The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1895-08-30
THE JEWS SECURITY

THE JEWS SECURITY,
Of al the merchants of Venice, Fabio
Mutinelli was the most exact in keeping
his ENGAGEMENTS He showed himself,
moreover, to be POSSESSED of Il liberal
and generous spirit, especially in his deal
itias with women and church folk.
The upright character of his methods
was celebrated throughout ill the re-
Public, and there was golden altar in
San Aanillolo which, he had offered to
Saint Catherine for the love Of the bc,lu-
tiful Catherine Manni, and which was
atlniifed by everyone no saw it,,
AS he was very rich he had il host Of
friends, whom he entertained iviShlS.
During the war against the Gen6Sse,
however, he lost heavily, and troub,ous
times in Naples increased this loss. In
deed, rs iiians as thirty of his vessels
were captured by the UscoQues or were
lost at sea. n powerful prince to whom
to pay any of it back, and by degrees
the magnificent Pablo was despoiled of all
his riches and money.
When he had sold his palace and his
vessels to pay up what he owed he found
himself almost pennileSs. Being capa-
BILE fellow. shrewd in business and in the
period of life when il mans energy is
at it's height. FabiO had no fears of build
ing up his business once more.
He had many calculations in his head
and came to the conclusion that to tempt
new successes and to undertake further
enterprises with his vessels he needed 900
ducats.
He accordingly asked Alessu Rontura
the richest citizen of the republic, to
oblige him with the sum. But this fine
gentleman., rejecting that while enterprise
acquires riches, only prudence can keep
them, declined to expose SO large Il slim
to the chances of business and the leiils
of the sch. Fabio then addressed himself
to Seishet,r Antlrea Murusini whom he
had obliged in the days of his wealth i'll
every pss iblt MANNER;
Beloved Fabio.'' Andrea replied to
% Would wlinsly lend tbs sum- sum S1 GoId has
hO attractions for me. and | conform III
this RESPECT to the nlaxims Of Horace, the
s;itrist But your friendship, Ftbio Atu-
tinelli, is dear to ME and | should run the
risk of losing it if lent you this money.
For, in iliost cases, the commerce of the
heart has a hard tirie Of it between cred
itofs and debtors, and l have seen too
hahy examples of it,"
With these words the Seigneur Andrea
made pretence of embracing the mer-
chant with great tenderness, and then
shut the door in his face.
Next day F'ablO went to see the bankers
of Florence and Lombardy But not one
of them would consent to lend him even
~ ducats without security. He ran from
one firm to another, and everywhere he
heard:
"seigneur Pablo. we know you are the
most honorable merchant of the town
MI pot Inf va fnf,i
request: but the gootl condurt of business
makes it necessary"
That evening az he walked sadly home.
ward the beautiful Hanetta, who was
bathing in the canal, climbed ND onto the
rim of the floating gondola and, looking
lovingly at Fabio, said;
Dear Seigneur Fabio, 1 know your
troubles. for they are the talk of all the
town. Listen to HE now. am not rich
but at the bottom of an old box | have
some jewels. If you will accept these,
FahiO. from your servant, [ shall believe
that God and the Holy Virgin love me, .
Zanetta, with her wondrous beauty
was indeed poor. and Fabio replied to her
in this wise:
Gracious Zanetta, there's niore real
nobility in the slums where YOU live than
in all the palaces in Eenice!'
Three uays more FabU went to see
bankers and Undergraduates without find
ing anyone who would furnish him the
money: And everywhere he received un-
favorable answers. With practically
amounted to this:
You were very foolish to sell all you
had to pay your debts. We would lend
the money to man in debt, perhaps,
but never to a man who has neither
furniture nor goods"
On the fifth day he arrived in his de-
spair in the Corte dele Cali, which is
also called the Ghetto, the quarter
where the Hebrews live.
''Who can tell?'' he said to himself.
what the Christians have refused me
may obtain from the Jews!'
So he walked along the street San
Geremia and San Giroiamo, in narrow,
odoriferous canal, which was closed CIV.
cry night by, order of the Senate and
cha ms stretched across its mouth; and,
hesitating to which usurer he should
first address himself, he remembered
that he had heard people talk abou;
an Israelite named Eliezer, son of Eli
ezer Malnonide, and say that he was
very rich and very shrewd. So having
found where Eliezer lived he stopped
his gondola opposite his door:
Over the door he saw a picture of the
seven candlesticks hung there as il sign
of hope for the days when the temple
would rise again from it's ashes.
The merchant entered Il large room lii
by a bronze lamp with twelve wicks
in full blaze. The Jew Eliezer was sit
ting in front of his scales. The win
lows of the house were walled up be
cause he was an unbpIiever.
Fabio Mutinelli addressed him in this
way:
''Eliezer, l have often treated you as
dog and Il heather. When Il lad. ant
with the fire of youth in my veins,
know that l used to throw mud anC
stones at the passersby in the street, an(
that l may even have hit you or yours
| tell you this, not in bravado, but in al
loyalty, and in the same breath l come
service"
The Jew raised his long. skinny arm
in the air: it was dry and knotted like
the stem of vine.
Pablo Mutinelli, the Father who live.
in heaven will judge both you and me
What is the service you came to ash
me?''
Lend me 500 ducats for year,
crE Wb is not sa Lent c without 1o S9Sa
II must tell you, Eliezer, that not ;
farthing remains to me. not silver COB
let, or a trinket of gold! Not a frienl
| has stood by Inc; all have refused to dt
| me this service. l have nothing in thu
world but my honor and my faith as
Christian. ! offer you as security the
holy Virgin Mary and her divine son II
| the church,
At this answer the Jew bent his ole
head to one side, as one does who re-
fleets and meditates. stroking his long
white beard the while.
Then he said:
"Fabio Mutinell! Lead me to YOU
| security, for it is right the lender shoult
| see the security on which he lends"
1T is your right" replied the mer
chant. "Come with me and you shall
| see it,
And he led Eliezer to the Church o.
Orto, near the place called the field O.
Natures. There standing upon the altar
he showed to him figure of the Madon
| ma, the forehead wreathed with crown
of precious gems, the shoulders drapet
with gOld-embroidered garment, an(