mark's4 ,it is as though one were in a carved-out cave of gold and purple1 on a voyage of discovery all by oneself4 ,at first you can see nothing2 but as your eyes become accustomed to the darkness1 colours begin to grow upon you out of the gloom4 ,some minutes must elapse before you realise that the floor1 which at first you took to be of a deep-toned grey stone1 is a mosaic composed of thousands of differently coloured marbles--that you are walking on precious marbles of peacock hues4 ,golden gleams above your head attract you to the domed ceiling1 and1 to your delight and amazement1 you discover that it is formed entirely of gold mosaic4 ,you are passing a dim recess1 and you see a blurred mass of rich colour2 after a time you realise that you are looking at a famous masterpiece by one of the great ,italian painters4 ,you sit there as in a dream2 and one by one the pictures and the mosaics1 the ,gothic images1 the cupolas1 the arches1 the marbles1 the alabaster1 the porphyry1 and the jasper appear to you--until what was darkness and gloom appears to be teeming and vibrating with colour4 ,illustration3 ,,francesca ,st4 ,mark's carries one away from the everyday world4 ,on the ignorant and the uninitiated it has a marvellous effect4 ,men and women and children flock to it by the thousands daily4 ,many and fervent are the worshippers one sees praying before some special saint or beloved ,madonna4 ,some are weeping1 and others kneel for hours on the cold stones4 ,the unhappy people of ,venice have many sins and sorrows1 and there is much that is comforting to them in this rich1 majestic church4 ,the fainting spirit is revived and the most desperate person stimulated as he looks about him at the sparkling mosaic roof1 the rich walls1 and the dimly burning lamps4 ,there is much in precious stones1 music1 sculptured figures1 in pictures of heaven and hell1 that appeals to these people4 ,an infinite and pitiful ,god somewhere about them1 these peasants of poor imaginations cannot understand4 ,they want a faith that they can cling to--almost something that they can finger and touch4 ,st4 ,mark's is to the poor of ,venice like a beautifully illustrated ,bible4 ,there1 in the cupolas1 the story of the ,old ,testament is presented in mosaic1 plainly for every eye to see1 for the youngest and least educated to understand4 ,it touches them1 and appeals to them1 and keeps their faith burning bright and clear4 ,there they have the seven days of creation represented1--mysterious1 weird1 and primitive1--discs of gold and silver representing the sun and the moon4 ,there are the ,tree of ,knowledge1 the ,temptation1 the ,fall1 and the ,expulsion from ,paradise4 ,then comes the slaying of ,abel by ,cain1 ,adam and ,eve tilling the ground4 ,there is a strange mosaic of the ,ark1 with the animals going in two by two on a background of gold2 there are the stories of ,abraham1 of ,joseph1 and of ,moses1 all quaintly executed1 full of detail and without regard to anatomy4 ,there is no struggle to imitate ,nature1 and the colouring is good4 ,in the time when ,st4 ,mark's was built there were no cheap ,bibles1 and1 if there had been any1 the poorer classes could not have read them4 ,thus the great ,church was an endless boon to them1 one which could never be quite exhausted4 ,many and splendid are the lessons these mosaics and pictures taught and continue to teach4 ,the mysteries and beauties of the ,bible are impressed upon the mind in a manner that cannot be effaced4 ,all the virtues are there--,temperance quenching fire with water2 ,charity1 mother of the virtues1 and the last attained in human life2 ,patience2 ,modesty2 ,chastity2 ,prudence2 ,lowliness of ,thought1 ,kindness1 and ,compassion2 and ,love which is ,stronger than ,death4 ,these lessons the ,venetians have continually before them1 to help them to bear the troubles of this world1 and giving them hope for the peace of another4 ,most of the pictures in mosaic are typically ,byzantine1 mainly symbolical and of the first school of design in ,venice4 ,upon these pictures the people of ,venice live and thrive spiritually3 the pleasure is real and pure4 ,colour has a great influence upon the emotions1 just as music has2 and colour was used in the earliest times to stimulate devotion and repentance4 ,there are pictures in which the most profound emotion is expressed4 ,when one sees the pictures of ,christ's life and passion1 one cannot but be touched4 ,by the medium of paintings in the churches1 people began to understand and appreciate art1 and to feel the need of it in their homes4 ,not only is ,st4 ,mark's an education to the poor and the ignorant3 it is also an education to the student and to the artist4 ,here you have pictures of the nation of fishermen at their greatest period2 also you find legends splendidly told1 such as the story of the two merchants who brought the bones of ,st4 ,mark from ,alexandria under cover of pork1 crying ,swine6 swine6 ,you see the priests1 the ,doge1 and the people of ,venice as they were in the days of her power4 ,in one of the dim corners of ,st4 ,mark's is a statue of an old man on crutches with a finger on his lip4 ,this is a ,byzantine architect who was sent to ,pietro ,orseolo from ,constantinople1 as the cleverest ,eastern builder of his time1 to construct ,st4 ,mark's ,church4 ,he was a bow-legged dwarf1 and undertook to build this marvellous edifice1 unequalled in its beauty1 on condition that a statue of himself should be placed in a conspicuous position in the ,church4 ,this was arranged4 ,one day the ,doge overheard the architect say that he could not execute the work in the way he had intended4 ,then1 said ,orseolo1 ,i am absolved from my promise2 and he merely erected a small statue of the architect in a corner of the ,church4 ,illustration3 ,,st4 ,,mark',s ,,piazza ,think of the makers of ,st4 ,mark's--the great men who worked together with brains and hands to make her what she is6 ,the army of artists1 painting1 designing1 sculpturing1 one after the other from generation to generation in this great cathedral6 ,titian1 ,tintoretto1 ,palma1 ,pilotto1 ,salviati1 and ,sebastian were among the painters whose designs were used for the mosaics2 ,bozza1 ,vincenzo1 ,bianchini1 and ,passerini1 among the master mosaicists2 ,pietro ,lombardo1 ,alberghetti1 and ,massegna1 among the sculptors4 ,then1 the other thousands1 all men of extraordinary talent1 of whom astonishingly little is known1 fervent workers6 ,throughout eight centuries they worked1 and with what care and skill and patience6 ,at what a cost1 too1 these masterpieces must have been achieved6 ,think of the temples and the quarries that have been robbed of their gold1 and of the marbles1 the alabaster1 and the porphyry4 ,all the saints and prophets and martyrs are there2 the stories of the ,virgin1 of the ,passion1 and of ,calvary2 all the scenes from the ,old and ,new ,testaments4 ,the early ,venetians seem to have revelled in colour and in rich materials4 ,the builders laid on the richest colour and the most brilliant jewels they could find4 ,they were exiles from ancient and beautiful cities1 and when they succeeded in war their first thought was to bring home shiploads of precious materials4 ,just as the ,egyptians1 the ,greeks1 and the ,arabs had an intense love of colour1 so had the early ,venetians1 who used precious stones in great abundance1 even in their own private houses4 ,a most extraordinary thing is that there is nothing vulgar about the costliness of ,st4 ,mark's4 ,although both inside and out it is rich beyond words1 rich in precious stones1 rich in every way1 the building is full of reserve4 ,there is no ostentation1 no vulgarity4 ,the jewels used in its construction do not for one moment interfere with one's sense of the beautiful1 or with reverence and religion4 ,they simply give a rare luxurious feeling to the place1 and in the ignorant inspire respect for a ,church thus encased and honoured with the richest in the land4 ,then1 again1 the jewels do not form a principal part of the ornamentation4 ,one looks first at the exquisite workmanship2 and afterwards are noticed the precious materials1 which form a subordinate part and do not interfere with the design4 ,it is almost as though a veil had been swept over the whole building1 both inside and out1 bringing together this wealth of colour and forming it into a complete whole4 ,it has the effect of a marvellous glaze--of a picture that has had a thin glaze swept over it4 ,wherever you look1 the ,church teems with colour2 but it seems to be piercing through a veil4 ,it is not vivid positive colour1 but colour breaking through a skin4 ,in the ,east ,i have seen millions of pounds' worth of jewels in one heap1 with the sun shining on them1 and ,i was overpowered with this wealth1 ,i was inspired with their costliness2--but ,st4 ,mark's does not affect you at all in this way4 ,rich man and peasant are alike in this respect3 they are elevated and stimulated in that building1 not because of its costliness1 but because of its extreme beauty4 ,the technique is marvellous1 but not obvious3 the moment you are conscious of technique you may be sure that the work is poor4 ,you never wonder how ,st4 ,mark's was built2 and that is the highest tribute to the marvellous arts which it expresses4 ,illustration3 ,,scuola ,,di ,,san ,,marco ,illustration3 ,a ,,quiet ,,waterway ,,painters ,,of ,,the ,,renaissance ,one of the chief characteristics of the ,venetian school of painters1 and one of the most attractive to all art lovers1 is their great appreciation of colour4 ,in most of their work colour seems to be the chief motive4 ,pictures by ,venetian painters never suggest drawings4 ,they strike you not as having been coloured afterwards1 but as having been painted essentially for the colour4 ,one sees this throughout the whole school4 ,and in their paintings they do not go to extremes4 ,there is no exaggeration in their colouring4 ,they do not err1 as do so many schools1 either on the foxy-red side or on the cold steely colouring4 ,unfortunately1 much of the beautiful colouring of these pictures is lost by age4 ,one has to become accustomed to that ugly brown skin which has formed upon the surface before one can realise what great colourists these early ,venetians really were4 ,the pictures somehow cause one to resent oil as a medium4 ,one realises how different they must have looked when fresh from the easel1 and wishes that these great masters could have painted with a medium more lasting--as did the ,chinese1 whose works are as young and fresh now as if they had been painted yesterday3 the years have left no trace whatever3 the simple colouring is the same to-day as it was a hundred years ago4 ,many of the earlier paintings1 those of the ,gothic ,venetians1 the less-known men1 are a good deal better preserved4 ,their canvasses have not turned black2 the glazings have not departed2 and there is no smoky film upon them1 as in the case of the works of the great masters1 such as ,titian1 ,tintoretto1 and ,giovanni ,bellini1 men who came a hundred years afterwards4 ,it may very possibly be that the pigment which painters used then was purer and less adulterated4 ,certainly one sees in the various schools all over the world that the older the pictures are the better preserved they are4 ,age never improves a picture--unless1 indeed1 it is an extremely bad one1 when time serves as a thin veil4 ,illustration3 ,,canal ,,priuli ,undoubtedly these great colourists1 the ,venetians1 influenced the various schools of painters all over the world1 and are still influencing them4 ,originally they worked for the churches1 and colour was used exactly as music was used--to appeal to the senses1 to the emotions3 to influence the people1 to teach them biblical stories and parables4 ,it also educated the people to understand painting and to feel the need of it in their daily lives4 ,at about this time the ,renaissance began to express itself1 not only in poetry and other literature1 but also in paintings2 and it found clearer utterance in ,venice than elsewhere4 ,the conditions at this time were perfect for the development of art4 ,venice at that period lent herself to art4 ,she was at peace with the whole world1 and she was prosperous4 ,the people were joyous1 gay1 and light-hearted4 ,they longed for everything that made life pleasant4 ,naturally1 they wanted colour4 ,and ,venice was not affected by that wave of science which swept over the rest of ,italy4 ,the ,venetians were not at all absorbed in literature and archology4 ,they wanted merely to be joyous4 ,this was an ideal atmosphere for the painter4 ,such a condition of things could not but create a fine artistic period4 ,the painter is not concerned with science and learning1 or should not be4 ,such a condition of mind would result in feeble1 academical work--in struggling to tell a story with his medium1 instead of producing a beautiful design4 ,that is partly why the ,venetian school has had such a strong influence on art1 even until the present day4 ,the conditions were perfect for the development of art1 because the patrons were capable of appreciating beautiful form and beautiful colour4 ,because the public would have it1 this new school of painters appeared4 ,the demand was created1 and the supply came4 ,there was undoubtedly great friction among the painters of this period1 exactly as there has been lately with the modern impressionists and the academic painters4 ,some of the old ,venetians resented the new school that was springing up2 but they had eventually to bend and try to paint in sympathy with the senses and emotion of their patrons4 ,you find this new mode of thought expressed strongly even in the churches and in the treatment of religious subjects4 ,the old ideals were altered4 ,men no longer painted saints and ,madonnas as mild1 attenuated people4 ,the figures were lifelike and full of actuality4 ,the women were ,venetian women of the period dressed in splendid robes and dignified2 the men were healthy1 full-blooded1 and joyous4 ,florence1 however1 at this particular period was undergoing quite a different mood4 ,the ,florentines preferred to express themselves in poetry and in prose4 ,that was the language the masses understood4 ,painting was not popular4 ,there has always been a literary atmosphere about ,florence1 and one feels it there to this day2 it is essentially the city for the student4 ,when painting became so much a vogue in ,venice1 painters began to try and perfect the art in every possible way4 ,they struggled for actuality4 ,art began to develop in the direction of realism4 ,the ,venetians wanted form and colour in their pictures2 but they wanted also a suggestion of distance and atmosphere4 ,in those early pictures you find that painters smeared their distance to give it a blurred look4 ,that was the beginning of perspective4 ,painters of this period seem to have been marvellously modern4 ,they were quite in the movement4 ,there has never been any attempt at harking back to earlier periods4 ,venice was very wealthy at this time1 and ,venetian people never missed an opportunity of parading wealth4 ,they loved glory where the ,state was concerned1 and encouraged pageantry by both land and sea4 ,they loved to see ,doge and senators in their gorgeous robes1 either on the piazza or on the ,grand ,canal4 ,then there came a demand for painted records of these processions and ceremonials4 ,all this was encouraged by the ,state for political reasons4 ,pageantry entertained the people1 and at the same time made them less inquisitive4 ,much better1 these great officials argued1 that the people should be enjoying things in this way than that they should begin to inquire into the doings of the ,state4 ,gentile ,bellini and ,carpaccio were the first pageant painters of the period4 ,paolo ,veronese1 who came much later1 also loved pageantry1 elevated it to the height of serious art1 and idealised prosaic magnificence4 ,he painted great banquets1 and combined ceremony1 splendour1 and worldliness with childlike naturalness and simplicity4 ,illustration3 ,,osmarin ,,canal ,first of all1 as has been shown1 it was the ,church that called for pictures--to represent their saints and to enforce biblical legends4 ,painting became more and more popular4 ,people became more and more educated to understand painting1 until at last they wanted their domestic and social lives depicted4 ,also they wanted to hang these pictures in their homes4 ,pictures were neither so rare nor so expensive in those days as they are now1 and people could afford to buy them--even the lower and the middle classes4 ,immediately there sprang up painters who satisfied the demand4 ,in those days there were no academies and no salons wherein artists fought to outdo one another as to the size and eccentricity of their pictures2 there were no vulgar struggles of that kind4 ,painters simply supplied to the best of their ability the wants of the people4 ,naturally1 the public required small pictures1 suitable to the size of their houses4 ,therefore1 they needed gay and beautiful colour1 and pictures in which the subjects did not obtrude themselves forcibly4 ,thus1 in the natural course of events pageantry found less favour1 and pictures of social and domestic life found more4 ,religious subjects were rather deserted4 ,by the aid of books people could learn all the stories of the ,bible4 ,besides1 they were not at that period in a devotional or contrite mood4 ,they were too happy and full of life to feel any pressing need for religion4 ,painting took much the same position with the ,venetians as music has with us now4 ,the fashion for triumphal marches and the clashing of cymbals in processional pictures had died out1 and the vogue of symphonies and sonatas had come in4 ,no one at that time seemed quite capable of satisfying the public taste4 ,carpaccio1 whose subtle yet brilliant colouring would have exactly suited it1 never undertook these subjects4 ,giovanni ,bellini attempted them2 but his style was too severe for the gaiety of the period4 ,however1 there was not long to wait4 ,soon appeared a man who told the public what they wanted and gave it to them4 ,he swept away conventions and revolutionised art all over the world4 ,he was a genius--,giorgione4 ,pupil of ,bellini and ,carpaccio1 he combined the qualities of both4 ,when he was quite a youth painters all over the world followed his methods4 ,curiously enough1 there are not a dozen of this great master's works preserved at the present day4 ,the bulk of them were frescoes which long ago disappeared4 ,the few that remain are quite enough to make one realise what a great master he was4 ,the picture which most appeals to me is an altar-piece of the ,virgin and ,child at ,castelfranco4 ,it is painted in the pure ,giorgione spirit4 ,st4 ,george in armour is at one side1 resting on a spear which seems to be coming right out of the picture2 while on the other side there is a monk1 and in the background are a banner of rich brocade and a small landscape4 ,the ,renaissance1 the rejuvenation of art1 seems to have slowly developed until at length it culminated in ,giorgione4 ,he was the man who opened the door1 the one great modern genius of his period1 whose influence remains and is felt to this day4 ,velasquez would never have been known but for ,giorgione4 ,imagine this young man with his new ideas and his sweeps of golden colouring suddenly appearing in a studio full of men1 all painting in the correct severe style established at the period4 ,such a man must needs influence all his fellows4 ,even ,giovanni ,bellini1 the ,watts of his day1 acknowledged the young man's genius1 and almost unconsciously began to mingle ,giorgione's style with his own4 ,we cannot realise what they meant at that period--these new ideas of ,giorgione4 ,he created just as much of a furore as when ,benvenuto ,cellini1 in his sculpture1 allowed a limb to hang over the edge of a pedestal4 ,he needed this to complete his design4 ,since then almost everyone that has modelled has hung a limb over a pedestal4 ,but ,benvenuto ,cellini started this new era4 ,so1 in much the same sort of way1 did ,giorgione4 ,he cut away from convention1 and introduced landscape as backgrounds to his figure subjects4 ,he was the first to get actuality and movement in the arrangement of drapery4 ,the ,venetian public had long been waiting1 though unconsciously1 for this work2 and ,giorgione was so well in touch with the needs of the people that the moment he gave them what they wanted they would take nothing else4 ,in the work of ,giorgione the ,renaissance finds its most genuine expression4 ,it is the ,renaissance at its height4 ,both ,giorgione and ,titian were village boys brought to ,venice by their parents and placed under the care of ,giovanni ,bellini to learn art4 ,they must have been of very much the same age4 ,it is interesting to watch the career of these boys--the two different natures--the impulsiveness of the one and the plodding perseverance of the other4 ,giorgione shot like a meteor early and bright into the world of art1 scattering the clouds in the firmament1 bold1 crowding the work and the pleasure of a lifetime in a few short years4 ,his work was a delight to him1 and life itself was full of everything that was beautiful4 ,he was surrounded always by a multitude of admiring comrades1 imitating him and urging him on4 ,giorgione was ever restless and impetuous by nature4 ,when commissions flagged and he had no particular work in hand1 he took to painting the outside of his own house4 ,he cared not a whit for convention4 ,he followed his own tastes and his own feelings4 ,he converted his home into a glow of crimson and gold1--great forms starting up along the walls1 sweet cherub boys1 fables of ,greece and ,rome1--a dazzling confusion of brilliant tints and images4 ,think how this palace must have appeared reflected in the waters of the ,canal6 ,unfortunately1 the sun and the wind fought with this masterly canvas1 conquered1 and bore all these beautiful things away4 ,indeed1 many of ,giorgione's works were frescoes1 and the sea air swept away much of the glory of his life4 ,his career was brief but gay1 full of work and full of colour4 ,this impetuous painter died in the very heyday of his success4 ,some say he died of grief at being deserted by a lady whom he loved2 others that he caught the plague4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,sotto ,,portico ,of what a different nature was ,titian6 ,he studied in the same bottega as ,giorgione1 and was brought up under much the same conditions4 ,but he was a patient worker1 absorbing the knowledge of everyone about him1 ever learning and experimenting2 never completing4 ,he did not think of striking off on a new line1 of executing bold and original work4 ,he wanted to master not one side of painting but all sides4 ,he waited until his knowledge should be complete before he declared himself1 before he really accomplished anything4 ,he absorbed the new principles of his comrade ,giorgione1 as he absorbed everything else that was good1 with unerring instinct and steady power4 ,titian was never led away in any one direction4 ,he was always open to any new suggestion4 ,as it happened1 it was just as well that ,titian worked thus at his leisure1 and ,giorgione with haste and fever4 ,titian had ninety-nine years to live2 ,giorgione had but thirty-four4 ,there is an interesting anecdote told by ,vasari with regard to these two young men4 ,they were both at work on the painting of a large building1 the ,fondaco dei ,tedeschi2 ,titian painting the wall facing the street1 and ,giorgione the side towards the canal4 ,several gentlemen1 not knowing which was the particular work of either artist1 went one day to inspect the building1 and declared that the wall facing the ,merceria far excelled in beauty that of the river front4 ,giorgione was so indignant at this slight that he declared that he would neither see nor speak to ,titian again4 ,titian does not seem to have been very much appreciated by his patrons at the beginning of his career4 ,he inspired no affection4 ,he was acknowledged as the greatest of all the young painters2 but the ,republic1 it would seem1 was never very proud of the man who did her so much credit and added so greatly to her fame4 ,even although the noise of his genius was echoed all over the world1--although the great ,emperor himself stooped to pick up his brush1 declaring that a ,titian might well be served by a ,csar1--although ,charles the ,fifth sat to him repeatedly1 and maintained that he was the only painter whom he would care to honour1--the ,venetians do not seem to have been greatly enamoured of him4 ,perhaps it was that they missed the soul1 the purity and grace and devotion1 of the pictures of ,bellini and ,carpaccio4 ,certainly1 as far as one can judge1 he did not have a prepossessing nature4 ,he was shifty in his dealings with his patrons and unfaithful in his promises4 ,he seems to have belonged to a corrupt and luxurious society4 ,pietro ,aretino had a very bad influence on ,titian4 ,he taught him to intrigue1 to flatter1 to betray4 ,aretino was a base-born adventurer for whom no historian seems to have a good word4 ,he was1 however1 a man of wit and dazzling cleverness1 with a touch of real genius4 ,aretino corresponded with all the most cultured men of his time1 and he had the power of making those whom he chose famous4 ,it was he who introduced ,titian to ,charles the ,fifth4 ,titian's pictures were much more saleable in foreign courts than in his own country4 ,abroad they did not seem to have the lack of soul which the ,venetians so greatly deplored4 ,it was the old case of the prophet having no honour in his own country4 ,certainly in the art of portraiture ,titian has never been surpassed4 ,at that period he had the field completely to himself4 ,nothing could have been more magnificent than ,titian's portraits4 ,they help to record the history of the age4 ,it was in ,titian's power to confer upon his subjects the splendour that they loved1 handing them down to posterity as heroes and learned persons4 ,his men were all noble1 worthy to be senators and emperors1 no coxcombs or foolish gallants4 ,titian was more at home in pictures of this kind than in religious subjects4 ,his ,madonnas are without significance2 his ,holy ,families give no message of blessing to the world4 ,in the prime of his life he moved from his workshops to a noble and luxurious palace in ,san ,cassiano1 facing the wide lagoon and the islands4 ,all trace of it has disappeared1 and homes of the poor cover the garden where the best company of ,venice was once entertained4 ,it is said that ,titian gave the gayest parties and suppers--that he entertained the most regal guests4 ,nevertheless1 although made a knight and a count1 and a favourite at most of the courts in ,europe1 he was greatly disliked by the ,venetian ,signoria1 who in the midst of his famous supper-parties called upon him to demand that he should execute a certain work for which he had received the money long before4 ,he seems to have been exceedingly grasping--a strange trait in the character of a painter4 ,one sees throughout his correspondence1 until the end of his life1 a certain desire and demand for money4 ,undoubtedly he often painted merely for money alone1 turning out a sacred picture one day and a ,venus the next with equal impartiality4 ,anything1 it was said1 could have been got out of ,titian for money4 ,the ,venetians never loved ,titian's works1 though foreign princes adored them4 ,he seems to have laboured1 until the end of his life1 more from love of gain than from necessity4 ,he was buried at the ,frari1 carried thither in great haste by order of the ,signoria1--for it was at the time of the plague1 when other victims were taken to the outlying islands and put in the earth unnamed4 ,somehow1 in reading the life of ,titian one is brought right away to the twentieth century4 ,here is the painter with the attendant journalist1 ,pietro ,aretino1 the boomer4 ,aretino was a journalist1 the first4 ,he took ,titian in hand and ran him for all he was worth4 ,had it not been for this system of booming1 ,titian would probably not have been well known during his lifetime4 ,in the ,academy of the ,fine ,arts one can trace by his pictures a splendid historical record of ,titian's life1 and can see plainly the changes in popular feeling and their effect upon his work4 ,for very many years he lived and painted constantly1 and then was killed by the plague6 ,there is a picture painted by him when he was fourteen years of age--a picture which contains all the qualities1 in the germ1 of his later work3 marvellous architecture1 pomp1 yet great simplicity and luminous colour4 ,here also is the last picture he ever painted--at the age of ninety-nine4 ,think of the interval between the two6 ,it is sombre1 pious4 ,there is something pathetic about it4 ,this great painter1 whose work showed such fury1 audacity1 vehemence1--the man who had always the sun on his palette--was now painting mildly1 carefully1 obviously with the shadow of approaching death upon him4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,narrow ,,canal ,a marvellous picture by ,titian hangs in the ,academy of the ,fine ,arts4 ,it is considered to be one of his finest pictures--the masterpiece of all his masterpieces--the eye of the peacock1 as it were4 ,this picture was neglected for many years1 hidden away in an obscure portion of a church1 and covered with a thick layer of cobwebs and dust4 ,the custodian had almost forgotten the subject of the picture and the name of the painter4 ,one day a certain ,count ,cicogna happened to visit the church4 ,being a great connoisseur and lover of art1 he noticed this picture1 and could not resist moistening his finger and rubbing it over a portion of the canvas4 ,to his amazement1 this portion emerged young and fresh1 and as highly coloured as when it left the painter's hands--a picture bearing upon it the unmistakable stamp of ,titian's genius6 ,the delight of the ,count can be imagined4 ,he suggested to the custodian1 with great care and tact1 that he would present to the church a bran-new glossy picture1 very large1 of some religious subject2 and mentioned in a casual way that they might give him the dilapidated old picture as a slight return4 ,this was the ,assunta4 ,it was painted for the church of the ,frari4 ,fra ,marco ,jerman1 the head of the convent1 ordered it at his own expense4 ,many a time when the work was in progress he and all the ignorant brethren visited the painter's studio and criticised his picture1 grumbling and shaking their heads1 and wondering whether it would be good enough to be accepted1 whether it would be sneered at when uncovered before all ,venice4 ,they undoubtedly thought that they had done a rash thing in engaging him4 ,think of the agony of ,titian1 hindered by these ignorant men1 being forced to explain elaborately that the figures were not too large1 that they must needs be in proportion to the space6 ,it was not until the envoy of the ,emperor had seen the picture and declared it to be a masterpiece1 offering a large sum of money for its purchase1 that the ,frari understood its value1 and decided that1 as the buying and selling of pictures was not in their profession1 they had better keep it4 ,illustration3 ,,bridge ,,near ,,the ,,palazzo ,,labia ,tintoretto painted1 according to the popular feeling of his period1 for the good of mankind4 ,this we certainly owe to the ,renaissance--the desire to benefit mankind1 and not only men individually4 ,tintoretto felt this strongly4 ,one sees not only the effect of this new era of thought in his work3 one sees also human life at the base of it4 ,tintoretto worked for the good of mankind1 and his work throbs with humanity4 ,there was atmosphere1 reality1 in it4 ,he was1 it is true1 a pupil of ,titian2 but it was ,michael ,angelo whose works had the greatest attraction for him4 ,he loved ,angelo's overwhelming power and gigantic force4 ,tintoretto's pictures seem to possess much of the glowing colour of ,titian2 but he paid greater attention to chiaroscuro4 ,he seems to have had the power of lowering the tone of a sky to suit his composition of light and shade4 ,his conception of the human form was colossal4 ,his work showed a wide sweep and power4 ,he turned to religion1 not because it was a duty1 but because it answered the needs of the human heart--because it helped him to forget the mean and sordid side of life1 braced him to his work1 and consoled him in his days of despair4 ,the ,bible was not to him a cut-and-dried document concerning the ,christian religion1 but a series of beautiful parables pointing to a finer life4 ,then1 ,tintoretto asked himself1 ,why keep to the old forms and the old ideals8 ,why should the saints and biblical people be represented as ,romans1 walking in a ,roman background8 ,he himself thought of them as people of his own kind1 and painted them as such4 ,thus1 he argued1 people became more familiar with the ,bible1 more readily understood it4 ,tintoretto painted portraits not only of ,venetians1 but also of foreign princes4 ,although he painted with tremendous rapidity1 the demand was greater than the supply4 ,his paintings were popular4 ,they gave pleasure to the eye1 and stimulated the emotions4 ,he painted people at their best1 in glowing health and full of life4 ,under his marvellous brush old men became vigorous and full-blooded4 ,his pictures give the same sort of pleasure as one finds in looking upon a casket of jewels--they are just as deathless in their brilliancy4 ,the portrait that the popular taste called forth in ,titian's day was just about as unlike the typical modern portrait as you could possibly imagine1--the colourless1 cold1 unsympathetic portrait of the fish-eyed mayor in his robes4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,house ,,with ,,the ,,blue ,,door ,at the age of fifteen1 ,jacopo ,robusti--tintoretto1 the little dyer--was brought by his father1 ,battista ,robusti1 to the studio of the great painter ,titian4 ,there he stayed for a little while1 until one day ,titian came across1 in his bottega1 some drawings that showed promise4 ,on discovering that they were from the hand of ,jacopo1 he sent the boy away4 ,young as he was1 ,tintoretto had all the arrogance of the well-to-do citizen4 ,he would brook no man's ,no1 and would not yield his own pretensions for the greatest genius in ,christendom4 ,he did not need money3 he was independent3 and he started boldly to teach himself4 ,boiling with rage at the affront ,titian had put upon him1 he was determined to make a career for himself4 ,he studied the works of ,michael ,angelo and of ,titian1 and inscribed upon his studio wall1 so that his ambition might always be before his eyes1 ,il desegno di ,michael ,angelo1 e' il colorito di ,titiano4 ,he studied casts of ancient marbles1 and made designs of them by the light of a lamp1 in order to gain a strong effect of shadow4 ,also1 he copied the pictures of ,titian4 ,seeking1 by every means in his power1 to educate himself1 he modelled figures of wax and plaster1 upon which he hung his drapery4 ,and always1 whether painting by night or by day1 he arranged his lights so as to have everything in high relief4 ,tintoretto's inventions for teaching himself were endless4 ,often he visited the painters' benches in the piazza of ,st4 ,mark's1 where the poor men of the profession worked at painting chests and furniture of all kinds4 ,in those days there were too many painters4 ,the profession was overdone4 ,many young men who had real genius worked at the benches4 ,titian was the great man at the moment1 and ,palma ,vecchio4 ,but ,tintoretto did not care4 ,he forced his work down men's throats--gave it to them for nothing if they would not pay for it4 ,he was always ready with his brush1 and would paint anything from an organ to an altar-piece4 ,he worked like a giant1 with tremendous sweep and power2 no subject was too great or too laborious2 and always he had a desire to do his best4 ,tintoretto would not be trifled with or condescended to4 ,he would not have his work under-valued1 and would allow no patrician1 not even a prince1 to play the patron to him4 ,he was determined not to be set aside4 ,he flung his pictures at people's heads1 and insisted on undertaking any great piece of work there was to do4 ,thus1 ,tintoretto's pictures are to be seen everywhere in ,venice--in almost every church1 every council-hall1 every humble chapel1 every parish church1 every sacristy4 ,he neglected no opportunity to make his work known4 ,he worked with extraordinary rapidity4 ,whenever ,tintoretto came across a fine fair wall he prevailed upon the master-mason to allow him to paint it4 ,a fifty-foot space he would cover with avidity1 asking nothing for his work but the cost of the material1 giving his time and labour as a gift4 ,illustration3 ,,canal ,,in ,,giudecca ,,island ,portraiture was the outcome of realism1 and one of the most important discoveries of the ,renaissance4 ,people began to feel that they wanted not only their affluence in possessions1 but also their own individual faces and features1 handed down to posterity4 ,thus portraiture began to creep in4 ,at first it appeared in the churches under cover of saints and ,madonnas2 gradually it became possible to distinguish one from another--it was not always the same face4 ,painters took models from life as their saints4 ,but portraiture in painting was very slow in reaching perfection4 ,sculpture had accomplished that long before2 now that the latest craze was for portraiture1 it was the sculptors who were the most prepared to take it up1 and stepped forward to execute commissions4 ,they had plenty of material in the way of old ,roman coins and busts4 ,donatello and ,vittore ,pisano were the two men who first offered to satisfy the new want4 ,donatello executed marvellous studies of character1 and ,pisano medals such as have never been seen before or since4 ,but even these men1 fine as their work undoubtedly was1 felt that the public could not long remain satisfied merely with the sculptured portrait4 ,they must have colour4 ,donatello1 therefore1 began to stain and colour his busts1 showing that painting1 not sculpture1 was to be the portrait art of the ,renaissance4 ,vittore ,pisano also gave up his sculpture1 and turned his attention to portrait-painting2 but he was only an amateur in this direction1 and did not meet with much success4 ,no portrait-painter of any merit was produced in that generation4 ,the idea was entirely new4 ,men had not had sufficient time in