parent difficulties of such an enterprise, Pietro
Doria, the Genoese admiral, determined to reduce the city. His first
successes gave him reason to hope. He forced the passage, and stormed
the little town of Chioggia, built upon the inside of the isle bearing
that name, about twenty-five miles south of Venice. Nearly four thousand
prisoners fell here into his hands--an augury, as it seemed, of a more
splendid triumph.

In the consternation this misfortune inspired at Venice, the first
impulse was to ask for peace. The ambassadors carried with them seven
Genoese prisoners, as a sort of peace-offering to the admiral, and were
empowered to make large and humiliating concessions, reserving nothing
but the liberty of Venice. Francis Carrara strongly urged his allies to
treat for peace. But the Genoese were stimulated by long hatred, and
intoxicated by this unexpected opportunity of revenge. Doria, calling
the ambassadors into council, thus addressed them: "Ye shall obtain no
peace from us, I swear to you, nor from the lord of Padua, till first we
have put a curb in the mouths of those wild horses that stand upon the
place of St. Mark. When they are bridled you shall have enough of peace.
Take back with you your Genoese captives, for I am coming within a few
days to release both them and their companions from your prisons."

When this answer was reported to the senate, they prepared to defend
themselves with the characteristic firmness of their government. Every
eye was turned toward a great man unjustly punished, their admiral,
Vittor Pisani. He was called out of prison to defend his country amid
general acclamations. Under his vigorous command the canals were
fortified or occupied by large vessels armed with artillery; thirty-four
galleys were equipped; every citizen contributed according to his power;
in the entire want of commercial resources--for Venice had not a
merchant-ship during this war--private plate was melted; and the senate
held out the promise of ennobling thirty families who should be most
forward in this strife of patriotism.

The new fleet was so ill-provided with seamen that for some months the
admiral employed them only in manoeuvring along the canals. From some
unaccountable supineness, or more probably from the insuperable
difficulties of the undertaking, the Genoese made no assault upon the
city. They had, indeed, fair grounds to hope its reduction by famine or
despair. Every access to the Continent