a mendigando

Per terra de Lombardia
Peccunia, gente a sodi?
Pone mente tu che l'odi
Se noi tegnamo questa via?

No, ma piu! ajamo omi nostrar
Destri, valenti, e avisti,
Che mai par de lor n' o visti
In tuti officj de mar.

[16] In July 1294, a Council of Thirty decreed that galleys should be
equipped by the richest families in proportion to their wealth. Among
the families held to equip one galley each, or one galley among two or
more, in this list, is the CA' POLO. But this was before the return of
the travellers from the East, and just after the battle of Ayas.
(_Romanin_, ii. 332; this author misdates Ayas, however.) When a levy
was required in Venice for any expedition the heads of each _contrada_
divided the male inhabitants, between the ages of twenty and sixty,
into groups of twelve each, called _duodene_. The dice were thrown to
decide who should go first on service. He who went received five
_lire_ a month from the State, and one _lira_ from each of his
colleagues in the _duodena_. Hence his pay was sixteen _lire_ a month,
about 2_s._ a day in silver value, if these were _lire ai grossi_, or
1_s._ 4_d._ if _lire dei piccoli_. (See _Romanin_, ii. 393-394.)

Money on such occasions was frequently raised by what was called an
_Estimo_ or _Facion_, which was a force loan levied on the citizens in
proportion to their estimated wealth; and for which they were entitled
to interest from the State.

[17] Several of the Italian chroniclers, as Ferreto of Vicenza and
Navagiero, whom Muratori has followed in his "Annals," say the battle
was fought on the 8th September, the so-called Birthday of the
Madonna. But the inscription on the Church of St. Matthew at Genoa,
cited further on, says the 7th, and with this agree both Stella and
the Genoese poet. For the latter, though not specifying the day of the
month, says it was on a Sunday:--

"Lo di de Domenga era
Passa prima en l'ora bona
Stormezam fin provo nona
Con bataio forte e fera."

Now the 7th September, 1298, fell on a Sunday.

[18] Ma li pensavam grande error
Che in fuga se fussem tuti metui
Che de si lonzi eram vegnui
Per cerchali a casa lor.

[19] "Note here that the Genoese generally, commonly, and by nature, are
the most covetous of Men, and the