you

enjoy the blessings of peace? You were aware, from the experience of ages, that many states had been ruined from their inordinate ambition, and that the prosperity of our republic was to be ensured rather by a certain moderation, than by the wish of extending its boundaries. But since this could only be obtained by cultivating peace, all your thoughts, all your exertions in the cause of the republic were directed to that end. It was in peace that our republic was nursed, it was in peace that she was increased; it was through peaceful counsels, that she always hoped to survive the wreck of ages. Pursuant to this scheme of policy, you never were the first to commence aggression; but you established it as a maxim, to avenge the wrongs inflicted on yourselves, and your allies. Our republic was then always courteous to those states, with which she had any intercourse; and she was uniformly scrupulous in the observance of treaties. We ought naturally to conclude that she would always enjoy the good-will resulting from such a system of policy. In spite of her generous efforts, almost all the nations of Europe combined in a common league against you, and resolved by a sudden irruption to exterminate the Venetian name. I propose to pass over many events that took place in silence; I shall content myself with saying that if had not paid implicit respect to good faith, you might easily have diverted this storm. But you wisely concluded that it was better to renounce extending your empire, even the dominion of the world itself, than to depart from that good faith which you professed. Though you were perfectly fitted both by nature and education to act up to this system; still you received no small encouragement from the constancy and magnanimity of our Doge. You then, with him, were equal partakers of his glory; and it was decreed that you should bear the sufferings, not indeed the attendants of guilt, but of praiseworthy actions, and persecuted innocence. The eyes of your rivals, accustomed to darkness, could not bear the splendor of this republic. Some of them, who were the tyrants and robbers of the rest of Italy, conceived an inflexible hatred against our just government, which had so long proved an asylum of liberty; they dreaded to behold, through the influence of your example, the sacred flame of liberty rekindled throughout Italy; many were allured by the prospect of plundering this opulent and flourishing state. These considerations determined them to form a league against you, in which they contrived by dint of false accusations to inveigle kings, heretofore your allies and well-wishers. You bravely collected all your disposable forces to resist this sudden onset; and it was then that you received that stroke of adversity, on which if I forbear

The orator alludes to the celebrated battle of the Ghiaradadda, fought

;

expatiating, you will, I trust, forgive me, illustrious Senators! for it is impossible either for me to mention it, or you to hear it, without suffering from the most painful reflections. Where is the firmness, where the virtue, that would not feel shocked at the narration of such a defeat? and, to speak the truth, the hearts of many were struck with consternation. The whole city indeed, accustomed for a long period to prosperity, could not but be agitated at such an unexpected reverse of fortune. That she retained any firmness is to be attributed to the fortitude of your Doge, who encouraged you by such exhortations, that you proved unrivalled in sustaining the shocks of the catastrophe. But this was not the only virtue which you manifested on this occasion the difficulties of the times called imperiously for the exercise of others. Observing as you did this sudden tempest breaking over your heads without any fault on your part, and having done all that lay in your power to counteract it, you judged that the best course to follow would be both to yield with submission to the rod of the angry Deity, and by negotiations to mitigate the resentment of your enemies. What a noble example of moderation did you then hold out to the world! But since they conceived daily a more violent animosity against you, and since you hoped that by your moderation you had averted the anger (if any) of the Deity, and the justice of your cause was made manifest to the world, you determined to prosecute the war with ardor; you made the most vigorous exertions; and at the moment when your enemies thought you were both hopeless and defenceless, you recovered Padua by storm, and strengthened both that city and Treviso, with such garrisons, that they might prove an effectual barrier against the incursions of your enemies; who, during the course of the war, scarcely let pass a year, without making those cities the scene of contention. But of all your achievements none appears to me more worthy of record, than your noble defence of Padua. A hundred thousand troops, composed of the most warlike nations, rushed, like a hurricane, on that devoted city. It is true that several of our most experienced officers thought that the garrison might prove sufficient to repel the attack: I am, however, of opinion that its preservation was rather to be attributed to the noble devotion of the three hundred patrician youths, whom you judged it expedient to send thither, on the first news which you received of the approach of the enemy's force.-Though you were all deserving of praise for this loyalty, the chief appears to me due

on the fourteenth of May 1509.-The French were complete masters of the field, and the Venetian army was nearly cut to pieces. The action lasted only three hours; but the carnage was horrible. Ten thousand men, chiefly Italians, lay dead on the field.

our Doge, who presided at all your councils, and strengthened them with his experience. Call to recollection, venerable Senators, the speech which he made on this occasion; he said that he had four sons who were most dear to him, and (if a father's prepossession did not blind him) adorned with every virtue and accomplishment; that two of these he would offer to brave any perils for their country; and that if circumstances should require it, he would readily sacrifice the remaining two. His speech was received with acclamations, and this distinguished band of youths, inflamed with a new enthusiasm, sallied forth to succour Padua. They, as well as the sons of your Doge, braved every danger, and inspired the garrison with such ardor, that not only did they deem the besieging force incompetent to take the city, but even to face them in combat. Several days were consumed by the enemy in fruitless attacks; and all their attempts proving ineffectual, they were compelled to retreat with ignominy. Great was the glory which accrued to the republic from this defence; and manifold were the thanks due to our Doge, the main-spring of our councils. It is true that the republic did not profit much from these exertions; the public treasury was exhausted by the heavy expenses of the war; and it was necessary to raise funds from the privy purses of individuals; and to this patriotic expedient the exhortations of your Doge contributed not a little. How repeatedly did he urge this in your Senate! how repeatedly in the Grand Council, with a force of eloquence too powerful for his advanced age! So animated were you by his arguments, that though the universal opinion was, that the Venetian resources must fail, such a torrent of gold was on a sudden poured into the treasury,' that it was easier to believe that the sea would sooner fail Venice, than her means of prosecuting the war. But I must not pass over another noble act of the Doge; perhaps more laudable than any that I have hitherto mentioned; which is, that though the public opinion was against a perseverance in the war, and the spirit of many began to flag from the repeated misfortunes which the republic had experienced, he continued uniform in his opinion of prosecuting the war, in which you seconded him; and it was through your admirable constancy, that the Venetian name was restored to its pristine splendor. Your enemies offered you daily new terms of peace; and though frequent consultations were held thereupon, and though