which to study the human face4 ,the next generation ushered in ,mantegna1 who painted a marvellous portrait of ,cardinal ,sciramo2 but he went too far in the other direction4 ,he painted his man as he was--as he saw him1 line for line4 ,he painted the soul and heart of him--and the soul and the heart were black4 ,venice was revolted with such a portrait4 ,it seemed indeed indecent that a man's character should be laid bare in such a way4 ,it was a picture they did not care to hang in the ,council ,chamber1 a picture that was unpleasant to live with4 ,the ,cardinal belonged to the ,state4 ,his honour was their honour1 and it must not be defiled4 ,the ,venetians came to the conclusion that portraits must be painted not in full-face but in profile4 ,thus the characteristics of a man1 if they be not pleasant1 do not come out clearly4 ,this accounts for the number of profile portraits4 ,the age wanted an agreeable portrait4 ,this ,giorgione provided4 ,he realised that the treatment must always be bright1 joyous1 romantic4 ,his followers trod in his footsteps3 the master's style was too strong and pronounced to be much deviated from4 ,giorgione seems to have reached the topmost height of art at that period4 ,even ,titian1 for a generation after his death1 followed in ,giorgione's lines2 only1 ,titian's work was a little more sober1 a little less sunny4 ,he had the sense to see that ,giorgione had expanded the old rule and done something worth adopting1 and for a time he simply followed this joyful outburst4 ,his early years fell at a time when life was glowing1 radiant1 almost intoxicating in its vigour4 ,but youth and joy cannot last2 nor could the ,renaissance spirit4 ,gradually the trouble and the strife from which the whole of ,italy was suffering filtered into ,venice1 and cast a serious aspect over art and social life4 ,venice1 of all the states in ,italy1 was the last to feel this sobering influence4 ,she had been defeated both in battle and in commerce2 and1 although she was not totally crushed under the heel of ,spain1 life was not the endless holiday it promised to be4 ,men took themselves more seriously1 and the quieter pleasures of friendship and affection began to be more sought after4 ,religion revived in importance4 ,men clung to it1 as they always do in time of trouble1 for comfort and support4 ,it was no longer a political sentiment1 but a personal one4 ,art declined as the sunshine and the gaiety that had fed and nourished it ebbed away4 ,when men began to feel that individually they were of no avail1 that they were subject to the powers round about and above them1 the death-blow of great art fell4 ,titian was influenced by his environment1 and his painting changed completely4 ,he produced pictures that would have been looked upon with scorn in his earlier days4 ,the faces of his men are no longer smooth and free from care4 ,one saw there struggle and suffering1 and all that life had done for them4 ,but ,titian was not a pessimist at heart4 ,the joy and gaiety in which he had been brought up formed part of his character4 ,whatever changes may have happened to his country politically1 nothing could alter that entirely4 ,and it was no doubt this early training and the atmosphere in which he was brought up that made his pictures the masterpieces they were4 ,you notice the men who came after ,titian--how they began to decline4 ,for example1 ,lorenzo ,lotto had been brought up in the heyday of the ,renaissance2 but the new order of things1 the change from national virility to national decadence1 enfeebled him4 ,then1 again1 the coming in touch with poets and men of letters1 victims flying from the fury of ,spain1 was a new stimulant to art4 ,it did not exactly improve it2 but it certainly changed it4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,orange ,,sail ,a fine period of painting does not come in a day1 nor does it end in a day2 and1 although the universal interest in the ,venetian school dies with ,titian and ,tintoretto1 it does not die unnoticed4 ,the torch of art flickered up many times in ,venice before it was finally extinguished4 ,the men who came immediately after ,tintoretto had not the strength to start off on any new lines4 ,they simply fell back on variations of the earlier masters1 showing much of the masters' weaknesses1 but few of their great qualities4 ,some even were so inartistic as to attempt to pass off their pictures1 on ignorant people1 as ,titians and ,giorgiones4 ,however1 before the ,republic disappeared there were two or three men who took the first rank among the painters of the period1 provincial artists1 men whose art was sufficiently like her own to be readily understood1 such as ,paul ,veronese4 ,the provinces were not declining so rapidly as ,venice was4 ,they were less troubled by the approaching storm4 ,men there led simple1 healthy lives2 ,spanish manners were long in reaching the provinces1 and1 when they did1 the people were slow to succumb4 ,men in the provinces had stamina1 simplicity1 and courage with which to meet the new order of things4 ,they combined ceremony and splendour with childlike naturalness4 ,consequently1 the works of ,paul ,veronese delighted the ,venetians4 ,the more fashionable and ceremonious private life in the city became1 the more were the people charmed with his simple rendering4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,quiet ,,rio ,gradually the taste of the ,venetians turned towards pictures in humble quarters--in the provincial towns and in the country4 ,in the ,middle ,ages the country was so upset that it was not safe for people to venture out of the city2 but with the advance of civilisation this state of affairs was altered4 ,people began to delight in country life4 ,the aristocracy took villas in the provinces1 and the poorer people wanted representations of them in their houses4 ,the painters of the period1 ,palma and ,bonifacio1 began to add pastoral backgrounds to their works4 ,but the first great landscape painter was ,jacopo ,bassano4 ,his treatment of light and atmosphere was masterly1 and his colouring was jewel-like and brilliant4 ,it was ,bassano who started that great ,spanish school which was to culminate in ,velasquez4 ,venice did not produce many great painters in the eighteenth century--only three or four4 ,the city itself remained unchanged3 it was just as beautiful1 still the most beautiful and luxurious city in the world3 it was the people who changed4 ,they became apathetic1 placid1 and drifting1 perfectly contented with one another and with their lots in life1 never trying to better themselves in any way4 ,there were no difficulties1 no problems to be solved4 ,people were just as gay as they were serious1 just as much interested in paintings as they were in politics4 ,this was a vegetable period4 ,it is strange that such a demoralising time should have seen the rise of a great master2 but it certainly saw him in ,canaletto4 ,that artist differed from nearly all the ,venetian painters in that he had complete mastery of technique4 ,his work is just as fine technically as that of ,velasquez or that of ,rembrandt4 ,it shows marvellous dexterity and power4 ,he understood his materials better than any other ,venetian painter--better even than ,giorgione4 ,guardi and ,tiepolo followed ,canaletto4 ,in ,tiepolo's work especially you realise the character of these eighteenth-century people4 ,at that time ,venice was sliding downhill rapidly4 ,her people were aping dignity4 ,they dressed extravagantly1 not so much for the love of colour and splendour as for swagger4 ,they were degenerating rapidly4 ,here and there lesser masters appeared2 but ,venetian art became poorer and poorer1 until it reached the condition of the present day1 when in ,venice there is no art at all4 ,the kind of work which the people appreciate sickens and saddens you--those sunlit photographs glazed with blue to counterfeit moonlight1 and tricky1 vicious water-colours1--brutal pictures with metallic reflections and cobalt skies1--all wonderfully alike1 all with the same orange sail1 and all equally untrue4 ,illustration3 ,,humble ,,quarters ,year by year painters continue to paint ,venice without the public showing signs of weariness4 ,perhaps the failure of the artists to reproduce the undying charm of that dazzling jewel of cities is both the excuse and the reason for the pertinacity of the tribe4 ,womanlike1 she eludes them2 manlike1 they pursue4 ,few have seen the real ,venice1 the ,venice of ,ruskin and ,turner and ,whistler4 ,venice is not for the cold-blooded spectator1 for the amateur or the art dabbler3 she is for the enthusiastic colourist and painter1 the man who sees1 and does not merely look4 ,sir ,edward ,burne-,jones was wont to declare that to paint ,venice as she should be painted one must needs live for three thousand years3 the first thousand should be devoted to experiments in various media2 the second to producing works and destroying them2 the third to completing slowly the labour of centuries4 ,he would never have dreamed of spending a painting holiday beyond ,italy--that is1 unless he had been permitted to live for over five thousand years2 and even then1 it was his firm opinion1 no man could paint ,st4 ,mark's1 which was unpaintable--mere pigment could not suggest it4 ,illustration3 ,,rio ,,di ,,san ,,marina ,illustration3 ,a ,,squero ,,or ,,boat-,,building ,,yard ,,streets1 ,,shops1 ,,and ,,courtyards ,in the crooked and bewildering streets of ,venice1 which open out from the great piazza and lead all over the city1 one sees the true life of the people4 ,it is there that the poor congregate4 ,the houses teem with humanity4 ,there the true ,venetians are harboured4 ,one comes to know them well1 and the manner of life they lead2 and so gay and light-hearted are they1 it is strange if one does not like them in spite of all their faults4 ,was there ever more irregularity than in the streets of ,venice8 ,all the houses seem to be differently constructed4 ,some are lofty2 others are squat2 some have balconies and chimney-pieces thrust out into the street so as almost to touch the houses opposite4 ,nearly every house has at one time been a palace1 and each is in a different stage of decay--houses that have once been the homes of merchant princes1 palaces in which perhaps even ,petrarch may have feasted1--inhabited now by the poorest of ,venetians4 ,the weekly wash flutters from the balconies 7the linen of ,venice is famed for its whiteness71 and frowsy heads appear at ,gothic windows4 ,worms have eaten and rust has corrupted everything destructible4 ,yet now and then one is astonished at the preservation of certain portions of the buildings4 ,in that labyrinth of streets one never knows what surprise may be in store4 ,you will come across beautiful early-,gothic gateways covered with sculptured relief and inlaid designs of leaves2 a fourteenth-century palace with the faint remains of the paintings of some artist with which at one time it must have been covered2 lovely remnants of crosses let into the walls2 ,renaissance wells of the sixteenth century2 delicately-carved parapets2 a great stone angel standing guardian at some calle head2 irregularly twisted staircases of the fifteenth century2 a ,gothic door with terra-cotta mouldings2 and churches without number4 ,some of the finest architectural gems in ,europe are here1 and almost every house is invested with a strange history4 ,the place seems inexhaustible4 ,as you walk in those old streets the shadows of the mighty dead go with you--those great men who lived glorious lives for ,venice and for art4 ,there is an old-world atmosphere about the streets4 ,they twist and turn1 and sometimes are so narrow that there is scarcely room for two people to pass each other2 at times they are so dark and still that the scuttling of a rat into the water makes one start4 ,venice is full of contrasts1 full of the unexpected4 ,it is as if ,providence1 seeing fit that one's eyes should not become satiated with beauty unalloyed1 throws in little marring touches--shocks to your feelings1 cold douches of water1 as it were--in order to give value to the marvellous colouring and antiquity of the water city4 ,for example1 from the world of ,desdemona1 where one can fancy one sees her lean from a traceried window and catch a distant echo of a mellow voice out on the water singing a serenade1 it is rather a shock suddenly to find yourself in the piazza of ,st4 ,mark4 ,it is easy to lose oneself in the streets of ,venice4 ,in a minute you can step from the past to the present1 and find yourself among the marbles of ,st4 ,mark's and the arcades of the ,ducal ,palace--in the tourist's ,venice1 amid glittering shops full of modern atrocities1 mosaic jewellery1 wood-carving1 imitation glass1 and what not--,americans and other globe-trotters staring up at ,st4 ,mark's1 laughing and reading their guide-books4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,weekly ,,wash ,for all artists and lovers of the picturesque the side streets of ,venice--calle1 as they are called--are fascinating beyond words4 ,every house has a character peculiarly its own4 ,each is in a way unique and totally dissimilar to its fellows2 each is proud in the possession of relics of architectural beauties4 ,every street is made up of magnificent palaces and churches1 fine examples of architecture in such rich and varied wealth and diversity of styles that one is almost overpowered4 ,there are old ,gothic palaces1 venerable specimens of ,renaissance or ,venetian period4 ,time indeed has laid heavy hands upon them2 but it seems to have augmented their charm4 ,this homely aspect of ,venice interests4 ,the old houses and the rickety archways appeal to the observer1 if he be not too keen of smell4 ,here are marvellous and varied combinations of rich colouring--weather-worn bricks1 grated windows1 and brilliant shutters picturesque and shabby by the lapse of time1 and shops half lost in gloom4 ,most of the houses are of distempered rose-colour at the top and moss-green at the bottom4 ,the sun shines on the roof1 and the water laps at the base4 ,there are land-gates and water-gates to most of the houses--one opening upon a canal1 the other upon a courtyard4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,back ,,street ,i lived for six months in ,venice1 and have seen these streets under every possible aspect4 ,i have seen them in the early morning1 at mid-day1 in the evening1 at night1 in the rain1 in the sun2 and ,i can never decide at what time of the day they appear most fascinating4 ,perhaps it is after a rain-shower1 when every tone upon the old walls is brought out and accentuated--greys and pale sea-greens and the old ,venetian red with which so many of the houses used to be distempered4 ,the shops in ,venice are very thickly set4 ,most of them open right down to the ground1 and the wares1 which are varied1 appear to ooze out into the street4 ,here is a corn-dealer's shop with open sacks of polenta flour of every shade of yellow2 there a green-grocer's shop where vegetables are sold--such a wealth of colour in the piles of tomatoes1 vegetable marrows1 and great pumpkins cut down the middle to display their orange cores4 ,the richer shops1 however1 are blocked up several feet high1 and have latticed windows4 ,i love to wander through these streets at night1 when the squalor and the misery of ,venetian life are hidden by the darkness1 and one sees only beauty4 ,here are subjects for the etcher1 for ,rembrandt and ,frans ,hals1--marvellous effects of light and shade4 ,the streets are pitch-dark2 there is nothing to mar the lovely fair blue nights of ,venice--no vicious shaft of electric light to bleach the colour from the sky4 ,these side streets are lit by the candle and the lamp4 ,perhaps the most picturesque of all the shops at night are the wine-shops4 ,there one sees1 beneath some low blackened doorway1 a rich golden-brown interior4 ,in the midst of this golden gloom one dim oil-lamp is burning--the most perfect light possible from the painter's standpoint3 by it1 the dark faces and gesticulating hands of the men gathered round a table are turned to deep orange4 ,this is all one sees growing from out the encircling gloom--faces1 hands1 and a few flecks of ruby light1 as the glasses are raised4 ,every shop down these narrow streets has its shrine to the ,virgin ,mary1 with its statuette1 its fringes1 and its flowers2 and at night these shrines are illuminated according to the poverty or the wealth of the proprietor--some have only a tiny dip1 others have a candle or a group of candles1 while well-to-do folk boast a row of oil-lamps4 ,rich or poor1 each has its offering1 its tiny beacon4 ,the children may go without bread1 and the mother may lack warm clothing2 but the ,holy ,mother must not be robbed of her due4 ,there is certainly a wonderful simplicity of faith about these people4 ,the cook-shops are fascinating by night4 ,there are innumerable stalls2 in fact1 nearly all the shopping seems to be done from stalls2 even the butchers have open-air stalls4 ,at night chestnut-roasters1 toffee-vendors1 pumpkin-and-hot-pear men hold full sway4 ,these are generally surrounded by groups of open-mouthed children gazing with delight at the long twisted strings of toffee in the hands of the operator4 ,almost a still greater attraction to the young folk of ,venice is the chestnut-roaster2 he generally takes up his position in the courtyards1 as does the coffee-roaster4 ,courtyards seem to be the favourite haunts of the coffee-roasters1--partly1 ,i suppose1 because all the doors of the houses round about open into them1 and housewives can be easily supplied4 ,they seem to be constantly roasting coffee berries night and day2 the whole place reeks with the fragrant odour4 ,they are picturesque by day1 these busy workers1 but far more picturesque by night1 when the gleam of their ovens shows orange in the purple gloom1 and the leaping flames light up the faces of the children round about1 handsome little faces with a certain grandeur in them--boys with bronze cheeks1 dark hair1 olive complexions1 black eyes1 and sometimes a touch of colour in their red flannel caps and their multicoloured patches of garments4 ,there is something barbaric and fine and graceful about them1 half-encircled1 as they are1 by the filmy blue smoke from the ovens4 ,a ,venetian ,good ,friday celebrated in a poor and populous part of ,venice at night is most picturesque4 ,the people of the quarter--the coffee-roasters1 the cook-shop men1 the footmen1 and the wine-sellers--arrange to sing a chant in twenty-four verses1 a grave and sombre chant following the life of our ,lord in ,his ,passion4 ,each verse takes about five minutes to sing1 and there is a pause of equal length between each two verses4 ,during every interval the crowd1 who have been quiet1 begin to chatter1 the men smoke1 and the boys rush and tumble4 ,directly the precentor begins1 silence falls upon them once more4 ,most of the people in that particular quarter subscribe to the erection of a shrine with plenty of candles and little glass lamps4 ,it is a picturesque sight--the yellow light from the altar lamps falling on the group of men and women gathered round the singers and the many heads thrust out of windows and balconies1 on the fair1 devout1 and serious faces of