His fortune was large; and the nobility of his family ancient.

But it was not these circumstances only, or even mainly, that caused him to hold the place he did in the estimation of his fellow-citizens.

He was a bachelor, now about fifty years old; and during some thirty of those years he had always been before the public in one manner or another, and always had in every capacity won golden opinions from all men.

Though abundantly rich enough to have gone occasionally to Rome, or even to have resided there entirely, if he had chosen to do so, he had, on the contrary, preferred to pass his whole life in his native city.

And Ravenna was flattered by this, to begin with.