T HE M EM O IR S OF

J A C Q U ES C A S A N O VA
W R ITT EN BY H IM S EL F NOW FOR

T H E F IR S T T IME TR A N S L A TE D IN TO
E N GL ISH IN TW E L VE VOL U M ES
VO L U M E O NE .

PR IV A TE L Y PR IN TE D
FO R SUB SC RIBERS O NLY
 Privately Printed fo r Sub s crib ers Onl y .

Edition strictly limited to 750 set s on Al b ion

laid deckl e-edge p aper and 50 sets o n Cro cker

Printed fro m type and type

S et Number
 C ONT ENT S

T RAN S LAT O R S P REFACE

’

AU TH O R S P REFAC E
’

C HAPTER I
My fam ily p ed igree—My childhood
C HAP T ER II
My grandmother com es to Padua , takes me to
an d

Do ctor Gozzi
’
s —
s c hool My firs t love aff air

C HAPT ER III
Be ttina is supp osed to go mad— Father M an cia
— The small pox— I leav e Padua
-

C H AP T ER IV

I re c eive the minor orders fro m the Patri arch of

—
Venice I g et ac quainted with Senator M ali
p iero with T herese Imer with the n iec e of the
, ,

c urate with M adame O rio with Nanette an d

, ,

M arton a d with the C ava

n , m ac c h i a —I b e co me
a p rea cher— My adventure w ith Lu c ie at P as ean
— A rende zv ou s o n the third story
 vi

C HAP T ER V
PA G E

An unlucky nigh t— I fall in love w ith th e tw o

s iste rs and for g et Ang ela
,
— A ball at m y hous e
— Juliette s hum iliation— My return to Pas ean
’

—Lucie s m isfo rtu n c

’
p rop itious storm
C HAPT ER VI
My grandm other s d eath an d its c ons equen c es— I
’
,

lo s e M de M alip iero s f rien dship—I h av e n o

.
’

long er a hom e —La T intoretta— I am s ent to a

m —
clerical se in ary I am exp elled from it an d ,

confined in a fortres s
C HAP T ER VII
My short stay in Fort S t André— My fi rst re
.
-
.

p en tan c e in —
lov e aff airs I en joy reven ge an d
,

p rove a clever alibi— Arrest of Coun t Bon af ede

—
My release Arrival of the bi sh op F arew ell
—

to Ven ice
C HAP T ER VI II
—
My isfortunes in C hio zza Fath er S tephan o
m
T he Lazzaretto at Anc ona— T he Gr eek slave
r m r —
My p ilg i a ge to O u Lady of Loretto I go to
R om e on foot and from Rom e to Naples to
,

m eet the bishop— I c an n ot jo in him —Goo d lu ck

o ff e rs m e the m eans of rea ch ing Mart orano ,

whi c h pla ce I very quick ly leave to retu rn to

N ap les

C HAP T ER I X
—
My st ay i n Naples ; it is sh o rt b u t happy Don
Anto n io Casanov a— Don Lelio C arafi a— I go to
 vi i
PA G E

R om e very agr eeable com p any and enter the

in ,

s erv ice o f Cardinal Ac quaviva— Barbara— T es

t ac c io— Fras c ati

C HAP TER X

Benedict X I V—
E cursion to Dep arture
x T ivoli —
of Donna Lu c re z ia— T he M archioness G— B ar
bara D al ac qu a I leave R ome
—

C HAP T ER XI

My sh ort but rathe too gay visit to Ancona r

n B ,
—
Ce c ilia M a i a ellin T he G eek slave of
r , o r

the Lazz aretto— Bellino discovers him s elf

'

C HAP T ER X II

B ell i n ohis tory— I am p ut under arrest— I ru n

’
s

away against m y will —My return to R imini ,

an d m y arrival in Bolo gna

C HAP T ER X III

I renoun c e the clerical p rofes sion an d enter the

military servi c c T h é ré s e leaves for Na ples an d
h
,

I go to Venic e —I am app ointed en si gn in the

army of m y native country— I em bark for
Corfu an d l and at O rsera to t ake a walk
,
 TR A N S L A T O R S P R E F A C E
’

A S ERI ES of adventures wilder and more fan

tasti c than the wildes t of romances written down
,

wi th the exac titude of a business diary ; a Vi ew

of men and cities from Naples to Berlin from ,

Madrid and London to Constantinople and St .

Petersburg ; the mic i n ti m e of the eighteenth

century depicted by a m an who to day sat with
,
-

cardinals and saluted crowned head s and to ,

morrow lurked in dens of profl igacy and crime ;

a book of confessions penned without reticen ce
and without penitence ; a r ecord of forty y ears
”
of occult charlatanism ; a collec tion of tales
of successful imposture of bon n es fortu nes of
, ,

marvellous escapes or transcendent audacity told

, ,

with the humour of Smollett and the delicate

wit of Voltaire . Wh o is there i nterested in
men and letters and in the life of the pas t
, ,

who would not cry Where can such a book as

,
”
this be found ?
Yet the a b o ve catalogue is but a brief
outline a bare and mea g re su mmary of the
, ,
1 —2
 X
”
book kn o wn as T H E MEM O I R S or C AS AN OVA
“

a work absolutely un ique in li terature He

who opens these wonderful pages i s as one
who s its in a theatre and looks across the
gloom not on a stage play but on another and
,
-
,

a vanished world The curt ain draws up and

.
,

suddenly a hundred and fif ty years are roll ed

away and in bright light stands ou t before u s
,

the whole life of the past ; the gay dr esses the ,

polished wit the careless morals and all the

, ,

revel and dancing of those merry years before

the mighty deluge of the Revolution The .

palaces and marble stairs of ol d Venice are no

longer desolate but thronged with scarlet r ob ed
,
-

senators prisoners with the doo m of the

,

Ten upo n their hea ds cros s the Bridge of

Sighs at dead of night the nun slips ou t of
,

the convent gate to the dark canal where a

gondola is waiting we assist at the par ti es
,

fi n es of cardinals and we see the b ank made

,

at faro Venice gives place to the assembly

.

rooms of Mrs Cornely and the fast tavern s of

.

th e London of 1 7 6 0 ; we pass from Versailles

to the Winter Palace of St Petersburg in the .

days of Catherine from the policy of the

,
,

Great Frederick to th e lewd mirth of strollin g

.

players and the presence chamber of the

,
-

Vatican is succeed ed by an intrigue in a

garret It is indee d a new experience to
.

read this history of a man who refraining ,

 xi

from nothin g has concealed noth ing ; of one

,

who stood in the courts of Loui s the

Magnificent before Madame de Po mpadour
‘

and the nobles of the An ci en R égi m e and had ,

an a ffair with an adventuress of Denmark

Street Soho ; who was bound over t o keep
,

the peace by Fielding and knew Caglios tr o ,

.

The friend of popes and kings and noblemen ,

and of all the male and female ruffian s a nd

vagabonds of Europe abbé soldier charlatan , , , ,

gamester financier ,
diplomatist vi vem ,
ph ilo ,
'
,

“
sopher ,
virtuoso chemist fiddler
,
and buf , ,

”
foon,
each of these and all of these was Gia ,
f

como Casanova Chevalier de S eingal t Knight o f

, ,

the Gol den Spur .

And no t only are th e Memoirs a li terary

curiosity ; they are almost equally curi ous fr o m
a bibliographical poin t of view The manuscript .

was written in French and came int o the

possession of the publisher Brockhaus of ,

Leipzig who had i t translated into German

, ,

and printed From this German edition M

.
,
.

Aubert de Vitry re translated the work in t o -

French but omitted about a fourth of the

,

matter an d this mutilated and worthless versi o n

,

is frequently purchased by unwary bib liophiles .

In the year 18 2 6 however Brockhaus in order

, , ,

presumably t o protect his property printed the ,

en tire t ext of the original M S in French for the .

,

first time and in this complete form containing

, ,
a large number of anecdotes and incidents not to
be found in the spurious version the work was n ot
,

acceptable to the authorities an d was consequently

,

rigorously suppressed . O nly a few copies sent

out for presentation or for review are kn own to
have escaped and from on e of these rare copies the
,

present translation has been made s trictly and

solely for private circulation .

In conclusion both translator and édi teu r

,

have done their utmost to present the English

C asanova in a dress worthy of the wonderful and
witty original .
 A U T H O R S P R E FA C E
’

I W IL L begin with this confession : whatever I

have done in the course of my life whether it be ,

good or evil has been done freely ; I am a f ree

,

agent .

The do c trine of the Stoics or of any other

sect as to the force of Destiny is a bubble en
gendered by the imagination of man and is near ,

akin to Atheism I not only b elieve in one God

.
,

but my faith as a Christian is also grafted upon

that tree of philosophy which has never spoiled
anything .

I believe in the exist ence of an immaterial

God the Author and Master of all beings and all
,

things and I feel that I never had any doubt of

,

His existence from the fact that I have always

,

relied upon His providence prayed to Him in my

,

distress and that He has always granted my

,

prayers Despair brings death but prayer does

.
,

away with despair ; and when a man has prayed

he feels himself sup po rted by new confidence and
endowed with po wer to act As to the means
.
 x1v

employed by the S overeign Mas ter of human

beings to avert impending dangers from those
who beseech Hi s assistance I confess that th e
,

knowledge of them is a bove the intelligence of

man who can but wonder and adore
,
O ur .

ignorance becomes our only resource and happy , ,

truly happy are those who cherish their ign or

,

ance ! Therefore must we pray to God and ,

believe that He has granted the favo ur we have

been praying for even when in appearance it seem s
,

the reverse As to the po sition which ou r body

.

ought to assum e wh en we address ourselves to the

Creator a line of Petrarch settles it :
,

C on la gin oc chia d ella m an ta i n chi n e .

Man i s free , but hi s freedom ceases when he

has no faith in it ; and the greater power he
ascribes to faith the more he deprives himself of
,

that power which God has given to him when

°

He endowed h im with the gift of reason Reason .

is a particle of the Creator s divinity When we

’
.

use it with a spirit of humility and j ustice we are

certain to please the Giver of that precious gift .

God ceases to be God only for those who can

admit the possibility of His non existence an d
-
,

that conception is in itself the most severe punish

ment they can suffer .

Man is free ; yet we must not suppose that

he is at liberty to do everything he pleases for he ,

becomes a slave the moment he allows his actions

to be ruled by p assion The man who has suffi
.
 XV

cient power over himself to wait until his nature

has recovered its even balance is the truly wise
man but such beings are seldom met with
,
.

The reader of these Memoirs will discover

that I never had any fixed aim before my eyes ,

and that my system if it can be called a system, ,

has been to glide away unconcern edly on the

stream of life trusting to the wind wherever it
,

led. H ow m a ny changes arise from such an

independent mode of life ' My success and my
m i sf ortuhes the bright and the d ark days I have
,

gone through everything h as proved to me tha t in

,
‘

this world either physical or moral good comes

, ,

ou t of evil just as well as evil comes out of good .

My errors will point to thinking men the various

roads and will t each them the great a r t of treading
,

on the brink of the precipice without falling into it .

It i s only necessary to have courage f or strength ,

without self con fi den ce is useless

-
I have often .

met with happiness after some imp rudent s tep

which ought to have brought ruin upon me and ,

although passing a vote of censure up o n myself

I would thank God f or his mercy But by way .
,

of compensation dire misfortune h as b ef all en me

, g

in consequence of actions prompted by the most

cautious wisdom This would humble me ; yet
.
‘

conscious that I had acted rightly I would easily

derive comfort from tha t conviction .

In spite of a good foundation of sound moral s ,

the na tural o ffspring of the Divine p rinciples which

 xvi

had been early ro oted in my heart I have been ,

throughout my life the victim of my sense s ; I have

found delight in losing the right path I have ,

constantly li ved in th e mi dst of error with no ,

consolation but the consciousness of my being

mistaken Therefore dear reader I trust that far
.
, , ,

from at ta ching to my history the character of

impudent boasting you will find in my Memoirs,

only the characteristic proper to a general con

f essi on and that my narratory style will be the
,

manner neither of a repenting sinner nor of a man ,

ashamed to acknowledge hi s frolics They are the .

follies inherent to youth ; I make sport of them ,

and if you are kind you will not yourself refuse

, ,

them a good—natured smile You will be amuse d

. .

when you see that I have more than once deceive d

without the slightest qualm of conscience bo th ,

kn aves and fools As to the deceit perpetrated

.

upo n women let it pass f or when love i s in the

, , ,

way men and women as a general rule dupe each

,

o ther . But on the score of fools it is a very

di fi erent matter I always feel the gre atest bli ss
.

when I recollect those I have caught in my sn ares ,

for they gener ally are insolent and so self conceited ,

-

that they challenge wit W e avenge intellect .

when we dupe a fool and it is a victory not to be

,

despised for a fool is covered with steel and it is

, ,

often very hard to find his vulner able part In .

fact to gull a fool seems to me an expl oit worthy

,

of a witty man I have f elt in my very blood ever

.
,
 xvi i
since I was born a most unconquerable hatred
,

towards the whole tribe of fools and it arises from ,

the fact that I feel myself a blockhead whenever

I am in their company I am very far from
.

placing them in the same clas s with those m en

whom we call stupid f or the latter are stupid o nly
,

from deficient education and I rather like them

,
.

I have met with some of them— very honest fello ws ,

who with all their stupidity had a kind of intelli

, ,

gence and an upright good sense whi ch canno t be ,

the characteristi cs of fool s They are like eyes .

veiled with the catarac t which if the dise ase , ,

could be removed would be very beautiful

, .

Dear reader examine the spirit of this preface

, ,

and you will at once guess at my purpo se . I have

written a preface because I wish you to know me
thoroughly before you begin the reading of my
Memoirs It i s only in a coffee room or at a
.
-

tabl e d hfize tha t we like to con verse with str angers

’ ‘
.

I have written th e hi story of my life and ,

I have a perfect right t o do so ; but am I wise

in throwing it before a public of which I know
nothing but evil ? No I am aware it is sheer
,

folly but I want t o be bu sy I wa nt to laugh

, , ,

and wh y should I deny myself this gratification ?

Expu li t el leb oro m orbu m bi l em gu e m ere .

An ancien t author tells us somewhere with ,

the tone of a pedagogue if you have not done ,

anything worthy of being recorded at leas t write ,

something worthy of being read It is a precept .

 xviii
as beautiful as a diamond of the firs t water cut
in England but it cannot be applied to me
, ,

because I have not w ritten either a novel or ,

the l ife of an illustrious character Worthy o r .

not my life is my subj ect and my subj ect i s my

, ,

life I have lived wi thout dreaming that I should

.

ever take a fan cy to write the hist ory of my life ,

and for that very reason my Memoirs may

, ,

claim from the reader an interes t and a sym pathy

which they would not have obtained had I ,

always entertained the design to write them in

my ol d age and still more t o publish them
, , ,
.

I have reached in 1 7 9 7 the age of three

, ,

score years and twelve ; I can not say 7 735543 and , ,

I co ul d n ot procure a more agr eeable pastime

‘

than to relate my own adventures and to cause ,

pleasant laughter am ongst the good c ompany

listening to me from which I have received so
,

many t okens of friendship and in the midst of ,

which I have ever lived To enable me to write .

well I have only to think that my reader s will

,

belong to tha t polite socie ty

'

Q u wcu n gu e dir t , Si p lacu emn t di c tcw i t ,

au di tor .

Should there be a few intruders whom I can

not prevent fr om perusing my Memoirs I mus t ,

find comfort in the idea that my history was not

written for them .

By recollecting the pleas ures I have had

formerly I renew them I enj oy them a second
, ,
 XX
years and four months after my birth ; it i s then
that my soul began to be su sceptible of r eceiving
impressions How is it possible for an immaterial
.

substance which can neither tou ch nor be touched

,

to receive impressions ? It i s a mystery which

man cannot unravel .

A certain philos ophy full of consolation and

, ,

in perfect accord wi th religion pretends that the ,

state of dependence in which the soul stands in

rel ation to the senses and to the organs is only ,

incidental an d transie nt and that it will reach

,

a condition of freedom and happiness when the

death of the body shall have delivered it from
that state of tyrannic subj ection Th i s i s very .

fine bu t apart from religion where is the proof

, , ,

of it all ? Therefore as I cannot from my own

, ,

information have a perfect certainty of my being

,

immortal until the dissolution of my body has

actually t aken place people must kindly bear with
,

me if I am in no hurry to obtain that certain

,

knowledge for in my estimation a knowledge to

, , ,

be gained at the cost of life is a rather expensive

piece of information In the mean time I worship
.

God l aying every wrong action under an interdict

,

which I endeavour to respect and I loathe the ,

wicked without doing them any injury I only .

abstain from doing them any good in the full ,

belief that we ought not to cherish serpents .

As I must likewise say a few words respect

ing my nature and my temperament I premise ,
 m

that the most indulgent of my re a ders is n ot likely

to be the most dishonest or the least gifte d wi th
intelligence .

I have had in turn every temperament ; phl eg

matic in my infancy ; san guine in my youth ; later
on bili ous ; and now I have a dispo sition which
,

engenders melancholy and most likely will never ,

change . I always made my food congenial

to my constitution and my health was always ,

excellent . I learned very early tha t our health

i s alw ays impaired by some excess either o f food
or abstinence and I never had any physician
,

except myself I am bound to add that the excess

.

in too li ttl e has ever proved in me more dangerous

th an the exces s in too mu ch ; the last may c a use
indigestion but the first causes dea th
, .

Now ol d a s I am and although enj o yi ng go od

, ,

digestive organs I mus t have only one meal every

,

day ; but I fin d a set off t o that priva ti o n in -

my delightful sleep and in th e ease which I ,

experience in writing down my th oughts without

having recourse to paradox or sophism which ,

would be calculated to deceive myself even more

than my readers for I never co ul d make up my
,

mind to palm coun terfeit coin upon them if I kne w

i t to b e such .

The sanguine temperament rendered me very

se n sible to the att ractions of voluptuousness : I
was always cheerful and ever ready to pass from
one enj oymen t to a n o ther a nd I wa s at the same ,
 X Xll

time very skillful in inventing new pleasures .

Thence I suppose my natural disposition to make

, ,

fresh acquainta n ces and to break with them so

,

readily although always for a good reason and

, ,

never through mere fi ckl en ess The errors caused .

by temperament are not to be corrected because ,

our temperament i s perfectly independent of ou r

strength : it i s not the case with ou r character .

Heart and head are the constituent parts of

character ; temperament h as almost no thing to do
with it and therefore character is dependent
, , ,

u pon e ducation an d is susceptible of being

,

corrected and improved .

I leave t o others the decision as to the good

or evi l tendencies of my character but such as it ,

i s it shines upon my co un tenance and there i t can ,

easily be detected by any physiognomist It i s .

only on th e face that character can be read ; there

it lies exposed to the view It i s worthy of

.

rem ark that men who have no peculiar cast of

countenance an d there are a great many such
,

men are likewi se t otally deficient in peculiar charac

,

teri sti c s and we may establish the rul e tha t the

,

varieties in physiognomy are equal to the

di fferen ces in character I am aware that through
.

ou t my life my actions have received their impulse

more from the force of feeling than from the

wisdom of reason and this has led me to ackn ow
,
~

ledge tha t my conduct has b een dependent upon

my na ture mo re than upon my mind ; both are
 xx iii
generally at war and in the mids t of their con
,

tin u al collisions I have never f ound in me sufficien t

mi nd to balance my nature or enough strength in
,

my nature t o co u nteract the power of my mind .

But enough of this for there is truth in the old

,

saying : S i brevis ess c volo obs curus fio and I b elieve

, ,

that wi thout ofi en ding against modes ty I can

, ,

apply to myself the following words of my dear

Virgil
N 6 0 su m adeo i nformis : nu p er m e in li ttore vi di
'

C u m plac i du m ven tis s tar et

'
m ar e .

The chief business of my l ife has always been

to indulge my senses ; I never knew anything o f
greater importance I fel t myself born f or the
.

fair sex I have ever l oved i t dearly and I have

, ,

been loved by i t as often and as much as I could .

I have likewi se alwa ys h ad a grea t weakness for

good living and I ever felt passionately fond of
,

every obj ec t whi ch exc ited my curiosi ty .

I have had friends who have act ed k indly

towards me and it has been my good for tune t o
,

have it in my po wer to gi ve them subst ant ial

proofs of my gratitude I have had also bi tt er
.

enemies who have persecut ed me and whom I ,

have not crushed simply b ecau se I coul d not do i t

'

I never would have forgiven them had I not lost ,

the memory of all the injuries they had heaped

upon me The man who forgets does no t forgi ve
.
,

he only loses the remembrance of the h a rm

inflic ted upon him ; forgivenes s i s the offs p ring o f a
 xx i v
f eeling of herois m of a noble heart o f a generou s
, ,

mind whilst forgetfulness i s only the resul t of a

,

weak memory or of an easy carelessness an d s till

, ,

oftener of a natural desire for calm and quietness .

H atred in the course of time kills the unhappy

, ,

wretch who delights in nursing it in hi s bosom .

Shou ld anyone bring against me an accusat ion

of s ensuality he would be wrong f or all the fi erc e ,

ness of my senses never caused me to neglect any

of my duties For the same excellent reason the
.
,
'
accu sation of drunkenness ought not to have be en
brought against Homer :
L au di bus argu i tu r wi n/i vi nos us H om erus .

I have always b een fond of highly seas oned -

,

rich dishes such as macaroni prepared by a skilfu l

,

Nea polit an cook the olla podrida of the Spaniards

,
-
,

the glutinous c odfi sh from Newfoundland game ,

with a strong flavour and cheese the perfect state

,

of which is atta ine d when the tiny animalcul ae

f ormed from i ts very essence begin to shew s i gn s
of life . As for women I hav e always fo und the
,

od our of my beloved ones exceeding pleasant .

Wha t depraved tastes ! some people will

exclaim Are you not ashamed to confess such
.

inclinations without blushing ! Dear critics you ,

make me lau gh hea rtily Thanks to my coarse .

tas tes I believe myself ha ppier than other men

, ,

because I am c onvinced that they enhance my

enj oyment Happy are tho se who know how to
.

ob tain pleasures withou t injury to anyone ; ins ane

 XX V
are those who fancy that the Almighty can enj o y
the su fferings the pains the fasts and abstinences
, ,

which they offer to Him as a sacrifi ce and that H is ,

love is granted only to those who ta x themselves

so foolishly
. God can only demand from His
creatu res the practice of virtues the seed of which
He has sown in their soul and all He h as gi ven ,

unt o us h as been in tended for ou r h a ppiness ; self

love thirst for praise emulation strength c o urage
, , , , ,

and a power of which nothing can deprive u s the —

power of self destruction if after due calcula tion
-
, , ,

whether false or jus t we unf ortuna tely reckon

,

death to be advant ageous This i s the st rongest .

proof of our moral freedom so much at tacked by

s o phists. Ye t this power of self des truction i s -

repugnan t t o na ture and h as been righ tly opp o sed

,

by every reli gi o n .

A se— called free thinker told me a t one time

-

tha t I could not consider myself a philos o pher if

I placed any faith in revelation But when we .

accept it readily in physics why should we rej ect ,

it in religious matters ? The form alone is the

poin t in question The spiri t speaks to the sp irit
. -
,

and not to the ears The principles of everything

.

we are acquainted with mus t necess a rily have been

revealed to those from whom we have rec eived
th em by the great supreme princ iple which
,

con tains them all The bee erectin g its hive the
.
,

swallow building its nes t the an t c onst ructing its,

cave and the s p i der wa rpi ng its web w oul d never

, ,

1— 3
 xxvi
have done anything bu t for a previ ous and eve r
l asting revelation We must eith er believe that i t
.

is so or admit that matter i s endowed with

,

thought . But as we dare not pay s uch a com

p l i m en t to matter let us stand
,
by revelation .

The great phil osopher who having deeply ,

studied nature thought he had found the truth

,

because he acknowledged nature as God died too ,

soon Had he lived a little while longer he would

.
,

have gone much farther and yet h i s j ourney wo uld

,

h ave been but a short on e for find i ng himself in ,

hi s Author he could not have denied Him : I n H i m

,

w e m ove an d have ou r b ei ng He would have found .

Him inscrutable and thus would have ended his

,

journey .

God great principle of all minor principles

, ,

Go d who i s Himself without a principle could not

, ,

conceive Himself if in order to do it He required

, , ,

to kn ow His own principle .

O h blissful ignorance ! Spinosa th e virtuous

, ,

Spinosa died before he could p ossess it He wo ul d

,
.

have died a learned man and with a right to the

reward his virtue deserved if he had only supposed
,

his soul to be immortal !

It i s n ot true that a wish for reward i s
u nworthy of real virtue and thr ows a blemish ,

upon its purity Such a pretensi on on the

.
,

contr ary helps to sustain virtue man being

, ,

himself too weak to consent to be vir tu o us only

f or his own gratification I hold as a myth that
.
I have squandered everythi ng ; it is my c omf o rt
and my justification The money was in tended
.

for extravagant folli es and by applying it to my ,

own frolics I did not turn it into a very di ff erent

channel.

If I were de ceived in my hope to please I ,

candidly conf es s I would regret it but n ot ,

sufi c i en tl y so to repen t having written my

Memoirs for after all writing them h as given
, , ,

me pleas u re O h cruel ennui ! It must be by

.
,

mistake that those who have invented the

torment s of hell have forgotten to ascribe th ee
the fir st place among them Yet I am b o und .

to own that I entertain a great fear of hisses ; it

is too natural a fear f or me to boast of being
insensible to them and I cannot find any solace
,

in the idea that when these Memoirs are ,

pub l ished I shall be no more

,
I cannot th ink .

without a shudder of contracting any obligati o n

towards death : I hate death ; for happy or ,

miserable life is the only blessing which man

,

possesses and those who do not love it are

,

unworthy of it If we prefer honour to life it

.
,

i s because life i s bligh ted by infamy ; and if in ,

the alternative man someti mes throws away hi s

,

life philosophy must remain silent

, .

O h death cruel death ! Fatal law which

, ,

nature necessarily rej ects b ecause thy very office

i s to des t roy nature ! Cicero says that death
frees us from all p a ins and sorrows bu t th is ,
 xx ix
great philosopher b ooks all the exp ense with o ut
taking the receipt s in to accoun t I do n o t .

recollec t if when he wro t e his Tus cu lan Dispu te

,

ti ons hi s own Tullia was dead

,
De ath is a m o ns t er.

which turns away from the grea t the atre a n

a ttentive h earer before the end o f the pl a y wh i ch
deeply in t erests him a nd t his i s r eason en o u gh
,

t o hate it .

All my adven tures are no t to be found in ‘

these Memoirs ; I have left o u t those which

might have offende d the persons who have playe d
a s o rry par t therein In spite o f this reserve my
.
,

readers will perhaps often think me i ndi screet ,

and I am sorry f or i t Should I perchance

.

b ecome wiser before I give up the ghost I might ,

burn every one of t hese sheet s but now I h a ve ,

no t courage enough t o do it .

It may be tha t cer tain love scenes will b e

considered t oo expli cit but let no one bl a me me
, ,

unless it be for lack o f skill for I ough t n ot t o be

,

s co lded because in my o ld age I can fin d no

, ,

other enj oymen t but tha t which recollecti o n s of

the past afford t o me Af t er all virtu o us and
.
,

p rudish readers a re a t liberty to skip over a ny

offensive pictures a nd I think it my duty t o gi ve
,

them this piece o f advice ; so much the worse

play b ill
-
is t o a c o medy ; b oth mus t be re a d .
 XXX
My Memoirs are not written for young
persons who in order to avoid false steps an d
,

slippery roads ought to spend their youth in

,

blissful ignorance but for those who havi ng

, ,

thorough experience of li fe are n o longer exp osed ,

to temptatio n and wh o havin g but too often

, ,

gone through the fire are like salamanders and , ,

can be scorch ed by it n o more T rue virtue i s .

but a habit and I have no hesitation in sayin g

,

that the really virtuous are those persons who

can practice virtue wi thout the slightest t rouble ;
such persons are always full of toleration and it ,

is to them that my Memoirs are addressed .

I have written in French and not in Italian , ,

because the French language is more universal

than mine and the purists who may criticise in
, ,

my style some Itali an turns will b e qui te right ,

but o nl y in case it should prevent them from

understanding me cle arly The Greeks admired .

Theophrastus in spite of his Eresian style and ,

the Romans delighted in their Livy in s pite of his

Patavi nity Provid ed I amuse my readers it
.
,

seems to me that I can claim the same indul gence .

After all every Italian reads Algarotti with

,
‘

plea sure although hi s works are full of French

,

i dioms .

There i s one thing worthy of notice : of all

the living langu ages belonging to the republic of
letters the French tongue is the only one which
,

h as been condemn ed by i ts masters never to

 x xxi
borr ow in o rder to become r icher whils t a ll other ,

languages although richer in words than the

,

French plunder from it words and constructions

,

of sentences whenever they find tha t by such

,

robbery they add some thing to their own be auty .

Yet those wh o borrow the mo st from the French ,

are the mos t f orward in trumpeting the poverty

of that lan guage very li kely thinking that such
,

an accus ation j ustifies their depredations It is .

said that the French language has attained the

apogee o f it s beauty and that the smallest
,

foreign loan would spoil it but I make bold to

,

asser t tha t this is prej u di ce for although it cer

, ,

tai nl y is the most clear the most logic al of all

,

languages it would be great temerity to affirm

,

that it can never go farther or higher than it h a s

gone W e all recollect that in the days of Lulli
.
, ,

there was but on e opinion of his music yet ,

Rameau came and everything was ch a nged The .

new impulse given to the French n ation may

open new and unexpected horizons and new ,

b eauties fresh perfections may spring up fr o m

new combinat ions and fro mnew wants
, ,

The motto I have adopted j ustifies my

digressions a nd all the com m entariesk perh aps too
,

numerous in which I indulge upon my various

,

exploits : N e ui d uam sa i t i i bi non sapi t For

q q p qu s .

the same reason I have always felt a grea t desire

to receive praise and applause from polite society :
 Ex ci tat au di tor s tu diu m, tau dataqu e vir tus

Or es ci t , et i mm ensu m gloria cal car hab et.

I woul d willin gly have di splayed here the

proud axiom : N em o lcedi tur nisi a s e ips o had I ,

not feared to ofi en d the immense number of persons

who whenever anythin g goes wrong with them
, ,
“ ”
are wont to exclaim It i s no fault of mi ne !
,
I
cannot deprive them of that small particle of c o m
fort for were it not for it they wo ul d so o n feel
, , ,

hatred f or themselves and self hatred often le a ds

,
-

to the fatal idea of self destruction -

.

As for myself I always wi llingly ack nowledge

,

my own self as the principal cause of every goo d

o r of every evil whi ch may befal l me ; theref o re
I have always found myself cap able of being my
own pupil and r eady to love my te a cher
, .
 M E MO I R S

JACQUES C ASANOVA

CHAPTER I

MY FAM I LY P EDIGREE—M Y CHI LDH OO D

DO N JAC O B CA sAN OVA the illegitima t e son o f Don

,

Fra ncisco Casan o va was a n ati ve of S a r a go ss a the

, ,

capital o f Aragon and in the year of 14 2 8 he c a rried

,

Ofi D o nn a Anna Palafox from her conven t o n the ,

day a fter she had t aken the veil He was secre ta ry .

to King Alfonso He ran away with her to Ro me

.
,

where after on e year Of imprisonmen t the p o p e

, , ,

Martin III released Ann a from her vows and ga ve

.
, ,

them the nup t ial blessing a t the instance Of D o n

Juan Casanova maj or domo of the Va tican a nd
,
-
,

uncle Of Don Jacob All the children b o rn fr o m

.

tha t marriage died in their infancy with the ,

excep tion of Don Ju a n who in 1 4 75 m a rr ied , , ,

1
 2

Donna Ele o nora Albin i by whom he had a son , ,

Marco Antonio .

In 1 4 8 1 Don Juan having kill ed a n offi cer of

, ,

the king of Naples was compelled to leave R o me

, ,

and escaped to Como with hi s wife and h is son ;

but having lef t that c ity to seek his fortune he ,

died whi le travelling with Christopher Columbus

in the year 14 9 3 .

Marco An t onio became a no ted poet of the scho o l

of Martial and was secretary to Cardinal Pompe o
,

Colonna . The satire against Giulio de Medi cis ,

which we find in his works having made it n ecessary ,

f or him to leave Rome he re turned to Com o where , ,

h e married Ab on dia R ezzon i ca The same Giulio .

de Medicis havi ng become pope under the name of

,

Clement VII p ardoned him and called him back

.
,

to Rome with his wife The city having been taken

.

and ransacked by the Imperialists in 15 2 6 Marco ,

Antonio died there from an attack of th e plague ;

otherwise he would have died of misery the soldiers ,

of Charles V havi ng taken all he possessed

. Pierre .

Val erien speaks of him in hi s work de i nfeli ei tate

li ttem toru m .

Three months aft er his death hi s wife gave birth ,

to Jacques Casanova who died in France at a great

,

age colonel in th e army commanded by Farnese

,

gainst Henri king of Navarre afterwards king of

, ,

France He had left in the city of Parma a son

.

who married Theresa Conti from whom he had ,

Jacques who in the yea r 1 6 8 1 married Anna Roli

, , , .
 4

by two witnesses presented themselves bef o re th e

,

Patriarch of Veni ce who performed over them the ,

marriage ceremony Marz 1 a Zan etta s mother

.
,
’
,

indul ged in a good deal of exclamation and the ,

father di ed broken h earted -

.

I was b o rn nine months afterwards o n the ,

2 n d of April 1 7 2 5 ,
.

The followin g April my mother left me under

the care of her own mother wh o had forgiven her as ,

soon as sh e had heard that my father had promised

never to compel her to appear on the stage This .

i s a promise which all actors make to the yo un g

girls they marry and which they never ful fil
, ,

simply because their wives never care much about

claimi ng from them the performance of it More .

over it turned out a very fortun a te thing for my

,

m other th at sh e had studied f or the s tage f o r n ine ,

years la t er having been left a wi dow with SIX

,

children sh e could not have brought them up if

,

it had no t been f o r the resourc es sh e foun d in that

profession .

I was only one year old when my father left

me t o go to Lo ndon where he had a n engagement , .

It was in that grea t city that my mother made her

first app earance on the stage and in th at city like ,

wise that she gave birth t o my br o ther Fran cois ,

a celebrated painter of battles now residing in ,

Vienna where he has foll owed his profession since

,

1 78 3 .

Towa rds the end of the year 1 72 8 my m other

 5

returned to Venice with her husband a nd as sh e ,

had become an actress she continued her a rtis tic

life
. In 1 73 0 sh e was delivered of my brother
Jean who became Director of the Ac a demy of
,

painting at Dresden and died there in 1 7 9 5 ; and

,

duri n g the three following years she b ecame the

mother of two daughters on e of whom died at an
,

early age while the o ther married in Dresden

, ,

where she still lived in 1 7 9 8 I had als o a po st .

hum ous brother wh o became a pr iest ; he died in

,

Rome fifteen years a go .

Le t us now come t o the dawn of my exi st ence .

in the charact er of a thinking be ing .

The organ of mem ory began t o devel o p it self

in me at the beginning of Au gust 1 7 3 3 I had at , .

that time reached the age of eight years and four

mon th s O f wha t may have happened to me
.
‘

before tha t period I have not the faintest recoll ec

tion This is the circumst ance
. .

I was standing in the corner of a ro om

bending t owards the wall supporting my head , ,

and my eyes fixed upon a stream of blood flowing

from my nose to the ground My grandm o ther .
,

Marzia whose pet I was came to me bathed my

, , ,

face with cold wat er and unkn o wn t o everyo ne in

, ,

the house t ook me with her in a gondola as far as

,

Mura n a thickly—populated island only half a

,

league distant from Venice .

Alighting from the gondola we ent er a wret ched ,

h o le where we find an o ld w o man sitting o n a

,
 6

rickety bed holding a black cat in her arms wi th

, ,

five or six more purring around her The two o ld

’

cronies held togethe r a long discourse of which ,

most likely I was the subj ec t At the end of the

,
.

dialogue which was carried on in the putois of

,

Forli the witch having received a silver ducat from

,

my grandmother opened a box took me in her

, ,

arms pl aced me in the box and locked me in it

, ,

—
telling me not to b e frightened a piece of advice
which would certainly have had the contrary e ffect ,

if I had had any wits about m e but I was stupefi ed ,

.

I kept myself quiet in a c orner of th e box holding ,

a handkerchief to my nose because it was still

bleeding and otherwise very in difl erent to the
’

uproar going on outside I could hear in turn

.
,

laughter weeping singing screams shri eks and

, , , , ,

knocking against the box bu t f or all that I cared

,

nought At last I am taken ou t of the box ; the

.

blood stops fl owing The wonderful old witch

.
,

after lavishing caresses upon me takes off my ,

clothes lays me on the bed burns some drugs

, , ,

gathers the smoke in a sheet which sh e wrap s -

around me pronounces incanta tions takes the

, ,

shee t off and gives me five sugar plums of a very

,
-

agreeable taste Then she imm ediately rub s my

.

temples and the nape of my neck with an ointment

exhaling a deli ghtful perfume and put s my clothes
,

on me again She t old me that my h aem o rrhage

.

would little by little leave me pr o vided I should ,

never di scl o se t o any one what sh e h a d d o ne to

 7
I

cure me and she threatened me on the other hand

, , ,

with the loss of all my blood and with de ath should ,

I ever breathe a word concerning those mysteries .

After having thus taught me my lesson sh e in ,

formed me that a beautiful lady would pay me a

visit during the following night and that she would ,

make me happy on condition that I should have

,

sufficient control over myself never to ment ion to

anyone my having r eceived such a visit Upon .

this we left and returned home .

I fell asleep almost as soon as I was in bed ,

without giving a though t to the beautiful visitor I

was to receive ; but waking up a few hours after
,

wards I saw or fancied I saw coming down the

, , ,

chimney a dazzling woman with immense hoops

, , ,

splendidly attired and wearing on her head a crown

,

set with precious st ones which seemed to me ,

sparkling with fire With slow s teps but w ith a

.
,

m ajestic and sweet countenance she came forward ,

and sat on m v bed ; then taking several small

boxes from her pocket she emptied their con tent s
,

over my head softly whispering a few words and

, ,

after gi ving utterance to a long speech not a single ,

word of which I understo o d she kis sed me and ,

disappeared the same way sh e had come I so on .

went again t o sleep .

The next morning my grandmo ther came to

,

dress me and the moment she was near my bed

, ,

she cau tioned me to be silent threa t ening me with ,

death if I dared to say anythin g respecting my

night s adventures This command laid upon me
’
.
,

by the only woman who had complete authority

over me and whose orders I was accus tomed to
,

ob ey blindly caused me to remember the vision

, ,

and to store it with the seal of secrecy in the

, ,

inmost corner of my dawning memory I had n ot .

,

however the slightes t inclination to mention the

,

circumstances to anyone ; in the first place because ,

I did not suppose it would interest anybody and in ,

the second because I would n ot have known whom

to make a confid a n t of My di sease had rendered
.

me dull and retired ; everybody pitied me and left

me to myself ; my life w as considered li kely t o be
but a short one an d as to my parents they never
, ,

spoke to me .

After the j ourney to Muran and the noc turnal ,

visit of the fairy I continued to have bleeding at

,

the nose bu t less from day to day and my memory

, ,

slowly developed itself I learned to rea d in less

.

than a month .

It would be ridicul ous of course to attribute

, ,

this cure to such follies but at the same time I

,

think it would be wrong to assert that they di d not

in any way contribut e to it As far as the appari.

tion of the beautiful queen i s concerned I have ,

always deemed it to be a dream, unless it should

have been som e ma squerade got up f or the
o ccasion, but it i s not always in the druggist s ’

shop that are foun d the best reme di es for severe

diseases . O ur ignor ance i s every d a y pr o ved by
 9

some wonderful phenomenon and I believe this t o ,

be the reason why it is so di fficult to meet with a

learned man entirely untainted with superstition .

We know as a matter O f course that there never

, ,

have been any sorcerers in this world yet it is ,

true th at their power has always existed in the

est imation of those to wh om crafty knaves have
passed themselves ofl as such .

S om ni o n oetu rnos lem ures por ten taqu e T h essalia

ai d es .

Many things become real which at first had , ,

no existence but in our imagination and as a , ,

natural consequence many facts which have been

,

attributed to Faith may not always have been

mir aculous al though they are true miracles f or
.

those who lend t o Faith a boundless power .

The next circumstance of any impor tance to

myself which I recollect happened three months
after my trip t o Muran and six weeks before my
,
’
father s death I give it to my readers only to
.

convey some idea Of the manner in which my

nature was expanding .

O ne day about the middle of Novemb er I

, ,

was with my brother Fran cois two y ears younger ,

than I in my father s room watching him a tten

,
’
,

tively as he was working at optics A large lump .

of crysta l round and cut in to facets a ttracted

, ,

my atten tion I took it up and having bro ught

.
,

it n ear my eyes I was deligh t ed t o see th at it

1— 4
 10

multiplied obj ects The wi sh to possess mysel f of

.

it at once got hold of me and seeing myself ,

un observed I took my opportunity and hid it in

my pocket .

A few minutes after this my father looked

about for his crystal and un able to find it he , ,

c onclud ed that on e of u s must have taken it My .

brother asserted that he had not t ouched it and I , ,

although guilty said the same ; but my father

, ,

satisfied that he could not be mistaken threatened ,

to search us and to thrash th e on e who had told

hi m a story I pretended to look for the cryst al
.

in every corner of the room and wa tching my , ,

opportunity I slyly slipped it in the pocket of my

brother s j acket At first I was sorry for what I
’
.

had done for I might as well have feign ed to find

,

the crystal somewhere about the room ; but the

evil deed was past recall My father se eing that .
,

we were looking in vain lost patience searche d , ,

us found the un lucky ball of crystal in the pocket

,

of the i nn ocent b oy and inflicted upo n him the,

promised thrashing Three or four years later I .

was fooli sh enough to boast before my brother of

the trick I had then played on him ; he never
forgave me and h as never failed to take his
,

revenge whenever the opportunity Offered .

However having at a later period gone to

,

confession and accused myself to the priest of

,

the sin with every circumstance surrounding it I ,

gained some kn owledge which a ff orded me great

satisfaction My confessor who was a Jesuit t old
.
, ,
 12

educate any of us for the stage on which he never,

woul d have appeared himself had he not been led

to it b y an unfortunate attachment My mother .

gave her promise and the three noblemen said

,

that they would see to its being faithfully kept .

Circumstances helped our mother to f ul fil her

word.

At that time my m other had been pregnant

for six months an d she was all owed to remain
away from the stage until after Easter Beautiful .

and young as she was she declined all the ofl ers

,

of marriage which were made to her and placing , ,

her trust in Providence sh e courageously devoted

,

herself to the task Of bringing up her young

family .

She considered it a duty to think of me before

the others no t so much from a feeling of preference
,

as in consequence Of my dise as e which had such ,

an effect upon me that it was difficul t to kn ow what

to do with me I was very weak withou t any
.
,

appetite un able to apply myself to anything and I

, ,

had all the appearance of an idiot Physicians .

disagreed as to the cause of the diseas e He loses .

,

they would say two pounds Of bl oo d every week ;

,

yet there cannot be more than sixteen or eighteen

poun ds in hi s b ody What then can cause so
.
, ,

abundant a bleeding ? O ne asserted that in me

all the chyle turned into blood ; another was of
opinion that the air I was breathi ng must at ,

each inhalation increase the quanti ty of blood in

,
 13

my lungs and contended that this was the reason

,

for which I always kept my mouth open I heard .

of it all six years afterward from M Baffo a .

,

great friend of my late father .

This M Bafl o consulted the celebrated Doctor

.

Mac op of Padua who sent him his opinio n by

, ,

writing This consultation wh i ch I have still in

.
,

my possession says that our bloo d is an elasti c

,

fluid which is liable to diminish or to increase in

thickness but never in quantity and that my
, ,

h aemorrhage could only proceed from the thickness

of the mass of my blood which relieved itse l f in a ,

natural way in order to facilitate circul ation The .

doctor added that I would have died long before ,

had not nature in its wish for life assisted itself

, , ,

and h e concluded by stati ng that the cause of the

thickness of m y blood could only be ascribed to the
air I was breathing and that conseque ntly I mus t
,

h ave a change of air or every hope of cure be ,

abandoned He thought likewise that the stupidity

.
,

so apparent on my countenance was caused by

nothing else but the thickness of my blood .

M Baffo a man of sublime genius a most

.
, ,

lascivious yet a great an d original poet w as there

, ,

fore ins trumental in br inging about the decisi o n

which was then taken to send me to Padua and ,

to him I am indebted for my life He died .

twen ty years after the last of his ancient patrician

,

family but his poems although obscene will give

, , ,

everlasting fame to h is name The state inquisito rs .

-
 14

of V eni ce have contribute d to h is celebri ty by

their mi s taken s trictness Their persecutions .

caused his manuscript works to become precious .

They ought to have been aware that despised

things are forgotten .

As soon as the verdict giv en by Professor

Macop had been approved of the Abbé Grimani ,

undertook to fin d a good boarding house in Padua -

for me through a chemist of his acquaintance who

,

r esided in that city His name was Ottaviani

.
,

an d he was also an antiquarian of some repute .

In a few days the boarding house was found -

,

and on the 2 n d of April 1 73 4 on the very day I , ,

had accomplished my ninth year I was taken to ,

Padua in a bur chi ello along the Brenta Canal ,

.

We embarked at ten O clock in the evening ’

,

immediately after supper .

The bur chi ello may be considered a small

flo ating house There is a large saloon wi th a
.

smaller cabin at each end and rooms for servants ,

fore and aft It is a long square with a roof

.
,

and cut on each side by glazed windows

with shutters The voyage takes eight hours
. .

M Grimani M Baffo and my mother accom

.
,
.

p an i ed me I slept with her in the saloon and

.
,

the two friends passed the night in one Of the

cabins My mother rose at day break opened one
.
-
,

of the windows facing the bed and the rays of ,

the rising sun falling on my eyes caused me to

, ,

Open them The bed was too low f or me to see

.
 15

the land ; I could see through the window o nly

the tops o f the trees along the river The boat .

was sailing with such an even m o vement that I

could not realize the fact of ou r moving so that ,

the t rees which on e after the o ther were rapidly

, , ,

disappearing from my sight caused me an extreme ,

“ ” “
surprise . Ah dear mother ! I exclaimed what
, ,
”
is this ? the trees are walking ! At that very
moment the two noblemen came in and rea di ng ,

astonishm en t on my countenance they asked me ,

“
what my thoughts were so busy about H ow .

“ ”
is it I answered that the trees are walking
, , ,

They all laughed but my mother heaving a , ,

g reat sigh t old me

,
in a tone of deep
,
pity “
The ,

boat i s m oving the trees are not

,
Now dress .

”
yourself .

I understood at once the reason of the phe

“
n om en on
“
Then it may be
. said I tha t the , ,

su n does not move and th at we on the contrary

, , ,
”
are revolving from west to east A t these words .

my good mother fairly screamed M Grimani . .

p itied my foolishness and I remained ,

dismayed ,

g rieved ,
and ready to c r
y M Baff o brought
. me .

life again He rushed to me e mbraced me

.
,

ten derly and said

,
“
Thou a r t right my child
, ,
.

The sun does no t move ; take courage gi ve head ,

to your reasoning powers and let others laugh .

My mother greatly surprised asked him

, , .

whether he had taken leave of his senses to give

me such lessons ; but the philosopher n o t even ,
 16

condescending to answer her went on sketching ,

a theory in harmony with my young and simple

intelligence This was the first real pleasure I
.

enj oyed in my life Had it not been f or M Bafl o

. .
,

this circumstance mi ght have b een enough to

de grade my understanding ; the weakness of cre
du li ty would have become part of my mind The .

ignorance of the two others would certainly have

blunted in me the edge of a facul ty which perhaps , ,

has not carried m e very far in my after life but to ,

which alone I feel that I am indebted for every

particle Of happiness I enj oy when I look into
myself .

We reached Padua at an early hour and went

to Ottavian i s house ; his wife l oaded me with
’

caresses I found there five or six children

.
,

amongst them a girl of eight years named Marie , ,

and another of seven R ose beautiful as a seraph

, ,
.

Ten years later Marie became the wife of the

broker Colonda and Rose a few years afterwards
, , ,

marr ied a nobleman Pierre Marcello and had on e

, ,

son and two daughters one Of whom was wedded ,

to M Pierre Mon c eni go and the other to a noble

.
,

man of the Carrero family This last marriage .

was afterwards nullified I shall have in the .

,

course of events to speak Of all these persons

, ,

and that i s my reason f or mentioning their names

here.

Ottavi an i to ok us at once to the house where

I was to board It was only a few yards from his
.
 17

own residence at Sainte Marie d Avanc e in the

,
-
’
,

parish of Saint Michel in the house of an Old

-
,

Scla vonian woman who let the first floor to

,

Signora Mida wife of a Sclavonian colonel My

,
.

small trunk was l aid open before the Old woman ,

to whom was handed an inventory of all its con

tents together with six sequins f or six months
,

paid in advance For this small sum she under

.

took to f eed me to keep me clean and to send

, ,

me to a day school
-
Protesting that it was not
.

enough she accepted these terms

,
I was kissed .

and strongly commande d to b e always obedient and

docile and I was left with her
,
.

In this way did my family get rid of me .

 CHAPTER II

M Y G RANDMO T H ER C O MES T O PAD UA AND TAKES ME

,

T O DR GO Z Z I S S C H OO L — M Y FI RS T LOVE AFFAI R
’
fl
.

As soon as I was left alone with the Sclavonian

woman she took me up to the garret where sh e
, ,

pointed ou t my bed in a row with four others ,

three of which belonged to three young boys of

my age who at that moment were at school and
, ,

the fourth to a servant gi rl whose province it was

to watch us and to prevent the many pecca
dill oes in which school boys are wont to indulge
-
.

After this visit we came downstairs and I was ,

taken to the garden with permission to walk about

until dinner time -
.

I felt neither happy nor unhappy ; I had

nothing to say I had neither fear nor hope nor
.
,

even a feeling O f curiosity ; I was neither cheerful

nor sad The only thin g which grated upon me
.

was the face of the mistress of the house Al though .

I had not the faintest idea either of beauty or of

ugliness her face her countenance her to ne of
, , ,

voice her language everyth ing in that woman

, ,
 20

my disgust Having thus learned that equality in

.

everything was the rule of the house I went to ,

work like the others and began to eat the soup ou t

of the common dish and if I did not complain Of
,

th e rapidity with which my companions made it

disappear I could not hel p wondering at such in
,

equality being allowed T o follow this very poor .

soup we had a small portion Of d ried cod and on e

,

apple e ach and dinner was over : it was in Lent

,
.

We had neither glasses nor cu ps an d we all helped

‘

ourselves out Of the same earthen pitcher to a

miserable drink called graspia which is made by ,

boiling in water the stems of grapes stripped of

their fruit From the foll owing day I drank
.

nothing but water Thi s way of living surprised

.

me for I did n ot know whether I had a right to

,

complain of it .

After dinner the servant took me to the school ,

kept by a young priest Doctor Gozzi with whom , ,

the Sclavonian woman had bargained for my

school ing at the rate of forty sous a month or the ,

eleventh part of a sequin .

The first thing to do was to teach me writing ,

and I was placed amongst children of five and six

years who did not fail to turn me into ridi cule on
,

account Of my age -
.

O n my return to the boarding house I had my -

supper which as a matter of cour se was worse

, , ,

than the dinner and I could not make out why the
,

right of complaint should be denied me I was .

 21

then put to b ed bu t there three well known species

,
-

of vermin kept me awake all night besides the ra t s , ,

which running all over the garret jumped on my

, ,

bed and f airly made my blood run cold with fright .

This is the way in which I began to feel misery ,

and to learn how to su d er it patiently The .

vermin which feasted upon me lessened my fear of

, ,

the rats and by a very lucky system of com pen

,

sation the dread of the rats made me less sensitive

,

to the bites of the vermin My mi nd was rea ping .

benefit from the very struggle fought betw een the

evils which surrounded me The servant was .

perfectly deaf to my screaming .

As soon as it was daylight I ran out of the

wretched garre t and after complaining to the girl
, ,

of all I had endured during the night I asked her ,

to give me a clean shirt the one I had on being

,

disgusting to look at but she answered that I

,

could only change my linen on a Sunday and ,

laughed a t me when I threatened to complain to

the mistress For the first t ime i n my life I shed
.

tears of sorrow and of anger when I heard my ,

companions sc offin g at me The poor wretches .

shared my unhappy conditi on but they were used ,

to it and that makes all the differenc e

, .

Sorely depressed I wen t to school but o nly t o

, ,

sleep soundly through the morning O ne of my .

comrades in the hope of turning the afl air int o

,
’

ridicule at my expense told the d o c t or the reason

,

of my being so sleepy The good priest however

.
, ,
 22

to whom without doubt Providence had guided me ,

called me into his p ri vate room listened to all I ,

had to say saw with his own eyes the proofs of

,

my misery and moved by the sight of the blisters

,

whi ch disfigured my innocent skin he took u p his ,

cloak went with me to my boarding—house and

, ,

shewed the woman the state I was in She put .

on a look of great astonishment and threw all the ,

blame upon the servant The doctor being curious .

to see my bed I was as much as he was surprised

, , ,

at the filthy state of the sheets in which I had

passed the night The accursed woman went on
.

blaming the servant and said that she would ,

discharge her ; but the girl happening to be close ,

by and not relishing the accusation told her

, ‘ ,

boldly that the faul t was her own and sh e then ,

threw Open the beds of my companions to shew .

us that they did not experience any better treat

ment The mistress raving slapped her on the
.
, ,

face and the servant to b e even with her returned

, , ,

the compliment and ran away The doctor left .

me there saying that I could not enter h is school

,

unless I was sent to him as clean as the othe r

boys The result for me was a very sharp rebuke
.

with the threat as a finish ing stroke that if I ever

, ,

caused such a broil again I would be ignominiously ,

turned ou t of the house .

I could not make it ou t ; I had just entered

life and I had no knowledge of any other place bu t
,

the house in which I had been born in which I ,

 23

had b een brough t up and in which I had always

,

seen cleanliness and honest comfort Here I found .

At last the Old shrew tossed a shirt in my face ,

and an hour later I saw a new servant chan ging

the sheets after which we had ou r dinner
,
.

My school master took particular care in

instructing me He gave me a seat a t his own
.

desk and in order to shew my proper aprecia

,
~

tion of such a favour I gave myself up t o my

,

stu dies ; at the end of the first month I could

write so well that I was promote d to the grammar
cla ss
.

The new life I was leading the half starvatio n

,
-

sys tem to which I was condemned and most likely ,

more than everything else the air of Pad ua , ,

brough t me health such as I had never enj oyed

before but that very sta te of blooming health made
,

it s till more difli c ul t for me to be ar the hun ger

which I was compelled to endure ; it became u n
bearable I was growin g rapidly ; I enj oyed nine
.

hours of deep sleep unbroken by any dreams save

, ,

tha t I always fancied myself sitting a t a well

spread t able and gra tifyi ng my cruel ap pe tite but
, ,

every morning I c o uld realize in full the van ity a nd

the unpleasant disap po intment of fla ttering dreams !
This ravenous appet it e would at las t have weakened
me t o dea th had I not made up my mind t o pounce
,

upon and to swallow every kind of ea ta bles I

, ,
 24

could find whenever I was certain of not being

,

seen .

Necessity begets ingenuity I had spied in a .

cu pboard of the kitchen some fifty red herrings

I devoured them all one after the other as well ,

as all the sausages which were hanging in the

chimney to be smoked ; and in order to accomplish
those feats without being detected I was in the ,

habit of getting up at night an d of undertaki ng

my foraging expeditions un der the friendly veil of
darkness . Every new laid egg 1 could discover in
-

th e poultr y yard quite warm and scarcely dropped

-
,

by the hen was a most delici ous treat I would

,
.

even go as far as the kitchen o f the scho ol

master in the hope of pilfering somethin g to
eat
.

The Sclavonian wom an in despair a t being ,

unable to catch the thieves turned away servant ,

after servant But in spite Of all my expeditions

.
, ,

as I could n ot always find somethin g to steal I ,

was as thin as a walking skeleton .

My pr ogress at school was so rapid during

four or five months that the mas ter promoted me
to the rank of dux My pr ovince was to examine
.

the lessons of my thirty school fellows to correct -

,

their mistakes and report to the master with what

ever n ote of blame or of approval I thought they
deserved ; but my strictness did not last long for ,

idle boys soon found out the way to enl ist my

sympathy When their La tin lesson was full of
.
'
 25

mistakes they would buy me off with cutlets and

,

roast chickens ; they even gave me money Thes e .

proceedings excited my covetousness or rather , , ,

my gluttony and not satisfied with levying a tax

, ,

u pon the ignorant I became a tyrant and I re

, ,

fus ed well merited approbation to all those who

-

dec lined paying the contribution I demanded At .

last unable to bear my injustice any l onger the

, ,

boys accused me and the master seeing me con

, ,

vi c ted of extortion remov ed me from my exalted ,

po sition I.would very likely have fared badly

after my dismissal had not Fate decided to put an
,

end to my cruel apprenticeship .

Doctor Gozzi who was attached to me called

, ,

me privately on e day into his study and ask ed me ,

whether I would feel disposed to carry ou t the

advice he wo ul d give me in order t o bring about

my removal from the house of the Sclavonian

woman and my admission in his own family
,
.

Finding me deligh ted at such an o ff er he caused ,

me to copy three letters which I sent on e to ,

the Abbé Grimani another to my friend Baffo , ,

and the last to my excellent grandam The .

ha lf year was nearly out and my mother not

-
,

being in Venice at tha t period ther e was n o time

to lose .

In my letters I gave a description of all my

sufferings and I prognosticated my death were I
,

not immediately removed from my boarding house -

and placed under the care of my school master -

,

1— 5
 26

who was disposed to re c eive me ; bu t he wanted

two sequins a month .

M Grimani did not answer me and com

.
,

missioned his friend Ottaviani to scold me for

al lowing myself to be ensnared by the doctor ; bu t
M Baffo went to con sult with my grandmother
.
,

who c ould not write and in a letter which he

,

addressed to me he informed me that I would soon

find myself in a happier situation And truly
.
, ,

within a week the excellent Ol d woman who ,

l oved me until her death made her appearance as

,

I was sitting down to my dinner She came in

.

with the mistress of the house and the moment I

,

saw her I threw my arms around her neck crying ,

bitterly in which luxury the Old lady so o n j oined

,

me . She sa t down and took me on her knees ;

my courage rose again . In the presence Of the
Sclavonian woman I enumerated all my grievances ,

and after calling her attention to the food fit only ,

for beggars which I was compelled to swallow I

, ,

took her upstairs to shew her my bed I begged .

her to take m e out and give me a good dinner aft er

six months of such starvation The boarding
.

house keeper boldly as s erted that sh e could no t

a fford better for the am ount sh e had received and ,

there was truth in that but she had n o business to

keep house and to become the tormentor of poor
children who were thrown on her hands by s tingi
ness and who re quired to be properly fed
, .

