You have heard me.

CHIEF OF THE TEN.

With all due reverence we retire.

MARINA.

They tortured from him. This
May be pure patriotism. I am a woman:
[Exeunt the Deputation, etc. To me my husband and my children were
Enter an ATTENDANT.

Country and home. I loved him-how I loved him!
I have seen him pass through such an ordeal, as
The old martyrs would have shrunk from: he is gone,
And I, who would have given my blood for him,
Have nought to give but tears! But could I compass
The retribution of his wrongs!-Well, well;
I have sons who shall be men.

DOGE.

Your grief distracts you.

MARINA.

I thought I could have borne it, when I saw him
Bow'd down by such oppression; yes, I thought
That I would rather look upon his corse
Than his proleng'd captivity :-I am punish'd
For that thought now. Would I were in his grave!

DOGE.

I must look on him once more.

DOGE.

Give it way!

Is he

MARINA.

He might have lived,
So form'd for gentle privacy of life,
So loving, so beloved, the native of
Another land, and who so blest and blessing
As my poor Foscari? Nothing was wanting
Unto his happiness and mine, save not
To be Venetian.

MARINA.

Come with me!

DOGE.

MARINA.

Our bridal bed is now his bier.

DOGE.

MARINA.

How?

DOGE.

They have taken my son from me, and now aim

LOREDANO.

You forget, you cannot.
We have the implicit order of the giunta

So rashly? 't will give scandal.

DOGE.

Why

My lord, if you indeed

Are bent upon this rash abandonment
Of the state's palace, at the least retire

By the private staircase, which conducts you towards
The landing-place of the canal.

DOGE.

No. I

Will now descend the stairs by which I mounted
Answer that;
To sovereignty-the Giant's Stairs, on whose
[To the Ten. Broad eminence I was invested duke.
My services have call'd me up those steps,
The malice of my foes will drive me down them.
There five and thirty years ago was I
Install'd, and traversed these same halls from whic
I never thought to be divorced except

It is your province.-Sirs, bestir yourselves;
[To the Servants.
There is one burthen which I beg you bear
With care, although 't is past all further harm-
But I will look to that myself.

A corse-a corse, it might be, fighting for them-
But not push'd hence by fellow-citizens.
But, come; my son and I will go together-
He to his grave, and I to pray for mine.

CHIEF OF THE TEN.

What, thus in public?

DOGE.

I was publicly
Elected, and so will I be deposed.
Marina! art thou willing?

And every where.

DOGE.

True; but in freedom,
Without these jealous spies upon the great.
Signors, you may depart: what would you more?
We are going: do you fear that we shall bear
The palace with us? Its old walls, ten times
As old as I am, and I'm very old,

Have served you, so have I, and I and they
Could tell a tale; but I invoke them not
To fall upon you! else they would, as erst
The pillars of stone Dagon's temple on
The Israelite and his Philistine foes.
Such power I do believe there might exist
In such a curse as mine, provoked by such
As you; but I curse not. Adieu, good signors!
May the next duke be better than the present'

LOREDANO.

The present duke is Pascal Malipiero.

As far as touches torturing the living.

I thought the dead had been beyond even you,

APPENDIX.

Though (some, no doubt), consign'd to powers which may Extrait de l'Histoire de la République de Venise, par

Resemble that you exercise on earth.

Leave him to me; you would have done so for

His dregs of life, which you have kindly shorten'd:
It is my last of duties, and may prove
A dreary comfort in my desolation.
Grief is fantastical, and loves the dead,
And the apparel of the grave.

CHIEF OF THE TEN.

Pretend still to this office?

Do you

P. Daru, de l'Académie francaise. Tom. 2. DEPUIS trente ans, la république n'avait pas déposé les armes. Elle avait acquis les provinces de Brescia, de Bergame, de Crême, et la principauté de Ravenne. Mais ces guerres continuelles faisaient beaucoup de malheureux et de mécontents. Le doge François Foscari, à qui on ne pouvait pardonner d'en avoir été le promoteur, manifesta une seconde fois, en 1442, et probable ment avec plus de sincérité que la première, l'intention d'abdiquer sa dignité. Le conseil s'y refusa encore. On avait exigé de lui le serment de ne plus quitter le dogat. Il était déja avancé dans la vieillesse, conservant cependant beaucoup de force de tête et de caractère, et jouissant de la gloire d'avoir vu la république étendre au loin [She stops with agitation. les limites de ses domaines pendant son administration. Au milieu de ces prospérités, de grands chagrins vinrent mettre à l'épreuve la fermeté de son ame.

MARINA.