the children1 on the handsome women and the bronze-faced men4 ,all the world in ,venice lives out of doors3 they breakfast and lunch and dine1 all in the open air4 ,all of them live in lodgings or hotels1 and principally in the bedrooms1 which are for the most part comfortless and dreary1--their only merits are a frescoed ceiling1 sometimes really fine and old1 and a balcony4 ,one can procure a marvel of a palace in ,venice for the cost of a garret in ,london4 ,there is no real home-life in ,venice4 ,rich and poor1 mothers1 fathers1 children1 and servants1--all take their food in the open air4 ,there are restaurants and cafs for the well-to-do1 endless eating-houses for the poorer classes1 and sausage-makers for the gondoliers4 ,cookshops swarm4 ,there you see great piles of fish and garlic1 bowls of broth1 polenta1 and stewed snails1 roast apples1 boiled beans1 cabbages1 and potatoes4 ,every holiday1 every saint's day1 has its special dish4 ,carnival time sets the fashion for beaten cream or panamonlata2 at ,san ,martino gingerbread soldiers are popular2 and for ,christmas time there is candy made with honey and almonds4 ,a certain broth consumed by the very humblest is made from scraps of meat which even the sausage-makers will not use3 as may be imagined1 the soup is highly flavoured4 ,in the midst of all these stalls and eating-houses it is extraordinary how little there is eaten in ,venice1--merely a mouthful here and there1--a kind of light running meal4 ,a ,venetian1 no matter how rich he might be1 would never dream of inviting you to a set meal4 ,there is no heavy food1 no cut from the joint4 ,if a ,venetian invites you to an entertainment1 he will give you a cup of coffee perhaps1 or a glass of wine and a biscuit1--rarely more4 ,he will never invite you to eat a great meal2 he never takes it himself4 ,the eating-house and the stall appear to be more or less of an excuse for gossip and the meeting of neighbours4 ,if the streets of ,venice are bewitching by night1 they are certainly delightful in the early morning4 ,it is then that one receives the most vivid impressions4 ,there is a certain freshness in one's perceptions at the dawn4 ,the poor wretches who make their beds in the streets1 or on the steps1 or at the base of columns1 shake themselves and shamble off4 ,troops of ragged facchini fill the streets1 and quarrel noisily over their work4 ,the great cisterns in the market-place are open1 and the water is brought round to your house by dealers1 stout young girls with broad backs and rosy cheeks2 they carry it in two brass buckets attached to a pole1 and empty it into large earthenware pots placed ready for its reception in the kitchen4 ,these girls1 called bigolanti1 supply the place of water-works4 ,at this hour you see the shops opening like so many flowers before the sun4 ,butchers set forth their meat2 fruit shops1 crockery shops1 bakers'1 cheap-clothing1 and felt-hat shops1 show their various wares4 ,you see peasants at work among vegetables1 building cabbages and carrots into picturesque piles1 and decorating them with garlic and onions1 while their masters are still sleeping on sacks of potatoes4 ,great barges arrive from ,mestre1 ,chioggia1 and ,torcello1 laden with vegetables and fruit4 ,eating-houses begin their trade4 ,you see men and women taking their breakfast1 and a savoury smell of spaghettis and eels on gridirons fills the air4 ,gondoliers begin to wash their gondolas1 brush their felces1 polish the iron of their prows1 shake their cushions1 and put everything in order for business4 ,picturesque old women1 carrying milk in fat squat bottles1 make the round of the hotels and restaurants at this early hour4 ,they are good to look at1 with their dark nut-brown faces and dangling gold earrings under their large straw hats4 ,their figures are much the shape of their bottles2 and they bring a pleasant atmosphere into ,venice1 an atmosphere of fields and clover-scented earth1 and milk drawn from the cream-coloured cows4 ,fishermen1 a handsome class1 with weather-beaten faces1 in blue clothing1 come striding down the calle1 shallow baskets of fish on their heads4 ,they set up their stalls and display their soles and mackerel1 chopping up their eels into sections and crying1 ,beautiful1 and all alive6 ,at this hour everyone is making bargains1 and the result is a continual buzz2 but there is nothing discordant about the street cries of ,venice4 ,a peculiarly beautiful cry is that of the man who comes round every morning with wood for your kitchen fire4 ,the fuel-men cut their wood on the shores of the ,adriatic1 and anchor their barges at the ,custom ,house1 leaving them in charge of mongrel yellow dogs1 who guard so vigilantly and are so extremely aggressive that never a splinter is taken from the barges4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,wooden ,,spoon ,,seller ,the street cries are full of individuality1 and the tradesman brings a little art to bear on the description of his wares4 ,the song of the sweep1 exquisitely sad1 quite befits the warning1 ,beware of your chimney6 ,there is nothing gay about the sweep3 he is a very melancholy person1 and his expression is in sympathy with his music4 ,the pumpkin-vendor is coy1 and his cry has a winning pathos2 his is not an easy vegetable to launch on the market1 and he has developed into a very bashful person4 ,his cry is cooing and subtle3 he almost caresses you into buying1 which is necessary1 as no one in his right senses really desires a pumpkin4 ,the fruiterer is different4 ,he is handsome1 fat-cheeked1 and has scarlet lips1 strong black hair curling in ringlets1 and gold rings in his ears4 ,his adjuration is a round1 full1 resonant roar1 like a triumphant hymn2 and there is altogether a certain ,oriental splendour about his demeanour4 ,it is not necessary for him to be subtle3 there is always a sale for melons and pears1 chestnuts and pomegranates4 ,he uses colour as a stimulant to his customers1 and dwells upon the hue of his fruit4 ,melons with hearts of fire6 he cries4 ,also he flatters4 ,to a dear old gentleman passing by he will hold up a clump of melons1 some of them sliced1 or a group of richly coloured pomegranates1 and say1 ,now1 you as a man of taste will appreciate this marvellous colour2 you are young enough to understand the fire and beauty of these melons2 and the old gentleman will go on his way feeling quite pleased and youthful4 ,some of the cries are quaint4 ,i once heard a man say1 ,juicy pears that bathe your beard6 and another said his peaches were ugly but good1--they certainly were not beautiful to look upon4 ,almost the most melodious salesmen are the countrymen who pace the streets with larks and finches in cages1 and roses and pinks in pots4 ,at mid-day the streets are enveloped in a warm golden light2 there are rich old browns1 orange yellows1 and burnt siennas--all the tints of a gorgeous wall-flower4 ,a ray of sun in a bric--brac shop attracts your attention2 and you get a peep through a window with cobwebbed panes1 high up in a flesh-coloured wall1 at some of the objects within1--brass pots and pans gleam from the walls1 bits of china and porcelain1 strings of glass beads1 some quaint old bookcases with saints carved in ivory1 fragments of old brocade woven with gold and gorgeous1--all kinds of strange curiosities1 looking crisp and brilliant in the sunlight4 ,suddenly you are blinded by a patch of golden yellow4 ,it is an orange-stall placed before a pink palace flecked with the delicate tracery of luminous violet shadow4 ,away down in the interior of the stall1 where the sun does not shine1 it appears almost purple by contrast to the brilliant mass of golden fruit4 ,the background of all these shops is neutral3 the objects for sale form the only brilliant and positive colour4 ,the palaces and houses are mostly pink and white4 ,there are pinks1 and greys1 and blues1 and so on4 ,it is not the painted1 coloured city that one had imagined it to be3 ,venice is very grey4 ,but its greyness is that of the opal and the pearl4 ,i have often heard people say how strange it is that the colours always seem brighter in ,venice than in any other city--the shutters and the doors and the shops4 ,the answer is not far to seek4 ,it is because the background and the general colouring is neutral4 ,there are no large patches of positive colour3 even ,st4 ,mark's1 choke-full of colour as it is1 has no positive colour in its composition4 ,take a peep into a carpenter's shop4 ,through the iron grating1 rusty and red with age1 you see the quaint old craftsman at work1 his flesh tone very much the colour of the wood he is planing2 piercing black eyes look through and over the large bone-framed glasses that he wears2 he suggests the carpenter of ,japan2 and1 judging from the amount of shavings you see about the floor1 you gather that he is a dignified1 not what may be called a feverish1 worker4 ,he is1 however1 evidently an artist3 you see dainty specimens of wood-carving hung round on the walls4 ,most of the carpenters of ,venice seem to be old men4 ,there appear to be very few middle-aged people at all4 ,they seem to be either young boys and girls or ancient men and women4 ,whether it is that ,venetians age quickly1 ,i do not know4 ,the old women are extraordinary4 ,you can scarcely imagine how anything so crooked and foul and old and frowsy1 with so little hair1 so few teeth1 so many protruding bones1 and such parchment-like skin1 can be human4 ,their faces seem to be shrunken like old fruit3 ,i have seen women with noses shrivelled and with dents in them like strawberries4 ,it is extraordinary to watch these women on their shopping excursions4 ,how they bargain6 ,they think nothing of starting the day before to buy a piece of steak1 and sometimes spend a whole day haggling over it4 ,some of the shopmen are swindlers1--fat1 greasy men1 very fresh and brisk1 who have reduced cheating to a fine art4 ,illustration3 ,,work ,,girls ,it is only after living in ,venice for some months that one begins to understand the bargaining in the streets4 ,you will see two men talking--one the shopman1 the other the purchaser--and if you know anything of the language1 and watch carefully1 you will find it the most marvellous bit of acting imaginable4 ,they bargain2 the customer turns in scorn1 and goes2 he is called back2 the goods are displayed once more1 and their merits expatiated upon4 ,the customer laughs incredulously and moves away4 ,the seller then tries other tactics to fog his client4 ,eventually he makes a low offer1 which is accepted2 but even then the shopman gets the best of it1 for he has a whole battery of the arts of measurement in reserve4 ,there is really no end to the various possibilities of doing a man out of a halfpenny4 ,beggars are a great trial in the streets4 ,the lame1 the halt1 and the blind breathe woe and pestilence under your window1 and long monotonous whines of sorrow4 ,fat friars in spectacles and bare feet come round once a month begging bread and fuel for the convents4 ,old troubadours serenade you with zithers1 strumming feebly with fingers that seem to be all bone1 and in thin quavering voices pipe out old ditties of youth and love4 ,there are lottery offices everywhere4 ,around them there is always a great excitement4 ,the missing number1 printed on a card framed in flowers and ribands1 is placed in the windows daily4 ,some say that the system of lottery should be done away with2 but it might be cruel to deprive the poor wretches of hope4 ,the lottery brings joy to many despairing people4 ,venetian women are good-looking4 ,one sees them continually about the streets4 ,nothing can surpass the grace of the shawl-clad figures seen down the perspective of the long streets1 or about some old stone well in a campiello4 ,they are for the most part smart and clean4 ,you see them coming home from the factories1 nearly always dressed in black1 simple and well-behaved4 ,their hair is of a crisp black1 and well tended2 their manner is sedate and demure4 ,there is no boisterousness about the ,venetian girls1 no turning round in the streets1 no coarseness4 ,many of them are very beautiful4 ,you see a woman crossing an open space with the sunlight gleaming on the amber beads about her throat and making the rich colour glow brighter beneath her olive skin4 ,a shawl is thrown round her shoulders1 and her jet-black hair is fastened by a silver pin4 ,she wears a deep crimson bodice4 ,the choice of colour of these women is unerring in taste4 ,their shawls are seldom gaudy1 generally of blue or pale mauve2 vivid colours are reserved for the bodices4 ,then1 there are the bead-stringers4 ,you see them everywhere3 handsome girls with a richness of southern colour flushing beneath warm-toned skins1 eyes large and dark1 with heavy black lashes1 the hair twisted in knots low on their necks1 and swept back in large waves from square foreheads1 a string of coloured beads round their necks1 and flowered linen blouses with open collars4 ,you see them with their wooden trays full of beads4 ,the bead-stringers are nearly always gay4 ,they laugh and chat as they run the beads on the strings4 ,they often form a very pretty picture1 as they bend over their work and thread turquoise beads from wooden trays4 ,in the courtyards1 some women are hanging white clothes on a line before a yellow wall2 others are leaning out of their windows1 gossiping with neighbours4 ,never was there a more gossiping set of women3 every window1 every balcony1 seems to be thronged with heads thrust out to chatter4 ,venice is divided up into campi or squares4 ,each campo has a church1 a butcher1 a baker1 a candlestick-maker1 and everything else that is necessary to life1 including a caf and a market4 ,venetian children1 as a rule1 are very badly reared1 and many of them die at an early age4 ,it is a belief and a consolation that the little ones go straight to heaven1 there to plead their parents' cause and to arrange for their reception4 ,may is the best month in which to see the streets4 ,the intoxication of spring is in the air1 and in the bright sunlight the colours burn and glow4 ,although you cannot see them1 you are constantly reminded that there are gardens in ,venice4 ,suddenly over the red brickwork of a high wall you will see clumps of tamarisk1 hanging mauve wisteria1 or the scarlet buds of a pomegranate1 while the scent of syringa and banksia roses fills the air1 the birds sing in the enclosure1 and the perfume of honeysuckle trails over the wall of a garden of a foreign prince4 ,few crowds are more cheerful or better ordered than a ,venetian crowd4 ,there is a light-heartedness about these people that is very engaging2 they have a marvellous frankness of manner1 a sublime indifference to truth4 ,the smallest ,venetian child is a born flatterer1 and will tell you1 not what he thinks1 but what he imagines you wish to hear4 ,the people are the most engaging in the world1 free from care or doubt as to right or wrong4 ,this carelessness is characteristic of the whole ,italian race4 ,venetians give the impression of being always determined to enjoy life to the full4 ,they are continually coming together1 for the purpose of pleasure1 on one pretence or another1 and the flashes of wit in the street are sometimes very amusing4 ,the ,venetians have always been1 and still are1 a great festa-loving people4 ,when the ,republic fell1 the brave ceremonies came to an end2 but the original passion is still kept alive4 ,the festa in ,venice are chiefly of religious character4 ,for example1 once a year each parish church honours the feast of its patron saint by processions to all shrines within that particular parish4 ,very picturesque are the streams of priests and people crossing the bridges and passing along the fondanta of some small canal1--a brilliant ribbon of vermilion and gold winding through the grey-toned city3 porters of the church 7in blouses of white1 red1 and blue7 bearing candles1 pictures1 and banners2 bands playing the gayest operatic tunes2 priests and the parocco carrying the ,host under a canopy of cloth of gold2 long files of the devout holding candles2 and boys with crackers and guns4 ,at night there is dancing in the largest campo of the parish4 ,on ,good ,friday the streets resemble a feast rather than a fast4 ,the people are in their best and gaudiest clothes2 children are rushing and romping and turning somersaults1 whirling their rattles1 fitting up shrines and then appealing to the crowd for coppers1--human mites of six or seven constructing ,santo ,sepolcro1 or ,holy ,graves1 from old bottles1 sprigs of bay stuck in1 and odd candle-ends4 ,one may witness touches of sentiment in a ,venetian crowd2 but the depths are seldom stirred4 ,sometimes sentiment finds expression in the rilotti--popular ,venetian songs4 ,illustration3 ,,chioggia ,,fish ,,market ,,the ,,islands ,,of ,,the ,,lagoon ,there is no piece of water more extraordinary than the lagoons of ,venice4 ,they cover an area of #ahd square miles of water1 shut off from the sea by a narrow strip of sandy islands1 which are called the ,lidi4 ,the form of the lagoons is1 roughly1 that of a bent bow4 ,how did they happen to be formed thus8 ,that is a difficult question1 and there are various opinions4 ,certainly the lagoons are a great feature of the city4 ,they gave shelter to the founders flying from the ,huns on the mainland1 and the health of the community depends on their regular ebb and flow4 ,a lagoon is not a lake2 neither is it a swamp1 nor open sea4 ,it is a strange piece of natural engineering4 ,there are really1 although we cannot see them at high tide1 four distinct water systems1 with separate watersheds and confluent streams4 ,the sea comes in once a day as from a great heart1 pulsing in through the four breaks in the ,lido barrier1 cleaning and purifying the lagoon1 and afterwards bearing away the refuse of the city4 ,at low tide one can see these channels distinctly winding in and out of the mud-banks4 ,in the spring they are bare1 with long trails of sea-grass4 ,in autumn they are brown and bare1 and at high tide the whole surface is flooded4 ,on the mainland shore of the lagoon there is a certain territory1 called ,laguna ,morta1 where the sea and the land fight a continual battle4 ,it is the home of the wildfowl4 ,here salt sea-grasses grow1 tamarisk1 samphire1 and1 in the autumn1 sea lavender4 ,farther1 the ground becomes solid1 and the ,venetian plain begins1 with its villas1 poplars1 vineyards1 and mulberry groves4 ,nothing is more delightful than to spend a whole long day upon the lagoon when the air is sweet and the breeze is fresh from the ,lido4 ,there are fishing-boats coming in from their long night1 with spoil for the ,rialto market1 crossing and recrossing one another as they tack4 ,the bows are painted1 and the nets are hung mast-high to be mended and dried in the sun4 ,their sails are folded close together1 like the wings of great vermilion moths4 ,these sails1 which are picturesque in the ,venetian landscape1 are of the deepest oranges and reds1 rich red browns1 orange yellows1 and burnt siennas1 contrasting strangely with the cool grey waters of the lagoon upon which they float4 ,one can wander for miles along the ,lido on the ,adriatic side4 ,the lizards bask in the hot sand2 the delicate1 pale sea-holly mingles with the yellow