My grandmo ther very quietly intimat ed her

 28

expressed her gratitude for all h is kindness and ,

we acc ompanied her as far as the burc hi ello she had

engaged to return to Venice
The family of Doctor Gozzi was c omposed of
his mother who had great reverence for him
, ,

because a peasant by birth she di d not think

, ,

hers elf worthy of having a son who was a priest ,

and still more a doctor in divinity ; she was plain ,

old and cross ; and of his father a shoemaker by

, ,

trade working all day long a n d never addres sing a

,

word to anyone not even during the meals He

, .

Only b ecame a sociable being on holidays on ,

which occasions he would spend his time with his

friends in some tavern coming home at mi dnight
,

as drunk as a lord and singing verses from Tasso .

When in this blissful state the good man could n ot

make up his mind to go to bed and became violent
,

if anyone attempted to compel him to lie down .

Wine alone gave him sense and spirit f or when ,

sober he was incapable of attending to the simplest

family matter and his wife often said that he never
,

would have married h er had not his friends taken

care to give him a go o d breakfast before he went
to th e Church .

But Doctor Gozzi had also a sister called ,

Bettina who at the age of thirteen was pretty

, ,

lively and a gre at reader of romances Her father

,
.

and mother scolded her constantly because she was

too often looking ou t of the window an d the ,

doctor did the same on account Of her love for

 29

reading This girl took at once my fancy with o ut

.

my knowing W hy and little by little she kindled in

,

my heart the first spark of a passion which after ,

wards became in me the ruling one

,
.

Six months a fter I had been an inmate in the

house the doctor found himself wi th o ut scholars ;
,

they all went away because I had become the sole

obj ect of his a ffection He then determined to .

establish a college and to receive y o ung b o ys as

,

boarders ; but two years passed before he met with

any success During that period he taught me
.

everything he k new ; true it was not much ; yet ,

it was enough to open to me the high road to all

sciences He likewise taught me the violin an
.
,

accomplishment which proved very useful to me in

a peculiar circumstance the pa rticulars of which I ,

will give in good time The excellent doc tor wh o .

,

was in no way a philosopher made me study the ,

logic Of the Peripatetics and the cosmography of ,

the ancient system of Ptolemy at which I would ,

l augh teazing the po or doct o r with theorems to

,

which he could find no answer His habits m o re .

,

over were irreproachable and in all things

, ,

connected with religion although no bigot h e was , ,

of the grea test strictness and admitting everything , ,

as an article of faith nothing appeared d ifficult to

,

his co nception He believed the deluge to have b een

.

universal and he thought tha t before that great

, ,

cataclysm men lived a thousand years and con

,

versed with God that No ah to ok one hundred

,
 3 0

years to build the ark an d tha t th e ea rth , ,

suspended in the air is firmly held in the very

,

centre of the uni verse whi ch God had created from

nothing When I would say and prove that it was
.

absurd to believe in the existence of nothingness ,

he woul d sto p me short and c all me a fool .

He could enj oy a go o d bed a glass of wine , ,

and cheerfulness at home He did not admire fine

.

wits good j ests or criticism because it easily turns

, ,

to slander and he would l a ugh at the folly of men

,

reading newspa pers which in hi s opinion a lways, ,

lied and constantly repeated the same things He .

“

asserted that nothi ng was more t roublesome than

incertitude and ther efore he condemned thought
,

because it gives birth to doubt .

H i s ruling passion was preaching f or which ,

h is face and his voice qualified him ; hi s congrega

tion was almost entirely composed of women of
whom however he was the sworn enemy ; so
, ,

much so that he would not loc k them in the face

,

even when he spoke to them Weakne ss of the .

fl esh and fornication appeared to him the mos t

monstrous of sins and he would be very angry if I
,

dared to assert that in my estimation they were

, ,

the most venial of faults H i s sermons were.

crammed with passages from the G reek authors ,

which he translated into Latin O ne day I .

ventured to remark that those passages ought to

be translated into Italian because women did n ot,

understand Latin a ny more tha n Greek bu t he ,

 3 1

t o ok offence and I never had afterwards the

,

courage to allude any more to the ma tter More .

over h e praised me to his friends as a wonder ,

because I h a d learned to read Greek alone without ,

any assistance but a gramma r .

During Lent in the year 1 7 3 6 my mother

, ,

wrote to the doctor ; and as sh e was on the point

,

of her depar ture for St Petersburg sh e wished to

.
,

see me and requested him t o accompany me to

,

Venice for three or four days This invitati o n set

.

him thinking for he had never seen Venic e

, ,

never frequented good company and yet he did ,

not wish to appear a novice in anything We .

we re soon ready to leave Padua and all the family ,

escor ted us to the burchi elto .

My mother received the doctor with a mos t

friendly welcome ; but she wa s strikingly beautiful ,

and my poor master felt very uncomfortable not ,

daring to l oo k her in the fa ce and yet called upon

,

to converse wi th her She saw the dilemma he

.

was in and thought sh e would have some amus in g

,

sport about i t should opportunity present itself I .

,

in the meantime drew the attention of everyone in

,

her circle ; everybody had known me a s a fo o l a nd ,

was amazed at my impr o vement in the short space

’

of two years The doc tor was overj oyed because

.
,

he saw that the full credit of my transformation

wa s given to him .

The first thing wh i ch struck my mother u n

pleasantly was my ligh t coloured wig which wa s
-
,
 3 2

n ot in harmo ny wi th my dark complexion and ,

.

contrasted most woeful ly with my black eyes an d

eyebrows S h e inquired from the docto r why I
.

did not wear my own hair and he answered that , ,

with a wi g it was easier f or h is sister to keep me

,

clean Everyone smil ed at the simplicity of the

.

answer but the merriment increas ed when to the

, ,

question made by my mother whether hi s sister

was married I took the answer upon myself and
, ,

s aid that Bettin a was th e pretti est girl of Padua _

~
,

and was onl y fourteen years of age My mother .

promi se d the docto r a splendi d present for h is

sister on condition that sh e wo ul d let me wear my
own hair and he promi sed that her wishes wo ul d
,

be complied with The peruke maker was then .

-

called and I had a wig which matched my com

,

plexi on .

Soon afterwards all the gues ts b egan to play

cards with the exception of my master and I went
, ,

to see m v brothers in my grandmother s room ’

.

Frangms shewed me some architec tural designs

which I pretended to admire ; Jean had nothi ng to
shew me and I thought him a rather insignificant
,

boy The others were sti ll very young

.
.

At the supper table the doc tor seated next to

-
, ,

my mother was very awkward He would very

, .

likely not have said one word had not an English ,

man a writer of talent addressed him in Latin ;

, ,

but the docto r being u nable to make hi m o ut,

,

modestly answered that he did not un derstand

 3 3

English whi ch caused much hi larity

,
M B affo . .
,

however explain ed the puzzle by te lling u s tha t

,

Englishmen read and pronounced La ti n in th e

same way that they read and spo ke their own
language and I remarked that Englishmen were
,

wrong as much as we wo ul d be if we pretended to ,

read and to pronounce their language according

to Latin rules The Englishman pleased with my
.
,

reasoning wrote down the following Old coup let

, ,

and gave it to me to read

D i oi ta gram mati ci cu r mas cu lo nomi na cu nn/
, , us ,

Et ou r femin eu m m entu la nom en habet

'

After reading it aloud I exclaimed This is , ,

”
Latin indeed .

“ ”
We know tha t “
said my mother but can
, ,
”
you expla in i t ,
“
To explain it is n ot enough ”
I answered ; ,
“ ”
it is a question which is worthy of an answer .

And aft er considering for a moment I wrot e the ,

following pen tameter

Dis be quad d domi no n omi na serous habet .

This was my first l iterary exploit and I may ,

sa
y tha t in that very instant the seed of my love
for literary fame was sown in my brea st for the ,

applause lavished upon me exalted me to th e very

pinnacle of happin ess The Englishman quite
.

amazed at mv answer said tha t no boy of eleven

,

years had ever accomplished such a feat embraced ,

me repeatedly and presen ted me with his watch

, .

My mother inquisitive like a wo m an asked

,
,
 3 4

M Grimani to t ell her the meaning of the li ne s

.
,

but as the abbé was not any wiser than sh e was

M Baffo translated it in a whisper Surprised at
.
‘
.

my knowledge sh e r o se from her chair to g et a

,

valuable gold watch and presented to my mas ter ,

who no t knowing how to express hi s d eep grati

,

tude tre a ted u s to the most comi c scene

,
My .

mother in order to save hi m from the difli culty of

,

paying her a compliment o ff ered him her cheek ,

.

He had only to give her a co uple of kiss es the ,

easiest and the most innocent thing in go o d com

pany but the poor man was on burning coals ,

and so completely out of countenance that he

would I truly believe rather have died than giv e
, ,

the kisses He drew back with h is head down

.
,

and he was allowed t o remain in peace until we

retired for the nigh t .

When we found ourselves alone in o ur r oo m ,

he poured out hi s heart and exclaimed tha t i t was

,

a pity he could not publish in P a du a the di stich

and my answer .

“ ”
And why no t ? I said .

“
Bec a use both a re Obscene .

“ ”
But they are sublim e .

“
Let u s go to bed and speak no more on the
subject Y our answer was wonderful because you
.
,

cannot possibly know anything of the subj ect in

ques tion or Of the manner in which verses ough t to
,

”
b e written .

As far as the subj ect was concerned I knew i t ,

 6

say that I was getting stouter and woul d have ,

the proof of it with her own hands sh e caused me ,

the most intense emotion ; but I said noth ing for ,

fear she would remark my sensitiveness an d when

she wo ul d go on sayi ng that my skin was soft th e ,

tickling sensation made me draw back an gry with ,

myself that I did not dare to do the same to her ,

but delighted at her not guessing h ow I longed to

do it When I was dressed she Often gave me the
.
,

sweetest ki sses calling me her darling child but

,
’

whatever wish I had to follow her example I was ,

not yet bold enough Af ter some time however

.
, ,

Bettina laughin g at my timi di ty I became more ,

daring and returned her ki sses with interest but I ,

always ga ve way th e moment I felt a wish to go

f urther ; I then would turn my head pretending to ,

lo ok f or something and sh e would go away She

, .

was scarcely ou t of the room before I was in .

despair at not having followed the incl inati on of

my nature and astonished at the fact that Bettin a
, ,

coul d do to me all she was in the habit of doing

without feeling any excitement fr om it whi le I ,

could hardly refrain from pushing my attacks

further I would every day deter mi ne to change my
,

way of acti ng .

In the early part of autumn the docto r re ceiv ed

,

three new boarders ; and one of them wh o was ,

fifteen years old appeared to me in less than a

,

month on very friendly terms with Bettin a .

This circumst ance caused me a feeling of whi ch

 3 7

until then I had no i dea and which I only analyzed

'

a few years afterwards '

It was neither j ealousy
.

nor indignation but a noble contempt wh i ch I

,

thought ought not to be repressed because C ordiani , ,

an ignorant coarse boy, without talent or po lite

,

education the son of a simple farmer and

, ,

incapab l e of competing with me in anything ,

having over me but the advantage of dawn ing

manhood did no t appear to me a fit person to be
,

preferred to me ; my young self esteem whispered -

that I was above him I b egan to nurse a feeling

.

of pride mixed with contempt which told agains t

Be ttin a whom I loved unknown to myself
,
She .

soon guessed it from the way I would receive her

caresses when she came t o comb my hair while I
,

was in b ed ; I would repulse her hands and no ,

longer return her kisses O ne day vexed a t my .

,

answering her question as to the reason of my

change towards her by sta ting that I had no cause ‘

for it she t old me in a tone of com m iseration th at

,

I was j e alous of Cordiani This reproach sounded .

to me like a debasing slander I an swered that .

C ordi an i was in my es ti m
, ation as worthy of her ,

as she was worthy of him She went away smiling .

,

bu t revolving in her mind the only way by which

,

she cou l d be revenged she th ought herself bound

,

to render me jealous However as sh e could not

.
,

attain such an end without making me fall in love

with her this is the policy she adopted
, .

O ne morning sh e came to me as I was in bed

 3 8

and brought me a pair of white s to ckings of her

own kn itting After dressing my hair she aske d
.
,

my permission to try the stockings on herself in ,

order to correct any deficiency in the other pairs

she intended to knit for me The doctor had gon e .

ou t to say hi s mass As sh e was puttin g o n the.

stocking she remarked that my legs were not

,

clean and wi thou t anv more ado she immediately

,

began to wash them I would have been ashamed .

to let her see my bashfulness ; I let her do as sh e

'

liked not f orseeing what would happen Bettina

,
.
,

seat ed on my bed carried too far her love f or ,

cleanliness and her curiosity caused me such

,

intense voluptuousness that the feeling did not stop

until it could be carried no further Having .

rec overed my calm I bethought myself that I was

,

guilty and b egged her forgiveness She did n ot .

expect this and after considering f or a few

, ,

moments she told me k indly that the fault was

,

entirely her own but tha t she never would again

,

be guilty of it And sh e went out of the room

. .

leavin g me to my own thoughts .

They were of a cruel charact er It seemed t o .

me that I had brough t dish onour u po n Bettina ,

that I had bet rayed the confidence of her fa m ily ,

offended against the sacred laws of hospitality that ,

I was guilty Of a most wicked crime which I could ,

only atone for by marrying her in case Bettina

,

could make up her mind to accept f or her husband

a wre tch unwor thy of her .
 3 9

These though ts led to a deep melancholy which

went on increasing from day to day Bettina ,

having entirely c eased her morning visits by my

bedside During the first week I could easily
.
,
’
account for the girl s reserve and my sadness , ‘

would soon have taken the character of the warmest

love had not her manner towards Gordiani in ocu
,

lated in my veins the poison of j ealousy al though I ,

never dreamed Of accusing her of the same crime

towards him that she had c p mm ited upo n me .

I f elt con vinced after due consideration that

, ,

the act she had b een guilty of with me had been

deliberately done and tha t her f eelings of repent
,

ance kept her away from me This convict ion was .

rather flattering to my vanity as it ga ve me the ,

hope of being l oved and the en d of all my c o m

,

m u nings was that I made up my mind t o wri te t o

her and thus to gi ve her courage
, .

I composed a letter short but calcula ted t o , ,

restore peace t o her mind whether she thought

'

herself guilty or suspected me of feelings cont rary

,

to those which her dignity migh t expec t from me .

My l etter was in my own estimation a perfect

, ,

masterpiece and just the kind of epistle by which

,

I was ce rtain t o conquer her very a dorat ion and ,

to sink for ever the sun of Cordiani whom I c o uld ,

not ac cept as the sor t of being likely to make her

hesitate for on e instant in her choice between
him and me Half an hour after the receip t of my
.
- -

let ter she told me herself that the nex t morning

,
 40

sh e would pay me her usual visit but I wait ed in ,

vain This conduct provoked me almost to mad

.

ness but my surprise w as indeed great when at

, ,

the breakfas t table she asked me whether I would

,

let her dress me up as a girl to accompany her

five or six days later to a ball for which a neighbour
of ou r Doctor O livo had sent letters of invitation
, ,
.

Everybody having seconded the motion I gave my ,

con sent I th Ou ght this arrangement woul d afford

.

a favourable opportun ity f or an explana ti on for ,

mutual vindication and wo ul d open a d oo r f or the

,

most c omplete reconciliation wi thout fear of any ,

surprise arising from the proverbial weakn ess Of

the flesh But a most unexp ected circumstance
.

prevented ou r attending the ball and brough t forth

'

a comedy with a truly tragic turn .

Doctor Goz zi s godfather a man advanced in

’
,

age and in easy circumstances residing in the

, ,

country thought himself after a severe illnes s

, ,
.

very near his end and sent to the doctor a c arri age
,

with a request to come to him at once with his

father as he W i shed them t o be present at his
,

death and to pray for hi s departing soul The Ol d

, .

shoemaker drained a bottle donn ed hi s Sunday ,

cloth es and went ofi with hi s son

, .

I thought this a favourable opp ortuni ty and

determined to impr ove it considering that the ,

night of the ball was too remote to suit my

impati ence I therefore man aged to tell Bettina
.

that I would leave aj ar the door of my ro o m a nd ,

 41

that I would wai t for her as soon as everyo ne in

the house had gone t o bed She pr o mised to c o me . .

She slep t on the gro un d floor in a small closet

divi ded only by a par tit ion from her father s
’

chamber ; the doct or being away I was alone in ,

the large room The three b o arders had their

.

apartment in a difl erent par t of the house a nd I ,

had therefore no misha p to fear I was delight ed .

at the idea tha t I had a t last reached the m o men t

so ardently des ired .

The instant I was in my r o om I bolt ed my

door and o pened the one leading t o the passage so ,

tha t Be ttina should have o nly to push it in order

to come in ; I then p ut my light ou t but did n o t ,

undress .

W hen we read of such situ ations in a romance

we th ink they are exagger a ted ; they are n ot so ,

and the passage in which Arios to represent s R o ger

waiting for Alcine i s a be au tiful p i c ture pa inted
fro m na ture .

Until midnigh t I wa ited withou t feel in g much

anxiety ; bu t I heard the clock strike two three , ,

four O clock in the morning without seeing Bettina ;

’

my blood began to boil and I was soon in a s tat e of

, ‘

furi ous rage I t was sn o wing hard bu t I shock

.
,

from passion more than from c old O ne h o ur .

before day break unable t o mast er any longer my

-
,

impat ience I m ade up my mind t o go do wns ta irs

,

with bare feet so as n ot to wake the do g and t o

, ,

place mysel f at the b otto m o f the s ta irs wi thi n a

1 —6
 42

yard of Bettina s do or whi ch ough t to have been

’
,

opened if she had gone out of her room I .

reached the door ; it was clos ed an d as it could be ,

lo cked only from inside I imagined tha t Bettina

had fallen asleep I was on the po in t of knocking
.

at the door but was prevented by fear of rousing

,

the dog as from that door to that of her closet

,

there was a distance of three or four yards O ver .

whelmed with grief and unable to t ak e a decision

, ,

I sat down on the last step of the s tairs ; bu t at

day break chilled benumbed shivering wi th cold
-
, , , ,

afraid that the servant would see me and would

think I was mad I determined to go back to my
,

room I arise but at that very momen t I hear

.
,

s ome noise in B e tt ina s room Cert ain tha t I am ’

.

going t o see her and hope lending me n ew strength

, ,

I draw nearer to the door It opens ; but inst ead .

of Bettina coming ou t I see C ordiani who gives ,

me s uch a furious ki ck in the st omach that I am

thrown at a distance deep in the snow Without .

s topping a single ins tant Cordiani i s off and l ocks ,

himself up in the room which he shared with the

brothers Feltrini .

I pick myself up quickly wi th the int ention

of taki ng my revenge upon Bettina whom no thing ,

could have saved from the effects o f my rage a t

that moment Bu t I find her door locked ; I ki ck
.

vigorously a gainst it the dog s tart s a loud barking

, ,

and I make a hurried retrea t t o my room in wh ich ,

I lock mys elf up thr owing myself in bed to ,

 44

adventure still in my mind I hardly kn ew wha t to ,

think I had no knowledge of human nature n o

. ,
-

kn owledge of artifice and tricks and I c o uld n o t ,

understand how I found myself coolly witnessing

such a scene and composedly calm in the presen ce
,

of two beings on e of whom I intended to kill and

,

the o ther to dishonour A t the end of an h o ur .

Bettina fell asleep .

A nurse and Doc to r O livo came s oo n after .

The first said that the convulsions were caused by

hyst erics but the doct or said no and prescribed
, ,

res t and cold baths I said nothing but I co ul d.

,

no t refrain from laughing at them f or I knew or , ,

’
rather gues sed that Bettina s sickness was the
,

res ul t of her no cturn a l employment or of th e ,

frigh t which sh e mu st have felt a t my meet ing

with C ordiani At all event s I determined to
.
,

po stpone my revenge un til the return of her

brother although I h a d n ot the slight est suspici o n
,

that her illness was all sham f or I did n ot give her ,

credit for so much cleverness .

T O return t o my r o om I h a d to p ass through

Bettina s closet and seeing her dress handy o n th e
’
,

bed I took it into my head to search her p o cket s .

I found a small no t e and rec o gnizing C ordi ani s ,

’

handwriting I took po ssession of it to read i t in

,

my room I marvelled at the gi rl s impruden ce

.
’
,

for her m o ther might have discovered it and being ,

unable to read would very likely have gi ven it t o

the doctor her son I though t she must have
, .
 45

t aken leave her senses bu t my feelings m a y be

of ,

appreciated when I read the fol lowing words : As

your father is away it is not necessary t o leave
your door ajar as usual When we leave the
.

supper table I will go to your closet ; you will find

-

me there .

When I recovered from my stupor I gave way

to an irresistible fit of laughter and seeing h ow ,

completely I had been duped I th o ugh t I wa s

cured of my love C ordiani a ppeared t o me de
.

serving of forgiveness and Bettina of cont empt

,
.

I congratulated myself upon ha vi ng received a

lesson of such impo rtance for the remainder o f my
life
. I even went so far as t o ackn owledge t o
myself tha t Bettina had been quite right in giving
the preference t o C ordiani wh o wa s fifteen years
,

ol d while I was only a child

, Yet in spit e of my
.
,

good dispositions to forgiveness the kick ad ,

min i stered by Gordiani was still heavy upon my

memory and I c o uld not help keeping a grudge
,

agains t him .

At noon as we were a t dinner in the k itchen

, ,

where we took our meals on account of the cold

weather Bettina began again t o raise piercing
,

screams .Everybody rushed to her room bu t I ,

quietly ke pt my sea t and finish ed my dinner after ,

which I went t o my studies In the evening when I

.

came down to supper I found that Be ttina s bed had ’

been brought to the ki tchen close by her mother s ; ’

but it was no c o ncern of mine and I rema ined ,

 46

likewise p erfec tly indi fferent to the noise made

during the night and to the confusion which took
,

place in the morning when sh e had a fresh fit of,

convulsions .

Doctor G ozzi and his father returned in the

evening Cordiani wh o felt un easy came to in
.
, ,

quire from me what my intentions wer e but I ,

rushed towards hi m with an open penkni fe in my

hand and he beat a hasty retreat I had entirely
,
.

abandoned the idea o f relating the night s scan ’

dal ou s adventure to the doctor for such a proj ect I ,

co ul d only entertain in a moment of excitement and

rage The next day the mother came in while we
.

were at ou r lesson and told the doctor after a

, ,

lengthened preamble that she had discovered the

,
’
character of her daughter s illness ; th at it was
caused by a spell thrown over her bv a witch and ,

that she knew the witch well .

“
It may be my dear mother but we must be
, ,

careful not to make a mistake W h o i s the .

”
witch ?
“
O ur ol d servant and I have just had a proof
,

How 80
I have barre d the door Of my room with
two broomsticks placed in the shape of a cross ,

which sh e must have undone to go in ; but when

she saw t h em sh e drew back and she went round ,

by the other door It is evident that were sh e

.
,

n ot a witch.
sh e would n ot be afraid of touching
,
”
them .
 47

It n ot complete evidence dear m other ;

is ,
”
send the woman t o me .

The servant made her appearance .

“ ” “
Why said the docto r
, did you n ot enter ,

my mother s room this morning through the usual

’

door
“
I do not know what you mean .

’
Did you not see St Andrew s cross on the .

”
What cross is that ?
It is useless to plead ignorance said the ,
“
mother ; where did you sleep last Thursday
”
nigh t ?
“
At my niece s who had just been confined
’
,
.

“
Nothing of th e sort You were at th e .

’
witches Sabbath ; you are a witch and have ,

bewitched my daughter .

The poor woman indignant at such an accusa

,

tion spits at her mi stress s face ; the mistress

,
’
,

enraged gets hold of a stick to gi ve the servant a

,

d rubbing : the doctor endeavours to keep his

mother back but he is compelled to let her loose
,

and to ru n after the servant who was hurrying ,

down the st airs screaming and howli ng in order

,

to rouse the neighbours ; he catches her and finally ,

succee ds in pacifying her with some money .

Af ter th i s comical bu t ra ther scandalou s ex

h ib iti on the doctor donned his vestment s for the
,

purpose of exorcising his sister and Of ascertaining

whether she was truly possessed of an unclean
 48

spirit The novelty of this mystery a ttrac t ed the

.

whole of my attention All the inm ates of the

.

house appeared to me either mad or stupid f o r I ,

could not for the life of me imagin e that diabolical

, ,

spirits were dwelling in Bettina s body When we ’

.

drew near her bed her breathing had to all ap

, ,

a a n stopped an d the exorcisms O f her br o ther

p e r ,c e ,

did not restore it Doctor O livo happened to come

.

in at that moment and inquired whether he would

,

be in the way ; he was answered in the negative ,

provided he had faith Upon whi ch he left saying

.
,

that he had no faith in any miracles except in those

of the Gospel .

Soon after Doctor Gozzi went to his room ,

and fin ding myself alone with Bettina I bent down

over her bed and whispere d in her ear
“
Take courage get well again and rely upon
, ,
”
my discretion .

She turned her head towards the wall and did

not answer me but the day passed off without any
,

more convul sions I thought I had cured her but

.
,

on the foll owing day the frenzy went up to the

brain and in her delirium sh e pronounced at
,

ran dom Greek and Latin words without any

meaning and then n o doubt whatever was enter
,

tain ed of her being possessed of the evil spirit .

Her mother went ou t and returned soon a ecom ,

p a n i ed by the most renowned exorcist of Padua a ,

very ill featured Capuchin call ed Friar Prospero

-
,

da Bovolenta .
 49

The moment Bett in a saw the exorcist sh e ,

burst int o loud laugh ter and addressed t o h im ,

the most Offensive insult s which fairly delighted ,

everybody as the devil alone could be b old enough

,

to a ddress a Capuchin in such a manner ; bu t the

holy man hearing himself called an obtrusive
,

ignoramus and a stinkard went on striking Bettina ,

with a heavy crucifix saying tha t he was beating

,

the devil He stopped only when he saw her on

.

the point Of hurl ing at him the ch a mber utensil

“
wh ich she had just seized If it is the devil who
.

” “
has Ofl en ded thee with his words she said resent , ,

the insul t with words likewise j ackass that thou ,

art but if I have ofi en ded thee myself learn

, , ,

stupid booby that thou mus t respec t me and be

, ,
”
off at once .

I could see p o or Doct o r Gozzi blushing ; the

friar however held hi s gr o und and a rmed at all
, , , ,

poin t s began to read a terrible exorcism at the end

, ,

of which he c o mmanded the devil to sta t e h i s nam e .

“ ”
My name is Be ttina .

It cannot be f or it i s the name of a ba ptized

,

Then thou art of o p inion tha t a devil must

rej oice in a masculine name ? Learn ignorant ,

friar tha t a devil is a sp irit and d o es no t belong

, ,

to eith er sex Bu t as thou bel i evest that a devil

.

is speaking t o thee through my lips promise to ,

answer me with t ruth and I will eng age to give

,

way before thy incan ta tions .

 50

Very well I agree to this

, .

Tell me then art thou think ing that thy

, ,
”
knowledge is greater than mi ne ?
“
N0 but I believe myself more po werful in
,

the name of the holy Trinity and by my sacred ,

”
character .

“
If thou art more powerful than I then ,

prevent me from telling thee unpalatable truths .

Thou art very vain of thy beard thou art combing ,

’
and dr essing it ten times a day and thou woul d st ,

n ot shave half of it to get me ou t of th is body .

”
Cut off thy beard and I pr omi se to come ou t
, .

“
Father of lies I wil l increase thy punishment
,

a h un dred fold .

“
I dare thee to do it .

Af ter saying these words Bettina broke into ,

such a loud peal of laughter that I coul d n ot re ,

fra in from j oining in it The Capuchin turnin g .

,

towards Doctor Gozzi told him that I was wanting

,

in faith and that I ought to leave the room ; which

,

I did remarking that he had guessed rightly I

,
.

was not yet out of the room when the friar offered
his hand to B ettina for h er to kiss and I had the ,

pleasure of seeing her spit upon it .

This strange girl full of extraordinary talent

, .

made rare sport of the friar without causing au v ,

surprise to anyone as all her answers were attri

,

buted to the devil I could not conceive wha t her

.

purpose was in playing such a part .

The Capuchin dined with us and during the ,

 52

ball disgui sed as a girl or I will give y o u a sight

, ,
”
which will caus e you to weep .

I wait ed until the doctor was asleep and I

,
“
wrot e the following answer : I cannot go to the
ball because I have fully made up my min d to
.

av0 1 d every opportunity of being alone with you .

As for the painful sight wi th which you threaten to

entertain me I believe you capable of keeping your
,

word but I entrea t you to spare my heart f or I

, ,

love you as if you were my sister I have forgiven

.

yo ,
u dear Bettina and
,
I wish to forget everything .

I enclose a note which you must be delight ed to

h ave again in your possession You see what
.

ri sk you were running when you left it in your

pocket .This restitution must convince you of
my friendship .
 CHAPTER III

BET T INA IS SUPPOS ED TO GO M AD— FATHER

M A N C IA fl
T H E S M A LL -
POX — I LEAVE PADUA

B ET T I N A must have been in despair not know ,

ing into wh o se hands her letter had fallen ; t o

re turn it to her and thus to a llay her a nxiety wa s ,

therefore a grea t proof Of friendship ; but my

generosity a t the same time tha t it freed her fr o m
,

a keen sorrow mus t have caused her an other quite

,

as dreadful for she knew that I was mast er o f her

,

secre t C ordiani s le tter was per fectly explicit ; it

.
’

gave the strongest evidence that sh e was in the

habit of receiving him every night and theref o re ,

the story she had p repared to deceive me was

useless I felt it was so and being dispo sed to
.
, ,

calm her anxiety as far as I could I Went to her ,

bedside in the morning and I placed in her hands,

C ordian i s note and my answer t o her letter

’
.

’
The girl s spirit and talent had won my esteem
I could no longer despise her ; I saw in her only a
po or creature seduced by her na tur a l temperament .

She loved man a nd was t o be p itied only on

,
 54

account of the con sequences Believing that the .

view I took of the situa tion was a right on e I had ,

resigned myself like a reasonable being an d n ot ,

like a disappointed l over The shame was f or h er .

and not f or me I had only one wish namely to

.
, ,

find ou t whether the two brothers Feltrini Cor .

,
’ ’
di ani s companions had likewise shared Bettina s ,

favours .

Bettina put on throughou t the day a cheerful

and happy look In the ev ening sh e dressed herself
.

for the ball ; but suddenly an attack of sickness ,

whether feigned or real I did not know compelled ,

her to go to bed and frightened everybody in the

,

house As for myself knowing the whole a ffair I

.
, ,

was prepared f or new scenes and indeed f or sad ,

ones f or I felt that I had obtained over her a

,

power repugnant to her vani ty and self love I -

.

must however confess that in spite of the ex

, , ,

c el l ent school in which I found myself before I had

attained manhood and which ought to have give n ,

me experience as a shield for the future I have ,

through the whole of my life been the dupe of

women Twelve years ago if it had n ot been for
.
,

my guardi an angel I would have foolishly married ,

a young thoughtless girl with whom I had fal len

, ,

in love Now that I am seventy two years Old I

.
-

believe myself no longer susceptible of such follies ;

but al a s ! that is the very thing which causes me
,
?

to be mi serable .

The next day the wh ole family was deeply

 55

grieved because the devil of whom Bettina was

,

possessed had made himself master of her reason .

Doctor Gozzi told me that th ere could not be the

shadow of a doub t that his unfortunate sister was
possessed as if she had only been mad sh e never
, , ,

would have so cruelly ill trea ted the Ca puchin -

,

Prospero and b e determined to plac e her under

,

the care of Father Mancia .

This Mancia was a celebrated J ac ob in ! or

Dominican ) exorcist who enj oyed th e repu tation
,

o f never having failed to cure a girl possessed of

the demon .

Sunday had come ; Be ttina had made a good

dinner but she had been frantic all through the
,

day. Towards midnight her father came home ,

singing Tasso as usual an d so drunk that he could ,

not stand He went up t o Bettina s bed and after

.
’
,

kissing her a ffectionat ely he said to her : Thou

”
ar t not mad my girl ,
.

Her answer was that he was not drunk .

“
Thou art p oss essed of the devil my dear ,

Yes fa ther and you alone can cure me

, , .

“ ”
W ell I am ready ,
.

Upon this ou r shoemaker begins a theological

discourse expatia ting upon the power of faith and
,

upon the virtue of the paternal blessing He .

throws off his cloak takes a crucifix with one ,

hand places the other over the head of his

,

daugh ter and a ddr esses the devil in such an

,
 56

amusing way that even hi s wife always a stu pid , ,

dull cross grained ol d woman had to laugh till

,
-
,

the tears came down her cheeks The two per .

formers in the comedy alone were not laughing ,

and their serious coun tenance added to the fun of

the performance I marvelled at Bettin a ! who
.

was always ready to enj oy a goo d laugh ) h a ving

sufficient control over herself to remain calm and
grave . Doctor Gozzi had also given way to
merriment but begged th a t the far ce shoul d come
to an end f or he deemed that h i s fa ther s c ecen
’
,

tri citi es were as many profanations agains t the

sacre dn ess of exorcism At last the exorcis t . .

doubtless tired out went to bed saying that he

,

was certain that the devil wo ul d no t dis turb hi s

daughter during the nigh t .

O n the morrow just as we had fin ished our

,

breakfast Father Mancia made h is appearance

,
.

Doct or Gozzi fol lowed by the whole family es

, ,

corted hi m
’
to his sister s bedside As for me ,

I was entirely taken up by the face o f the monk .

Here i s his port rait Hi s figure was tall and

'

majestic hi s age about thi rty ; he had light hair

,

and blue eyes ; his features were those of Apoll o ,

but without h i s pride and assumi ng haughtiness

h i s complexion dazzling white was pale bu t that
, , ,

paleness seemed to have been given for the very

purpose of sho wing off the red coral of his lips ,

through which coul d be seen when they opened , ,

two r o ws of pearls He was neither thin nor stou t

.
,
 57

and the habitual sadness of his countenance en

hanced its sweetness His ga it was slow his a ir
.
,

timi d an indication of the great modesty o f his

,

m ind .

When we entered the room Bettina was asleep ,

or pretended to be so Father Manci a t ook a .

sprinkler and threw over her a few drops of holy

water ; she opened her eyes looked at the monk , .

and closed them immediately ; a little while aft er

she opened them again had a better look a t him
, ,

laid herself on her back le t her arms droop do wn ,

gently and with her head prettily bent on one side

,

she fell into the sweetest of slumbers .

The exorcis t s tanding by the bed t ook o u t of

, ,

hi s po cket his ritual and the s t ole which h e put

round hi s neck then a reliquary which he placed
, ,

on the bosom of the sleeping girl , and with t he air

of a saint he begged all of us to fall on our knee s

and to pray so that God should let him kno w

,

whether the pa tien t was possessed or only labouring

u n der a natural disease He kept us kneeling for.

half an hour reading all the time in a low tone of

,

voice B ettina did not stir

. .

Tired I suppose o f the performance he de

, , ,

sired to speak privately with Doct or Gozzi They ‘

passed into the next room out of which they ,

emerged after a quarter of an hour brough t bac k ,

bv a loud peal of laughter from the mad girl who , ,

when she saw them turned her back on them

, .

Father Mancia smil ed dipped the sprinkler o ver

,

1— 7
 58

and over in the holy water gave u s all a generous ,

shower and took his leave

,
.

Doctor Gozzi told u s that the exorcist would

come again on the morrow and that he had ,

pro mi sed to deliver Bettina within three hours if

sh e were truly possessed of the demon but that he ,

made no promise if it should turn ou t to be a case

of madness The mother exclaimed that he w o ul d
.

surely deliver her and sh e poured out her th anks

,

to God for having allowed her the grace of b e

holding a saint before her death .

The following day Bettina was in a fine

frenzy She began to utter the most extravagant
.

speeches that a poet could imagine a nd did not ,

stop when the charming exorcis t came into her

room ; he seemed to enj oy her foolish talk for a
few minut es after which having armed himself
, ,

cap— ci pi e
-
he begged us to withdraw H is order
, .

was obeyed instan tly ; we left the chamber and ,

the door remained open But wha t did it matter ?

.

Who would have been bold enough to go in ?

During thr ee long hours we heard nothing ;
the stillness was unbroken At noon the monk .

called u s in Bettina was there sad and very quiet

.

while the exorcist packed up hi s things He took .

his departure sayi ng he had very good hopes of

,

the case and requesting that the doctor w o uld send

,

him n ews of the patient Bettina partook of dinner

.

i n her b ed got up f or supper and the nex t day

, ,

behaved herself rationally bu t the foll owi ng cir

 60

shadow of peace t o which I asp ire NO on e fr o m

.

this house must confess to Father Mancia you

alone can prevent the execution of that proj ec t and ,

I need not sugges t the way to succeed It will

.

prove whether you have some friendship for me .

I could n ot expre ss the pity I felt f or the po or

gi rl
,
as I read that note
. In spite of that feeling ,
“
this is what I answered I can well under
stand that notwithstanding the inviolability of
,

’
conf ession you r mothe r s proposal should cau se you
,

great anxiety ; but I cannot see why in order t o

,

p revent its execution yo u should depend upon me

,

rather than upon Cordi ani wh o has expressed hi s

acceptance of it All I can promise you i s that I
.

will no t be o ne of those who may go to Father

Mancia ; bu t I have no influence over your lover ;
”
you alone can speak to him .

“
She replied : I have never addressed a word
to Cordiani since the f atal night which has sealed
my misery and I never will speak to him again
, ,

even if I could by so doing rec over my lost

happ iness. To you alone I wish to be indebted
”
for my life and for my honour .

This girl appeared to me more wonderful than

al l the heroines of whom I had read in novels It .

seemed to m e tha t sh e was making sport of me

with the most barefaced efl rontery I thought sh e
.

was tryi ng to fetter me again wi th her chains ; and

although I had no inclina tion f or them I made u p ,

my mind to render her the service sh e cl a imed

 61

a t my h ands and which

,
bel ieved I alo ne co ul d
sh e

compass She felt certain of succes s but in what

.
,

school had she obtained her experience of the

human heart ? Was i t in re a ding novel s ? Most
likely the reading of a certain class of n o vels ca uses
the ruin o f a great m a ny y o ung girls but I am o f
,

opinion that from good romances they a cquire

graceful manners and a knowledge of society .

Having made up my mind t o she w her every

kin dn ess in my p o wer I took an oppor tunity as we
, ,

were un dressing f or the night of telling D o c to r

,

Gozzi that for conscient ious mo t ives I co ul d no t

, ,

confess to Father Mancia and yet tha t I did not

,

wish to be an exception in tha t mat ter He kin dl y .

answe red that he unders tood my reasons and that ,

he would take u s all t o the church o f Saint An t oine -

.

I kissed his hand in token of my gratitude .

O n the following day everything having gone

,

according to her wishes I saw Be tt ina sit d own to

,

the table with a face beami ng with satisfaction In .

the afternoon I had to go to be d in consequence of

a wound in my foot ; the doctor accompanied his
pupils to church ; and Bettina being alone availed ,

herself of the opportunity came to m y room and

,

sat down on my bed I had expected her vi sit a nd

.
,

I received it with pleasure as it heralded an

,

explanation for which I was pos itively longing .

She began by expressing a hope that I would

not be angry with her for seizi ng the first oppor
tu nity she had of some conversa t ion wi th me .
 62

No I answered for yo u thus aff o rd me an

, ,
“

oc cas ion of assuring you that my feelings towards ,

you being those of a friend onl y you need no t have ,

any fear Of my causing you any anx iety or di s

pleasure Therefore Bettina you may do wh a tever
.
,

sui ts you ; my love i s no more Yo u have a t o ne .

blow given the death stroke to the intense passion -

which was blossoming in my heart When I .

reached my room after the ill tre a tment I h ad,

-

experienced at C ordian i s hands I felt for you ’

,

noth in g but hatred ; that feeling soon merged into

utter cont empt but that sensation itself was in
,

time when my mi nd recovered its balance ch a nged

, ,

f or a feelin g of the deepes t indifference which ,

again h as given way when I saw what po wer there

i s i n your mi nd I have now become your friend ;

.

I have conceived the greatest esteem for yo ur

cleverness I have been the dupe Of it but no
.
,
‘

matter ; that t al ent of yours does exist it i s won ,

derf ul divi ne I admire it I love it and the highes t

, , , ,

homage I can render to it i s in my estimation t o , ,

foster for the po ssessor of it the purest feelings of

friendship Reciprocate that friendship be true
.
, ,

sincere and plain dealing Give up all nonsense

, .
,

f or you have already obtained from me all I can

i
g ve you The very thought of love i s repugnant
.

to me ; I can b estow my love only where I feel

certain of being the only on e loved You are at .

liberty to lay my foolish delicacy to the accoun t of

my youthful age but I feel so and I canno t help it
, , .
 63

You have wri tten to me tha t yo u never spe ak to

C ordian i if I am the cause of that rupt ure between
y ou I,
re gret i t and I think,
that in the i n t erest of ,

your honour you wo uld do well t o make i t up with

,

him ; f or the future I mus t b e caref ul never to give

him any grounds for umbrage o r sus p ici o n .

Recollect a lso tha t if you have temp te d hi m by the

,

same man oeuvres which you have em ployed to wards

me y o u a re doubly wron g f or it may be that if he
, , ,

t ruly loves yo u y ou have caused him t o be

,
”
miserable .

“
All yo u h a ve jus t said t o me answered ,

i s gr o un ded upon false impressions and

“
Bettina ,

deceptive appear a nces I d o not love C ordi an i

.
,

and I never had any love for him ; on the contrary ,

I have felt and I do feel f or him a hatred which

, ,

he has richly deserved and I hope to convince y o u, ,

in spi te of every appearance which seems to convict

me As to the reproach of seduction I entreat you
.
,

t o spare me such an accusation O n our side .

,

consider that if you had no t yourself thrown temp

,

tation in my way I never would have committed

,

towards you an action of which I have deeply

repented for reasons which you do not know but
, ,

which you must learn from me The fault I have .

been guilty of is a serious on e only because I did

not fores ee the injury it would do me in the in
experienced m ind of the ingra te wh o d a res t o
”
reproach me with it .

Be ttina was shedding tears : a ll sh e had said

 64

was no t unl ikely and rather comp li mentary to my

vanity but I had seen too much Bes ides I knew
,
.
,

the extent of her cleverness and it was very n a tural

"

to lend her a wish to deceive me ; how could I help

thinking that her visit to me was prompted only by
her self love b em g too dee ply wounded to let me
-

enj oy a victory so humiliating to herself ? There

f ore unshaken in my preconceived opinion I to ld
, ,

her th a t I placed implicit confidence in all sh e had ‘

j ust said respecting the state of her heart previous

to the playful nonsense which had been th e origi n
of my love for her and that I pro mi sed never in
,

the future to allude again to my accusa tion of

“ ” “
seduction But I continued confes s that the
.
, ,

fire at that time burning in your bosom was only

of short duration and th at the slightest brea th of
,

wind has b een enough to extinguish it Your .

virtue which went astr ay only for one instant a nd

, ,

which has so suddenly recovered its mastery over

your senses deserves some praise You with all
, .
,

your deep adoring love for me b ecame all at once ,

blind to my sorrow whatever care I t ook to make

,

it clear to your sight It rema ins for me t o learn

.

h ow that virtue could be so very dear to you a t ,

the very time that C ordi ani t ook care to wreck i t

”
every night .

Bettina eyed me with the air of triumph which

perfect confidence in vic tory gives to a person a nd ,
“
s aid : Y ou have just r eached the poin t wher e I
wished you to be You shall now be made awar e
.
 65

o f things which I c o uld n ot explain bef o re o wi ng ,

to your refusing the ap po intment which I th en

gave you for no other purpo se than t o tell you
all the truth C ordiani declared h is love for me a
.

week after he became an inmate in ou r house ; he

begged my consen t to a marriage if h is father made
,

the demand of my hand as soon as he should have

completed his studies My answer wa s that I did
.

not k now him sufficien tly that I could form no

,

idea on the subj ec t and I request ed him n ot t o

,

allude t o it any more He appeared t o have qui etly

.

given up the matter but soon after I found out

, ,

that it was not the case ; he begged me on e day to

come to his room n ow and then to dress h is hair ;
I told him I had n o t ime to spare and he remarked ,

that you were more fortunate I laughed a t thi s

.

reproach as everyone here knew that I had the

,

care of you I t was a for tnight after my refusal to

.

C ordian i that I unfortunately spent an h o ur wi th

,

you in that loving nonsense which h as na turally

given you ideas un til then unknown to your senses .

That hour made me very happy : I lov ed you and ,

having given way to very na tural desires I revelled ,

in my e nj oyment without the slightest rem o rse o f

conscience I was longing t o be again wi th y o u
.

the next morning but aft er supper misfortune laid

, ,

for the first t ime its hand upon me C ordi an i .

slipped in my hands this no te and this lett er which

I have since hidden in a hole in the wall with the ,

intention of shewing them t o you a t the firs t

opportunity .
 66

Saying thi s Bettina handed me the note and

,
“
the letter ; the fir st ran as follows : Admit m e
thi s evening in your closet the door of whi ch
, ,

leading to the yard can be left aj ar o r prep are

, ,

yourself to make the b est of it with the doct o r t o ,

whom I inte n d to deliver if you should refus e my

,
”
request the letter of which I enclose a copy
, .

The letter contained the statement Of a

cowar dl y and enraged informer and wo ul d certainl y
,

have caus ed the mo st un pleasant resul ts In th at .

letter Gordi ani in formed the d o ctor that hi s sister

spent her m o rni ngs with me in c ri minal connec tio n
whi le he was sayin g his mass and he pledged ,

hi ms elf to enter into particul a rs which would le a ve

him no d o ubt .

“
After givin g to the case the considerati o n it
” “
required continued Bettina I made u p my mi nd
, ,

to hear that monster ; but my determi nation being

fixed I put in my pocket my father s stilletto and
,
’
,

holdin g my door aj ar I wait ed for him there un ,

willing to let hi m come in as my closet i s di vid ed

,

only by a thin p artition from the room of my father ,

wh om the slightest noise might have roused u p .

My first question to Cordiani was in reference to

the slander contained in the letter h e threatened
to deli ver to my brother : he answered that it was
no slander f or he had been a witness to everythi ng
,

that had taken place in the morni ng through a hole

h e had bored in th e garret just above your bed ,

and t o whi ch he would apply h i s eye the m o ment

 8

c o nsequences to le t y o u kn o w th e reason of my
,

change Three weeks passed ofl in that position

.
,

and I c annot express what have been my sufferings ,

f or you of course urged me to come and I was

, , ,

always under the painf ul necessity of dis a ppo inting

y o.u I even feared t o find myself alon e w i th you ,

f or I felt certa in that I could not have refrained

from telli ng you the cause of the change in my
conduct To cr o wn my mi sery add that I found
.
,

mys elf compell ed at le ast once a week to r eceive

, ,

the vile C ordiani outside of my room and to sp eak ,

to him in order to check hi s impatience with a few

,

words At last unable to bear up any longer un der

.
,

such misery threatened likewise by you I determ

, ,

in ed to end my agony I wi shed to discl o se to you

.

all this intrigue leaving to you the care of brin ging

,

a change f or the better and for that purpose I pro,

po sed that you should accompany me to the ball

disguised as a gi rl although I kn ew it would
,

enrage Gordiani but my mind was made up You .

kn ow how my schem e fell to the ground The u n .

expected departure of my brother wi th my father

suggest ed to both of you the same idea and it was ,

before receiving C ordian i s letter that I promi sed ’

to c ome to you Cordi ani di d not ask f or an

.

appointmen t ; he only s t ated tha t he woul d be

waiting for me in my closet and I had no oppor ,

tu ni ty of telling him that I could no t allow him t o

come any more than I coul d find time to let you
,

know that I would be with you only after mi d

 69

night as I intended t o do for I reckoned th a t af ter

, ,

an hour s talk I wo ul d dismiss the wre tch t o hi s

’

room . But my reckoning was wrong ; Cordi ani

had conceived a scheme and I could n o t help
,

listening to all he had to say abou t it H is .

whining and exaggerated complaints had no end .

He upbraided me for refusing t o further the plan

he had concoc t ed and which he though t I would
,

accept with rapture if I loved him The scheme .

was f or me to elope with him during h o ly week ,

an d t o run away to Ferrara where he h ad an uncle

,

who would have given us a kind welc o me a nd ,

would soon have brought his fa ther to forgive him

and to insure ou r happiness for life The obj ec ti ons
.

I made his answers the details t o be en tered into

, , ,

the ex plana tions and the ways and means t o be

examined to obviate the diffi cult ies o f the proj ect ,

took up the whole nigh t My heart was bleeding

.

as I thought of you ; but my conscience i s a t rest ,

and I did nothing that could render me unwo rthy

of your es teem You canno t refuse it to me un less
.
,

you believe th at the confessi o n I have jus t m a de i s

untrue ; but you would be bo th mis taken and u n
just Had I made up my m ind t o sacr ifice myself
.

and to grant favours which love al o ne o ugh t to

Obtain I migh t h ave got rid of the treacher ous
,

wretch within on e hour but death seemed prefer

,

ab l e t o such a dreadful expedien t Could I in any

.

way suppose tha t yo u were ou t s i de o f my do o r ex ,

posed to the wind a nd t o the sn o w ? B oth o f u s

 70

were deserving of pity bu t my misery was still ,

greater than yours All these fearful circumstances

.

were writ ten in the book of fate to make me lose ,

my reason which now re turns only at intervals and

, ,

I am in constant dread of a fresh attack of those

a wf ul convulsions They say I am bewit ched and
.
,

possessed of the d emon ; I do not know anything

about it but if i t should be true I am the m o st
,
”
miserable creature in existence .

Bettina ceased speaking and burst into a ,

violen t storm of t ears sobs and gro a ns I was , , .

deeply moved although I felt that all she had said

,

migh t be true and yet was scarcely wor thy o f

,

b elief :
F ors e em oer, t
ma n on pero credi bi le

A chi del s ens e su o

foss e si gner .

But sh e was weeping and her tears which at all

, ,

events were n ot deceptive took away from me the ,

faculty Of doubt Yet I put her tears to the accoun t

.

of her wounded self love to give way entirely I

-

needed a thorough conviction and to obtain i t ,

evidence was necessa ry probability was not enough

,
.

I could not admi t either Cordi ani s moderat i on or ’

B ettina s patience or the fact of sev en hours em

’
,

ployed in innocent conversa tion In spite of all .

these considerations I felt a sort of pleasure in ac

,

c eptin
g for ready cash all the counterfeit coins that
sh e had spr ead out before me .

After drying her te a rs Bettina fixed her ,

 72

me Go on trea ting me harshl y ; go on t aking for

.

mere fictions sufferings which are but too real ,

which you have caused an d which you wi ll now ,

increase Some day but too late you will be

.
, ,

”
sorry and your repentance will be bitter indeed
,
.

As sh e pronounced these words sh e rose t o

take her leave ; but j udging her capable of any
thing I felt afraid and I detained her to say that
,

the only way to regain my aff ection was to remai n

on e month without convul sions and without hand

s ome Father M a ncia s presence bein g required

’
.

“ ”
I cannot help being convu lsed sh e an ,
“
swered ,
but what do you mean by a pplyi ng to
the Jacobin that epithet of handsome ? Could you
suppose
“
Not at all not at all — I suppose no thi ng ; t o
,

do so it would be necessary for me to be j ealous .

Bu t I cannot help saying that the preference given

by your devils to the exorcism of that handsome
monk over the in cantations of the ugly Capuchin
i s likely to give birth to remarks rather detrimental
to your honour . Moreover you are free to d o
.
,
”
wh atever pleases you .

Thereupon sh e left my ro om and a f ew ,

m inut es later everybody came home .

After supper the servant without any qu estion ,

on my p art informed me that Bettina had gone to

,

bed with vi olent feverish chills having pr eviously ,

had her bed carried into the kitc hen beside her
mother s This attack of fever might be re al bu t
’
.
,
 73

I had my doub t s I felt certain that she wo ul d

.

never make up her mind to be well for her good ,

health would have supplied me with too strong an

argument against her pretended innocence even in ,

the case of C ordiani ; I likewise considered her

idea of having her bed placed near her mother s ’

nothing but artful contrivance .

The next day Doct or O livo found her very

feverish and told her brother that she would mos t
,

likely be excited and delirious but tha t it would ,

be the e ffect of the fever and no t the work of the

devil And truly Bettina was raving all day bu t
.
, ,

Dr Gozzi placing implicit confidenc e in the phy

.
,

si ci an would not listen to his mother and did not

, ,

send for the Jacobin friar The fever increased in

.

—
violence and on the fourth day the small pox broke
,

o ut C ordi ani and the two brothers Feltrini who

.
,

had so far escaped that disease were immediately ,

sent away but as I had had it before I remained

,

at home .

The po or girl was so fearfully covered wi th

the loathsome eruption that on the sixth day her
,

skin could not be seen on any part of her body .

Her eyes closed and her life was despaired of

, ,

when it was found that her mouth and her thr oa t

were obstruct ed to such a degree that she could
swall ow nothing but a f ew drops of honey She .

was perfectly m otionless ; she breathed and tha t

was all Her mother never left her bedside and I
.
,

was thought a s a in t when I carr ied my t able and

I— 8
 74

my books in t o the p atien t s room The unf o rtun a te

’
.

girl had become a fearful sight to l o ok u po n ; her

h ead was dreadfully swollen the nose could no ,

longer be seen and much fear was entert ained for

,

her eyes in case her life should be spared The

,
.

odour of her perspiration was most Offensiv e bu t I ,

p ersisted in keeping my watch by her .

O n the ninth day the vicar gave her absolu

,

tion and after adminis t ering extreme unc ti on he

, ,

lef t her as h e said in the hands of God In th e

, ,
.

midst of so much sadness the convers a tion o f the ,

mother with her son would in spite of myself

, , ,

cause m e some amount of m e rriment The good .

woman want ed to kn ow whether the demon who

was dwelling in her child could s till i nfluence her
to perform extravag an t foll i es and what w o uld ,
’
become of the demon in the case of her daughter s
death for as she expressed it sh e could no t think
, , ,

of hi s being s o stupid as to remain in so loathsome

a body She par ticularly wanted t o a scert ain
.

whether the d emon had power to c a rry off the soul

of her child Doc tor Gozzi who was an ub i quitar
.
,

ian made to all th o se questions answers which had

,

not even the shadow of good sen se and which of ,

course had no other effec t than t o increase a hun

dred fold the perplexity of his poor mo ther
-
.

During the tenth an d eleventh days Bettina ,

was so bad tha t we th ought every moment likely

to be her last The disease had reached its wo rst
.

period ; the smell was unbearable ; I al o n e w ould

 76

T wo years later sh e marri e d a shoemaker by ,

name Pigozzo— a base arrant knave who beggared

,

and ill treated her to such an extent tha t her

-

brother had to take her home and to provid e

f or her . Fifteen years afterwards having been ,

appointed arch priest at Saint Geo rge de la Vallé e

- -
,

he took her there with him and when I went to pay

,

him a visit eighteen years ago I found Bettina ol d , ,

ill and dying She breathed her last in my arm s

,
.

in 1 7 7 6 twenty four hours af ter my arrival I will

,
-
.

speak of her death in good t ime .

About that period my mother returned from

,

St Petersburg where the Empress Anne Iwan owa

.
,

had not a pproved of the It alian comedy The .

whole of the troo p had already returned to It aly ,

and my mother had travelled with Carlin Bertinazzi ,

the h arlequin who died in Paris in the year 1 7 8 3

,
.

As soon as she had reached Padua she informed ,

Doctor Gozzi of her arrival and he lost no time in ,

acc ompanying me to the inn wher e sh e had pu t u p .

We dined with her and before bidding u s adieu

, ,

sh e presented th e doctor with a splendid fur and ,

gave me the skin of a lynx for Bettina Six .

months afterwards she summoned me to Venice as ,

sh e wished to see me before leaving for Dresden ,

where she had contrac ted an engagement for life in

the service of the Elector of S axony Augustus III ,
.
,

King Of Poland She took with her my brother

.

Jean then eight years ol d wh o was weeping

, ,

bi tterly when he left ; I thought him very foolish ,

 77

for there was nothing very tragic in that dep a r ture .

He is the only one in the family who was wholly

indebted to ou r mother for his fortune although he ,

was not her favourite child .

I spent another year in Padua studying law , ,

in which I too k the de gr ee of Doc t or in my six

teenth year the subj ect of my thesis being in the
,

civil law de tes tam en tis and in the canon law

, , ,

u tru m H ebrwi pos si n t c ons tru er e n ouns s ynagogas .

My vocation was to study medicine and to ,

practi c e it for I felt a great inclination for that

,

profession but no heed was gi ven to my wi shes

, ,

and I was compelled to apply myself to th e study

of the law f or which I had an i n vm cibl e repu g
,

nance My friends were of opinion tha t I could

.

not m ak e my fortune in any profession but that of

an advocate and what is still worse of an eccle
, , ,

si asti c al advocate If they had given the matter

.

pro per consideration they would have given me

,

leave to follow my own inclinations and I would ,

—
have been a physician a profession in which
quackery is of still greater avail than in the legal
business . I never be cam e either a physician or
an advoca t e and I never would apply to a lawyer
,
!

when I had any legal business nor call in a ,

physician when I happened to be ill Lawsuits and .

pettifoggery may support a good many fami lies

.
,

but a grea ter proport ion is ruined by them and ,

those who perish in the hands of physicians are

m o re numerous by far than those wh o get cured
 78

strong evidence in my o pinion that mankind wo ul d

, ,

be much less miserable withou t either lawyers or

doctors.

T o attend the lecture s of the professors I had ,

to go to the university called th e B o and it became ,

necessary for me to go out alone This was a .

matter of great wonder to me for until then I had ,

never considered myself a free man ; and in my

wish to enj oy fully the liberty I thought I had j ust
conquered it was not long before I had made the
,

very worst acquaintances amongst the mos t re

n own ed students As a matter of course th e m o st
.
,

renowned were the mos t worthless dissolut e fellows , ,

gamblers frequenters of disorderly houses hard

, ,

drinkers debauchees tormentors and suborners of

, ,

honest girls l iars and wholly incapable of any good

, ,

or virtuous feeling In the company of such men

.

did I begin my apprenticeship of the world learning ,

my lesson from the book of experience .

