Latin.

What Tomai, as well as other envoys, thus elaborates in his oration was the myth of Venice : the idea – promoted, frst and foremost, by the Venetian patriciate, both indi- vidually and institutionally – that the Venetian state, on account of its political stability, divine sanction and never-tarnished freedom, stood superior to all others, which made it its right and duty to rule people that were incapable of ruling themselves.9 Te whole ritual, in other words, functioned as an instrument of Venetian imperialism that served to strengthen the idea of its benevolent rule among provincial elites. Even when Tomai commends his city as Venice’s ‘most loyal and obedient daughter, servant and ward’, he gives but a mere glimpse of local patriotic pride, mentioning that Ravenna ‘was not con- quered in war but joined you of its own free will’.10 Peppered with occasional classical references, and completely centred on its objects of praise, Tomai’s oration stands as an ideal example for studying how Venetian power was articulated in the halls of the Ducal Palace. St

What Tomai, as well as other envoys, thus elaborates in his oration was the myth of Venice : the idea – promoted, frst and foremost, by the Venetian patriciate, both indi- vidually and institutionally – that the Venetian state, on account of its political stability, divine sanction and never-tarnished freedom, stood superior to all others, which made it its right and duty to rule people that were incapable of ruling themselves.9 Te whole ritual, in other words, functioned as an instrument of Venetian imperialism that served to strengthen the idea of its benevolent rule among provincial elites. Even when Tomai commends his city as Venice’s ‘most loyal and obedient daughter, servant and ward’, he gives but a mere glimpse of local patriotic pride, mentioning that Ravenna ‘was not con- quered in war but joined you of its own free will’.10 Peppered with occasional classical references, and completely centred on its objects of praise, Tomai’s oration stands as an ideal example for studying how Venetian power was articulated in the halls of the Ducal Palace

6 To be more specifc, in what is one of the shorter orations, To- mai elaborates on the virtues of Doge Tron, his justice, fortitude and temperance, draws attention to his cursus honorum and highlights the nobility of his family.7 He then turns his attention to the city of Venice : quae (sc. urbs Venetiarum) sicut vera religione, iustitia, quiete, libertate, optimis artibus, sanc- tissimis institutis facile Italiae caput est, ita virtute, fortuna, potentia, rebus gestis terra mari- que late dominatur. Et incredibile dictu est, Princeps foelicissime, quanta de tua hac praestanti civitate, quae tanquam regina caeteras claras urbes superat et excellit, et de vobis apud omnes exteras nationes opinio sit, quanta observantia, quantum nomen. Noverunt enim bonam civi- tatem non moenibus neque parietibus, sed his teneri et conservari civibus, qui unum in locum, uno consilio, una mente, una voluntate congregati, hisdem moribus, hisdem institutis, hisdem inter se legibus uterentur. Noveruntque pace et concordia nihil melius, nihil utilius, nihil di- vinius ab immortali Deo hominibus datum esse.8