Volume I Part 17 (1/2)
Without wasting ti vociferations of my private enemies, I made htforward ed to meet my brother apart from the din of woations to M without a roof to shelter her) and ofiniquitously set at nought
The poor fellow seeestures remindedwhatever to do with a state of affairs the injustice of which he frankly admitted He added that he had to put up with infernal clas--that he was called a chicken-hearted poltroon, a father without entrails for his offspring--in short, that he was neither obeyed nor listened to at home
Then, to convince me that it was not he who opposed my entrance into our part of the house, he took a pen and wrote and signed a declaration to the effect that he fully acknowledged the title of his brothers Francesco, Carlo, and Al possession of our lawful property
All these steps proved fruitless Ti e, who chanced to be his Excellency Count Galean Angarano, at that tiador del Comune[140] What was my astonishment when I saw my sister-in-law, like an advocate in petticoats, at the head ofup the rear, co into court I will not dwell upon this too too co”
The judge recognised thatsentence in my favour he strove to settle matters by mediation Conferences took place; first between the bench and his Excellency the Senator Daniele Reniero, who acted for Mme Ghellini Balbi; then between the Senator and my sister-in-laas the rock and stone of our vexation I was curious to know the upshot of these whispered confabulations At length Senator Reniero ca to disburse sixty ducats, which ht enter at once into possession of the house without a verdict froainst and would certainly lead to indescribable delays I thanked his Excellency for suggesting this arrangement My sister-in-law received her ducats, and we obtained our dwelling I had it straightway put into repair, for it looked as though it had sustained a siege Mme Balbi went at once to live there with a lease of five years only, while I retired with my brothers into a cheap house, which I had taken at S
Ubaldo and furnished with strict regard to econoed for Almor's tuition by an excellent ecclesiastic Forsuch of our houses as needed it, prosecutingmyself in leisure hours with literature
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_A serious event, depicting the character of my uncle, the Senator Al time had elapsed since I visited ined that my mother and the persons about her, ere assiduous in paying court to hiht have prejudiced the good old o thethose for whom at the bottom of my heart I felt both love and reverence I knew, h just and dispassionate upon the bench in their capacity of judges, were singularly liable to be influenced by what they heard in private at their own homes from suitors or clients, and that it was extremely difficult to remove impressions which had once been made upon their minds This weakness I have always ascribed to their aarded the nobles of our Republic as really adorable for qualities of the heart, in spite of the sentimental bias I have mentioned
My habitual taciturnity and solitary ways of life,and desiring nothing froht have won ned to look down upon a person of so little consequence as I a from a dropsy in the chest, and not far from death's door, let me know that he should like to see me I went at once to his house; and was bidden to take a seat at his bedside He began to colected to visit hih fear of his having been wrongfully prejudiced against ry with ed absence
”If I co exposed to ill-treatment and affronts, this was no reason why you should suspend your visits” ”I see,” I replied, ”that my suspicions and my fears are not without foundation But this is not the proper tithy narratives in self-defence Your health is a matter of concern toin my power to avert discords and divisions, even to the point of doing violence to my naturally pacific temper I feel sure, when you recover, as I hope you ith all my heart, that I shall make it clear to you that I have hurt nobody and attacked nobody, and that I a all I can to benefit our faard forthe burden of enor ood”
He was just, prudent, a philosopher, and ill Therefore he made no immediate answer I renewedafterwards that the venerable old man expressed himself in these words tofellow”
His illness kept increasing, and I perceived, by the persons whoed to visit him, that he was anxious to be reconciled with all of his acquaintances who ainst them A certain Frate Bernardo of the Gesuati, who then passed for a learned ecclesiastic, acted as his spiritual director, and used to read at his request portions of the Holy Scriptures aloud to hi his indifference upon the point of death, this excellent friar was moved to say: ”I do not want you to prepare yourself for death too h he had filled important posts in the Government, and had frequently sat as mehout his last illness, to utter the least word regarding the tribunals of justice or the state
During his whole lifeti co the table furnished with good cheer, especially with the choicest kinds of fish Now that he was sick unto death, and could only take so persons, he still would have the table served as for he used to send for one of his gondoliers, and inquire what sorts of fine fish were that day in thethe ht be, upon the season and the quality of the fishes for sale, and the various waters in which they had been caught After settling these affairs of the household, he proceeded to religious exercises, grave discourses with his spiritual director, and prayers of fervent piety I ought further to testify that he breathed his last in the spirit of a great man, philosophically Christian, and that his example inspired me with the desire to imitate his end
He possessed the virtue of patience in the highest degree No one ever saw his temper stirred by any untoward accident which happened to hile instance of his intrepid constancy, I will relate an event which happened so fro and ample robes of the patricianinto the canal The gondolier, in his anxiety to catch and keep hi in his hands The oar fell with violence upon the right arondolier was not aware of what had happened; and h he knew very well, uttered no complaint He ascended the stairs, and when he reached his apartment, the valet came forward to help him off, as usual, with his cloak Then at last he reently, forthe servants, ere greatly attached to hi bitterly and begging to be pardoned He bade them all be cal to do ood What fault have you committed, which requires my pardon?” After this he had to lie forty days in bed without altering his position, at the surgeon's orders; yet he never uttered a syllable that betrayed any impatience I could relate a nu to do with the Memoirs of my life
After his death, which I felt very deeply, as every one could see, a certain Signor Giovannantonio Guse came to call on istrar, and judge in certain courts of Friuli He was known to be more wily than the old Greek Sinon, and had assistedthe alienation of certain portions of our entailed estates Now he suggested that it would do n of affectionate remembrance, if I were to contribute ten sacks of flour and two casks of wine annually to my mother, in addition to her dowry I saw at once from whom this proposal emanated, and admired the address hich the proper s Such artifices, however, were repugnant tomy tone fro effect ”I thought my mother's preference for my brother Gasparo's family unfortunate; my own house was always open to her, and here she would be revered and loved by three respectful sons Here she would enjoy her yearlyour offer, she only affronted us
By accepting it, she would confer a benefit on Gasparo, the nuation I was under of reducing debts, repairing buildings on the property, and reclai parts of the entailed estates, rendered it impossible that I should weaken the insufficient resources at nor Guse had proposed” This answer set tongues wagging again, and revived the opinion that I was a downright Phalaris
The estate of ency of Zante and by other lucrative appointments The probity of his character did not suffer him to enrich hily, he provided by will that all his debts should be paid off, appending a schedule of his creditors The residue he bequeathed to his sister Girolama for her lifetime, with reversion to my mother On the same sad occasion my mother inherited a portion of soed to an old aunt Tiepolo, who died intestate This, united to her dowry, formed a sufficient fund for her establisher, a on her part Of course she had the right to dispose of her affections as she felt inclined, and to keep her tender heart open for the persons who possessed her favour It was my misfortune not to possess it, but I did not envy those who had that privilege; and I can assure ard toher alithout a ducat to spend according to her fancy This state of things continued when the whole property of that branch of the Tiepolos passed into her hands upon the death of her sister Girolama, who left furniture and a considerable amount of money to my mother, jointly with my brother Gasparo and his children
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