The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-05-07
oF WRITERS AND BOOKS.
n,ovyssxErcH orTHE VENETIAN
REPUBLTC.
poo, on oThe Campaign OF Water
Loo hst Has Commended i''eifto
IN. Reviewer Brevities.

Journals OF the day are taking
,.,crest in Horatio +. Browns
hu,' -, SKETCH" Of the Venetian Re
,v. Six columns in the SUM- April
~. devoted to an abstract Of the
30 ,,r,,tcn by M. w. H." CHazeltine),
@...-si estimate Of the value OF the
-, being given as follows:
'., toye had one English history Of
,...,,e Hazntts which was published
,... thirty years ago; and we have had
r.-el,sh books. or English trans
80 ~ foreign books, in which the
~, the venetian Republic has been
'.,,.,od in connection with those OF other
,..,,., Commonwealths. But for the first
Itch history OF Venice. wnich - alto-
her worthy OF the name, we are IN
t.,.l 10 Mr. Horatio r. bFo"h, rms
...-t is :he outcome OF a hI"'- naIu S.euS
me- ORIGINAL sources of information.
Oh .,.s.5 mainly on Romanin's compila-
.st,ria Documentata di Neneza' But
N'.f -...r has made use OF many other
- ,.thoritics. a list OF whose names
,s rrefaced 90 the BOOK.
" ,l.. authors purpose is 20 write bio-
-t,. 90 Venice considered as an organic
Cor On his eyes, the personality
,.,uhlic 0vcrshadOws the person
...s OF oven her most distinguished
"..,.,e The point Of view has led him
-r.1Yca a political narrative, In when
,.., n-fie heed is given 20 the social as
,s ~ Venetian history. one would
liked to see the life Of the
,.r.+ian pcople AZ certain epochs traced
marc detail. together with n more MI
Of
viluUt'cs.
'r.t much attention 10 such themes
r.lfd have rendered II impossible for the
orfr1r in the space at his command, TO
,.r-. oul his central aim, which is 70
,rl.late one OF the most striking in
Stances Of the inception, birth. Adde'S
..reo decline. and death Of an urban
community which history has to offer.
Inc critic Of the Times (New York;
er ks with equally high respect OF the
book as follows:
nf- Brown has covered this extended
-s-.od % almost twenty centuries in a
-.,,e ~ 400 pares. and the result is
,,.-arocly satisfactory. Everywhere ne
.I,.d mo main and significant facts Of
Eva nv ~ an event. and has shown us
f..c, o.hat small beginnings the state
.. +o its greatness. and what were the
t.tt.to~y steps from Nenetians them
-t..,e and what tho circumstances OF
tiroa and geographical position OF the poh-
.t.e +hen crcacinc the world AT large py
which Venice from a small settlement
81 fishermen or small refuge LOT men
.-.,,,t,l bv northern barbarians, rose
t.r ,l.ro as a state whose support
ercaf m0narchs sought, and whom sihalieI
Powers recognized as master.
"Tbe decline Of Venice Mr. Brown dates
fr,r tbo carly part Of the fifteenth cen
,-r, Long after this indeed, until the
,,.irc.ior Of the Republic under Napo-
lsoo Venice had an active and brilliant
1ffa asa centre OF splendid though scarce
Dr. noble Measure. but in that iuteenth
century circumstances which Venice hau
moi the mower 90 control began 10 Nhahe
her fortunes. and prepare me way LOT
the decline which followed. SURVIVE 10
become "a power on the mainland throuEh
3D.. .,,,,,t,,-roert Of merceLa1v armies, she
exhausted her resources, increased the
faallrslv u her rivals. and ai'er inc
1.ott If N0ccnig0 the end or the oll
order had been reached and a new anu
loss stirring epoch was az haAl. WIN
tra fam of Constarfinople su iden ehI
81, nor Eastern trade was Effected on
The maitland her territory haI Deen
Growing and along with this venice had
.fea q growing deficit. Then came tne
f.l blow 20 her commerce, Wnlch zen
,.r. the discovery Of a new passage 10
7rr, Inv way of the Cape Of Good Hope"
rta critic Of the Tribune, in another
1.r.ffv review Of the book, says:
..v.rie. in short. was not Italian
cr. vs. unique' 10 Is only after reading
many pages that this sentence is found
ir v- Browns admirable book. But II
f.~,.shas the KEY to the historians po-
er..n with reference TO his subject.
"Sfartin. from what was, politically
erelkInr. the same root. the development
ofXariee must necessarily nave folloWeu'
up toa certain point, the lines character
i.-ie ~ the class Of States 10 which she
nlorra1 I'm TO that point the feuds
for example among the prominent laih''
1..- presented the same features as those
o., ie cities Of the mainland. But a
ef-rlo experiment I'm the way OF exiting
-faea warning clans was sufficient foi
v.rfra while with most other ltallaI
States expulsion was persisted In 10 inc
verge or beyond the verge, or polltica
suicide. With the States on the rnalhlan.
,his destructive habit was due 10 the iac'
that craftsmanship was really not clrcuiil'
,.r.had hv the narrow boundaries OF
fhc c0mmunes There were lines oi
cleavage which ran through the entire
n9pulatOn from the Alps 20 the Toe OF tn'
peninsula From ali this the lsolateI
I..ition ~ Venice throughout her perioc
30 o,nsreion nm 20 the time when she
n.rau entertainments on the mainland
preserved her Her populace never learn,
.9 on "a an events. did not learn uh'n
GOO late. the lesson which the masses az
1Iorence knew before they cast OH theli
traditional dress Of skins-that liberty
could only be retained al the cost OF ire
ouent ouarrels with the aristocracy'