The upper cieling of this council-chamber is of wood most excellently carved, and richly gilded with pure Zechini gold; the histories and artificial pictures are wrought upon very costly linnen, with oil colours. They do constantly affirm, that this chamber cost above four tons of gold, which, in English money, is above one hundred-thousand pounds sterling. Hard by the same is another chamber, almost like unto it, which sometimes is used for a council-chamber.

This palace of the Duke's, about thirty-two years past, was set on fire by a fiery squall, and burnt; it was covered with lead at that time, but now with copper; for furnishing of which, there were sent for very artificial masters out of Germany. They say, that the covering of this palace cost three hundred-thousand crowns.

When you come out of the palace, you shall see, on St. Mark's place, two columns or pillars of marble-stone erected, which Emanuel, emperor of Greece, sent thither for a present; for, at such time as the Venetians made an agreement with the King of Sicily, the said emperor was much displeased therewith, but afterwards, they having pacified his anger, he presented them with three columns or pillars, two of which stand on St. Mark's Place; the third miscarried, and fell into the water, which could never be recovered again. And, as concerning the other two, there was at that time no man to be found in all their dominions, that could set them up on end; wherefore they made proclamation, that, whosoever could erect them, he should be well rewarded for his pains. Upon which, one came out of Lombardy, who told them, that he would venture his head, that he would set them up on end, if they would let him have such things as were necessary for that purpose; which he had, and did effect it accordingly. And, for his reward, he did desire, that it might be lawful for any man, that would, to play at dice between the said pillars, notwithstanding the dice were false; and also, that the Venetians would give him free dwelling amongst them, with a competent living; all which was granted unto him. If it chanceth, that any man in their jurisdiction doth raise a mutiny with the Turks, or doth attempt any treachery against the city, then there is a gilded pole laid over-thwart the two pillars, and a gilded halter put upon the offender's neck, and he hanged thereupon.

Here I will relate a strange kind of theft, which was done in former times at Venice.

When Borsius, brother to the Duke of Ferrara, came to Venice, and went to see the treasure at St. Mark's, there was a certain Candiot, named Sammatius Scarior, who, being appointed to wait on the Duke, went in also to see the treasure; and, when he saw the riches thereof, he thought with himself by what means he might come secretly unto it, and for that purpose suffered himself to be locked in the treasury; and, making loose a marble-stone in the wall, behind the altar of the innocent children, he carried the dust in his lap, and laid it behind a little pair of dark stairs in the church. By day he went always away, and came again towards evening, so long, until he made a hole into the treasure-chamber; and, in the day-time, he fastened the stone so cunningly into the wall, that no man could mark it. He carried out one rich jewel after another, six nights together, and at las was resolved to take

away the Duke's hat, esteemed at two millions of zechins; which make, in English money, more than seven-hundred thousand pounds. Now there was another Candiot, named Zacharias Cerio, to whom Sammatius opened his business, and shewed him the treasure, and admonished him in any case to keep it close, saying their lives stood upon it. Cerio being at the sight thereof sore astonished, Sammatius stabbed him; but, before, he demanded of Cerio, Why he was astonished in such a fearful manner? Cerio answered, That he was not able to speak for joy. Sammatius said, Make haste, then, and let us be gone; we have riches sufficient to serve our turns all the days of our lives. Cerio said, I will presently prepare myself, and go to inquire after a ship to be gone. But he went and discovered it to the Duke, whereupon Sammatius was apprehended. The next day, a pair of gallows overgilded were set up, between the two pillars, whereon he was hanged, with a gilded rope about his neck.

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Over-against the same, at the one corner of the church, is a red phyry-stone set up, on which there are cut the pictures of the two famous pirates which brought the said treasure to Venice.

Hard by is a round marble-stone they use to lay the heads of proscribed and banished persons."

Then go into the excellent temple or church of St. Mark's, which is underset very curiously with rich and great pillars of divers sorts of colours. The doors and gates of the church are of bell-metal, and about the great door do stand four great horses cast of bell-metal, all over gilded with pure gold, which were ordered to be placed in memory of the Emperor Barbarossa. When you come into the church, on your left-hand, you shall see a crucifix upon an altar, at which (as they say) on a time a certain gamester did throw a stone, whereupon it fell a bleeding, and still every year, on that day, it doth bleed.

