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the decree reflected the clear distinction between the deserving and
unworthy poor that had been established in canon law for centuries. the
practical implementation of these principles repeated some of the pre-
vious year’s measures and concentrated poor relief in the parishes. all
non-Venetian beggars were expelled to the territories whence they came.
impotent poor who could not perform manual labor would be provided
for in their homes or in public shelters. able-bodied poor and professional
beggars would be put to work on ships or taught a craft. the clergy should
support the poor in their parishes, utilizing the power of the pulpit to
remind citizens of their obligations to the poor and establishing collection
boxes in the churches. the plan did not call for a centralization of services
in a Common Chest or special commission. the regulations aimed to sup-
plement not supplant the work performed by the parochial system, hospi-
tals, and religious brotherhoods. Venetian legislators separated the worthy
from the unworthy poor according to citizenship and physical well-being.
Like those in other european states, Venetian authorities responded to
changing economic conditions by enforcing principles of canon law.47
The New Philanthropythe poor law of 1529 marks a significant development in Venetian poor
policy. Bronislaw Geremek argues that “attitudes towards the poor... had
changed radically during the crisis of 1527–29, so that it became possible,
without in any way deforming the traditional doctrine of Christian char-
ity, with its emphasis on voluntary and spontaneous acts of compassion,
to implement a series of repressive measures aimed at the poor.”48 how
can attitudes radically change and simultaneously maintain tradition?
the answer lies in the goal and tradition of Venetian charity: the com-
mon good of the Most serene republic. as Geremek states, harsh laws
against the poor were in theory to be balanced by voluntary acts of mercy,
especially on the part of the nobles and their service to the poor. in the
midst of the chaos of famine and disease, nobles did indeed rise to the
challenge, caring for the sick and simultaneously defending the physical
and spiritual health of the republic. the tragic circumstances brought
47 tierney, Poor Law, pp. 128–30.
48 Geremek, Poverty: A History, p. 136.