VI. RED AND WHITE CLOUDS 267

bring one down-“Canta bene, signor, quell’ uccellino.” Such the nineteenth century’s reward of Song. Meantime, among the silvery gleams of islet tower on the lagoon horizon, beyond Mazorbo-a white ray flashed from the place where St. Francis preached to the Birds.¹

76. Then thirdly-note that curious observance of the colour of clouds. That is gone, indeed; and no Venetian, or Italian, or Frenchman, or Englishman, is likely to know or care, more, whether any God-given cloud is white or red; the primal effort of his entire human existence being now to vomit out the biggest black one he can pollute the heavens with. But, in their rough way, there was yet a perception in the old fishermen’s eyes of the difference between white “nebbia” on the morning sea, and red clouds in the evening twilight. And the Stella Maris comes in the sea Cloud;-Leucothea:² but the Son of Man on the jasper throne.³

Thus much of the aspect, and the thoughts of earliest Venice, we may gather from one tradition, carefully read. What historical evidence exists to confirm the gathering, you shall see in a little while; meantime-such being the scene of the opening drama,-we must next consider somewhat of the character of the actors. For though what manner of houses they had, has been too little known, what manner of men they were, has not at all been known, or even the reverse of known,-belied.

¹ [The island of San Francesco del Deserto, two miles south of Burano. St. Francis was at Venice in 1220 (see Sabatier’s Vie de S. François d’Assise, p. 271). The tradition that the birds came and fluttered around the Saint is recorded in an inscription on the island-church.]

² [The reader should here refer to Fors Clavigera, Letter 78, where Ruskin compares a carving of the Moon on the Ducal Palace (“the Venetian Lady of Moonlight”) with the Etruscan Leucothea (the white goddess of sea-foam): compare, below, p. 399.]

³ [See Revelation iv. 2, 3.]

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