The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1830-04-21
THE INQUIsITIoN AT VENICE.

i'he secret history of that terrible tribu-
nal, the Inquisition of State, which for SO
many years exercised Clespotic sway over
the lives and fortunes of the Venetians. gil.
ing the dungeons with its victims, has been
fully developed by the industrious research
es of M. Daru. He has discovered and giv-
en- to the world the statutes or regulations
which created and governed the inquisition
of state, together with the ordinances made
by the lnquisitors themselves. A more sim
guar monument of the dreadful machinery
by which the despotic government of Ven-
Ice was moved, cannot be conceived, The
rifles and orders of the tribunal were all
written in the hand of one of the three in
qulsltors, and deposited in a box, of which
each was in turn to possess the kew. All
the forms OF proceeding were to be kept in
vlolably secret, none of the inquisitors bear
ing any external sign OF their Office. The
warrants commanding the appearance of
parties before them, never issued their names
but of the Secretary of the Tribunal, If
the order was disobeyed, the .Messer grande
or head of the police, was directed to seize
the refractory party, not at his house, but
suddenly in some retired place, and conduct
him to the state prison. Spies were select
ed, from every rank of people, the nobility.
the citizens, and the priests, to whom re-
wards of every kind were promised. Four
spies, unknown to one another. were at
tached to each of the foreign ambassadors.
and If these men were unable to penetrate
the secrets of the stranger, a banished Ven
euan was directed to take refuge in his
house and to betray the party who protect
ed him. 1t person was suspected, and the
spies who were charged with him were un-
able to duplicate him, a creature of the in
quisitors was sent to him to offer him con-
siderable sum of money in case he should
betray any of the secrets of the government
TO foreign ambassador. IF the party con.
cealed his offer, he was placed on the lise
OF the suspected. In case il was thought
proper to destroy person, he was never
put to death. in public, but was privately
drowned in the canal Orfno. If noble
venetian revealed propositions made to him
by foreign ambassador, he was directed
to proceed until the inquisition had acouir-
ed The necessary information when the per.
son who had appeared as the intermediate
agent was put to death. In case noble
accused OF any crime took refuge in the
mouse OF an ambassador, he was to be as
sasslnated. When it was necessary to pro-
coed against a chief of the Ten, and he was
convicted, poison was employed 10 AAs.-4,.
him. Such are few only of the frightfnl
laws that governed this execrable tribunal.
Various anecdotes are related of the mar
vellous dispatch and secrecy with which the
orders of the Inquisitors were carried into
effect.
French nobleman travelling through
Venice, and being robbed there of con-
siderable sum of money, imprudently in
dulged in some reflections upon the Vene-
tians; observing, that Government which
was so careful in watching the proceedings
OF strangers, might bestow little more at
tention on the state Of their own police. A
few days afterwards he left Venice but he
had only proceeded very short distance,
when his gondoa stopped. On demanding
the reason of this delay, his gondoliers re-
piled, that boat was making signals to
them. The Frenchman, disturbed at this
incident, was musing on the imprudence Of
which he had been guilty, when the boat
which was following his gondola came up,
and the person in it requested him to 90 on
board-he obeyed. "Are you not the
Prince de Craon ?" said the stranger. al
am" Were you not robbed last Thurs
day ?" ~ was" " OF what sum ?" Five
hundred ducats." "Where were thew 20
In green purse" "Do you suspect any
one 7" :" My valet de place" " Should you
know him again ?" Certainly" The
stranger then pulled aside mantle, beneath
which lay dead man, holding in his hand
green purse. "Justice has been done,"