CHAPTER IV.

“A Galley full of Demons!”--The Legend of “The Fisherman and the Ring”--Doge Zorzi Il Santo--Dogaressa Franchesina “Queen of Venice”--The pathetic Story of Soranza Soranzo-Querino--A _Corno_ for the Dogaressa--The Solemn Entry of Dogaressa Elisabetta--Brides of Stuff and Wood--Sumptuary Laws and Bridal Trousseaux--The _Calar Stola_--The Genesis of Venetian Painters--A learned Doge--Infatuation for Isabella de’ Fieschi--The Black Death--Francesco Petrarch--Marino Faliero--Mich…