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n. PRIDE OF STATE. II. ROMAN RENAISSANCE. 81
of it, as the reader will at once understand by comparing the
following statements :
§ lxvii. 1. "To him (Andrea Contarini) succeeded Morosini, at the age
of seventy-four years; a most learned and prudent man, who also reformed
several laws."—Sansovino, Yite de' Principi.
2. "It was generally believed that, if his reign had been longer, he
would have dignified the state by many noble laws and institutes; but by
so much as his reign was full of hope, by as much was it short in duration,
for he died when he had been at the head of the republic but four months."
—Sabellico, lib. viii.
3. "He was allowed but a short time to enjoy this high dignity, which
he had so well deserved by his rare virtues, for God called him to Himself
on the 15th of October."—Muratori, Annali de' Italia.
4. " Two candidates presented themselves ; one was Zeno, the other that
Michael Morosini who, during the war, had tripled his fortune by his
speculations. The suffrages of the electors fell upon him, and he was proclaimed Doge on the 10th of June."—Daru, Histoire de Venise, lib. x.
5. " The choice of the electors was directed to Michele Morosini, a noble
of illustrious birth, derived from a stock which, coeval with the republic
itself, had produced the conqueror of Tyre, given a queen to Hungary,
and more than one Doge to Venice. The brilliancy of this descent was
tarnished in the present chief representative of the family by the most
base and grovelling avarice ; for at that moment, in the recent war, at
which all other Venetians were devoting their whole fortunes to the service
of the state, Morosini sought in the distresses of his country an opening for
his own private enrichment, and employed his ducats, not in the assistance
of the national wants, but in speculating upon houses which were brought
to market at a price far beneath their real value, and which, upon the
return of peace, insured the purchaser a fourfold profit. ' What matters
the fall of Venice to me, so as I fall not together with her ?' was his
selfish and sordid reply to some one who expressed surprise at the transaction."—Sketches of Venetian History. Murray, 1831.
§ lxviii. The writer of the unpretending little history from
which the last quotation is taken has not given his authority
for this statement, and I could not find it, but believed, from
the general accuracy of the book, that some authority might
exist better than Daru's. Under these circumstances, wishing
if possible to ascertain the truth, and to clear the character of
this great Doge from the accusation, if it proved groundless,
I wrote to the Count Carlo Morosini, his descendant, and one
of the few remaining representatives of the ancient noblesse
| Title | The stones of Venice - 3 |
| Creator | Ruskin, John |
| Publisher | J. Wiley |
| Place of Publication | New York |
| Date | 1889 |
| Language | eng |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Title | 00000095 |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Transcript | n. PRIDE OF STATE. II. ROMAN RENAISSANCE. 81 of it, as the reader will at once understand by comparing the following statements : § lxvii. 1. "To him (Andrea Contarini) succeeded Morosini, at the age of seventy-four years; a most learned and prudent man, who also reformed several laws."—Sansovino, Yite de' Principi. 2. "It was generally believed that, if his reign had been longer, he would have dignified the state by many noble laws and institutes; but by so much as his reign was full of hope, by as much was it short in duration, for he died when he had been at the head of the republic but four months." —Sabellico, lib. viii. 3. "He was allowed but a short time to enjoy this high dignity, which he had so well deserved by his rare virtues, for God called him to Himself on the 15th of October."—Muratori, Annali de' Italia. 4. " Two candidates presented themselves ; one was Zeno, the other that Michael Morosini who, during the war, had tripled his fortune by his speculations. The suffrages of the electors fell upon him, and he was proclaimed Doge on the 10th of June."—Daru, Histoire de Venise, lib. x. 5. " The choice of the electors was directed to Michele Morosini, a noble of illustrious birth, derived from a stock which, coeval with the republic itself, had produced the conqueror of Tyre, given a queen to Hungary, and more than one Doge to Venice. The brilliancy of this descent was tarnished in the present chief representative of the family by the most base and grovelling avarice ; for at that moment, in the recent war, at which all other Venetians were devoting their whole fortunes to the service of the state, Morosini sought in the distresses of his country an opening for his own private enrichment, and employed his ducats, not in the assistance of the national wants, but in speculating upon houses which were brought to market at a price far beneath their real value, and which, upon the return of peace, insured the purchaser a fourfold profit. ' What matters the fall of Venice to me, so as I fall not together with her ?' was his selfish and sordid reply to some one who expressed surprise at the transaction."—Sketches of Venetian History. Murray, 1831. § lxviii. The writer of the unpretending little history from which the last quotation is taken has not given his authority for this statement, and I could not find it, but believed, from the general accuracy of the book, that some authority might exist better than Daru's. Under these circumstances, wishing if possible to ascertain the truth, and to clear the character of this great Doge from the accusation, if it proved groundless, I wrote to the Count Carlo Morosini, his descendant, and one of the few remaining representatives of the ancient noblesse |
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