Page:The Works of Lord Byron (ed. Coleridge, Prothero) - Volume 4.djvu/369

 PREFACE.

conspiracy of the Doge Marino Faliero is one of the mos remarhbleevents in theannalsofthe mon singular government, city, and people of modern history. It occurred in the year 1355. Every thing about Venice is, or was, extraordinary-her asped. is like a dream, and her history is like a romance. The story of this Doge is to be foimd in all her Chronicles, and par- ticularly demiled in the “ Lives of the Doges," by Mnrin Sanum, which is given in the Appendix. It is simply and clearly related, and is perhaps more dramatic in itself than any scenes which mn be founded upon the subject. Marino Faliero appears to have been a man of talents and of courage. I find him commander-in-chief of the land forces at the siege of Z-rra.,’ where he beat the King of Hungary and his army of eighty thousand rn, killing eight thousand men, and keeping the besieged at the same time in check; an exploit to which I know none similar in history, except that of Casar at A1esia,’ and ofPrince EugeneatBelgrade. Hewasafterwardscom- rnander of the Beet in the same war. He took Capo r. [Marin Falierowusnotincommand ofthelnnd foreesnxtheaiege ol Zen in 1346. According to eontemponry documents. he held n naval eommnud under Cirfnn. who_wu ln_ charge_ol' the len. Byrzon was misled by nn error in  llnlnm version of!he_ Ckfunua mdraqn? .mr k|.rte;yrQ’o6.;{;ux|.r Jadrrc, pbxi. 1¢lu1n;/hlum avanh ' Dqada. in Lufarlno. low nhrr/|a` ` Va|d¢,;893. vol. vJn. i. p. T,  _ _ z[I"orthe|iege Als1n(l|se|n edOr),wh|chruull.edinl.he defeat of the Gluls and the sunende' of Vercmgetorix, lee Dr Bella Gallim, vli. 68-go. Belgrade fell tn Prlncc Eugene, August ri, r7r7.]