The theory of morals and its usefulness thr o ugh

the life of man can b e compared to the advant age
derived by running o ver the index of a book before
reading it : when we have perused that index we
know nothing but the subj ect Of the work This .

is like the school for morals offered by the sermons ,

the precepts and the tales which ou r ins truc t ors

,

recite for our especi al benefit We lend our whole .

attention t o th ese lessons but when an opp o rtun ity

,

offers of profiting by the a dvice thus bestowed

upon us we feel inclined to a scertain f o r ourselves
,
 0

to behave in the comp any of quarrelsome duelli sts ,

the society of whom ought to be avoided un less we ,

make up ou r mind to be constantly in the very

teeth of danger I was not caught in the snar es
.

of professional lewd women because n ot on e of

,
.

them was in my eyes a s pretty as Bettina but I ,

did not r esist so well the desire for that species of

va i n glory which is the reward of holding life at a
cheap price .

In those days the students in Pa dua enj oyed

very great privileges which were in reali ty abuses
,

made legal through prescription the primitive ,

characteristic of privileges which differ essentially

,

from prerogatives In fact in order to maintain

.
,

the legality Of their privileges th e students often ,

committed crimes The guilty were dealt with

.

tenderly because the interest of the city demanded

,

that severity should not di mi nish the great influx

of scholars who flocked to that renown ed university

from every part of Europe The practice of the

.

Venetian government was to secure at a high

‘

salary the most celebrated professors and to grant ,

the utmost freedom to the young men attending

their lessons . The students acknowl edged n o
authority but that of a chief chosen among them ,

selves and called syndic

, He was usually a
.

foreign nobleman who could keep a large estab

,

l i sh m ent and who was responsible to the govern

,

m ent for the behaviour of the scholars It was his .

duty to give them up to justice when they trans

 81

gressed laws and

the the students never dispu
,
t ed
his sentence because he always defended them t o
,

the utmost when they had the slightest shadow of

,

right on their side .

The studen ts am ongst other privileges would

, ,

not suffer their trunks to be searched bv cus to m

h ouse authorities and no ordinary po liceman would
,

have dared to arrest one of them They carried .

about them forbidden weapons seduced helpless ,

girls and often disturbed the public peace by their

,

nocturnal broils and impudent practical j okes ; in

on e word they were a body of young fel l ows , whom
,

nothing could restrain wh o would gratify every ,

whim and enj oy their sport withou t regard or

,

consideration for any human being .

It was about that time that a policeman entered

a c ofl ee room in which were seated two students
-
,
.

O ne of them ordered him out but the man taking ,

no notice of it the student fired a pistol at him and

, ,

m issed his aim The policeman returned the fire

.
,

wounded the aggressor and ran away T he , .

students immediately mustered together at the

B0, divided in to bands and went over the city , ,

hunting the policemen to murder them and avenge ,

the insult they had received In one of the .

encounters two of the students were killed and all ,

the others assembling in one troop swore never to

, ,

lay their arms down as long as there should be on e

policeman alive in Padua The autho rities had to .

interfere and the syndic of the students underto o k

 82

to put a stop to hostilities provided proper sati sf ac

tion was given as the police were in the wrong
, .

The man who had shot the studen t in the coffee

room was hanged and peace was rest o red ; but
,

during the eight days of a gi tation as I was anxious ,

not to appear less brave than my comrades who

were patrolling the city I followed them in spite of
,
’
Doctor Gozzi s rem onstrances Armed with a .

carbine and a pair of pistol s I ran about the to wn,

with the others in quest of the enemy and I

, ,

recollect how disappointed I was bec a use the troop

to whi ch I belonged did not meet one poli ceman .

When the war was over the doctor laughed at me

, ,

but Bettina admired my valour .

Unfortunately I indulged in expenses far ab o ve

,

my means owing to my u nwfllingness to seem

,

poorer than my new friends I sold or pledged .

everything I possessed and I con tracted debts

,

which I could not possibly pay This stat e o f .

things caused my first sorrows and they are the ,

most poignan t sorrows under which a young man

can smart Not knowing which way to turn I
.
,

wrote to my ex cellent grandmother begging her ,

assistance but instead of sending me some money

, ,

she came to Padua on the l st of O ctober 17 3 9 , ,

and after thanking the doctor and Bettina for all

,

their affectionate care sh e br ought me b a ck to

,

Venice As he to ok leave of me the doct o r who

.
, ,

was shedding t ears gave me what he prized most

,

on earth ; a relic of some saint which perhaps I ,

 CHAPTER IV

I RECEIVE T H E M IN OR O RDERS EROM T H E P AT RIARC H

O F VENIC E — I GET A C Q UAINTED WIT H SENAT O R
M ALI P IERO WIT H T H ERESE I MER WIT H T H E
, ,

NIEC E OF T H E C UR AT E WIT H M ADAM E O R I O WI T H

, ,

NANET TE AND M A RT O N AN D WIT H T H E CAVA

,

MAC C H IA — I B EC O M E A PR A C R M Y ADVEN
E H E —

T UR E WI T H LUCI E A T PAS EA N — A REND EZ VOU S O N

T H E T H I RD S T O R Y

He com esf ro m Padua wh ere h e has

, c ompl eted his
s tu di es.Such were th e words by which I was every
where i ntroduced and which the moment they were
, ,

uttered called upon me the S ilent Observation of

,

every young man Of my age and condi tion the ,

compliments of all fathers an d the caresses of ,

O l d women as well as the ki sses Of a few who

, ,

although not Old were not sorry to be considered

,

so for the sake of embracing a young man without

impropriety The curate Of Saint Samuel the

.
-
,

Abbé Josell o presented me to Monsignor Correre

, ,

Patriarch of Veni c e wh o gave me the tonsure and

, ,

wh o four months afterwards by special favour

, , ,
 85

admi tted me to the f o ur minor orders N o wo rds .

could express the j oy and the pride Of my grand

mother Excellent masters were given to me to
.

continue my studies and M Baffo chose the Abbé

, .

Schiavo t o teach me a pure Italian style especially ,

poetry for which I had a decided talent I was

,
.

very comfortably l o dged with my brother Francois ,

who was studying theatrical architecture My .

sister and my youngest brother were livin g with

o u r grandam in a house of her own in which it ,

was her wish to die because her husband had there

,

breathed his last The house in which I dwelt was

.

the same in which my father had died and the rent ,

Of which my mother continued to pay I t was .

large and well furnished .

Although Abbé Grimani was my ch ief pr o

tect or I seldom saw him and I part icularly
, ,

attached myself to M de Malipiero t o whom I

.
,

had been presented by the curate J osellO M de . .

Malipiero was a senator who was unwilling at ,

seventy years of age to attend any more to Sta te

aff airs and enj oyed a happy sump tuous life in his
, ,

mansion surrounded every evening by a well

,

chosen p a rty of ladies who had all kn o wn how to

make the best of their younger days and Of gen tle ,

men who were always acquainted with the news of

the t own He was a bachelor and wealthy but
.
, ,

unfortunately h e had three or four t imes every

,

year severe a ttacks of gou t which always left him ,

crippled in some p a rt o r other Of his body so that ,

 86

all hi s person was disabled His head hi s lungs

.
, ,

and h is stomach had alone escaped this cruel

havoc He was still a fine man a great epicure
.
, ,

an d a good judge of wine ; his wit was keen his ,

knowledge Of the world extensive his eloquence ,

worthy of a son of Venice and he had that wisdom

,

which must naturally belong to a senator who for

forty years has had the management Of public
aff airs and to a man who h as bid farewell to
,

women after h aving possessed twenty mistresses ,

and only when he felt h imself compelled to acknow

ledge that he could no longer b e a ccepted by any
woman Although almos t entirely crippled he did
.
,

not appear to be so when he was seated when he ,

talked or when he was a t table He had only one

,
.

meal a day and al way t ook it alone becau se being

, ,

tooth less and unable to eat o therwise than very

s lowly he did not wi sh to hurry hi m self out of
,

compliment to h i s guests and would have been

,

sorry to see them waiting for him This feeling .

deprived him Of the pleasure he would have

enj oyed in entert aining at hi s board friendly and
agreeable guest s and caused great sorrow t o h i s
,

excellent c oo k .

The first t ime I had the honour Of being in

trodu ced to him by th e curate I opposed earnestly
,

the reason which made him ea t his meals in soli

tude and I said that his excellency had only to
,

invite guests wh o se appetit e was go o d enough to

enable them to eat a doubl e sh are .
 88

stage in order to work ou t her salvation and who , ,

as a matter Of course ,
had made up her mind to
combine the interests of heaven with the works of
this world She took her daughter to mass every
.

day and compelled her to go to confession every

w eek ; but every afternoon she accompanied her
in a visit to the amorous old man the rage of ,

whom frightened me when sh e refused him a kiss

under the plea that sh e had performed her de
votions in the morning an d that she could not
,

reconcile herself to the idea Of Off ending the God

who was still dwelling in her .

What a S ight for a young man of fifteen like

me whom the Old man admitted as the only and
,

silent witness of these erotic scenes ! The mi serable

’
mother applauded her daughter s reserve and went ,

so far as to lec ture the el derly lover who in h i s , ,

tu rn dared n ot refu te her maxims which savoured

,

either too much or too little Of Ch ristianity and ,

resisted a very strong inclination to hurl at

her he ad any Obj ect he had at hand An ger would .

then take the place of lewd desires and after they

,

had retired he would comfort hims elf by exch a nging

with me phil os ophical considerati ons .

Compelled t o answer him and n ot knowing

,

well what to say I ventured on e day upon advising

,

a marriage He struck me with amazem e

. n t when
he answered that Sh e refused to marry him from
f ear of drawin g upon herself the ha t red of hi s
relatives
.
 89

Then make her the offer of a large sum Of

money or a posit ion
,
.
’

“
She says that she would not even for a , .

”
crown comm it a deadly si n .

“
In that case you must either take her by
,

storm or banish her for ever from your presence

, .

“
I can do nei ther on e nor the other ; physical
”
as well as moral strength i s deficient in me .

“ ”
Kill her then ,
.

That will very l ikely be the case unless I

”
die firs t .

“
Indeed I pity your excellency .

”
DO y o u sometimes visit her ?
NO for I might fall in love with her and I
, ,

would be m i serable .

“
You are right .

Wi tnessing many such scenes and taking p ar t ,

in many similar conversations I became an especial ,

favourite with the Old nobleman I was invited t o .

his evening assemblies which were as I have s tat ed ,

before frequent ed by superannuat ed women and

,

witty men He t old me that in this circle I would

.

’
learn a sc ience of greater import than Gassendi s
ph ilosophy which I was then studying by his
,

advice ins t ead Of Ar is totle s which he turned into ’

,

rid icule He laid down some precepts for my

.

conduct in those assemblies explaining the necess ity ,

of my Observing them as there would b e s o me ,

wonder a t a young m a n Of my age being received

at such parti es He ordered me never t o open my
.

1 —9
lips except to answer direct questions and particu ,

l arly enj oined me never to pass an opinion on any

subj ect b ecause at my age I could not be allowed
,

to have any opinions .

I faithfully followed his precepts and obeyed ,

h i s orders so well tha t in a few d ays I had gained

,

hi s esteem and become the child of the house as

, ,

well as the favourite of al l the ladies who visited

him In my character of a young and inn ocent
.

ecclesiastic they would ask me to accompany them

,

in their visits to the convents where their daughters

or their nieces were educated ; I was at al l hours

re c eived a t their houses with out even being an

n ou n ced ; I was scolded if a week elapsed with

ou t my calling upon them ; and when I went t o

the apartments reserved for the young ladies they ,

woul d run away but the momen t they saw tha t the
,

intruder was only I they would return a t once a nd

, ,

their confidence was very char mi ng to me .

B efore dinner M de Malipiero would Often

, .

inquire from m e what advantages were accruing to

me from the welcome I received at the hands of the
respectable ladies I had become acquainted with at
his house taking care t o t ell me before I could
, ,

have t ime t o answer that they were all endowed

,

with the greatest virtue and that I would gi ve

,

everybody a bad op i n i on of myself if I ever ,

breathed one word of disparagement to the high

reputation they all enj oyed In this way he woul d
.

inculcate in me the wise precep t Of reserve and

discreti on .
 2

times as much powder as I for I only used a di d—

—
slight sprink ling who perfumed their hair with a
c ert ain amb er scented pomatum whi ch brought
-

women t o the very point Of fainting while mine a , ,

j essamine pomade called forth the compliments Of

,

every circle in which I was received I added that .

I coul d not much to my regret obey him and that

, , ,

if I had meant to li ve in Sl ovenliness I woul d have ,

become a Capuchin and not an abbé .

My answer made him so angry that three o r ,

four days afterwards he contriv ed t o Obtain leave

,

from my gran dm other to enter my chamber early

in the morning before I was awake and approach
, , ,

ing my bed on tiptoe with a Sharp p a ir Of scissors ,

he cut Off unmercifully all my front hair fr om one ,

ear to the other My brother Francois was in the

.

adj oining room and saw him but he did not ,

interfere as he was delighted at my mi sfortune .

He wore a wig and was very j ealous Of my

,

beautif ul head of hair Fr an cois was envi ous

.

through the whole of h i s life ; yet he combined this

feeling Of envy wi th friendship ; I never could
understand him ; bu t this vice of h is like my own ,

vices must by thi s time have died Of Ol d age

, .

After his grea t operation the abbé left my ,

room qui etly but when I woke up Shortly after

,

wards and realized all the ho rror Of this unh eard Of

,
-

execution my rage and indi gnation were ind eed

,

wrought to the highest pitch .

W ha t wild schemes of reven ge my brain

 93

en gendered while with a , in my h a nd

i
look ng glass
-
,

I was groaning o ver the shameful h avoc performed

by this audacious priest ! A t the n oise I m a de my
gra ndmo ther hastened to my r o om and amidst my ,

bro ther s laughter the kind Ol d woman assured me

’

that the priest w o uld never h a ve been a llowed to

enter my r o om if She c o uld have foreseen his
intention and she managed to soothe my passion
,

to s o me extent by confessing that he had over

stepped the limits Of h i s right to a dminist er a
reproof .

But I was determined upon revenge and I ,

went on dressing myself a nd revo lving in my mind

the darkes t plots r

It seemed to me tha t I was

.

entitled to the most cruel revenge without having ,

anything to dread from the terrors o f th e law The .

theatres being open at that time I put on a mask

,

to go out and I went to the advocate Carrare with

, ,

whom I had beco m e acquainted at the sen ato r s ’

house to inquire from him Whether I could bring a

,

suit against the priest He told me that but a

.
,

short time since a family had been ruined for

,

having sheared the moustache of a Sclavonian— a

crime not nearly so atrocious as the shearing Of all
my fron t locks and that I had o nly to give him my
,

instructions to begi n a c riminal sui t agains t the

abbé which would make him tremble I gave my
,
.

consent and begged that he would t ell M de

,
.

Malipiero in the evening the re a s o n for which I

could no t go to h is house f or I did not feel any
,
 94

inclination to Show myself anywhere un til my hair

had gr own again .

I went home and partook with my bro ther of

a repast which appeared rather scanty in com
parison to the dinners I had with the old sena to r .

The privation of the delicate and plentiful fare to

which h i s excellency had accustomed me was
most painf ul besides all the enj oym ents from
,

which I was excluded through the atrocious c o n

duct Of the virulent priest wh o was my god ,

father I wept from sheer vexation ; and my rage

.

was incre ased by the consciousness that there was

in this insult a certain dash of comical fun which
threw over me a ridicule more disgraceful in my
estimation than the greatest crime .

I went to bed early and refreshed by ten

, ,

hours of profound slu mber I felt in the morni ng

,

somewhat less angry but quite as determined to

,

su mm on the priest before a court I dressed myself .

with the intention of calling upon my advocate ,

when I received the visit of a skilful hair dresser -

whom I had seen at Madame Cantarini s house ’

.

He told me that he was sent by M de Malipiero .

to arrange my hair so that I could go ou t as the ,

senator wished me to dine with him on that very

day He examined the damage done to my he ad
.
,

and said with a smile tha t if I wo ul d trust to his

, ,

art he wo ul d undertake t o send me out with an

,

appearance Of even grea ter elegance than I could

boast of before ; and truly when he had done I
, ,
 96

ur ged me to retur n But this c alm was the har

.

binger of a storm Wh en my mind was thor o ughl y

at rest on that subj ect M de Malipiero threw me
, .

into the greatest as tonishment by suddenl y tellin g

me that an excellent opportunity Offered itself for
me to reappear in the church and t o secur e ample
s atisfaction from the abbé .

“ ” “
It i s my province added the senator as
, ,

president Of the Confra ternity Of the Holy Sacra

ment to choose the preacher who i s t o del iver the
,

sermon on the fourth Sunday of this month whi ch ,

happens to be the sec ond Christmas hol iday I .

mean to appoint you and I am certain th at the

,

abb é will not dare to rej ect my choice W hat say

-
.

y ou to such a triumphant reappearance ? D oes

it satisfy you
This Offer caused me the greates t surprise f o r ,

I had never dreamt Of becomi ng a preacher a nd ,

I had never been vain enough to suppose that I

co ul d write a sermon and deliver it in the church .

I told M de Malipiero that he must surely be en

.

j oying a j oke at my expense but he answered that

,

he had spoken in earnest and he soon contrived to

,

persuade me and to make me believe that I was

born to become the most renowned preacher of
ou r age as soon as I Should have grown fat— a
quality which I certainly could not boast of for a t ,

that time I was extremely thin I had n o t the .

shadow Of a fear as to my voice or to my elocution ,

and for the ma tter of composing my sermon I felt

 97

myself equal to the producti o n Of a m a s ter

piece.

I told M de Malipiero tha t I was ready and

.
,

anxious to be at home in order to go to work ; that ,

al though no the o logian I was acquain ted with my

,

subjec t and would compose a sermon which wo uld

,

take everyone by surprise on a ccount o f its

novelty .

O n the f ollowing day when I c alled u po n him

, ,

he informed me that the abbé had expressed un

qualified delight at the choice made by him a nd a t ,

my readiness in accepting the appointment ; but he

likewi se desired that I should submit my sermon
to him as soon as it was Written because the sub ,

j ec t belonging to the most sublime theology he

could not allow me to enter the pulpit with o ut
being sa tisfied that I w oul d n o t u tter any heresies .

I agreed to this demand and during the week I

,

gave bir th to my masterpiece I have now that

.

firs t sermon in my possession and I cannot help

,

saying that considering my tender years I think

, ,

it a very good one .

I could not give an idea of my grandmother s ’

j oy ; sh e wep t tears Of happiness a t having a

grandson who had become an apos tle She insisted .

upon my read ing my sermon to her listened to it ,

with her beads in her hands and pronounced it ,

very beautiful .M de Malipiero wh o had n o

.
,

rosary when I read i t to him was of opin ion that

,

it woul d not prove accep table t o the parson My .

 98

text was from Horace : P loravere s uis n on responder e

‘

fae orem speratu m I deplored t

m eri tis ;
he wick an d

edn ess and ingratitude Of men thr ough which h ad ,

fail ed the design adopted by Divine wisd o m for the

redemption Of humankind But M de Malipiero . .

was s o rry that I had taken my text from any

here tical poet although he was pleased that my
,

sermon was not interlarded with Latin quo tations .

I called upon the priest to read my pro

duction ; but as he was out I had to wait f o r hi s
retu rn a nd during that time I fell in love wi th h is
,

niece An gela She was busy upon some tambou r

,
.

work ; I sat down close by her and telling me that ,

sh e had long desired to make my acquaintance sh e ,

begged me to relate the histo ry of the locks of

hair sheared by her vener a ble u ncle .

My love f or Angela proved fatal to me bec a use ,

fr o m it sprang two other love a ff airs which in their ,

turn gave birth to a great many others a nd

, ,

caused me finally to renounce the Church as a

profession But let us pr o ceed quietly and not
.
,

encroach upon future events .

O n his return home the abbé found me with

h i s niece wh o was about my age and he did not
, ,

appear to be angry I gave him my sermon : he

.

read it over and told me that it was a beautiful

academ
,

ical dissertation but unfit f or a sermon

,

from the pulpit and he added , ,

“
I will give you a sermon wri tten by myself ,

which I have never delivered ; you will commit it

 10 0

Wh en I called at h is mansi on the next day he

sent fo r the priest who soon mad e hi s appearance
,
.

As h e kn ew well what he had been sent for he ,

i mmediately launched ou t in to a very lo n g di s

c ourse which I did not interrupt but the moment
, ,

he h a d c oncluded his list of Obj ections I told him

that there c oul d n ot be two ways to decide the
ques tion ; that the patriarch would either appr o ve
or disap prove my sermon .

“ ” “
In the first case I a dded I can pronounce
, ,

it in your church and no responsibility can possibly

,

fall upon your sho ul ders ; in the second I must of , ,

”
course gi ve way
, .

The abbé was struck by my determination ,

and he said ,

DO n ot go t o the patriarch ; I a ccept your

“

sermon ; I o nly request you to change yo ur text .

”
H orace Was a villain .

“
W h y do you quo te Seneca Tertullian , ,

O rigen and Boethius ?

,
They were all here tics ,

and must consequently be considered by you as

, ,

worse wr etches than Horace wh o aft er all never , , ,

”
had the chance of becoming a Chris tian !
However as I saw that it would please M de
,
.

Malipiero I finally consented to accept as a sub

, ,

stitu te f or mi ne a tex t Offered by the abbé

, ,

although it did n ot suit in any way the spirit Of

my production ; and in order to get an opportunity
for a vi sit to h is niece I gave him my manuscript
, ,

saying that I would call for it the next day My .

 10 1

vanity promp t ed me to send a copy to D oc to r

Gozzi but the good man caused me much amuse
,

ment by returning i t and writing that I must have

gone mad and that if I were allowed to deliver
,

such a sermon from the pulpi t I wo ul d bri ng dis

honour upon myself as well as upon the man who
had educated me .

I cared but li ttle for his opini o n and on the ,

ap pointed day I delivered my sermon in the Church

Of the Holy Sacramen t in the pre sence of the best
society Of Venice I received much applause and
.
,

every one predicted tha t I would cert ainly bec ome

the firs t preacher Of o ur century as n o you n g eccl e
,

siasti c of fifteen had ever b een known to preach as

well as I had done I t i s cust omary for the f a ith

.

ful t o deposit their O fferings for the preacher in a

purse which is h anded to them for that purp o se .

The sex ton who emp tied it Of its cont ents found in
it more than fifty sequ ins and several b ille t s d oux
'

-
, ,

to the great scandal Of the weaker bre thren An .

anonymous n o te amongs t them the writ er of wh i ch

,

I thought I had guessed le t me into a mi st ake

,

which I th ink bett er n ot to rela t e This r ich har

.

vest in my great penury caused me to en t er tain

, ,

ser ious though t s of becoming a prea cher a nd I ,

confided my int ention t o the pars on request ing h is

,

assis tance t o carry it into execu ti o n Th is gave

.

me the privilege of vi si ting a t his house every day ,

and I improved the o ppor tuni ty of conversing with

Angel a for wh o m my l o ve was daily increasing
, .
 1 02

But Angela was virtuous She did n ot Obj ec t t o.

my love but sh e wished me to renounce the Church

,

and to marry her In spite Of my infatuation for

.

her I could not make up my mind to such a s tep

, ,

and I went on seeing her and cour tin g her in the ’

hope that sh e would alter her decision .

The priest who had at las t confessed hi s ad

,

m iration for my first sermon asked me some , ,

’
time af terwards to prepare another f or St Joseph s
,
.

Day with an invitation t o deliver it on the 1 9 th of

,

March 1 74 1 I composed it and the abbé spo ke

, .
,

of i t with en thusiasm but fate had decided that I

,

Should never preach but Once in my life I t i s a .

sad t ale unfortunately f or me very true which

, ,

some pers o ns are cruel enough to c onsider very

amusing .

Young and rather self concei t ed I fancied that

-
,

it w as n ot necessary f or me to spend much time in

committing my sermon to memory Being the .

a uthor I had all the ideas contained in my work

,

classified in my mind and it did not seem to me

,

within the range Of possibilities tha t I coul d forget

what I had written Perhaps I might not remember
.

the exact words Of a sentence but I was at liberty ,

to replace them by other expressi ons as good and ,

as I never happened to be at a loss or to be struck ,

dumb when I spoke in society it was not l ikel v

, ,

that such an un toward accident would befall me

before an audience amongst whom I did not know
anyone wh o c ould intimidat e me and cause me
 1 04

I could not say whether I feigned a fa inting

fit or whether I truly swooned all I kn ow i s that
,

I fell down on the floor of the pulpit striking my ,

head against the wall with an inward prayer ,

f or annihilation .

Two of the parish clerks carried me to the

vestry and after a few m oments without address
, ,

ing a word to anyone I took my cloak and my

“

hat and went home to l ock myself in my room

, .

I immedia tely dressed myself in a Shor t coat after ,

the fashion of travelli ng priests I packed a few ,

thi ngs in a trunk obtained some m oney from my

.

grandmo ther and took my depar ture for Padu a

, ,

where I intended t o pass my third exami na tion .

I reached Padua at mi dnigh t and went t o D o ctor ,

Gozzi s house but I did no t feel the slightest temp

’
,

tati on t o men tion to him my unlucky adven ture .

I remained in Padua long enough to prepare

’
myself f or the docto r s degree which I intended to ,

take the following year and after Easter I re ,

turned t o Venice where my misfortun e was already

,

forgo tten ; but preaching was ou t of the ques tion ,

and when any attemp t was made to i nduce me to

renew my efforts I manfully kept to my de termin a
,

ti o n never to ascend the pul pit agai n .

O n the eve of Ascensi o n Day M Manzoni .

introduced me t o a young c ourtesan who was at ,

tha t time in great repute at Venice and was nick ,

named Cavam acchi a because her father had been a ,

scourer This name vex ed her a gre at de a l sh e

.
,
 O5

wished to be ca lled Preati whi ch was her f amily ,

n a me but it was all in va in and the only c o nces

, ,

s i on her fri ends wo uld m ake was to call her by her

C hristian name of Juli ette She had been intr o
.

du c ed to f a shionable notice by the Marqu is de

San vital i a nobleman from Parm a who had given
, ,

her on e hundred thousand ducats for her fa v ours .

Her beauty was then the talk of everybody in

Venice and it was fashionable t o call up o n her
,
.

T o converse wi th her and especially t o be admi tt ed

,

int o her circle was considered a grea t b oon AS I

,
.

shall have t o men tion her sever a l t imes in the

course Of my h i st ory my readers will I trus t all o w
, , ,

me to enter into some part iculars ab o u t her pre

vi ons life .

Jul i ett e was o nly f o ur t een ye a rs o f age when

her father sent her one day to the house o f a Vene
tia n nobleman Marco Mu azzo wit h a coa t wh i ch
, ,

he h a d cleaned for him He th o ugh t her very

.

beautif ul i n spi te o f the di rty rags in whi ch sh e w a s

dressed a nd he called to see her a t her father s
,
’

Shop wi th a friend of h is the celebrated advocate

, , ,

Bas tien Uccelli who s truck by the r o m ant ic a nd

, ,

cheerful n ature of Jul ie tt e s till m o re than by her

beaut y and fine fi gure gave h er an a p a rtm ent
, ,

m a de her study music and kep t her as h i s mi s t ress

, .

At th e time o f the fair Bastien too k her wi th him

,

to various publ i c places Of res o rt ; everywhere sh e

a ttr a c ted general a tt ention a nd secured the admira
,

tio n of every l o ver o f the sex She m ade r ap id

—1 0
.

I
 106

progress in music a nd at the end of Six mon ths

,

h
s e felt sufficient confidence i n herself to S ign an
engagement with a theatrical man ager who took
her to Vienn a to give her a castrato part in one Of
Metast asio s operas ’
.

The advocate had previous ly ceded her t o a

wealthy Jew wh o after gi ving her splendid di a
,

monds left her also

,
.

In Vienna Julie tt e appeared o n the sta ge a nd

, ,

her beauty gained for her an admi ration whi ch sh e

woul d never have conquer ed by her very inf erior
talen t
. But the c onsta nt crowd Of ado rers wh o
went to worship the goddess h aving sounded her ,

exploits rather to o lou dl y the au gus t M a ri a ,

Theresa objected to this new creed being sancti o ned

in her capital and the beau ti ful act res s received an
,

order to quit Vienna f o rthwi th .

Coun t Spada Off ered her his pro t ec ti on and ,

brough t her back to Veni ce but sh e s o on lef t f o r ,

Padua where sh e had an enga gement In th at city .

sh e kindled the fire Of love in the brea st of Marquis

S anvitali but th e ma rch i oness h a ving c a ugh t her

,

once i n her own box and Jul iett e havi ng ac t ed,

disr espectfully to her s h e Slapped her face an d the

, ,

aff air having caused a good deal Of noise Juliette ,

gave up the stage al to gether She came b a ck to .

Venic e where made c onspicuous by her b ani sh

, ,

ment from Vienna she could not fail t o make h er

,

for tune Expulsion fr o m Vienn a for thi s cl a s s Of

.
,

w omen had bec ome a t itle to fash i o n abl e favo ur

, ,
 108

me with the air of a princess th a t sh e was n o t

, ,

sorry to make my acquain tance sh e invite d me t o ,

take a seat I began then in my turn to examine

.
, ,

her closely and deliberately and it was an easy ,

mat ter as the room although small was lighte d

, , ,

with a t least twenty wax candles .

Juliette was then in her eighteenth year the

fres hn ess Of her complexion was dazzling but the ,

carnation tint of her cheeks the vermilion of her ,

lips and the dark very narrow curve of her eye

, ,

brows impressed me as being produced by art

,

—
rather than natu re Her teeth two rows of magni
.

fi c ent pearls— made one overlook the fac t that her

mouth was somewhat too large and whether fr o m ,

habit or because sh e could n ot help it sh e seemed

, ,

to be ever smiling Her bosom hid under a light

.
,

gauze invited the desires of love ; yet I did not

,

surrender to her charms Her bracelets a nd the

.

rings which c o vered her fingers di d not prevent me

from not icing that her hand was t o o large and too
fleshy and in spite Of her carefully hiding her feet
, ,

I judged by a tell tale slipper lying close by her

,
-

dress that they were well propo rtioned to the

,

height of her fi gure— a propo rtion which i s un

pleasant not only to the Chinese and Spaniards but ,

likewise to every man Of refined tas t e We wan t a .

tall woman to have a small foo t and certainly i t is ,

n o t a modern taste for Holofernes of Old was Of the

,

same opinion ; otherwi se he woul d no t have th ought

Judith so ch a rmi ng : et sandalia ejus rapu eru nt ocu
 109

los j
e us . I Al together
found her beau t iful bu t when ,

I compared her beauty and the price of one hundred

thousand ducats paid f or it I marvell ed at my ,

remaining so cold and a t my not being tempted to

,

giv e even one sequin for the privilege of m aking

from nature a study of the charms which her dres s
concealed from my eyes .

I had scarcely been there a quarter of an h o ur

when the noise made by the oar s of a gondol a
stri king the water heralded the prodigal marquis .

W e all rose from ou r seats and M Q u erin i ,

.

hastened somewhat blushing to quit hi s plac e on

, ,

the sofa M de Sanvitali a man Of middle age

. .
, ,

who had tr avelled much took a seat near Juliette

, ,

bu t not o n the sofa so sh e was c o mpelled t o turn

,

round It gave me the opportunity of seeing her

.

full front while I had before only a S ide view of

,

her f a ce .

After my introduc tion to Juliette I paid her ,

four or five visits and I thought myself justified

, ,

by the care I had given to th e examination of her

beauty in saying in M de Malipiero s draw
,
.
’

room one evening when my opinion about her was

, ,

asked that she could please o nly a glutton with

,

depraved tastes ; that sh e had neither the fascina

tion Of simple nature nor any knowledge of s o cie ty ,

that sh e was deficien t in well bred easy manners -

,

as well as in striking talent s and tha t those were ,

the qualities which a thorough gentleman liked to

find in a woman This opinion me t the general
.
 1 10

appr o b a tion Of hi s friends but M de Malipiero ,

.

kin dl y whi spered to me that Jul ie tte woul d cer

tai nly be in formed Of the portrait I had drawn Of
her and that sh e would become my swo rn enemy
,
.

He had gues sed rightly .

I thought Juliette very singular for sh e ,

seldom spoke to me and whenever She looked at

,

me sh e made use Of an eye glass or sh e contracted -

,

her eye lids as if sh e wished to deny me the

-
,

honou r Of seeing her eyes which were beyond all ,

dispute very b eautiful They were blue wondrously

.
,

large and full an d tinted with that unfathomable

,

variegated iris which nature only gives to youth ,

and which generally disappears after having ,

worked miracles when the owner reaches the

,

shady side of forty Fr ederick the Great pre

.

served it until his death .

Jul iette was informed of the portrait I had

given of her to M de Malipiero s friends by the
.
’

indiscreet pensioner X avier C ortantini,

O ne eve .

ning I called upon her with M Manzoni and sh e .

,

told him that a wonderful judge of beauty had

f ound flaws in hers but sh e took good care n ot to
,

specify them It was n ot d ifficult to make out

.

that sh e was indirectly firing at me and I prepared ,

myself for the ostracism which I was exp ecting ,

but which however She kept in abeyance fully f or

, ,

an hour At last ou r conversation falling upon a

.
,

concert given a few days b efore by Imer the actor , ,

and in which his daughter Th erese had taken a , ,

 1 12

entrea ties which I poured ou t of my heart h a d less

effect upon her than upon two youn g sisters her ,

compani o ns and friends : had I not concentr ated

every look of mine upon the heartless girl I mi ght ,

have disc overed that her friends excelled her in

beauty and in feeling but my prejudiced eyes saw
,

no on e but Angela To every outpouring Of my

.

love she an swered that sh e was quite ready to

become my wif e and that such was to be the limi t
,

Of my wi shes ; when sh e condescended to add that

sh e suff ered as much as I did myself sh e thought ,

sh e had bestowed upon me the gr eatest Of favours .

Such was the sta te Of my mind when in the , ,

first days Of autumn I received a letter from the

,

Coun tess de Mont Real with an invit a tion to spend

-

some time at her beautif ul estate at Paséan She .

expected many guests and among them her own

,

daughter wh o had married a Venetian n obleman

, ,

and who had a great reputation f or wit and beauty ,

although sh e had but one eye ; but it was so beau

tiful that it made up for the los s of the other I .

accepted the invitation and Pa sean Offering me a

,

c onstant roun d of plea sures it was easy enough for

,

me to enjoy myself and to forget for the time the

,

rigours of the cruel Angela .

I was gi ven a pretty room on the gr ound floor ,

opening upon the gardens of Pas ean and I enj oyed ,

its comforts without caring to k now who my neigh

bours were The morning after my arrival at the
.
,

very moment I awoke my eyes were delighted with

,
 1 13

the sigh t o f the charming creature who brough t me

my cofi ee She was a very young girl but as well
.
,

formed as a young person Of seventeen ; yet sh e

had scarcely completed her fourteenth year The .

snow of her complexion her hair as dark as the ,

raven s Wing her black eyes beaming with fire and

’
,

innocence her dress comp o sed o nl y of a che mise

,

an d a short petticoat which exposed a well turned -

leg and the pretties t tiny foot every de ta il I ,

gathered in one instan t presented to my looks the

most original and the mos t perfect beauty I had
ever beheld I looked at her with the greatest
.

pleasure and her eyes rested u po n me as if we had

,

been ol d acquaintances .

“ ”
H ow did you find your bed ? sh e asked .

Very comfortable ; I am sure you made it .

”
Pray who are you ?
,
‘

“
I am Lucie the daughter of the gate keeper
,
-

I have neither brothers nor sisters and I am four ,

teen years Old I am very glad you have 11

.

servant with you ; I will be your little maid and I ,

”
am su re you will be pleased with me .

Delighted at this beginning I sat u p in my ,

bed and she helped me to put on my dressing

gown saying a hundred things which I did not
,

underst and I began to drink my cofi ee quite

.
,

amazed at her e a sy freedom and struck with her ,

beauty to which it would have been impossible

,

to remain indiff erent She had seated herself o n

.
 11 4

my bed giving no oth er apology f or th at liber ty

,

than the most delightf ul smile .

’
I was still sipping my coffee when Lucie s ,

parents came into my r oom She di d not move .

from her place on the bed but She looked at them , ,

appearing very proud of such a seat The good .

people kindly scolded her begged my forgiveness ,

in her favour and Lucie left the room to att end to

,

her o ther duties The moment sh e had gon e her

.

father and mother began to prais e their d aughter .

“ ” “
She i s they said,
our only child our , ,

darling pet the hope of our Old age She love s

,
.

and obeys u s and fears God ; sh e i s as clean as a

,
”
new pin and has but on e fault
,
.

“ ”
What i s that ?
She i s too young .

That i s a charming faul t which time wil l

mend .

I was not long in ascertaining tha t they were

living specimens of honesty of truth Of homely , ,

vi rtues and Of real happiness I was delighted at

, .

this di scovery when Luci e returned as gay as a

,

lark prettily dres sed her hair done in a peculiar

, ,

way of her own and with well fitting shoes She

,
-
.

dr opped a simple courtes y before me gave a couple ,

of hearty kisses to b oth her parents and jum p ed ,

on her father s knees I asked her to come and sit

’
.

on my b e d but sh e answered that sh e could not

,

take such a liberty now that sh e was dre ss ed The .

simplicity artlessness and inn o cence of the answer

, ,
 116

gloomy light of malice but unwilling either to be , ,

the dupe Of feeling or to act against it I resolved ,

to reconnoitr e the ground I extend a daring h a nd .

towards her person and by an involuntary move ,

ment she withdraws blushes her cheerfulnes s , ,

disappears and turning her head aside as if sh e

, ,

were in search of something she waits until her ,

agitation h as subsided The whole affair had n ot .

lasted on e mi nute She came back abashed at the

.
,

idea th at sh e had proved herself rather knowing ,

and at the dread Of having perhap s given a wr ong

interpretation to an action which might have been ,

on my part perfectly innocent or the result Of

, ,

politeness Her natural laugh soon returned and

.
, ,

havm g rapidly read in her mind all I have just

described I lost no time in restoring her con
,

fi den ce and j udging that I would venture too

, ,

much by active operations I resolved to employ ,

the followi ng morning in a friendly chat during

which I could make her out better .

In pursuance of that plan the n ext morning , ,

as we were talking I told her th at it was cold

, ,

but that sh e would not feel it if sh e would lie

down near me .

“ ”
Sh all I disturb you ? sh e said .

N0 ; but I am think ing that if your mother

”
happened to come in sh e wo ul d be angry , .

“
Mother would n ot think Of any harm .

Come then But Lucie do you know what

,
.
,
”
danger you are exp osing yourself to ?
 11 7

Certainly I do ; but you a re good a nd , ,

”
wha t is more you are a priest ,
.

Come ; only lock the door .

No no for people might th ink

, ,
I do .

”
not know what She laid down close by me a nd
.
,

kept on her chatting although I did no t under ,

stand a word of wha t sh e said for in tha t singul a r ,

position and unwilling t o give way t o my ardent

,

desires I remained as still as a log

, .

Her confidence in her safety confidence which ,

was certainly not feigned worked upon my feelings ,

to such an extent that I would h a ve been ashamed

t o take any advantage of it At last sh e t old me .

that nine o clock had struck an d that if old Coun t

’
,

Antonio found us as we were he wo uld t ease her ,

“
with his j okes When I see tha t man sh e said
.
, ,
“
I am afraid and I run away Saying these .

words she rose from the bed and left the room
, .

I remained mo tionless f or a l ong while ,

stu pefied benumbed

, and mastered by the agit ation
,

of my excited senses as well as by my thoughts .

The next morning as I wished to keep calm I , ,

only let her sit down on my bed and the conver ,

sa tion I had with her proved withou t the shado w

of a doubt that her parent s had every rea son to

idolize her and that the easy freedom of her mind

,

as well as Of her behaviour with me was entirely

o wing to her innocence and to her purity Her .

artlessness her vivacity her eager curio si ty and

, ,

the b a shful blushes wh ich sprea d over her fa ce

 8

whenever her innocent or j esting remarks caused

me to laugh everything in f act convinced me that
, , ,

sh e was an angel destined t o become the victim of

the first libertine who would undertake to s educe

her I felt su fficient control over my own feelings
.

to resi st any attempt against her virtue which

my conscience mi ght af terwards reproach me
with The mere thought of taking advantage of
.

her innocence made me shudder an d my s elf ,

esteem was a guarant ee to her parent s who aban ,

don ed her to me on the strength of the good opinion

they entert ained of me that Lucie s honour was
,
’

safe in my hands I thought I would have despised

.

myself if I had betrayed the trust they reposed in

me I therefore determined to c o nquer my feelings
.
,

and with perfect confidence in the victory I mad e

, ,

up my mind to wage war against myself and t o be ,

satisfied with her presence as the only reward of

my heroic efforts I was not yet acquaint ed with
.

th e a xi om that as long as the fighting las ts ,

”
victory remains uncertain .

A s I enj oyed her conversation much a natural ,

instinc t prompted me to t ell her that sh e woul d

afford me great pleasure if sh e c ould come earlier

in the morning and even wake me up if I hap

,

p ened to be asleep adding in order to give more

, ,

weigh t to my request that the le ss I slept the

,

better I felt in health In this manner I contrive d

.

to spend three hours instead of two in her society ,

although this cunning contrivance of mine did not

 120

state of things o r to become a m o nster in my o wn

,

eyes ; and I d ecided f or the moral side o f the

question all the more easily that nothing insu r d e

me success if I chose the s econd alternative The

,
.

moment I placed her un der the Obligation to defend

herself Lucie would bec ome a heroine and th e ,

door of my room being open I might have been

,

exposed to shame and to a very useless repentance .

This rather frightened me Yet to put an en d to

.
,

my torture I did no t know what to decide

,
I .

could no longer resis t the effect made upon my

senses by this b eautiful girl who at the br ea k of
, ,

day and scarcely dressed ran gaily into my r o om

, ,

came to my bed enquiring how I had slept bent ,

f amiliarly her head towards me and so to speak, , ,

dropped her words on my lips In those dan .

gerons moments I wo ul d turn my he a d a side ; but

in her innocence She would re pro ach me for being
afraid when sh e felt herself so safe and if I an ,

swered that I c ould not possibly fear a child sh e ,

would reply that a difference of two years was o f

no accoun t.

Standing at bay exhausted c o nscious tha t

, ,

every instant increased the ardour which was

devouring me I resolved to en treat from herself
,

the discontinuance Of her vi sits and thi s resolut i on

appeared to me sublime and infallible ; but having
pos tponed its execu tion until the following morning ,

I passed a dreadful ni gh t t o rtured by the image of

,

Lucie and by the idea th at I would see her in the

,
 12 1

morning f or the las t time I fancied th at Lucie .

would not only grant my prayer but that sh e ,

would conceive for me the highest es t eem In the .

morning it was barely day light Lucie beaming

,
-
, ,

radiant with beauty a happy smile brightening her

,

pretty mouth and her splendid hair in the mo st

,

fascinating disorder b u rsts int o my room and

, ,

rushes with open arms towards my bed ; but when

sh e sees my pale dej ected and unhappy coun
, ,

tenan ce she stops short and her beautiful face

, ,

taking an expres sion of sadness and an xiety

“ ”
What ails you ? sh e asks with deep sym ,

I have had no sleep through the nigh t .

”
And why ?
“
Because I have made up my mi nd to i mp a rt
to you a project which although fraught with ,

misery to myself will a t least secure me your

,

esteem .

“
But if your proj ec t is to insure my esteem it
ought to make you very cheerful O nly t ell me .
,

reverend sir why after calling me thou yester

, ,
‘ ’

day you treat me to day respectfully like a lady P

‘
-
, ,

Wh at have I done ? I will get your coffee and ,

you must t ell me everything after you have drunk

it ; I long to hear you .

She goes and returns I drink the coffee and , ,

seeing that my countenance remains grave she

tries to enliven me contrives to mak e me s m ile
, .

and claps her hands for j oy After putting every .

1 —1 1
 12 2

thing in order sh e cl o ses the d o or b ec ause th e

,

wind is high and in her anxiety not to los e o ne

,

w o rd of what I have t o say sh e entre ats artlessly

‘

a little place near me I cann ot refuse her for I.

,

feel almos t lifeless .

I then begin a faithful recital of the fea rful .

state in which her beauty h as thrown me and a ,

vivid picture of all the suffering I have experienced

in trying to master my a rdent wish t o give her
some proof of my love ; I explain to her tha t ,

unable to endure such torture any longer I see no ,

other safety but in entreating her not to see me

any more The importance of the subj ec t the
.
,

truth of my love my wish to present my expedient

,

in the light of the heroic e ffort of a deep and

virtuous passion lend me a peculiar eloquence I
, .

ende avour above all to m ake her realize the fearful

consequences which might follow a course diff erent
to the on e I was proposing and how miserable we ,

migh t be .

At the close of my long discourse Lucie seeing ,

my eyes we t with t ears throws off the bed clothe s ,

-

to wipe them without thinking tha t in so doing she

,

uncovers two globes th e beauty of which might have

,

caused the wreck of the most experienced pilo t .

Af ter a short silence the charming child tells me

,

th at my tears make her very unhappy and that ,

sh e had nev er supposed tha t sh e c o ul d cause

I

them .

“ ”
All you have just t old me she a dded pr o ves , ,
My dear abbé if love i s a to rment for you I a m
,

very s o rry but wo ul d it be po ssible f or you to

,

live without love ? I will do anything you order

me to do but even if your c u re depende d upon
, ,

it I would not cease to love you f or that woul d

, ,

be impossible Yet if to heal your sufferings it

.

should be necessary f or you to love me n o more ,

you must do you r utmost to succeed f or I would ,

much rather see you alive wi thout love than dead ,

f or having loved too much O nly try to fin d some

.

other plan f or the on e you have proposed makes

,

me ve ry miserable Thin k of it there may be

.
,

some other way which will be l ess painful Suggest .

on e more practicable and depend upon Lucie s

,
’

”
obedience .

The se words so true so artless so inn o cent

, , , ,

made me realize the immense superiority of nature s ’

eloquence over that of philosophical intellec t For .

th e first time I folded this angelic being in my

“
arms exclaiming
,
Y es dearest Lucie yes thou
, , , ,

h ast it in thy power to aff ord the swee test relief to

my devouring pain ; abandon to my ardent kisses
thy divine lips which have j ust assured me of thy
l ove
.

An hour p a ssed in the most delightful silen ce ,

which nothing interrupted exce pt these words mur

mured n ow and then by Lucie O h God ! is it true ?
“
, ,

”
is it not a dream ? Yet I respected her inno cence ,

and th e more readily that sh e abandoned herself

entirely and without the sli gh tes t resis tance At las t .
,
 12 5

ex t ricating herself gently from my a rms sh e said , ,

“
with some uneasiness My heart begins to speak
, ,

I must go and she instantly rose Having s o me

.

what rearranged her dress sh e sat down and her ,

mother coming in at tha t moment complimented

, ,

me up on my good looks and my bright c o untenance ,

and t old Lucie to dress herself to attend mass .

Lucie came back an hour l ater and ex pressed her

,

j oy and her pride at the wonderful cure she though t

she had performed upon me for the healthy a ppear
,

ance I was then shewing convinced her of my love

much better than the pitiful state in which sh e had
“
found me in the morning . If your compl ete happi
”
, ,
“
ness she added rests in my p o wer be h a ppy ; ,

there is nothing that I can refuse you .

The moment she left me still waveri ng,

be tween h apines s and fear I und ers to od tha t I

,

was standing on the very brink of the a byss and ,

that nothing but a most extraordinary determi na

tion could prevent me from falling headlong in to it .

I remained a t Pas ean until the end o f Sep

tember and the last eleven nights of my stay were
,

passed in the undisturbed possess ion of Lucie wh o , ,

secure in her mother s profo und slee p came to my

’
,

room to enj oy in my arms the most delici o us h o urs .

The burning ardour of my love was increased by

the abstinence to which I condemned myself ,

although Lucie did everyth ing in her p o wer to

make me break through my determina tion She .

could not fully enj oy the swee tness of the forbidden

 12 6

frui t unless I p lu cked i t without reserve and the ,

eff ec t produced by our constantly lying in each

othe r s arm s was too strong for a young girl to
’

resis t She tried everything sh e c ould t o deceive

.

me and t o make me believe that I had alre a dy

'

, ,

and in rea lity gathered the whole flower but

, ,

Bettina s lessons h a d been t oo efficien t t o allo w me

’

to go o n a wrong scent and I reached the end o f ,

my stay without yielding entirely to the t em pt ati o n

sh e s o f o ndl threw in my way I promised her to
y .

return in the spring ; our farewell was t ender and

very sad and I left her in a s ta te o f mi nd and of
,

body which must have been the cause of her mi s

fortunes which twenty years aft er I had occ asion
, , ,

to reproach myself with in Holland an d which ,

will ever remain upon my conscience .

A few days a f ter my return to Venice I h a d ,

f allen back into all my ol d habi ts and re sumed ,

my c o urtship of Angela in the hop e that I would

!

obtain from her at leas t as much as Lucie had

, ,

grant ed to me A certain dread which to day I

.
-

can no longer t ra ce in my na ture a s o rt of terror ,

of the consequences which might have a blight ing

influence upon my future preven ted m e from ,

giving myself up to comple t e enj o yment I do no t .

know whether I have ever b een a truly h o nest

man bu t I am fully aware that the feelings I
,

fostered in my youth were by far more upright

than those I have as I lived on forced myself to
, ,

acce pt A wicked philosophy thr ows down too

.
 28

to leave him without incurr ing any suspici o n a nd ,

I pr omi sed to follow h i s good advice .

Three or four days afterwards I p aid a visit to,

the teacher of embroidery and to make her believe

, ,

that my visit was only intended f or her I di d n o t ,

stop one instant near the youn g girls ; yet I con

tri ved to sli p in the hand of the eldest of th e two
sisters a note enclosing another f or my dear Angela ,

in which I explained why I had been compelled to

discontinue my vi sits entreating her to de vi se some
,

means by which I co ul d enj oy the happiness of

seeing her and of conversing with her In my no te .

to Nanette I only b egged her to give my let ter t o

,

her friend adding that I would see them again the

,

day after the morro w and that I trusted to her to

,

fin d an opp ortunity f or delivering me the answer .

She managed it all very cleverly and when I , ,

renewed my visit two days afterwards sh e gave me ,

a letter without at tracting the at tention of anyone .

Nanette s letter enclosed a very short n ot e

’

from Angela wh o disliking le tter writing merely

, ,
-
,

advised me to follow if I could the plan proposed

, ,

by her friend Here i s the copy of the letter written

.

by Nanette which I h a ve always kept as well as

, ,

all other letters which I give in these Memoirs

“
There i s nothing in the world reverend sir , ,

that I would n ot readily do f or my friend She .

visi ts at our house every holiday has supper with ,

us , and sleeps under our roof I wil l sugges t the

.

bes t way for you to make the acquaintance of

 12 9

Madame O rio our a un t ; but if you obtain a n

, ,

in troduction to her you must be ve ry careful n ot

,

to let her sus p ec t your preference for An gel a f o r ,

ou r aun t would cert ainly obj ec t to her house being

made a place of rendezvous to facilitate your inter

views with a stranger to her family Now for the .

plan I propose a nd in the executi o n of which I will

,

give y o u every assistance in my power Madame .

O rio although a woman of good station in life is

, ,

not wealthy and sh e wishes to h a ve her name

,

entered on the list of noble widows who receive the

bounties bestowed by the Confra ternity of the Holy
Sacramen t of which M de Malipiero is p resident
, . .

La st Sunday Angel a mentioned that you are in the

,

good gr aces of that nobleman and that the bes t ,

way to obtain his patronage would be t o ask y o u

t o entreat it in her behalf The foolish gi rl a dded
.

that you were smitten with me that all your visit s ,

to our mist ress of embroidery were made for my

special benefit and f or the sake of entertain ing me ,

and that I would find it a very easy task to in terest

you in her favour My aunt answered that as you
.
,

are a pries t there was no fear of any harm and she

, ,

told me to writ e to you with an invitation to ca ll o n

her ; I refused The procura to r R osa wh o i s a
.
,

grea t favourite of my aun t s was present ; he ap ’

,

proved of my refusal saying that the letter o ugh t

,

to be written by her and not by me tha t it was for ,

my aun t t o beg the honour of your visi t on business

of real impo r ta nce and tha t if there was any tru t h
, ,
 13 0

in the rep o r t of yo ur l o ve f o r me yo u woul d n o t ,

fail t o c ome My aunt by hi s advice has therefore

.
, ,

written the letter which you will fin d a t yo u r h o use .

If you wish t o meet Angela p o stpon e your visit to ,

us un til next Sunday Should you succeed in

.

ob taining M de M a lipier o s good will in favo ur of

.
’

my aunt you will bec o me the pet o f the h o usehold

, ,

but you must forgiv e me if I appear to tre at you

wi th coolness for I h ave said tha t I do no t lik e you
,
.

I would advise you to make love to my a unt who ,

i s six ty ye ars of age ; M Rosa will not be j ealous .

,

and you will bec ome de a r to everyone For my .

part I will manage f or you a n o pportunity f or

,

some private conversation with Angel a and I will ,

do anything to c o nvince you of my friends hip .

”
Adieu .

This plan appeared to me very well c o ncei ved ,

and having th e same evening received M a dame

,

Ori o s le tt er I called upon her on the following

’
,

day Sunday
,
I was welcomed in a very friendly
.

manner and the lady entreating me to exert in

, ,

her behalf my influence with M de Malipiero .

,

entrusted m e with a ll the papers which I might

require t o succeed I undertook t o do my utm ost
.
,

and I took care to address only a few words to

Ang ela bu t I directed all my gallant at tention s
,

to Nanette who treated me as c o o ll y as could be

, .

Finally I won the friendshi p of the o ld pr o

,

curator R o sa who in after days was o f s o me

, , ,

service to me .
 13 2

spe a k and whom sh e said she would s a crifice t o

, , ,

the pe rson in whose behalf I felt interested She .

kept her word for the very next day sh e plac ed

,

in my h an ds the brevet signed by h i s excellen cy ,

as president of the conf ra ternity For the presen t .

,

and with the ex pectation of further favours ,

Madame Ori o s name was put down to share th e

’

bounties which were distribut ed twice a year -

.

N a nette and her sister Marton were the orph a n

d aughters of a sis t er of Madame O rio All the for .

tune of the good lady consisted in the house which

was her dwelling the first floor being let
, and ,

in a pension given to her by her brother member ,

of the council of ten She lived alone wi th her

.

two charming nieces the eldest sixteen and the

, ,

youngest fifteen years of age She kep t no ser .

vant and only employed an old woman who for

, , ,

one crown a month fetched water and did the

, ,

rough work Her only friend was the procurat or

.

Rosa ; he had like her reached h is sixtieth year

, , ,

and exp ected to marry her as soon a s he should

become a widower .

The two sis ters slept together on the third

fl oo r in a large bed which was likewise shared by
,

Angela every Sunday .

As soon as I found myself in p o ssession of the

de ed f or Madame O rio I hast ened to pay a visit
,

to the mistress of e mbroidery in order to find an ,

opportunity of acquainting Nanette with my su c

cess and in a sh or t n o te which I prepared I
, ,
 13 3

informed her tha t in two days I would call t o give

the brevet to Madame O ri o and I begged her ,

earnestly n ot t o forget her promise to contrive a

private interview with my dear Angela .

When I arrived on the appointed day a t , ,

Madame Grio s hou se Nanette wh o had wa tched

’
, ,

f or my coming dexterously conveyed to my hand a

,

billet requesting me to find a moment t o read it

,

before leaving the house I found Madame O rio .

,

Angela the ol d procura t or and Marton in the

, ,

room . Longing to read the not e I refused the ,

sea t o ff ered to me and presen ting to Madame O rio

,

the deed she had so long desired I asked as my , ,

only reward the pleasure of kissing her hand

, ,

giving her to underst and tha t I wan ted to l eave

the room immediat ely .

“
“
O h my dear abbé said the lady you shall
, ,

have a kiss but n ot on my hand and no one can

, ,
”
o bj ect to it as I am thirty years older than you
,
.

She migh t have said forty five without going -

much astray I gave her two kisses which eviden tly

.
,

satisfied her f or she desired me t o perform the

,

same ceremony with her nieces but they both ran ,

away and Angela alone s t ood the brun t o f my

,

hardihood After this the wid ow asked me to sit

.

d o wn
.

“
I cannot Mad a me ,
.

”
Why I beg ? ,

I h a ve
I unders tand Nanette shew the way .
, .
 13 4
“
Dear aun t excuse me ,
“
Well then Mar to n , ,
“
O h ! dear aunt why do you no t insis t upon ,
”
my sister obeying your orders ?
“
Al as ! madame these y o ung ladies are qui te ,
”
right Allow me to retire
. .

N 0 my dear abbé my n i eces are very fo o lish ;

, ,

M Rosa I am sure will kindly

.
, ,

The good procurator takes me aff ectionately

by the hand and lead s me to the third s tory where
, ,

he leaves me The mo ment I am alone I open my

.

letter and I read the followi ng :

,
“
My aun t will invi te you to supper ; d o not
accept Go away as soon as we sit down to table
.
,

and Marton wi ll escor t you as far as the street

door bu t do not l eave the house When the street
, .

door is closed again everyone think ing you are ,

gone go upst airs in the dark as far as th e third

,

floor where you must wait for us We will come

, .

up the moment M Rosa h as left the house and .

,

ou r aunt h as gone to bed Angela will b e at liber ty .

to grant you throughout the night a téte— d téte -

”
whi ch I trust will prove a happy one
, , .

—
O h ! what j oy wha t gratitude f or the lucky
chance which allowed me to read th is letter on the
very spot where I was to expect the dear obj ect of
my love ! Certain of fin ding my way without the
slightest difficulty I returned to Madame O ri o s ,
’

sitting room overwhelmed with happiness

-
, .
 13 6

and throwing myself upon a sofa I wait ed

, ,

patiently f or the rising of the sta r of my happiness .

An hour passed amidst the sweetest dream s of my

imagination ; at last I hear the noise of the street
door opening and closing and a few minutes , ,

after the two sisters come in with my Angela

, .