The treasuries of those ages were more simply organized than those of our times There was formerly shown at Venice an immense iron chest with this inscription:

Quando questo scrinio s'aprirà,

Tutto il mundo tremerà.

When Venice opes the chest that you see here,

The nations of the world turn pale with fear.

many individuals, from the imbecility of their minds, were inclined to receive them favorably, not mindful of the respect due to the republic; our Doge, though afflicted with the infirmities of age, was always foremost in dissuading your acceptance of them, and uniformly spoke in those terms which the dignity of the republic required. If the Roman historians speak with admiration of that Appius, who though afflicted with blindness and the infirmities of age, gave orders that he might be carried in a litter to the Senate, to give his opposing vote to the treaty projected with Pyrrhus, shall we be silent on the magnanimity of our Loredano, who, decrepid through age, and other infirmities more deplorable than blindness, not only once, like Appius, but for ten whole years, presided at every debate which had for its object the concerns of the republic? His love for the republic proved the effectual cure of all his infirmities, and mitigated the sufferings attendant on age. Impelled by an unusual greatness of mind, he has been heard to say, that nothing was so foremost in his thoughts as the consideration of the welfare of the state; that all labors, perils, and death itself should be sooner braved, than that the Venetian honor should suffer the slightest stain; that the shame resulting from an ignominious peace could never be wiped away; that though the fortune of the republic, like other human affairs, might suffer for a moment, you might reasonably look forward to a more consoling prospect, that the resources for the prosecution of the war would never fail; that the great God, adored with such signal piety in this city, would not withhold his protecting arm, provided you did not alienate his good-will by subscribing to shameful conditions of peace. In these noble sentiments, venerable Senators, you cheerfully concurred; and never had you cause to repent of so doing. For in a short space of time, the king of France, who had always entertained amicable relations with the Venetian state, and which had been interrupted by the insidious policy of our enemies, renewed a treaty so friendly, that the short misunderstanding which had occurred, almost appeared but a pledge of renewed good-will. He lent you a powerful army, which, united to your own, in a short time restored to your allegiance the territories, which the impetuous whirlwind of the league had swept from you. You determined to spare no expense, no expedient, to procure honorable conditions of peace; which was ultimately concluded under the guarantee of the king of France, now become your firm friend and ally. I have perhaps expatiated longer than I ought in commemorating these state-affairs, in which the glory of you all is so intimately concerned: I find it necessary to omit several; sufficient, however, have been recorded to enable you to judge what a divine man our Loredano was. In which, I ask, of the higher

order of virtues, any one of which would make a man commendable, can he be found deficient? Certainly if we trace him from his infancy upwards, and take into consideration the exterior and interior relations of this state, in which he was engaged; if we consider how he presided at the helm in periods of turbulence and tranquillity, we shall be convinced that he was deficient in no one of those qualities which we are wont to admire in the most exalted characters. He was a man whom nature and fortune conspired to favor; and though no one would place the gifts of the latter in competition with mental endowments, still the most distinguished philosophers have not hesitated to aver, that virtue alone, unassisted by fortune, is insufficient to advance a man in his public career. Although I think that no greater blessing can be conferred by heaven than an inclination to virtue, I am not of opinion that the gifts of fortune should therefore be the less slighted. If then these truths are well founded, whom with more reason can we deem a greater favorite of Heaven than our Loredano? who more signalised by the goodness of the Deity? Born in this celebrated capital, of a distinguished family, with a handsome person, abounding with wealth honestly procured, seconded by fortune in all his designs, he lived to behold the accomplishment of all his wishes. Having passed through the gradations of a wellconstituted state, he attained the Dogate, and retained it till his death. Add too, his being the father of a numerous family, and (however rare the occurrence) all well disposed. His daughters were given in marriage to the first men in Venice; and he lived to see grandsons, and great grandsons, the issue of his son Jerom's marriage. All his offspring however did not survive him; for he had the misfortune to see his son Bernardo taken off by a rapid disease; a youth of great acquirements, and expectation, and whose loss was not less felt by his country than by his father. What an invaluable statesman, what a senator he would have proved! But unrelenting fate deprived us of him. How far better would it have been for thee, illustrious youth, hadst thou accompanied that determined band, composed of the flower of our nobility, to Padua, like thy brother, Ludovico; hadst thou opposed thyself to every danger; hadst thou even incurred a glorious death, in thy country's cause! There was no one that did not deplore his untimely fate; but his father displayed in this private calamity, the same firmness, as in the public reverses. He was not more dejected by this stroke of adversity, than elated by his long experience of prosperity; and it appears to me that providence afflicted him with this trial, to prepare his mind for a happier state of existence. This was the only adverse occurrence which he experienced in his family; the pleasures which he derived from them, were probably greater than