of the evening primrose4 ,from the ,lido you can see right away to the south-east1 and in the horizon can discern the faint blue hills above ,trieste and the top of ,monte ,maggiore4 ,from there the city looks well3 one sees the ,ducal ,palace1 faintly pink1 the green woods of the public gardens1 and the vast blue ,venetian sky4 ,the true native seems to have a strange affection for the ,lido4 ,one cannot tell why or wherefore2 but it is so--,lido has ever been a name to conjure with4 ,one cannot tell what associations and sensations of pleasure and charm are connected with it4 ,at the present day it is a flat piece of somewhat marshy ground1 with large gardens intersected by canals4 ,the woods of the ,favorita1 on the shore of ,san ,elizabetta1 are delightful1 with their groves of acacia and catalpas1 where the ground is carpeted with wild flowers1 and the grass is greener than elsewhere in ,venice1 and the nodding violets grow4 ,behind the acacia grove there is a ,protestant burial-ground where rest the bones of many ,englishmen who came to ,venice for pleasure and stayed to die4 ,the tomb of our ambassador1 ,sir ,francis ,vincent1 is here4 ,a beautiful walk is towards the ramparts of ,san ,nicolo1 where the blackbirds sing in the old convent garden1 and in summer crimson poppies1 purple salvias1 and vivid green grass are luxuriant4 ,san ,nicolo di ,bari is the patron saint of sailors4 ,they have erected a magnificent church dedicated to his memory on the most beautiful point of the ,lido4 ,here the crews of the merchantmen and warships of the ,republic would linger for a while before sailing1 to ask a blessing on their voyage4 ,the saint's remains do not really rest here4 ,venice failed in her endeavour to obtain them by force from the people of ,bari2 but she spread the fiction among the people4 ,to this day the sailors of the lagoon firmly believe that ,san ,nicolo still watches over and protects them1 and when in doubt or danger are enabled by the campanile of his church to find the direct course to the ,lido port4 ,at the ,lido is the cemetery of the ,jews4 ,the graves are covered with sand and vegetation1 and children never hesitate to dance on them1--in fact1 to do so is a favourite pastime4 ,if one remonstrates1 they will look at you with wide-open eyes1 and explain that these are only graves of ,jews1--a ,jew with the ,venetians being no better than a dog4 ,the grave of a ,christian is treated with the greatest reverence3 even the children and the gondoliers salute it as they pass4 ,there is something pathetic about the ,jewish graves1 from the stones over which the inscriptions have been effaced4 ,illustration3 ,,chioggia ,chioggia is one of the greater islands4 ,it has a large town with an immensely broad street and a wide canal4 ,here is the most famous and most picturesque fish-market of all suburban ,venice4 ,in it one comes across the finest ,venetian types1 magnificent models for painters1 bronzed ,giorgione figures and black-eyed swarthy women4 ,their dialect is beautiful1 far more so than that of ,venice proper2 and at night ,ariosto is read publicly in the streets by a musical sweet-voiced ,chiozzotto4 ,here the dramatist ,goldoni lived1 and the painter ,rosalba ,carrera1 and the composer ,giuseppe ,zarlino4 ,chioggia reminds one of the ,jewish quarter in the east end of ,london4 ,the people1 mostly fishermen1 are extremely poor4 ,this is the place for colour4 ,there is colour everywhere--in the sails of the boats1 in the costume of the people1 and even in the red cotton curtains of the churches4 ,unfortunately1 one's stay there was brief--because of the insects4 ,a fisherman in ,chioggia took us for a sail4 ,we had bargained for an hour's journey2 but we had not been out for more than ten minutes before he landed us on the rocks and demanded five francs4 ,we were entirely at his mercy1 and were forced to concede2 but his action struck us as being high-handed4 ,sometimes the fishermen of ,chioggia1 if they are so inclined1 will tell you tales of ,angelica and ,orlando1 and the pageant of the ,carolingian myth4 ,torcello is one of the most interesting islands of the lagoon4 ,it is seven miles from ,venice1 and a pathway is made to it through the sea by stakes4 ,the island is for the most part a waste of wild sea moor4 ,grey and lifeless in colour1 it is a desolate place1 and you feel as if you were at the end of the world4 ,at one time it was extremely populous2 but now it is impossible to live there1 because the marshes breed malaria4 ,any count whose title and estates the ,venetians deem improbable they call the count from ,torcello4 ,one passes six miles of the most beautiful scenery on the way thither4 ,the entrance is by a canal1 and the banks on either side are covered with dwarf bushes and lilac trees4 ,thirteen hundred years ago the grey moorland looked much as it does now--except that where a city stood the cattle feed1 what was once the piazza of the city is a grassy meadow1 and a narrow pathway is the only street4 ,two hundred years after the invasion of ,attila1 the inhabitants of ,aquileia and ,altinum1 with their most precious possessions1 flew from their houses to the island of ,torcello4 ,now there is scarcely a sign of human habitation2 and only the ruins of an old quay1 an ancient well1 foundations of marble buildings1 a great church1 and a campanile1 are left to show what at one time was a populous city1 which was called the mother of ,venice4 ,by the remains of these buildings one can see that they were constructed by men in great distress1 seeking a shelter1 yet not wishing to attract the eyes of their enemies by their splendour4 ,the church of ,torcello shows force and simplicity of character1 and a certain reverent religious feeling on the part of its founders4 ,everything is on a small and humble scale4 ,the columns which support the roof are no higher than a man4 ,yet these columns are of pure ,greek marble1 and the capitals are enriched with delicate sculpture4 ,one sees everywhere in this church an earnest and simple desire to do honour to ,god in the temple they were erecting1 and that it should not form too great a contrast to the churches they had loved and seen destroyed4 ,torcello is equally delightful in springtime and in autumn4 ,in spring the orchards are in full bloom1 and the hedges throw their pink and white sprays of thorn against the sky4 ,in autumn the water meadows are a shimmer of purple and red from the masses of feathery lavender that grow there4 ,it has much the same colour and feeling as a ,scotch moor4 ,torcello is interesting from its venerable traditions1 its desolation1 its wildness1 and its profound silence4 ,there are many expeditions on which one could go if one had the time to spare4 ,for example1 there is an island near ,torcello called ,san ,francisco in ,deserto4 ,the name is well applied3 ,st4 ,francis' island certainly stands in a desert4 ,there is still an islet monastery of the ,franciscan order4 ,the brethren show you with much enthusiasm a stone coffin in which the founder of the convent was in the habit of lying in order to acclimatise himself to the sensation of death4 ,also there is pointed out a penitential cell which was once inhabited by the saint1 and a tree 7said to have sprung from his staff7 which he planted4 ,this legend may sound mythical2 but perhaps it may not be so4 ,it is quite possible for a staff1 even if it has lain by for some time1 to shoot out in several places in green sprigs2 and one of these1 cut in proper manner1 might easily take root and grow into a tree4 ,the real charm of the island lies in the garden of the monastery1 where narcissus are abundant and there is a great avenue of cypresses1 the finest in ,venice4 ,illustration3 ,,in ,,murano ,triporti is different3 in fact1 no other island of the lagoon is quite like it4 ,here are great sweeps of sandy land covered with coarse grass and heather and pools of brackish water4 ,the island is more or less uncultivated1 and the air is full of strange aromatic odours from the sea4 ,it is a marvellous place to bathe in3 the sand is fine and soft and yellow1 and the sea lies wide open before you1 warm and limpid4 ,if you have any doubt as to where ,murano is1 look for a great black cloud hovering over an island2 and you may be sure that there are the glass factories of ,murano4 ,glass-making is the only industry now practised in the lagoon4 ,the factories are no longer numerous1 ,murano having declined from her ancient splendour4 ,the secret of the magician is exposed2 and ,murano has no longer the monopoly of bevelled mirrors1 great glasses1 and crystal balls4 ,such work is executed in ,birmingham quite as well as in ,murano4 ,the old art is lost4 ,still1 ,murano is interesting4 ,there is perhaps more life in it than in any other of the islands4 ,workmen sift glass upon the pavement2 women1 at the doors1 sit busily knitting1 or stringing beads2 fishermen1 clothed in a dark greenish grey1 are disentangling their nets1 which hang over the boats in apparently inextricable confusion2 there are street vendors of all kinds1 calling out the nature of their wares to the passerby4 ,there are five thousand inhabitants in the city of ,murano4 ,its grand canal is almost as broad as that of ,venice4 ,the beautiful palaces1 with their doors and windows of marble1--some of red ,verona marble1 some deeply enriched with mouldings1 others with arcades of a singular grace and delicacy--are now inhabited by the very poorest of the poor4 ,the church of ,san ,donato1 the ,matrice or mother church of ,murano1 stands in a field of fresh green grass4 ,it is said that a virgin appeared in a vision to its founder1 ,otho the ,great1 showing him this very meadow overgrown with scarlet lilies1 and bidding him erect a church there in her honour4 ,murano1 on the whole1 is a dreary little town4 ,wealth1 beauty1 and elegance have passed away2 the country is devoted to cabbages and potato patches4 ,still1 it has charm even in its decay4 ,how beautiful ,murano must have been at the time when ,cardinal ,bembo and so many famous literati lived there6 ,it must have been an earthly paradise1 with its luxurious vegetation1 lordly palaces1 and magnificent gardens4 ,in this city the horse is a quaint and unexpected animal4 ,he is not wanted4 ,he is quite as ridiculous and useless as a unicorn would be in the streets of ,london4 ,he annoys one1 this strange beast1--making one think of mountains1 valleys1 fields1 trees1 streets1 and carriages1 at a time when one is eager to be satisfied with sparkling lagoons1 gondolas1 and a palace for hotel4 ,illustration3 ,,mrs4 ,,eden',s ,,garden ,,in ,,venice ,the gardens in ,venice have a character all their own4 ,they are highly prized1 for space is scarce4 ,the soil is rich1 formed of lagoon mud2 but only certain plants will grow freely in it--because of the salt air4 ,the variety that will bloom1 however1 is quite enough to make a good show--flowering and aromatic shrubs1 roses 7especially banksia71 most bulbs1 and 7blooming the finest and happiest of all in ,venetian soil7 carnations1 the garofoli which play so large a part in ,italian love-stories4 ,on the ,giudecca there are two gardens1 each quite different from the other in character and appearance1 but both illustrating what a ,venetian garden may be like4 ,in one all the resources of art and wealth have been brought to bear1 and there is a succession of brilliant beds of colour4 ,in the middle is a green oasis1 a kind of ,english orchard1 where the turf is as fine and as velvety1 as deep and green1 as that of any ,english lawn1 and the orchard trees throw a delicate tracery of flickering shadows4 ,there are beds of splendid colour1 varying with the seasons4 ,in fact1 there is almost an ,oriental lavishness about this garden3 the scent of the flowers is almost oppressive4 ,the other garden is not less beautiful2 but it is set apart for profit rather than for pleasure4 ,there are aisles upon aisles of vine-covered pergolas1 crossing one another2 and one can saunter down these cool promenades for hours1 absolutely bareheaded4 ,a narrow strip is divided from the rest of this garden by a thick hedge4 ,here1 in one glorious mass1 are all the flowers that will grow freely in ,venice--the flame-coloured trumpets of the bigonici1 by bowers of roses over-arching walks1 banksias festooning the walls1 and one corner completely filled by a splendid ,daphne odorifera which by her perfume draws the butterflies4 ,however1 one cannot quite understand the spirit that prompted ,alfred de ,musset to write those verses the last of which runs3-- ,saint ,blaise1 la ,zuecca1 ,dans les prs fleuris cuellir la verveine2 ,saint ,blaise1 la ,zuecca1 ,vivre et mourrir l4 ,illustration3 ,,timber ,,boats ,,from ,,the ,,shores ,,of ,,the ,,adriatic ,there are now at ,saint ,blaise no pastoral and poetic places where lovers could stroll hand in hand by the pale moonlight3 the gardens1 somewhat marshy1 are cultivated principally for market purposes4 ,the ,giudecca ,canal is the commercial harbour of ,venice4 ,the churches of ,redentore and ,maggiore lie on the farther side of it4 ,in this canal a group of small vessels lie all day long at anchor--twenty or thirty of them1 laden with wood brought from the ,istrian coast1 and sold in ,venice4 ,when it has been disposed of1 the captain calls his crew from the distant cafs and wine-shops1 releases the watch-dog from his post on deck1 weighs anchor1 and creeps down the ,adriatic to reload again with fuel4 ,this is all the ,venetian commerce of to-day--this and a few beads1 glass1 wood-carving1 lace1 and bric--brac1 such as would scarcely load a modern trading-ship4 ,nine hundred years ago the trade of ,venice was important4 ,by the close of the eleventh century1 the city was commercially supreme in ,europe4 ,yet she manufactured nothing4 ,she was supreme simply by the exercise of the merchant's calling4 ,she was ,europe's greatest ship-owning power and commercial head4 ,her merchants1 conveying cloth1 velvet1 serge1 canvas1 various precious and commercial metals1 glass beads1 and other goods1 received in return drugs1 spices1 dyes1 precious stones1 rugs1 silks1 brocades1 cotton1 and perfumes1 which were sold at a high rate of profit4 ,the population of ,venice was then two hundred thousand2 the annual exports were valued at ten million ducats2 there were three hundred sea-going vessels1 eight thousand sailing vessels1 three thousand smaller craft1 seventeen thousand mercantile sailors1 and a powerful navy with eleven thousand able-bodied seamen4 ,san ,giorgio is of note as the place for red mullet from the ,adriatic4 ,nothing equals the fish3 none other is so appetising1 so red and fresh in colour--one would feel inclined to eat of it if only for its hue4 ,the best place to procure mullet is in a certain tavern where gondoliers and sailors mostly congregate3 here they can drink wine free of duty4 ,the tavern is invariably filled with such men1 all stretched out on benches round the table4 ,san ,giorgio is the place for sunsets also3 from nowhere else in the lagoon can one see such a marvellous variety1 such changes of sea and sky4 ,the church possesses a wonderful ,entombment by ,tintoretto4 ,illustration3 ,,by ,a ,,squero ,,or ,,boat-,,building ,,yard ,san ,servolo is a very small island beyond ,san ,giorgio1 yet one of the brightest jewels in the coronet of the lagoon--almost entirely covered with buildings4 ,burano has a population of some nine thousand4 ,the people are chiefly engaged in fishing and in towing4 ,one sees boatfuls of them returning from the sea2 and lines of them towing heavy mud-filled barges on the way to ,pordenone1 all the men stepping in time with one another and bending to the rope with a will4 ,there is something statuesque about these toilers4 ,with their long1 cleanly-moulded limbs1 they remind one of ancient ,egyptian bronzes4 ,the sculptor would find plenty of scope in ,burano4 ,the people1 however1 are of evil repute by heredity4 ,they are the scapegoats of the lagoon4 ,if anything goes wrong1 the blame is always laid upon them4 ,they work harder and receive less pay than the inhabitants of any other island4 ,in the old days terrible quarrels used to arise among the women1 either in the market-place or when they sat in their doorways making that exquisite lace for which the town is famous4 ,to the present day lace is made at ,burano1 and even now the women quarrel over their work4 ,if one did not know the language1 one would not imagine that they were quarrelling--the dialect is so soft and sweet1 the words dying away in a kind of sigh4 ,mazzorbo is connected with ,burano by a long wooden bridge4 ,there are very few houses here1 and very few inhabitants4 ,the island is given up to flower gardens and the cultivation of fruit4 ,every day boats laden with fruit1 to be sold at the ,rialto1 are sent to ,venice4 ,most of the inhabitants of ,mazzorbo are extraordinarily beautiful and sweet of nature4 ,these characteristics are very often found among those whose business is chiefly connected with mother earth4 ,gardeners of all nationalities are generally gentle and charming persons4 ,san ,lazzaro is where the ,armenian monks spend their quiet lives1 happy in the study and culture of their gardens4 ,this convent of theirs is a gem of colour set on the lagoon1 painted a deep crimson and looking like some gorgeous tropical flower4 ,there is a terraced walk in the garden1 and the cloister is rich in flowers and planted with cypress and oleander trees4 ,it is a place in which to bask in the sun1 and watch the crabs fighting with one another on the sloping wall4 ,one can see the sun setting behind the ,euganian hills1 and watch the first stars appear and the piazza lights shine out4 ,illustration3 ,,in ,a ,,side ,,street1 ,,chioggia ,malamocco is not often visited by strangers2 yet there is much that is beautiful in the place1 and a certain old-world air that fascinates one4 ,it is a good deal older than ,venice2 and its people1 friendly and clean persons1 are always careful to explain to you that they are not ,venetians4 ,the famous white asparagus1 for which the evil-smelling mud makes excellent soil1 grows plentifully in ,malamocco4 ,san ,elena was once an exceedingly lovely island4 ,it lies near to the city1 and is only a short distance from the public gardens4 ,the grave of ,helen1 mother of ,constantine the ,great1 at once an empress and a saint1 is said to have been here4 ,there was also a very beautiful ,gothic cloister4 ,now the old monastery walls have been pulled down1 and a hideous iron factory has been erected2 the quiet convent cemetery has been dug up1 and the crosses have been thrown aside to make way for iron-girded workshops4 ,for expeditions on the lagoons it is always well to choose a pearly1 silvery-grey day1 when everything is delicate in colour and mellowed by a semi-transparent haze4 ,the lagoons are not always grey and calm4 ,they have their moods4 ,i have seen a fair green sea grow black beneath a sudden storm4 ,sometimes ,venice will appear blue and rosy1 the smooth sea as green as in ,canaletto's pictures1 the white cupolas of ,santa ,maria della ,salute and the silver domes of ,st4 ,mark's standing out as on an azure background4 ,then great masses of grey clouds will come up1 the sea is festooned with foam1 and black gondolas skim