I draw her towards me an d caring f or n obody ,

el se I keep up f or two full hours my conversa

,

tion with her The clock strikes midnight ; I am

.

pitied f or having gone so late supperless bu t I ,

am shocked at such an ide a ; I answer tha t with ,

such happiness as I am enj oying I can suffer ,

from no human want I am told that I am a .

prisoner that the key of the house door i s under

,
’
the aunt s pill ow and that it i s opened only by
,

herself as sh e goes in the morning to the first

mass I wonder at my young friends imagining
.

that such news can be anything but delightful to

me I express all my j oy at the certainty of passing
.

the next five hours with the bel oved mistress of

my heart Another hour is spent when suddenly
.
,

Nanet te begins to laugh Angela wants to know ,

the reas on and Marton whispering a few words

,

to her they both laugh l ikewise This puzzles me

,
. .

In my turn I want to know what cau ses this

,

general laughter and at last Nanette putting on

, ,

an air of anxiety tells me that they have no more

,

candle and that in a few minutes we shall be in

,

the dark Thi s i s a piece of new

. s particularly
agreeable t o me but I do not let my satisfaction
,
 13 7

appe a r on my count enance a nd saying how t ruly ,

sorry I am for their sake I p ropose that they sh o uld

,

go t o bed and sl eep quie tly under my respectful

guardiansh ip My p roposal increases their merri
.

men t .

”
W h at can we do in the dark ?
We can t alk .

We were four ; for the l a s t three h o urs we h a d

been talking a nd I was the hero of t he romance
,
.

Love i s a grea t p o et its resources are inexhaust ible

, ,

bu t if the end it h as in view is n ot ob ta ined it feel s ,

wea ry and rem ains silen t My Angela list ened .

willingly but little di sposed to t alk herself sh e

, ,

seldom answered and sh e displayed good sense

,

rather than wit T o weaken th e f o rce of my

.

arguments sh e was often sa ti sfied with hurlin g a t

,

me a proverb somewha t in the fashion o f the

,

Romans thr o wing the catapult Every t ime that .

my p o or hands came to the assis t ance of love sh e ,

drew herself back o r repulsed me Yet in spite of .

,

all I wen t on t alking and using my hands wi th o u t

,

losing c ourage bu t I ga ve mysel f up t o despair

,

when I found tha t my rather artful a rguing

asto unded her withou t bringing convi c ti o n t o her
heart wh i ch was only di squie t ed never s o ftened
, , .

O n the o ther h and I could see with astonishmen t

,

upon their c ount enances th e impress io n made upon

the two sist ers by th e arden t speeches I poured o u t
to An gela Th i s met aphys ical curve s truck me as
.

unnatu ral it o ugh t to h a ve been a n a ngle ; I was

,

1 —1 2
 13 8

then unh appily for myself s tudying ge o metry I

, ,
.

w as in such a state tha t notwi thstanding the c o ld , ,

I was perspiring profusely A t last the li gh t was .

nearly out and Nanett e took it a way

,
.

The moment we were in the dark I very

na turally extended my arms to seize her whom
I loved ; but I o nl y met wi th empty space and I ,

could not help laughing at the rapi di ty wi th which

Angela had ava il ed herself of the opportun ity of
escaping me For on e full hou r I p oured o ut all
.

the tender cheerful words tha t love inspired me

,

with to persuade her to come back t o me ; I co ul d

,
.

o nl y suppose tha t it was a j oke to tease me But .

I became impatient ‘
.

” “
“
The j oke I said h as las ted l ong en o ugh ;
, ,

it i s fo olish as I could not run af ter you and I am

, ,

surprised to hear you laugh for your strange c o n ,

duct leads me t o suppose that you are making f un

of me Come and take your s eat ne a r me and if
.
,

I must speak t o you wi thout see ing you le t my hands

assure me that I am not addr essing my words to
the empty air T o contin ue thi s game woul d be
.

an insul t to me and my love d oes no t deserve su ch

,

a return .

“
Well be c a lm I will li st en to every word
, .

you may say but yo u mus t feel that it woul d no t

,

be decen t for me to place myself ne a r you in this

”
dark room .

“
Do y o u wan t me t o st and where I am until
”
mo rning ?
 14 0

done so several times She undertook th e defence

.

of Angelica and blamed the simplicity of R oger ,

who if he had been wise would never have trusted

, ,

the ring to a coquette I was deligh t ed with

.

Nanette but I was yet too much of a n ovme to

,

apply her remarks to myself .

O nly on e more hour remained and I was to ,

leave before the break of day for Madame O rio ,

would have died rather than give way to the

temptation of missing the early mass During .

that hour I spoke t o Angela trying to convince ,

her that she ought to come and sit by me My .

soul went through every gradation of hope and

despair and the reader cannot po ssibly re alize
,

it unless he has been placed in a similar posi

tion I exhau st ed the mos t convinc ing arguments ;
.

then I had re c o urse to prayers and even to tears ; ,

but seeing all was usel es s I gav e way to that

, ,

feeling of noble indignation which lends dignity to

anger Had I no t been in the dark I migh t I
.
, ,

truly believe have struck the pro ud monster the

, ,

cruel gi rl who had thus for five hours condemn ed

,

me to the most distressing su fl eri ng I poured out .

all the abuse all the insulting words that d espised

,

love can suggest t o an infuriated mind ; I loaded

her with the deepest curses ; I swo re that my love
had entirely turned into hatred and as a final e , , ,

I advised her to be careful as I would kill her the

,

m o ment I would set my eyes on her .

My i nvec tives came to a n en d with the dark

 14 1

ness At the first break of day and as soon as

.
,

I heard the noise made by the bolt and the key

of the street door which Madame O rio was open
,

ing to let herself out that she mi ght seek in the

,

church the repose of which her pious soul was in

need I got myself r eady and looked f or my cloak
,

and f or my hat But how c an I ever p ortray the

.

consternation in which I was thrown when cast ,

ing a sly glance upon the young friends I found ,

the three bathed in tears ! In my shame a nd

despair I thought of committing suicide and sit ,

ting down again I recollected my brutal speeches

, ,

and upbraided myself for having wantonly caused

them to weep I could not say one word ; I fel t
.

choking ; at last t ears came to my assistance and ,

I gave way to a fit of crying which relieved me .

Nanette then remarked that her aunt would so o n

return home ; I dried my eyes and n ot ven , ,

turing another look at Angela o r at her friends .

I ran away without uttering a word and threw ,

myself on my bed where sleep would n o t visit

,

my troubled mind .

At noon M de Malipiero noticing the change

,
.
,

in my countenance enquired what ailed me and

, ,

longing to unburden my heart I told him all that ,

had happened The wise old man did not laugh

.

at my sorrow but by his sensible advice he

,

managed to console me and to give me courage .

He was in the same predicament with the beau

tiful Th erese Yet he could not help giving way
.
 14 2

to h is merriment when at dinner he saw me in ,

spite of my grief eat with increased appe ti te ; I

,

had gone without my supper the night before ; he

complimented me upon my happy constitution .

I was determi ned never to visit Madame

’
O rio s house and on that very day I held an argu
,

ment in metaphysics in which I contended th at ,

any being of whom we had only an abstract idea ,

could only exist abstractedly and I was righ t ; but ,

it was a very easy task to give to my thesis an irre

ligiou s turn and I was obliged to recant
, A few .

days afterwards I went to Padua where I to ok my ,

degree of doctor u troqu e ju re .

When I returned to Venice I received a note ,

from M Rosa who entreated me to call upon

.
,

Madame O rio sh e wished to see me and feeling , ,

certain of n ot meeting Angela I paid her a vi sit ,

the same evening The two graceful sisters were

.

s o kind so pleasant
,
that they scat tered to the
,

winds the shame I felt at seeing them after the

fearful night I had passed in their room two months
befo re . The labours of writing my thesis and
passing my examination were of course sufficient
excuses f or Madame O rio wh o only wanted to ,

reproach me for having remained so long away

from her house .

As I left Nanette gave m e a letter containing

,

a no te from Angela the contents of which ran as

,

follows
“
If you are not afraid o f passing another
 14 4

room as I h ad done on the former occ a sion and ,

slipped upstairs I longed to represent the character

.

I had prepared myself for and feel ing assured that

,

Angela even if sh e sho ul d prove less c ruel woul d

, ,

only grant me insignificant favours I despised them ,

in anticipation and resolved to be avenged

,
.

After waiting three quarter s of an hour the

street door was loc ked and a moment later Nanette
,

and Marton entered the room .

“ ”
Wher e i s An gela ? I enquired .

“
She must have been un able to come or t o ,
”
send a message Yet sh e kn ows you are here
. .

“
She thinks sh e has made a fool of me ; but I
suspected sh e would act in this way You know .

her now She is trifling with me and very li kely

.
,

sh e i s now revelling in her triumph She has .

mad e use of you to allure me in the snare and ,

it i s all the better for her ; had sh e come I ,

meant to have had my turn and to have laughed ,

”
at her .

“
Ah ! you must allow me to have my doubts
as to tha t .

Doubt me n ot beautiful Nanette ; the

,

pleasant ni gh t we are going to spend withou t her

”
must convin ce you .

That is to say that as a man of sense you

, ,

can accept u s as a makeshi ft ; but you can sleep

here an d my sister can lie with me on the sofa in
,

”
the next room .

“
I cannot hinder you but it Would be gr ea t
,
 14 5

unkindness on your p a r t At all event s I d o n ot

.
,
”
intend to go t o b ed .

“
Wh at ! you would have the courage to spend
seven hours alone with u s ? Why I am cer tain ,

that in a sho rt time you wi ll b e at a loss wha t

”
to say and you will fall asleep
,
.

“
W ell we shall see
,
In the m ean time here
.
- ,

ar e pr o visions You will not be so cruel as to let

.

”
me eat alone ? Can y o u get any brea d ?
“
Yes and t o please you we mus t have a
,

second supper .

“
I ought to be in l o ve with you T e ll me .
,

beautiful Nane tte if I were as much attached to

,

you as I was to Angela would you f ollow her ,

”
example and make me unha ppy ?
“
H ow can you ask such a question ? I t is
worthy of a conceited man All I can answer .

”
i s tha t I do not know wha t I would do
, .

They laid the cloth brought some bread , ,

some Parmesan cheese and water laughing all ,

the while and then we went to work The wine

,
.
,

to which they were n ot accus t omed went to their ,

heads and their gaiety was soon delightful

,
I .

wondered as I looked at them at my having

, ,

been blind enough not t o see their merit .

After our su pper which was delicious I sat

, ,

be tween them holding their hands which I

, ,

pressed to my lips asking them whether they

,

were truly my f riends and whether they ap ,

proved of Angela s conduc t t owards me They both

’
.
 14 6

answered tha t it had made them shed many t e ars .

“ ” “
Then let me I said have f or you the tender
, ,

f eelings of a brother and share those feelings

,

yourselves as if you were my sis ters ; let u s ex

ch ange in all innocence proofs of our mu tual
, ,

affection and swear to each other an eternal

,
”
fidelity.

The firs t kiss I gave them was prompted by

entirely harmless motives and they returned the ,

kiss as they assured me a few day s aft erwards

, ,

only to prove to me that they reciprocated my

brotherly feelings ; bu t those innocen t kisses as ,

we repeated them very soon b ecame arden t ones

, ,

and kindled a flame which certainly t ook u s by

surprise f or we stopp ed as by common consent
, , ,

after a short time looking at each other very

,

much astonished and rather serious They both .

left me without aff ectation and I remained alone ,

with my thoughts Indeed it was natural that the

.
,

bu rning kisses I had given and rece i ved sho ul d

have s ent through me the fire of passion and that ,

I should suddenly have fallen madly in love with

the two amiable sisters Both were handsomer.

than Angela and they were superior to her

,

Nanette by her charming wit Marton by her ,

sweet and simple nature ; I c ould n ot understand

how I had been so long in rendering them the
jus tice they deserved but they were the innocent
,

daughters of a noble family and the lucky chance ,

which had thrown them in my way ought not to

 14 8
“
Y o u argue very well but how d o you kn ow ,
”
that sh e l ov es me ?
“
I am quite sure of it and as you have ,

promised to be ou r brother I can tell you why I

have that conviction When Angela i s in b ed .

with me sh e embraces me lovingly and calls me

,
”
her dear abbé .

The words were scarcely spoken when

Nanette laughing heartily placed her hand on
, ,

her sister s lips but the innocent confes sion had

’
,

such an effect upon me that I could hardly con

trol myself .

Mar to n told Nanette that I could not possibly

be ignorant of what takes place between young
gi rls S l eeping together .

” “
There is no doubt I sa i d that everyb o dy , ,

knows those trifl es and I do not think d ear , ,

Nanette that you ought to reproach your sis ter

,
”
wi th indiscretion for her fri endly confidence .

“
It cannot be helped now but such things ,
”
ought not to be mentioned If Angela knew i t ! .

She would be vexed of course ; but Marton ,

h as given me a mark of her friendship which I

never c an forget But it i s all over ; I hate
.

Angela and I do not mean to speak to her any

,
”
more ; She i s false and she wi shes my ruin ,
.

“
Yet loving you i s she wrong to think of
, ,
”
having you f or her husband ?
“
Granted that sh e i s not ; but sh e think s onl y
of her own self for sh e knows what I su fl er and
, ,
 14 9

her conduc t w o uld be very difl erent if sh e l o ved

me . In the mean time thanks to her imagina ,

tion she finds the means of satisfying her senses

,

with the charming Marton wh o kindly perform s

”
the part of her husband .

Nane tte laughed louder bu t I kep t very ,

serious and I went on talking t o her sister and

, ,

p raising her sincerity I said th a t very likely and

.
,

to reciprocate her kindness Angela mus t likewise ,

have been her husband but she answered with , ,

a smile that Angela played husband only t o

,

Nanette and Nanette could not deny it

,
.

“ ” “
Bu t said I ,
what name did Nanett e in
, ,
”
her rapture give to her husband ?
,

“
Nobody knows .

”
Do y ou love anyone Nanett e ? ,

I do ; but my secret i s my own .

This reserve gave me the suspicion tha t I

had s o mething t o do with her secre t and tha t ,

Nanet te was the ri val of Angela Such a deligh t .

ful conversation caused me t o lose the wi sh of

passing an idle night with two girls s o well made
f or love .

“ ”
It is very lucky I exclaimed th a t I
, ,

have f o r you only feel ings of friendsh i p ; other

wi se it would be very hard to pass the nigh t
without givi ng way to th e temp t ation of bes t o w
ing upon you pro o fs of my affection f or you a re ,

both so lovely so bewitching tha t you would turn

, ,
”
the bra ins of any m an .
 1 50

AS I went on t alkin g I pretend ed to be s o me ,

what sleepy ; Nanett e being the first to noti ce it ,

said,
“
Go to bed without any ceremony we wi ll ,
”
lie down on the sofa in the adjoinin g room .

“
I would be a very poor spirited fellow indeed -
,

if I agreed to thi s ; let us tal k ; my sleepiness will

soon pass ofl but I am anxious about you
, Go .

to bed yourselves my charming friends and I wi ll

, ,

go into the next room If you are afraid of me .

,

lock the door but you woul d do me an m j u sti ce

, ,
”
f or I feel only a brother s yearni ngs t owards you
’
.

“
W e cannot accept such an arrangement ,
“
said Nanette but let me persuade you ; take
,
”
this bed .

“
I cann ot sleep with my clothes o n .

“
Undress yourself ; we will not look a t you .

“
I have n o f ea r of it bu t how coul d I find ,

the h eart to sleep whil e on my accoun t you a re

,

”
compelled to sit up ?
“ ”
W ell ,
“
said Marton we can lie down too , , ,

”
withou t un dres sing .

“
If you shew me such di strus t you will ,

offend me Tell me Nane tt e do you think I a m

.
, ,
”
an hon es t man ?
“
Mos t cert ainly .

“
W ell then give me a proof of your good
, ,

opinion ; lie down near me in the bed un dres sed , ,

and rely on my word of honour that I will n ot

even lay a fi nger upon you Besides you are two .
,

against o ne what can yo u fe a r ? Will you not

,
 152

a doubt that I have gathered those first frui ts to -

whi ch our prejudice makes u s attac h so great an

impo rtance Enrap tured at having enj oyed my
.

ma nhood comple tely and for the first time I quietly ,

leave my beauty in order to do homage to the other

sister I find her motionless lyi ng on her back
.
,

l ike a person wrapped in profound and un disturbed

slumber Carefully managing my advance as if I
.
,

was afraid of waking her up I begin by gently ,

gratifying her senses and I ascer tain the delightful

,

fact that like her sister sh e i s s till in possession of

, ,

her maidenhood As soon as a natural movement

.

proves to me tha t love acc epts the offering I take ,

my measures to consumma te the sacrifice At th a t .

moment giving way suddenly to the violence of her

,

feelings and tired of her assumed dissimul ati on sh e

, ,

warmly locks me in her arms at the very in stant of ‘

the voluptuous crisis smo thers me wi th kisses , ,

shares my raptures and love blend s our soul s in

,

the most ecstatic enj oym en t .

Guessing her to be Nanette I whisper her ,

name .

“
Y es I am Nanette
, she answers ; and I ,

declare myself happy as well as my S ister if yo u

, ,
”
prove yourself t rue and faithful .

“
Unt il dea th my beloved ones and as every
, ,

thin g we have done i s the work of love do not let ,

”
u s ever mention the name of An gel a .

After this I begged tha t sh e woul d give u s a

,

ligh t ; but Mart on alwa ys ki nd and obliging go t

, ,
 1 53

ou t of bed le a ving u s alone When I saw Nanette .

in my arms beaming with love and Marten near

, ,

the bed holding a candle wi th her eyes reproaching

, ,

us with ingratitude because we did not speak to

her who by accepting my first caresses had
, , ,

encouraged her sis t er t o follow her example I ,

re alized all my happiness .

“ “
Let us get up my darlings said I
,
and , ,

swear to each other e t ernal a ff ection .

When we had ri sen we performed all thr ee ,

together ablutions which made them laugh a go od

,

de al and which gave a new impetus to the ardour

,

of ou r feelings Sit ting up in the simple costume

.

of nature we ate the remains of ou r supper ex

, ,

changing those thousand trifling words which love

alone can understand and we again retired to ou r
,

be d where we spent a most deligh tful night giving

,

each o ther mutual and oft repeated proofs of ou r -

passionate ardour Nanett e was the recipient of

.

my las t bounties for Madame O rio having left the

,

house to go to church I had t o has t en my depar

,

ture after assuring the two lovely sisters tha t they

,

had effectually extinguished whatever flame might

still have flickered in my heart for Angela I wen t
home and slept soundly un til dinner tim
.

e -
.

M de Malipier o passed a remark up o n my

.

cheerful looks and the dark ci r cle around my eyes

but I kept my own counsel and I allowed h imt o
,

think whatever he pleased O n the following day .

I p a id a visit to Madame O rio and Angela not ,

1— 1 3
 1 54

being of the party I remained to supper a nd re tired

,

with M Rosa During the evening Nanette con

. .

tri ved to give me a letter and a small parcel The .

p arcel contained a small lump of wax with the

stamp of a key and the letter told me to have a
,

key made and t o u se it t o enter the house when

,

ever I wi shed to spend the night with them She .

inf ormed me at the same t ime that Angela had

slept with them the night following ou r adventures ,

and that tha nk s to their mutual and usual prac

,

tices sh e had guessed the real state of thin gs that

, ,

they had not deni ed it adding that it was all her ,

fa ul t and that Angela aft er abusing them most

, ,

vehemently had sworn never again to darken their

,

doors ; but they did not care a j ot .

A few days afterwards our go o d fortune de

li vered u s from Angel a ; sh e was taken to Vicenz a
by her father who had removed there for a couple
,

of years having been engaged to paint frescoes in

,

some houses in that city T hanks to her absence .

,

I found myself un di sturb ed po ssessor of the two

charming sisters with whom I s pen t at least two
,

nights every week finding no difficul ty in entering

,

the house wi th the key which I had speedily

procured .

Carni val w as nearly over when M Manzoni , .

informed me one day that the celebrated Juliette

wished to see me and re gretted much that I had
,

ceased to visit h er I felt cu rl ou s as to what sh e

.

had to S ay to me and acc ompanied him to her ,

 1 56
”
d o or much t o my surp ri se
,
I wi sh you sh e .
,

“
said to dress me up in your ecclesiastical clothes
, ,

and I will disgui se you as a woman wi th my own

things We wi ll go down and dance together
.
.

Come let u s first dress our hair

,
.

Feeli ng sure of something pleasant to come ,

and delighted with such an unusual adventure I ,

lose no time in arran gi ng her hair and I le t her ,

afterwards dress mine She applies r ouge and a

.

few beauty spots to my f ace ; I humour her in

everything and to prove her satisfaction she gives
, ,

me with the bes t of grace a very loving kiss on ,

conditi on that I do n o t ask f or anything else .

As you please beautiful Juliette bu t I gi ve

“
, ,
”
you due notice that I adore you !
’
I place upon my bed a shirt an abbé s ,

n eckb and a pair of drawers black silk s tockings

, ,

in fact a comple te fi t ou t
,
Co mi ng near the bed
-
.
,

Juliette drops her skirt and cleverly gets int o the ,

drawers which were not a bad fit but when sh e

, ,
“

comes to the breeches there is some difficul ty ; the

waistband is too na rrow an d the only rem edy i s to ,

rip it behind or to cut it if necessary I un dertake , .

to make everything right and as I sit on the foot , ,

of my bed sh e places herself in fron t of me

,
wi th ,

her back towards me I b egin my work but sh e .

,

think s that I want to see too much that I am not ,

skilf ul enough and that my fingers wander in u n

,

necess ary places ; sh e ge ts fidgety leaves m e tears , ,

the breeches an d m a nages in her own way Then

, .
 1 57

I help h er to pu t her shoes on and I pass the shir t ,

o ver her head but as I am disposing the ruffle and

i
,

the n eck band sh e compl ains of my hands being

-
,

too cu rious ; and in t ruth her bosom was rather ,

scanty She calls me knave and rascal but I take

.
,

no notice of her I was not going to be duped and

.
,

I though t that a woman wh o had been paid one

hundred thousand ducats was well worth some
study At last her toilet being complet ed my turn
.
, ,

comes In spite of her obj ecti o ns I quickly get rid

.

of my breeches and sh e mus t pu t on me the ,

chemise then a skir t in a word sh e h as to dress

, ,

me up But all a t once playing the coquette sh e

.
, ,

gets angry because I do not conceal from her looks

the very apparent proof that her charms have some
effect o n a partic ul ar part of my b eing and sh e ,

refuses to grant me the f av o ur which w o uld so o n

a ff ord both relief and calm I t ry to kiss her and .
,

She repulses me whereupon I lose patience and in

, ,

spite of herself sh e h as to witness the las t s tage of

my excitement At the sight of this sh e pours out
.
,

every insulting word she can think of ; I endeavour

to prove that she is to blame but it i s all in ,

vain However she i s compelled to complete my

.
,

d isguise .

There is no doubt that an h o nest wo man

would n ot have exposed herself t o such an adven
ture unless she had in tended to prove her t ender
,

feelings and tha t she would not have drawn back

,

at the very moment she saw them shared by her

 158

c o mpani o n ; bu t wo men like Juliette a re o f ten

guided by a spirit of contradic tion which causes
them to ac t against their own interests Besides, .

sh e felt di sap po inted when sh e found out th at I

was not timid and my want of restraint appe a red

,

to h er a want of respect She would not have

.

obj ected t o my st ealing a f ew ligh t favours which

sh e would have allowed me to take as being of ,

n o imp o rtance but by d o ing that I sho ul d have

, , ,

fla ttered her vanity too highly .

O ur disguise being complet e we went t o ,

geth er to the dancing hall where the en thusias tic

-
,

applause of the guests soon restor ed o ur good

temper Everybody gave me credit f or a piece
.

of fortune which I had n o t enj oyed but I was n o t ,

ill pleased with the rumour and went on dancing

-
,

with the false abbé wh o was only to o charm

,

ing Juliette treated me so well during the night

.

th at I construed her manners to wards me into

some s ort of repentan ce and I almost regretted
,

what had t a ken place between u s ; i t was a

momentary weakn ess f or which I was s or ely
punished .

At the en d of the quadrille all the men thought

they had a right to take liberties with the abbé ,

and I becam e mys elf rather fre e with the young

girls who would h ave been afraid of exposing
,

themselves to ridicule had they off ered any o pp o

siti on to my caresses .

M Q u erini was fo o lish en ough to enqui re

.
 160

pleasure whenever I liked to en ter h er dwelling ,

and tha t sh e would have me murder ed if this night s ’

adventu re ever bec am e publicly known I t o ok .

care not to gi ve her any c ause for the execution o f

either of her threats but I c oul d not prevent the ,

fact of our having exchanged shi rts being rather

notorious As I was not seen at her house it was
.
,

generally supposed that sh e had been compelled by

M Q u eri ni to keep me at a distance The reader
. .

will see h ow six years later thi s extraordinary

, ,

wom an thought pr op er to feign entire forgetfulnes s

of this adventu re .

I passed Lent par tly in the company of my ,

loved ones partly in the s tudy of ex perimental

,

physics at the Convent of the Salutation My .

evenings were alw ays given to M de Malipiero s .

’

assemblie s At Easter in order to keep the pro

.
,

mi se I had made to the Countess of Mont R eal an d -

,
'

longing to see again my beautiful Lucie I went ,

to P asean I found the gu ests en tirely different to

.

the set I had met the previous autumn Count .

Daniel the eldest of the family had married a

, ,

Coun tess Gozzi and a young and wealthy govern,

ment official who had married a god daughter of

,
-

the old coun tess was there with h i s wife and h is

,

sister in law I thought the supper very l ong The

- -
. .

s ame room had been given to me and I was burn ,

in g to see Lucie whom I di d not intend to treat ,

any more like a child I did not see her before .

going to bed bu t I expected her early the next

,
 16 1

morning when 10 ! instead of her pretty face

,

brightening my eyes I see standing before me a,

fat ugly servan t girl ! I enqui re after the ga t e

,
-

keeper s family bu t her answer i s given in the

’
,

peculiar dialec t of the place and i s of c o urse u n , , ,

intelligible t o me .

I wonder wha t h as become of Lu cie ; I fancy

that our intimacy has been found o u t I fancy that ,

sh e is —
il l dead perhaps I dress myself wi th .
,

the intention of looking f o r her If she h as b een .

forbidden to see me I think to myself I will be

, ,

even with them all f or someh ow or other I will

,

contrive the means of speaking to her and ou t of ,

spite I will do with her that which honour

prevented love from accomplishing As I was .

revolving such thoughts the gate keeper c o mes ,

-

in with a sorrowful c ountenance I enquire .

after his wife s health and af ter his daughter

’
, ,

but at the name of Lucie his eyes are fill ed

with te ar s .

“ ”
What ! is sh e dead ?
”
Would to God sh e were !
”
Wha t has sh e d o ne ?
She h as run away with Coun t Daniel s ’

couri er and we have been unable to trace her

'

,
”
anywhere .

His wife com es in a t the moment he replies ,

and at these words which renewed her grief the

, ,

poor woman faints away The keeper seeing .

,

h ow sincerely I felt for his misery t ells me th at ,

 162

this great misfor tun e befell them onl y a week

before my arrival .

“
“
I know th a t man l Aigl e I say ; he i s a
’
,
”
sco un drel Did he ask t o marry Lucie ?
.

“
No he knew well enough that our consent
would h a ve been refused .

“
I wonder at Lucie acting in such a wa y .

“
He seduced her and her runni ng away
,

made us suspect the truth f or she had bec o me ,

”
very stout .

”
“
Had he kn o wn her long ?
“
About a month after your las t visit sh e saw
him for the firs t time He must have thrown a
.

s pell over her f or our Lucie was as p ure as a dove

, ,

and you can I believe bear testimony to her

"

, ,

goodness .

“ ”
And no one kn ows where they are ?
“
N0 one God alone k nows wha t this villain
.

”
will do wi th her .

I grieved as much as the unfortun ate parents ;

I went out and took a long ramble in th e wo o ds to
give way to my sad feelings During two hours I .

co gitated over considerations s ome true some , ,

false which were all prefaced by an if If I had

, .

paid this visit as I might have done ; a week sooner

, ,

l oving Lucie would have confided in me and I ,

would have prevented that self murder If I h ad -

.

acted with her as with Nanette and Marton sh e ,

would not have been left by me in tha t state of

ardent excit emen t which must have proved the
 1 64

the gardens and received such a welcome that I

,

was soon again in my usual spirits and at di nn er ,

I delighted everyone ? My sorr ow was so great

that it was necessary either to drive it a way at
once o r t o lea ve P as ean But a new life crept into
.

my being as I exa mined th e face and the di s

position of the newly married lady
-
Her sis ter
-
.

was prettier but I was beginning to feel afraid

,

of a novice ; I thought the work t o o great .

This newly married lady who was between

-
,

ni ne t een and twenty years of a ge dr ew upon ,

’
herself everybody s attention by her overstrained
an d unnatural manners A great talker with a .
,

memory crammed with maxims and precepts of ten

without sense but of which sh e loved to make a
,

sh ow very devout and so j ealous of her husband

, ,

that sh e did not conceal her vexation when he

expres sed his satisfaction at being seated at table
opposite her sister sh e laid herself open to much
,

ri di cule Her husband was a giddy yo un g fellow

.
,

wh o perhaps felt very deep afl ecti on for hi s wife ,

but who im agined tha t through good breeding he, ,

ough t to appear very indiff erent and whos e vanity ,

found pleasure in gi ving her constant causes f or

j ealousy She in her turn had a great dread of
.
, ,

passing f or an idiot if sh e did n ot shew her appre

c i ati on of and her resentment f or h i s conduct
, , .

She felt uneasy in the midst of good Company

‘

precisely because She wished to app ear thoroughl y

at home If I prattled away with some of my
.
 165

trifling nonsense she would stare a t me a nd in

, ,

her anxiety not to be thought stupid sh e would

laugh ou t of season Her oddity her awkward .
,

ness and her self concei t gave me the desire t o

,
-

know h er be tter and I began t o dance attendance

,

upon her .

My a ttenti ons important and unimportant my

, ,

constant care even my fop p er ies let everybody

, ,

know that I meditated c o nquest The husband .

was duly warned bu t with a grea t show of in

, ,

trepidity he answered with a j oke every t ime he

,

was told that I was a formidable rival O n my .

side I as sumed a m o dest and even sometimes a ,

careless appearance when to shew hi s freedom

, , ,

from jeal o usy he excit ed me to make love to hi s

,

wife who on her part underst o o d bu t li ttle how

, , ,

to perform the p art of fancy free .

I had been paying my addresses t o her f o r five

or six days with great cons tancy when t aking a , ,

walk with her in the garden she imprudently con ,

fi ded to me the reas on of her anx ie ty respec ting

her husband and h ow wrong he was t o gi ve her
,

any c ause f or jealousy I t old her speaking as an .

,

old friend that the best way to punish him wo uld

,

be to take no apparen t notice of her husband s pre ’

ference for her sister and to feign to b e herself in ,

love with me In order to entice her more easily to

.

follow my advice I added that I was well aware of

,

my plan being a very difficult one to carry out and ,

tha t to play successfully such a chara cter a woman

 6

must be parti cularly witty I had touched her.

weak point and sh e exclaimed that sh e would play

,

the part to perfection ; but in spite of her self

confidence sh e acqui tted herself so badly that
everybody understood th at the plan was of my
own scheming .

If I happened to be alone with her in the dark

paths of the garden and tried to make her play her
,

par t in real earnest sh e would take the dangerous

,

step of running away and rej oining the other ,

guests ; the result b eing that on my reappearance , ,

I was called a bad spor ts man who frightened the

bird away I would n ot fail a t the first opportunity
.

to reproach her f or her flight and to represen t the ,

triumph she had thus prepared f or her sp o use .

I praised her mind but lamented over the short

,

comi ngs of her education ; I said tha t the tone the ,

manners I adopted towards her were those of good ,

socie ty and proved the great esteem I entertained

,

f or her intelligence but in the middle of all my fine

,

speeches towards the eleventh or twelfth day of

,

my courtship sh e suddenly put me ou t of all con

,

c c it by telling me that being a priest I ought to

, ,

know that every amorous c onnection was a deadly

sin th at G o d could see every ac t ion of Hi s crea t ures
, ,

and tha t sh e would neither damn her soul nor place

herself under the necessity of saying to her con
f essor that sh e had so f ar forgotten herself as t o
commit such a sin wi th a priest I obj ected that I .

was n o t ye t a pries t bu t sh e foiled me by enquiring

,
 168

C equ ini The sky was clear and clou dl ess when we
.

left but in less than half an hour we were visited

,
- -

by on e of those sto rms so frequent in the south ,

which appear likely to overthrow heaven and earth ,

and which end rapidly leaving behi nd them a ,

bright sky and a cool a tmosphere so that they do ,

more go od than harm .

”
“
O h heavens ! ,
exclaimed my comp anion ,

“ ”
we shall h ave a storm .

“ “
Yes I say and although the chaise i s
, ,

covered the rain wi ll spoil your pretty dr ess I am

,
.

”
very sorry .

“
I do not mind the dress ; but the thunder
”
frightens me so !
Close your e a rs .

“ ”
And the lightning ?
“
Postill idn let u s go somewhere for shelter
,
.

There i s no t a house S ir for a league and , , ,

before we come to it the storm will have passed ,

”
ofl .

He quietly keeps on his way and the lightning ,

flashes the thunder sends forth its mighty voice

, ,

and the lady shudders with fright The rain comes .

,

down in torrents I take ofi my cloak to shel ter u s

,

in front at the same moment we are b li nded by a

,

flash of lightning and the electric fluid strikes th e

,

earth within one hun dred yards of u s The horses .

plun ge and pran ce with fear and my comp anion ,

falls in spasmodic convulsions She throws herself .

upon me and folds me in her arm s The cl o ak

, .
 169

had gone down I stoop to place it around u s and

, ,

improving my opportunity I take up her clothes .

She tries t o pull them down bu t another clap of ,

thunder deprives her of every par ticle of strength .

Covering her wi th the cloak I draw her t owards ,

me and the m o tion of the chaise coming to my

,

assis tance sh e falls over me in the mos t favourable

,

position I lose no ti me and under p retence of

.
,

arranging my wa tch in my fob I prepare myself for ,

the assault O n her side consc ious that unless

.
, ,

sh e stops me a t once all i s lost she makes a great , ,

effort ; but I hold her tightly saying that if She ,

does no t feign a fain ting fit the pos t boy will turn ,

-

roun d and see everything ; I let her enj oy the

pleasure of calling me an infidel a monst er anything , ,

sh e likes but my victory i s the most complete that

,

ever champion achieved .

The ra in however was falling the wi nd which

, , , ,

was very high blew in ou r faces and compelled t o

, , ,

s tay where sh e was sh e said I would ruin her ,

reputation as the pos tillion could see everything

,
.

“ ” “
I keep my eye upon him I answered he , ,

is no t thinking of us and even if he should turn his

,

head the cloak shelters u s from him Be quiet

,
.
,

and pretend to have faint ed f or I will no t let

’

,
”
y ou go .

She seems resigned and asks h ow I c a n thus ,

set the s t orm a t defiance .

The storm dear one i s my b es t friend t o day

, , .

She almos t seems t o believe me her fear ,

1 —1 4
 1 70

vanishes and feeling my rapture sh e enquires

, ,

whether I have done I smile and answer in the

.

negative S tating that I cannot let her go till the

,

sto rm is over Consent to everything or I let

.
,

the cloak drop I say to her ,

.

“
Well you dreadful man are you sa tisfied
, , ,

now that you h ave insured my mi sery f or the

”
remainder of my life ?
“ ”
N 0 not yet
,
.

“ ”
What more do you want ?
”
A shower of kisses .

How u nh appy I am ! Well ! here they are .

“
Tell me you forgive me and confes s that you ,

”
have shared all my pleasure .

“
You know I did Yes I forgive you.
,
.

Then I give her her liberty and treating her ,

to some very pleasant caresses I as k her to have ,

the same kindness for me and she g oes to work ,

with a smile on her pretty lips .

“ ”
Tell me you love me I say to her , .

No I do not for you are an atheist and hell

, , ,

awaits you .

The weather was fine again and the elements ,

calm ; I kissed her hands and told her that the

postillion had certainly not seen anything and that ,

I was sure I had cured her of her dread of thun der ,

but that sh e was not likely to reveal the secre t of

my remedy She answered that on e thing a t least
.

was certain namely that no other woman had ever

,

been cured by the same pr escription .

 CHAPTER VI

MY GRA ND M O T H ER S DEAT H A N D I TS C O N S EQ UENC ES

’

— I LOS E M DE M ALI P IER O S F R I END S H I P— I H AVE

.
’

N O LO NGER A H O M E — LA T I N T O R ET T A— I A M S EN T '

T o A C LER ICAL S EM INAR Y — I A M EX P ELL ED F ROM

IT AND C O NFINED IN A F oRT REs s

,

D URING supper the conversation turned al t oge ther

upon the storm and the Official wh o knew the
, ,

Weakness Of his wife told me that he was quit e

,
“
certain I would never travel with her again Nor .

” “
I with him his wife remarked for in hi s fearful
, , ,
”
impiety he exorcis ed the lightning wi th j okes
,
.

Henceforth she avoided me so skilfully that I

never could contrive another interview wi th her .

When I returned to Venice I found my grand

mother ill and I had to change all my habits f or
, ,

I loved her too dearly n o t to surround her with

every care and attention ; I never left her until sh e
had breathed her last She was unable t o leave
.

me anything for during her li fe she had given me

,

all sh e could and her death compelled me to a dopt

,

an entirely diff erent mode of life .

 1 73

A month after her death I received a letter ,

from my mother informing me that as there was no ,

probability of her return to Venice she had de ,

'

term in ed to give up the house the rent Of which ,

she was still paying that she had commun icated

,

her intention to the Abbé Grimani and tha t I w a s ,

to be guided entirely by his advice He was in .

structed to sell the furniture and to place me as , ,

well as my brothers and my sister in a good board ,

ing house I called upon Grimani to assure him

-
.

of my perfect disposition to Obey his commands .

The rent of the house had been paid until the

end of the year ; but as I was aware that the ,

furniture would be sold on the expiration of the

term I placed my wants under no res traint I had
,
.

already sold some linen most of the china and , ,

several tapestries ; I now began to dispose of the

mirrors beds et c I had no doubt that my con
, , .

duct would be severely blamed but I knew likewise ,

’
that it was my fathe r s inheritance to which my ,

mother had no claim whatever and as to my , ,

brothers there was plenty Of time before any

,

explanation could take place between us .

Four months afterwards I had a second le tter

from my mother dated from Warsa w and enclos
, ,
’
ing another Here is the translation of my mother s
.

letter
“
My dear son I have made here the acquaint
,

ance of a learned Minim friar a Calabrian by ,

birth whose great qualities have made me think of

,
 1 74

you every time he has honoured me with a visit .

A year ago I told h im that I had a son who was

preparing hi mself for the Church but that I had ,

not the means of keeping him dur i ng hi s stu di es ,

and he promised that my son would become his

own ch ild if I could obtain for him from the queen
,

a bishopric in his native country and he added ,

that it would be very easy to succeed if I could

induce the sovereign to recommend him to her
daughter the queen of Naples
,
.

“
Full of trust in the Almighty I threw myself ,

at the feet of her maj esty who granted me her ,

gracious protection She wrote to her daughter

.
,

and the worthy friar has been appointed by the

Pope to the bishopric of Monterano Faithful to .

his promise the good bishop will take you with

,

him about the middle of next year as he passes ,

through Venice to reach Calabria He informs .

you hi mself of his in tentions in the enclosed letter .

Answer him immediately my dear son and for , ,

ward your letter to me ; I will deliver it to the

bishop .He will pave your way to the highest
dignities Of the Church and you may imagi ne my ,

consolation if in some twenty or thirty years I had

, ,

the happiness of seeing you a bishop at least ! ,

Until his arrival M Grimani will take care of

,
.

you I give you my blessing and I am my dear

.
, ,
”
chi ld etc etc
,
.
,
.

The bishop s letter was written in Latin and

’
,
’
was only a repetition of my mother s It was ful l .
 1 76

of the fata vi am i n venta n t of the same phil osophers .

M de Malipiero s science was embodied in that

.
’

very lesson for he had Obtained hi s knowledge by

—
,

the study of only one b ook th e book of man .

However as if it were to give me the proof that

,

perfection does not exist and that there i s a b ad ,

side as well as a good on e to everything a certain ,

adventure happened to me a month af terwards

which altho ugh I was following his own max ims
, ,

cost me the loss of h i s friendship and which cer ,

tainly did not teach me anything .

The senator fancied that he could trace up o n

the phy siognomy of young people certain signs
wh i ch marked them ou t as the special favourites of
fortune When he imagined that he had discovered
.

th ose signs upo n any individual he would take him ,

in hand and instruct him how to assis t fortune by

good and wise principles ; and he used to say with ,

a great deal of t ruth that a good remedy would ,

turn into poison in th e hands of a fool but that ,

poison i s a good remedy when administ ered by a

learned man He had in my time three favourites
.
, ,

in whose education he took great pains They .

we re besides myself Th er ese Imer with whom

, , ,

the reader has a slight acquaintance already and ,

the third was the daughter of the boatman C ardela ,

a gi rl three vears younger than I who had the ,

prettiest and most fascinating countenance The .

speculative Old man in order to assist fortune in her

,

particular case made her learn dancing for he

, , ,
 1 77

would say the ball cann o t reach the pocket unless

,

someone pushes it This girl made a great reputa

.

tion at Stu ttgard u nder the name of Augusta She .

was the favourite mistress of the Duke of W u rtem

burg in 1 7 5 7 She was a most charming woman
. .

The last time I saw her sh e was in Venice and ,

sh e died two years afterwards Her husband

.
,

Michel de l Agata poisoned himself a short t ime

’
,

after her death .

O ne day we had all three dined with him and ,

after dinner the senator left us as was h i s wont t o

, ,

enj oy h is siesta ; the little C ardela hav ing a ,

dancing lesson to take wen t away soon after him

, ,

and I found myself alone with Th erese whom I ,

rather admired although I had never made love to

,

her We were sitting down a t a table very near

.

each other with our backs to the door of the room

,

in which we thought our patron fast asleep and ,

someh ow or oth er we took a fancy to examine in t o

the difference of conformation betw een a girl a nd a
b oy ; bu t at the most interes ting part of our study a
violent blow on my sh oulders from a stick followed ,

by another and which would have been itself fol

lowed by many more if I had not ran away com ,

p el l ed us t o abandon ou r interesting Investigation

unfinished I got off withou t ha t or cloak and went
.
,

home ; but in less than a quarter of an h o ur the old

housekeeper of the senator brought my clothes with
a letter which contained a command never t o presen t
myself again at the m ansion of his excellency I .
 78

immediately wrote him an answer in the following

“
terms : You have struck me while you were the
slave of your anger ; you cannot therefore boast of
having given me a lesson and I have n ot learned ,

anything To forgive you I must forget that you are

.

”
a man of great wisdom and I can never forget it .

This nobleman was perhaps qui te right not to

be pleased with the sight we gave him ; yet with ,

all his prudence he proved himself very unwise

, ,

for all the servants were acquainted with the cause

of my exi le and of course the adventure was soon
, , ,

known through the city and was received wi th ,

great merriment He dared not address any re

.

p roach es to Th er ese as I heard from

,
her soon
after but she could n ot venture to entreat him to
,

pardon me .

’
The time to leave my father s house was
drawing near and on e fine morning I received the
,

visit of a man about forty years ol d with a black ,

wig a scarlet cloak and a very swarthy com

, ,

plexion who handed me a letter from M Grimani

,
.
,

ordering me to consign to the bearer all the f u rni

ture of the house accordi ng to the inventory a ,

copy of which was in my po ssession T aking the .

invento ry in my hand I pointed out every article

,

marked down except when the said article having

, ,

through my instrumentality taken an airing ou t of

the house h appened to be missing and whenever
, ,

any article was absent I said th at I had not th e

slightest idea where it might be But the un couth .
 1 80

seals were already affixed on a ll the do o rs and I ,

was n o t even allowed to go to my room f or a ,

keeper had been left there by the bailiff I lost no .

time and called upon M Rosa to whom I related

,
.
,

al l the circumstances After reading the summons

.

he said ,
“
The seals shall be removed to morrow -

morning and in the meantime I shall summon

,

R azetta before the avogador But to night my .

-
,

” “
dear friend he added ,
you must beg th e h os
,

p i tal i ty of some on e of your acquaintances It has .

been a violent proceeding but you shall be paid ,

handsomely for it ; the man is evidently acting

” ’
u nder M Grim ani s orders
. .

“
W ell that is their business
,
.

I spent the night with Nanette and Marton ,

an d on the following morning the seals h a ving ,

been taken Off I took possession of my dwelling

,
.

R azetta did not appear before the avogador and

’

M Rosa summoned him in my name before the

.

criminal court and Obt ai ned against him a writ

,

of capias in case he should n ot obey the second

summons O n the third day M Grimani wrote to
. .

me commanding me to call upo n him

,
I went .

immediately As soon as I was in hi s presence he

.

enquired abruptly what my intentions were .

“
I intend to shield myself from your violent
proceedings under the protection of the law and to ,

defend myself against a man wi th whom I o ught

never to have had any connec tion a nd who h as ,
 181

compelled me to pass the night in a disreputable

”
place .

“ ”
In a disreputable place ?
O f course Why was I agains t all righ t
.
,

and j ustice prevent ed from entering my own

,
”
dwelling ?
“
You have possession of i t now But you .

must go t o your lawyer and t ell him t o suspend all

proceedings against Razetta who has done nothing ,

but under my instructions I suspec ted that y o ur

.

intention was t o sell the res t of the furniture ; I

h ave prevented it There is a room at your dis
.

posal at St C hrysostom s in a house of m ine the

.
’
, ,

first floor of which is occupied by La T in toretta ,

ou r first opera dancer Send all your things there

.
,

and come and dine with me every day Y o ur s i st er .

and your brothers have been provided with a

comfortable home ; therefore everything is now ,

arranged for the bes t .

I called at once upo n M Rosa to whom I ex .

,

plai ned all tha t had taken place and his advice ,

being to give way to M Grim ani s wishes I deter

.
’
,

mi ned to follow it Besides the arr angement

.
,

Offered the best sa tisfaction I could obtain as to ,

be a guest at his dinner table was an h onou r for

’

me. I was likewise full of curi o sity respect ing

my new lodging under the same roof wi th La
T intoretta who was much t alked o f owing to a
, ,

certa in Prince of Waldeck who was ex t ravagantly

generous with her .
 18 2

The bisho p was expected in the course of the

s umm er ; I had therefore only six months more to
, ,

wait in Venice before takin g the road which would

lead me perhaps to the throne of Saint Peter :
, ,

everything in the future assumed in my eyes the

brightest hue and my imagination revelled amongst
,

the most radiant beams of sunshine ; my castl es in

the air were indeed most beautiful .

I dined the same day with M Grimani and I .

,

—
found myself seated next to R azetta an unpleasant
neighbour but I t ook no notice of him When the
,
.

meal was over I paid a last vi sit to my beautiful

,

house in Saint Samuel s parish and sent all I

-
’
,

possessed in a gondola to my new lodgi ng .

I did not kn ow Signora T intoretta but I was ,

well acquainted with her reputation character and ,

manners She was but a po or dancer neither

.
,

handsome nor plain but a woman of wit and in ,

tell ect Prince Waldeck spent a great deal for her

.
,

and yet he did not prevent her from retaining the

titulary protection of a noble Venetian of the Lin
family now extinct a man about sixty years of
, ,

age who was her vi sitor at every hour of the day

,
.

This nobleman wh o knew me came to my room

, ,

towards the evening with the compliments of the ,

lady wh o he added was delighted to have me in

, , ,

her house and would be pleased to receive me in

,

her intimate circle .

To excuse myself for n ot having b een the firs t

to pay my respec ts t o the S i gnora I told M L in , .
 18 4

The Ti ntoretta had greater claims than Juli ette

to the admi ration of sensible men She loved .

poetry and if it had not been that I was expecting

,

the bishop I would have fallen in love with her

,
.

She was herself smi tten with a young physici a n of

'

great merit named Righ elin i who died in the

, ,

prime of life and whom I still regret I shall

.
.

have to mention him in another part of my

Memoirs .

Towards the end of the carnival my mo ther ,

wr ote to M Grimani th a t i t would be a great

.

shame if the bisho p found me under the roof of

an opera dancer and he made up h i s mind to
,

lodge m e in a respectable and decent place He .

t ook the Abbé Tosello in to consultation and the ,

two gentlemen thought that the best thing they

could do for me wo ul d be t o send me to a clerical
seminary They arranged everything un known to
.

me and the abbé undertook to inform me o f their

,

plan and to obtain from me a gracious consen t .

Bu t when I heard him speak wi th beautiful

flowers of rhetoric f or the purpose of gi lding the
bitter pill I co ul d no t help bursting into a j oyous
,

laught er and I asto unded his reverence when I

,

expressed my readiness t o go anywhere h e mi gh t

think righ t to send me .

The plan of the two worthy gentlemen was

absurd f or at the age of seven teen and with a
, ,

na ture like mine the idea of plac in g me in a,

seminary ough t n ever to have been ent er ta ined ,

 18 5

but ever a faithful disciple of Socrates feeling no ,

unconquerable reluc tance and the plan on the

, ,

contrary appearing to me rather a good j oke I

, ,

no t only gave a ready consent but I even longed ,

to enter the seminary I told M Grimani I was

. .

prepared to accept anything provided Razetta ,

had nothing to do with it He gave me his pro .

mise bu t he did not keep it when I left the

,

seminary I have never been able to decide

.

whether this Grimani was kind because he was

a fool or whether his stupidity was the result of
,

his kindness but all his brothers were the same

,
.

T h e worst trick tha t Dame Fortune can play upon

an intelligent yo un g m an is to place him under
the dependence of a fool A few days afterwards
.
,

havin g been dressed as a pupil of a clerical se mi

nary by the care of the abbé I was taken to Saint,

Cyprian de Muran and introduced to the rector .

The patriarchal church of Saint Cyprian is -

served by an order of the monks founded by the ,

blessed J erOm e Miani a nobleman of Venice The

,
.

rec t or received me with tender affection and great

kindness Bu t in his address ! which was full of
.

unction ) I thought I could perceive a suspicion

on his part that my being sent to the seminary

was a punishment or at least a way to pu t a

,

stop to an irre gular life and feeling hurt in my

, ,

dignity I t old him at once Reverend father I

,
“
, ,

do not think tha t any one h as the right of punish

i n g me .

1— 1 5
 18 6

No no my son
, ,
he answered
,
I only ,

meant that you would be very happy with us .

W e were then shewn three halls in which we ,

foun d at least one hundred and fifty seminarists ,

ten or twelve schoolrooms the refe ctory the dor

, ,

m itory the gardens for play hours and every pain

, ,

was taken to make me imagine life in such a place

the happiest that could fall to the lot of a young
man and to make me suppose that I would even
,

regret the arrival of the bishop Yet they all .

tried to cheer me up by saying that I would

only remain there fi ve or six months Their .

eloquence amused me greatly .

I entered the seminary at the beginning of

March and prepared myself for my new life by
,

passin g the night between my two young friends ,

Nanette and Marton who bathed their pillows with

,

tears ; they could not understand and this was ,

likewise the feeling of their aunt and of the good

M Rosa how a young man like m vsel f could shew
.
,

such obedience .

The day before going to the seminary I had ,

taken care to entrust all my papers to Madame

Manzoni They m ade a large parcel and I left i t
.
,

in her hands for fif teen years The worthy ol d.

lady is still alive and with her ninety years sh e

,

enjoys good health and a cheerful temper She .

received me with a smile and told me that I would

,

n ot remain on e month in the seminary .

“
I beg your pardon madam bu t I am very
, ,
 18 8

h asno t had sufficient power o ver me to compel me

to shave myself it i s only in that respect that I
have found tyranny to be tolerant .

“ ”
To which school do you wish to belong ?
asked the rector .

To the dogmatic reverend father ; I wish to

,

study the history of the Church .

I Will introduce you to the father examiner .

I am doctor in divinity most reverend father , ,

”
and do not wan t to b e examined .

“
It is necessary my dear son ; come with
,

This necessity appeared to me an insult and I ,

felt very angry ; but a spirit of revenge quickly

whispered t o me the best way to mystify them and ,

the idea made me very j oyful I answered so badly .

all the questions propounded in Latin by the

exam iner I made so m any sol ecism s that he felt
'

, ,

it hi s du ty t o send me to an inferior class of gram

mar in which t o my great delight I found myself
, , ,

the companion of some twenty young urchins of

about ten years who hearing that I was doctor
, ,

in divinity kep t on saying : A ccip iamus pccu niam

,
'
,

ct mi ttamus as tnu m in patriam swam .

O ur play hours afl or ded me gr ea t

’
amusement ;
my companions of the dormitory wh o ,
were all in
the class of philosophy at least looked down u pon , ’

me with great con tempt and when they spoke of ,

their own sublime di scourses they laughed if I ,

appe a red to b e list ening attentively to the ir dis

“
 18 9

e ussi o ns which as they thought mus t h a ve b een

, ,

perfect enigmas to me I did not intend to betray.

myself but an accident which I could not avoid

, , ,

forced me to thro w Off the mask .

Father Barb arigo belonging t o the Convent

,

of the Salutation at Venice whose pupil I had been ,

i n physi c s came to pay a visi t to the rec t or and

/
, ,

seeing me as we were coming from mass paid me

his frie n dly compliment s His first question was t o .

enquire what science I was studying and he thought ,

I was j oking when I answered that I was learning

the grammar The rec tor having j oined u s I left
.
,

them t ogether and went to my class

, An hour .

later the rector sent for me

, .

“
Why did yo u fei gn such ignorance a t the
”
examination ? he asked .

“ ”
Why I answered were you unjust enough
, ,

to compel me to the degr a dation of an examina

tion
He looked annoyed and esc o rted me to the ,

dogmatic school where my comrades of the dor mi

,

t o ry received me with great astonishment and in ,

the afternoon at play time they gathered around

, ,

me and made me very happy with their profess ions

of friendship .

O ne of them about fifteen years ol d and who

, ,

at the present time must if still alive be a bishop , , ,

attracted mv notice by his features as much as by

his talen t s He inspired me with a very warm
.

friendship and during r ecess inst ead of playing

, ,
 19 0

skittles with the others we always walked t ogethe r ,

.

We conversed upon poetry and we both delighted ,

in the beautiful odes of Horace We liked Ari o sto .

better than Tasso and Petrarch had our whol e

,

admiration while T assonI and Muratori wh o had

, ,

been h is critics were the special obj ects of ou r

,

c ontempt We wer e such fast friends after four

.
,

days of acquaintance that we were actually j ealous

,

of each other and to such an extent that if either

,

of u s walked abou t with any seminarist the other ,

would be angry and sulk like a disapp ointed lover .

The dormitory was placed under the super

vision of a lay friar and it was his province to keep
,

u s in good order After supper accompanied by

.
,

this lay friar wh o had the title of prefect we all

, ,

proc eeded to the dormitory There everyone had .

,

to go to his own bed and to undress quietly after ,

having said h is prayers in a low voice When all .

the pupils were in bed the prefect would go to his ,

own . A large lantern lighted up the dormitory ,

which had the shape of a parallelogram eighty

yards by ten The beds were placed at equal
.

distances and to each bed there were a fald stool

,
‘

-
,

a chair and room f or the trunk of the seminarist

, .

At one end was the washing place and at the ,

other the bed of the prefect The bed of my .

friend was opposite mine and the lantern was ,

between u s .

The principal duty of the prefec t was to t ake

c a re that no pupil should go and sleep with one of
 19 2

chanc ed to wake up and fin di n g th at the lant ern

was out had taken a sudden fan cy to pay me a
,

visit I very soon begged him to go away for fear

.

the prefect sho ul d b e awake for in such a case we

-
,

should have found ourselves in a very unpleasant

dilemma and most likely would have b een accused
,

of some abominable O fl en c e A s I was givin g him

.

that good advice we heard someone moving and ,

my friend made h i s escape ; but immediately after

he had left me I heard the fall of some person and ,

at the same time the hoarse voice of the p refect

exclaimi ng :
“
Ah ! —
villain wait un til to morrow until to -
,

morrow
After which threat he lighted th e lant ern and
retired to h i s couch .

The next morning before the ringing of the

,

bell for rising the rector followed by the prefect

, , ,

entered the dormi tory and said to u s :

,
“
Listen to me all of you You are aware of
,
.

what has taken place this last night Two amongst .

you must be gui lty ; but I wish to forgive them ,

and to save their honour I promi se that their

names shall n ot be made public I expect every .

one of you to come to me f or co nf ession before

recess .

He left the dormi to ry and we dressed o ur ,

selves . In the aft ernoon in obedience to hi s

,

orders we all went to him and confessed after

, ,

which ceremony we repaired to the garden where ,

 19 3

my friend told me that having unfor tunat ely met ,

the prefect after he left me he had th ough t that ,

the best way was to knock him down in o rder to ,

get time to reach his own bed without being

known .

“ ” “
And now I said you are certain of being
, ,

forgiven for of course you h ave wisely c o nfessed

, , ,

”
your error ?
“
You are j oking answered my friend ; why
, ,

the good rector would no t have known any more

than he knows at present even if my visit to you ,

had been paid with a criminal intent

Then you mus t have made a false con
f ession : you are at all events guilty of di s
obedience
“
Tha t may be but the rector is responsible
,

f or the guilt as he used co mpulsion

, .

“
My de a r friend you argue in a very forcible
,

way and the very r everend rector must by this

,

time be satisfied that the inmates of our dormito ry

”
are more learned than he is himself .

NO more would have been said about the ad

venture i f a few nights after I had n ot in my t urn
, ,

taken a fancy to return the visit paid by my friend .

T owards midnight having had occasion to get ou t

, ,

of bed and hearing the loud snoring of the prefect

, ,

I quickly put ou t the lantern and went to lie beside

m y friend He knew me a t once and gladly re
.
,

c ei ved me ; bu t we both lis tened atten t ively to the

snoring of ou r keeper an d when it ceased under

, ,
 194

standing ou r danger I got up and reached my own

,

bed without losing a second but the moment I got ,

to it I had a double surprise In the first place I .

felt somebody lying in my bed and in the second ,

I saw the prefect with a candle in h i s hand coming

, ,

along slowly and taking a survey of all the beds

right and left I could understand the prefec t
.

suddenly lighting a candle but how could I realize ,

—
what I saw namely on e of my comr ades sleeping ,

soundly in my bed with his back turned to me ?

,

I immediately made up my mind to feign sleep .

