over her inhabitants; but as Venice is a good Catholic and will confess her sins in the beautiful cathedral which she has raised to me, I resolved to defend her from this peril of which she was ignorant, by the aid of these two brave companions, Saint George and Saint Theodore, and I have borrowed thy boat; now, as all trouble merits reward, and as thou hast passed a boisterous night, here is my ring; carry it to the Doge and tell him what thou hast seen.  He will fill thy cap with golden sequins.”

So saying, the Saint resumed his position on the top of the porch of Saint Mark’s, Saint Theodore climbed to the top of his column, where his crocodile was grumbling with ill-humour, and Saint George went to squat in the depths of his columned niche in the great window of the Ducal Palace.

The gondolier, rather astonished, and he had reason enough, would have believed that he had been dreaming after drinking during that evening several glasses too many of the wine of Samos, if the large and heavy golden ring studded with precious stones which he held in his hand had not prevented his doubting the reality of the events of the night.

Therefore, he went to find the Doge, who was presiding over the Senate in his cap of office, and, respectfully kneeling before him, he related the story of the battle between the devils and the patron saints of Venice.  At first this story seemed incredible; but the return of the ring, which was in very sooth that of Saint Mark, and the absence of which from the church treasury was established, proved the gondolier’s veracity.  This ring, locked up under triple keys in a carefully-guarded treasury, the bolts of which showed no trace of disturbance, could only have been removed by supernatural means.  They filled the gondolier’s cap with gold and celebrated a mass of thanksgiving for the peril they had escaped.  This did not prevent the Venetians from continuing their dissolute course of life, from spending their nights in the haunts of play, at gay suppers, and in love-making; in masking for intrigues, and in prolonging the long orgy of their carnival for six months in the year.  The Venetians counted upon the protection of Saint Mark to go to paradise and they took no other care of their salvation.  That was Saint Mark’s affair; they had built him a fine church for that, and the Saint was still under obligations to them.

The moment selected by Paris Bordone is that when the gondolier falls on his knees before the Doge.  The composition of the scene is very picturesque; you see in perspective a long row of the brown or grey heads of senators of the most magisterial character.  Curious spectators are on the steps, forming happily-contrasted groups:  the beautiful Venetian costume is displayed here in all its splendour.  Here, as in all the canvases of this school, an important place is given to architecture.  The background is occupied by fine porticos in the style of Palladio, animated with