The Common-wealth keeps twelve Galleys in pay, and twenty Men of War. The Capitana Galley, call'd the Fusta, never goes out of the Great Canal, but is continually at Anchor before the Square of St. Mark. There's commonly four Galleys and as many Men of War in the Levant. Others lie at Anchor in the Canal of Zueca, which were lately drawn out of the Arsenal, because for want of Water the Ships receive Damage. The Power of the Republic consists chiefly in its Maritime Force. It maintains very few Land Forces, and those they have are all kept at Corfou, which is the Rampart of Venice, and the Defence of the Gulph; the Preservation of which is owing to the Count de Schulemburg, General in chief of the Republic; for in the last War when the Turks attempted to take it, 'twas he that oblig'd them to raise the Siege: And the Republic in acknowledgment of this important Service caus'd his Statue on Horseback to be erected in the Square of the Old Castle of Corfou; and settled a Pension upon him of 5000 Crowns a-year for his Life, besides his ordinary Salary.
'Tis certain that Venice has suffer'd a Decay both of Power and Commerce. The Turks have taken
the Morea from her; she has little or nothing left in the Levant; and as to her Places in the Terra Firma they are poor, depopulated, and meanly fortified. One of the main Securities of Venice is her Lakes; but for some Years past they begin to thicken so by the Mud and Dirt brought by the Rivers which fall into the Gulph, as in time must prove to the very great Detriment of Venice, because Ships which us'd formerly to go in or out with ease, can only go out now by the help of a Canal which has been cut for the purpose. This Inconvenience might have formerly been prevented for a trifle of Expence, whereas now 'tis past all remedy.
The Powers of which the Venetians ought to be most jealous, are the Turks and the Emperor, in whose Dominions they are in a manner inclos'd. The Great Duke of Tuscany and the Duke of Parma were formerly Powers which were of little or no Terror to the Republic; but if those Dominions shou'd ever come under the Sovereignty of Don Carlos, the political System of Italy will be very much alter'd, and the Venetians will in all probability be oblig'd to keep fair with him. The Republic has for a long time observ'd an exact Neutrality in the Quarrels among the Princes of Christendom, perhaps because it knows not for which side to determine itself; for tho' the Senate hates the Spaniards, and cannot forget the famous Conspiracy of the Marquiss de Bedmar the Catholic King's Ambassador; they don't much like either the Germans or French, whose Power gives them Umbrage. And I believe, were it possible for the Venetians to hurt those three Powers at the same time, we shou'd quickly see their Republic rouze itself from that Lethargy in which it's profound State-Policy has doz'd it.
Since the English and Dutch became Masters of the Commerce of Europe, the Trade of Venice is as much
decay'd as its Power; and their Manufactures are sunk extremely. The Venetians heretofore furnished almost all Europe with Cloth; their Looking-Glasses, and those for Drinking, were also in great vogue, but those Manufactures are since transplanted into other Countries, so that Venice scarce furnishes any more than Italy. 'Tis worth while however to go and see the Glass-House where they work Night and Day, except in August and September, when the Heats are too violent. 'Tis certain the Drinking-Glasses made here are much stronger than any other, but as they are blown they are not near so substantial as the Glass that is run; however they require less Labour, and have the Advantage when they are broke of being melted again; the Matter of which they are composed being much more flexible than that of the run Glass.
The Nobles of Venice are Slaves to Policy, Diffidence, and Suspicion; and Ambassadors are much more so, whom every one shuns as suspected Persons, and whom a Foreigner can scarce talk to without renouncing his Correspondence with the Nobles. An Ambassador is oblig'd to confine himself to his own Family, or else to amuse himself in the Company of Foreigners, of whom there is always a good number in this City; for no Nobleman dare visit him without the express leave of the Senate, who now indeed grant it much more freely than they did formerly.
Customs are alter'd here in very many things. 'Twas formerly a Crime to see a Woman in private, and a Foreigner did not dare to run the Venture; but now the case is quite different, for there are several Houses of Quality where I am indulg'd, and am often tête a tête with the Mistress of the House, without any more notice taken of me than if I were in France, where Ease and Freedom are
so much boasted. The Ladies are great Visiters, and have Assemblies every Night, to which they repair alone in their Gondola's without any other Attendance but a Valet de Chambre, who serves as their Gentleman-Usher. They are mask'd at all public Performances, and go where they have a mind to it. This easy access to the Ladies contributes not a little to make my Stay in this City agreeable. I own to you that I am infinitely charm'd with it; there are a thousand Things here that please me, and were I to chuse any City in Italy to live in, 'twould certainly be this, where People enjoy entire Liberty, provided they don't meddle with the State and its Government, which after all too, I don't think a Foreigner has much to do with. Here one is in the Centre of civil Pleasures and Debauchery. God is as exemplarily serv'd here as in any Place whatsoever. Few Nations observe the Externals of Religion better than the Italians in general and the Venetians in particular, of whom it may be said that they spend one half of their time in committing Sin, and the other half in begging God's pardon.
Masquerades are more in fashion here than elsewhere. People go in Masks to take the Air, as well as to Plays and Balls; and 'tis the favourite Pleasure both of the Grandees and the Commonalty. This gives rise to many Adventures, and sometimes one makes Acquaintance under a Mask which would be impracticable perhaps, were not such Disguises in Fashion. I remember that the first time I was here I struck up an Acquaintance in the Square of St. Mark with two of the first-rate Ladies of this Country. They were mask'd, and I was in a Scarlet Domino embroider'd with Silver, which being a Habit that had been seldom seen here, drew the Eyes of all the Company in the Square upon me, and in particular of two Ladies, one of whom twitching