After two or three shakings given by the prefect ,

I pret ended to wake up and my bed companion ,

-

woke up in e a rnest Astonished at finding hims elf

.

in my bed he ofl ered me an apology :

,
“ ”
I have made a mistake he said as I , ,

returned from a certain place in the dark I found ,

your bed empty and mistook it for mine

, .

“ ” “
Very likely I answered ; I had to get up
, ,

“
remarked the prefect ; but how d o es
Yes, “

i t happen that you went to bed withou t making

any remark when on your return you found your
, ,

bed already tenanted ? And how i s it that being ,

in the dark you did n ot suppo se that you were

,

”
mistaken you rs elf ?
“
I could not be mis taken for I felt the ,

pedestal of this crucifix of mine and I knew I was ,

right ; as to my companion here I did not feel ,

”
him.
 19 6

W e obeyed ; bu t hardly were we between the

double doors of the dormitory than we were seized
by four servants who tied our hands behin d u s
, ,

and led us to the class room where they com ,

pe l l ed u s to kn eel down before the great crucifix .

The rector told them to execute h is orders a nd , ,

as we were in that position the wretches admi ni s

,

tered to each o f u s seven or eight blows with a

stick or with a rope wh ich I rec eived as well
, , ,

as my companion without a murmur

,
But the .

moment my hands were f ree I asked the recto r ,

whether I co ul d write two lines at the very foot of

the cross He gave orders to bring ink and paper
.
,

and I traced the following words

I solemn ly swear by this God that I have
never spoken to the seminarist who was found in
my bed As an innoc ent person I must protest
.

against this shameful violence I shall appeal to .

the j ustice of hi s lordship the patriarch .

My comrade in misery signed this protes t

with me ; after which addressing myself to all the
,

pupils I read it aloud calling upon them to speak

, ,

the truth if any on e could say the contrary o f what

I had writ ten They with one voice immedia tely
.
, ,

declared that we had never been seen conversing

together and that no on e kn ew who had pu t the
,

lamp out The rec to r left the room in the midst of

.

hisses and curses but he sent u s to prison all the

,

same at the to p of the house and in separate cells .

An hour af terwards I had my bed my trunk an d

, ,
 19 7

all my things and my meals we re brough t to me

,

every day O n the fourth day the Abbé Tosello

.
,

came for me with instructions to bring me to

Venice I asked him whether he had sifted thi s
.

unpleasant affair ; he to ld me that he had enquired

int o it tha t he had seen the other seminarist and
, ,

that he believed we were both innocent ; bu t the

rector would not confess himself in the wr ong ,

and he did not see what could be done .

’
I threw off my seminarist s habit and dressed ,

myself in the clothes I used to wear in Venice ,

and while my luggage was carried to a boat I

, ,

accomp anied the abbé to M Grim ani s gondola in .

’

which he had come and we took ou r de parture

,
.

O n our way the abbé ordered the boatman t o

,

leave my things at the Palace Grimani adding ,

that he was instructed by M Gr imani to t ell me .

tha t if I had the audacity to present myself at

,

his mansion his servants had received o rders to

,

turn me away .

He landed me near the conven t of the Jesuits ,

without any money and wi th nothing but what I

,

had on my back .

I went to beg a dinner from Madame Man

zoni who laughed heartily a t the realizat ion of
‘

her pre diction After dinner I called upon M Rosa

. .

to see whether the law could pro t ect me against

the tyranny of my enemies and after he had been ,

made acquain ted with the circumstances of the

c a se he p romi sed to bring me the same evening
, ,
 19 8

a t Madame Orio s house an extra judicial act

’
,
-
.

I repaired to the place of appointment to wait for

him and to enj oy the pleasure of my two Charm
,

ing friends at mv sudden reappearance It was .

in deed very great and the recital of my adven

,

tures did not astonish them less than my u n

expected presence M Rosa came and made
. .

me read the act which he had prepared ; he had

not h ad time to have it engrossed by the notary ,

but he underto ok to have it ready the next day .

I left Madame O rio to take supper with my

brother Fran cois who resided with a painter
,

called Guardi ; he was like me much oppressed

, ,

by the tyr a nny of Grimani and I promised to ,

deliver him .Towards midnight I returned to the

two amiable sisters who were expecting me with
their usual loving impatience but I am boun d t o , ,

confess it wi th all humility my sorrows were pre ,

judicial to love in spite of the fortnight of absence

and of abs tinence They were themselves deeply
.

affected to see me so unh appy and pitied me ,

with all their hear ts I ende avoured to console

.

them and assured them that all my misery

,

would soon come to an end and that we would ,

make up f or lost tim e .

In the morning having no money and n o t

, ,

knowing where t o go I went to S t Mark s

, .
’

Library where I rema ined until noon I left it with

, .

the inten tion of dining with Madame Manzoni ,

but I was suddenly accosted by a soldier who

 2 00

after reading its conten ts gi ves orders t o M Zen

,
.
,

h i s adj utant to consign me to the guard house

,
-
.

In another quarter of an hour my conductors take

their departure and M Zen brings me three
,
.

livres and a half stating th at I would receive

-
,

the same amount every week It was exactly .

the pay of a private .

I did not give way to any burst of passion ,

but I felt the most intense indignation Late in .

the evening I expressed a wish to have some food

bought f or I could n ot starve ; then stretching
, ,

myself upon a hard camp b ed I passed the night ,

amongst the soldier s without closing my eyes ,

for thes e Scl avonians were singing eating garlic , ,

smoking a bad tobacco which was most noxious ,

and drink ing a wine of their own country as ,

black as ink which nobody else could swall ow

, .

Early next morning Maj or Pelodoro ! the

governor of the fortress ) called me up to h is
r oom and told me that in compelling me to
, ,

spend the night in the guard house he had o nly -

,

obeyed the orders he had received from Ven ice

“ ”
from the secretary of war Now reverend sir .
, ,
“
he added, my further order s are only to keep you
a p risoner in the fort and I a m responsible for
,

your remaining here I give you the whole of

.

the fortress for your prison You shall have a .

good room in which you will find your bed and

all your luggage Walk anywhere you please ; but
.

recollec t tha t if you should escape you wo uld cause

, ,
 2 01

my ruin . I am sorry that my instructio ns a re

to give you only ten sous a day but if you have ,

any friends in Venice able to send you some

money write to them and trus t to me for the se
, ,

c u rity of your let t ers Now you may go to bed .

,

”
if you need rest .

I was taken t o my room ; it was large and o n

the firs t story with two windows from which I had
,

a very fine view I found my bed and I ascertained

.
,

with great satisfaction that my trunk of which I ,

had the keys had no t been forced open

,
The .

maj or had kindly supplied my table wi th all the

implement s necessary f or wr iting A Sclavonian .

sol di er informed me very po litely tha t he would

at tend upon me and that I would pay him for his
,

services whenever I could for everyone kn ew that ,

I had only ten sous a day I began by ordering .

some sou p and when I had dispatched it I went

, , ,

t o bed and slept for nine hours When I woke I .

,

received an invitation to supper from the maj o r ,

and I began t o imagine tha t things aft er all , ,

would no t be so very bad .

I wen t to the hones t governor whom I found ,

in numerous company He presented me to his .

wife and t o every person present I me t there .

several officers the chaplain of the f o rtress a

, ,

c e rta i n Paoli Vida on e of the singers of S t Mark s

’
-
, .

Church and his wife a prett y woman si ster —in law

, , ,
-

of the maj or whom the husband chose to confine in

,

the fort because he was very j ealous ! je al o us men

I— 1 6
 2 02

are not comfortable at Ven ice ) together wi th sev,

eral other ladies not very young but whom I

, ,

thought very agreeable owing to their kind welcome

,
.

Cheerful as I was by nature those pleasant .

guests easily m anaged to pu t me in the bes t of

humours Everyone expressed a wish t o kn ow the
.

reasons which could have induced M Grimani to .

send me to the fortress so I gave a faithful account

,

of all my adventures since my grandmother s dea th ’

.

I spoke for three hours without any bit t erness and ,

even in a pleasant tone upon things which said

, ,

in a different manner might have displeased my

,

audience ; all expr esse d their satisfaction and ,

shewed so much sympathy that as we parted for ,

the night I received from all an assurance of

,

friendship and the O ff er of their servi ces Thi s i s .

a piece of good fortune which h as never failed me

whenever I have been the victim of oppression ,

until I reached the age o f fifty Whenever I met .

with honest persons expressing a cur iosity to kn ow

the history of the misfortune under which I was
labouring and whenever I satisfied thei r curiosity
, ,

I have inspired them with friendship and with ,

that sympathy which was nec essary to render th em

favourable and useful to me .

That success was o wing to a very S imple

artifice ; i t was only to tell my s to ry in a quiet
and truthful mann er without even avoiding the
,

fac ts which t old agains t me I t is simple secret

.

that many men do not know because the larger ,

 CHAPTER VII

M Y S H O RT S T A Y IN F ORT ST . A NDRE —M Y
— FI RS T
REP EN T EN C E LOVE AF FAI RS
IN EN J O Y TH E — I

S WEET S O F REVENGE A ND PROVE A C L EVER ALIBI

,

—A RR ES T O F C O UN T B O N A F ED E— M Y RELEA S E I

—
ARRIVA L O F T H E BI S H OP FAREW ELL T O VENICE

THE fort in which the Republic usually kep t only

,

a garrison of on e hundred half pay Sclavonians -

,

happened to contain at that time two thousand

Albanian soldiers who were called Ci m cwi otes
,
'
.

The secretary of war who was generally known

,

under the title of sage d l écri tu r e had summoned

’

these men from the East in consequence of some

impending promotion as he wanted the officers to
,

be on the spot in order to prove their merits before

being reward ed They all came from the par t of
.

Epirus called Albania which belongs to the,

Republic of Venice and they had distinguished

,

themselves in the last war against the Turks It .

was for me a new and extraordinary sight to

examine some eigh teen or twenty officers all of an ,

advanced age yet strong and healthy she wing the

, ,
 2 05

scars which covered their face and their ches t the ,

last naked and entirely exposed through mi litary

pride The lieutenant colonel was particularly con
.
-

spi cu o u s by his w ounds for without exaggera , ,

tion he had lost one fourth of his head He had

,
-
.

but one eye but one ear and no j aw t o speak o f

, ,
.

Yet he could eat very well speak without difficulty , ,

and was very cheerful He had with him all his .

family composed of two pretty daughters who

, ,

looked all the prettier in their national costume ,

and of seven sons every one of them a soldier

,
.

This lieutenant colonel stood six feet high and his

-
,

figure was magnificent but his scars so completely ,

deformed his features that hi s face was truly horrid

to look at Yet I found so much attraction in h i m
.

that I liked him the moment I saw him a nd I ,

would have been much pleased to converse with

him if his breath had not sent forth such a strong
smell of garlic All the Albanians had their
.

pockets full of it and they enj oyed a piece of garlic

,

with as much relish as we do a sugar plum After -

.

this none can maintain it to be a poison though ,

the only medicinal virtue it possesses is to excite

the appetite be c ause it acts like a tonic upon a
,

weak stomach .

The lieutenant colonel could not read but he

-
,

was not ashamed of his ignorance because not one ,

amongst his men except the priest and the surgeon

, ,

could boast greater learning Every man o fficer .

,

or private had his purse full of gold ; half of them

, ,
 2 06

at le as t were married and we had in the fortress

, ,

a colony of five or six hundred women with Go d ,

knows h ow many children ! I felt grea tly inter

ested in them all Happy idleness ! I often regret
.

thee because thou hast often ofl ered me new sights ,

and for the same reason I hate ol d age which never

ofl ers but what I know already unless I should ,

take up a gazette but I cared nothing f or them in

,

my young days .

Alone in my room I made an in ventory of my

trunk and having put aside everything of an
,

ecclesiastical character I sent f or a Jew and sold , ,

the whole parcel un mercifully Then I wrote to .

M Rosa enclosing all the tickets of the articles I

.
,

h a d pledged request ing him to have them sold

,
-

without any exception and to forward me the ,

surplus raised by the sale Th anks to that double .

operation I was enabled to give my Sclavonian

,

servant the ten sous allowed to me every day .

Another soldier who had been a hair dresser took

,
-
,

care of my hair which I had been compelled to

neglect in consequence of the rules of the s eminary
,
.

I spent my time in walking about the fort and

through the barracks and my two places of resort ,
’
were the maj or s apa rtment for some intellectual
enj oyment and the r ooms of the Albanian lieu ten
,

ant colonel for a sprinkling of love Th e Albanian

-
.

feeling certain that his colonel would be appointed

brigadier solicited the command of the regiment
, ,

but he had a rival and he fe ared his success .

 2 08

and begged me to write a petition which sh e w ould

present herself to the secretary of war addin g that ,

she could onl y offer me her heart in payment .

I answered that her heart ought not to go alone ; I

acted as I had spoken and I met with no other
,

resistance than the obj ection whi ch a prettv woman

is always sure to feign for the sake of appearance .

Af ter that I told her to come back at noon and

, ,

that the petition would b e ready She was exact .

to the appointment and very kin dly rewarded me

,

a second time ; and in the evening under pretence ,

of some alterations to be made in the petition sh e ,

afforded an excellent opportun itv of reaping a third

recompense .

But alas ! the path of pleasure is n ot strewn

,

only with roses ! O n the third day I foun d out , ,

much to my dismay that a serpent had been hid

,

under the flowers Six weeks of care and o f rigid

.

diet re—established my health .

When I m et the h andsome Greek again I w as ,

foolish enough to reproach her for the present sh e

had bestowed upon me but sh e baffled me by
,

laughing and sayi ng that sh e had onl y off ered me

,

what she possessed and that it was my own faul t

,

if I had not been sufficiently careful The reader .

cannot imagi ne h ow much this first misfortune

grieved me and what deep shame I felt I looked
, .

upon myself as a dishonoured man and whi le I am ,

on that subj ect I may as well relate an incident

which will give some idea of my thoughtlessness .
 2 09

Madame Vi da the maj or s sister in law be ing

,
’
- -
,

alone with me on e morning confided in me in a ,

moment of unreserved confidence what sh e had to

su fi er from the j ealous disposition of her husband ,

and his cruelty in having a ll owed her to sleep alone

for the last four years when she was in the very ,

flower of her age .

“
I trust to God she added tha t my hus
, ,

band will not find out that you have spent an

hour alone with me for I should never hear the
,
”
end of i t .

Feeling deeply for her grief and confidence ,

begetting confidence I was stupid enough to tell

,

her the sad state to which I had been reduced by

the cruel Greek woman assuring her that I fel t my ,

misery all the more deeply because I should have ,

been delighted to console her and to g ive her the ,

opportunity of a revenge f o r her j ealous husband s ’

coldness At this speech in which my simplicity

.
,

and good faith could easily be traced she rose fr om ,

her chair and upbraided me with every insul t

,

which an outraged honest woman might hurl at

the head of a bold libertine who has presumed too
far Astounded but understanding perfectly well
.
,

the nature of my crime I bowed myself out of her ,

room ; but as I was leaving it she told me in the

same angry tone that my visits wo uld not be
welcome for the future as I was a conceited puppy
, ,

unworthy of the society of good and respectable

women I took care to answer that a respec table
.
 2 10

woman woul d have been rather more reserv ed than

she had been in her c onfi den c es O n reflection I .

felt pretty sur e that if I had been in good health

, ,

or had said nothing about my misha p sh e wo ul d ,

have been but too happy to receive my c on

sola tions .

A few days after that incident I had a much

greater cause to regret my acquaintance wi th the
Greek woman O n Ascension Day as the
.
,

ceremony of the Bucentaur was celebrat ed ne ar

the f ort M Rosa brought Madame O rio and
,
.

her two nieces to witness it and I had the ,

pleasure of treatin g them all to a good dinn er

in my room I found myself during the day
.
, ,

alone wi th my young friends in one of the

casem etes and they both loaded me with the most
,

loving caresses and kisses I felt that they ex

.

pected some substantial proof of my love ; but to ,

con ceal the real state of things I pretended to be

,

afraid of being surprised and they had to be satis

,

fi ed with my shallow excuse .

I had inform ed my mother by letter of all

I had suffered from Grim an i s treatment ; she’

answered that sh e had written to him on the

subject that she had n o doubt he would imme
,

diatel y set me at liberty and that an arrangement

,

had been entered in to by which M Grimani .

would devote the money raised by Razetta from

the sale of the furniture to the settlement of a
small patrimony on my youngest brother But in .
 2 12

lower his tone by asking him whether he had any

wish to pass the night in the guard ho us e Petrill o -
.
,

who had not yet o pened hi s lips told me then that,

he was sorry not to have found me in Veni ce as I ,

might have shewn him round cer tain places which

_

must be well known to me .

Very lik ely we should have met your wife in

‘

”
such places I answered
,
.

“ ”
I am a good judge of faces he said and I , ,
”
can see that you are a true gallows bird -
.

I was trembling with rage and the maj or , ,

who shared my utter disgust told them tha t he had

,

business to transact and th ey took their leave

,
.

The maj or assur ed me that on the foll owing day

he would go to the war office to complain of
Razetta an d that he would have him punished for
,

his insolence .

I remained alone a prey to feelings of the

,

deepes t indigna tion a nd to a most ardent thirst

,

f or revenge .

The fortress was entirely surrounded by water ,

and my windows were not overlooked by any of

the sentinels A boat comi ng under my windows
.

cou ld therefore easily take me to Venice during

the night and bring me back to the for tress before
day break
-
. All that was necessary was to find
a boa tman who f or a certain amount woul d
, ,

risk the galleys in case of discovery Amongst .

several who brought provisions to the fort I ,

chose a boatman whose coun tenan ce pleased me ,

 2 13

and I ofi ered him one sequin ; he promi sed t o

let me know his decision on the following day He .

was true to h is time and declared himself ready to

,

take me He informed me that before deci di ng

.
,

to serve me he had wished to know whether I was

,

kept in the fort for any great crime but as the wife ,

of the maj or had told him tha t my imprisonment

had been caused by very triflin g frolics I could ,

rely upon him We arranged that he should be

.

under my window at the beginning of the n ight ,

and that his boat should be provided with a mast

long enough to enable me to slide along it from the
window to the boat .

The appoin t ed hour came and everything ,

being ready I go t safely into the boat landed at the ,

Sclavonian qu ay ordered the boatman to wai t for

,

me and wrapped up in a mariner s cloak I t ook my

,
’

way straigh t t o the gate of Sain t Sauveur and -

,

engaged the wait er of a coffee room to take me t o -

’
R azetta s house .

B eing quite certain that he would not b e at

home a t that time I rang the bell and I heard my
, ,

sister s voice telling me that if I wan ted to see him

’

I mus t call in the morning Satisfied with thi s I .

,

wen t to the fo o t of the bridge and sat down ,

waitin g there to see which way he would come and ,

a f ew minu tes before midnigh t I saw him adva ncing

from the square of Saint Paul I t was all I wa n ted
-
.

to know ; I went back t o my boat and returned t o

the for t withou t any di fficul ty A t five o clock in .
’
 2 14

the morning everyone in the garris on could see me

enj oying my walk on the platform .

T aking all the time necessa ry to mature my

plans I made the following arrangements to
,

secure my revenge with perfect safety and to ,

prove an ali bi in case I should kill my rasc al ly

enemy as it was my in tention to do
,
.

The day preceding the night fixed f or my

expedition I walked about with the son of the
,

Adjutant Zen who was onl y twelve years ol d but

, ,

who amused me much by his shrewdness Th e .

reader will meet him again in the year 1 7 7 1 .

As I was walking with him I jumped down from ,

on e of the bastions and fei gned to sprai n my

,

ank le Two soldiers carried me to my room and

.
,

the surgeon of the fort thinki ng that I was suffer

,

ing from a lux ation ordered me to keep to bed

, ,

and w r apped up the ankle in towels saturated with

camphorated spirits of wine Everybody came .

to s ee me and I requested the soldier who served

,

me to rema in and to sleep in my ro om I kn ew .

that a glass of brandy was enough to stupefy the

man and t o make him sleep soun dl y As soon
, .

as I saw him fast asleep I begged the surgeon ,

and the chaplain wh o had his room over mine

, ,

to leave me and at half past ten I lowered myself

,
-

in the boat .

As soon as I reached Venice I bought a ,

s to ut cudgel and I sat myself d own on a do o r

,

step at the corner of the stree t ne a r Saint

,
 216

he h as gone f or some water I hide the medi cine .

After half an hour of wry faces I say that I feel ,

much better and thanking all my friends I beg

, ,

them to retire which everyone does wishing me

, ,

a qui e t sleep .

The next morning I could n ot get up in con

sequenc e of my sprained ankle alth ough I had ,

slept very well ; th e maj or was kin d enough to

call upon me before going to Venice and he said ,

that very likely my colic had been caused by the

melon I had eaten for my di nn er the day before .

The maj or return ed at one o clock in the af ter ’

”
noon “
I have g oo d news to give you he said to ,

R azetta was s o un dl y
“
me with a j oyful laugh
, .

”
cudgelled last night and thrown in to a c a nal .

“ ”
H as he been killed ?
“
N C ; but I am glad of it for your sake for ,

h i s death would make your position much more

”
serious You are accused of having don e it
. .

“
I am very glad people think me guilty ; i t i s
s o mething of a revenge but i t will be ra ther diffi
,
”
cul t to brin g it home t o me .

“
Very d iffi cult ! All the same Razetta swears
he rec ogni zed you and the same declarat ion i s made
,

by the Forlan who says that you struck h is hand to

make him drop h is lant ern Razetta s nose is
.
’

broken three of hi s teeth are gone and hi s ri ght

, ,

arm i s severely hurt Y ou have been accused before

.

the avogador and M Grimani h as written t o the

, .

war office to c omplain of yo ur rele as e fro m th e

 217

fortress without his knowledge I arrived a t the .

office just in time . The secret ary was reading

Grim an i s letter and I assured his excellency that
’
,

it was a false report for I left you in bed this

,

morning suffering from a sprained ankle I t old

,
.

’
him likewise that at twelve o clock last night you
were very near death from a severe attack of
colic
Was it at midnight that R azetta was so
”
well treated ?
“
S O says the o fficial report The war secretary .

wrote at once to M Grimani and informed him

.

that you have not left the fort and that you are ,

even now detained in it and that the plaintiff is at

,

liberty if he chooses to send commissaries to as

, ,

certain the fact Therefore my dear abbé you , ,

”
must prep are yourself for an in terrogatory .

I expect it and I will answer that I am very

,

sorry to b e innocent .

Three davs afterwards a commissary came to ,

the fort with a clerk of the court and th e proceed ,

ings were soon over Everybody knew tha t I had

.

sprained my ankle ; the chaplain the surgeon my , ,

body servant and several others swore that at mid

-
,

night I was in bed su fferi ng from colic My ali bi .

being thoroughly proved the avogador sent enced

,

Razetta and the F orl an to pay all expenses without

prejudice to my rights of action .

After this judgmen t the maj or advised me

,

to address to the secretary of war a petition which

I— 1 7
 18

he undertook to deliver himself and to claim my ,

release from the fort I gave notice of my pro .

c eedings to M G rimani and a w eek af terwards

.
, ,

the maj or told me that I w as free and that he

would himself take me to the abbe It was at .

dinner time and in the mi ddle of some amusing

-
,

conversation that he imp arted that piece of in

,

formation Not supposing him to b e in earnest

.
,

and in order to keep up the j oke I to ld him ?

,

very politely that I preferred his house to Venice ,

and that to prove it I would be happy to remain

, ,

a week longer if he wo ul d grant me permission

,

to do so I was taken at my word and every

.
,

body seemed very pleased But when two hours .

,

later the news was confirmed and I coul d no

, ,

longer doubt the truth of my release I repented ,

the week which I h ad so foolishl y thrown away

as a present to the maj or ; yet I had n ot the
courage to break my word for everybody and , ,

particul arly his wife had shown such unaffect ed ,

pleasure it would have been contemptible of me

,

to change my mi nd The good woman knew that .

I owed her every kin dn ess which I had enj oyed ,

and sh e might have thought me ungrateful .

But I met in the fort with a las t adventure ,

which I must n ot forget to relate .

O n the following day an offi cer dressed in ,

the national uniform called up on the maj or ac com ,

pa n i ed by an elderly man of about sixty years of

age wear ing a sword and presentin g to the maj or

, , ,
 22 0

my confidence called f or a re turn on his part and ,

“
he began : I am the Count de Bonafede In my .

early days I served under P rince Eugene but I'

gave up the army and entered on a civil career in

,

Austria I had to fly from Austria and take refuge

.

in Bavaria in consequence of an unfortunat e duel .

In Muni ch I made the acquaintance of a young

l ady belonging to a noble family ; I eloped with
her and brought her to Venice wher e we were ,

married I have now been twenty year s in Venice

. .

I have six children and everybody knows me

,
.

About a week ago I sent my servant to the po st

offi ce for my letters but they were refused him
,

because he had not any money to pay t h e postage .

I went myself but the clerk would no t deliver

,

me my letters although I assured him that

,

I would pay f or them the next time This made .

me angry and I called upon th e Baron de Taxis

, ,

the post master and complained of the clerk

-
, ,

bu t he answ ered verv rudely that the clerk had

simply obeyed h is orders and that my letter s
,

wo ul d only b e delivered on payment of the

postage
. I felt very indignant but as I was in ,

h i s house I controlled my anger went home and , ,

wro te a note to him asking him to give me satis

faction for hi s rudeness telling him that I would
,

never go out without my sword and that I would ,

force him to fight wh enever and wherever I should

meet him I never came across him but yesterday
.
,

I was accosted by the secretary of the inquisitors ,

 221

who told me that I must forget the baron s rude ’

conduct and go under the guidance of an officer

,

whom he pointed ou t to m e to imprison myself ,

for a week in this fortress I shall thus have the .

”
pleasure of spending that time with you .

I told him that I had been free for the las t

twenty four hours but that to shew my gratitude
-
,

for his friendly confidence I would feel honoured if

he would allow me to keep him company AS I .

had already engaged myself with the maj o r this ,

was only a polite falsehoo d .

In the afternoon I happened to be with him

on the tower of the fort and pointed out a gondola
,

advancing towards the lower gate ; he took h is

spy glass and told me that it was hi s wife and
-

daughter coming to see him We went to meet .

the l adies on e of whom might once have been

,

worth the trouble of an elopement the other a ,

young person between fourteen and sixteen struck ,

me as a beauty of a new s tyle Her hair was of a .

beautiful light auburn her eyes were blue and very

,

fine her nose a Roman and her pretty mouth

, , ,

half open and laughing exposed a set of teeth as

-
,

wh ite as her complexion although a beautiful rosy

,

tint somewhat veiled the whitn ess of the last Her .

figure was so slight that it seemed out of nature ,

but her perfectly formed breast appeared an

-

altar on which the god of love would have

delighted to breathe the sweetest incense This .

splendid chest was however not yet well furnished

, , ,
 222

but in my im agination I gave her all the emban

p oi n t whi ch might have been desired and I was so ,

pleased th at I co ul d not take my looks fr o m h er .

I met h er ey es and her laughing co u ntenance

,

seemed to say to m e O nl y wait for two year s a t ,

the utmost and all that your imagina tion i s now

,
”
creating wil l then exis t in reality .

She was elegantly dressed in the prevalent

fashi on wi th large hoops and lik e the daughters
, ,

of the nobility who have n ot yet att a in ed the age

of pub erty although the young countess was

,

marriageable I had never dared to stare so openly

.

at the bosom of a youn g lady of quality bu t I ,

thought there was no harm in fixing my eyes

on a spot where there was nothing yet but in
expectation .

The coun t after having exchanged a few

,

words in German with h i s wife presented me in ,

the most flattering mann er and I was received ,

with great politeness The maj or j oined u s

.
,

deeming it hi s duty to escort the count ess all over

the fortress and I improved the excellent oppor
,

tu n ity thrown in my way by the inferiority o f my

position ; I offered my arm to th e young lady a nd ,

the count left u s to go to hi s room .

I was still an adept in the ol d Venetian

f ashion of attending upon l ad i es and the youn g ,

countess thought m e rather awkward though I ,

believed myself very fashionable when I placed my

hand under her arm but sh e drew i t back in high
,
 2 24

the very moment sh e tried to teach me how to

off er my arm to a lady .

She was so convinced of my simplicity that she

ventured to say that sh e considered her Adam by
far more beautiful than her Eve because in her ,

drawing of the man sh e had omi tted nothing every ,

muscle being visible while there was none con ,

“ ” “
spi c u ou s in Eve It is sh e added
. a figure , ,

with nothi ng in it .

“
Yet it is the one which I shall like best .

“
No ; believe me Adam will please you most
,
.

This conversation had greatly excited me I .

had on a pair of linen br eeches the weather being ,

very warm . I was afraid of the m aj or and the

coun tess wh o were a few yards in front of us ,

turni ng round I was on thorns

. T o make .

matters worse the young lady stumbled one of her

, ,

sho es slipped off and presenting me her pretty foot

,

she asked me to put the shoe right I kn elt on the .

groun d and very likely without thinking sh e

, , ,

lifted up her skirt sh e had very wide hoops

and n o petticoat what I saw was enough to

strik e me dead on the spot When I rose sh e .
,

asked if anything was the matter with me .

A moment after comi ng out of on e of the ,

casemates her head dress got slightly ou t of order

,
-
,

and sh e begged that I would remedy the accident ,

but havin g to bend her head down the st ate in

, ,

which I was could no longer remain a secret for

her In order to avoid greater confusion to both
.
 225

of us she enquired who had made my watch ribbon ;

,

I told her it was a present from my sister and sh e ,

desired to examine it but when I answered her,

that it was fastened to the fob pocket and found -

,

that she disbelieve d me I added that sh e could see

,

for herself She p ut her hand to it and a natural

.
,

but involun tary excitement caused me t o be very

indiscreet Sh e must have felt vexed for sh e saw
.
,

that she had made a mistake in her estimate of my

character ; she became more timi d she would not ,

laugh any more and we j oined her mot her and the
,

maj or who was shewing her in a sentry box the ,

-
,

body of Marshal de Schulenburg which had been

deposited there until the mausoleum erected for
him was completed As for myself I felt deeply
.
,

ashamed I thought myself the first man who had

.

alarm ed her innocence and I f elt ready to d o ,

anything to atone for the insult .

Such was my delicacy of feeling in those d ays .

I used to credit people with exalted sentiments ,

which Often existed only in my imagination I .

must confess that time has entirely destroyed th at

delicacy ; yet I do not believe myself worse than
other men my equals in age and in experience
, .

We returned to the count s apartment and the ’

,

day passed off rather gloo mily T owards evening .

the ladies went away but the countess gave me a

,

pressing invitation to call upon them in Venice .

The yo ung lady whom I thought I had,

insulted had made such a deep impression upon me

,
 22 6
that the seven following days seemed very long ;
yet I was impatient to see her again only that I
mi ght entreat her forgiveness and convince her of ,

my repentance .

The foll owing day the coun t was visited by

h i s son ; he was plain —featured but a thorough ,

gentleman a nd modest withal ,

Twenty fi ve years .
-

afterwards I met him in Spa in a cadet in the kin g s ,

’

body guard -
He had served as a private twenty
.

years before obta ining this p oor promo tion The .

reader will hear of hi m in good time ; I wil l only

mention here th at when I met him in Spain he ,

st oo d me out th a t I had never known him ; hi s

self love prompted thi s very contemp tible lie
-
.

Early on the eighth day the count left the

fortress and I to ok my departure the same evening
, ,

having made an appointment at a coffee —h ouse in

St Mark s Square with the maj or wh o was to
’
-
.

accompany me to M Grim ani s house I took leave .

’
.

of hi s wife whose memory will always be de ar to

,
“
me and sh e said I thank you f or y our ski ll in
, ,

provin g your al ibi but you have also to thank me,

-

f or havin g un derstood you so well My husband .

n ever heard anything about it un til it was all over .

As soon as I reached Venice I wen t to pay ,

a visit t o Madame O rio where I w as made wel ,

come I remained to supper and my two charming

.
,

sweethearts wh o were praying f or the death of th e

bishop gave me the most delightful hospitali ty
,

for the night .

 228

see the goddess of my fancy to Obtain m y pardon

, ,

or die at her feet .

I fo un d the house without diffi culty ; the c ount

was not at home The coun t ess r eceived me very
.

kindly but her appearance caused me so great

,

a surprise that I did n ot know what to say to her .

I had fancied that I was going to visit an

“

angel that I would find her in a lovely paradise

, ,

and I fo un d myself in a large sitting room fur -

ni sh ed with four rickety chairs and a dirt ol d table

y .

There was hardly any light in the room because

the shutters were nearly closed It mi ght have
.

been a precaution against the heat but I j udged ,

that it was more probably for the purpose of con

cealing the windows the glass of which was all
,

broken But this visible darkness did not prevent

.

me fr om remarking that the countess was wrapped

up in an Old tattered gown and that her chemi se
,

did not shine by its cleanliness Seeing that I was

.

ill at ease sh e left the r oo m saving that she woul d

, ,

send her daughter who a few minu t es afterwards

, , ,

came in with an easy and noble appearance and told ,

me that she had expected me wi th great impatience ,

but that I had surprised her at a time at which

she was n ot in the habit of receiving any visits .

I did not know what to answer f or sh e did ,

not s eem to me to be the same person Her .

miserable dishabille ma de her l ook almost ugly ,

and I wondered at the impression she had produced

upon me at the fortress She saw my surprise
.
,
 229

and partly guessed my thoughts for she put on a ,

look not of vexation bu t of sorrow which called

, ,

forth all my pity If she had been a philosopher

.

she might have rightly despised me as a man whos e

sympathy was enlisted only by her fine dress her ,

nobility or her apparent wealth ; but she endea

,

vou r ed to bring me round by her sincerity She .

felt that if she could call a little sentimen t into

play it would certainly plead in her favour
, .

I see that you are astonished reverend sir , ,

and I know the reaso n of vour surprise You .

expected to see great splendour here and y o u find ,

only misery . The government allows my fa ther

but a small salary and there are nine of us As
, .

we must attend church on Sundays and holidays

in a style proper to our c ondition we are Often ,

compelled to go without our dinner in order to ,

get out of pledge the clothes which urgent nee d

too often obliges us to part with and which we ,

pledge anew on the following day If we did not .

attend mass the curate would strike our names

,

o ff the l ist of those who share the alms of the

Confraternity of the Poor and those alms alone ,

”
keep us afloat .

Wh at a sad tale ! She had guessed r ightly .

I was touched but rather with shame than true

,

emotion . I was not rich myself and as I was , ,

no longer in love I only heaved a deep sigh and

, ,

remained as cold as ice Nevertheless her posi

.
,

tion was painful and I answered politely speaking

, ,
with kindness and assuring her of my sym pathy .

“ ” “
Were I wealthy ,
I said I would soon shew
,

you that your tale of woe has n ot fallen on

unfe eling ears ; but I am po or and being at the , ,

eve of my departure from Veni ce even my f riend ,

”
ship would be usel e s to you
s Then after some .
,

desultory t alk I expressed a hope that her beauty

,

would yet win happiness for her She seemed to .

consider for a few minut es and said “

Tha t , ,

may happen some day provided tha t the man wh o

,

feels the power of my charms understands that

they can be bestowed only with my heart a nd is ,

willing to render me the j ustice I deserve ; I am

only looking for a lawful m arriage without dream ,

ing of rank or fortune I no longer believe in the

first and I kn ow h ow to live withou t the second ; for
,

I have been accustomed t o p overty and even to ,

abj ect need ; but you cannot realize that Come .

”
and see m v drawings .

“
Y ou are very good mademoiselle ,
.

Alas ! I was n ot thinking of her drawi ngs and ,

I could no longer feel interested in her Eve but ,

I followed her .

W e came to a chamber in which I saw a table ,

a chair a small toilet glass and a bed wi th the

,
-

straw palliasse turned over very likely for the ,

purpose of all owi ng the looker —on to suppose that

there were sheets Un dern eath but I was particularly
,

disgusted by a cert ain smell the cause of which ,

was recent ; I was thunderst ruck and if I had ,

 23 2

How many tho u ghts crowded upon my mind

as I left that house ! What a lesson ! I compared
reality with the imagination and I had to give the ,

preference to the last as reality is always dependent

,

on it I then began to forsee a truth which has

.

been clearly proved to me in my af ter life namely , ,

that love is only a feeling of curiosity more or less

intense grafted upon the inclination placed in us
,

by nature that the species may be preserved And .

truly woman is like a book which good or bad

, , , ,

must at first please u s by the frontispiece If this .

i s n ot interes ting we do no t feel any wish to r ead

,

the book and ou r wish is in direct proportion to

,

the interest we feel The frontispiece of woman

.

runs from top to bottom like that of a book and ,

her feet which are most i mportant to every man

,

wh o shares my taste o ff er the same i nterest as

,

the edition of the work If it is true th at most .

amateurs bestow little or no attention upon the feet

of a woman it is likewise a fact that mos t reader s
,

care little or nothing whether a book i s of the first

edition or the tenth At all event s women are
.
,

quite right to take the greatest care of their face ,

of their dress of their general appearance ; for it i s

,

only by tha t part of the frontispiece that they can

call forth a wish to read them i n those men who
have not been endowed by nature with the privilege
of blindness An d just in the same manner that
.

men wh o have read a great many books are

, ,

certain to feel at las t a desire for perusing new

 23 3

works even if they are bad a man who has known ,

many women a nd all handsome women feels at

, ,

last a curiosity for ugly spec i mens when he meets

with entirely new ones It is all very well f or his
.

eye to discover the paint which conceals the real ity ,

bu t his passion has become a vi ce and suggests ,

some argument in favour of the lying frontispiece .

I t is possible a t least he thinks so th a t the work

, ,

may prove better than the title page and the -

,

reality mo re acceptable than the paint which hide s

it
. He then tries to peruse the book but the ,

le aves have not been opened ; he meets with some

resistance the living book must be read according
,

to established rules an d the book worm falls a

,
-

victim to coquetry the mons ter which persecutes

,

all those who make a business of love .

As for thee intelligent man wh o hast read the

, ,

few preceding lines let me t ell thee that if they do

, ,

n ot assist in opening thy eyes th o u art lost ; I ,

mean that thou art certain of being a victim to the

fair sex to the very last momen t of thy life If my .

candour does n ot displ ease thee accept my con ,

gratulations .

In th e evening I called upon Madame O ri o as ,

.

I wanted to inform her charming nieces that being ,

an inmate of Grim an i s house I could not sleep ou t

’
,

for the first night I found there the faithful Rosa

.
,

who told me that the affair of the al i bi was in every

mouth and that as such celebrity was evidently
, ,

ca u sed by a very decided belief in the un tru th of the

I— 1 8
ali biitself I ought to fear a retaliation of the same
,

sort on the part of Razetta and to k eep on my ,

guard particularly at night I fel t all the impo rt

,
.

ance of this advice an d I took care never to go ou t

,

in the evening oth erwise than in a gondola or ao ,

companied by some friends Madame Manzoni t old

‘

me that I was acting wi sely b ec ause although the , ,

judges could not do otherwise than acquit me ,

everybody knew the real truth of the matter and ,

Razetta could not fail to be my deadly f oe .

Three or four d ays afterwards M Grimani .

announced the arrival of the bishop wh o had put ,

up at the convent of hi s order at Saint Fran cois ,

-

de Paul He pre sented me himself t o the prel at e

.

as a j ewel highly prized by himself and as if he ,

had been the only person wor thy of descanting

upon its beauty .

I saw a fine monk wearing h i s pector al cross .

He would h ave reminded me of Father Mancia if

he had not looked stouter and less reserved He .

was about thirty fou r and had b een made a bisho p

-
,

by the grace of God the Holy See and my mother

, , .

After pronouncing over me a blessing which I ,

received kneeling and giving me his h and to kiss

, ,

he embraced me warmly calling me h is dear son ,

in the Latin language in which he continued to ,

address me I thought that being a Calabrian he

.
, ,

might feel ashamed of his Italian but he u n ,

deceived me by speaking in that language to

M Grimani
. He told me that as he co ul d not
.
,
 23 6

I was to deliver to Father Lazari a t the C onvent ,

of the Minims in Ancona M Grimani informed

,
. .

me that he would send m e to that city with the .

ambassador from Venice who was on the point

,

o f s ailing. I had therefore to keep myself in readi

ness and as I was anxious to be out of h i s hands
, , ,

I approved all h is arrangements As soon as I .

had notice of the day on which the suite of the

a mbassador would embark I went to pay my last
,

f arewell to all my acquaintanc es I left my b rother .

Francois in the sch o ol of M Joli a celebrated .

,

decorative painter As th e peotta in which I was

.

to sail would no t leave before day break I spent -

,

the short night in th e arms of the two sisters ,

who this time entertained no hope of ever seeing

, ,

m e again O n my side I could not forsee what

.

would happen for I was ab andoning myself t o fat e

, ,

and I thought it would be useless to think of the

future The night was therefore spen t between joy
.

and sadness between pleasures and tears

, As I .

bade them adieu I returned the key which had

,

opened so oft en f or me the road t o happines s .

This my firs t l o ve a ffair did not gi ve me

, ,

any experience of the world for o ur in tercourse,

was always a happy one a nd was never disturbed

,

by any quarrel or stained by any interested motive .

We often felt all three of us as if we must raise

, ,

ou r souls towards the eternal Providenc e of God

,

to t h ank Him f or having by His particul a r protec

,

ti on kept fr o m u s all the accidents which might

,
 23 7

have disturbed the sweet peace we were enj oying .

I left in the hands of Madame Manzoni all

my papers and all the forbidden books I possessed
, .

The good woman who was twenty years Ol der ,

than I and who b elieving in an immutable destiny

, , ,

took pleasure in turnin g the leaves of the great

book of fate told me that she was certain of re
,

storing to me all I left with her before the end ,

of the foll owing year at the latest Her predic , .

tion caused me both surprise and pleasure and ,

feeling deep reverence for her I thought myself ,

bound to assist the realization of her for esight .

After all if she predicted the future it was not

, ,

through superstition or in consequence of some ,

vain foreboding which reason must condemn but ,

through her knowledge of the world and of the ,

nature of the person she was addressing She .

used to laugh becaus e she never made a mistake .

I embarked from St M ark s landing M Gri .

-
’
. .

mani had given me ten sequins which he thought ,

would keep me during my stay in the lazzaretto

of Ancona for the necessary quarantine after which ,

it was not to be supposed that I could want any

money I shared Grim ani s certainty on the sub
.
’

jec,
t and with my natural thoughtlessness I cared
nothing about it Yet I must say that unkn own
.
,

to everybody I had in my purse forty bright

,

sequins which powerfully contributed to increase

,

my cheerful n ess and I left Venice full of j oy and

,

without one regret .

 CHAPTER VIII

MY IN C
M I S F OR T U N ES
-
H I O Z Z A— FAT H ER S TEP H AN O
—T H E LA Z Z ARETT O AT ANC O NA— T H E G REEK
S LAVE M Y P ILGRI MAGE T o OUR LADY O F LORETT O
—

—I Go T o ROM E ON F OO T AND F R O M RO M E T o
,

NAP LES T o MEET T H E BI S H OP— I C A NN O T J O I N

H I M — G O O D LU CK O F F ERS M E T H E MEAN S OF
REAC H ING MART ORAN O , WH IC H P LAC E I VERY
Q U ICKLY LEAVE T o R ET U R N T o N A P LES

TH E retinue of th e ambass ador which was ,

“
styled grand appeared to me very small
,
It .

was composed of a Milanese steward named ,

C arc in el li of a priest who fulfilled the duties of

,

secretary becaus e he could n ot write of an ol d ,

woman acting as housekeeper of a man cook wi th

,

his ugly wife and eigh t or ten servants

,
.

W e reached Chiozza about noon Immediately

.

after landing I politely a sked the steward where

,

I should put up and his answer was

,
“
Wherever you please prov i ded you le t this
,

man know wher e it i s so tha t he can give you

,

”
no tice when the peotta i s ready to sail My du ty .
,
 40

He told me that I had arrived jus t in time to go

to a picnic got up by the Macaronic academician s
for the next day after a sitting of the academy
,

in which every member was to recite something

of hi s composition He invited me to j oin them
.
,

and to gratify the meeting with the delivery of

on e of my productions I accepted the invitati on
.
,

and after the reading of ten stanzas which I had

,

written for the occasion I was unanimous ly elected

,

a member My success at the picnic was still

.

greater f,or I disposed o f such a quan t i t y of

macaroni that I was found worthy of the title
of prince of the academy .

The young doctor himself one of the acade

,

nn c1 an s introduced me to his family

,
H i s parents .
,

who were in easy circumstances received me very ,

kindly On e of his sisters was very a mi able but

.
,

the other a professed nun appeared to me a

, ,

prodigy of be auty I might have enj oyed myself

.

in a very a greeable way in the midst of that

charming family during my stay in Chiozza but ,

I suppose that it was m y destiny to meet in that

place with nothing but sorrows The young .

doctor forewarned me that the monk Corsini was

a very worthless fellow despise d by everybody , ,

and advised me to avoid him I thanked him for .

the information but my thoughtlessness prevented

,

me from profiting by it O f a very easy dis .

position and too giddy to fear any sn ares I was

, ,

foolish enough to believe that the monk would ,

 24 1

on the con trary be the very man to throw plenty

,

of amusement in my way .

O n the third day the worthless dog took me to

a house of ill fame where I might have gone with
-
,

ou t his introduction and in order to shew my , ,

mettle I obliged a low creature whose uglines s

,

ought to have been a su ffi cient antido t e against any

fl eshly desire O n leaving the place he brought
.
,

me for supper to an inn where we met four

scoundrels of his own stamp After supper on e of .

them began a bank of faro and I was invited to ,

j oin in the game I gave way to that f eeling o f

.

fal se pride which so Often causes the ruin of youn g

men and after losing f our sequins I expressed a
,

wish to retire but my honest friend the J acob m

, ,

contrived to make me risk four more sequins in

partnership with him He held the bank and it .
,

was broken I did not wish to play any m ore but

.
,

Corsini feigning to pity me and to feel grea t sorrow

,

at being the cause of my loss induced me to try ,

myself a bank Of twenty fi ve s equins ; my bank was -

likewise broken The hope of wi nning back my

.

mo n ey m ade me keep up the game and I lost ,

everything I had Deeply grieved I went away

.
, ,

and laid myself down near the cook who woke up , .

and said I was a libertine .

“ ”
You are right was all I could answer
, .

I was worn ou t with fatigue and sorrow and I ,

slept soundly My vile tormentor the monk woke

.
, ,

me at noon and informed me with a triumphant

,
 24 2

j
oy that a very rich young man had been i nvi t ed
by his friends to supper that he woul d be sure to ,

play and to lose and that it wo ul d be a good

,

oppo rtunity for me to retrieve my losses .

“
I have lost all my money Lend me twenty .

sequi ns .

“
When I lend mon ey I am sure to los e ; you
may call it superstition but I have tried it too ,

Often. Try to fin d money somewhere else and ,

come . Farewell .

I felt ashamed to confess my position to my

friend and sending for a money lender I emp tied
,
-

my trun k before him We made an inventory of .

my clothes and the honest broker gave me thirty

,

sequins with the understanding th at if I did not

,

redeem them within three days all my th ings wo ul d

become hi s property I am bound to call hi m an
.

honest man for he advised me to keep three shirts

, '
,

a few pai rs of stockings and a few handkerchiefs ,

I was disposed to let him take everything having ,

a presentiment that I would wi n back all I had

lost ; a very common error A few years later I took .

my revenge by writin g a diatribe against presenti

ments I am of opinion that the only foreboding
.

in which man can have an y sort of faith is the on e

which forebodes evil because it comes fro m the
,
.

mind while a presentiment of happiness h as its

,

ori gi n in the heart and the heart is a fool worthy

,

of reckoning foolishly upon fickle fortune .

I did n ot lose any time in j oining the honest

 24 4

M . Al ban ,the master of the peotta had n ot roused ,

me by calling upon me an d infor mi ng me tha t the

boat was ready to sail .

The man wh o i s delivered from great per

p l ex i ty no ,
mat ter by what means feels himself ,

relieved It seemed to me that Captain Alban had

.

come to poin t out the o nl y thing I coul d possibl v

do ; I dressed myself in haste and tying all my ,

worldly poss essions in a handkerchief I went on

board Soon afterwards we left the shore and in
.
,

the morning we cast anchor in O rsara a seapor t of ,

Istria . We all landed to V isit the city which ,

wo ul d more properly be called a vi llage It belongs .

to the Pope the Republic of Venice havi ng

,

abandoned it to the Holy See .

A yo un g monk of the order of the Recollets

who call ed himself Friar Stephano of Belun and ,

had obtained a free passage from the devout

Captain Alban joined me as we landed and en
,

quired whether I felt sick .

“
Reverend father I am un happy,
.

“
You will forget all your sorrow if you will ,

come and dine with me at the house of on e of ou r

”
devout friends .

I had n ot broken my fast for thirty six hours -

,

and having suff ered much from sea sickness during -

the ni ght my stomach was quite empty My erotic

,
.

in conve ni ence made me very un comfortable my ,

mind felt deeply the consciousness of my degrada

tion and I did not possess a groat ! I was in such
,
 24 5

a miserable state that I had no s trengt h to accep t

o r to ref us e anything I was thoroughly torpid
.
,

and I followed the monk mechanically .

He presented me t o a la dy saying tha t he was ,

accompanying me to Rome where I intend t o ,

become a Francisc an This untruth disgus t ed me

.
,

and under any o ther circumstance s I would no t

have let i t pass withou t prot es t but in my actual ,

po sition it struck me as rather comical The good .

lady gave us a good dinner of fish cooked in oil ,

which in O rsara is delicious and we dra nk s ome ,

exquisite refosco During ou r meal a priest

.
,

happened to drop in and af ter a shor t c o nversa tion

, , ,

he told me that I ough t not to pass the night on

board the tartan and pressed me to accep t a bed
,

in his house and a go od dinner f or the nex t

day in case the wind should no t allow u s t o sail ;
I accepted wi thou t hesit ation I offered my most .

sincere thanks to the good ol d lady and the pries t ,

took me all over the town In the evening he .

,

brought me t o his house where we partook of an

excellent supper prepared by his housekeeper who ,

sat down to the table with us and with who m I ,

was much pleased The refosco still better than

.
,

that which I had drunk a t dinner sc attered a ll my ,

misery to the wind and I conversed gaily with the

,

priest He o ff ered to read t o me a poem of h is

.

own compostion but feeling that my eyes wo uld

, ,

not keep open I begged he would excuse me and

,

postpone the reading un til the foll o wi ng day .

 24 6

I went t o bed and In the morning after ten

, ,

hours of the most profoun d sleep the housekeeper , ,

wh o had b een watching for my awakening brought ,

me some coffee I thought her a Charming woman

.
,

but alas ! I was not in a fit state to prove to her

,

the high estimation in which I held her be auty .

Entertaini ng feelings of gratitude for my kind

hos t and dispos ed to listen attentively to his poem
, ,

I dismi ssed all sadness and I paid h is poetry such ,

compliments that he was delighted and finding , ,

me much more talented than he had judged me to

be at first he insisted upon treating me to the
,

reading of his idylls and I had to swallow them, ,

bearing the infliction cheerfully The day passed .

off very agreeably ; the housekeeper surro un ded me

with the kindest attent ions a proof that sh e was

—

smitten with me ; an d gi ving way to that ple a sing

,

idea I felt that by a very natural system of reci

, ,

pr ocity she had made my conquest

, The good .

priest thought tha t the day had passed lik e light

n ing th anks to a l l the beauties I had discovered in
,

his poetry whi ch to speak the truth was below

, , ,

mediocrity but time s eemed to me to drag along

,

very slowly because the friendly glances of the

,

housekeeper made me long for b edtime in spite o f ,

the miserable condition in which I felt myself

morall y an d ph vsi cally But such was m y nature ; .

I abandoned myself to j oy and happiness when , ,

had I been more reasonable I ought to have sunk ,

under my load of grief and sadness .

 24 8

the second place were I to be foolish en o ugh to

,

receive any when I am begging p eople would ,

think themselves quit of me with on e or two sous ,

whi lst they gi ve me ten times as much in eatables .

Believe me Sa int Francis was a very j udi cious

,
-

”
man .

I bethought myself that what this monk called

wealth would be p overty to me He Ofi ered to .

share with me and seemed very pr oud at my con

,

senting to hono u r him so far .

The tar tan touched at the harbour of Pola ,

called Veruda and we landed After a walk up

,
.

hill of nearly a quarter of an hour we entered the ,

city an d I devoted a couple of hours to V isiting

,

the Roman antiquities which are numerous the , ,

to wn having b een the me tropolis of the empire .

Yet I saw no other trace of grand buil di ngs except

the ruins of the arena We returned to Veruda .
,

and went again to sea O n the following day we .

sighted Ancona bu t th e wi nd being against us

,

we were compelled to tack abou t and we did not ,

reach the por t till the second day The harbour .

of Ancona although cons i dere d one of the gr eat

,

works of Traj an wo uld be very unsafe if it were

,

not f or a causeway which has cos t a great deal

of money and which mak es it somewhat better
, .

I observed a fact worthy of notice namely that , , ,

in the Adriatic the northern co as t h as many har

,

bours while the opposite coast can only boast of

,

one or two I t i s evi dent that the sea i s retirin g

.
 24 9

by de grees towards the east and that in three ,

or four more cen turies Ven i ce mus t be j oined to

the land .

We landed at the ol d lazzarett o where we ,

received the pleasant information tha t we would

through a quarantine of twenty eight days -
g o ,

because Venice had admitted after a quaran tine of ,

three months th e crew of two ships from Messina

, ,

where the plagu e had rec entlv been raging I .

requested a room for myself and for Brother

Stephano who thanked me very heartily I hired
,
.

from a Jew a bed a table and a few chairs pro, ,

m i si ng t o pay for the hire at the expiration of

ou r quaran tine The m o nk would have nothing
.

but straw If he had guessed tha t wi thout him

.

have st arved he would m o st likely n ot

,

have felt so much vanity a t sharing my room A .

sailor expecting t o find in me a generous cust omer

, ,

came to enquire where my trunk was and hearing .

,

from me that I did not know he as well as Cap , ,

tain Alban went to a great deal of trouble t o find

,

it and I coul d hardly keep down my merrimen t

,

when the cap t ain called begging to b e excused f or ,

having lef t it beh ind and assuring me tha t he ,

would t ake care to forward it to me in less than

thr ee weeks .

T h e friar who had t o remain wi th me four

,

weeks expected to live at my expen se while on

, , ,

the contrary he had been sent by Providence t o

,

keep me . He had provisi ons enough for one

1— 1 9
 2 50

w eek but i t was necessary to think of the fu ture

,
.

After supper I drew a most afl ecting pic ture

,

of my position shewing that I should be in need

,

of ever ything until my arrival at Rome where I ,

was going I said to fill the post of secretary of

, ,

memorials and my astonishment may be imagined

,

when I saw the blockhead delighted at the recital

of my misfortunes .

“
I undertake to take care of you until we
”
reach Rome ; only tell me whether you can write .

”
What a question ! Are you j oking ?
“
Why should I ? Look at m e ; I cannot
write anything bu t my name True I can write .
,

it with either hand ; and wh at else do I wan t to

”
know ?
“
You as t onish me greatly for I though t you ,

”
were a priest .

“
I am a monk ; I say th e mass and as a , ,

matter of course I must know h ow to read

,
.

Saint Francis whose unw orthy son I am could

-
, ,

n ot read and that is the reason why he never

,

said a mass Bu t as you can write you will to

.
,

morrow pen a letter in my name to th e persons

whose names I will giv e you and I warrant you ,

we shall have enough s ent here to live like figh ting

”
cocks all through our quarantine .

The next day h e made me write eigh t letter s ,

because in the oral tradi tion of his order it is

, ,

said that when a monk h as knocked a t seven

,

doors and has met with a refusal a t every one of

 2 52

was amazed . Wine was sent fr o m three or four

different quar t ers more than enough for us during
,

all ou r st ay and yet I drank no thing but water

, ,

s o great was my wish to recover my health As .

for eatables enough was sent in every day f or

,

six persons ; we gave all our surplus to ou r keeper ,

who had a large family But the monk fel t no

.

gratitude for the kind souls who besto wed their

charity u pon him ; all his thanks were reserved
for Saint Franci s
-
.

He undertook to have my linen washed by

the keeper ; I would not have dared to give it .

myself and he said that he had nothing t o fear

, ,

as everybody was well aware that the mo nk s of

his order never wear any kind of linen .

I kept my bed nearly all day and thus ,

avoided shewing myself to Visitors The persons

.

who did not come wr o t e letters full of incongrui

ties cl everly worded which I took good care
,

not to point out to him It was with grea t diffi

.

culty that I trie d to persuade him that those

letters did not require any answer .

A fortnight of repose and severe diet brought

me round towards complete recovery and I began ,

to walk in the yard of the lazzaretto from morning

till night ; but the arrival of a T urk fr om
Th essal on i a with his family compelled me to
suspend my walks the ground fl oor having been
,
-

given to him The only ple asure left me was to

.

spend my t ime on the balcony overlooking the

 2 53

y ard I soon saw a Greek slave a gi rl o f d a zzli ng

.
,

beauty for whom I felt the deepest interest Sh e

,
.

was in the habit of spending the whole day sitting

near the door with a b o ok or some embroidery in
,

her hand If she happened to rais e her eyes and

.

to meet mi ne sh e modestly ben t her he a d down

, ,

and some tim es s h e rose and wen t in slowly as i f ,

“
sh e mean t to say I did not know th a t s o me
,

body was lo oking at me Her figure was t al l a nd

.

slender her features proclaimed her to be very

,

youn g ; s he had a very fair complexion with ,

beautiful black hair and eyes She wore the Greek .

costume which gave her person a cert ain a ir of v ery

,

exciting voluptuousness .

I was perfectly idle and with the temp erament

,

which nature and habit had gi ven m e was i t likely ,

that I could feast my eyes constantly upon such a

charming obj ect without falling d esperately in
l ove ? I had heard her conversing in Lingua
Franca with her master a fine ol d man who like
, , ,

her felt very weary of the quarantine and used

, ,

to come out bu t seldom smoking his pipe and , ,

rema in ing in th e yard only a short time I felt .

a great temptation to address a few words t o the

beautiful girl but I was afraid she migh t run away
,

and never come out again ; however unable to ,

control myself any longer I determined to write to

,

her ; I had no diffi culty in conveying the let t er as ,

I had only to let it fall from my balcony Bu t she .

migh t have refused t o pick it up and this is the ,

 2 54

plan I adopt ed in order not t o risk any un p leasan t

res ult .

