(Below is an extract from William Carew Hazlitt: History of the Venetian Republic: Her Rise, Her Greatness, and Her Civilization, 1860.)

The question was carried to the Pregadi; and the Doge, though severely indisposed, harangued th at Body at some length in the interest of peace. His chief opponent and the leading advocate of the Florentine proposition was Francesco Foscari, Procurator of Saint Mark, and a distinguished diplomatist. It was against Foscari that Mocenigo directed a portion of his argument.

"Young Procurator," began his Serenity, addressing Foscari, whose years he was apt, as one who remembered him as a child, to overlook, "what happened to Troy, will happen to Florence, and will happen to you. By wars the Trojans were weakened and enslaved; by wars Florence is destroying herself, and we shall do the like, if we take counsel with our young Procurator. It is to the arts of peace that our City owes all her prosperity; it is to them that she is indebted for her riches, the increase of her population, and her houses. Pisa aggrandized herself by similar means, and by her good government. She plunged into war, impoverished herself, was lost. So it will be with us, if we listen to our young Procurator. Let me recommend you, Ser Francesco, not to come to hasty conclusions on this matter. Remember that Florence is not the Port of Venice, either by land or water: for her sea is removed from our boundaries five days' journey. Our Passes are the Veronese. The Duke of Milan is the Prince whose territory is contiguous to our own; and he must be kept in check, since it is scarcely a day's march to his City of Brescia, which lies close to Verona and Cremona. Genoa, again, has sufficient maritime power under the Ducal rule to do us harm; with her we should endeavour to stand well; and if the Genoese are guilty of any excesses, we shall have justice on our side, and we can defend ourselves with fairness, both against them and the Duke. The mountains of the Veronese are our barrier against Visconti."

If the Duke should get Florence, the Florentines, who are accustomed to Republican institutions, will evacuate their City doubtless, will emigrate hither, and will bring with them their trade in silk and wool, so that that country will remain destitute of industrial resources: while Venice, on the contrary, will multiply and thrive, just as it happened in the case of Lucca, when that citizen (Castruccio) made himself master there. The trade of Lucca and her wealth were transferred to Venice, and Lucca became poor and thinly populated. Therefore preserve peace.

Ser Francesco, I pray you resolve me this. Suppose you had a garden, which was furnishing sustenance to 500 persons and to spare, and which cost you nothing ; and suppose again, that robbers were to threaten this garden, and you in its defence were obliged to hire so many men with the gold which you had collected in your coffers! Is not our case, then, parallel ? By virtue of a resolution passed in Council, we have ascertained the extent of our commerce at the present period:�

Every week we receive from Milan, for our
goods, between 17,000 and 18,000 which 
amount by the year to. . . . . . . . . . . .900,000
From Monza . . . . 1,000 . . . . . . . . . . 52,000
Como, . . . . . . .2,000 . . . . . . . . . .104,000
From Alessandria . 1,000 . . . . . . . . . . 52,000
Tortona and Novara 2,000 . . . . . . . . . .104,000
Pavia . . . . . . .2,000 . . . . . . . . . .104,000
Cremona, . . . . . 2,000 . . . . . . .  . . 104,000
Bergamo, . . . . . 1,500 . . . . . . . . . . 78,000
Parma . . . . . . .2,000 . . . . . . . . . .104,000
Piacenza, . . . . .1,000 . . . . . . . . . . 52,000
                                          1,654,000

.Our Bankers report that, on the whole, the Milanese pay us annually 1,612,000 ducats. Prythee, tell me, if you do not think that this is a fine and noble garden, which costs Venice nothing !

[...] In the aggregate, the commerce with Lombardy alone is worth 28,800,000 ducats a year. Tell me, if you do not think that Venice has here a very fine garden indeed !

Moreover, the Canepins' represent . . . . . 100,000 
Cottons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280,000
French and Catalan wools. . . . . . . . . . 240,000
Cloths of gold and silk . . . . . . . . . . 250,000
Pepper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300,000
Sugar-canes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  64,000
Sugar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  95,000
Ginger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,000
Green ginger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   �
Other miscellaneous articles. . . . . . . .  30,000
Brazil-wood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120,000
Cochineal and Endachi1  . . . . . . . . . .  50,000
Soap. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250,000
Slaves  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  30,000
Freights, etc., at 2J and 3 per cent. . . . 600,000
                                          2,571,000
And this is exclusively of the salt which is sold
every year. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,000,000
                                          3,571,000

[...] In our time, we have seen Giovanni-Galeazzo, Duke of Milan, who conquered all Lombardy, save Florence, the Romagna, and the Campagna di Roma, reduced to such straits by his expenses that he was obliged to remain quiet during five years ; and it was with much ado then that he paid his troops. So it happens to all. If you preserve peace, you will amass so much money, that all the world will hold you in awe.

