he oldest of the
councillors, called Marino Bodoeri, lifted up his voice and said, "You
will not find him here around us, or amongst us; direct your eyes to
Avignon, upon Marino Falieri, whom we sent to congratulate Pope
Innocent[9] on his elevation to the Papal dignity; he can find better
work to do now; he's the man for us; let us choose him Doge to stem
this current of adversity. You will urge by way of objection that he is
now almost eighty years old, that his hair and beard are white as
silver, that his blithe appearance, fiery eye, and the deep red of his
nose and cheeks are to be ascribed, as his traducers maintain, to good
Cyprus wine rather than to energy of character; but heed not that.
Remember what conspicuous bravery this Marino Falieri showed as admiral
of the fleet in the Black Sea, and bear in mind the great services
which prevailed with the Procurators of Saint Mark to invest this
Falieri with the rich countship of Valdemarino." Thus highly did
Bodoeri extol Falieri's virtues; and he had a ready answer for all
objections, so that at length all voices were unanimous in electing
Falieri. Several, however, still continued to allude to his hot,
passionate temper, his ambition, and his self-will; but they were met
with the reply: "And it is exactly because all these have gone from the
old man, that we choose the _grey-beard_ Falieri and not the _youth_
Falieri." And these censuring voices were completely silenced when the
people, learning upon whom the choice had fallen, greeted it with the
loudest and most extravagant demonstrations of delight. Do we not know
that in such dangerous times, in times of such tension and unrest, any
resolution that really is a resolution is accepted as an inspiration
from Heaven? Thus it came to pass that the "dear good count" and all
his gentleness and piety were forgotten, and every one cried, "By Saint
Mark, this Marino ought long ago to have been our Doge, and then we
should not have yon arrogant Doria before our very doors." And crippled
soldiers painfully lifted up their wounded arms and cried, "That is
Falieri who beat the Morbassan[10]--the valiant captain whose
victorious banners waved in the Black Sea." Wherever a knot of people
gathered, there was one amongst them telling of Falieri's heroic deeds;
and, as though Doria were already defeated, the air rang with wild
shouts of triumph. An additional reason for this was that Nicolo
Pisani[11] who, Heaven knows why! instea