First, the goddess Pallas Athene with her shield and a book in her hand, riding on a serpent.
Second, Justice riding on an elephant, with sword, scales, and globe.
Third, Concord, on a stork with sceptre and globe.
Fourth, Victory on horseback, with sword, shield, sceptre, and palm.
Fifth, Peace riding a lamb, and holding a sceptre with an olive branch.
And so on. Then Ignorance, riding an ass, and holding on by the tail, met Wisdom and fought and was beaten. And Violence appeared on a serpent, and Mars on a horse, and Want on a dog with a horn full of straw for its emblem. And Violence was soundly beaten by Justice, Discord by Concord, and Mars by Victory, and Abundance drove Want from the field.
Such were the shows that amused the Venetians, while written comedy was slowly growing out of infancy.
The Companions of the Hose Club revenged themselves cruelly on any one of their own number who
Tassini, under Osteria della Campana.
showed signs of meanness. Sanudo tells the following anecdote. Alvise Morosini, one of the ‘Eternals,’ on the occasion of his marriage with a daughter of the noble house of Grimani, gave his fellow-Companions a very meagre dinner. Not long afterwards they got into the Grimani palace and carried off two magnificent silver basins; these were placed in the hands of professional buffoons who paraded the city with them, informing the public that the bridegroom meant to pawn them to pay for the dinner which the Companions were going to eat at the sign of the Campana instead of the dinner which they should have eaten at the Palazzo Morosini, and also to pay for wax torches for taking home the fair ladies who were to be asked to the feast.