Venice.
A few days after our arrival at Venice, we met the Archduke and Duchess,
at the house of the Imperial Ambassador. They were highly entertained
with the history of their cook and butler, which I gave them at full
length.
The company consisted entirely of foreigners, the Venetian nobility never
visiting in the houses of foreign ministers.
Among other strangers was the son of the Duke of Berwick. This young
gentleman has lately allied himself to the family from which he is
descended, by marrying the sister of the Countess of Albany. I suppose
you have heard that the Pretender, now at Florence, has assumed the title
of Count Albany.
Next day the D—— of H—— accompanied the Archduke and Duchess to the
arsenal. They were attended by a deputation from the senate.
Some Venetian ladies of the first distinction, in compliment to the
Archduchess, were of the party.
The arsenal at Venice is a fortification of between two and three miles
in compass. On the ramparts are many little watch-towers, where centinels
are stationed. Like the arsenal at Toulon, it is at once a dockyard, and
repository for naval and military stores. Here the Venetians build their
ships, cast their cannon, make their cables, sails, anchors, &c. The arms
are arranged here as in other places of the same kind, in large rooms
divided into narrow walks by long walls of muskets, pikes, and halberts.
Every thing having been prepared before the Archduke and Duchess arrived,
a cannon was cast in their presence. After this the company were
conducted on board the Bucentaur, or vessel in which the Doge is carried
to espouse the Adriatic. Here they were regaled with wine and sweetmeats,
the Venetian nobles doing the honours of the entertainment.
The Bucentaur is kept under cover, and never taken out but for the
espousals. It is formed for containing a very numerous company, is finely
gilt and ornamented within, and loaded on the outside with emblematical
figures in sculpture. This vessel may possibly be admired by landsmen,
but will not much charm a seaman’s eye, being a heavy broad-bottomed
machine, which draws little water, and consequently may be easily
overset in a gale of wind. Of this, however, there is no great danger,
as two precautions are taken to prevent such an accident; one of which
seems calculated to quiet the minds of believers, and the other to give
confidence to the most incredulous. The first is used by the Patriarch,
who, as soon as the vessel is afloat, takes care to pour into the sea
some holy water, which is believed to have the virtue of preventing or
allaying storms. The second is entrusted to the Admiral, who has the
discretionary power of postponing the marriage ceremony, when the bride
seems in the smallest degree boisterous. One of the virtues of the holy
water, that of allaying storms, is by this means rendered superfluous.
But when the weather is quite favourable, the ceremony is performed every
Ascension Day. The solemnity is announced in the morning by the ringing
of bells and firing of cannon. About mid-day the Doge, attended by a
numerous party of the senate and clergy, goes on board the Bucentaur;
the vessel is rowed a little way into the sea, accompanied by the
splendid yachts of the foreign Ambassadors, the gondolas of the Venetian
nobility, and an incredible number of barks and gallies of every kind.
Hymns are sung, and a band of music performs, while the Bucentaur and
her attendants slowly move towards St. Lido, a small island, two miles
from Venice. Prayers are then said; after which the Doge drops a ring,
of no great value, into the sea, pronouncing these words—Desponsamus te,
Mare, in signum veri perpetuique dominii. The sea, like a modest bride,
assents by her silence, and the marriage is deemed valid and secure to
all intents and purposes.
Certain it is, the time has been, when the Doge had entire possession of,
and dominion over, his spouse; but, for a considerable time past, her
favours have been shared by several other lovers; or, according to that
violent metaphor of Otway’s,
——now
Their Great Duke shrinks, trembling in his palace,
And sees his wife, the Adriatic, plough’d,
Like a lewd whore, by bolder prows than his.
After viewing every thing in the arsenal, the Archduke and Duchess, with
all the company, were invited on board some boats which had been prepared
for their reception. They were directly rowed to that part of the lake
from whence there was the most advantageous view of Venice, a band of
music performing all the time; while the sailors, in two or three small
boats, were employed in fishing oysters, which they opened and presented
to the company.
The amusements of this day had all the advantage of novelty to render
them agreeable to strangers, and every additional pleasure which the
attentive and polite behaviour of the Venetian nobility could give.