over the water like swallows flying before a storm4 ,sometimes the sky is clear and the light vivid1 the water shines like silver1 and one cannot tell the horizon from the sea2 the islands appear like brown specks1 and the ships seem to be sailing in the sky4 ,at others the sea1 under an east wind1 is cold and hard as steel4 ,in winter the lagoons are wrapped in damp mists1 so thick that1 however good a navigator you may be1 you must needs lose your way2 steamers and gondolas loom out and then disappear1 swallowed up by the dense wall of vapour1 and the shipping looks ghostly1 tall and gaunt4 ,illustration3 ,,santa ,,maria ,,della ,,salute ,away out in the remote and unfrequented regions of the lagoon are small isolated huts1 mud-plastered1 single-roomed cabins1 built on piles1 which guard certain valli1 to which the fish are driven in the spring1 to spawn4 ,these consist of deep ditches surrounded by palisades of wattled cane4 ,here the men stay sometimes for days1 fishing with nets1 or standing upright in the long light boats waiting for their prey4 ,some of the valli have the most uncanny names3 one is ,the ,val dell' ,inferno1 and another ,the ,val dei ,sette ,morte4 ,of this last there is a terrible story1 which has taken deep root in the imagination of the people4 ,six fishermen were living in a valle4 ,they had with them a boy1 who1 when they went out on the lagoon1 stayed at home to cook for the men4 ,one day1 when they were returning with their boatload1 they found the body of a drowned man floating out to sea4 ,they picked the body up and laid it on the prow4 ,the boy came to meet them1 crying that breakfast was ready4 ,when they were seated at their meal he asked why they had not brought the man who was lying in the prow4 ,the fishermen said1 jokingly1 that he had better go and call him4 ,this the child did1 but soon returned with the news that he had shouted to the man in the prow1 who had neither moved nor answered him4 ,go again1 said the men4 ,he is a deaf old fool4 ,you must shout and swear at him4 ,the child went once more to the boat1 and shouted and swore at the man2 but still he would not wake4 ,go out again and shake him by the leg1 and tell him that we can't wait until doomsday for him1 said the fishermen4 ,so the boy went1 climbed into the boat1 and shook the man by the leg4 ,this time the man in the prow sat up and said1 ,what do you want8 ,why don't you come8 asked the boy4 ,they can't wait until doomsday for you4 ,go back1 he said1 and tell them ,i am coming4 ,the boy went back to the hut1 and told the men1 who were laughing and joking over their meal1 that it was all right3 the man in the prow was coming4 ,at this the fishermen turned very pale and laughed no more4 ,then they heard heavy footsteps coming slowly up the path2 the door was pushed open2 the dead man came in1 and sat down in the boy's place1 making seven at the table4 ,the eyes of the other six were fixed on the seventh1 their guest4 ,they could neither move nor speak4 ,the blood grew colder and colder in their veins4 ,when the sun rose and shone in at the window1 it shone on seven dead men sitting round the table in the valle4 ,despite this tale1 ,venetian people are bright and essentially practical4 ,they are not deeply imaginative4 ,horrors1 weird fancies1 and love of the preternatural are quite foreign to the ,italian temperament4 ,illustration3 ,,rio ,e ,,chiesa ,,degli ,,ognissanti ,,social ,,ups ,,and ,,downs ,a great change came over society in ,venice early in the latter half of the nineteenth century4 ,the people were dull1 and sullen1 and poor4 ,they resented their political position bitterly4 ,the feeling with which they were possessed was their great hatred of the ,austrians4 ,they did not hate the ,austrians individually2 but they did politically1 and therefore socially4 ,if you wanted to know the ,austrians1 you could not know the ,venetians3 if you were friendly with either1 you must cold-shoulder the others4 ,society in ,venice was divided into two distinct sections4 ,once gone over to a side1 you had no withdrawal4 ,if a girl intermarried she was cut off for life from her family4 ,whatever the ,venetian can or cannot do1 he can certainly hate1 and that well4 ,he may be dull and dispirited2 but he is fiercely patriotic1 and his hatred of the ,austrian was very strong4 ,most of the nobility were exiled4 ,the rest kept severely to themselves4 ,they never attended popular festivities1 and even among the poorer classes of ,venetians very few old customs were kept up4 ,the people felt keenly the contrast of what had been and what was4 ,a bridge of boats was still built over the water to the church of the ,redentore2 but it was very little used4 ,the carnival1 which was wont to last for six weeks1 was kept up but a single night2 and then it was a farcical show4 ,only a few dressed-up beggars tore through the streets1 singing songs at the cafs for drinks1 and they were looked upon by the crowd with melancholy scorn4 ,venetian people of good family seldom went to the play or to the opera4 ,austrian bands played there4 ,the places of entertainment were mostly kept up by foreigners1 and were consequently not what they might have been4 ,to find good ,italian opera one had to go to ,london or to ,paris4 ,still1 the ,venetians love music4 ,it is born in them3 they have a passion for the art which nothing can subdue4 ,even the veriest street urchin sings his gutter song with a fervour such as we do not know of in the north4 ,despite the ban from which they suffered1 the theatres were not uninteresting4 ,scarcely any ,italian can act badly4 ,practically in every case he has the dramatic instinct4 ,but there was no gay buzz in the audience1 no flitting from box to box4 ,the theatres were filled with ,austrians1 who took their pleasure quietly4 ,the artisans and other poor ,venetians1 who saved up their money to go to the play1 certainly did enjoy it4 ,they cheered and hissed with vehemence1 and between the acts drank aniseed and water1 and ate candied fruits on sticks fashioned at the ends into toothpicks4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,campiello ,marionette shows were very popular4 ,the theatre was tiny1 and the stage was tiny2 everything was arranged in accordance with the small dimensions of the actors4 ,the marionettes talked very volubly1 so much so that it was sometimes difficult to follow them4 ,the plays1 written expressly for the marionettes1 were of all descriptions1 from melodrama to farce4 ,sometimes there were ballets4 ,the audience was generally amusing4 ,it consisted principally of boys4 ,the hat was passed round1 and if the proprietor considered that there was not sufficient money collected he would shout1 ,o you sons of dogs6 and close the theatre4 ,if any ,venetian of good family gave a ball or a party1 he was looked upon with suspicion by the poor1 who had no holidays1 no tips1 small trade1 and large taxes4 ,the ,austrians gave balls and parties occasionally1 but not very often4 ,they hated ,venice1 where they were regarded as a pestilence1 and shunned by all save their own countrymen4 ,this strange antagonism continued for a few years1 until the ,austrian occupation ceased and ,venice was united to the rest of ,italy4 ,the ,emperor of ,austria's birthday afforded a good example of the inter-racial bitterness4 ,all night long ,austrian bands paraded the streets1 cannons were fired at intervals1 and fireworks let off4 ,it seemed as though by unnecessary ostentation of artillery the ,austrians were endeavouring to reach the throne in ,vienna4 ,but a dead silence reigned in ,venice4 ,not a single ,venetian was abroad4 ,the ,austrians had their celebrations all to themselves4 ,it was rather pathetic to see them trying to work up joy and enthusiasm4 ,next morning the celebrations were continued4 ,service was held in ,st4 ,mark's ,church2 and the soldiers stood outside in the square in long rows1 drawn to attention1 the sun shining on their resplendent uniforms and handsome faces--a gallant array6 ,not a single ,venetian showed himself4 ,not a blind was drawn4 ,not one curious woman's face appeared at a window4 ,even a ,venetian servant girl would not have exchanged a civility with an ,austrian officer that day4 ,there was a dreadful hush everywhere4 ,venice was like a dead city4 ,one felt that the people were stuffing their ears1 and covering their eyes1 behind drawn blinds4 ,the ,austrians tried hard to be jubilant and gay2 but very obviously they did not succeed4 ,in the evening they went to the opera1 endeavouring to spread out and make more of themselves2 but the large house was practically empty4 ,the day after that1 ,venetian life flowed back again into its accustomed channels4 ,the people were laughing and chatting and filling all the eating-houses1 as though making up for lost time4 ,one wondered what the antagonism would all end in4 ,illustration3 ,,fishing ,,boats ,,from ,,chioggia ,there was in ,venice a committee which looked after ,venetian interests4 ,on all the public anniversaries bombs were fired and flags were flown4 ,in all the ,government ,departments the committee placed spies1 who were so clever that they were seldom detected by the ,austrians4 ,even in the cathedrals those men would sometimes explode bombs4 ,the antagonism between the ,venetian and the ,austrian was shown in the piazza1 perhaps1 more than elsewhere4 ,the military band played there three times a week1 winter and summer1--played gloriously all the best ,italian airs4 ,much as they loved music1 the ,venetians walked up and down the quay1 or in the arcades4 ,they would not enter the square until the music was finished4 ,such was their pride6 ,the cafs had no longer their gay and lively reputation4 ,only at ,florian's did the ,austrians and the ,venetians sometimes intermingle--and that was because of the foreigners4 ,usually the ,venetians had their separate cafs1 and the ,austrians theirs--the ,quadri and the ,specchi4 ,the piazza of ,st4 ,mark's seems to be the very heart of ,venice1 the very core1 from which everything radiates1 only to return4 ,if you lose yourself in ,venice1 and go on walking1 you will be sure to find your way back to the piazza sooner or later4 ,at eight o'clock the piazza was at its very gayest4 ,nothing could be more lively1 more amusing4 ,it was lined with cafs--the cafs ,suttil1 ,quadri1 ,costanza1 and ,florian2 which last reminds one very much of the ,caf ,royal in ,paris1 and was certainly quite as famous4 ,the old proprietor of this restaurant was greatly patronised by the ,venetian nobility1 who were loud in their praises both of himself and of his viands4 ,the first ,florian lived in the time of the ,empire4 ,there is a charming story told of him and the artist ,canova4 ,the old hotel-keeper was very much troubled with gout1 and ,canova1 to whom ,florian had rendered many services1 modelled the affected leg in plaster1 in order that he might have a shoe made which would fit exactly1 and so ease the pain4 ,no doubt 7but this is pure surmise7 ,florian favoured the artist1 in return for his kindness1 with a dish of his famous sorbet au raisins4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,woman ,,of ,,the ,,people ,street vendors of all kinds swarmed in the piazza at night--flower-girls of the most obliging natures1 who1 if you would not buy their wares1 would thrust a bouquet into your hand gratis 7you were1 of course1 supposed to repay them at some other time74 ,there were musicians of every sort and kind--some with guitars2 others with mandolines2 some playing selections from the operas2 others singing ,funiculi and ,santa ,lucia in high tenor voices2 deep-chested1 bronze-faced men who explained that they were once operatic stars1 but were now reduced1 by the injustice of managers and the villainous tempers of the prima donnas1 to street singing4 ,there were men who went about selling frosted fruits on long sticks1 crying ,caramel1 caramel6 and giving descriptions of their wares in almost every ,european language4 ,people of all races were there--red-faced ,englishmen and fair women1 with their rosy daughters in sailor hats1 on the way from ,switzerland1 the respectable ,english father explaining ,st4 ,mark's with a comprehensive wave of the hand4 ,there were ,frenchmen1 ,americans1 ,austrians1 ,italians1 either talking volubly or deadly quiet2 ,greeks1 with long bluish-black hair floating out behind them1 and caps with silk top-knots 7these were captains of small vessels coming from ,cyprus and ,syria1 and they went to the ,caf della ,costanza1 where they could procure mocha and the pipe they loved best72 and young ,venetian gentlemen who spent their lives for the most part in drifting from one caf to another1 generally handsome1 well-dressed men with immaculate linen and pointed beards carefully cut1 carrying long canes1 and the lightest of kid gloves 7their main object seemed to be to stare at all the pretty women72 and ,austrians1 smart1 good-natured people1 who frequented their own cafs1 with much talk and laughter and rattling of swords4 ,now and then one saw ,venetian women of the upper classes on the piazza1 but very rarely4 ,they were extremely indolent and lazy1 and seldom went out4 ,the weather1 they would tell you1 was never sufficiently fine3 there was too much sun1 or a sirocco was coming1 or a cloud threatened rain3 the slightest thing deterred them4 ,often the utmost exertion a ,venetian woman would allow herself in the day was to pass from her sofa to her balcony to breathe the freshness of the flowers4 ,consequently1 she had a complexion which was extremely delicate1 a sort of pearly whiteness4 ,sometimes she would take a turn or two in the piazza with her husband or brother as cavalier1 and languidly sip anise and water at the ,caf ,florian4 ,for the most part the ancient aristocracy of ,venice lived in retirement and were very poor4 ,they dwelt in palaces whose walls were covered with priceless paintings by great masters1 with which they would not part4 ,they dined off a dish of polenta or fried fish1 which a valet brought from a tavern near by4 ,their poverty and the fear of spies and informers combined in making society in ,venice extremely reserved4 ,it was impossible for a stranger to penetrate into the midst4 ,in summer1 in the months of the dog-star1 those few among the patricians who were well-to-do flew to their villas on the banks of the ,brenta1 on the mainland4 ,they returned to ,venice in winter1 only because1 they said1 the odours from the lagoons at that time were unhealthy and caused fever4 ,those who had no country houses1 and could not afford to travel1 shut themselves up in their palaces and drew down their blinds until it was the fashionable time to appear4 ,in the dead season there were no lamps lit in the great entrances1 and the palaces were silent4 ,the family lived in the back rooms on the top story4 ,the rest of the house was let4 ,most of the palaces were built round courtyards1 and the contessa might go thither as often as she pleased to interview tradesmen and bargain for fish--there at least she would be free from espionage4 ,as a matter of fact1 it was pleasant to be in ,venice at that season4 ,the heat was less3 the sun did not bake the ground as it did on the mainland4 ,owing to the sirocco which blew across the water1 the air was cool and sweet4 ,human beings1 however1 are ever the slaves of custom1 and it was the fashion for ,venetian noblemen to spend the summer months on the ,brenta4 ,the river scenery had a fascination for them1 just as the ,thames has for ,londoners4 ,all along the banks were rows of little1 bright1 stuccoed villas1 somewhat flimsy1 each with its patch of garden and its shrubbery at the back1 where the family sat all day4 ,now and then one saw a nobleman's palace breaking the line of somewhat uninteresting houses4 ,such was the magnificent villa at ,stra1 belonging to a princely ,venetian family1 with its great sweeps of green lawns1 its orangeries1 its alleys1 and quaintly cut yews4 ,venetians love nature when it has been trimmed by man4 ,certainly the banks of the ,brenta are very beautiful1 especially in spring1 when the water is covered with lilies of yellow and white1 and the banks are lined with scented flags1 and the larks tip the surface of the water with violet wings and sing as they mount against the sun4 ,it is not unlike the scenery of some quiet ,english stream4 ,illustration3 ,,chioggia ,this custom of spending the summer months in the suburbs of ,venice was called villeggiatura4 ,it was one of the gayest times of the year for the ,venetians4 ,they lived by night4 ,all day long they lay behind closed blinds1 while the sun parched and baked the ground4 ,only from five o'clock in the afternoon until four in the morning could they be said to live4 ,then they held dances1 card-parties1 and flirtations4 ,during these hours1 when the temperature was low1 amusement and pleasure reigned supreme2 but no sooner did the sun begin to rise than1 as surely as ,cinderella disappeared at the stroke of twelve1 the gay society of the ,brenta vanished1 and the place lay dead and silent once more under the intolerable glare4 ,how different society in ,venice was in the early days6 ,then the houses were marvels of luxury2 the finest wit1 the most brilliant conversation1 and the most delightful music were to be heard in ,venice4 ,it was not in the houses of the old aristocracy that the most brilliant people--painters1 writers1 poets1 and politicians--assembled4 ,it was in the houses of women who were looked upon as more or less shady persons1 whom no ,venetian gentleman would dream of introducing to his wife4 ,the wives of the aristocracy were seldom seen except at public functions4 ,they took much the same position in society as the honoured interior takes in ,japan at the present day4 7,the geisha1 although she is infinitely more entertaining1 has no social status whatever47 ,the ,venetian lady of quality1 unlike the honoured interior1 dressed in the most magnificent style4 ,in the estimate of her husband nothing was too gorgeous or too costly for her to wear4 ,among all those of the larger towns of northern ,italy1 ,venetian women of the sixteenth century were the first to wear needle-point4 ,although the ideal woman of that time had to be tall1 a ,venetian mother never troubled herself about the height of her daughter4 ,at any moment she could transform the girl's dwarfish stature to that of a splendid giantess by the use of a pair of high pattens1 which were unnoticed beneath the long stiff dress4 ,neither was the colour of the hair a source of inconvenience4 ,should a girl's locks be of a mousey nondescript shade1 her mother1 instead of using injurious dyes1 made her daughter sit every day for three hours in the front balcony where the sun shone the brightest1 dressed in a crownless hat1 so that her tresses might be pulled through it1 and a very broad brim1 in order that her face should not be tanned4 ,then the damsel's maid would sit and comb her mistress's hair1 bleaching in the sun4 ,girls were never dressed so richly as their mothers4 ,in fact1 the uniform dress was very simple1 generally plain black or white4 ,when they went to church they wore long white veils1 or falzulo1 and on ordinary occasions long gauzy silk ones1 through which they could see1 yet not be seen4 ,on her marriage day the girl was first introduced into society1 and saw the bridegroom for the first time4 ,after marriage the rules which ordered her life were not nearly so restricting4 ,in #afad certain regulations were passed with regard to dress and household extravagances--the amount of money to be spent on dress1 liveries1 gondolas1 jewellery1 feasts and entertainments1 gold and silver plate1 and even the dishes and the menus of dinner-parties4 ,all these were limited4 ,the earliest nobility consisted of twenty-four families who ruled as tribunes over the twelve islands of the lagoons that formed the ,venetian ,state4 ,some of these families are still represented in ,venice4 ,in the year #abif a rigid and definite aristocracy was formed4 ,those who held chief places in the management of the ,state1 whether they were noble or they had gained importance through their riches1 determined to establish themselves as the permanent rulers of ,venice1 and to close the doors of office against all parvenus4 ,thenceforward only near relations of those who sat in the ,great ,council could be recognised as members of the caste4 ,the twenty-four families1 nevertheless1 had distinction1 and were called the old houses4 ,admission to the ,venetian nobility was rarely conferred on anyone save foreign princes or distinguished generals4 ,now and then1 when the ,state was sorely in need of money1 a ,venetian family was ennobled2 but for the most part the aristocracy guarded their privileges most zealously4 ,in the days of her decadence1 in the eighteenth century1 the tightly-laced1 lackadaisical men and the hooped and brocaded women of ,venetian society lived a curious1 aimless1 artificial life4 ,their greatest pleasure seems to have lain in gossiping1 eating1 drinking1 and generally struggling to kill time4 ,it was an inane life1 frigid1 without freedom1 without heart1 without strong emotion4 ,all pleasures seem to have been carried out by rule4 ,even the laughter and the jokes were artificial4 ,there can be but small wonder that society fell into broken fortunes4 ,the ideal nobleman of to-day is a stronger1 more active1 finer person altogether than his senatorial ancestor4 ,his character is healthier4 ,he adopts more or less a country life4 ,he owns property on the mainland1 and is very much occupied in trying to make it pay4 ,he rears cattle1 grows crops1 makes wine on his own premises1 is interested in silk-growing and in model farms1 and competes for agricultural prizes offered by the ,government4 ,his ,venetian palace does not interest him greatly4 ,he spends a few months there in the season1 gives one or two large entertainments1 and is constantly making alterations and improvements2 but his heart is in the country1 and he leaves ,venice for his rural palazzo on the slightest pretext4 ,this ,venetian noble of to-day thinks a great deal of himself4 ,his temper is haughty1 and there is no softness or geniality about him4 ,nevertheless1 he is a decided improvement4 ,what society there is still to be found in ,venice is constituted by foreigners1 mainly ,english and ,american4 ,one of the great things to be done is to take a gondola and go to the ,canal of the ,slaves1 beyond the public gardens on the island of ,st4 ,peter--to the home of an old fisherman celebrated for his fish dinners4 ,this fisherman's cottage is just as celebrated in ,venice as the ,trafalgar ,hotel in ,london1 or the ,ship ,tavern at ,greenwich1 or ,la ,rape in ,paris4 ,here1 however1 is a more picturesque environment--boats drawn up on the yellow sand1 nets stretched to dry in the sun1 planks forming a landing-place in front of the houses--all is very simple4 ,one eats the fish dinner in a garden1 under an arbour shaded by vines1 where flowers and edible vegetables grow in charming but ill-kept confusion4 ,the host is jovial2 his wife1 a great authority1 is the cheerful mother of many children4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,fish ,,market ,one finds on one's travels that each city has its local and peculiar dish--,marseilles its bouille baisse2 ,venice its soupe au pidocchi--mussels1 gathered in the lagoons and canals1 flavoured with spices and aromatic herbs4 ,personally1 ,i would rather this ,venetian viand were not so classical2 but you would touch the people to the quick if you refused their offering4 ,after it come oysters from the arsenal1 eels and mullet from ,chioggia1 fried sardines1 white wine of ,policella1 and fruits from the hills of ,este1 ,marselice1 and ,montagnana4 ,at the end of the repast one is presented with a bouquet from the garden4 ,,gondolas ,,and ,,gondoliers ,no conveyance in this world is more delightful than the gondola4 ,in appearance it is undoubtedly the most beautiful vessel in the world4 ,like most characteristic objects appertaining to ,venice1 it is suitable to the place3 in fact1 it is the outcome of the place4 ,there is nothing strange or unnatural about ,venice4 ,everything there seems to have come about through force of necessity1 and is therefore perfectly beautiful4 ,even as the hansom cab suits ,london1 or the 'rickshaw suits ,japan1 or the jaunting-car suits ,ireland1 so the gondola is the vessel for ,venice4 ,you cannot separate the lagoon from the gondola4 ,one completes the other4 ,without either ,venice would be impossible4 ,the gondola alone can wend its way through the intricate water-streets of the ,queen of the ,adriatic4 ,there is no indication of movement whatever in a gondola4 ,the craft has no springs1 no cogs1 no jarring wheels or oily machinery1 no vibration4 ,simply one sees the palaces glide by in front of one1 and hears the water making a lapping noise under the bows4 ,the gondolier is out of sight4 ,nothing blocks your view of sea and sky1 save the slender steel ferro at the prow4 ,the gondola is built for leisure3 one cannot quite imagine it1 let us say1 in ,america4 ,it is a historic vessel1 with a flavour of sentiment and antiquity about it1 built by a leisured people for idleness1 not for business or for hurry4 ,it is long and slender1 flat-bottomed1 and tapers towards each end1 where it rises considerably above the water4 ,it draws but little water1 and has much the form of a skate4 ,the felce 7cabin71 placed somewhat astern1 is draped with black cloth1 which can be removed in the summer-time to make room for a striped awning4 ,this1 however1 the true ,venetian loathes3 rather than use it1 ,i am sure1 he would be willing to swelter under the felce4 ,on each side of the cabin there is a window1 which can be closed in three separate ways--by a bevelled ,venetian glass let down2 by a blind with movable blades2 by a strip of cloth dropped over4 ,illustration3 ,,midday ,,on ,,the ,,lagoon ,the gondola is made to hold four people4 ,there are morocco cushions on either side4 ,as the seats are very low1 you are supplied with two silken cords with handles1 to assist you to rise4 ,as the cabin is too small to turn in1 one must enter a gondola backwards4 ,the woodwork is carved according to the wealth of the owner or the taste of the gondolier4 ,sometimes it is very elaborate4 ,above the door is generally a copper shield on which the coat-of-arms of the owner is engraved1 surmounted by a crown2 on the felce there hangs1 in a small frame1 an image of the ,holy ,virgin1 or of ,st4 ,mark1 or of ,st4 ,theodore1 or of ,st4 ,george1 or of some saint for whom the gondolier has a special devotion4 ,the lantern also hangs here--a custom which1 as the gondolas sometimes run without the star in front1 is gradually dying out4 ,on account of the coat-of-arms1 the saint1 and the lantern1 the left is the place of honour3 there the ladies are placed1 or any aged or distinguished person4 ,there is in the felce a sliding panel1 through which one can communicate with the gondolier on emergency4 ,at the prow there is a halberd-like piece of iron1 smooth and polished1 called the ferro1 much like the finger-board of a violin4 ,this serves for decoration1 for defence1 for counterpoise to the rower in the stern1 and to test the height of the bridges4 ,it is the pride of the gondolier to keep this always as bright as silver4 ,often when a crowd of gondolas are moored thickly about the landing-stage1 the ferro is used as a wedge1 by the aid of which boats can be divided4 ,the rower plies his oar standing on a small platform on the poop1 not far behind the cabin1 and facing the direction in which the gondola is to move4 ,the skill with which the gondolier manages his graceful craft is extraordinary4 ,he stands quite upright on the poop1 one foot placed firmly in front of him1 and throws the weight of his body forward on his oar to such an extent that one fears he may follow it into the water4 ,it is only by long habit that he can procure the necessary balance4 ,the gondola is sensitive to the least impression1 and the downward stroke has the effect of sending the boat round4 ,it is only by turning the blade in the water1 and raising it gradually upward1 that the gondola can be kept straight4 ,the oar rests in a fork1 beautifully designed to allow free movement4 ,the gondolier1 sole director of his craft1 uses the oar sometimes as a paddle1 and sometimes as a boathook4 ,he rows always on one side4 ,under the hands of an efficient man1 the gondola glides over the water like a living thing1 turning the corners of canals with great precision4 ,sometimes on festa days the gondoliers practise feats1 such as setting the vessel full-tilt and with all their might against the stone wall of a quay1 going with such rapidity that you expect man and boat to be dashed to pieces4 ,just at the last moment1 with a powerful turn of the oar that is interesting to watch1 he stops dead at the base of the quay1 sometimes nearly grazing it4 ,in much the same way1 in the ,at ,maidan of ,constantinople1 long ago1 ,arab and ,turkish horsemen charged against stone walls and suddenly pulled up4 ,very different is the gondola in the hands of an amateur4 ,many are the duckings that ensue4 ,some of the young patricians1 however1 occasionally don the traditional jacket1 cap1 and girdle of a gondolier1 and guide their own craft in a remarkably graceful manner4 ,few people have any knowledge of the real meanings of the gondoliers' cries1 some of which are peculiarly sweet and characteristic4 ,when a man wants to pass on the left1 and does not intend to use the backward stroke1 he cries1 ,premi6 ,if1 on the other hand1 he wishes to pass on the right1 he cries1 ,stali6 ,sometimes1 if when turning a dangerous corner he wishes to be especially emphatic1 he cries1 ,premi6 ,premi6 and ,stali6 ah1 ,stali6 ,the gondola can be stopped immediately1 however great the rate at which it is travelling1 by placing the blade in front of the fork4 ,if a man is really expert he stops his gondola very suddenly1 making a great deal of foam with his oar4 ,when stopping a gondola thus the gondolier cries1 ,sciar6 ,as you approach the landing-stage a crowd of ragamuffins1 old and young1 called crab-catchers1 come forward1 holding in their hands staffs1 with bent nails attached1 with which to secure your gondola as you place your foot on shore4 ,the gondolier is a voluble1 gossiping person4 ,he loves to have a chat at the top of his voice with another of his kind1 and to scream repartee across the water4 ,he enjoys nothing more than a quarrel1 especially with a man who is across the canal4 ,invariably they pass from pertinent observations on their personal appearances to defamation of their women4 ,if such language were used at close quarters on either bank they would come to blows4 ,i once saw two gondolas hook on to each other by mistake with their iron axes1 and ,i shall never forget the discussion that ensued4 ,it made one's blood literally curdle6 ,the men looked like two angry sea-birds pecking at each other as they pulled and pulled in their endeavour to release themselves4 ,when this had been accomplished they stood upright1 each on his own poop1 brandishing their oars as though they longed to kill4 ,as a matter of fact1 there is rarely any violence among ,venetians except in language4 ,body of ,bacchus6 one shouts4 ,blood of ,david6 the adversary answers4 ,these mythological oaths being not sufficiently comforting1 they continue3 ,low crab6 ,sea-lion6 ,dog6 ,son of a cow6 ,ass6 ,son of a sow6 ,assassin6 ,ruffian6 ,spy6 ,having reached the worst taunt in their vocabulary1 they take to cursing the rival saints4 ,the ,madonna of thy landing is a street-walker who is not worth two candles6 one will cry4 ,thy saint is a rascal who does not know how to make a decent miracle6 the other will rejoin4 ,the profanity becomes more terrible as the distance between them increases4 ,possibly next time they meet they will drink a glass of wine together without remembering the quarrel4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,traghetto ,the gondolier is a more intelligent person than the ordinary hackman4 ,he knows all the histories of the different places of interest1 and relates them for the benefit of foreigners4 ,he has a few words of ,french and ,english4 ,of course1 he is a rogue by nature1 and will cheat you on every possible occasion2 but that conduct is common to the carriers of all countries4 ,and there is something very frank and amusing about the way in which they commit their petty thefts4 ,a gondolier likes to serve ,englishmen or ,americans1 who pay good prices2 but a ,german is beyond his comprehension4 ,the ,teuton either goes by the tariff or walks--an eminently foolish act1 in the gondolier's opinion4 ,every gondolier belongs to a traghetto 7ferry-boat station71 from which gondolas cross over to ,venice from various points on the ,giudecca4 ,these traghette have been established for centuries--no one knows exactly how long2 but certainly they were in existence in the fourteenth century4 ,to a gondolier a traghetto is1 as it were1 a club4 ,there are sixteen traghette4 ,each is governed by its own laws and constitutions1 which are still strictly kept2 each has its own history1 archives1 and parchment documents4 ,by this society are regulated the gondolier's wages1 the limits of his obedience1 his holidays1 everything appertaining to his welfare4 ,there is at each traghetto a little house in which the gondoliers can sit and gossip and mend their boats4 ,one sees some of the finest types there4 ,years ago they used to sing there on moonlight nights1 in their beautiful broken ,venetian patois1 verses from ,tasso4 ,it is long since they have done this as a habit2 but they will do it sometimes if you pay them sufficiently well4 ,one often hears them singing on the lagoon to the accompaniment of an ,englishman's golden coins4 ,you can almost imagine on such occasions that you are living away back in the ,middle ,ages--except that now the ,venetians drink a good deal1 as they certainly never did then1 and sing in thick1 guttural voices1 somewhat hoarse1 but on the whole beautiful1 as the musical ,venetian dialect must always be4 ,the songs that they sing are all about lovely maidens and romantic excursions on the water4 ,the singing is very fine from a distance1 the melody of a human voice floating out on the calm and silence of the night4 ,the gondoliers are proud of their talent1 and value it highly4 ,nearly every gondolier belongs to a bank4 ,he is a capable financier4 ,in company with twenty-nine other men1 he deposits #aj lire1 and pledges to pay a weekly sum of #a lira throughout the year4 ,on his failing to pay up once a week1 #aj per cent4 on each lira is charged4 ,gondoliers are supposed to borrow a certain amount1 for which #aj per cent4 is charged1 every year4 ,the accounts of the bank are settled in ,september1 and then a new venture is started4 ,the gondolier is an inflammable person4 ,he is much taken up with pretty women getting in and out of gondolas4 ,love-making with him begins on the bridges in the narrow canals1 or at the windows4 ,one fine day1 generally very early in life1 when propelling his boat slowly down a side canal1 he sees at an iron grated window the face of a girl4 ,instantly becoming enamoured1 boldly he takes up his position every day underneath her casement1 waiting for a look1 sighing for a smile4 ,if by chance the maiden should appear and return his salute1 he takes himself off with great joy2 and at the end of the day1 when his work is done1 he and a friend in whom he has confided dress themselves in their best1 and call upon the father of the girl1 formally to ask her hand4 ,he states his family1 his profession1 the amount of his income1 and the extent of his love4 ,two or three months are allowed to elapse4 ,then there will be more gazing at the window and meeting in the calle4 ,if by the end of that time their affection has declared itself sincere1 the lover and his parents are invited to supper at the girl's home4 ,every stage in a ,venetian's love affair is marked by feasts1 generally suppers4 ,on this occasion the young man again asks the father's consent4 ,this is accorded him1 and the pair are blessed4 ,the ceremony is called the dimanda4 ,a little later comes the betrothal 7segno71 when the lover presents the girl with her wedding ring1 and1 if he can afford it1 other rings as well4 ,there is a sumptuous supper1 and thenceforward they are called respectively novizza and spoza4 ,during the time of the betrothal the poor gondolier is kept very busy buying and giving presents to the lady of his choice4 ,he must give the proper things at the proper times1 and never by any chance make the mistake of purchasing a comb or scissors1 for one is an emblem of the witch1 and the other signify a cutting tongue4 ,he must remember to present to her at ,christmas a confitura of fruit and raw mustard-seed1 and a box of mandolato2 on ,all ,souls' ,day a box of fare2 at the ,feast of ,st4 ,mark a boccolo or button-hole of rosebuds2 at ,easter a fugazza or cake2 at ,martinmas roast chestnuts4 ,the thing for the girl to give in return is a silk handkerchief3 it is not considered etiquette to present her lover with a gift of great value4 ,illustration3 ,,marietta ,in ,venice everything is ruled by custom4 ,the most important acts in a ,venetian's life are bound and fettered by it1 and he would never dream of breaking through4 ,he will sacrifice anything for custom1 and never count the cost4 ,for example1 if one saw a gondolier at a festa1 or at a baptism1 or at a wedding1 you might take him for either a rich man or a spendthrift4 ,as a matter of fact1 he is neither the one nor the other4 ,only1 he is bound by custom to do certain things and spend a certain amount of money at a festa1 and he does it regally4 ,he may have to pinch and scrape at home afterwards2 but that is another matter4 ,the gondoliers are a very conservative people4 ,they are the slaves of custom4 ,custom is to them a religion4 ,they much prefer their ancient customs to any new order of comfort or convenience4 ,their lives are simple1 bright1 and easy2 their wants are very few and moderate4 ,house-rent is cheap3 they can procure a fallen palace in moderately good repair for half a franc a day4 ,they are frugal and easily pleased2 their constitutions are sound2 their climate is fine1 and the air they breathe is pure4 ,consequently1 the gondolier can live happily1 with his wife1 on a franc and a half a day4 ,his meals1 to be sure1 are