The herald., 1897-04-25
A VENETIAN DAY
During Carnival When the Doge Mar
ried the Sea

"As for Venice and her people. merely born
to bloom and drop.
Here on earth they bore. their fruitage.
vnsl mrth IT so, and foily ", was the crop ~,
r. BROWNING.
While the principal cities of Italy cell
ebrated the carnival in varying degrees
of magnificenoe, that held at Venice,
during the days of the republic. present
ed exceptionally interesting features.
There the carnival had six months Of
every year to riot in, and attracted idlers
from all parts of the world. and these
thronged the city with motley COM
pany-dominoes, harlequins. pantaloni,
ilustrssmi and illustrissime, and per-
haps the doge himself. who had the right
of incognito when he wore q mask of
wax at his button-hole
The crusades, from which the inhabit
ants of other countries gained nothing
but relics and wounds, brought to the
rising republic of the Adriatic large
increase of wealth, dominion and knowl-
edge. Their moral and geographical po-
sition enabled the Venetians to profit
alike by the barbarism of the west and
by the civilization of the east. Venetian
ships covered every sea; Venetian fac
tories arose on every shore; the tables
Of the Venetian money-changers were
set in every city; manufactures -four
ished and banks were established. In
literature and art Venice was the link
between Italy and Greece. Its eastern
colonists learned the Greek tongue;
and the fall of the Greek empire brought
its banished men OF science and letters
On May 20, 99S, the Doge Pietro
Orseolo defeated the piratical Naren-
tines at sea, and annexed all Istria, as
far as Dalmatia, to the republic. Hav-
ing thus given security Of trade he con-
stituted himself protector of the sea from
Trieste to Albania, and it was to SYM
bolize this dominion that Venice insti-
tuted the superb ceremonial of the
cspousals of the doge with the Adriatic,
which was annually observed on Ascen-
sion day. Not, however. until 200 years
later was it that Pope Alexander III
blessed the famous espousals and con-
firmed the republic in the possession Of
the sea forever
A description of the famous ceremony
by a noted writer gives one a rather
poor idea of republican simplicity in the
DAYS when Venice was at the zenith Of
its power
ESPOUSALS OF THE DOGE
At midday, having heard mass in the
chapel of the collegio, the doge descend
ed the giants stairs, issued from the
porta del carta (the gate of the ducal
palace opening on the piazzetta next st.
Mark's) and passed the booths of tho
MERGERS and glass vendors erected for
the carnival fair beginning the same
Cd 1vva fewh
standard bearers with the flags of the
republic--red, white, blue and purple
given by Pope Alexander III to the
Doge ziani. Six trumpets of silver.
borne by as many boys. mixed their notes
with the clangor of the bells OF the city.
Behind came the retinues of the ambas-
sadors, in sumptuous liveries. and the
fifty comandadori, in their flowing blue
robes and red caps; then followed musi-
clans and the squires OF the doge, IN
black velvet; then the guards OF the
doge, two chancellors, the secretary or
the pregadi, deacon clad IN purple and
bearing a wax taper, six canons, three
parish priests in their sacerdotal robess
and the doge's chaplain dressed IN Grim.
son. The grand chancellor was known
by his crimson vesture. Two squire0
bore the doge's chair and the cushion
of cloth of gold. And the doge-the rep
resentative and not the master of his
country; the executor. and not the maker
of the laws; citizen and prince, revered
and guarded. sovereign Of individuals,
servant of the state-came clad in
long mantle Of ermine, cassock Of blue
and vest and hose of "tocca d'oro" e
eauze of gold and silver). with the gold
en- bonnet on his head. under the ume