"El palazo nuovo de Venixia zoe quella parte che se sora la piazza verso
la giesia di Miss. San Marcho del 1422 fo principiado, el qual fo fato e
finito molto belo, chome al presente se vede nobilissimo, et a la
fabricha de quello fo deputado Miss. Nicolo Barberigo, soprastante con
ducati dieci doro al mexe."
We have here the part built by Foscari distinctly called the Palazzo
Nuovo, as opposed to the Great Council Chamber, which had now completely
taken the position of the Palazzo Vecchio, and is actually so called by
Sansovino. In the copy of the Chronicle of Paolo Morosini, and in the
MSS. numbered respectively 57, 59, 74, and 76 in the Correr Museum, the
passage above given from No. 53 is variously repeated with slight
modifications and curtailments; the entry in the Morosini Chronicle
being headed, "Come fu principiato il palazo che guarda sopra la piaza
grande di S. Marco," and proceeding in the words, "El Palazo Nuovo di
Venetia, cioè quella parte che e sopra la piaza," &c., the writers being
cautious, in all these instances, to _limit their statement_ to the part
facing the Piazza, that no reader might suppose the Council Chamber to
have been built or begun at the same time; though, as long as to the end
of the sixteenth century, we find the Council Chamber still included in
the expression "Palazzo Nuovo." Thus, in the MS. No. 75 in the Correr
Museum, which is about that date, we have "Del 1422, a di 20 Settembre
fu preso nel consegio grando de dover _compir_ el Palazo Novo, e dovesen
fare la spessa li officialli del Sal (61. M. 2. B.)." And, so long as
this is the case, the "Palazzo Vecchio" always means the Ziani Palace.
Thus, in the next page of this same MS. we have "a di 27 Marzo (1424 by
context) fo principia a butar zosso, el _Palazzo Vecchio_ per refarlo da
novo, e poi se he" (and so it is done); and in the MS. No. 81, "Del
1424, fo gittado zoso el _Palazzo Vecchio_ per refarlo de nuovo, a di 27
Marzo." But in the time of Sansovino the Ziani Palace was quite
forgotten; the Council Chamber was then the _old_ palace, and Foscari's
part was the new. His account of the "Palazzo Publico" will now be
perfectly intelligible; but, as the work itself is easily accessible, I
shall not burden the reader with any farther extracts, only noticing
that the chequering of the façade with red and white marbles, which he
ascribes to Foscari, may or may not be of so late a date, as there is
nothing in the style of the work which can be produced as evidence.
2. THEOLOGY OF SPENSER.
The following analysis of the first books of the "Faërie Queen," may be
interesting to readers who have been in the habit of reading the noble
poem too hastily to connect its parts completely together; and may
perhaps induce them to more careful study of the rest of the poem.
The Redcrosse Knight is Holiness,--the "Pietas" of St. Mark's, the
"Devotio" of Orcagna,--meaning, I think, in general, Reverence and Godly
Fear.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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