always the same--coffee and bread in the morning1 polenta and fish at mid-day1 a soup of shell-fish or artichokes at night4 ,when the family begins to be large1 the gondolier's life is not ideal2 still1 in spite of the hunger and poverty and crowding in ,venetian houses1 a great deal of joy manages to find room4 ,if a baby lives1 he grows up into a fine healthy man1 robust and happy2 but usually he dies1 especially if he is one of many4 ,venetian women seem to have naturally not the slightest idea how to bring up a baby4 ,it is only after constant habit and practice1 and the loss of lives1 that a mother seems to grasp the first principles of a baby's upbringing4 ,before that she will feed it1 at two months old1 on black coffee1 sour apples1 and wine2 allow it to swallow all kinds of lotions and concoctions prepared by the doting old crones of the quarter4 ,as the child grows older she lets it wear during winter the clothes which it wore in summer4 ,then she wonders why out of eight children only four are living4 ,it is a beautiful sight to see a great gondolier nursing his little child4 ,he may be harsh and bullying to his fellows2 but he treats ,baby with the utmost tenderness and gentleness4 ,the child is a good deal safer in his arms than in those of the mother4 ,the chief amusements of the gondolier are to go to the opera or to see marionettes1 to make up a party and spend the day in the country1 to compete in a rowing match1 and to give a little supper at a wine-shop4 ,it is on such days as these that the true freshness and warmth of his nature appear1 and one sees the gondolier as he is--mirthful1 pungent1 gay4 ,there are two things about which the gondolier is particular4 ,one is his bread1 and the other is his wine4 ,one seldom finds good wine in ,venice4 ,it is only when the red wine arrives fresh from ,padua and ,verona that it is good4 ,then everyone rushes to the wine-shops2 for nothing spreads quicker than the reputation of a good wine1 and everyone clamours for it4 ,very soon it becomes watery and sour4 ,the white wine the gondoliers do not like at all4 ,of bread there are all kinds4 ,one is expected to have a preference for a certain make1 and there are many different makes4 ,there are the ,chioggian bread1 the pane ,commune1 the pane col agid1 and many others4 ,illustration3 ,,bambino ,men of the gondolier class do not think a great deal of religion4 ,that is reserved for women4 ,church-going is no longer a habit with the men4 ,still1 whenever matters of ancient custom step in they invariably do their duty--as in events of domestic life1 such as confirmations1--and the little chapel to the ,madonna at each traghetto has always its flowers and its few candles placed there by the reverent hands of the gondoliers4 ,times were good for the gondoliers when ,venice was rich and prosperous4 ,nowadays their gains are meagre1 and they number hundreds where they numbered thousands in the old days4 ,noblemen kept six or seven gondolas1 with attendant gondoliers1 and1 besides paying them an ample salary1 on festa days allowed them to exact any payment they chose4 ,if you are staying in ,venice for any length of time1 it is better to hire a gondola and gondolier by the month than by the day4 ,one only pays five francs a day1 and when off duty the youth makes an excellent servant in the house4 ,he comes and knocks at your water-gate at a certain time every day2 also he will wait at table1 act as footman1 take care of the children2 in fact1 he will do everything one wishes2 and he pays the proprietor of the gondola1 out of his own pocket1 one franc a day4 ,it is the ambition of every gondolier to serve an ,inglese4 ,they say that ,venice is always silent2 but ,i can vouch that it is not so4 ,at night1 if your lodgings are anywhere near a landing-place1 you will find that it is very noisy indeed4 ,the gondoliers sleep at their posts on the pedestals of the two columns as they sit waiting for a job1 and they love their repose in the sunshine2 but at night they become extremely lively1 and keep up a perpetual disturbance of laughter1 shouts1 and songs until two o'clock in the morning4 ,they sit on the marble steps1 or on the ends of their gondolas2 or they eat shell-fish and drink wine under the light of the lamps in the niches of the ,madonnas at street corners2 vagabonds from their beds in the street arise and join them4 ,one sees on the lagoons gondolas of all kinds1 carrying passengers of all kinds1 and it is sometimes interesting to peep inside as they pass4 ,there are official gondolas1 with the ,italian banner floating at their sterns1 carrying some cold1 stiff functionary in full-dress uniform1 his breast covered with decorations4 ,another carries ,english people1 phlegmatic tourists1 to ,chioggia2 another1 with lowered felce1 hides lovers who are going to breakfast somewhere on the lagoon2 yet another1 a larger gondola1 takes a family to the sea baths at the ,lido4 ,there is a red craft waiting at the foot of some steps2 a red bier is brought out of a church by a red cortege1--it is a corpse1 to be buried in a cemetery on an island on the way to ,murano4 7,when anyone dies in ,venice a notice is posted up on his house1 and on the houses round about1 stating the age1 place of birth1 and the illness of which he died2 also saying that he has received the ,sacrament and died a good ,christian2 prayers are asked for his soul47 ,there are gondolas in which are musical instruments of all kinds--violins of ,cremona1 cornets1 mandolines1 tambourines1--a complete orchestra4 ,quite a large flotilla of gondolas follow in its wake4 ,one has fastened to the side a bluish monster splashing and making the water foam4 ,that is a dolphin1 a marine curiosity which is displayed by the proud possessors under all the balconies as they pass1 collecting money in a hat4 ,in order that it may be seen to advantage1 the animal is kept half in the water and half out4 ,if one is at all interested in gondolas--that is to say1 in the making of them1--nothing could be more fascinating than to spend a few hours in a squero 7building yard74 ,any gondolier will be pleased to take you there1 for he is inordinately proud of his craft4 ,the squeri are picturesque2 but somehow one always associates them with pitch4 ,the place reeks with it4 ,always in one corner there stands the pitch-pot1 sending a stream of thick black smoke up into the air4 ,small boys prance around1 looking like young imps among the smoke and blaze1 and wave smearing brushes in their hands4 ,long lines of boats1 like some strange fish out of water1 are drawn up1 waiting to be cleaned or mended4 ,the bottom of a gondola has to be dried thoroughly and quickly before receiving its coat of melted tallow4 ,this is done by lighting a blazing fire of reeds under the boat1 the flames leaping high into the air4 ,volumes of smoke arise1 roll up over the house-tops1 and are swept away by the breeze4 ,boys dance a kind of war-dance round the flames4 ,the art of gondola-building is exacting4 ,three qualities are absolutely necessary to the formation of a perfect craft4 ,it must draw but little water2 it must turn easily2 and it must be rowable by one oarsman only4 ,to secure this1 the hull is built of light thin boards1 and only a portion of the flat bottom rests upon the water4 ,thus the boat swings as on a pivot4 ,then1 the gondola is not equally divided by a line drawn from stern to bow3 in order that the rower may be balanced1 there is more bottom on one side than on the other4 ,the various woods of which a gondola is made must be chosen with great care4 ,they must be well seasoned and without knots1 for the planks are liable to warp and the knots to start4 ,once every twenty days in summer the gondolier forfeits his four lire and takes his gondola to the squero to be cleaned and scraped4 ,weeds rapidly collect at the bottom when the water is warm1 and the deadly toredo bores holes through the planking4 ,the gondola is hauled up high and dry1 and a fire burnt underneath it4 ,a whole day's earnings in the summer season is a great loss to the gondolier2 but if he keeps his gondola in good condition it will last him for a considerable time1 perhaps for five years1 and1 besides1 when the bottom of the boat is kept clear of weeds and well greased the speed is greater4 ,when a gondolier sells his craft it becomes a ferry-boat for five years1 the woodwork slowly bowing and bending until it becomes a gobbo half buried in the water4 ,later it is sold for five lire1 broken up1 and burnt in the glass manufactories of ,murano4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,squero ,,or ,,boat-,,building ,,yard ,,in ,,venice ,the natural history of these objects and their gradual development through centuries would form a fascinating chapter4 ,to gain some idea of what the gondola once was1 it is as well to study the pictures of ,gentile ,bellini and ,carpaccio in the ,academy4 ,there you will see ,venetian nobles in their gondolas with their light ,eastern rugs4 ,the ferro was not then hatchet-shaped1 with six teeth1 as it is now1 but a round club of metal4 ,the rower was tall and graceful1 standing on the poop in his parti-coloured hose and slashed doublet4 ,one can see by these pictures what a great change the gondola has undergone4 ,those who have not been to ,venice1 and wish to know something of a gondola in its later stage1 would do well to study the pictures of ,guardi and ,canaletto4 ,therein the gondola has not its old brilliant colouring2 but what it has lost in colour it has gained in grace4 ,some of the gondoliers are most skilful in managing without either keel or rudder2 like the ,vikings of old1 steering with an oar behind4 ,a good man is devotedly attached to his gondola4 ,he knows its character and peculiarities4 ,to the initiated every gondola differs in a hundred details from its fellow1 although they may all have apparently been built on the same model4 ,a gondolier's skill in rowing depends largely upon his knowledge of his craft4 ,one can generally gauge the efficiency of a man by the brightness of his ferro4 ,the slightest spot of dew or rain upon it produces a spot of rust which takes weeks of constant rubbing to efface4 ,there is a good deal of brass-work which has to be kept clean2 the cushions must be brushed1 and the paint scrubbed2 and altogether a gondolier spends quite an hour and a half a day on the toilet of his craft1 polishing1 oiling1 and scrubbing4 ,his own person does not occupy nearly so much of his attention4 ,illustration3 ,,under ,,the ,,midday ,,sun ,the gondola is so closely connected with the life of the sea city that most of one's impressions of ,venice are wound round and about it4 ,it is not always safe out on the lagoon in a gondola4 ,often in summer or in autumn a gale will suddenly arise4 ,great masses of cloud will gather in the east1 and gain upon you2 they are curved into an arc by the pressure of the wind from behind1 although upon the water there is scarcely enough breeze to fill a sail4 ,these great billowy battalions1 dark and angry1 advance slowly1 steadily2 the water changes from a pale transparent to a pale sea-green as thick as jade4 ,a feeling of oppression fills the air1 a brooding stillness1 for five minutes1 while the storm-clouds gradually overtake you4 ,then comes a low humming noise like that of a threshing machine3 it is the wind on the nearest island4 ,you down sail and make for the first port in view4 ,the hurricane leaps out from the city1 striking the water and tearing it into foam1 flinging the spray high in air4 ,there is hurry and confusion in the sky2 the thundery clouds are rent and riven2 and through the gaps of dull-coloured vapour you see the steely blue of the storm-clouds boiling as in a cauldron2 and far above all is blue sky and sunlight2 a rainbow spans the lagoon4 ,then the whole tornado sweeps away south-westward4 ,the sun sets1 leaving the sky dark1 but with flaming streamers2 then night falls over all4 ,there is lightning and storm away in the distance4 ,the heavens assume their customary deep blue1 and the breeze is fresh and cool4 ,these summer storms are sometimes almost tropical in their fury2 but they are quickly over4 ,their path is narrow--usually confined to one line on the lagoon2--but where they strike they leave devastation in their track4 ,the ,venetians love festas1 and in the days of the city's wealth and pride the ,state lavished great sums and much care upon its entertainments4 ,certainly the natural capacities of the city gave splendid scope for great spectacles4 ,it was a magnificent background1 and seemed to invite display4 ,the pictures of ,bellini1 ,carpaccio1 ,veronese1 and all the rest of the old ,venetian masters1 prove how deeply the people must have loved the pageants and ,state processions4 ,with the collapse of the ,state these customs fell into disuse4 ,for example1 there was that wonderful old sport--how picturesque it must have been6--the battle on the bridge between the ,nicolotti and the ,castellani1 rival factions of black and red4 ,there also was the regatta 7,i am not sure if it continues7--a great spectacle that could not be surpassed by any in ,europe4 ,a race was rowed in light gondolas1 smaller than those of ordinary use4 ,the ,grand ,canal was crowded with boats of all sizes--sandolas1 barche1 barchette1 tipos1 cavaline1 vigieri1 bissoni1--there is no end to the variety of ,venetian craft4 ,the faades of the palaces fluttered with flags1 tapestries1 carpets1 and curtains1--anything that would add to the general mass of colour4 ,the balconies were filled with people2 every window had its bevy of heads4 ,down below on the water the scene was brilliant4 ,the course was kept by large twelve-oared boats1 all decorated symbolically4 ,one represented the ,arctic regions1 the rowers being dressed as polar bears1 with blocks of ice for seats2 another the tropical regions1 with palms and gorgeous flowers4 ,in the evening there was a serenade1 starting from a point above the ,rialto4 ,the singers and the orchestra were placed on a barge decorated and lighted by many coloured lamps1 and the music of ,donizetti's ,a te1 o cara filled the air4 ,the object of every gondolier on an occasion of this kind was to get his padrone as near to the music as possible1 whether he wanted it or not4 ,the singers' barge1 therefore1 was surrounded by a solid mass of gondolas1 which floated slowly down the canal together1 getting denser as the canal narrowed to pass under the ,rialto bridge4 ,it was a fantastic scene--with the masses of ,bengal lights1 the rising moon1 the gondolas swaying gently to the rhythm of the song and the sea1 and the statuesque gondoliers1 creatures of the sea1 standing upright on the stern of their vessels1 or1 oars in hand and hair blown by the breeze1 silhouetted against a background of deep-blue sky4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,rialto ,the gondolier in ,venice is an important person to the stranger4 ,half one's comfort depends on his worthiness or unworthiness4 ,he is like the girl of childhood's fame who1 if she was good1 was very very good1 but1 if she was bad1 was horrid4 ,if you are the employer of an ideal gondolier you will find him thorough1 ready-handed1 and versatile4 ,in passing rapidly through ,venice one does not properly appreciate his worth4 ,you must own him for some months before you discover that he will attach himself to you and identify himself with your interests in an almost feudal manner4 ,he will save you an infinity of trouble1 and repay your confidence with honesty4 ,the gondolier usually prefers to have a foreigner for a master4 ,the foreigner pays well1 never grumbling at the full tariff of five lire a day3 also1 as the foreigner does not know the language or the place1 the gondolier becomes of some importance in the eyes of his neighbours1 who bid for his patronage4 ,with a ,venetian master he would be paid from three to five lire a day2 the work would be harder1 and the hours later4 ,when the squerariola 7gondola builders7 have finished their work1 the vessel will probably have cost three hundred lire4 ,even then the craft is not by any means complete4 ,there are the steel ornaments and many other details to be bought and bargained for1--things not procurable at the squero4 ,for the steel prow 7ferro71 which must have the edges of its teeth in one straight line1 and in these days of hurried workmanship is not always to be found1 one must seek in all the smithies in ,venice4 ,a good gondolier1 however1 will often possess a ferro1 an heirloom1 made of hand-wrought iron1 not cast in mould1 heavy and brittle1 as are the new ferri1 but light and pliant4 ,a ferro of the good and ancient make1 if properly cared for and not allowed to rust1 will outlive many a gondola4 ,for the sea-horses1 the rude carvings1 the pictured ,madonnas1 the rugs and the covering for the felce1--all1 in fact1 that helps to make the gondola the picturesque craft it is1--one must go to the various shops in ,venice4 ,modern progress and modern ideas are rapidly sweeping away the ancient and hereditary profession of the gondolier4 ,one feels that his life and that of the traghetto are drawing to a close--that soon they will be things of the past4 ,what would the ,grand ,canal be like without its swiftly gliding gondola1 black-hulled1 black-roofed1--its most characteristic feature8 ,what a terrible thing it will be when that exquisite art is forgotten1--when the ,venetian can no longer judge the turn of a corner or balance himself on the poop1--when for the picturesque cries ,stali6 and ,premi6 will be substituted the clank and thud of the steamers' screws6 ,when a company first began to run steamers from ,venice to the railway station and public gardens1 the gondoliers struck4 ,for three whole days there were no gondolas running in ,venice2 the canals were full of tightly packed vessels1 while their owners hung together in groups at the wine-shops1 talking4 ,a strange and scratch fleet of nondescript boats plied between ,venice and the islands1 and the expression of the gondoliers1 as they leaned over the bridges and watched the amateur watermen struggling with their oars1 was quite unique4 ,on the second day a notice was posted up in every traghetto begging the men to return to their work1 and not to bring dishonour on a profession which had always been such a source of pride to ,venice4 ,this had no effect4 ,the gondoliers merely enlisted the services of a barrister1 getting him to take a copy of their demand to the ,company--that the offending steamers should be removed4 ,that was impossible4 ,the steamers were cheap and useful1 and the gondoliers could not be allowed to dictate to the ,state4 ,however1 they were told that if they returned peaceably to their work something might be done for them4 ,they persisted in their strike1 until suddenly--no one ever knew why1 or whence it came--a single gondola started running from one of the ferries4 ,that broke the ice4 ,the gondoliers rushed to their crafts and untied them4 ,the strike was forgotten4 ,the men's first thought was to find good custom4 ,i have always felt that there was something touching in this hopeless struggle of the gondoliers against the modernity that is fast settling on and demoralising ,venice4 ,,printed ,,by ,,neill ,,and ,,company1 ,,limited1 ,,edinburgh4