aly and the uses their villainy
might be made to serve; troubles at Ferrara, teasing and undignified,
temporarily brought to a close by the sending of the galleys of the
Republic to prevent the seizure of their fishing-boats by agents of his
Holiness; questions of boundaries and taxes; attempts to divert the
trade of Venice, to arrest improvements redounding not only to the
advantage of the Republic but to that of the neighboring country; to
forbid, under pain of excommunication, all commerce with countries
tainted with heresy. These were matters meet for discussion by temporal
sovereigns touching the balance of power--so viewed and strenuously
resisted by the clear-headed Venetians, with much deference of form,
whenever practicable--as became loyal sons of the Church; but
occasionally, when nothing might be expected from temporizing, with a
quiet disregard which proved their consciousness of strength.

From time to time, as the informal summary progressed, there was an
outburst of indignation.

"Could an aggression be more palpable than that _Index Expurgatorius_
demanded by Rome in 1596, when the ruling doctrine of exclusion involved
no question of morality or irreligion, but solely concerned books
upholding rights of consciences and rulers!"

"It was a contest honorable to Venice, and one which Italy will
remember," responded a secretary of the Senate, who was a regular member
of this ridotto. "I am proud that it was my privilege to transcribe for
the records of the Republic the papers relating to that Concordat which
secured so great a measure of freedom for our press."

There had been a short truce between Rome and Venice since the accession
of Paul V, who had been so immediately concerned with a certain prophecy
foretelling the death of a Leo and a Paul that his fears were only set
at rest by a further astrological announcement, judiciously arranged in
the palace of his eminence the brother of the Pope, to the effect that
"the evil influences were now conquered." Whereupon Paul had undertaken
in earnest the work which he conscientiously believed to be the highest
duty of a sovereign pontiff, had recalled all nuncios not in full
sympathy with his views of aggrandizement, and had replaced them with
envoys whose notions of authority were echoes of his own; and, as an
opening move, had made the demand, so resented by Venice, that the new
Patriarch Vendramin should be sent to Rome for examination before he
could be