aco de' Tedeschi, erected in 1506, on the Grand
Canal. It was formerly decorated externally with paintings by Titian
and his pupils. At first it served as _depot_ for the wares of German
merchants (whence its name), but is now used as a custom-house.]

[Footnote 18: Louis I. the Great of Hungary (1342-1382). The Dalmatian
and Istrian sea-board formed a fruitful source of contention between
the Venetians and Hungary, Louis proving a very formidable opponent to
the Republic.]

[Footnote 19: At this epoch Venice was the mart and mediatory between
the West and the East, the commercial riches of the latter having been
opened up to the feudal civilisation of Europe, chiefly through the
Crusades. Hence the cosmopolitan character of the merchants on the
Rialto.]

[Footnote 20: In the year 1348, Venice was visited by an earthquake,
and this was followed by the plague (the Black Death). In order to
complete the roll of the republic's misfortunes in this gloomy year, it
may be added that she also lost almost the whole of her Black Sea fleet
to the Genoese.]

[Footnote 21: It may perhaps be interesting to observe that a precisely
similar occurrence forms the central feature in H. v. Kleist's
"Erdbeben in Chili" (1810), perhaps one of the best of his short
stories.]

[Footnote 22: Narrated in the translation of the Chronicle of Sanuto by
Sir Francis Palgrave in Byron's notes to "Marino Faliero."]

[Footnote 23: On the island of Sapenzia, south-west of the Morea.]

[Footnote 24: Pietro Urseolo I. was Doge from 991 to 1009; Dalmatia was
subdued in 997.]

_MASTER MARTIN, THE COOPER,
AND HIS JOURNEYMAN._[1]

Well may your heart swell in presentient sadness, indulgent reader,
when your footsteps wander through places where the splendid monuments
of Old German Art speak, like eloquent tongues, of the magnificence,
good steady industry, and sterling honesty of an illustrious age now
long since passed away. Do you not feel as if you were entering a
deserted house? The Holy Book in which the head of the household read
is still lying open on the table, and the gay rich tapestry that the
mistress of the house spun with her own hands is still hanging on the
walls; whilst round about in the bright clean cupboards are ranged all
kinds of valuable works of art, gifts received on festive occasions.
You could almost believe a member of the household will soon enter and
receive you w