My Lords, you see how, year by year, in consequence of the troubles of Italy, families migrate hither, and help to swell our population. If the Florentines give themselves to the Duke, so much the worse for them who interfere! Justice is with us. They have spent everything, and are in debt. We have a capital of 10,000,000, on which we gain 4,000,000. Live in peace, fear nothing, and trust not the Florentines! Your College has desired to be informed of the revenue, which we derive from the territory between Verona and Mestre ; it is 464,000 ducats. On the other hand, it has desired to know the expenditure. But with the best peace in the world, the expenditure must go far to swallow up the receipts. My Lords, I am not saying these things to glorify myself. But in truth, you hear our Captains at Aiguesmortes and Flanders, our Ambassadors, our Consuls, our Merchants, telling you with one accord: ' My Lords of Venice, you have a virtuous and good prince, who has kept you in tranquillity; you are the only Power who traverse the sea and the land; you are the fountain of trade and the purveyors of the world ; you are welcome everywhere !' On the contrary, around you is nought but war, flame, tribulation. Italy, France, Spain, Catalonia, England, Burgundy, Persia, Russia, Hungary, all are at war. We wage battle against the Infidels only; and great are the praise and glory which we reap. So long as I live, my Lords, I will maintain those principles which I have hitherto followed, and which consist in living at peace!"

.The weighty financial statement,1 which had been prepared by the proper Departments for the information and use of the College, and which was delivered by the Doge himself in spite of his weak condition, admirably answered its object. Mocenigo was authorized " to thank the Florentine Executive for its offers, and to regret that its friendly offices could not be accepted, inasmuch as several fruitless efforts of the same kind had already been made, and the federation with the Duke was concluded from an anxious regard to the common safety of Italy."

A day or two only after these important and interesting proceedings in the Pregadi, the old Doge, who was now in his 80th year, felt the presentiment strengthening in his mind of his approaching end; and summoning to his bedside the principal senators and ministers, he tendered to them, in the following terms, the advice of a dying man:�

"My Lords, from the infirm state in which I find myself, I judge that I am drawing near the close of my career; and the obligations under which I lie to a country, which has not only bred me, but has permitted me to attain such lofty prominence, and has showered upon me so many honours, have prompted me to call you together around me, in order that I may commend to your care this Christian City, and persuade you to live in concord with your neighbours, and to preserve this City, as I have done to the best of my ability.

In my time, 4,000,000 of the Public Debt have been paid off, though 6,000,000 more remain, the latter of which were contracted for the war of Padua, Vicenza, and Verona. We have regularly paid the half-yearly interest on the Funds and the salaries of the Public Offices. Our City at present sends abroad for purposes of trade in various parts of the world 10,000,000 ducats a year, of which the interest is not less than 2,000,000. In this City there are 3,000 vessels of smaller burden, which carry 17,000 seamen; 300 large ships, carrying 8,000 seamen; five-and-forty galleys and dromons constantly in commission for the protection of commerce, which employ 11,000 seamen, 3,000 carpenters, 3,000 caulkers. Of silk-clothworkers there are 3,000; of manufacturers of fustian, 16,000. The Rent-Roll is estimated at 7,050,000 ducats. The income arising from let houses is 150,000. We find 1,000 gentlemen 1 with means varying between 700 and 4,000 ducats a year. If you continue to prosper in this manner, you will become masters of all the gold in Christendom. But, I beseech you, keep your fingers from your neighbours, as you would keep them out of the fire, and engage in no unjust wars : for in such errors God will not support princes!

Everybody knows that the Turkish War has rendered you expert and brave in maritime enterprises. You have six able Captains, competent to command large fleets. You have many persons well versed in diplomacy and in the government of Cities, who are ambassadors of perfect experience. You have numerous Doctors in different sciences, and especially in the Law, who enjoy high credit for their learning among strangers. Your Mint coins annually 1,000,000 ducats of gold and 200,000 ducats of silver, of minor pieces, 800,000. Of this sum, 500.000 go to Syria, 100,000 to the Terra-Ferma, 100.0001 to various other places, 100,000 to England. The remainder is used at home. You are aware that the Florentines send here every year 16,000 pieces of fine cloth, of which we dispose in Barbary, Egypt, Syria, Cyprus, Rhodes, Romania, the Morea and Istria, and that they bring to our City monthly 60,000 (70,000 ?) ducats' worth of merchandize, amounting annually to 840,000 or more, and in exchange purchase our goods to our great advantage. Therefore, it behoves you to beware, lest this City decline. It behoves you to exercise extreme caution in the choice of my successor, IN WHOSE POWER IT WILL BE, TO A CONSIDERABLE EXTENT, TO GOVEEN THE REPUBLIC FOR GOOD OR FOR EVIL.