Further, upon the ground before the high altar there is a pavement with four-squared streams, of white marble-stone, like unto a natural water, which was likewise so ordered for the aforesaid emperor's sake, which is called a horse-pond. For, as the emperor laid siege to Venice, he made a solemn vow, that, when he had got the city, he would make out of St. Mark's church a stable, and a horse-pond, and would make St. Mark's market-place a ground to sow corn on. In the mean time, it chanced, that the emperor's son was taken prisoner in a skirmish, and brought into Venice. Then the Venetians sent and gave notice thereof to the emperor, and told him, that, unless he would presently raise his siege and be gone, they would shoot his son unto him out of a cannon. At which the emperor was sorely grieved, and desired of the Venetians, that, for the safeguard of the vow which he had made, they would cause St. Mark's place to be plaistered like a corn ground, and that the four horses might be set over the high door, to signify the stable, and also the ground before the high altar to be paved with white marble stone streamed, to betoken the horse-pond; which was all done accordingly, as it is to be seen at this day; whereupon the emperor took his son, raised his siege, and departed.

There are right before the church standing three very high poles, on the top of which they hang three great standards or colours, upon the

holy and feast days, signifying their three kingdoms, viz. Candya, Cyprus, and Venice.

If you desire to see the treasure, you must diligently sollicit the Duke's chamberlain; then you shall go into St. Mark's church, through fou iron doors. So soon as you are gone through each one of them, they shut themselves locked, and you are within; they will shew you two unicorns horns, of which the red is the male, and the yellow the female; then a great carbuncle-stone, which glitters like a candle, three crowns of the kingdoms of the Venetians, twelve pettorali, with oriental stones, amongst which is one standing in the midst, that hath a great saphire and an emerald; two vessels of agate, the one of Chalcedoni, the other of a Turkish; a little granate, a great diamond King Henry the Third, of France, gave the Duke of Venice; a great dish of gold, one ballasso that weighs seven ounces, certain vessels of agate and emeralds, which, in times past, were the Emperor Constantine's, besides many other rich jewels and precious stones, almost not possible to be written in particular, for it is an inestimable treasure; there are especially oriental precious a saphire and an emerald, like unto which there are none to be found.

Further you may desire to see the Duke's private house of artillery, where are rich furniture of gold and silver to arm two-hundred men, a lanthorn all of chrystal, certain apparel come from the New World, and brought thither by the Cyprinenses, and presented to the Duke; then a little coffer, in the opening of which, two pieces, that lie therein, do dis. charge of themselves, besides divers other curious things. Give something to drink.

The church of St. Mark is held to be more rich and stately, built with extraordinary costly pillars of porphyry and marble-stone, than is Santa Sophia at Constantinople, for there are five most great excellent chapels, or round heathenish towers, covered with copper. When you go from St. Mark's under the great dial, you will come into the Merceria, a long street, on both sides full of shops, furnished with all manner of exceeding rich wares, especially with silks; presently after you shall come to the Dutch house, wherein do dwell Dutch merchants, who give weekly to the duchy, one-hundred zechins.

From the Dutch house you will go over the bridge Rialto, whither all the merchants do resort mornings and evenings. There is also a little church, called Santo Jacobo, which is the ancientest church in Venice, and there was the first house built, and the city was named at that time Venetequa, in English, Come hither,' for it was free for every man to build there; and, from that word Venetequa, it is now turned to Venetia.

Then go to Santa Maria Formosa, upon which the Dutch nation are freely privileged to fight out any duel or quarrel.

You may go also to Santo Johanne et Paulo, which is a wonderful fair church and monastery, adorned with excellent fair epitaphs. When you enter in at the door, you shall see on your left-hand the picture of the Virgin Mary, very richly, with ancient histories, fastened into the wall four-square, and the cover over the same, all costly overgilded.

Right without the church doth sit upon a horse cast of bell-metal, all over gilded with pure ducat gold, Bartholome Coglion of Bergen, caps tain general to the Venetians; by whom Padua was taken in for the seigniory of Venice. The said general afterwards, on his death-bed, did carnestly intreat the Venetian state, in any wise hereafter, to discover their secrets to none, as they had done to him, saying, that, if he had been disposed, he could have overcome them. The seignory, for his true service, did cause his statue to be erected there on a horse, as aforesaid.

In the famous city of Venice there are eight-thousand gondolas, and, amongst eight-hundred bridges, there are but two of wood. There are also divers laudable companies, or fellowships, touching which it is not here necessary to write in particular. The principal ones are those, near a monastery called Alli Servi, and by Al Ponte de More.

