A Child of Sin—Born 1444—Her Early Peculiarities— Physical Possession by Evil Spirits—Sent to a Convent—A Life of Devotion—Eustochia a Novitiate—A Supernatural Accident—Belief that She Was a Hypocrite—Resignation—The Evil Spirit in Possession— Frightful Torments—Evil Portents—A Sorceress?— Imprisonment—Persecutions by Invisible Powers—Regaining Good Esteem—A Nun—Her Sanctity and Constancy—Her Death and Burial. CHAPTER XVII A SKETCH OF VERONA 270 Personality of Italian Towns—Verona—Its History—Early Years—Ezzelino da Romano, Unique in Cruelty—Wholesale Execution and Imprisonment—Pope Alexander IV Assails the Monster—Ezzelino Wounded and Captured—Suicide—New Line of Despots—Cangrande della Scala—Dante and Petrarch—Further Lords of Verona—Later History—The Drei Kaiser Bund. CHAPTER XVIII THE BRAVI OF VENICE 288 Fascination of Venice’s Criminal Administration—Lords of the Night—Secret Detectives—Degeneration of Republic—Hired Ruffians—Their Murderous Activities—An Escapade of Pesaro, Paragon of Bravi—Gambara, Last of the Despots—Open War Against Law and Order—Final Pardon. CHAPTER XIX LEGENDARY VENICE 298 Venice, Bride of the Sea—Its Glorious Children—Pledge of the Crown of Thorns—The Miracle of Saint Saba’s Relics—Intellectual Humility and Faith—St. Mark, Patron of the Venetians—Theft of the Saint’s Remains from Alexandria—Reception in Venice—Early History—Tales of Hardships—The Gate of the Damsels—Legends of the Saint. CHAPTER XX A DOGE’S LIFE 311 A Wicked Son—Becomes Doge—His Marriage—Ambitions— Venice a Huge Conspiracy—The Palace Surrounded—His Fate—Venetian Ideals—Story of a Feud of the Tenth Century—Opened with an Assassination—Murderer Upheld by the Emperor—Venice Attacked—A Civil War in Venice—Uprising of the Citizens—Another Doge—Building of St. Mark’s—The Doge and the French Abbot—The Doge Become a Monk—A Story of Marion Crawford’s. CHAPTER XXI “THE WEDDING OF THE SEA” 324 Origin—Venice’s Growth—Treaties with the Emperor—Pietro Orseolo Annihilates the Pirates—Welcome on His Return—Story of Marco Polo—A Trader with the East—A Strange Journey—Bokhara—Capital of Kublai Khan—Impressed with Christian Ideals—Return Journey—At Home in Venice—Failure of Plans to Convert the Tartars—Again in the Far East—Lost for Twenty-five Years—Return to Venice with Vast Wealth—A Gorgeous Banquet—Marco’s Rehabilitation—Ruskin and the Church. CHAPTER XXII WAR WITH GENOA 335