E-text prepared by Delphine Lettau and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Canada Team (http://www.pgdpcanada.net) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 30934-h.htm or 30934-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/30934/pg30934-images.html) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/30934/30934-h.zip) VENICE PRESERVED. A Tragedy, In Five Acts; by THOMAS OTWAY. Correctly Given, As Performed at the Theatres Royal. With Remarks. [Illustration] [Illustration] London: Printed by D. S. Maurice, Fenchurch-street; Sold by T. Hughes, 35, Ludgate Street, and J. Bysh, 52, Paternoster Row. REMARKS. This interesting tragedy owes its plot and plan to the Abbe de St. Real's "_Histoire de la Conjuration de Marquis de Bedamar_," or account of the Spanish conspiracy at Venice, of which the Marquis de Bedamar, the ambassador from Spain, was a promoter. Nature and the passions are finely touched in this play; and it continues a favorite, deprived, as it now is in representation, of that mixture of vile comedy which originally diversified the tragic action. It has been remarked, that Belvidera is the only truly valuable character; and indeed the principal fault of this drama seems a want of sufficient and probable motive. DRAMATIS PERSONAE. Drury Lane, 1814. Covent Garden, 1817. Duke of Venice Mr. Carr. Mr. Creswell. Priuli Mr. Powell. Mr. Egerton. Bedamar Mr. J. Wallack. Mr. Connor. Jaffier Mr. Rae. Mr. C. Kemble. Pierre Mr. Elliston. Mr. Young. Renault Mr. R. Phillips. Mr. Chapman. Elliott Mr. Waldegrave. Mr. Hamerton. Spinosa Mr. Elrington. Mr. Claremont. Theodore Mr. J. West. Mr. King. Durand Mr. Wallack. Mr. Grant. Mezzana Mr. Buxton. Mr. Norris. Officers { Messrs. Ray and Messrs. Jeffrey and { Cooke. Tooley. Belvidera Miss Smith. Miss O'Neill. Officers, Guards, Senators, Executioner, &c. VENICE PRESERVED. ACT THE FIRST. SCENE I. A STREET IN VENICE. _Enter Priuli and Jaffier._ _Pri._ No more! I'll hear no more! Be gone and leave me. _Jaf._ Not hear me! By my suffering, but you shall! My lord, my lord! I'm not that abject wretch You think me. Patience! where's the distance throws Me back so far, but I may boldly speak In right, though proud oppression will not hear me? _Pri._ Have you not wrong'd me? _Jaf._ Could my nature e'er Have brook'd injustice, or the doing wrongs, I need not now thus low have bent myself To gain a hearing from a cruel father. Wrong'd you?