Further, it is but little a way over to Murano, where the purest chrystal glasses are made. So soon as you land on your left-hand, at a corner house, you shall see a glass-maker that hath a whole castle of chrystal, with ordnance on the bulwarks and bastions, as also towers of defence, which is to be sold for twelve-hundred crowns.

In Murano almost all the inhabitants are glass-makers, appertaining to the Venetians, who have their trading therewith. You shall also see very fair gardens with running water-works, and brave statues, especially one above the rest, belonging to a great gentleman named Emo, now dead, which is wrought so artificially, as is scarce to be believed, unless it be seen.

Then, in rowing home again, you will see a monastery on your left hand, wonderous fairly built in the water by a Venetian courtesana, whom did love a Venetian gentle homo, who lived together like a man and wife; he died before her, and left her all that he had, for which she promised him to build a chapel, in perpetual memory of them both, to have their funerals therein; which chapel cost more than sixty-thou sand crowns the building; it is all of white marble-stone, and covered with copper. There are adjoining thereunto four towers of bell-metal ;* within it is costly set forth, with admirable pictures and histories, of white alabaster oriental, and without are cut out of white marble-stone both their statues or pictures, according to the true proportion of their bodies. After that, she retired herself to a very strict and penitent kind of life, and, before her death, she made her will, having left behind her six-hundred crowns, all which she bestowed upon poor people in hospitals and spittals, and for maintenance of widows and orphans, and ap painted a yearly revenue, to that monastery adjoining to the chapel, ever to endure, to the end there might be solemnised yearly vigils for the sake of both their souls.

Hereafter follows what is to be seen between Venice and Ancona, from thence to Santa Maria Loretto; and also how many miles one place is from the other.

You may take a gondola, or ship, and go, to Chiozza, a very pleasant town of the Venetians; it lies also in the sea, built with very fair houses.

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From e to Ornaci, an inn, eight miles; then to Coro, an inn, niles; there you may have horses to hire from Coro to Volani, eighteen miles; from thence to Magnanaca, an inn, nine miles; s a very bare and simple lodging; from thence to Primara, an inn, ...een miles; from thence to Ravenna, twenty miles. Ravenna is an ancient city, which lies on the sea, pertaining to the pope. From thence to Al Savio, an inn, ten miles; from thence to Cesanniro, a little town, ten miles; to Belaere, an inn, fifteen miles; there you may have horses to hire. So to Rimini, a town of the pope's, ten miles; so to Coriano, an inn, eight miles; to Cattolica, an inn, ten miles; to Pesaro, a town, ten miles, which town belongs to the Duke of Urbino, built with very fair and large streets, walls, and bastions, and an exceeding strong castle lying on the sea. It is well provided with all manner of victuals, espe cially with good wine; the duke hath there a very fair palace, and keeps his court therein; it is a very pleasant place, wherein every thing is to be had at a reasonable rate. From Pesaro to Fano, a town nine miles, belonging to the pope, through which no man must presume to pass, unless he will go on foot; it is a very ancient city. From thence to Sinigallia, nine miles; it is also the said duke's; a very strong castle on the sea border, wherein the duke continually maintains a garrison; from thence to Casa Brusciata, an inn, nine miles; it lies upon the stream of the sea; we received there excellent good entertainment. From thence to Ancona, seventeen miles.

ANCON A.

When you come to Ancona, which is a famous city, you shall see a Porta Triumphal, which the Emperor Adrian caused to be built, for a memorial. This city hath a very fair haven of the sea, like unto which there are not any found; for there are brought together divers sorts of commodities from Sclavonia and the Levant; there are brought also brave Turkish horses, and all manner of wares. There is likewise a great traffick, and they do bring many Moors and Schiavons together, to be sold; and, above the rest, there are no want of Jews that travel to and fro, and also have their dwellings in that city.

In the aforesaid city, doth lie the body of Sant Ciriaci Advocati, buried in a little church on a high rock, which is commonly called Sant Ciriaco; and, when the weather is clear, you may discover fi thence Schiavonia, and the ships upon the sea.

This city lies but three miles from Monte Alto, where Pope Sixtus Quintus was born.

The famous city Ancona is adorned with excellent fair buildings, and palaces, well provided of all manner of necessaries, to be bought at a very cheap price, and it is well defended by great walls round about. In like manner there is a strong castle hard above the city, made so invincible with bastions and with ordnance thereupon planted, as that it is, in a manner, impossible to be assaulted or won; and, if in case it were, that the city should be gotten, yet could it not be kept, for, from