Availing myself of a momen t durin g which

sh e was alone in the yard I dropped from my ,

balcony a small piece of paper folded like a lett er ,

but I had taken care not to w rite anything on it ,

and held the true letter in my h and As soon as I .

saw her stooping down to pick up the first I ,

quickly let the second dro p at her feet and sh e put ,

b oth into her pocket A few min utes afterwards

.

she l eft the yard My letter was somewhat to this

.

effec t :
Beautiful angel from the East I worship ,

y ou . I will rema i n all night on this balco ny in t he

hope that you will come to me for a qu arter of an
hour and l isten to my voice through the hole under
,

my feet We can speak softly and 111 order to

.
,
!

hear me you can climb up to the top of the bale of

goods which lies beneath the same hole
I begged fr om my keeper not to lock me in as
he did every night and he consented on condition
, .

that he would watch me for if I had jumped down

,

in the yard his life migh t have been the penalty ,

and he promised not to disturb me on the balcony .

At midnight as I was beginning to gi ve her

,

up she came forward I then laid myself fla t on

,
.

the floor of the balcony and I placed my head ,

against the hole about six inches square I saw

,
.

her j ump on the bale and her head r eached wi thin

,

a foot from the balcony She was c o mpelled to

.
 256

Being al one in the yard with her master she ,

said a few words to him in Turkish to which he ,

s eemed to give h is approval and soon after a

,

servant assisted by the keeper brought under

, ,

the balcony a large b asket o f goo ds She over .

looked the arrangement and in order to secure

,

the ba sket bett er sh e made the servant place a

,

bale of cotton across two others Gues sing .

at her purpose I fairly leaped f or j oy for sh e

, ,

had found the way of raising herself two feet

higher ; but I thought th at sh e wo ul d then find
herself in the most inconvenient position and ,

that forced to bend double she wo ul d not be

, ,

able to resist the fatigue The hole was not wide

.

enough for her head to p ass through otherwise ,

sh e might have stood erect and been co mf ortable .

It was necessary at all events to guard against

that difficul ty ; the only way was to tear ou t on e
of the plan ks of the floor of the balcony bu t it ,

was not an easy undertaking Yet I decided upon

.

attempting it regardle ss of consequences ; and I

,

went to my room to provide myself with a large

pair of pincers . Luckily the keeper W as absent ,

and availing myself of the opportun ity I succeeded ,

in dragging ou t carefully the four large nails

which fastened the plank Fi nding that I co ul d
.

lift it at my will I replaced the p incers and

, ,

waited f or the night with amorous impatience .

The darling girl came exactly at midnight .

noticing the diffi culty sh e experienced in climbing

 57

up and in getting a footing upon the third bale

,

of cotton I lifted the plank and extending my

, , ,

arm as far a s I coul d I ofl ered her a steady p o int

,

of support She stood straight and foun d herself

.
,

a greeably surprised for she could pass her head

,

and her arms through the hole We was t ed n o .

time in empty compliments ; we only c ongratu

lated each other upon having both w o rked f or t he
same purp o se .

If the night before I had f o und myself m a s ter

, ,

of her person more than she was of m ine this ,

time the position was entirely reversed Her .

hand roamed freely over every par t of my body ,

but I had to stop half way down hers She

-
.

cursed the man who had packed the bale f or not

having made it half a foot bigger so as to ge t ,

nearer to me Very likely even that wo ul d no t

.

have satisfied us bu t sh e would have felt happier

,
.

O ur pleasures were barren yet we kept u p ,

our enj oyment until the fi rst streak of light .

I put back the plank carefully and I lay down ,

in my bed in grea t need of recruiting my s trength .

My dear mistress had informed me that the

Turkish Bairam b egan that very morning and ,

would last three days during which i t would be

impossible for her to see me .

The night after Bairam she did not fail to ,

make her appearance and saying that she could

, ,

not be happy without me she told me th a t as she

, ,

was a Christian woman I could buy her if I , ,

 2 58

waited for her a fter l ea vin g the lazza rett o I was .

compelled to tell her tha t I did not possess the

me an s of doing so and my confession made her
,

si gh . O n the following night sh e inf ormed me ,

that her master would s ell her for two thousand

p iasters ,
that sh e w o uld give me the am o unt tha t ,

she was yet a virgin and that I would be pleased

,

with my b argain She added that sh e woul d give

.

me a casket full of diamonds one of which was ,

alon e worth two thousand pias ters and that th e ,

sale of the oth ers would place u s beyond the reach

of p o verty for the remainder of our life Sh e .

assured me that her mast er would n o t noti ce the

loss of the casket a nd tha t if he did he would
, , ,

never think of accusing her .

I was in love with this girl ; and her proposal

made me unco mf ortable but when I woke in the
,

morning I did not hesitate any longer She .

brought the casket in the evening but I told her ,

tha t I never coul d make up my mind to be

accessory to a robbery ; sh e was very unhappy ,

and said that my love was not as deep as her own ,

but that sh e could no t help adm iring me f or being

so good a C hristian .

This was the last night ; probably we should

never me et again The flame of passion c onsumed
.

us She proposed that I should lift her up to the

.

balcony through the open space Where i s the .

lover who wo ul d have obj ected to so a ttractive a

proposal ? I r o se and wi thout being a Milo I
, ,
 2 60

fortun es and I signed a paper in whi ch I declared

,

that I had n o claim wh atever upon him I then .

purchased a pair of shoes and an overcoat and ,

met S tephano whom I informed of my decision to

,

make a pilgrimage to O ur Lady of Lo retto I said .

I woul d wait there for him and that we woul d ,

afterwards travel to gether as far as Rome He

answered that he di d not wi sh to go through
Loretto and that I wo ul d repent of my contempt
,

for the gr ace of Sa int Francis I di d not alter -

.

my mi nd and I left f or Lo retto th e next day in the

,

enj oyment of perfect health .

I reached the Holy City tired almost to death , ,

for it was the firs t time in my life that I had

walked fifteen mi les drink ing nothing but water
, ,

although the weather was very warm because the ,

dry wine used in that part of the country parched

me too much I must ob serve that in spite of
.
,

my poverty I did not look like a beggar

, .

A s I was ente ring the city I saw coming ,

towards me an elderly priest of very respectable

appearance and as he was evidently taking notice
, ,

of me as soon as he drew near I saluted him

, , ,

and enquired where I could find a c omfortable

“
inn. I cannot doubt he said that a person , ,

like you travelling on foot must come here from

, ,

”
devout motives ; come with pi e He turned ,

back I followed him and he ! took me to a fin e

, ,

looking house After wh i sperl ng a few words

.

to a man wh o appeared to be a steward he ,

 2 61
“
left me sayin g very a ffably
, You shall be well
,

”
attended to .

My first impres sion w as that I had b een mi s

taken for some other perso n but I said nothin g ,
.

I was led to a sui te of thr ee rooms ; the cham

ber was dec orated with dama sk hangi ngs the ,

bed stead had a canopy and the table was supplied

,

with all m aterials n ec es sary for writing A ser .

vant brought me a light dres si ng gown and another -

,

c ame in with linen and a large tub full of water ,

which he placed before me ; my shoes and stocki ngs

were ta ken off and my feet washed
,
A very .

de c ent l ookin g woman follo wed bv a s ervant girl

-
, ,

ca me in a few min utes afte r and cur ts ying very

,

l ow she pro c eeded to make my bed At that .

moment the Angel us bell was heard ; everyone

knelt down an d I foll owed thei r example After the
,
.

prayer a small t able was neatly laid out I was

, ,

asked wh at sort of win e I w ished to drink and ,

I was pro vided with n e w spapers and two si lver

candles tick s An hour afterward s I h ad a del iciou s
.

fish supper and before I retired to b ed a serv ant

, , ,

came to enquire whether I woul d tak e chocolate

in the mo rnin g before or after mas s .

A s s oo n as I w as in bed the s ervant bro u ght

,

m e a night lamp w ith a dial and I remained alone

-
, .

Except in France I have never had such a good

bed as I h ad that night It would have cured
.

the most chroni c in somni a but I was not l abour

,

ing under such a di sease and I slept for ten hours

,
.
 2 62

This sort of treatment easily led me t o believe

that I was not in any kind of hostelry ; but where
was I ? How was I to suppose that I was in a
hospital ?
When I had taken my chocolat e a hair dresser ,
-

—
quite a fashionable dapper fellow made h i s
,

appearance dying to give vent to hi s chattering

,

propensities Guessing that I did no t wish to be

.

shaved he ofi ered to clip my soft down with the

,

scissors saying that I would look youn ger

,
.

“
Why do you suppose that I want to conceal
”
my age ?
“
It is very natural because if your lordship
, ,

did not wish to do so your lordship would have

,

shaved long ago Coun tess Marcolini is here ;

.

does your lordship know her ? I must go to her

”
at noon to dre ss her hair .

I did not feel in t erested in the Count ess

Marc ol i ni and seeing it the gossip changed the
, , ,

subj ect
.

“
Is th i s your lordship s first visit to this
’

house ? It is the finest h ospital throughout the

”
papal states .

I quite agre e with you and I shall com pl i ,

u

ment H i s Holiness on the establishment .

“
O h ! H i s Holiness knows all about it he ,

resided here before he became pope If Monsignor .

Caraffa had no t been well acquainted with you ,

”
he would not have introduced you here .

Such is the use of b arbers throughou t Europe ;

 2 64

way S ain t Francis wi ll not find i t diffi cult to

,
-

”
k eep u s both during the j ourney .

This lazy fellow was a man about thirty ,

red haired very strong and healthy ; a true peasant

-
,

who had turned himsel f into a monk only for the

sake of l i ving In i dle comfor t I answered that .
,

as I was in a hurry to reach Rome I could not ,

b e his travelling companion .

“
I un dertake to walk six m iles in stead of ,
” “
three to day ,
he said -
if you will carry my
, ,
”
cloak which I find very heavy
,
.

The propo sal struck me as a rather funny

on e ; I put on his cloak and he t ook my great ,

coat but after the exchan ge we cut such a

, , ,

comi cal figure that every peasant we met laughed

at us His cloak would truly have proved a load
.

for a mule There were twelve pocke ts quite

.

full without taking into accoun t a pocket behind

, ,

which he called i l batti cu lo and which contained.

,

alone twice as much as all the others Bread .

,

wi ne fresh and salt meat fowls eggs cheese

, , , , ,

—
ham sausages everything was to be found in
,

those pockets which contained provisions enough

,

f or a fortni ght .

I told him how well I had been treated in

Lo retto and he assured me that I might have
,

asked Monsignor Caraffa to give me letters for

all the hospitals on my road to R ome and th at ,

everywhere I would have met with the same

“ ” “
r eception The hospitals
. he added are al l , ,
 2 65

under the curse of Sain t Francis because the -

,

mendicant friars are not ad m itted in them ; but

we do no t mind their ga t es being shut against us ,

because th ey are too far apart from each other .

We prefer the homes of the persons attached to

”
our order ; these we find everywhere .

“
Why do you not ask h o spit ality in the con
”
ven ts of your order ?
I am n ot so fo olish In the firs t place I
.
,

sh ould not be admitted b ecause being a fugitive

, , ,

I h ave not the writt en Obedience which must be

shown at every convent and I should even run the
,

risk of being thrown int o prison ; your monks are

a cursed bad lot In the second place I should not
.
,

be half so comf ortable in the convents as I am with

”
our devout b enef ac tors .

“ ”
Why and how are you a fugi tive ?
He answered my questi on by the narrative of
h i s i mprisonmen t an d flight the whole story be ing
,

a tissue of absurdities and lies The fugitive .

Recollet friar was a fool with something of the

,

wit of harlequin and he though t that every man

,

listening to him was a greater fool than himself .

Yet with all h i s folly he was not deficien t in a

certain species of cunning His religi o us pr inciples
.

were singular As he did not wish to be taken for

.

a bigoted man he was scandalous and for the sake ,

of making people laugh he would often make use

of the most disgusting expressions He had no .

taste what ever for women a nd n o incl inatio n ,

I— 2 0
 2 66

towards th e pleasures of the flesh ; but this was

only owing to a deficiency in h is natural tempera
ment and yet he claimed for himself the V irtue of
,

continence . O n that score everything appeared ,

to him food f or merrim ent and when he had drunk

,

rather too much he would ask ques tions of such an

,

indecent character that they wo ul d bring blushes

on everyb ody s countenance Yet the brute would
’
.

only laugh .

As we were getting within one hundred yards

from the house of the devout fri end wh om he in
tended t o honour wi th h i s V isit he took back his ,

heavy cloak O n entering the house he gave his

.

blessing to everybody and everyone in the f amily

,

came to kiss his hand The m istres s of the house

.

requested him to say mass f or th em a n d the c o m ,

pliant monk asked to be taken to the vestry but ,

when I whispered in hi s ear ,

“
Have you forgo tten that we have alreadv
”
broken our fas t to day ? he a nswered dryly
-
, ,
“ ”
Mind your own business .

I dared no t make any further remark but ,

during the mass I was indeed surprised for I saw ,

that he did n ot understand wha t he was doing .

I could not help being amused a t hi s awkwardness ,

but I had not ye t seen the b es t part of the comedy .

As soon as he had somehow or o ther finished h i s

mass he went to the c onfessional and after hearing ,

in confession every member of the family he to ok

i t int o his head to refuse absolution to the daugh ter
 2 68

hi s stick but I quickly snat ched it from him an d

, , ,

leaving him I hastened towards Macera ta

,
A .

carrier wh o was going to T ol entl no to ok me with

him f or two paoli and f or six more I mi ght have
,

reached Foligno in a waggon but unf ortun ately a ,

wish f or economy made me refuse the Offer I felt .

well and I thought I could easily walk as far as

,

Val ci m are but I arrived there onl y after five h ours

,

of hard wa lking and thoroughly b eaten with

,

fatigue I was strong and healthy but a walk

.
,

of five hours was more than I c ould bear because ,

in my infan cy I had never gone a league on fo o t .

Young people canno t practise too much the ar t

Of walking .

’
The next day refreshed by a good night s
,

rest ,
and ready to resume my j ourney I wanted ,

to pay the innkeeper but alas ! a new mi sfortune

, ,

was in store f or me ! Let the reader imagine my

sad position ! I recollected that I had forgotten
my purse contain ing seven sequins on the t able
, ,

of the inn at Tolentino What a thunderbolt ! I .

was in despair but I gave up the ide a of going

,

back as it was very doubtful whether I would

,

find my money Ye t it contained all I possessed

.
,

save a few copper coins I had in my po cket I .

paid my small bill and deeply grieved a t my loss

, , ,

continued my j ourney t owards S eraval I was .

within three miles of that pl ace when in jumping , ,

over a di tc h I sprained my ankle and was com

, ,

e ll
p ed to sit down on one side of the road and to ,
 269

wai t un til someone should come to my assis tance .

In the course of an hour a p easa nt happened

to pass with his donkey and he agreed to ,

carry me to S eraval for on e paolo As I wanted .

to spend as little a s possible the peasant to o k ,

me to an ill looking fellow who f or two paoli

-
,

paid in advance consented to give me a lodging ,

.

I asked him to send for a surgeon but I did not ,

obtain on e until the fol lowing morning I had .

a wretched supper a fter which I lay d own in a ,

filthy bed I was in hope that sleep would bring

.

me s ome relief but my evil genius was pre p aring

,

for me a nigh t of torments .

Three men arme d with gun s and looking like

,

banditti came i n shortly after I had gone to bed

, ,

speaking a kind of slang which I could not make

ou t
,
swearing ra gi ng, and paying no at tention to
, “

me . They drank and sang until midnight af ter ,

which they threw themselves do wn on bundles of

straw brought for them and my host who was , ,

drunk came greatly to my dismay to lie down

, , ,

near me Disgusted at the idea of having such a

.

fellow for m v bed companion I refused to let him -

,

come but he answered with fearful blasphemi es

, , ,

that all the devils in hell could not prevent him

from taking possession of his own bed I was .

forced to make room for him and exclaimed ,

“ ”
Heaven s where am I ?,
He told me that I was
in the house of the most h o nes t constable in all the
papal stat es .
 2 70

Could I po ssibly have supposed th a t the

peasant would have brought me amongst those
a ccursed enemies of huma nk ind !
He laid himself down near me but the filthy ,

scoundrel soon compelled me to give him for ,

certain reason s such a blow in his chest that he

,

rolled ou t of bed He picked himself up and

.
,

renewed his beastly attempt B eing well aware .

that I could not master him without great danger ,

I got ou t of bed thinking myself lucky that he did

,

not oppose my wish and crawling along as well as,

I could I found a chair on which I passed the

,

night At day break my tormentor called u p by

.
-
, ,

his honest comrades j oined them in drinking and,

shouting and the three strangers taking their

, ,

g u ns
,
departed Left alone
. by th e depar ture of
the vile rabble I passed another unpleas an t hour
, ,

calling in vain f or someone A t last a yo ung boy .

came in I gave him som e money and h e went for

,

a surg eon T h e doctor examined my foot and

.
,

assured me that three or four days would set me to

rights He advised me to be removed to an inn
.
,

and I most willingly followed his coun sel As .

s oon as I was brought to the inn I went to bed , ,

and was well cared f or but my p osition was such ,

that I dreaded the moment of my recovery I .

feared that I should be compell ed to sell my coat

to pay the inn keeper and the very thought made
-
,

m e feel ashamed I began to consider that if I

.

had controlled my s ym pathy f or the young girl so

 2 72

mos t was the force of Providence of f ortlm e of , ,

chance whatever name i s given to it of that very

,
‘

nece ssary combination whi ch compell ed me to fin d

no hope but in that fatal monk who had begun to ,

be my protective genius in Chiozza at the moment

my distress had likewise comm enced And ye t a .
,

s i ngular guardian angel this S tephano ! I felt

,

that the mysterious force which threw me in his

hands was a punishment rather than a favour .

Nevertheless he was welcome because I had ,

n o doubt of his relieving me from my diffic ul ties ,

and whatever might b e the power that sen t him

to me I felt that I could not do better than to
,

submit to its influence ; the destiny of that m onk

was to escort me to Rome .

“
C hi va piano c a san e sai d th e friar as soon
,

as we were alone He had taken five days to

.

traverse the road over which I had travell ed in

one day but h e was in good health and he had
, ,

met with no misfortune He tol d me that as he

.
,

was passing he he ard that an abbé secretary

, ,

to the Venetian ambassador at Rome was lying ,

ill at the inn after having been r obbed in Val

,
” “
cimara I came to see you he added ,and ,

as I find you recovered from your illness we can ,

start again together ; I agree to walk six miles

every day to please you Come let u s forget the
.
,
”
past and let us b e at once on ou r way
,
.

“
I cannot go ; I have lost my purse and I ,
”
owe twenty paoli .
 2 73

I will go and find the amoun t In the name

”
of Saint Francis
-
.

He returned within an hour but he was ac ,

companied by the infamous constable who told

me that if I had let him kno w wh o I was he
, ,

would have been happy to keep me in his house .

“ “
I will give you he continued forty paoli if
, , ,

you will promise me the protection of your am

b assador ; but if you do not succeed in obtaining
it for me in Rome you will undertake t o repay
,

me Therefore you must give me an ackn owl edg

.

”
ment of the debt .

I have no obj ection Every arrangement

was speedily completed ; I received the money ,

paid my debts and left S eraval with Stephano

,
.

’
About on e o clock in the afternoon we saw ,

a wretched looking house at a short dis tance from

-

“
the road and the friar said
, It is a good ,

distance from here to C oll efi orito ; we had better

”
put up there for the night It was in vain that .

I obj ected remonstrating that we were certain of

,

h aving very poor accommodation ! I had to submit

to hi s will We found a decrepit old man lying
.

on a pallet two ugly women of thirty or forty

, ,

three children entirely naked a cow and a cursed , ,

dog wh i ch barked continually It was a picture .

of squalid mise ry ; but the niggardly monk instead ,

of giving alms to the poor people asked them ,

to en t ertain us to supper in the name of Sain t

‘

Francis.
 2 74

must boil the hen said the dying man

You ,
“
to the females and bring out of the cellar the
,

bottle of wine which I hav e kept now for twenty

years. As he uttered those few words h e was ,

seized with such a fit of coughing tha t I thought

he would die The friar went near him and
.
,

promised him that by the grace of S aint Francis

,
-
,

he would get young and well Moved by the .

sight of so mu ch misery I wanted to continue

‘

my j ourn ey as far as C ollefi orito and to wait

there for Stephano but the wom en would not let
,

me go and I remained
!

,
After boiling f or four .
_

hours the hen set the strongest teeth at defiance ,

and the bo ttle which I uncorked proved to b e

nothing but sour Vinegar Losing patience I got .
,

h old of the monk s batti cu lo and took ou t o f it

’
,

enough f or a plentiful supper and I saw the two ,

women opening their eyes very wide at the sight

of our provisions .

We all ate with good appetite and after ou r , ,

supper the women made for u s two large beds of

fresh straw and we lay down in the dark as th e
, ,

last bit of candle to be found in the miserable

dwelling was burnt out We had not been lying .

on the straw five minutes when Ste phano called ,

ou t to me that on e of the women had just placed

herself near him an d at the same instan t the

,

other on e takes me in her arms and kisses m e .

I push her away and the monk defends himself

,

again st the oth er ; but mine nothing daunted , ,

 2 76

women had gone ou t to get assis tance and to have

us arrested and the robbery of ou r pr ovisions
,

reassured me as I felt certain that the poor

,

wretch es had gone out of the way so as to secure

impuni ty f or their theft But I laid great stress
.

upon the danger we should run by remaini ng any

longer and I succeeded in fright eni ng the friar out
,

of the house We soon met a waggoner goin g to

.

Foll ign o I persuaded Stephano to take the oppor

tu ni ty of putting a good distance between us and
the scene of our last adventures ; and as we were ,

eating our breakfast at F oll igno we saw another ,

waggon quite emp ty got a lift in it f or a trifle

, , ,

and thus rode to Pisignano where a devout person ,

gave us a charitable welcome and I slept so un dly ,

through the night without the dread of being

arrested .

Early the next day we reached Spoleti where ,

Brother Stephano had two benefactors and careful , ,

not to give either of them a cause of j ealousy he ,

favoured both ; w e dined with the first who enter ,

tain ed us like princ es and we had supper and

'

lodgi ng in the house of the second a wealthy wi ne ,

merchant and the father of a large and deli ghtful

,

family He gave us a delicious supper and every

.
,

thin g would have gone on pleasantly had not the

friar already excited by hi s good dinner made
, ,

hims elf quite drunk In th at sta te t hink ing to

.
,

please h i s new host he began to abuse the other

, ,

greatly to my annoyance ; he said the wine he had

 2 77

given us to drink was adul terat ed and that the ,

man was a thief I gave him the lie to hi s face

.
,

and called him a scoundrel The host and his .

wife pacified me saying that they we re well

,

acquainted with their neighbour and knew what ,

to think of him ; bu t the monk threw h is napkin

at my face and the host took him very quietly by
,

the arm and put him to bed in a room in which

he locked him up I slep t in another room
. .

In the morning I rose early and was con ,

s i derin g whether it would not be be tter t o go

alone when the friar who had slept him self sob er
, , .
,

made his appearance and told me that we ough t

for the future to live t ogether like good friends ,

and not gi ve way to angry feelings ; I foll o wed

my destiny once more We resumed ou r j ourney
.
,

and at Soma th e Inn keeper a woman o f rare

,
-
,

beauty gave us a good dinner and some excellent

, ,

Cyprus wine which the Vene tian couriers ex

changed with her against deliciou s truffles found
in the V icinity of Soma which sold for a good ,

price in Venice I did no t leave the handsome

.

inn keeper withou t losing a part of my heart

-
.

I t would be difficult to draw a p icture of the

indignation which o verpowered me when as we ,

were about two miles from Terni the infamous friar ,

shewed me a small bag full of truffles which the

scoundrel had stolen from the amiable woman by
way of thanks f or her generous hospitality The .

tru ffles were wor th two sequ ins at le as t In my .

 2 78

indignation I sna tched the bag from him saying ,

that I would certainly return it to its lawf ul owner .

But as h e had not committed the r obbery to give

,

himself the pleasure of making restitution he threw ,

h imself upon me and we came to a regular fight

,
.

But V ictory did n ot remain long in abeyance ; I

forced his stick out of his hands knocked him into ,

a ditch and went ofl O n reaching Terni I wrote

,
.
,

a letter of ap olo gy to ou r beautiful hostess of Soma ,

and sent back the truffles .

From Terni I went on foot t o O tricoli where ,

I only stayed long enough to exa mi ne the fine

Old bridge and from there I paid four paoli
,

to a waggoner who carried me to Castel Nuovo -

,

from which place I walked to Rome I reached .

the celebra ted city on the 1 st of September a t ,

nine in the morning .

I must not forge t to mention here a rather

peculiar circumstance which however ridiculous
, ,

it may be in reality will please many of my

,

readers .

An hour after I had left Castel Nuovo the -

,

atmosphere being calm and the sky clear I per ,

c ei ved on my right and within ten paces of me

, ,

a pyramidal flame about two feet long and four

or fi ve feet above the ground This apparition
.

surprised me because it seemed to accompany me

, .

Anxious to examine it I endeavoured to get nearer

,

to it but the more I advan c ed towards it the

,

further i t went from me I t would st op wh en I

.
 280

the address given to me I was to fin d the bishop ,

.

There I was informed that he had left Rome ten

days before leaving instructions t o send me to
,

Naples free of expense A coach was to start f or

.

Naples the next day ; not caring to see Rome I ,

went to bed until the ti me for the departure of the

coach I travelled with three low fell ows to whom
.

I did not address on e word thr ough the whole of

the j ourney I entered Naples on the 6 th day of
.

I went imm edi ately to the address whi ch had

been given to me in Rome ; the bishop was n ot
there I called at the Convent of the Minims and
.
,

I fo und that he had left Napl es to proceed to

Martorano .I enquired whether he had left any
in structions for me but all in vain n o one could
, ,

give me any inf ormation An d there I was alon e .

,

in a large ci ty without a friend with eigh t carlini

, ,

in my pocket and not knowi ng what to do ! But

,

never mind ; fate calls me to Martoran o and to ,

Martoran o I must go The dis tance after all i s

.
, ,

only two hundr ed mi les .

I f oun d several drivers starting f or Cosenza ,

but when they heard that I had no luggage they ,

refused to take me un l ess I pai d in advance They

, .

were quite right but their prudence placed me

,

u nder the necessity of going on foot Yet I felt I .

must reach Mar torano and I made up my mind to

,

walk the distance beggin g food and lodging like

,

the very reverend Brother Stephano .

 281

First of all I made a ligh t meal for one four th

of my money and having been informed that I had
, ,

to follow the Salerno road I went towards Portici ,

where I arrived in an hour and a half I already .

felt rath er fatigued ; my legs if not my head took , ,

me to an inn where I ordered a room and som e

,

supper I was served in good style my appetite

.
,

was excellent and I passed a quie t nigh t in a

,

comfortable bed In the morning I t old the inn

.
,

keeper that I would return f or my dinner and I ,

went ou t to visit the royal palace As I passed .

through the gate I was met by a man of pre,

possessing appearance dressed in lthe e astern ,

fashion who Offered to shew me all over the palace

, ,

saying tha t I would thus save my money I was .

in a posit i on to accep t any o ffer ; I thanked him

for his kindness .

Happening du rin g the conversa tion to stat e

tha t I was a Veneti an he t old me that he was my,

subj ect since he came from Zante I ackno wledged

, .

his po lite compliment wi th a reveren c e .

“ ” “
I have he said
, some V ery ex cellent ,

muscatel wine grown in the East which I could ,

sell you cheap .

“
I might buy some but I warn you I am a ,
”
good judge ?
“ ”
So much the better W hich do you prefer ? .

”
The Cerigo wine .

“
You are r ight I have s o me r a re Cerigo
.

1 —2 1
 282

muscatel an d we can taste it if you have no

,
”
obj ection to di ne with me .

“
N one whatever .

I can likewise give you the wines of Samos

and Cephalonia I have also a quantity of minerals
.
,

plen ty of vitriol Cinnabar antim onv and one , , ,

hundred quintals of mercury .

“ ”
Are all t hes e good s here ?
“
N0 they are in Naples Here I have only
,
.

the muscatel wine and the mercury ”

.

It is quite na turally and without any intention

to deceive that a young m an accustomed to
,

poverty and ashamed of it when he speaks to a

,

rich stranger boasts of his means— O f hi s fortune

,
.

As I w as talking with my new acquaintance I ,

recollected an amalgam of mercury with lead and

~

bismuth by which the mercury increases on e

,

fourth in weight I said nothing but I bethought

.
,

myself that if the mystery should b e unknown to

the Greek I might profit by it I felt that some .

cun ning was necessary and that he would n ot care ,

f or my secret if I proposed to sell it to him without

preparing the way The best plan was to ast onish .

my man with the miracle of the augmentation of

the mercury trea t it as a j est and see what his
, ,

intentions would be Cheating is a crime but .

,

honest cunning may be considered as a species of

prudence True it i s a quality which is near akin
.
,

to roguery ; but tha t cannot b e helpe d and the ,

man wh o in time of need does no t know how t o

, ,
 2 84

with an equal quan tity of a powder un known t o

him ; it was the bismuth My merry laugh kept .

compa ny with his astonishment and calling one of ,

the servants of the inn I sent him to the druggist to

sell the mercury that was left He returne d in a .

few minutes and handed me fifteen c arlini .

The Greek whose surprise was complete

, ,

asked me to gi ve him back his own fl agon which ,

was there quite full and worth sixty carlini ,

.

I handed it to him with a s m ile thanking him ,

for the opportunity h e had afforded me of earning

fifteen carlini and t ook care to add tha t I should
,

leave for Salerno early the next morni ng .

Then we must have supper together thi s

”
evening he said
, .

During the afternoon we t ook a walk t owards

Mount Vesuvius O ur conversation went from one
.

subject to another but n o allusion was made t o

,

th e mercury tho u gh I could see that the Greek

,

had something on his mind At supper he told .

me j estingly tha t I ought to stop in Por tici the

, ,

nex t day to make forty fi ve carlini out o f the three

-

other flagon s of mercury I answered gravely th at .

I di d not want the money and tha t I had aug ,

m ented the firs t flagon only f or the sake of

procuring him an agreeable surpri se .

“
“
But said he you mus t be very wealthy
, ,
.

No I am not because I a m in search o f the

, ,

secre t of the augmen tat ion of gold and it i s a ,

”
very expensive s tudy f or u s .
 285
”
H o w many are there in your company ?
”
O nly my uncle and myself .

What do you want to augment gold f or ?

The augmentation of mercury ought to be enough
for you Pray tell me whether the mercury
.
,

augmented by you t o day i s again susceptible o f

-

”
a similar increase .

“
No if it were so it w o uld be an immense
, ,
”
source of wealth for us .

“
I am much pleased with your sinceri ty .

Supper over I paid my bill and asked the ,

landlord to get me a c a rriage and p air o f horses

to take me to S a lern o e a rly the next mo rning .

I tha nked the Greek f or his delicious muscatel wi ne ,

and requesting his address in Naples I assured

, ,

him that he would see me within a fortnight as ,

I was determined to secure a cask o f his

Cerigo .

We embraced each other and I retired t o bed ,

well pleased with my day s work and in n o way ’

,

astonished at the Greek s not O ffering t o purchase

’

my secret for I was cer tain that he would n o t

,

sleep for anxiety and that I should see him early

,

in the morning At all events I had enough

.
,

money to reach the Tour du —Grec and there Pro -

,

vi den ce would take care of me

.
Yet it seemed
to me very di fficult to travel as far as Martorano ,

begging like a mendicant friar because my o u t -

,

ward appearance did not excite pity ; people would

feel interested in me only from a conviction tha t
 286

I needed no thing—
a very unfortun ate c o nvic t i o n ,

when the obj ect of it i s truly po o r .

As I had forsee n the Greek was in my room

,

at day break I received him in a friendly way

-
.
,

saying tha t we could take co ffee together .

“
Willingly but tell me reverend abbé
, ,

whether you would feel disposed to sell me y our

”
secret ?
Why not ? When we meet in Na ples
“ ”
But why not now ?
I am expected in Sal erno ; besides I wo uld ,

only sell the secret f or a large sum of money ,

”
and I am not acquainted with you .

That do es no t matter as I am sufficiently

,

known here to pay you in cash How much . .

”
would you wan t ?
T wo thousand ounces
'

I agree to pay you that sum provi ded that

I succeed in making th e augmentation myself
with such matter as you name t o me which I ,
”
will purchase .

“
It is impos sible b ecause the necessary
,

ingredients cannot be got here ; but they are

”
common enough in Naples .

“
If it i s any sort of metal we can get it a t
,

the Tour du Grec

- -
We could go there together .

Can you tell me what i s the expense of the

'

augmentation
“
O ne and a half per cent : bu t a re you .
 2 88

bismuth ; th e fir st, combini ng with mercury and ,

the second givin g to the whole the perfect flui di ty

necessary to strain it through the chamois leather .

Th e Greek went ou t to try the a malgam I do —

n ot kn ow where and I di n ed al one but towards

, ,

eveni ng he came back looki ng very disconsolate

, ,

as I had expected .

“ “
I have made the amalgam he said bu t , ,
”
the mercury is not perf ect .

“
It is equal to that which I have sold in
Portici and that i s the very letter of your engage
,

ment
But my engagement says l ikewise wi th ou t
i nju ry to th e quality You must agree that the
.

quality i s inj ured bec aus e it is no longer su s

,
”
ceptib l e of f u rther augmen ta tion .

.
“
You k new that to be the case ; the point
i s i ts equality with the mercury I sold in Porti ci .

But we shall have to go to l a w an d you will ,

lose I am sorry the secret should b ecome public

. .

Congratulate yourself sir f or if you sh oul d gai n

, , ,

the lawsui t you will have obtained my secret f or

,

nothing I woul d never have believed you capable

.

”
of deceiving me in s uch a mann er .

“
Reverend sir I can assure you that I
,

woul d not willin gly deceive any one .

D o you kn ow the secret or do you not ? ,

Do you suppo se I would have gi ven it to you

without the agreement we entered into ? Well ,

there wi ll be some fun over this affair in Naples ,

 289

and the lawyers will make money o ut Of it Bu t .

I am much grieved at this turn of affairs and I ,

am very sorry tha t I allowed myself to be so

easily deceived by your fi ne t alk In the me an
'

time here are your fifty ounces

,
.

As I was taking the money o u t of my p o cket ,

frightened to death lest he should a ccept it he ,

left the r oo m saying tha t he would no t have it

,
.

He soon returned ; we had su p per in the same

room but at separate tables ; war had been openly
,

declared but I fel t certain tha t a treaty of peace

.

would s o on be signed W e di d no t exchange o ne

‘

word during the evening but in th e mornin g he ,

came to me as I was getting re a dy to go I a gain .

offered to return the money I received but he t old ,

me to keep i t and proposed to give me fifty ounces

,

more if I would give him back hi s bill of exchang e

for two thousand W e began to argue th e matter
.

quietly and after two hours of disc ussion I gav e

,

in. I recei ved fifty ounc es more we dined to ,

gether like ol d friends and embraced ea ch o ther

,

c ordially As I was bidding him adieu he ga ve

.
,

me an order on his house a t Naples for a barrel of

muscatel wine and he presented me with a splendid
,

b ox containing twelve razors with silver handles ,

—
manufactured in the Tour du Grec We parted -
.

the best friends in the world and well pleased wi th

each Other‘

I remaine d two days in Salerno to provide m y

self with linen and other necessaries Possessing .
 290

about on e hundre d sequins and enj oying good,

health I was very proud of my success in which

, ,

I could n ot see any cause of reproach to myself ,

for the cunni ng I had brought into play to insure

the sale of my secret could not be found fault
with except by the most intolerant of moralists ,

and such men have no authority to speak on

matters of business At all events free rich and
.
, , ,

certain of presentin g myself before the bishop

with a respectable appearance and not like a ,

beggar I soon recovered my natural spirits and

, ,

congratulated myself upon having bought su flicient

experience to insure me against falling a second
time an easy prey to a Father Corsini to thieving ,

gamblers to mercenary women and particularly to

, ,

the impudent scoundrels wh o barefacedly praise so

well those they intend to dup e— a species of knaves
very commo n in the world even amongst people
,

who form what i s called good society .

I l eft Salerno with two priests wh o were going

to Cosenza on bu siness and we traversed the dis
,

tance of one hundred and forty two mi les in -

twenty two hours

-
.The day after my arrival in
the capital of Calabria I took a small carriage
,

and drove to M artorano During the j ourney

.
,

fixing my eyes upon the famous m ar e A us oni u m ,

I felt delighted at finding myself in the m iddle of

Magn a Grecia rendered so celebrated f or twenty
,

four centuries by its connection with Pythagoras .

I looked with astonish ment upon a country

 292

do before a prela te bu t in stead of giving me his

, ,

blessing he raised me up from the floor and

, , ,

folding m e in h i s arms embraced me tenderly He ,

.

expres sed h is deep sorrow when I told him that in

Naples I had n ot been able to fin d any instructions
to enable me to j oin him but his face li ghted up ,

again when I added that I was indebted to no on e

f or money and that I was in good health
,
He .

bade me take a seat and with a hea vy sigh he ,

began to talk of his poverty and ordered a servant ,

to lay the cloth for three persons Besides this .

servant h is lordship s sui te c onsisted of a most

,
’

devout looking housekeeper and of a priest whom

-
,

I judged to be very ignorant from the few words

he uttered during ou r meal The house inha bited .

by his lordship was large but badly bui lt and ,

poorly kept The furniture was so miserable that

.
,

in order to make up a bed for me in the room

adj oining his chamber the poor bishop had to give,

up on e of his two ma ttresses ! His dinn er not to ,

say any more about it frightened me for he was , ,

Very strict in keeping the rules of his or der and ,

this being a fast day he did not eat any m eat and
, ,

the oil was very bad Nevertheless monsignor .

,

was an intelligent man and what is still better , , ,

an honest man He told me much to my surprise

.
, ,

that his bishopric although not one of little import

,

ance brought him in only five hundr ed ducati

,

di regno yearly and that unfortunately he had

-
, , ,

contracted debts t o the amoun t of six hundred He .

 2 93

added with a sigh that his only happiness was to

, ,

feel himself ou t of the clutches of the monks who ,

had persecuted him and made his life a perfect

,

purgatory for fifteen years All these con fi dences.

caused me sorrow and m ortifi cation because they ,

proved to me not only that I was not in the prom

,

ised land where a mitre could be picked up but also ,

that I would be a heavy charge f or him I felt that .

he was grieved himself at the sorry presen t his

patronage seemed likely to prove .

I enquired whether he had a good library ,

whether there were any literary men or any good ,

society in which on e could spend a few agreeable

hours He smiled and answered that throughout
.

his diocese there was not one man wh o could boast

of writing decently and still less of a ny t ast e or
,

knowledge in litera ture ; tha t there was n o t a

single bookseller nor any person caring even for
,

the newspapers But he promised me tha t we

.

would follow our literary tastes together as soon as ,

he received the books he had ordered from Naples .

That was all very well but was this the place
,

for a young man of eighteen to live in without a ,

good library without good soc i ety

,
without ,

emulation and literary intercourse ? The g o od

bishop seeing me full of sad thoughts and almost
, ,

astounded at the prospect of the miser able life I

should have to lead with him tried to give me ,

courage by promising to do everything in his power

t o secure my happ iness .
 294

The next day the bishop havin g to offici ate in

,

h i s pon tifi c al robes I had an opportun ity of seein g

,

all the clergy and all the faithful of the diocese

, ,

men and women of wh om the cathedral was full ;

the sight m
,

ade me resolve at once to leave M ar

tor ano I thought I was gazing upon a troop of
.

brutes for whom my external appearance was a

cause of scandal How ugly were the women !
.

What a look of stupidity and Coarseness in the

men ! When I returned to the bishop s house I ’

told the prelate that I did not feel in me the

vocation to die within a few months a martyr in
th i s miserable city .

“
Give me your blessing I added and let , ,

me go ; or rather come with m e I promise you

, ,
.

”
that we shall make a fortune somewhere else .

The proposal made him laugh repeatedly dur

ing the day Had he agreed to it he would not
.

have died two years afterwards in the prime of

manhood . The worthy m a n feel ing how natural ,

was my repugn ance begged me to forgive him for ,

having summoned me to him and considering it , ,

h i s duty to send me back to Venice having no ,

m oney himself and not being aware that I had any ,

h e told m e that he would give me an introduction

to a worthy ci tizen of Naples who would lend me
sixty ducati di regno to enable m e to reach my
- -

native city I accepted his off er with gratitude

.
,

and going to my ro om I t ook out of my trunk the

case of fine razors which the Greek had given me ,
 296

Cosenza i s a city in whi ch a gentl eman can

fin d plenty of amusement ; the nob ili ty are wealthy ,

the women are pretty and men generall y well ,

inf ormed beca us e they have been educated in

,

Naples or in Ro m e .

I left Cosenza on the third day with a l etter

from the archbishop for the far fam ed Genovesi -
.

I had five travelling companions whom I ,

judged from their appearan ce to be either pirates

, ,

or ban di tti and I took very good care not to let

,

them see or guess that I had a well fi ll ed purse I -

.

likewise thought it prudent to go to bed without

u ndr essing during the whole j ourney — an excell ent

measure of prudence for a young man travelli ng in

that part of the coun try .

I reached Naples on the 1 6 th of September ,

1 74 3 and I lost n o time in presenting the lett er

,

of the Bishop of Martorano It was addressed to .

a M Gennaro Polo at S t Ann é s This excellent

. .
-
’
.

man whose duty was only to give me the su m

,

of six ty ducats insis ted

’
after perusing the bishop s
, ,

letter upon receivi ng me in his house b ecause

, ,

he wished me to m ake the acquaintance of h i s

son who was a poet like myself
,
The bishop .

had represented m y poetry as sublime Af ter the .

usual ceremonies I accepted hi s ki nd invitation

, ,

my trunk was sent for and I was a guest in the ,

h ouse of M Gennaro Polo . .

 CHAPTER IX

MY S T AY I N NA P LES ; IT I S S H ORT BUT HAPP Y— DO N

AN T ON I O CA SAN OVA DON LELI O CARAF FA I GO
— —

TO ROM E I N VERY AGREEABLE C OMPAN Y AND ,

ENT ER T H E S ERV IC E O F C ARDINAL AC Q U AV IVA

BARBA RA— T EST A C C I O— F RA S CAT I

I HAD n o difficulty in answerin g the arious V

questions which Doct or Gennaro addres sed to me ,

but I was surprised and even displeased at the

, ,

cons tant peals of laughter with which he received

my answers The pi teous description of miser
.

able Calabria and the picture of the sad situation

,

of the Bisho p of Martorano appeared to me more

,

likely to call forth tears than to excite hilarity ,

and suspec ting that some mysti fi c ati on was being

,

played upon me I was very near getting angry

,

when becoming more composed he told me with

, ,

feeling that I must kindly excuse him ; that

his laughter was a disease which seemed to be
endemic in his family for one of his uncles had
,

died of it .

“ ” ”
What ! I excla imed died of l augh ing !
,

1— 2 2
 2 98

Yes This disease which was not known to

.
,

Hippocrates is call ed li flati ,

.

“
What do you mean ? Does an hypo chondria c
a ff ection which causes sadness and lowness in all
,
”
those who su fl er from it render you cheerful ? ,

“
Yes, b ecause most likely my flati instead
, , ,

of influencing the hypo chondrium affects my spleen , ,

which my physician asserts to b e the organ of

laughter It is quite a discovery
. .

“
You are mistaken ; it i s a very ancient
notion and it i s the only function which i s
,

ascribed to the spleen in our animal organiza

tion
Well we must discuss the ma tter at length
, ,

”
f or I hope you will remain with u s a few w eeks .

I wish I could but I must leave Naples ,

to morrow or the day after

-
.

“ ”
Have you got any money ?
I rely upon the sixty ducats you have to
”
give me .

At these words his peals of laughter began

,

again and as he could see that I was annoyed

, ,

he said I am amused at th e idea that I can

,

keep you h ere as long as I like But be good .

enough to see my son ; he wri tes pretty verses

enough .

And truly his son although only fourteen was

, ,

already a great poet .

A servant took me to the apartment of the

young man whom I found possessed o f a pleasing
 3 00

several literary men and the Marquis Gal iani who , ,

was at that time annotating Vitruvius He had a .

brother an abbé whose acquaintance I made

,

twenty years after in Pa ris where he w as secretary

, ,

of embassy to Count Cantillana The next day at .

,

supper I was presented to the celebrated Genovesi ;

,

I had already sent him the letter of the Archbishop

of Cosenza He spoke to me of Apostolo Zeno
.

and of the Abbé Conti He remarked that it was .

considered a very venial sin f or a regular priest t o

say two masses in one d ay for the sak e of earning

two carlini more but that for the same sin a ,

secular priest would deserve to be burnt a t the ”

stake .

The nun took the veil on th e following day ,

’
and Gennaro s ode and my s onnet had th e greatest
success A Neapolitan gentleman whose name
.
,

was the same as mine expressed a wish to know ,

me and hearing that I resided at th e doc tor s h e

, ,
’
,

called to congratulate him on th e occasion of his

feast day which happened to fall on the day f ol
-
,

lowing the cerem ony at S aint e Claire -

.

Don Antonio Casanova infor ming me of his ,

name enquired whether my family was originally

,

from Venice .

“ ” “
I am sir I answered modestly the great
, , ,

grandson of the unfortunate Marco Antonio

Casan ova secretary to Cardinal P ompeo Colonna
, ,

who died of the pla gu e in Rome in the year 1 5 28 , ,

”
under the pontificate of Clemen t VII The .
 3 01

words were scarcely ou t of my lips when he

embra ced me calling me his cousin but we all
‘

, ,

thought that Docto r Gennaro would actually die

with laughter for it seemed impossible to laugh
,

so immoderately without risk of life Madame .

Gennaro was very angry and told my newly found -

cousin that he might have avoided enacting such a

scene before her husband knowing his disease but , ,

he answered that he never thought the circum

stance likely to provoke mirth I said nothing .

for in reality I felt that the recognition was very

, ,

comic . O ur po or laugher ha ving recovered his

compo su re Casanova who had remained very
, ,

serious invited me to dinner for the next day with

,

my young friend Pa u l Gennaro who had already ,

become my alter ego .

When we called at his house my worthy ,

cousin showed me his family tree beginning with ,

a Don Francisco brother of Don Juan ,

In my .

pedigree which I knew by heart Don Juan my

, , ,

direct ancestor was a posthumous child It was

, .

possib l e that there might have been a brother of

’
Marco Antonio s ; but when he heard that my
ge n ealogy began with Don Francisco from Aragon , ,

who had lived in the fourt eenth century and that ,

consequently all the pedigree of the illus trous house

of the Cas anovas of Saragossa belonged to him ,

his j oy knew no bounds ; he did not know what ,

to do to convince me tha t the same blood was

fl owi n g in his veins and in mine .
 3 02

He expressed some curiosity t o know what

lucky accident had brought me to Naples ; I told
him that having embraced the ecclesiastical pro
,

f essi on I was going t o Rome to seek my fortune

,
.

He then p re sented me to hi s family and I thought ,

that I could read on the countenance of my cousin ,

hi s dearly beloved wife that sh e was not much

-
,

pleased with the newly found relati onship but his

-
,

pretty daughter and a still prettier nie ce of hi s

, ,

mi ght very easily have given me faith in the doc

trine that blood is thicker than water however ,

fabulous it may be .

After dinner Don Antonio inf ormed me that

,

the Duchess de Bovino had expressed a wish to -

know the Abbé C ason ova who had written the

sonnet in honour of her relative and that he ,

would be very happy to introduce me to her as

his own cousin As we were alone at that
.

moment I begged he would not insist on present

,

ing me as I was only provided with travellin g

,

suits and had to be careful of my purse so as

,

not to arrive in Rome without money Delighted .

at my confidence and approving my economy he

, ,

said
,
I am rich and you must not scruple to
,

come with me to my tailor ; and he accompani ed

his ofl er with an assurance that the circumstance
woul d n ot be known to anyone and that he woul d ,

feel deeply mortified if I denied him the pleasure

of serving me I shook h im warmly by the hand
.
,

and answered that I was ready to do anything he

 3 04

make up f or the muscatel wine I had sent him ,

offered me a gold he aded cane worth at least

-
,

fifteen ounces and his tailor brought me a

,

travelling suit and a blue great coat wi th the ,

button hol es in gold lace I therefore f oun d m y

-
.

s elf splendidly equipped .

At the Duchess de Bovino s dinner I made the ’

acquaintance of the wisest and most learned man

in Naples the illustrious Don Lelio Caraffa who
, ,

belonged to the duc al family of Matalona and ,

whom King Carlos honoured with the title of

friend .

I spent two delightf ul hours in the convent

parl our coping successful ly wi th the curiosity of
,

all the nuns who were pressing agai nst the grating .

Had destiny allowed me to remain in Naples my

fortune would have been made ; but although I ,

had no fixed plan the voice of fate summoned me

,

to Rome and therefore I resisted all the entreaties

,

of my cousin Anto n io to accept the honourable

position of tutor in several houses of the highest
order.

Don Antonio gave a sple ndid dinner in my

honour but he was annoyed and angry because he
,

saw that his wife looked daggers at her new cousin .

I thought that more than once sh e cast a glance

, ,

at my new costume and then whispered to the ,

guest next to her Very likely sh e knew what

.

had taken place There are some positions in lif e

.

to which I could never be reconciled If in the .

,
 3 05

mos t brilliant circle there i s on e person who affects

,

to stare at me I lose all presence of mind Self .

dignity feels outraged my wit dies away and I

, ,

play the part of a dolt It is a weakness on my

.

part but a weakness I cannot overcome

,
.

Don Leli o Caraffa offered me a very liberal

salary if I would undertake the educa tion of h i s
nephew the Duke de Matalona then ten years of
, ,

age. I expressed my gratitude and begged him ,

to be my t rue benefactor in a differen t manner

namely by giving me a few good letters of intro
,

duction for Rome a favour which he granted at

,

once . He g ave me one for Cardinal Acquaviva ,

an d another for Father Geor gi .

I found ou t tha t the interes t felt towa rds me

by my friends had induced them to Ob t ain for me
the honour of kissing the hand of Her Maj esty the
Q u een and I hastened my preparations to leave
,

Naples f or the queen would cert ainly have asked

,

me so m e questions and I could no t have avoided

,

te lling her that I had just left Mar torano and

the poor bishop whom she had sent there The .

queen likewi se knew my mother ; she would very

likely have alluded t o m v mother s profession in ’

Dresden ; it would have mort ified Don Antonio and ,

my pedigree would hav e been covered wi th ridicule .

I kn ew the force of prejudice ! I should have been

ruined and I felt I should do well to withdraw in
,

good time As I t ook leave of him Don Antonio

.
,

presented me with a fine gold wa t ch a nd gave me

 3 06

a letter for Don Gaspar Vi dal di whom he c a lle d ,

hi s best friend Don Gennaro paid me the sixty

.

ducats and his son swearing eternal friendship

, , ,

asked me to write to him They all accompanied .

me to the coach blending their tears with min e

, ,

and loa ding me with good wishes and blessin gs .

From my landing in Chiozza up to my arrival

in Naples fortune had seemed bent upon frowning
,

on me ; in Naples it began to shew itself less

adverse and on my return to that city it entirely
,

smiled upon me Naples has always been a for

.

tu n ate place for me as the reader of my memoirs,

Will discover My readers must not forget that in

.

Portici I was on the point of disgracing myself and ,

there is no remedy against the degradation of the

mind for nothing can rest ore it to its former
,

stan dard It is a case of dishear tening atony f or

.

which there is no possible cure .

I was n ot ungrateful to the goo d Bishop of

Martorano for if he had unwittingly injured me
, ,

by summon ing me to his diocese I felt that to his ,

letter f or M Gennaro I was indebted for all the

.

good fortune which had just befallen me I wrote .

to him from Rome .

I was wholly engaged in drying my tears as

we were driving through the beautiful street of
Toledo and it was only after we had left Naple s
,

that I could find time to examine the countenan ce

of my travel l ing com anions Next to me I w
p sa .
,

a man of from forty to fi fty with a pleasing face ,

 08

the o etturi no to supply his travellers with their

me al s unless some private agreemen t i s made
,
“

otherwise and to si t down at table with them

,
.

In the desultory talk which went on during the

supper I found in my travelling companion s
,

decorum propriety wit and the manners of per

, , ,

sons accustomed to good society I became curious .

to know who they were and going down with the

,

driver after supper I asked him ,

.

“ ”
The gentleman he told me ,
i s an advo ,

cate and one of the ladies is his wife but I do

, ,
”
not know which of the two .

I went back to our room and I was polite ,

enough to go to bed first in order to make it ,

easier for th e ladies to undress themselve s with

'

freedom ; I likewise got up the first in the

morning left the room and only returned when
, ,

I was call ed f or breakfast The coffee was de .

l i c i ou s
. I praised it highly and the lady the , ,

one who was my favourite promi se d that I should ,

h ave th e same every morning during ou r j ourney .

The barb er came in after breakfast ; the advocate

was Shav ed and the barber off ered me hi s services
, ,

whi ch I declined but the rogue declared that it

,

was slovenly to wear one s beard ’

.

When we had resumed our seats in the

coach the advocate made some remark upon the
,

impudence of barbers in general .

“ ”
But we ought to decide first said the lady , ,
“
whether or not it is slovenly to go bearded .
 3 09
“
O f course said the advocat e
it i s, Be a rd .

”
is no thing but a dir ty excrescence .

“ ”
You may think so I answered but every
, ,

body does not share your opinion Do we consider

-
.

as a dirty excrescence the hair of which we t ak e so

much care and which is of the same na ture as the
,

beard ? Far from i t ; we admire the length and

the beauty of the hair .

” “
“
Then remarked the la dy
,
the b a rber i s ,

” “ ”
But after all I asked have I any beard ?
, ,
”
I though t you had she answered ,
.

In tha t case I will begin to shave as s o on

,

as I reach Rome f or this is the first t ime tha t I

,
”
h a ve been convicted of h aving a be a rd .

“ ”
My dear wife excla imed the advocate
, ,

“
you sho ul d have held yo ur t on gue ; perhaps
the reverend abbé is going t o R o me with the in
”
tention of becoming a Capuch in friar .

The pleasantry made me laugh but unwilling , ,

tha t he should have the l ast word I answered th at ,

he had guessed rightly that such had been my ,

in t ent ion but that I h ad en tirely alt ered my m ind

,

sin ce I had seen hi s wife .

“
O h ! you are wrong said the j oyo us Nea ,
“
politan for my wife is very fond Of Capuchins
, ,

and if you wish to please her you had bett e r foll o w ,

”
your original vocati on O ur conversa tion c o n
.

tinu ed in the same t one of pleasan try a nd the d a y ,

passed off in an agree able manner ; in the evenin g

 3 10

we had a very poor supper at Garill an but we ,

made up for it by cheerfulness and witty convers a

’
tion . My dawning inclination for the advocate s
wife borrowed strength from the a ff ectionate man
ner she displayed towards me .

The next day she asked me after we had ,

resumed our j ourney whether I intended t o make

,

a long S tay in Rome before retur ning to Venice .

I answered that having n o acquain tances in

,

Rome I was afraid my life there would be very

,

dull
“
Strangers are liked in Rom e sh e said I , ,

feel certain tha t you will be pleased with your

,

residence in that city .

“
May I hope madam that you w ill allow
, ,

”
me to pay you my resp ec t s ?
“
We shall be honoured by your calling on
us said th e advocat e
,
.

My eyes were fixed upon h i s charming wife .

She blushed bu t I did not appear to no tice it

,
.

I kept u p the conversa tion and the day passed as

pleasantly as th e previous one W e stopped a t .

Terracina where they gave u s a room with three

,

beds two single beds and a large one between the

,

two others I t was natural that the two sis ters

.

should t ake the large bed ; th ey did so an d un ,

dressed themselves while the advocate and I went

on talking a t th e t able with ou r backs turned to
,

them .

As s oo n as they had gone t o res t the advo c at e ,

 2

I took care not to honour her even with a look ; I

feigned to be suffering from the toothache and ,

remained in my corner dull and silent At Piperno .

sh e managed to whisper to me that my tootha che

w as all sham ; I w as pl eased with the reproach ,

because it heralded an explanation whi ch I craved

f or in spite of my vexation
,
.

Durin g the afternoon I continued my p o licy

of the morning I was morose and silent un til we
.

reached S erm on etta where we were to pass the

,

night We arrived early and the wea ther being

.
,

fi ne the lady said that sh e coul d en j oy a walk and

, ,

asked me po litely to offer her my arm I di d so .

,

f or i t would have b een rude t o refuse ; besides I

had had en ough of my sulk ing fit An explanation .

could alone bring matters back to their ori ginal

standing but I did not know how to force it upon
,

the lady Her husband f ollowed u s a t s ome

.

distance with the sister .

When we were far e n ough in a dva nce I ,

ventured to ask her why sh e had supposed my

toothache to have been feigned .

“
I am very ca n did sh e said ; i t i s bec aus e
”
,
“

the difl eren ce in your manner was so marked and

’
,

because you were so careful to avoid looking a t me

through the whole day A t oothache would not
.

have prevented you from being polite and there ,

fore I thought it h a d been feigned for some purpose .

But I am cer tain tha t no t one of u s can p ossibly

 3 13

have given you any grounds for such a rapid

”
change in your man ner .

Yet something mus t have caused the change ,

and you madam are only half sincere

, ,
.

You are mistaken sir I am entirely sincere ;

, ,

and if I have given you any motive for anger I ,

am and must remain i gnorant of it

, ,
Be good .

”
enough to tell me what I have done .

“
Nothing for I have no right to complain
,
.

Yes you have ; you have a right the same

, ,

that I have myself ; the right which good society

grants to every one of its members Speak and .
,
”
shew yourself as sincere as I am .

“
You are cer tainly bound not t o know or t o ,

pre tend not to know the real cause but you must ,
”
acknowledge tha t my dut y is to remain silent .

“
Very well ; now it is all over ; but if your
duty bids you to conceal the cause of your bad
humour it also bids you no t to shew it Delicacy
,
.

sometimes enforces upon a polite gentleman the

necessity of concealing cer tain feelings which might
implicate either himself or others ; i t is a res traint
for the mind I confess but it has some advantage
, ,

when its e ff ec t is to render more amiable the man

who forces himself to accept that res traint ”
.

Her close argumen t made me blush for shame ,

and carrying her beautiful hand to my lips I ,

confessed m vsel f in the wrong .

