y Herodotus, of the mode of marriage practised among the
Illyrian "Veneti" of his time, who presented their maidens for marriage
on one day in each year; and, with the price paid for those who were
beautiful, gave dowries to those who had no personal attractions.

It is very curious to find the traces of this custom existing, though in
a softened form, in Christian times. Still, I admit that there is little
confidence to be placed in the mere concurrence of the Venetian
Chroniclers, who, for the most part, copied from each other: but the
best and most complete account I have read, is that quoted by
Galliciolli from the "Matricola de' Casseleri," written in 1449; and, in
that account, the words are quite unmistakable. "It was anciently the
custom of Venice, that _all the brides_ (novizze) of Venice, when they
married, should be married by the bishop, in the Church of S. Pietro di
Castello, on St. Mark's day, which is the 31st of January." Rogers quotes
Navagiero to the same effect; and Sansovino is more explicit still. "It
was the custom to contract marriages openly; and when the deliberations
were completed, the damsels assembled themselves in St. Pietro di
Castello, for the feast of St. Mark, in February."

9. CHARACTER OF THE VENETIAN ARISTOCRACY.

The following noble answer of a Venetian ambassador, Giustiniani, on the
occasion of an insult offered him at the court of Henry the Eighth, is
as illustrative of the dignity which there yet remained in the character
and thoughts of the Venetian noble, as descriptive, in few words, of the
early faith and deeds of his nation. He writes thus to the Doge, from
London, on the 15th of April, 1516:

"By my last, in date of the 30th ult., I informed you that the
countenances of some of these lords evinced neither friendship nor
goodwill, and that much language had been used to me of a nature
bordering not merely on arrogance, but even on outrage; and not having
specified this in the foregoing letters, I think fit now to mention it
in detail. Finding myself at the court, and talking familiarly about
other matters, two lay lords, great personages in this kingdom, inquired
of me 'whence it came that your Excellency was of such slippery faith,
now favoring one party and then the other?' Although these words ought
to have irritated me, I answered them with all discretion, 'that you did
keep, and ever had kept your faith; the maintenance of which has placed
you in great trouble, an