The council and the nobles endeavoured to dispel the feeling of despair.  While some harangued the people from the balconies, others went down and mingled with the crowd, assuring them that all was not yet lost, that already messengers had been despatched to Doria, and the Lord of Padua, asking for terms of peace; and even should these be refused, Venice might yet defend herself until Zeno arrived, with his fleet, to their rescue.  The doge himself received deputations of the citizens, and, by his calmness and serenity, did much to allay the first feeling of terror and dismay; and in a few hours the city recovered its wonted aspect of tranquillity.

The next morning the answer to the overtures was received.  The Lord of Padua, who was doubtless beginning to feel some misgiving as to the final issue of the struggle, declared that he himself was not unwilling to treat upon certain terms, but that the decision must rest in the hands of his colleague.  Doria, believing that Venice was now in his grasp, rejected the idea of terms with scorn.

“By God’s faith, my lords of Venice,” he cried, “ye shall have no peace from the Lord of Padua, nor from our commune of Genoa, until I have put a bit in the mouths of the horses of your evangelist of Saint Mark.  When they have been bridled you shall then, in sooth, have a good peace; and this is our purpose and that of our commune!

“As for these captives, my brethren,” he said, pointing to some Genoese prisoners of rank, whom the Venetians had sent with their embassy, in hopes of conciliating the Genoese, “take them back.  I want them not; for in a few days I am coming to release, from your prisons, them and the rest.”

As soon as the message was received, the bell summoned the popular assembly together, and, in the name of the doge, Pietro Mocenigo described to them the terrible nature of the peril that threatened them, told them that, after the insolent reply of Doria, there was now no hope save in their own exertions, and invited all to rally round the national standard, for the protection of their hearths and homes.  The reply of the assembly was unanimous; and shouts were raised: 

“Let us arm ourselves!  Let us equip and man what galleys are in the arsenal!  Let us sally out to the combat!  It is better to die in the defence of our country, than to perish here from want.”

A universal conscription was at once ordered, new taxes were imposed, and the salaries of the magistrates and civil functionaries suspended.  All business came to a standstill, and property fell to a fourth of its former value.  The imposts were not found adequate to produce the sums required, and a new loan, at five per cent, was decreed.  All subscribed to the utmost of their ability, raising the enormous sum of 6,294,040 lire.  A new captain general was elected, and the government nominated Taddeo Giustiniani to the post.