”
“
You would see me at your fee t I exclaimed , ,

I— 2 3
 3 14

“
in token of my repentance were I n ot afraid of ,

injuring you
“
Do n ot let us allude to the matter any
”
more sh e answered
,
.

And pleased with my repentance sh e gave

, ,

me a look s o expressive of forgiveness that without ,

being afraid of augmentin g my guilt I to ok my ,

lips off her hand and raised them to her half open -
,

smiling mouth .

Intoxicate d with rapture I passed so rapidly ,

from a state of sadness to on e of overwhelming

cheerfulness tha t during ou r supper the advocate
enj oyed a thousand j okes upon my to othache so ,

quickly cured by the simple remedy of a walk .

O n the following day we dined at Velletri and

slept in Marino where although the town was ful l
, ,

of troops we had two small rooms and a go od

,

supper .

I could not have been on better terms with my

charming Roman ; for although I had received but
,

a rapid proof of her regard it had been such a true ,

n
o e — such a tender on e ! In the coach our eyes
could n ot say much ; bu t I was sitting opposit e to
her and our feet spoke a very eloquent language
, .

The advocate had told me that he was going

to Rome on some ecclesi astical business and that he ,

intended to reside in the house of hi s mother in -

law wh om his wife had not seen since her

,

marriage two years ago and her sister hoped to

, ,

remain in Rome where sh e expected to marry a

,
 3 16

I affected a melancholy air and said that I ,

o nl y wished myself rich enough to be often guilty of

such ch eating .

When a man i s in love very little i s enough

,

to throw him into despair and as little to enhance

,

his j oy to the utmost There was but on e bed in

.

the room where supper had be en served and ,

another in a small closet leading ou t of the room ,

but without a door The ladies chose the closet

.
,

and the advocate retired to rest bef ore me I bid .

the ladies good night as soon as they had gone to

bed ; I looked at m dear mi stress and after ,

undressing m yseH I went to bed intendi ng not to ,

sleep through the night But the reader may

.

imagine my rage when I found as I got into the ,

bed that it creaked loud n ough to wake the dead

,
e .

I waited however quite motionless un til my

, , ,

companion should be fast asleep and as soon as ,

his snoring to ld me that he was entirely under the

influence of Morpheus I tried to sli p out of the
,

bed ; but the inf ernal cr eaking which took place

whenever I m oved woke my companion wh o
, ,

felt about with his hand and finding me near , ,

him went t o sleep a gain Half an hour after I

,
.
,

tried a second time but with the same resul t

,
.

I had to give it up in despair .

Love is the most cunning Of gods ; in the

midst of obstacles he seems to be in h is own
elem ent but as hi s very existence depends upon
,

the enj oyment of those who ardently worship him ,

the shrewd seeing little blin d god c o ntri ves
, all- ,

to bring success out of the most desperate case .

I had gi ven up all hope f or the night and ,

had n early gone to sleep when suddenly we ,

hear a dreadful noise Guns are fired in the .

street people screaming and howling are running

, , ,

up and down th e stairs ; at l ast there is a l oud

knocking at ou r door The ad cate frightened .
,

ou t of his slumbers asks me what i t can all

,

mean ; I pretend t o b e very indi fferent and ,

beg to be allowed to slee p Bu t the ladies are .

trembling with fear and loudly calling for a light

,
.

I remain very quiet the advocate jumps out of

,

bed and runs ou t of the room to obtain a candle ;

,

I rise at once I follow him to shu t the door, but

,

I sl am it rather too hard the doubl e spring of ,

the lock gives way and the door cannot b e re

,

opened without the key .

I approach the ladies in order t o calm their

anxiety telling them that the advocate would
,

soon return with a light and that we should then ,

know the cause of the tumult but I am not losing ,

my time and am at work whil e I am speaking

, .

I m ee t with very little o pposition b ut leaning , ,

rather to o heavily upon my fair lady I break ,

through the bot to m of the bedstead and we ,

suddenly find ourselves the two ladies and myself , ,

all toge ther in a heap on the floor The advocate .

comes back and knocks at the door ; the sister

gets up I obey the pr ayers of my charming
,
 18

fri end and feel ing my way reach the door a nd

, , , ,

tell the advocate that I cann o t o pen it and that ,

he must get the key The two sisters are b ehind

.

me I exten d m y hand ; but I am abruptly

,

repulsed and judge that I have addressed myself

,

to the wrong quarter ; I go to the other side and ,

there I am better received But the husband .

returns the noise of the key in the lock announces

,

that the door i s going to be open ed and we ,

return to our respective beds .

The advocate hurries to the bed of the t wo

frightened ladies think ing of relieving their an
,

xi ety but when he sees them buried in their

, ,

broken down bedstead he bursts into a loud

-
,

laugh He tells me to c o me and h a ve a look at

.

them but I am very mod est and decline the

, ,

invitation He then tells u s that the alarm has

.

b een caused by a German detachment attacking

suddenly the Span ish troops in the city and that ,

the Spaniards are running away In a quarter .

of an hour the noise has ceased and quie t is ,

en tirely re est ablished -

.

The adv ocate complimen ted me upon my cool

ness got into b ed again and was soon asleep ? As
, ,

for me I was caref ul no t to close my eyes and

, ,

as soon as I saw daylight I got up in order to

perform certain ablutions and to change my shirt ;
it was an absolute necessity .

I returned for breakfast and wh ile we were ,

drin king the delicious coffee which Donna Lucrezia

 3 20

myself ready for anything I knew that Ro me i s .

the on e City in which a man can begin from the

lowest rung and reach the very top of the social
,

ladder .This knowledge incr eased my courage ,

an d I must conf ess that a most inveterate feeling

of self es teem which on account of my in expe

-
,

ri en ce ,
I could not di strust enh anced wonderfully ,

my confidence in myself .

The man who in tends to make his fortune

in th is ancient capital of the world mus t be a
chameleon susceptible of reflec ting all the colours
o f the atmosphere that surrounds him — a Proteus

apt to assume every form every shape He must ,

.

be supple flexible insinuating close inscrutable

, , , , ,

often base s ometimes sincere sometimes perfi

, ,

di ou s always conceal ing a part of h i s knowledge

, ,

indulging but in on e tone of voice patient a per , ,

feet master of his own countenance as cold as ice ,

when any other man would be all fire ; and if

un fortunately he is not religious at heart— a very
common occurrence for a soul possessing the above
—
requisites h e must have religion in hi s mind that ,

is to say on his face on his lips in his manners ;

, , ,

he must suffer quietly if he be an honest man , ,

the necessity of knowing himself an arrant hypo

c rite The man whose soul would l oathe such a
life should leave Rome and seek his fortun e else
where I do n ot know whether I am prais ing or
.

excus ing myself but of all those qualities I we

,

—
sessed but one namely flexibility ; f or the rest , ,
 3 21

I was only an in t eresting heedless young fellow

, ,

a pretty good blood horse but not br o ken or

, ,

rather badly broken ; an d that is much worse .

I began by deliverin g the letter I had received

from Don Lelio f or Fathe r Georgi The learned .

monk enj oyed the esteem o f everyone in Rome ,

and the Pope himself had a great consideration f or

him because he disliked the Jes uits and did not
, ,

put a mask on to tear the mask from their faces ,

although they deemed themselves p owerf ul enough

to despise him .

He r ead the letter with great attention and ,

expressed himself disposed to be my adviser ; and

that cons equently I might make him responsible
for any evil which might befall me as misfortune
,

i s not to be feared by a man who acts rightly .

He asked me what I intende d to do in Ro me ,

and I answered that I wished him to t ell me

what to d o.

Perhaps I may ; but in that case you must

come and see me often and never conceal fr o m
,

me anything you understand not anyth ing of

, , ,

”
what interests you or of what happens t o you
, .

Don Lelio has likewise given me a let ter

”
for the Cardinal Acquaviva .

“
I congratulate you ; the cardinal s influence ’

in Rome is greater even than tha t of the Pope ”

.

“
Must I deliver the letter a t once ? ”

“
No ; I will see him this evening and ,

prepare him for your visi t Call o n me to morro w

.
-
 3 22

morning and I will then tell you where and when

,

you are t o deliver your letter to the cardinal .

”
Have you any money ?
“
Enough f or all my wants during one year .

That i s well Have you any acquaint

.

tances
“
Not o ne .

“
D O n ot make any without first consulting
me and above all avoid coffe e houses and or di
, , ,
-

naries but if you sh oiil d ha ppen to frequent such

,

places l isten and never speak Be careful to form

,
.

your j udgment upon those who ask any questions

from you and if common civility obliges you to
,

give an answer gi ve only an evasive one if any

, ,

oth er i s likely to commi t you Do you speak .

”
French ?
“
Not On e word .

I am s orry f or that ; you must learn French .

”
Have you been a s tudent ?
“
A poor on e but I have a sufficient sma tter
,

”
ing t o converse with ordinary compa ny .

“
That i s enough ; but be very prudent for ,

Rome i s the city in which smatterers unmask each

other an d are always at war amongst themselves
,
.

I hope you will take your letter to the cardinal ,

dressed like a modest abbé and n et in this ,

elegant costume which i s not likely to conjure

”
fortune Adieu let me see you to morrow
.
,
-
.

Highly pleased with the welcome I had re

c ei ved at h is hands and with all he had sai d
,
 3 24

and had sworn revenge against me I asked

.

Stephano to induce the man to leave my ackn ow

ledgement of the de bt in the hands of a certain
merchant whom we both knew and that I woul d
,

call there to di scharge the amo un t This was done

.
,

and it ended the a ff air .

That evening I dined at the ordinary whi ch ,

was frequented by Romans and foreigners ; but I

carefully fo ll owed the advice of Father Geo rgi .

I heard a great deal of harsh language used against

the Pope and against the Cardinal M inister wh o ,

had caused the Papal States to be inundated by

eighty thousand men ,
Germans as well as
Spaniards But I was much surprised when I saw
.

that everybody was eating meat although it was

,

Saturday . But a stranger during the first f ew

days after hi s arrival in Rome i s surr ounded with
many things which at first cause surprise and ,

to which he soon gets accustomed There i s n ot a

.

Catholic city in the world in which a man is half so

free on religious matters as in Rome The in
.

h abitants of Rome are like the men employed at

the Government tobacco works who are a ll owed
,

to take gr atis as much tobacco as they wan t for

their ow n use. O ne can live in Rome with the
most complete freedom except that the ordi/ni
,

s an tissi mi are as much to be dreaded as the famous

l ettees —de cac h et bef ore the Revolution came and

-

destroyed them and shewed the whole world the

,

general character of the French n a tion .

 3 25

The next day the l st of O ctober 1 74 3 I

, , ,

made up my mind t o be sha ved The down on my .

chin had become a beard and I judged that it was ,

time to renounce some of the privileges enj oyed by

adolescence I dressed m vself completely in the
.

Roman fashion and Father Geo rgi w as highly

,

pleased when he saw me in that costume which ,

had been made by th e tailor of my dear cousin ,

Don Antonio .

Father Georgi invited me to take a cup of

chocolate with him and informed me that the ,

cardinal had been apprised of my arrival by a le tter

from Don Leli o and that his eminence w o ul d
,

receive me at n oon at the Villa Negroni Where he ,

would b e t aking a walk I told Father Georgi that

.

I had been invited to dinner by M Vival di and he .

,

advised me to cultivate his acquaintance .

I proceeded t o the Villa Negroni ; the momen t

he saw me the cardinal sto pped to recei ve my
letter allowing two persons who accompanied him
,

to walk forward He put the letter in his pocket

.

without reading it examined me for one or two

,

minutes and enquired whether I fel t any t as te for

,

politics I answered that until now I had not felt

.
, ,

in me any but frivolous tastes but th at I would ,

make bold to answer f or my readiness t o execute

all the orders which his eminence migh t be please d
to lay upon me if he should judge me wor thy of
,

entering his service .

“
Come to my o ffice t o morrow m o rn ing said -
,
 3 26

“
the cardinal and ask for the Abbe Gama to
, ,

whom I wil l give my instructions You mus t .

apply yourself dili gently t o the study of the French

”
language ; it is indispensable .

He then enquired after Don Leli o s h ealth ’

,

and after kissing hi s hand I took my leave .

I hastened to the house of M Gaspar Vivaldi .

,

where I dined amongst a well chosen party of -

guests .M Vivaldi was not married ; literature

.

was hi s only pas sion He l oved Latin poetry even

.

better than Italian and Horace whom I knew by

, ,

heart was hi s favourite poet

, After dinner we .
,

repaired to hi s study and he handed me one hun

,
’
dred Roman crowns and Don Antonio s present
, ,

and assured me that I would be most welcome

whenever I would call to take a cup of chocolate
with him .

After I had taken leave of Don Gaspar I ,

proceed ed t owards the M inerva for I longed to ,

enj oy the surprise of my dear Lucrezia and of

her sister ; I inquired for Donna Cecilia Monti ,

their m other and I saw to my great astonishment

, , ,

a young widow who looked liked the sister of her

two charming daughters There was no need for .

me to give her my name ; I had been announ ced ,

and she expected me Her daughters soon came

.

in and their greeting caused me some amusement

, ,

for I did not appear to them to be the same indi

vidual D onna Lucrezia presented me to her
you nges t si ster only eleven years of age and to
, ,
 3 28

ap pearance Everybody applaude d and Angeliqu e

.
,

turned red with satisfaction After a visit of four .

hours I bowed myself out and the advocate f ol , ,

lowing me told me that his mother in law begged

,
- -

me to consider myself as a friend of the family and ,

to be certain of a welcome at any hour I liked to

call I thanked him gratefull y and took my leave
.
,

trusting that I had pleased this amiable society as

much as it had pleas ed me .

The next day I presented myself to the Abbé

G ama He was a P ortuguese about forty years
.
,

ol d
,
h an dsome and with a countenanc e full of
,

candour wit an d good temper

,
His affability
,
.

claimed and obtained confidence His manners .

and accent were quite Roman He informed me .

,

in the blandest manner that his eminence had ,

hi mself gi ven hi s instructions about m e to his

maj or domo that I would have a lodging in the
-
,
’
cardin al s palace th at I would have my meals at
,

the secretaries table and that un til I learned

"
, ,

French I would have nothing to do but make

,

extrac ts fr om letters that he would supply me

with He th en gave me the address of the French
.

teacher to whom he had already spoken in m v

behalf He was a R oman advocate Dal acqu a bv
.
,

name residing preci selv opposite the palace

,
.

After this short explanation and an assurance ,

that I could at all times rely upon his friendship

he had me taken to the maj or domo wh o made -
,

me sign my n am e at the bott om of a page in

 3 29

a large book already filled with other names

, ,

and counted out sixty Roman crowns which he

’
paid me for three months salary in advance
‘

After this he accompanied me followed by a ,

s tafli er e to my apartment on the third floor which ,

I found very comfortably fur nished The servant .

handed me the key saying that he would come ,

every morning to attend upon me a nd the maj or ,

domo accompanied me to the gate to make me

known to the ga te keeper I immediately repa i red
-
.

to my inn sent my luggage to the palace and

, ,

found myself est ablished in a place in which a

g r eat fortune awaited me if I had only been able ,

to lead a wise and prudent life but unfortun ately ,

it was not in my nature Volentem du ci t no lentem

.
,

trahi t .

I naturally felt it my duty to call upon my

mentor Father Georgi to whom I gave all my
, ,

good news He said I was on the right road

.
,

and that my fortune was in my hands .

“ ”
Recollect added the goo d father
,
that to ,

lead a blameless life you must c u rb your passions ,

and that whatever misfortune may b efall you it

cannot be ascribed by any one to a want of good
luck or attributed to fate ; those word s are devoid
,

of sense and all the fault will rightly fall on your

,

”
own head .

“
I foresee reverend father that my youth
, ,

and my want of experience will Often make it

necessary for me to disturb you I am afraid of .

1— 2 4
 3 3 0

p roving myself to o h eavy a ch a rge f or you but ,

”
y ou will find me docile and obedi ent .

“
I suppose you will often think me rather
too severe ; but you are not likely to confide every
”
thi ng to me .

‘
Everything without any exception
,
.

“
Allow me to feel somewhat d o ubtf ul ; you
have not told me where you spent four h ours
yesterday .

“
Because I did not think it was worth
mentioning I made the acqu a intance of th os e
.

pers ons duri ng my j ourney ; I believe them to be

worthy a nd respec table and the right sort o f
,

people for me to Visit unless you sou l d be of a

,
”
differen t opinion .

“
God forbid ! It is a very res p ectabl e house ,

frequented by h o nest people They are delighted .

at havin g made your acquaint ance ; you are much

liked by everybody and they hop e t o retain you
,

as a friend ; I have heard all about it this morning ;

but you must not go there too often a nd as a

‘

re gular gues t .

“
Must I cease my Vi sit s a t once and wi thout ,
”
cause ?
“
N o i t woul d be a want of politeness on
,

your part You may go there onc e or twice every

.

week but do not be a constant Vi sitor You a re

, .

”
sighing my son ?
,

“
No I assure you no t I will obey you
, . .

“
I hope it m a y no t be o nly a ma tter o f
 3 3 2

during the dinner ; my silence was construed into

a proof of my sagacity As we rose from the table .
,

the Abbe Gama invited me to spend the day with

him but I declined under pretence of letters to be
,

written and I truly di d so for seven hours

,
I .

wrote to Don Lelio to Don Antonio to my youn g , ,

friend Paul and to the worthy Bishop of Martora

,

no who answered that he heartily wished himself in

,

my place .

Deeply enamoured of Lucrezia and happy in

my love to give her up appeared to me a shameful
,

action In order to insure the happin ess of my

.

future life I was beginning to be the executioner

,

of my present felicity and the tormentor of my ,

heart I revolted again st such a necessity which I

.

judged fictitious and which I could not a dm it

,

unless I stood guilty of V ilene ss before the tribunal

of my own reason I thought that Father Georgi.
,

if he wished to forbid my V isiting that family ought ,

not to have said that it was worthy of respect ; my

sorrow would n ot have been so intense The day .

and the whole of the night were spent in painf ul

thoughts .

In the morni ng the Abbe Gama brought me a

great book filled with ministerial letters from which
I was to compil e f or my amusement After a short .

time devoted to that occupation I went out to ,

take my first French lesson after which I walked ,

towards the Strada Condotta I intended to take -

.

a long walk when I heard myself called by my

,
 3 3 3

name I saw the Abbé Gama in front of a coffee

.

house I whispered to him that Minerva had for

.

”
bidden me the co ff ee rooms of Rome “-
M inerva .
,
“
he answered desires you to form some idea of
,

such places Sit down by me

. .

I heard a young abbé telling aloud but ,

wi thout bitterness a story which attacked in a

, ,

most direct manner the justice of His Holiness .

Everybody was laughing and echoing the story .

Another being asked why he had left the service

,

of Cardinal B answered that it was because his

.
,

emin ence did not think himself called upon to

pay him apart for certain private s ervices and ,

everybody laughed outright Another came to the .

Abbé Gama and tol d him that if he felt any

, ,

inclination to spend the afternoon at the Villa

Medicis he would find him there with two young
,

Roman girls who were satisfied with a quarti no a ,

gold coin worth one fourth of a sequi n Another

-
.

abbé read an incendiary sonnet against the govern

ment and several took a copy of it
,
Another .

read a satire of his own composition in which he ,

tore to pieces the honour of a family In the .

middl e of all that confusion I saw a pries t with ,

a very att ractive countenance come in The siz e .

of his hips made me t ake him for a woman

’
dressed in men s clothes and I said so to Gama , ,

who to ld me that he was the celebrated cas trate ,

Bepin o della Mamana The abbé called him to

.

us and told him with a laugh tha t I had taken

,
 3 34

him f or a girl . The impudent fellow looked me

full in the face and said that if I lik ed he wo ul d
, , ,

shew me whether I had been right or wrong .

At the di nner table everyone spoke to me

-
,

and I fancied I had given proper answers to all ,

but when the repas t was over the Abbe Gama

, ,

i nvi ted me to take c ofl ee in his own apartment .

The moment we were alone he told me that all ,

the guests I had met were worthy and hones t

men and he asked me whether I believed th a t
,

I had succeeded in pleasing the company .

I flatter myself I have I answered,

.

“ “
Y ou are wrong said the abbé
, you are ,

fla tt ering yourself . You have s o conspicuously

avoided the questions put to you that everybody
in the room noticed your extreme reserve In .

the future n o one wil l ask you any questions .

“
I shoul d be sorry if it shoul d turn out so ,
”
but was I to expose my own c oncerns ?
“
N 0 but there is a me di um in all things
,
.

Yes the medium of Horace but it is often

, ,

”
a ma tter of great diffi cul ty to hit it exactly .

“
A man ought to k now h ow to obtain affection
”
and esteem at the same time .

“
T hat is the ve ry wish nearest to my heart .

To day you have tried for the esteem much

-

more than for the affection of your fellow —creatures .

It may be a noble a spiration but you must ,

prepare yourself to fight jealousy and her daughter ,

calumn y if those two monsters do not succeed

 3 3 6

an hou r with those charmi ng persons and then ,

took l eave of them but the very air around me

,

was heated by the flame within my breas t When .

I reached my room I began to write and spent the ,

night in composing an ode which I sent the next

day to the advocate I was certain that he would
.

shew it to his wife who loved poetry an d wh o did

, ,

not yet know that I was a poet I abstained from .

seeing her again for three or four days I was .

learn ing French and making extracts from minis

,

teri al letters
.

His eminence was in the habit of recel ving

every evening and his rooms were thronged with
,

the highest nobil ity of Rome ; I had never attended

these receptions The Abbe Gama told me that I
.

ought to do so as well as he did without any ,

pretension I followed h i s advice and went ; n o

.

body spoke to me but as I was unknown every

,

on e look ed at me and enquired wh o I was The .

Abbé Gama asked me which was the lady who

appeared to me the mos t amiable and I shewed ,

one to him ; but I regretted having done so for the ,

courtier went to her and of course informed her of

,

what I had said Soon afterwards I saw her look

.

at me through her eye glass and smile kindly upon

-
'

me. She was the Marchioness G whose

ci cis b eo was Cardi nal S C
O n the very day I had fixed to spend th e
evening with Donna Lucrezia the worthy advocate
,

called upon me He told me that if I thought I

.
 3 3 7

was going t o prove I was not in love with his wife

by staying away I was very much mistaken and ,

he invited me to accompany all the family to

T estac c i o whe re they intended to have luncheon
,

on the following Thursday He added that his .

wife knew my ode by heart and that she had read ,

it to the intended husband of Angel i qu e who had ,

a great wish to make my acquaintance That .

gentleman was likewise a poet and would b e one ,

of the party to T estac c i o I promised the advo cate

.

I would come to his house on the Thursday with a

carriage for two .

At that time every Thursday in the month of

O ctober was a festival day in Rome I went to .

see Donna Cecilia in the evening and we talked ,

about the excursion the whole time I felt certain .

that Donna Lucr ezia looked forward to it with as

much pleasure as I did myself We had no fixed .

plan we could not have any but we trusted to the

, ,

god of love and tacitly placed our confidence in his

,

pro tection .

I took c are th at Father Georgi should not

hear of that excursion before I mentioned it to him
myself and I hastened to him in order to obtain
,

his permission to go I c onfess that to obtain his

.
,

leave I professed the mos t complete indiffere n ce

,

about it and the consequence was that the good

,

man insisted upon my going saying that it was a ,

family party and that it was quite right for me to

,

visit the environs of Rome and to enj oy myself in a

respectable way .
 3 3 8

I went to Donna Cecilia s in a: carri age whi ch

’

I hired fro m a certain Roland a native of Avignon , ,

and if I insist here upon h is name it i s because my

readers will meet hi m again in eighteen years hi s ,

acquaintance with me having had very impo rtant

results . The charmi ng widow introduce d me to
Don Francisco her intended son in law whom sh e
,
- -
,

repr es ented as a great friend of literary men and ,

very deeply learned himself I accepted it as gospel

.
,

and behaved accordingly ; yet I thought he looked

rather heavy and not sufficiently elated f or a youn g
‘

man on the point of marrying such a pret ty girl

as An ge l i qu e.But he had plenty of good natur e -

and plenty of money and these are better than

,

learning and gallantry .

A s we were ready to get into the carriages the ,

advocate told me that he woul d ride with me in

my carriage and that the three ladies wo ul d go
,

with Don Francisco in the other I answered at .

once that he ought to keep Don Francisc o company ,

and that I claimed the privilege of taking care of

Donna Cecilia ad di ng that I shoul d feel dis
,

hon our ed if th ings were arranged differently .

Thereupo n I offer ed my arm to the handsome

widow who th ought the arrangement according
,

to the rul es of etiquette and goo d breeding and ,

an approving look of my Lucrezia gave me the

m ost a greeable sensation Yet the propo sal of
.

the advocate struck me somewha t un pleasantly ,

because it was in contradicti on with h is former

 3 40

She pushes me back compo ses hersel f the , ,

carriage stops and the servant opens the doo r

,
.

“ ”
What is the matter ? I enquire .

”
We are at home .

Whenever I recollect the circumstance it ,

seems to me fabulous for it is not possibl e to

,

annihilate time and the horses were regul ar old

,

screws .But we were lucky all through The .

night was dark and my beloved angel happened

,

to be on the right side to get out of the carriage

first so that although the advocate was at the
, ,

door of the brough am as soon as the footman ,

eve rything went right owing to the slow manner

,

in which Lucrezia alighted I remained at Donn a .

’
Cecilia s until midnight .

When I got home again I went to bed ; but ,

how could I sleep ? I fel t burning in me the

flame which I had not been able to restore to its
ori gi n al source in the two short distance from
T estacc i o to Rome It w as consuming me
. Oh ! .

unhappy are thos e who believe that the pleasures

of Cythera are worth having unless they are ,

enj oyed in the most perfect accord by two hearts

overflowing with love !
I only rose in time for my French lesson My .

teacher had a pretty daughter named Barbara , ,

who was always present during my lessons and ,

who sometimes taught me herself with even more

exactitude than her father A good looking young .
-

man who likewise took lessons was courting her

, , ,
 3 41

and I so o n p erceived that sh e loved him This .

young man called often upon me and I liked him , ,

especially on account of his reserve for although I , ,

made him confess his love for Barbara he always ,

changed the subj ect if I mentioned it in our

,

conversation .

I had made up my mind to respect his reserve ,

an d h ad not alluded to his affection for several days .

But all at o n ce I remarked that he had ceased his

V isits both to me and to his teacher and at the ,

same t ime I observed that the young girl was no

longer present at my lessons ; I felt some curiosity
to know what had happened although it was not , ,

after all any concern of mine

,
.

A f ew days after as I was re turning from

,

church I met the young man and reproached him

, ,

for keeping away from us all He t o ld me that .

great sorrow had befallen him which had fairly ,

turned his brain and tha t he was a prey to the

,

most intense despair His eyes were wet with

.

tears As I was leaving him he held me back and

.
, ,

I told him that I would no longer be his friend

u nless he opened his heart to me He took me to .

one of the cl oisters and he spoke thus

,

“
I have loved Barbara for the last six months ,

and for three months sh e has given me indis pu table

pr oofs of her affection Five days ago we were
.
,

betrayed by the servant and the father caught us

,

in a rather delicate position He left the room .

without saying one word and I followed him , ,

 3 42

thi nking of thr o wing myself at hi s feet ; but as I ,

appeared bef o re him h e to ok hold of me by the

,

arm pushed me roughl y to the d oo r and f orbade

, ,

me ever to present myself again at hi s house I .

canno t claim her hand in marriage because one of ,

my brothers i s married and my father i s not rich ;

,

I have no profession and my mistress has nothin g

,
.

Alas ! now that I have confessed all to you tell me , ,

I entrea t you how sh e is I am certain that sh e i s

,
.

as miserable as I am myself I cannot manage to .

get a letter delivered to her for sh e does not leave ,

the house even to attend church

,
Unh appy .

”
wret ch ! What shall I do ?
I coul d but pity him for as a man o f honour
, , ,

it was impossible f or me to interfere in such a

business I told him that I had not seen Barbara
.

for five days and not k nowing what to say I gave

, , ,

him the advice which i s tendered by all fools under

similar circumstances I advised him to f o rget his
mistress .

We had then reached the quay of Ripetta ,

and observing that he was casting dark looks

,

towards the Tib er I feared hi s despair might lead

,

him to commit some foolish attempt against his

own life and in order t o calm hi s exci ted feeli ngs
, , ,

I promised to make some enquiries from the father

about his mistress and to inform him of all I
,

heard . He felt quieted by my pr o mise a nd ,

entrea ted me no t to forget him .

In spit e o f the fire which h a d b een r aging

 3 44

The nex t day I went to M Dal ac qu a and .

, ,

after my lesson I saw Barbara who passing from

, ,

on e room to another dropped a paper and earnes tly

,

looked at me I felt bound to pick it up because

.
,

a servant who was at hand migh t have see n

, ,

it and taken it It was a letter enclosing another

.
,

addressed to her lover The no te for me ran .

“
thus : If you think it to be a sin to deliver the
enclosed to your friend burn it Have pity on , .

an unfortun ate girl and be discreet

,
.

The enclos ed letter which was unsealed ran ,

“
as follows : If you love me as deeply as I love
you you cannot hope to be happy without me ; we
,

cannot correspond in any other way than the on e

I am b old enough to adopt I am ready to do .

anything to unite our l ives until death Consider .

”
and decide .

The cruel situation of the poor girl moved

me almost t o tears ; yet I determined to return
her let ter the next day and I enclosed it in a note
,

in which I begged her to excuse me if I could

n ot render her the service sh e required at my ,

hands I put it in my poc ket ready for delivery

. .

The next day I went for my lesson as usual but , ,

n ot s eeing Barbara I had no o pportunity of

,

returning her letter and postpo ned its delivery

,

to the following day Unfortunately just aft er .

,

I had returned to my room the unh appy lover ,

made his appearance His eyes were red from

.

weeping h is v oice hoarse ; he drew such a V ivid

,
 3 45

picture of his mi sery that dreading some mad

, ,

action counselled by despa ir I could not withhold

,

from him the consolation which I knew it was

in my power to give This was my firs t error
.

in this fatal business ; I was the victim of my

own kindness .

T he poor fell ow read the letter over and

over ; he kissed it with transpo rts of j oy ; he wept ,

hugged me and thanked me for s aving his l if e

, ,

and fin ally entreated m e t o take charge of his

answer as his beloved mi s tress must be longing
,

for consolation as much as he had been himself ,

assuring me that his letter could not in any way

implicate me and that I was at liberty to read it
,
.

And truly although very long his letter

, ,

contained nothing but the assurance of everlasting

love and hopes which could no t b e realized Yet
,
.

I was wrong to accept the character of Mercury

to the two young lovers To refuse I had only
.
,

to recollect that Father Georgi would certainly

have disapproved of my easy compliance .

The next day I found M Dal acqu a ill in bed ; .

his daughter gave me my l esson in his room and I ,

thought that perhaps she had obtained her pardon .

.

I contrived to give her her lover s letter which she ’

,

dextrously conveyed t o her p o cket but her blush es ,

would have easily betrayed her if her father had

been looking that way Aft er the lesson I gave
.

M Dal ac qu a notice that I would not come on the

.

morrow as it was the Fes tival of St Ursula on e

, .
-
,

I— 2 5
 3 46

of the eleven thousand princesses and martyr

virgins .

In the evening at the reception of his emin ence

, ,

which I attended regularly although persons of ,

di stinction seldom spo ke to me the cardinal ,

beckoned to me He was speaking to the b eaut iful

.

Marchioness G to whom Gama had indiscreetly

confi ded that I thought her the handsomest woman
’
amongst h i s eminence s guests .

“ ” ‘
Her -grace said the Cardinal
,
wishes to ,

know whether you are making rapid progress in

”
the French language which she speaks admirably
,
.

I answered in Italian that I had learned a

grea t deal but that I was n ot ye t bold enough to
,

speak.

“ ”
You should b e bold sai d the marchion es s , ,

“
bu t withou t showing any pretensi o n I t i s the .

”
bes t way t o disarm criticism .

My mind having almost unwittingly lent to the

“ ”
words You should be bold a meaning which
had very likely been far from the idea of the
march ioness I turned very red and the handsome
, ,

speaker observi ng it changed the conversation and

, ,

dismissed me .

The next morning a t seven o cl ock I was at ,

’
,

Donna Cecilia s door T h e phaeton was there as

’
.

well as the carriage for two persons which th i s ,

time was an elegan t ois aois so light and well - -

,

hung that D onna Cecilia praised it highly when

sh e took her sea t .
 3 48

has i nitiated me into the mysteries of love Your .

departure will kill me for I could not fin d another

,

”
woman like you in all Italy .

“
What ! am I your first love ? Alas ! you
will never be cured of it O h ! why am I not
.

entirely your own ? You are also the first true

love of my heart and you will be th e last How
, .

great will be the happiness of my successor !

I should not be j ealous of her but what suffering ,

would be mine if I thought that her heart was

”
not like mine !
Lucrezia seeing my eyes wet with tears
, ,

began to give way to her own and seating ou r , ,

selves on the grass ou r lips drank our tears

,

amidst the sweetest kisses How sweet is the .

nec tar of the tears shed by love when that ,

nectar is relished amidst the raptures of mutual

ardour ! I have Often tasted them those delicious
—

tears and I can say knowingly that the ancient

,

physicians were right and that the modern are

,

In a moment of calm s eeing the disorder in

,

which we both were I told her that we might be

,

surpri sed .

“ ”
Do not fear my b est beloved
,
sh e said , ,

we are under the g uardianship of our good

”
angels .

We were resting and revivi ng ou r strength

by gazing into one an other s eyes when su ddenl v ’
,

Lucrezia c asting a glance to the right exclaimed

, , ,
 3 49

Look there ! idol of my heart have I no t ,

told you so ? Yes the angels are watching over

,

us ! Ah ! h ow h e stares at u s ! He seems to try

to give us confidence L ook at that little demon ;
.

admire him ! He must certainly be your guardian

spirit or mine .

I thought she was delirious .

What are you saying dearest ? I do no t ,

”
understand you What am I to admi re ?
.

“
Do you not see that beautiful serpent wi th
the blazing skin which lifts its head and seems
,
”
to worship us ?
I looked in the di rection sh e indicated and ,

saw a serpent with changeabl e colours about thre e

feet in length which did seem to be looking at us
,
.

I was not particularly pleased at the sight but I ,

coul d not show myself less courageous than sh e

was.

” ”
What ! said I are you not afraid ?
,

I tell you again that the sight is delightful

, ,

to me and I feel certain that it is a spirit with

,

n othing but the sh ape or rather the appearance , ,

of a serpent .

“
And if the spirit c ame gliding along th e grass
”
and hissed at you ?
I would hold you tighter agains t my bosom ,

and set him a t defiance In your arms Lucrezi a .

is safe Look ! the spirit is going away Q uick

. .
,

quick ! He is warning us of the approach of some

 3 50

p r o fa ne p erson and t ells

, to seek some o the r us
”
retreat to renew ou r pleasur es L et u s go . .

We rose and slowly advanced to wards Donn a

Cecili a and the advocate who w ere just emergin g ,

from a neighbouring all ey Without a voidin g .

them and wi thout hur rying j ust as if to meet

, ,

one another was a very natu ral occurrence I ,

enquir ed of Donna Cecili a whether her daughter

had any fear of serpents .

“
In spite of all her strength of mind sh e ,

i s drea df ull y afraid o f thun der

“
answered sh e
, ,

and she will scream wi th terror at the sight o f the

small est snake There are some here but sh e
.
,
”
need not be frightened for they are not venomous
,
.

I was speechless wi th asto ni shment for I di s ,

covered that I had just witness ed a wonderful love

miracle At that moment the children came up
.
,

and without ceremony we again par ted company

, , .

“
Tell me wonderful being bewitch ing woman
, , ,

what would you h ave done if instead of your pretty ,

serpent you had seen your husband and your

,
”
mother ?
“
Nothing Do you not know that in m o ments
.
,

of such rapture lovers s ee and feel nothi ng but

,

love ? Do you doubt having possessed me wholly ,

Lucrezia in sp eakin g thus was not composing

, ,

a po etical ode ; sh e was not feigning fictitious senti

ments h er looks the sound of her voice were
, ,

truth itself
 3 52

all attention for the ami able Donn a Cecilia My .

p retty tortoise shell box filled with excellent snu fi

-
, ,

went more than once round the table As it .

happened to b e in the hands of Lucrezia wh o was

sitting on my left her husband told her that if I
, ,

had no obj ection she might give me her ring and

,

k eep the sn u fi b ox in exchange Think ing th at the

-
.

ring was not of as much value as my b ox I ,

immediately accepted but I foun d the ring of

,

g re ater val ue Lucrezi

. a woul d not howeve r , ,

listen to anything on that subj ect She put the box .

in her pocket and thus compelled me to k ee p

,

her ring .

Dessert was nearly over the conversation was ,

very ani mated wh en suddenly the intended hu sband

,

of An ge li qu e claimed our attention for the rea di ng

of a sonnet whi ch he had composed and dedicated

to me I thanked him and placin g the sonnet in

.
,

my pocket pro mi sed to write one for him This .

was not however what he wished ; he expected

, ,

that stimul ated by emulation I would call for

, ,

paper and pen and s acrifice to Ap ollo hours which

,

it was much more to my taste to employ in

worshipping another god whom his cold nature
knew only by name We drank coffee I paid the
.
,

bill and we went about rambling through the

,

labyrinthine alleys of the Villa Al dob ran din i .

W hat sweet recollections that villa has left in

my memory ! It seemed as if I saw my divine
Lucrezia for the first time O ur looks were ful l
.
 3 53

of ardent love ou r hearts were be ating in con cer t

,

with the mos t tender impatience and a natural ,

instinct was le ading us towards a solitary asylum

which the hand of Love seemed to have prepared
on purpose for the mysteries of its secret worship .

There in the middle of a long avenue and under

, ,

a can opy of thick foliage we found a wide sofa ,

made of grass and sheltered by a deep thicket ;

,

from that place ou r eyes could range over an

immense plain and view the avenue to such a
,

di stance right and left that we were perfectly

secure against any surprise We did not requir e . .

to exchange one word at the sight of this beautiful

temple so favourable to ou r love ; our hearts spoke
the same language .

W ithout a word being spoken ou r ready hands ,

soon managed to get rid of all obst acles and to ,

exp ose in a s tate of nature all the beauties which

are generally veiled by troublesome wearing apparel .

Two whole h ours were devo t ed to the most deligh t

ful loving ecstasies At last we exclaimed together
, .

“ ”
in mutual ecstasy 0 Love we thank thee !
, ,

We slowly retraced our steps towards the car

ri ages
,
revelling in our intens e happiness Lu crezia .

’
informed me that An gélique s suitor was wealthy ,

that he owned a splendid villa at Tivoli and that ,

most likely he would invite us all to dine and pass

“
the night there I pray the god of love
. she ,
“
added to gran t us a night as beautiful as this
,

” “
day has been . Then looking sad she said But
, , ,
 4

ala s! the ecclesiastical lawsuit which has brought

my husband to Rome i s progressing so favourably
tha t I am mortally afr a id he will ob tain j udgmen t
”
all too soon .

The j ourney back to the city lasted two hours ;

v —
we were alone in my is d uis and we over taxed
-f

nature,
exacting more th an it can possibly give .

As we were getting near Hom e we were compelled

to let the curtain fall before the dénou em ent of the
drama which we had performed to the complete
satisfaction of the actors.

I re turned home rather fatigued bu t the s ound

,

sleep which was so natural at my age rest ored my

full vigour and in the morning I took my French
,

lesson at the usu al hour .

 3 56

her hand never met mine I never saw in her ,

toilet the slightest wish to please me She was .

very pretty and I knew she had a tender loving

, ,

nature ; but nothing interfered with the respec t

and the regard which I was bound in honour and
in good faith to feel towards her and I was proud ,

to remark that she never thought me cap able of

taking advantage of her weakness or o f her po sition .

When the father had recove red he dismissed

his servant and engaged another Barbara en .

treated me to inform her friend of the circumstanc e ,

and likewise of her hope to gain the new s ervant

to their interests at least sufficiently to secure the
,

possibility of carrying on some correspondence I .

promised to do so and as a mark of her gratitude

,

sh e took my hand to carry it to her lips b u t ,

quickly withdrawing it I tried to kiss her ; sh e

tur ne d her face aw ay blushing deeply
,
I was .

much pleased with her modesty .

Barbara h aving succeeded in gaining the new

servant over I had nothing more to do with the
,

intrigue and I was very glad of it for I knew my

, ,

in terference might have brought evil on my own

head Unfortunately it was already to o late
.
, .

I seldom visited Don Gaspar ; the study of the

French lan guage took up all my mornings and it ,

was only in the morning that I could see him ; but

I call ed every evening upon Father Georgi and , ,

although I went to him only as one of hi s protégés '

it gave me some reput ation I seldom spoke before

.
 3 57

his guests yet I never felt weary for in his circle

, ,

his friends would criticise without slandering ,

discuss poli tics W i thout stubbornness literature ,

without passion and I profited by all After my

,
.

visit to the sagacious monk I used to attend th e

,

assembly of the cardinal my master as a ma tter

, ,

of duty Almost every evening when she happened

.
,

to see me at her card table th e beautiful mar

-
,

c h i on es s would add ress to me a few gracious words

in French and I always answere d in Italian not

, ,

caring to make her laugh before so many persons .

M y feelings for her were of a singular kind I .

must leave them to the analysis of th e re ader .

I thought that woman charming yet I avoided ,

h er ; it was not because I was afrai d of falling in

love with her ; I loved Lucrezia and I firmly ,

bel ieved that such an affection was a shield against

any other attachmen t but it was because I feared
,

that she might l ove me or have a passing fancy for

me Was it self conceit or modesty vice or virtu re ?
.
-
,

Perhaps neither on e nor the other .

One evening she desired the Abbé Gam a to

c al l me to her ; she was s tanding near the cardinal ,

my patron and the moment I approached her she

,
.

ca u sed me a strange feeling of surprise by asking

me in Italian a question which I was far from
anticipating
“ ”
How did you like Frascati ?
“
Very much madam ; I h ave n ever seen such
,

a beautiful place .
 3 58

“
Bu t
your c ompany was still more b eautiful ,
”
and your vis d vis was very smart
- -
.

I only bowed l ow to the marchioness and a ,

moment after Cardinal Acquaviva s ai d to me ,

kindly ,
“
You a re astonished at your adventure being
”
known ?
“
N0 my lord ; but 1 am surprised that people
,

should talk of it I could not have believed Rome

.

”
to be so much like a small village .

“
The longer you live in R om e said his ,

“
eminence the more you will find it so
,
Y ou .

have no t yet presented yourself to kiss the foo t of

”
ou r Holy Father ?
“
Not ye t my lord ,
.

Then you must do so .

I bowed in compliance to h is wishes .

The Abbé Gama told me to present myself to

the Pope on the morrow and he added , ,
“
O f course you have already shewn yourself
”
in the Marchioness G s palace ? .
’

“
No I have never been there
, .

“
Y ou as tonish me ; but sh e often speaks
”
to you !
“
I have no obj ec ti on to go with you .

I never vi sit at her palace .

Yet she speaks t o you likewise .

“
Yes but ,
You do no t know Rome ;
”
go al one ; believe me y o u ought to go
'

, .

“ ”
W ill sh e receive me ?
 3 60

a mi able and fond of a j oke I saw him f or the

,
.

second time at the Vil la M edicis He called me .

to him and continued his walk speaking of trifling

, ,

things . He was then accomp anied by Cardinal

Albani and the ambassador from Venice A man .

of modest appearance appr oached H i s Holin ess ,

who asked what he required ; the man said a few

words in a low voice and after listening to him
,
.
,

the Pope answered You are right place your

, ,

trust in God and he gave him his blessing The .

poor fellow went away very dej ected and the Holy ,

Father continued his walk .

“ ” “
This man I said ,
most Holy Father
, ,

has not been pleased with the answer of Your

Holin ess .

! !
Why
“
B ecause most lik ely he had already addressed
himself to God before he ventured to apply to you ;
and when Your Holin es s sends him to God again ,

he finds himself sent back as the proverb says , ,

”
from Herod t o Pila te .

The Pope as well as hi s two companions

, ,

laughed hear tily ; but I kept a serious coun t enance .

“ ” “
I cannot continued the Pope
, do any ,
’
good without God s assistance .

“
Very true Holy Father ; but the man i s
,

aware that you are God s prime mi n i ster and ’

,

it i s easy to imagi ne his trouble now that the

minister sends him again to the master His .

only r esource is to give money to the beggars of

 3 61

Rome who for one bajopco will pray for him

,
.

They boast of their influence before the throne

of the Almighty but as I have faith only in your
,

credit I entreat Your Holi ness to deliver me of

,

the heat which in fl am es my eyes by granting me

”
permission to eat meat .

“
Eat meat my son
,
.

“
Holy Father give me your blessing
,
.

He blessed me adding tha t I was not

,

dispensed from fas ting .

’
That very evening at the cardinal s assembly , ,

I found that the news of my dialogue with the

Pope was already known Everybody was anxious .

to speak to me I fel t flattered but I was

.
,

much mo re delighted at the joy which Cardinal

Acquaviva tried in vain to conce al .

’
As I wished not to neglect Gama s advice ,

I presented myself at the mansion of the b eaut iful

,

marchioness at the h our a t which everyone had

free access to her ladyship I saw her I saw the .
,

cardinal an d a great many abbés ; bu t I might

have supposed myself invisible for no on e honoured ,

me with a look and no one spoke t o me

, .

I lef t after having perform ed for half a n h our the

character of a mu te Five o r six days a fterwards
'

!
.
,

the march ioness told me graciously tha t she had

caught a sight of me in her recep tion rooms -
.

“
I was there it i s true madam ; but I h ad
, ,

no idea tha t I had had the honour to b e seen

by yo u r ladysh ip .

1— 2 6
 3 62
“
Oh ! I see everybody . They tell me
”
you have wit .

“
If i t is not a mistake on the part o f
informants your ladyship gi ves me very
,

”
news.

“
O h ! they are excellent judges .

“
Then m adam those p ers ons must hav e
, ,

honoured me with their conversation ; otherwise ,

it is not likely that they would have been able

”
to express such an op inion .

“
No doubt ; but let me see you oft en a t my
”
recepti ons .

O ur conversation had been overheard by

thos e who were aroun d ; his excellency the
cardinal to ld me th
$
wh en the marchioness
addressed herself part i cularly to me in French ,

my duty was to answer her in the same language ,

good or bad The cunning poli ti cian Gama to ok

.

me apart and remarked that my repar tee s were

,

too smart too cutting and that afte r a time I

, , , ,

would be sure t o di splease I had mad e consider .

able pr ogress in French ; I had given up my

lesson s and practice was all I required
,
I was .

then in the habit of calling sometimes upo n

Lucrezia in the morning and of visi ting in the,
'

eveni ng Father G eorgi who was acquainted with

,

the excursion to Frascati and had not expressed,

any dissatisfaction .

Two days after the sort of command laid

upon me by the marchioness I presented myself ,
 3 64

at my love f or her daugh ter The family rode in a

.

large phaeton hir ed by Don Francisco which gave ,

room f or six persons .

At half past seven in the morning we made a

-

halt at a small place where had been prepared by ,

’
Don Fran ciso s orders an excellent breakfast
, ,

which was intended to replace the dinner and we ,

all made a hearty meal as we were not likely

,

to find time for anything but supper at Tivoli .

I wo re on my finger the beautiful ring which

Lucrezia had given me At the back of the ring
.

I had had a piece of enamel placed on it was ,

delineated a caduceus with on e serpent between

,

the letters Alpha and O mega This ring was the .

subj ec t of conversation during breakfast and Don ,

Francisco a s well as the advocat e exerted himself

, ,

in vain to guess the meaning of the hieroglyphs ;

much to the amus ement of Lucrezia who under ,

stood the mysterious secret so well We continued .

our road and reached Ti voli at ten o clock

,
’
.

We began by vi siting Don Francisco s villa ’

.

It was a beaut iful little ho u se and we spent ,

the following six hours in examinin g together

the antiquities of Tivoli Lucrezi a ha vi ng occasion
.

to wh isper a few words to Don Franci sco I seized ,

the opportunity of telling Angélique that after h er

marriage I sh ould be happy to spend a few days of
the fine season wi th her .

“ ” “
Sir sh e answered I gi ve you fair n ot ice
, ,

th at the mo men t I become mistre ss in this house

 3 65

you will be the very first person to be excluded .

“
I feel greatly obliged to you signora for , ,

your timely notice .

But the most amusing part of the a ff air was

that I construed Angélique s wanto n insul t int o a ’

declaration of love I was asto un ded

. Lucrezia .
,

remarki ng the state I was in touch ed my arm , ,

enqui ring what ailed me I told her and she said .

,

at once ,
“
My darling my happin ess cannot last long ;
,

the cruel moment of ou r separation is drawing

n ear f When I have gone pray i m dertake the ,

task of compell ing her to acknowledge her error .

”
Angel i qu e pities me be sure to avenge me
,
.

I have forgotten to mention that at Don Fran

cisco s villa I happened to praise a very pretty
’

room opening upon the orange house and the -

,

amiable host having heard me came obligingly to

, ,

me and said that it should be my room that night

,
.

Lucrezia feigned not to hear but it was to her ,

’
Ariadne s clue for as we were to remain altogether
, ,

during our visit to the beauties of Tivoli we had ,

no chance of a téta d téte through the day

- -
.

I have said that we devoted six hours to an

examination of the antiquities of Tivoli but I am ,

bound to confess here that I saw for my part , ,

very little of them and it was only twenty eight

,
-

years later that I made a thorough acquain tance

with the beautiful spot .

We return ed to the vi lla towards evening ,

 3 66

fatigued and very hun gry but an houf s rest before

,

supper— a repast which lasted two hours the most ,

delicious dishe s the most exquisite wines and

, ,

—
particularly the excellent wine of Tivoli restored
u s so well that everybody wanted nothing more

than a goo d bed and the freedom to enj oy the bed

-

according to his own taste .

As everybody obj ected to sleep alone Lucrezia ,

said that she would sleep with Angeli qu e in one

of the rooms leading to the orange house and -
,

proposed that her husband should share a room

with the young abbé his brother in law and that
,
- -
,

Donna Cecilia should take her youngest daughter

with her.

The arrangement met with general approb a ~

tion and Don Francisco taking a candle escor ted

, , ,

me to my pretty little room adj oining the one in

which the two sisters were to sleep and after
’

, ,

sh ewing me h ow I could lock myself in he wished ,

m e good n ight and left me alone .

An geli qu e had n o idea that I was her near

ne ighbour but Lucrezia and I with out exchanging
, ,

a single word on the subj ect had perfectly under ,

stood each other .

I watched through the key—hole and saw the

two sisters come into their r o om preceded by ,

the polite Don Francisco who carried a taper, ,

and after lighting a nigh t lamp bade them good

,
-
,

night and retired Then my two beauties their

.
,

door once locked sat down on the sofa and c o m

,
 3 68

Oh my bel oved Lucrezia ! how supremely

,

happy I am ! But my darlin g mi nd your sister ;

, ,

”
she might turn ro un d and see u s .

“
Fear nothing my life ; my sister i s kind sh e
, ,

loves me she pities me ; do you n ot love me my

, ,

dear Angélique ? O h ! turn round see how happy ,

yo u r sister is and know what feli city awaits you

,
”
when you own the sway of love .

An gel i qu e a young maiden of seventeen sum

,

mers wh o must have s u ffered the to rments of

,

Tantalus during the night and who only wi shes ,

for a pretext to shew that she h as forgiven her

sister turns round and covering her sister with
, ,

kisses confesses that she has n ot closed her eyes

,

through the night .

“
Then forgive likewise darli ng Angeliqu e , ,

”
forgive him who loves me and whom I adore , ,

says Lucrezia .

Unfathomable power of the god wh o conquers ,

all human beings !

“
An gel i qu e ha tes me I say I dare not , ,
“ ”
No I do not hate you !
, answers the
charming gi rl .

“
Kiss her d ear est , says Lucrezia p us hing
, ,

m e towards her sister and pleased to see her in my

,

arms motionless and languid .

But sentiment still more than love forbids me

, ,

to deprive Lucrezia of the proof o f my gratitude ,

and I turn to her with all the rapture of a beginn er ,

feeling that my ardour i s increased by Angélique s ’

 3 69

ecstasy as for the fir st time she witnesses the

,

amorous contest Lucrezia dying of enj oyment

.
, ,

entreats me to stop but as I do not listen to her

, ,

prayer sh e tricks me and the sweet An geli qu e

, ,

mak es her first sacrifice to th e mother of lo ve It .

is thus very likely that when the gods inhabited

, ,

this earth the voluptuous Arcadia in love with the

, ,

soft and pleasing breath of Zephyrus one day ,

opened her arms and was fecundated ,

.

Lucrezia was astoni shed and delighted and ,

covered us both with kisses An geli qu e as happy .

,

as her sister expired deliciously in my arms for the

,

third t ime and she sec onded me with so much

,

lovi n g ardour that it seemed t o me I was tas ting

,

happiness for the first time .

Phoebus had left the nuptial couch and his ,

—
rays were already di ff using light over the universe ;
and that ligh t reaching u s through the closed
,

shutters gave me warn ing t o quit the place ; we

,

exchanged the most loving a di eus I left my two ,

divin ities and retired to my own room A few .

minu t es afterwards the cheerful voice of the ,

advoca te was heard in the chamber of the sis ters ;

he was reproaching them for sleeping to o long !
Then he knocked a t my door threatening to bring ,

the ladi es to me and went away saying that he

, ,

would send me the hair dresser -

.

After many ablut ions and a careful to ilet I ,

thought I could shew my face and I presen ted ,

myself c oolly in the drawing room The t wo -

.
 3 70

sisters were there with the other members of our

society an d I was delighted with their rosy cheeks
,
.

Lucrezia was frank and gay and beamed with ,

happiness ; Angel i qu e as fresh as the morning dew

, ,

was more radiant than usual but fi dgety and care , ,

full y avoided looking me in the face I saw that .

my useless attempts to catch her eye made her

smile and I remarked to her mother rather mi s
, ,

ch i evou sly that it was a pity Angélique used paint

,

for her face She w as duped by this stratagem and

.
,

compelled me to pass a h andkerchief over her face ,

and was then obliged to loo k at me I offered her .

my apologi es and Don Francisco appeared highly

,

pleased that the complexion of his intended had met

with such triumph .

After breakfast we took a walk through the

garden and finding myself alone with Lucrezia
, , ,

I expos tul ated tenderly with her for having almost

thrown her sister in my arms .

“ ” “
Do not reproach me she said when I , ,

deserve praise I have brought light into the

.

darkness of my charming sister s soul ; I have ’

initiated her in the sweetest of mysteries and ,

now instead of pitying me she must envy me

, , .

Far from having hatred for you sh e must love ,

you dearly and as I am so un happy as to have

,

to part from you very soon my beloved I leave , ,

her to you ; she will replace me .

“ ”
Ah Lucrezia ! how can I love her ?
,
”
Is sh e not a charmi ng girl ?
 3 72

Lucrezia but we were always surrounded by the

,

family . The day of her departure wishing to ,

cause her an agreeable surprise I left Rome ,

before them and waited f or them at the place

where I thought they would put up for the night ,

but the advocate having been detained by several

.

engagements was detained in R om e and they

, ,

only reached the place the next day for dinner .

We dined together we exchanged a sad painful

, ,

farewell and they continued their j ourney while

,

I returned to Rom e .

After the departure of this charming woman ,

I found myself in sort of solitude very natural

to a young man whose heart is not full of hope .

I passed whole da ys in my room making ,

extracts from the French letters written by the

cardinal and his eminence was kind enough to
,

tell me that my extracts were judiciously made ,

but that he insisted upon my not working so

hard. The beautiful marchioness was present
when he paid me that compliment .

Since my second visit to her I had not ,

presen te d myself at her house ; she was con

sequently rather cool to me and glad of an , .

opportunity of making me feel her displeasure ,

she remarked to his eminen ce that very likely

work was a consolation to me in the great voi d
caused by the departure of Donna Lucrezia .

“
I candidly confess madam that I have felt
, ,

her loss deeply She was kind and generous ; above

.
 3 73

all she was indulgent when I did no t call of ten

,
”
upon her My friendship f or her was innoc ent
. .

“
I have no doub t of it although your o de ,

was the work of a poet deeply in love .

“
O h ! said the kindly cardinal
”
a poet ,

c annot possibly write without profes sing t o be in

”
love
“
But,
replied the marchioness if the poet ,

is really in l ove he has no need of professin g a

,
”
feeling which he possesses .

As she was speaking the marchioness drew,

o ut of her pocket a paper which she offered to

his eminence .

“ ”
This is the ode she said
,
it does great ,

honour to the po e t for it is admitted to be a

,

mast erpiece by all the li terati in Rome and ,

”
Donna Lucrezia knows it by heart .

The cardinal read it over and returned it ,

smiling an d remarking that as he had no taste

,

for Italian poetry she must give herself the pleasure

,

of translating it into French rhyme if she wished

him to admire it .

“
I only write French pro se answered the ,
“
marchioness , and a prose translation destroys
half the beauty of poetry I am s atisfied wi th
.

writing occasionally a little Italian poetry with out

”
any pretension to poetical fame .

Those words were accompanied by a very

sig nificant gl ance in my direction .

“
I should c o nsi der myself fortun ate madam , ,
 3 74

if I could ob tain the h ap pin ess of adm1r1ng some

”
of your poetry .

“ ” ’
Here is a sonnet of her ladyship s said ,

Cardinal S C . .

I took it respectfully and I prepared to read

,

it but the ami able marchioness told me to put it

,

in my pocket and retur n it to the cardin al the

next day although she did not think th e son net
,

wo rth so much t rouble “

If you shoul d happen to
.

go out in the morning said Cardinal S C

,
. .

“
you could bring it back and di ne with me ,
.

Cardinal Acquaviva immediately answered for m e

“ ”
He wi ll be sure to go ou t purposely .

With a deep reverence which expressed my ,

thanks I left the r oo m quietly and returned to

,

my apartmen t very imp atient to read the sonnet

,
.

Yet before satisfying my wish I could not help

, ,

making some reflecti ons on the situation I began .

t o think myself somebody since the gigant ic s tride

I had made this evening a t the cardinal s assembly ’
.