I do, signor.

Though his possessions have been all consumed
In the state's service, I have still my dowry,
Which shall be consecrated to his rites,
And those of

CHIEF OF THE TEN.
Best retain it for

MARINA.

your children.

Ay, they are fatherless, I thank you.

CHIEF OF THE TEN.

We

Cannot comply with your request. His relics
Shall be exposed with wonted pomp, and follow'd
Unto their home by the new Doge, not clad
As Doge, but simply as a senator.

MARINA.

I have heard of murderers, who have interr'd
Their victims; but ne'er heard, until this hour,
Of so much splendour in hypocrisy

O'er those they slew. I've heard of widows' tears--
Alas! I have shed some-always thanks to you!
I've heard of heirs in sables-you have left none
To the deceased, so you would act the part

Of such. Well, sirs, your will be done! as one day,
I trust, Heaven's will be done too!

CHIEF OF THE TEN.

Know you, lady, To whom ye speak, and perils of such specch?

MARINA.

I know the former better than yourselves;
The latter-like yourselves; and can face both.
Wish you more funerals?

BARBARIGO.

Heed not her rash words!

Her circumstances must excuse her bearing.

CHIEF OF THE TEN.

We will not note them down.

Son fils, Jacques Foscari, fut accusé, en 1445, d'avoir reçu des présents de quelques princes ou seigneurs étrangers, notamment, disait-on, du duc de Milan, Philippe Visconti. C'était non seulement une bassesse, mais une infraction des lois positives de la république.

Le conseil des dix traita cette affaire comme s'il se füt agi d'un delit commis par un particulier obscur. L'accusé fut amené devant ses juges, devant le doge, qui ne crut pas pouvoir s'abstenir de présider le tribunal. Là. il fut interrogé, appliqué à la question,' déclaré coupable, et il entendit, de la bouche de son père, l'arrêt qui le condamnait à un banissement perpétuel, et le reléguait à Naples de Romanie, pour y finir ses jours.

Embarqué sur une galère pour se rendre au lieu de son exil, il tomba malade à Trieste. Les solicitations du doge obtinrent, non sans difficulté, qu'on lui assignat unc autre résidence. Enfin le conseil des dix lui permit de se retirer à Trévise, en lui imposant l'obligation d'y rester sous peine de mort, et de se présenter tous les jours devant le gouverneur.

Il y était depuis cinq ans, lorsqu'un des chefs du conseil des dix fut assassiné. Les soupçons se portèrent sur lui: un de ses domestiques qu'on avait vu à Venise fut arrêté et subit la torture. Les bourreaux ne purent lui arracher aucun aveu. Ce terrible tribunal se fit amener le maître, le soumit aux mêmes épreuves; il résista à tous les tour. ments, ne cessant d'attester son innocence; mais on ne

1E datagli la corda per avere da lui la verità; chiamato il consiglio de' dieci colla giunta, nel quale fu messer lo doge, fu sentenziato.-(Marin Samuto Vite de' Duchi, F. Foscari.) 2 E fu tormentato nè mai confessò cosa alcuna, pure parve

BARBARIGO (turning to LOREDANO, who is writing upon al consiglio de' dieci di confinarlo in vita alla Canea. (Ibid.)

his tablets).

What art thou writing, With such an earnest brow, upon thy tablets? LOREDANO (pointing to the DoGE's body). That he has paid me!1

CHIEF OF THE TEN.

Voici le texte du jugement: "Cum Jacobus Foscari per occasionem percussionis et mortis Herinolai Donati fuit retentus et examinatus, et propter significationes, testificationes, et scripturas quæ habentur contra eum, clare apparet ipsum esse reum criminis prædicti, sed propter incantationes, et verba que sibi reperta sunt, de quibus existit indicia manifesta, videtur propter obst inatam mentem suam, non esse possibile extrahere ab ipso illam veritatem, qua clara est per scripturas et per testificationes, quoniam in fune aliquam nec vocem, nec geni tum, sed solum intra dentes voces ipse videtur et auditur infra se loqui, etc. . . . Tamen non est standum in istis terminis, [Curtain falls. propter honorem status nostri et pro multis respectibus, præsertim quod regimen nostrum occupatur in hac re et quin in terdictum est amplius progredere: vadit pars quod dictus Ja

What debt did he owe you?

LOREDANO,

A long and just one; nature's debt and mine.

1 "L'ha pagata." A historical fact. See the History of cobus Foscari, propter ea quæ habentur de illo, mittatur in

Venice by P Daru page 411, vol. ii.

confinium in civitate Canea," etc. Notice sur le proces da