chap. I.] ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM. 67

of Guelph, and the Imperialists that of Ghibelline.Barbarossa’s was a time of cruel civil dissensions;and the story of non iibi seel Petro is utterly anddecidedly false, though still is shown with pride atYenice the spot on which it occurred ; and not un-forgiving traitors, but stout-hearted patriots arethey who never pardoned Barbarossa’s line, thoughthey had sworn it; but, in spite of having made areconciliation with the uncle, never let any oppor-tunity escape of making war on his nephew.

The spirit of chivalry, which was called theglorious inheritance of feudalism, in other lands,was reduced by the Italians to its real philosophicvalue; and on their disbanding their own armies,and taking the habit of carrying on their wars bytheir neighbours, cunning was to succeed in esteemto courage; and if several men of talent were tosignalize Guicciardini’s period, yet these were toact rather from calculation, than heroism or pas-sion ; from self-interest, not sentiment. That theVenetians were Italians at all, is denied by the bestauthority, Dante; not in his poetry, but in hisworn-out day of fullest wisdom, in plain, cogent,diplomatic prose, probably the last lines he everwrote.

How different from the Visigoths! The LombardLatin was found by Sismondi so barbarous as

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