But there were no idle hours in that august assembly, though it
might chance that some whimsical phase of statesmanship lightened, by
way of entr'acte, the severity of their deliberations. They were,
possibly, not unpleasantly aware of the irony of the situation when a
letter from their governor in Constantinople announced "the extreme
solicitude of the Turkish Government for the life and welfare of the
Holy Father," who had so furthered their interests by widely inciting
discord among the nations of Christianity that, seeing therein a mark of
the special favor of Allah, the sultan had ordered prayers and
processions for the continued welfare of his Holiness!
The singular jealousy of the Venetians for the solidarity of their
government, with their no less singular jealousy of individual
aggrandizement, together with the rare perception of mental
characteristics that was fostered by the daily culture of the councils
in which every noble took his part, led them constantly to ignore their
selfish hopes in order to choose the right man for the place.
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