The Marchioness de G had shewn in the most

.

open way the in terest she felt in me and under , ,

cover o f her grandeur had not hesi tated to com

,

promise herself publicly by the most flattering

advances . But who would have thought of di s
approving ? A young abbé like me without any ,

importance whatev er who could scarcely pretend

,

to her high protection ! True but she was pre ,

c i sel y the w oman to rant it to those who feeling

g ,

themselv es unworthy o f it dared not shew any ,

 3 76

Rome what more was necessary ? Ye t I thought

it would be good policy to a ppear ignorant of her
inclination for me and to let her suppose from the
,
~

very next day that I was in love with her but that ,

my love appeared to me hopeless I knew th at .

such a plan was infallible because it saved her ,

dignity . It seemed to me that Father Georgi

himself would be compelled to approve such an
un dertak ing and I had remarked with great
,

satisfaction that Cardinal Acquaviva had expressed

his delight at Cardinal S C s invitation an — . .
’

honour which he had never yet best owed on me

hims elf . This a ff air mi ght have very impor tant
results f or me .

I read the marchioness s sonnet and found it ’

,

easy flowi ng and well wri tt en It was composed

, ,
.

in praise of the King of Pru ssm wh o had just ,

conquered Silesia by a masterly stroke As I was .

c opying it the idea struck me to personify Silesia

, ,

and to make her in answer to the s onnet bewail

, ,

that Love ! supposed to be the author of the sonnet

of the marchi oness ) could applaud the man who
had conquered her when that conqu eror was th e
,

sworn enemy of Love .

It i s impossible for a man accust omed to write

poetry to abstain when a hap py subject smiles
upon his delighted ima gi nation If he attempted .

to smother the poetic al flame running thr ough hi s

veins it would consume him I composed my .

sonnet keeping the same rhymes as in the

,
 3 77

original and well pleased with my muse I went

, , ,

to bed .

The next morning the Abbé Gama came in

just as I had finished recopying my sonne t and ,

said he would breakfast with me He com .

p l i m en ted me upo n the honour conferred on me

by the invitatio n of Cardinal S C . .

“ ”
But be prudent ,
he added for his ,

”
eminence has the repu tation of being j eal ous .

I thanked him for his friendly advice taking ,

care to assure him that I had nothing t o fear ,

because I did not feel the slightest inclination for

the handsome marchioness .

Cardinal S C received me with great kind

. .
~

ness mingled wi th dignity to make me realize

,

the importance of the f avour he was b es to wing

u pon me .

“
Wha t do you think he enquired
,
of the ,
”
sonnet ?
“
Monsignor it is perfectly written and wha t
, , ,

is more it is a charming composition Allow me

,
.

”
to return it to you with my thanks .

Sh e h as much talent I wish to shew you

“
.

ten stanzas of her composition my dear abbé but , ,

”
you must promise to be very discreet abou t it .

“ ”
Your eminence may rely on me .

He opened his bureau and brought forth the

stanzas of which he was the subj ect I read them .
,

found them well written but devoid of enthusiasm ;

,

they were the work of a poe t and expressed love,

1— 2 7
 3 78

in the words of passion but were not perva ded by

,

that peculi ar feeling by which true love i s so easily

discovered The worthy cardinal was doubtless
g u i lty o f a very great ind i scretion but self love
, is -

the caus e of so many injudicious steps ! I asked

hi s eminence whether he had answered the stanz as .

“ ” “
No he replied
,
I have n ot ; but wo ul d
,

y ou feel disposed to lend me your poe t ical pen ,

”
always under the seal of secrecy ?
“
As to s ecrecy monsignor I promi se it
, ,

faithfully ; but I am afraid the marchioness will

remark the difference between your style and
”
mine .

“
She has nothing of my c omposition said ,

the cardinal ; I do no t think sh e s upposes me a

“

fine poet an d f or tha t r eas on your stanzas must

,

be written in such a manner that sh e will no t

esteem them above my abilities .

“
I will write them with pleasure monsignor , ,

and your eminence can form an opinion ; if they

do not seem good enough to be worthy of you ,

they need n ot be gi ven to the marchioness .

“
That i s well said Will you write them at
.

”
once ?
“
What ! n o w monsignor ?
, I t i s n ot like

W ell
"
'

, well ! try to let me have them to

”
morrow .

We dined alone and hi s eminence c ompli

,

m ented me upon my excellen t appetit e which he ,

 3 80

dared to shew to your eminence an answer to the

”
sonnet which I have written in half an hour .

“ ”
Let us see it abbé said the marchioness
,

I want to read it .

“
Ans wer of S i lesia to L ove This title brought
the most fascinating blushes on her countenance .

“ ”
But Love is not mentioned in the sonnet ,
“ ”
exclaimed the cardinal W ait. said the m ar ,

“ ”
chi on ess
,
we must res pect the idea of the poet .

She read the sonnet over an d over and ,

thought that the reproaches addressed by Silesia

to Lo ve were very jus t She explained my idea
.

to the cardinal making him un derstand why

,

Silesia was offended at having been conquered by

the ! ing of Prussia .

“ ”
Ah I s ee I see ! exclaimed the cardinal
, , ,
“
full of j oy ; Silesia is a woman and
the King o f Prussia O h ! oh ! that is
”
really a fine idea ! And the good cardinal laughed
heartily for more than a quarter of an hour .

“ ” “
I must copy that sonnet h e added indeed I , ,
”
must have it .

The abbe ,
said the obliging marchion ess ,

“
will save you the trouble : I will dictate it to
him .

I prepared to write but his eminence su d ,

denly excla imed

“
M y dear marchioness this is
, ,

wonderful ; he has kept the same rhymes as in

”
your own sonnet : did you observe it ?
The beautiful marchioness gave m e then a
 3 81

look of such ex pression that sh e completed her

conquest. I unders to od that she wanted me t o
know the cardinal as well as she knew him ; it
was a kind of par tnersh i p i n which I was quite
ready to play my part .

As soon as I had written the sonnet under

the charm ing woman s dic tation I took my l ea ve
’
, ,

but not before the cardinal had told me tha t he

expected me to d inner the next day .

I had plenty of work before me for the ten ,

s tanzas I had to compo se were of the mos t

singul ar character and I lost no time in shu tting
,

mysel f up in my room to thi nk of them I had .

to keep my balance between two points of equal

difficulty and I felt that gr eat care was indi spens
,

able I had to place the marchioness in such a

.

position that she could pretend to believe the

cardinal the author of the stanz as and at the , ,

same time compel her to find ou t tha t I had

,

wr itten them and that I was aware of her

,

knowing it It was necessary to speak so care

.

f ully that not one expression should breathe even

the faintest hope on my part and yet t o make ,

my sta nzas blaze with the ardent fire of my love

under the thin veil of poetry As for the cardinal .
,

I k new well enough that the bet ter the s tanzas

were written the more dispo sed he woul d b e to
,

sign them All I wanted was clearness so difficult

.
,

to obtain in poetry while a little doubtful darkness

,

would h ave been acco un ted sub li me by my new

 3 82

Midas . But although I wanted to p lease him

, ,

the cardinal was only a secondary consideration ,

and the handsome marchioness the principal o bj ect .

As the marchioness in her verses h a d made

a p ompous enumeration of every physical and
moral quality of his eminence it was of course ,

natural that he should re turn the compliment ,

and here my task was easy At las t having .

mastered my subj ec t well I began my work and

, ,

giving ful l career to my imagination and to my

feelings I c omposed the t en stanzas and gave ,

the finishing stroke with these two beautiful lines

fr o m Ariosto
Le angeli ech e bellezze nate a! ci elo

N on st ponno '

eelcw s otto al eu m velo

' ' '
.

Rather pleased with my production I pre ,

sented it the next day to the cardinal modestly ,

saying that I doubted whether he would accep t

the authorship of so ordinary a compositi o n He .

read the stanzas twice over without tast e or

expression and said at l ast tha t they were indeed
,

not much but exactly what he wanted

, He .

thanked me particularly for the two lines from

Ariost o saying that they w o uld assist in throwing
,

the authorshi p upon himself as they would prove

,

to the lady for whom they were intended that

he had not been able to write them without
borrowing And as to o ff er me some c ons olation
.
, ,

he told me that in recopying the lines he woul d

, ,
 3 84

scarcely on the pill ow when the Abbé Gama

knocked at my door I pulled the door stri ng and .
-
,

coming in he s aid, ,
“
M y dear sir the cardinal wishes to see you
, ,

and I am sent by the beautiful marchioness and

”
C ardinal S C who desire you to come down
. .
,
.

“
I am very sorry but I cannot go ; tell them ,

the truth ; I am ill in bed .

A s the abbé did n ot return I j udged that he ,

had f aithfully acquitted himself of the comm ission ,

and I spent a quiet night I was not yet dressed .

in the morning when I received a note from,

Cardinal S C inviting me to dinn er s aying that

. .
,

he had just been b l ed and that he wanted to speak ,

to me : he concluded by entreating me to come to

him early even if I did not f eel well
,
.

The invitation was pressing ; I could not guess

what had caused it but the tone of the letter did ,

n ot forebode anything unpleasant I went to .

chur ch where I was sure that Cardinal Acquaviva

,

would see me and he did After mass hi s

, .
,

eminence beckoned to me .

“ ”
Are you trul y ill ? he enquired .

“
N o monsignor I was only sleepy
, , .

I am very glad to hear it ; but you are wrong ,

f or you are loved Cardinal S C h as b een bled

. . .

”
this morning .

“
I kn ow it monsignor T he cardinal tells me
, .

so in this note in whi ch he invites me to dine with

,

him with your excellency s permission

,
’
.
 3 85

Certainly But this is amusing ! I did no t

.
~

”
know that he wanted a third person .

”
“
Wi ll there be a third pers o n ?
I do no t know a nd I have no c ur iosity
,

about it .

The cardinal left me a nd everybody i magined

,

that his eminence had spoken t o me of s tate

affairs
.

I went to my new M aecenas whom I f o und ,

in bed .

“
I am compelled to observe strict diet he ,
“
said to me ; I shall have to let you dine al one -

but you will not lose by it as my cook does not

know it What I wanted to tell you is that your
.

stanzas are I am afraid too pretty for the

, , ,

marchioness adores them If you had read them

.

to me in the same way that she does I could ,

”
never have made up my mind to ofl er them .

“
Bu t sh e believes them to be written by your
”
eminence ?
“
O f course .

“
That is the essential point monsignor ,
.

Yes ; bu t what should I do if she took it into

”
her head to compose some new stanzas f or me ?
“
You would answer through the same pen ,

for you can dispose of me night and day and rely ,

”
up o n the utmost secrecy .

“
I beg of you to accept this small present ; it
is some negri llo snuff from Habana which Cardinal ,

”
Acquaviva has given me .
 3 86

The snuflf was excellent but th e obj ect whi ch ,

contained it was still better It was a splendi d .

gold enamelled box

-
I received it with resp ect
.
,

and with the expression of the deepest gratitude .

If hi s eminence di d not kn ow h ow to write

po etry at least he kn ew how to be generous and
, ,

in a deli cate manner and that s c ience i s at l east in

, ,

my estimation superior t o the other for a great

,

nobleman .

At noon and much to my surprise the

, ,

b eautiful marchioness made her appearance in the

most elegant m ornin g toil et .

If I had known you were in good company ,

“
sh e said to the car di n al I woul d not have come
,
.

“
I am sure dear marchi oness you will n ot
, ,
”
find ou r dear abbé in the way .

“
No f or I beli eve him to be h onest and true
,
.

I kep t at a respectf ul distance ready to go ,

away with my splen di d snufl b ox at the firs t j est -

sh e mi ght hurl at me .

The car di n al asked her if sh e intended to

remain to di nner .

“ ” “
Yes sh e answered ;
, but I shall not enj oy
”
my dinn er f or I hate to eat alone
, .

“
If you w ould honour hi m so far the abbé ,
”
wo ul d keep you c ompany .

She gave me a gracious look but wi thout ,

uttering one word .

This was the first tim e I had anyth ing to do

wi th a woman of quality and that a ir of pa tronage , ,
 3 88

O nl y give way b oldly to your geni us madam , ,

”
and you will produce poetry worthy of he aven .

“ ”
That is my opini on too said the cardin al
, ,
.

I entr eat you to give me perm ission t o shew your

”
ten sta nzas to the abbé .

“
They are n ot very good but I have no ,
”
obj e c tion pr ovided it remains between u s .

The cardin al gave me then the stanzas com

, ,

posed by the marchion ess and I re ad them aloud

,

with all the expression all the f eeling necessary

,

to such reading .

“ ”
How well you have read those stanzas ! said
“
the marchioness I can hardl y believe th em to
be my own compos ition ; I thank you very much .

But have the goodness to give the benefit of your

reading to the stanzas which h i s eminence h as
written in answer to mine They surpas s them
.

”
much .

Do not believe it my dear abbe

,
said the ,
“
cardin al handing them to me
, Yet try not to
”
let them lose anything through your re ading .

There was certamly no n eed of his emi nence

enforcing upon me such a recommendation ; it was
my own po etry I c ould not have read it other
.

wise than in my best style especially when I had

,

before me the beautiful woman who had inspired

them and when besides Bacchus was in me
, , ,

giving courage to Apollo as much as the b eautiful

eyes of the marchioness were fanning into an ardent
blaze the fir e alrea dy burning through my whol e
being
.
 3 89

I read the s tanzas with so much expression

that the cardinal was enraptured but I br ought a ,

deep carnation tint upon the cheeks of the lovely

marchioness when I came to the description of
those beauties which the ima gination of the poet
is allowed to guess at but which I could not of
, ,

course have gazed upon She snatched the paper

,
.

from my hands with passion saying that I was ,

adding verses of my own ; it was true but I did ,

not confess it I wa s all flame and the fire was

.
,

scorching her as well as me .

The cardinal having fallen asleep she rose ,

and went to take a seat on the balcony ; I followed

her She had a rather high seat ; I s to od opposite
.

to her so that her knee touched the fob pocket in

,
-

which was my watch Wh at a positi on ! Taking

.

hold gently of one of her hands I told her that ,

she had ign ited in my soul a devo u ring flame ,

that I adored her and that unless some hope was

, ,

left to me of finding her sensible to my sufferings ,

I was det ermined to fly away from her for ever .

“
Yes b eau tiful marchioness
,
pronounce my ,

”
sentence .

“
I fear you are a libertine and an unfaithful
-

I am neither one nor the other .

With these words I folded her in my arms ,

and I pressed upon her lovely lips as pure as a ,

rose an ardent kiss which she received with the

,

bes t possible grace This k i ss the foreru nner o f

.
,
 3 90

the most delicious pleasur es had imparted to my ,

hands the gr eatest boldness ; I was on the point

of but the marchioness changing her ,

position entreated me so sweetly to respect her

, ,

that enj oying new voluptuousness through my

,

very obedience I not only abandoned an easy

,

victory but I even begged her pardon which I

, ,

soon read in the most loving look .

She spoke of Lucrezia and was pleased with ,

my discretion She then alluded to the cardinal

.
,

doing her best to make me b elieve that there

was nothing b etween them but a feeling of
innocent friendship O f course I had my opinion.

on that subj ect but it was my interes t to appear

,

to believe every word she uttered We recited .

together lines from ou r best p oets and all the ,

time sh e was still sitting down and I standing

before her with my looks rapt in the contemplation
,

of the most lovely charms to which I remained ,

insensible in a ppearance for I had made up my ,

mind not to pres s her that evening for greater

favours than those I had already received .

The cardinal waking from his long and ,

peaceful siesta got up and j oined u s in his night

,

cap and good naturedly enquired whether we

,
-

had n ot felt impatient a t his pro trac t ed sle ep .

I remained until dark and went home highly

pleased with my day s work but determi ned ’
,

to keep my ardent desires in check un ti l the

oppo rtuni ty for compl ete vi ctory off ered i ts elf .
 3 92

I only come to be g of you some good

”
advice .

”
“
O n what subj ect can I advise you ?
Take this and read it ; it will explain every
thing .

It was a letter from his mi stres s ; the contents

were these :
“
I am pregnant of a child, th e pledge of
ou r mutual l o ve ; I can n o longer have any doub t

of it ,
my beloved and I forewarn you that I have
,

made up my mi nd to quit R ome alone and to ,

go away to die where it may please God if you ,

refuse to take care for me and save me I w o uld .

su ffer anything do anything rather than let m y

, ,

”
father discover the t r uth .

“ “
If you are a man of honour I said you , ,

cannot abandon the p oor girl Marry her in spite.

of your fa ther in spi te of her own and live

, ,

together honestly The eternal Provi dence of

.

God will watc h over you and help you in your

”
difficulties .

My advice seemed to bring calm t o h is mi nd ,

and h e left me more composed

-

At the beginning of January 1 74 4 he called , ,

“ ”
again looki ng very cheerful
, I have hired he
.
,
“
said the top floor of the house next to Barbara s ’

dwelling ; she kn ows it and to night I will gain

,
-

her apartment through on e of the windows of

the garre t and we wi ll make all our arrangements
,

to enable me to carry her off I have made up my

.
 3 93

mi nd ; I have dec i ded upo n taking her to N apl es ,

and I will take with us the servant who sleeping ,

”
in the garret had t o b e made a confidante of
,
.

“ ”
God speed you my friend ! ,
’
A week afterwards towards eleven o clock at ,

night he en tered my room accompanied by an

,

abbé .

”
Wha t do you wan t so la t e ?
I wish t o int r o duce you to this handsome

I looked up and t o my consterna tion I

,

recognized Barbara .

“ ”
Has anyone seen you enter the h ouse ? I
enquired .

“
No ; and if we had been seen wha t of it ? ,

It is only an abbé W e n o w pass every night

.

”
to gether .

“
I congra tulate y o u .

“
The servan t i s our fri end ; sh e h as consen te d
to follow us a nd all our arrangemen ts are com
,
”
pl eted .

I wi sh you every h a ppiness Adieu . . I beg

”
you to leave me .

Three or four days after that vi sit , as I was

walking with the Abbé Gama t owards the Villa
Medicis he t old me deliberately that there woul
,
d
“ ”
Wh at k ind o f execution ?
The bargello o r his lieut enan t wil l c o me to
I— 2 8
 3 94

execut e some or cli ne santis si m o or to visit some

'
,

suspicious dwelling in order to arrest and carry off

some person who does not expect anything of the
”
sort
”
H ow do vou know it ?

His eminence h as to know it f or the Pope ,

woul d not venture to encroach upon his jurisdiction

”
without asking h i s permissi on .

“ ”
And his eminence has given it ?
’
Yes on e of the Holy Father s auditors came
,
”
f or that purpose this morning .

”
“
Bu t th e cardinal mi ght have refused ?
O f course ; but such a permission is never
”
denied .

“
An d if the person to be arrested happened to
be un der the protection of the cardinal what —
”
then ?
“
His eminence would g1 ve timely warning to
”
that person .

We changed the convers ation but the news ,

had d isturbed me I fancied that the ex ecution

.

’
thr eatened Barbara and her lover f or her father s ,

house was under the Spanish jurisdiction I tried .

to see the young man but I could not succeed in

meeting him and I was afraid lest a visi t at his
,

h ome or at M Dal ac qua s dwelling mi gh t implica te

.
’

me Yet it is certain that this last conside ration

.

would n ot h ave stopped me if I had been positively

sure tha t they were threatened ; had I felt satisfi ed
o f their d anger I would have braved everything
, .
 3 96

The s birri have carried h im off as well as ,

th e servant I will tell you all abou t it My lover

. .

had inf ormed me that a carriage wo uld wait to

night at the foot of the flight of steps before the
Church of Trinita del Monte and that he wo ul d be ,

there himself I entered h is room through the

.

garret win do w an hour ago There I put on this .

disguise and accompanied by the servant pro

, , ,

c eeded to meet him The servant walked a few

.

yards before me and carried a parcel o f my things

, ,

At the corner of the str eet on e of the buckles of ,

my shoes being un fastened I stopped an ins tant ,

:

and the servant went on thinking tha t I was ,

foll owin g her She reached the carriage go t into

.
,

i t and as I was gettin g nearer the light fr o m a

, , ,

lantern disclosed to me some thirty s birri ; at the

same instant one of them got on the driver s box
, ,
’

and drove off a t full speed carrying ofl the servant, ,

whom they mus t have mi staken for me and my ,

lover who was in the coach awaiting me W hat .

c ou l d I do at such a fearf ul momen t ?

'

I coul d not
go b ack t o my fa ther s house and I followed my
’
,

first imp ul se which brought me here And here I .

am ! You t ell me that my presence will cause your

ruin ; if it i s so tell me what to do ; I feel I am
,

dyin g ; but find some expedient and I am ready to ,

do anything even to lay my life down ra ther than

, ,

”
be the cause of your rui n .

But sh e wep t more bi tterly than ever .

Her p osi ti on was so sad that I th o ught i t

 3 97

w o rse even than mine although I could a lm ost,

f ancy I saw ruin before me despite my innocence .

”
Le t me I said conduct you to your father ;
,
“
,

”
I feel sure of obtaining your pardon .

But my proposal only enhanced her fears .

“ ”
I am lost she exclaimed ; I know my
,

father Ah ! reverend sir turn me out into the

.
,
”
street and abandon me to my miserable fat e
, .

No doub t I ought to have done so and I ,

would have done i t if the consciousness of what

was due to my own int erest had been stronger
than my feeling of pity Bu t her tears ! I have .

often said it and those amongst my readers who

,

have experien ced it must be of the same op inion ;

,

there is nothing on ear th more irresistible than two

b eautiful eyes shed ding t ears when the owner o f ,

those eyes i s hands ome honest a nd unhap py ,

I ,
.

found myself physically unable to send her a wa y .

” “
My poor girl I said at las t when daylight
, ,

comes and tha t will not b e long for it i s past

, ,

”
midnight what do you intend t o do ?
,

”
she re plied
“
I must leave the palace sob , ,

bing. In this disguise no on e can recognize me ;

I will leave Rome and I will walk stra ight before
,

me until I fall on the ground dying with grief ,

and fatigu e .

With these words she fell on the floor She .

was choking ; I could s ee her face turn blu e ; I

was in the greates t dis t ress .

I took off her neck band unlaced her sta ys -

,
 8

under the abbe s dr ess I threw cold water in ,

her face and I finally succeeded in bringing her

,

back to consciousness .

The night was extremely cold and there was ,

no fire in m v room I advised her to get into my .

bed prom 1s1ng to respect her

, .

“
Alas ! reverend sir pity is the only f eeling ,
”
with which I can now inspire anyone .

And to speak the truth I was too deeply

,

moved and at the same time too full of anx iety

, , , ,

to le ave room in me for any desire Having in .

du c ed her to go to bed and her extreme weakness ,

preventing her from doing anything for herself ,

I undressed her and put her to bed thus proving ,

once more th at compassion will silence the most

imperious requirements of n atii re, in spi te of all
the charms which would under other circum ,

stances excite to the highest degree the senses

,

of a man
“

I lay down near her in my clo thes

.
,

and woke her at day break Her strength was -

.

somewhat restored she dressed herself alone an d

, ,

I left my room telling her to keep quiet until

,

my return I intended t o proceed to her father s

.
’

house and to solicit her pardon bu t having per

, , ,

cei ved some suspicious looking men loitering about -

the palace I thought it wi se to alter my mi nd

, ,

an d went to a coffee house -

.

I soon ascertained that a spy was watching

my movements at a distance ; but I did n ot appear
to notice him and having taken some chocolate
,
 00

to give orders to turn out of hi s palace a person wh o

was supposed to have tak en refuge in i t abou t mid
“ ”
night . We must wait said the abbé
,
until ,

the c ardinal i s visible but I am quite certain

,

that if anyone has taken refuge here unknown

,

to him h i s eminence will compel that person to

,
”
l eave the palace We then spoke of the weather
.

and other trifl es un til my serv ant brought my key .

Judging that I had at least an hour to spare I ,

bethought myself of a plan which alon e could save

Barbara from shame and misery .

Feeling certain that I w as un observed I went ,

up to my poor prisoner and made her write the

following words in French
“
I am an honest girl m onsign or though I am
, ,

disguised in the dress of an abbé I entreat your .

eminence to allow me to give my name only to you

and in person I hope that prompted by the great

.
,

goodness of your s oul your emi nence wi ll save m e

,
”
from dishonour .

I gave her the necessary instruc tions as to

sending the note to the cardinal assuring her that ,

he would have her brought to him as s oon as he

read it .

“ ”
Wh en you are in h i s presence I added , ,

throw yourself on your knees tell him everything ,

without any concealment except as regards your

,

having passed the night in my room You must .

be sure not to mention that circu ms tance for the ,

cardinal must remain in complete ignorance of my

 4 01

knowing anything whatever of this int rigue Tell .

h im that seeing your lover carried off you rushed

, ,

to h is palace and ran upstairs as far as you could

g o
,
and that after a mos t painful night Heaven
inspired you with the idea of writing t o him to
entrea t his pity I feel certain that one way or the
.
,

other his eminence will save you from di shon o ur

, ,

and it cer tainly is the only chance you have of

be ing united to the man you love so dearly .

She promised to follow my i nstructions

faithfully and coming down I had my hair
, , ,

dressed and went to church where the cardinal ,

saw me I then went out and returned only f or

.

dinner during which the only subj ect of con

,

versation was the adventure of the night Gama .

alone said nothing and I f o ll o wed h is example but

, ,

I underst ood from all the talk g oing on round the

table that the cardinal had taken my poor Barbara
under his protection That was all I wanted and
.
,

thinking that I had nothi ng more t o fear I con

gratulated myself i n petto upon my s tratagem
, , ,

which had I thought p roved a mas ter s troke

, ,
-
.

After dinner finding myself alone with Gama I

, ,

asked him what was the meaning of it all and thi s ,

is what he to ld me
“
A father whose nam e I do not know yet
, ,

h ad request ed the assistance of the Vicar General -

t o prevent his son from carrying off a young girl ,

with whom he intended to leave the States of the

Church ; the p a ir had arr a nged to meet a t m i dnigh t
 4 02

in this very square and the Vicar h aving pre

, ,

vi ou sly obtained the consent of ou r cardinal as I ,

told you yesterday gave orders to the bargello to

,

dispose his men in such a way as to catch the

young people in the very act of runni ng away and ,

to arrest them The orders were executed but the

.
,

s birri found ou t when they returned to the bargel lo

,
-
,

that they had met with only a half success the ,

woman who got out of the carriage with the youn g

man not belonging to that species likely to be
carried off So on afterwards a spy informed th e
.

bargel lo that at the very moment the arrest was

,

executed he had seen a young abbé r un away

,

very rapidly and take refuge in this palace an d the ,

suspicion immediately arose that it might b e the

missing young lady in the disguise of an eccl esi
asti c
. The bargello re ported to the Vicar General -

the failure of his men as well as the account given

,

by the spy and the Prelate sharing the suspicion

, ,

of the police sent to his eminence ou r master

, , ,

requesting him to have the person in question ,

man or woman turned ou t of the palace unless

, ,

such person should happen to be known to his

excel lency and therefore above suspicion
,
Car .

dinal Acquaviva was made acquainted with these

circumstances at nine this morning through the
auditor you met in my room and he promised to ,

have the person sent away unless sh e belonged

to his household .

“
Acc ording t o hi s promise the cardinal ,
to Gama , h owever suspicious he might be
natur ally and I was certain that he would n ot
,

have told me anything if he had guessed the

share I had taken in the adventure and the ,

interest I must have felt in it .

The next day Gama came to my room with

,

a radiant countenance an d informed me that the

,

Cardinal Vicar was aware of the ravisher being

-

my friend and supposed that I was likewise the

,

friend of the girl as sh e was the daughter of

,
“ “
my French teacher Everybody he added
. is
, ,

satisfied that you knew the whole afl air and it ,

is natural to suspect that the poor girl spent the

night in your room I admire your prudent
.

reserve during our conversation of yesterday .

You ke pt so well on your guard that I would

have sworn you knew nothing whatever of the
”
affair
.

“
And it is the t r uth I answered very
, ,

“
seriously ; I have only learned all the circum
stances from you this moment I kn ow the girl .
,

but I have not seen her f or six weeks since I ,

gave u p my French less ons ; I am much better

acquainted with the young man but he never ,

confided hi s proj ect to me However people

.
,

may believe whatever they please Y ou say that .

it i s natural for the girl to have p assed the night

in my room but you will not mind my laughing
,

in the face of those who accept their own

”
suppositions as realities .
 4 05
“
That my dear friend said the abbé is , ,

one of the vices of the Romans ; happy those

who can afl ord to laugh at it ; but this slander
may do you harm even in the mind of ou r ,

cardinal .

As there was no performance a t the O pera

’
that night I went to the cardinal s r eception ;
,

I found no difference towards me either in the

cardinal s manners or in those of any other
’
,

pers on and the marchioness was even more

,

gracious than usual .

After dinner on the following day Ga ma

, ,

informed me that the cardinal had sent the youn g

girl to a convent in which she would be well treated
’
at his eminence s expense and that he was cert ain ,

that she would leave it only to become the wife of

the young doctor .

“
I should be very happy if it should tu rn ou t
” “
so I replied ; for they are both most estimable
,

”
people.

Two days afterwards I called upon Fa ther ,

Georgi and he told me with an air of sorrow that

, , ,

the great news of the day in Rome was the failure

of the attempt to carry off Dal ac qu a s daughter ’
,

and that all the hon our of the int rigue was gi ven ‘

to me which displeased him much

, I told him .

what I had al ready told Gama and he appeared t o ,

believe me but he added that in Rome people did

,

not want to know things as they t ruly were bu t ,

only as they wished them to be .

 4 06

It is known that you have been in the habit

,

of going every morning to D al ac qu a s hous e ; it is

’

known that the young man often called on you ;

that is quite enough P eople do not care to know
.

the circumstances which might counteract th e

slander but only those likely to gi ve it new f orce
, ,

for slander is vastly relished in the Holy City Y our .

innocence will not prevent the whol e adventure

being booked to your account if in forty years , ,
”
time you were proposed as pope in the c onclave .

During the f oll ow1ng days the fatal adventure

began to cause me more annoyance than I could
express for everyone mentioned it to me and I
, ,

c ould see clearly that people pretended to b elieve

what I said only bec ause they did not dare to do
otherwise . The marchioness told me j eeringly
that the Signora Dal acqu a had contracted peculiar
obligations towards me but my sorrow was very
,

great when during the last days of the carnival

, ,

I remarked that Cardinal Acquaviva s manner had ’

become constrained although I was the only person

,

who observed the change .

The noise made by the aff air was however , ,

beginning to subside when in the first days of

, ,

Lent the cardinal desired me to come to his private

,

room , and spoke as follows :

“
T he affair of the girl Dal ac qu a is now over ;
it is no longer spoken of bu t the verdict of th
,

public is that you and I have profited by the clum

sin ess of the young man who intended to carry h e r
 4 08

sure to find employment My le tters of recom

.

m en dation will be in my own handwriting and ,

nobody need know where you a re going Meet .

me to morrow at the Vill a Negroni and let m e

-
,

know where my letters are to be addressed Yo u .

must b e ready to start within a week Believe .

me I am sorry to l ose you ; but the sacrifice i s

,

for c ed upon m e by the most absurd prejudice .

”
Go now and do not let me witness your grief
,
.

He spoke the last words because he saw my

eyes filling with t ears and he did n ot give me
,

time to answer B efore leaving hi s ro om I had

.
,

the strength of mind to compose myself and I put ,

on such an air of cheerfuln ess that the Abbé Gama ,

who t ook me to hi s room to drink some coffee ,

complimented me upon my happy looks .

“ ” “
I am sure he said that they are caused
, ,

by the conv ersation you have had with h is

”
eminence .

“
You are right ; but you do not know the
sorrow at my heart which I try n ot to shew ou t
”
wardly .

“ ”
What so rrow ?
I am afraid of failing in a difli cul t mission
which the cardinal h as entrusted me with this
morning I am compelled to conceal how little
.

confidence I feel in myself in order not to lessen

the good o pinion h is eminence i s pleased to enter
tain of me .

“
If my ad vice can be of any servi ce to y o u ,
 4 09

pray disp o se of me ; but you are qui t e righ t t o

shew yourself calm and cheerful Is it any busi .

”
ness to transact in R ome ?
“
No it is a j ourney I shall have to undertake
”
in a week or ten days .

“ ”
Which way ?
T owards the wes t .

“
O h ! I am not curious to know .

I went ou t alone and took a walk in the Villa

Bo rghese where I spent two hours wrapped in
,

dark despair I liked Rome I was on th e high

.
,

road to fortune and suddenly I found myself in

,

the abyss without knowing where to go and

, ,

with all my hopes scattered to the winds I .

examined my conduct I judged mysel f severely

, ,

I could no t find myself guilty of any crime save

,

o f too much kindness but I perceived how right

,

the goo d Father Georgi had been My duty was .

not only to take n o part in the intrigue of the

two lovers but also to change my French t eacher
,

the moment I heard of it ; but this was like calling

in a doctor after death has struck the pa tient .

B esides young as I was having no exp erience

, ,

yet of misfortune and still less of the wick edness

‘

of soc i ety it was very difficult for me t o have

,

that prudence which a man gains only by long

intercourse with the world .

“ ”
Where sh all I go ? Th i s was the question
which seemed to me i mpo ss ible of s olu tion I .

thought of it all thr o ugh the nigh t and through ,

1— 2 9
 4 10

the m orning but I thought in vain ; after Rome

, ,

I was indiff erent were I went to !

In the evening not caring f or any supper
, ,

I had gone to my room ; the Abbé Gama came

to me with a r equest from the cardinal not t o
accept any invi tation to dinner f or the next day ,

as he wanted t o speak to me I therefore waited .

upon his eminence the next day at the Villa

Negroni he was walking with hi s secretary ,

whom he dismissed the moment he saw me As .

soon as we were alone I gave him all the p a r ,

ti cu l ars of the intri gue of th e two lovers and I ex ,

pressed in the most vivid manner the sorrow I felt

at leaving his ser vice .

”
“
I have n o hope of success I a dded “
fo r, ,

I am certain that Fortune will smile upon me

”
onl v as long as I am n e ar your eminence .

F or nearly an hour I t old him all the gri ef

with which my heart was bursting weeping ,

bitterly ; yet I co ul d n ot move him from his

decision. Kindly bu t firmly he pressed me t o
,

tell h im to what part of Europe I wan ted to go ,

and despair as much as vexation made me name

Constantinople .

“ ”
Constantinople ! he exclaimed moving back ,

a step or two .

“ ”
Yes monsignor Constantinople I repea ted
, , , ,

wiping away my tears .

The prela te a man of grea t wit but a

, ,
 4 12

I di n ed al o ne with his eminenc e ; he ma de

a great show of pec ul iar kindness and I of great
satisfaction for m y self pride stronger even than
,
-
,

my sorrow forbade me to let anyone gues s that

,

I was in disgrace My deepest grief was h ow

.
,

marchioness with whom I was ,

1n love and from whom I had not obtained any

important favour .

Two days afterwards the cardi nal gave me ,

a passport for Venice and a sealed letter addressed

,

to O sman Bonneval Pach a of C aram ania in

, ,

Constantinople There was no n eed of my saying

.

anything to anyone but as the cardin al had not

, ,

forbidden me to do it I shewed the address on,

the letter to all my acquain tances .

The Chevalier de L ezze the Venetian Am

b assador gave me a letter for a wealthy Turk a
, ,

very worthy man who had b een his friend ; Don

Gaspar and Father Georgi asked me to write to
them but the Abbé Gama laughed and said he
, ,

was quite sure I was not going to Constantinople .

I went to take my farewell of Donn a C ecilia '

who had just rec eived a letter from Lucrezia ,

imparting the news that she would soon be a

mother . I also call ed upon Angélique and D o n
Francisco who had lat ely been marri ed and had
,

not invited me to the weddi ng .

When I called to tak e Cardinal Acqua viva s ’

fin al instructions he gave me a purse containing

one hundred o un ces worth seven hundred sequi ns
,
.
 4 13

I had three hundred more so that my f ortun e

,

amounted to one thousand sequins ; I kept two

hundred and for the rest I took a letter of ex
,

change upon a Ragusan who was es tablished in

Ancona. I left Rome in the coach with a lady
going to O ur Lady Of Loretto to fulfil a vow
,

made during a severe illness of her daughter who

,

accompanied her The young lady was ugly ; my

.

j ourney was a rather t edious one

.
 CHAPTER XI

M Y S H ORT BUT AT H ER T OO GAY VI S IT TO AN C ON A

R

C ECILIA M ARINA B ELLIN O— T H E GREEK S LAVE

, ,

O F T H E LA Z Z A RETT O— B ELLI NO DI S C OVERS H I M

“

S ELF

I A RRIVED in Ancona on the 2 5th of February ,

1 74 4
, an d put up at the best inn Pleased with .

my room I told mine hos t to prepare for me a

,

good meat dinner ; but he answered tha t during

Lent all good Catholics eat noth ing but fi sh .

“
The Holy Father h as gran ted me permission
”
to ea t mea t
“
Let me see your permission .

He gave it to me by word of mouth .

Reverend sir I am not obliged to believe

,

You are a fool .

I am master in my own house and I beg

”
you will go to some other inn .

Such an answer coupled to a mos t

, unexpec ted
notice to quit threw me into a violent
, passion I
.

was swearing raving screaming when

, , ,
suddenly a
 4 16

soon came up again informed me that peace was ,

signed and that I wo ul d be served imm e di ately

,
.

“ ”
Will you not take supper with me ?
N0 but I will keep you company
,
.

I accepted hi s offer and to learn who he was , ,

I told hi m my name giving myself the title of ,

secretary to Cardin al Acquaviva .

“
My name is Sancio Pico he said ; I am ,

a Castilian and the pr ovedi tor e of the army of

,

H C M whi ch is c omm anded by Count de Gages

. . .
,

un der the orders of the generalissimo the Duke of ,

”
Modena .

My excellent appetite astonished hi m and he ,

“
enquired whether I had din ed No said I ; and .
,

I saw his coun tenance assume an air of satisfaction .

“
Are you not afraid such a supper will hurt
”
y ou ? he said .

O n the contrary I hope it will do me a ,

”
great deal of good .

”
Then you have deceived the Pope ?
N o for I did not tell him that I had no
,

appetite but only that I liked meat b etter than

,
”
fish .

“
If you feel disposed to hear some good
” “
music he said a moment after follow me to the
, ,

next room ; the prima donn a of An cona li ves

”
there .

The words prima donna in terested me at once ,

and I foll owed him I saw sitting before a table

.

a woman already somewh a t advanced in age with ,

 4 17

two young girls and two boys bu t I looked in ,

vain for the actress whom Don Sancio Pico

,

at last presented to me in the shape of one of the

two boys who was remarkably handsome and migh t
,

have been seventeen I though t he was a cas trate

.

who as i s the custom in Rome performed all the

, ,

parts of a prima donna Th e mother presented.

to me her other son likewis e very good looking

,
-
,

but more ma nly than the cas trate although younger , .

H i s name was Petronio and keeping u p the trans

, ,

formations of the family he was the first female ,

dancer a t the opera The eldest girl who was

.
,

also introduced to me was nam ed Cecil i a and

, ,

studied music ; sh e was twelve years old ; the

youngest called Marina was only eleven and like
, , ,

her brother Petronio was cons ecrated to the wor

ship of Terpsichore Both the girls were very
.

pretty .

The family came from Bologna and lived

upon the t alent of its members ; cheerfulne ss and
amiability replaced wealth with them .

Bellino such was the name of the cas trate

, ,

yielding to the entreaties of Don Sancio rose from ,

the t able went to the harpsichord and s ang wi th

, ,

the voice of an angel and with delightful grac e .

The Castilian lis tened with his eyes closed in an

ecstasy of enjoyment but I far from closing my
, ,

eyes gazed into Bellino s which seemed to dart

,
’
,

amorous lightnings upon me I could di sc o ver in .

him some of the f ea tures of Lucrezi a a nd the

 4 18

gra c eful m anner o f the marchioness and everyth ing ,

betrayed a beautif ul woman for h i s dr ess concealed

, ,

but imperfectly the most splendid bos om The .

cons equence was that in spite of h is havi ng been

,

introduc ed as a man I fancied that the se call ed

,
-

Bellino was a di sgui sed beauty and my imagina , ,

tion taking a t once the highest flight I bec ame ,

thoroughly enamoured .

We spen t two very pleas ant hours and I ,

returned to my room acc o mpanied by the Castilian .

“ ”
I intend to leave very early to morrow morni ng -
,

he said f or Sinigagl ia with the Abbé Vilm arcati

, , ,

but I expect to return for supper the day after

”
to morrow
-
I wished him a happy j ourney
.
,

saying that we would most likely meet on the

road as I should probably leave Ancona myself
,

on the same day after paying a visit to my

,

ba nk er .

I went to b ed th ink ing of Bellino and of the

impression he had made upo n me ; I was sorry
to go away without ha vi ng proved to h im tha t
I was not the dupe of his disgui se Accor dingly I .
,

was well pleased to see hi m enter my room in

the morning as soon as I had opened my doo r .

He came to offer me the servi ces of h i s youn g

brother Petroni o during my stay in Ancona in ,

stead of my engaging a ealet de plac e I will ingly .

agreed to the propo s al and sent Petronio to get

,

coffee for all the family

“

I asked Bellin o to sit on my bed with the

 4 20
'

ashamed I told him to order dinner for six

.

persons but he remarked that he would order

,

it only for four as he had to k eep his d ear mother

,

company ; sh e always took her dinner in bed .

Everyone to h is taste I thought and I let him , ,

do as he pleased .

T wo minut es after he had gone the landlord ,

“
came to my room and said Reverend sir the , ,

pers ons you have invit ed have each the appetite

of two men at least ; I give you notice of it be ,
” “ ”
cause I must charge accordingly Al l r i ght I .
,
“ ”
repli ed but let u s have a go od dinner
,
.

When I was dressed I thought I ough t to ,

pay my compliments to the compliant mother .

I went t o her room and congratulated her upon ,

her children She thanked me f or the present

.

I had given to Petronio and began to make me ,

“
the confidant of her di stress The manager of .

” “
the theatre sh e said i s a miser who has given
, ,

u s only fifty Roman crowns for the whole carnival .

We have spent them f or ou r livin g and to re , ,

turn to Bolo gn a we shall have to walk a nd ,

”
b eg ou r way Her confidence moved my pity
.
,

so I t o ok a gold quadruple from my purse

and off ered it to her ; sh e wept for joy and
g ratitude .

“
I promise you ano ther gold quadruple ,
” “
madam I said if you will confide in me entirely
, , .

Confess that Bellino is a pretty woman in dis

”
guise.
 4 21

I can a ssure you it is no t so al though he ,

”
has the appearance of a woman .

“
N ot only the appearance madam but the , ,
”
tone the manners ; I am a good judge
, .

Nevertheless he is a boy for he has had

, ,

to be examined before he could sing on the stage

”
here.

”
And who examined him ?
’
My l ord bishop s chaplain .

”
A chaplain ?
Yes an d you may satisfy yourself by eu
,
”
quiring from him .

“
The only way to clear my doub t s would
”
be to examine him myself .

“
You may if he has no obj ection but t ruly
, ,

I cannot interfere as I do not know what your

,
”
intentions are .

“
They are quite n atural .

I returned to my room and sent Petronio for

a bottle of Cyprus wine He brought the wine .

and seven sequins the change for the doubloon

,

I had given him I divided them between Bellino

.
,

Cecilia and Marina and begged the two young ,

girls to leave me alone with their b rother .

“
Bellino I am certain th at your natural
,

conformation is diff erent from mine ; my dear ,

”
you are a girl .

“
I am a m an bu t a cas trate ; I have been
,

”
examined .

“
Allow me t o examine you likewise and I ,
”
will give ou a doubl o on .
 4 22

I ca nn o t for it i s evident that you love me

, ,

”
and such love i s condemned by religion .

“
Y ou did not raise these obj ections with the
”
bishop s ch aplain
’
.

‘
He was an elderly priest and besides he , ,

only jus t glanced at me .

”
“
I will kn ow the truth said I ex t ending , ,

my hand boldly .

But he repulsed me and rose from hi s chair .

H i s obstinacy vex ed me for I had already spent ,

fifteen or sixteen s equins to satisfy my curiosity .

I began my dinner with a very bad humour ,

but the excellen t appetite of my pretty guests ‘

brought me round and I soon thought that after, ,

all cheerfulnes s was better than sulking and I

, ,

resolved to make up for my disappointment with

the two charming sisters who seemed well disposed ,

to enj oy a frolic .

I b egan by distributing a few innocent kisses

right and left as I sat between them near a
,

good fire eating chestnuts which we we tt ed with

,

Cyprus wine But very seen my greedy hands

.

to uched every part which my lips could not ki ss ,

and Cecilia as well as Marina delight ed in the

, ,

game . Seeing that Bellino was smiling I kissed ,

him likewise and his half —open ruffle a ttracting

,

my hand I ventured and went in wi thout resistance

, .

The chisel of Praxit eles had never carved a finer

bosom !
“ ”
O h ! this i s enough I exclaimed ; I can “
,
 4 24

I was jus t locking my d oo r when Cecilia hal f

"

undressed came in to say that Bellino begged me

,

to take him to Rimini where he was engaged to

,

sing in an opera to be perf ormed after Eas ter .

“
Go and tell him my dear l ittle seraph that
, ,

I am ready to do what he wishes if he will o nl y ,

grant me in your presence what I desire ; I want

to k n ow f or a certainty whether he i s a man or a
”
woman .

She left me and returned so on sayin g that ,

Bellino had gone to bed but that if I woul d post

,

pone my departure for one day only he promised

to satisfy me on the morrow
“
T ell me the t ruth Cecilia and I will give
, ,

y ou si x sequins .

“
I cannot earn them f or I have never seen ,

him nak ed and I cann ot swear to his being a girl

,
.

But he must be a man otherwise he would not ,

”
have been allowed to perform here .

“
W ell I will remain until the day after
,

to morrow
-
provided you keep me company to
,
”
night .

“ ”
Do you love me very much ?
“
Very much indeed if you shew yourself ,
”
very kind .

“
I will b e very kind for I love you dearly ,

likewi se I will go and tell my mother

. .

“ ”
O f course you have a lover ?
”
I never had on e .

She left my room and in a short time came

,
 4 25

b a ck full of joy saying that her mother bel ieved

,

me an honest m an ; she of course mean t a

generous on e Ceci lia locked the door and
.
,

throwing herself in my arms covered me with

kisses She was pretty charming but I was not
.
, ,

in love with her and I was n ot able to say to her

,
“ ”
as to Lucrezia : You have made me so hap py !
But she said i t herself and I did not feel much
'

flat tered although I pretended to believe her

,
.

When I woke up in the morning I gave her a

tender salutation an d presenting her with three
,

doubloons which mus t have particularly delighted

,

the mother I sent her away withou t losing

,

my time in promising everlasting constancy a —

promise as absurd as it is tri fling and which the ,

m ost virtuous man ought never to make e ven to

the most beautiful of women .

After breakfast I sen t for mine host and

or dered an excellen t supper for five persons ,

feeling certain that Don Sancio whom I expected ,

in the evening would not refuse t o honour me by

,

accepting my invitation and with tha t idea I made

,

up my min d to go without my dinner The

Bologne se family did no t require to imitate my
diet t o insure a good appetite for the evening .

I then summoned Bellino to my room and ,

claimed the performance of his promise but he

laughed remark ed that the day was not passed
,

yet and said that he was certain of tr a veling

,

with me .

1— 3 0
 4 26

“
I fairly warn you that you cannot accompany
”
me unl ess I am ful ly sa tisfied
“
Well I will satisfy y o u
,
.

“ ”
Shall we go an d take a walk together ?
“ ”
Willi ngly I wil l dress myself .

Whil e I was waiting f or hi m Marina came in ,

with a dej ecte d co un tenance enquiring h ow sh e ,

had deserved my contempt .

“
C ecilia h as passed the night with you ,

B ellino will go with you to morrow I am the most -

,

”
unfortunate of u s all .

“ ? ”
Do you want money
”
N o f or I love you
,
.

But Marinetta you are too young

, ,
.

”
I am much stronger than my sister .

”
Perhaps you have a lover .

“ ”
O h ! no .

“
Very well we can try this evening
,
.

“
Good ! Then I will tell mother to prepare
clean sheets for to morrow morning ; otherwise
-

”
everybody here wo ul d kn ow that I slept with you .

I could not help a dmi rin g the fruits of a

theatrical education and was much amused
, .

B ellino came back we went out together an d

, ,

we took ou r walk towards the harbour There

were several ve ssels at anchor and amongst them ,

a Venetian ship and a Turki sh tartan We went .

on board the first which we visited with interes t ,

but not s eeing anyone of my acquaintance we ,

rowed to wards the Turkish tartan where the most ,

 4 28

lin e, who stood there trembling like an aspen leaf .

The trifl es chosen by the han dsome slave cost

me only thirty sequins S pelai tis sh e said to me .
,

in her own language and the Turk telling her th at

,

sh e ought to kiss me she covered her face with her

,

hands and ran away I left the ship more sad

,
.

than pleased for I regretted that in spite of her

, ,

courage she shoul d have enj oyed only an in com

,

p l ete pleasure As soon as.we were in our row

boat Bellino who had recovered from his fright
, , ,

told me that I had just made him acquainted with

a phenomenon the reality of which he could not
,

admit and which gave him a very str ange idea

,

of my nature ; that as far as the Greek girl was

,
'

concerned h e could not make her out unless I

, ,

should assure him that every woman in her

“
country was like her H ow unhappy they must .

”
be ! he added .

“
“
D o you think I asked that coquettes
, ,
”
are happier ?
“
N 0 but I think that when a woman yields
,

to love sh e should no t be conquered before sh

,
e

h as fought with her own desires ; she should not

give way to the firs t i mpulse o f a lustful desire an
abandon herself to the first man who takes her
—
fancy like an animal the slave of sense You .
,

must confess that the Greek woman has given you

an evident proof th at vou had t aken her fancy ,

but that sh e has at the same time given you a

proof no t less cer ta in of her beastly lust a nd of ,
 4 29

an effr o ntery which expo sed her to the shame of

being repulsed for she could not possibly know
,

whether you would feel as well disposed for her

as she felt for you She is very handsome and
.
,

i t all turned out well but the adventure has

,

thrown me into a whirlpool of agitation which I

”
cannot yet control .

I might easily have put a stop to Bellino s ’

perplexity and rectified the mistake he was

,

labouring under ; but such a confessi o n would

not have ministered to my self love and I held -
,

my peace for if Be ll ino h a ppened to be a girl

, , ,

as I suspected I wanted her to be convinced that

,

I attached after al l but very little importance

, ,

to the great afl air and that it was not worth

,

while employing cunning expedients to obtain it .

We returned to the inn and towards evening , , ,

’
hearing Don San ei e s travelling car riage roll into
the yard I hastened to meet him and told him
, ,

that I hoped he would excu se me if I had felt

certain that he would not refuse me the honour
of his company to supper with Bellino He thanked .

m e politely for the pleasure I was so delicately

o ffering to him and accepted my invitation
,
.

The most exquisite dishes the most delicious ,

wines of Spain and more than everything else

, , ,

the cheerfulness and the charming voices of Bellino

and of Cecil ia gave the Castilian five delightful
,

hours. He left me at midnight saying that he ,

could not declare himself thoroughly pleased unless

 43 0

I pro mi sed to sup with hi m the next evening wi th

the same guests It would compel me to postpone
.

my departu re f or another day but I accepted , .

A s soon as Don Sancio h ad gone I called ,

upon Bellin o to fulfil h i s promis e but he answered ,

that Marinetta was waiting for me and that as I , ,

was not going away the next day he would find ,

an oppo rtunity of s ati sfying my doubts ; and wishing

me a good night he left the room
,
.

Marinetta as cheerful as a lark ran to lock

, ,

the door and came back to me her eyes beaming ,

with ardou r She was more formed than Cecilia

.
,

although one yea r younger and seemed anxious ,

to convince me of her superiority but thinking , ,

that the fatigue of the p receding night might h ave

exhauste d my strength she un folded all the
,

amorous ideas of her mind expl a ined at length ,

all she knew of the great mystery she was going

to enact with me and of all the contrivance s sh e
,

had had recourse to in order t o acquire her imper

feet knowledge th e whole interlarded with the
,

foolish talk natural to her age I made out that .

she was afraid of my not finding her a maiden ,

and of my repro aching her about it Her anxiety .

pleased me and I gave her a new confidenc e by

,

telling her that nature had refused to many young

gi rls what i s called maidenhood and that only a ,

fool could be angry with a girl for such a reason .

My science gave her courage and confidence ,

and I was compelled to acknowledge that sh e

was very superi o r t o her sis ter .
 '

43 2

they enj oyed good health if they had cheerfuln es s ,

in their heart and money in their purse if they ,

h ad for their enj oyment a Cecilia a Marinetta and , ,

even a more lovely beauty in perspective they ,

would soon entert ain a very different opini on of

life ! I hold them to be a race of pessimi sts ,

rec ruited amongst beggarly phi losophers and

knavish atrabilious theologians If pleasur e doe s
,
.

exist and if life is necessary to enj oy pleasure

, ,

then life is happiness There are misfortun es as

.
,

I know by experience ; but the very existence of

such misfortunes proves that the su m total of -

happiness is greater Because a few th orns are

.

to be found in a basket full of roses is the ,

existence of those beautiful flowers to be denied ?

No it is a slander to deny that life is happiness .

When I am in a dark room it pl eases me greatly ,

to see through a window an i mmense horizon

before me .

As supper time was drawing near I went to

-
,

Don Sancio whom I found in m agnifi cently

,

furnished apartm ents The table was loaded

.

with silver plate and his servants were in livery

,
.

He was alone but all his guests arrived so on

,

—
after me Cecilia Marina and Belli no who either
, , , ,

by caprice or from taste was dressed as a woman , .

The two young sisters p rettily arranged look ed, ,

charming but Bellino in his female costume so

, , ,

completely threw them into the shade that my ,

last doubt vanished .

 43 3

”
Are you satisfied I said to Don Sancio , ,
”
“
tha t Bellino is a woman ?
Woman or man what do I care ! I think,

he is a very pretty cas trate and I have seen ,

”
many as good looking as he is
- .

But are you sure he is a cas trate ?

“ ”
Valgam e Di es ! answered the grave Cas
til ian I have not the slightest wish to ascert ain
,
“

the t ruth .

O h how widely difl erent our thoughts were !

,

I admired in him the wisdom of which I was so

much in n eed and did not venture upon any more
,

indiscreet questions During the supper however

.
, ,

my gr eedy eyes could not leave that charming

being ; my viciou s nature caused me to feel intense
volup tuousness in believing him to be of that sex
to which I wanted him t o belong .

Don San eie s supper was excellent and a s a

’
, ,

matter of course superior to mine ; o therwise the

,

pride of the Castilian would h ave felt humbled .

As a general rule men are not sa tisfied with what

,

is good ; they want the bes t or to speak more to , ,

the point th e m os t He gave us white truffles

, .
,

several sort s of shell fi sh the bes t fish of the-

,

Adriatic dry champagne peralta sherry and

, , ,

p ed rox i m en es wines .

After that supper worthy of Lucullus Bellino ,

sang with a voice of such be auty that it deprived

us of the small amoun t of re ason left in us by the
excellent wine His movements the expressi o n of
.
,
 43 4

hi s looks his gait his walk his c ountenance h i s

, , , ,

voice and above all my own instinct which t old

, , , ,

me that I could not possibly feel f or a cas trate '

what I felt for Bellino confirmed me in my hopes ,

"

yet it was necessary that my eyes should ascertain

the truth .

After many compliments and a thou sand

thanks we took leave of the grand Spaniard and
, ,

went to my room where the mystery was at last

,

to be unravelled I called upon Bellino to keep

.

his word or I threatened to leave him al one the

,

next morning at day —break .

I took him by the hand and we seated ou r ,

selves near the fire I di smissed Cecilia and .

M arina an d I said to him

, ,
“
Bellino everything must have an end ; you
,

have promised : it will soon be over If you are .

what you represent yourself to be I will let you ,

go back to your own ro om ; if you are what I

believe you to be and if you consent to remain
,

with me to night I will give you on e hundred

-
,

sequins and we will start tbgeth er to morrow

,
-

”
morning .

“
Y ou must go alone and forgive me if I ,

cannot fulfil my promise I am what I told you .

,

an d I can neith er reconcile myself to the idea of

exposing my shame before you nor lay myself ,

open to the terrible consequences that might follow

”
the soluti on of your doubts .

“
There can be n o cons equences since there ,
 43 6

Early the nex t morning I left Anc on a with

him distracted by the tears of the two charmi ng
,

sisters and lo aded with the blessings of the mother

wh o with beads in hand mumbled her pater nos ter
, , ,

and repeated her constant theme : Di e pr ec edent .

The trust placed in Providence by most of

those persons wh o earn their living by some pro
f essi on forbidden by religion is neither absurd n or ,

false nor deceitful ; it is real and even godly f or

, ,

it flows from an excellent source Whatever may .

be the ways of Providence h uman b eings mus t ,

always acknowledge it in its action and those who ,

c al l u pon Providence independently of all external

consideration must at th e bottom be worthy
, , ,

although guilty of transgressing its l aws .

Pu lchra L averna ,

Da m i hi f j
alter e; ola us te s an ctoqa e vi d eri ;
'

N ectem pec catis c t fraa di bus ebji ce nu b em

,
.

Such was the way in which in the days of ,

Horace robbers addressed their go ddess and I

, ,

recoll ect a Jesuit who told m e once that Ho race

would not have known his own language if he ,

had said jus to s an ctoga e : but there were ignorant

men even amongst the Jesuits and robbers most ,

likely have but little respect f or the r ul es of

grammar .

The next morning I started with Bellino who , ,

b elieving me to be undeceived could suppose that ,

I would not shew any more curiosity about him ,

but we had not been a quarter of an hour t ogether

 43 7

when he found out his mistake f or I could no t let ,

my looks fall upon his splendid eyes without feeling

in me a fire which the sight of a man could not
have ignited I told him that all his features were
.

those of a woman and that I wanted the testimony

,

of my eyes before I could feel perf ectly satisfied ,

because the protuberance I had fel t in a cer tain

place might be only a freak of n ature Should .

” “
it be the case I added ,
I should have n o ,

difficulty in passing over a deform ity wh ich in ,

reality is only laughable Bellino the impression

,
.
,

you produce upon me this sort of magnetism your

, ,

bosom worthy of Venus herself which you h ave ,

once abandoned t o my eager hand the soun d o f ,

your voice every movemen t of yours assure me

, ,

that you do not belong to my sex Let me see for .

myself and if my conj ectures are righ t depend

, , ,

upo n my faithful love ; if on the contrary I fin d , ,

tha t I have been mis taken you can rely upon my ,

friendship If y ou refuse me I shall be compelled

.
,

to believe that you are cruelly enj oyi ng my

misery an d that you have learned in the most
,

accursed school that the best way of preventing

a young man from curing himself of an amorous
passion is to excite it constantly ; bu t you must .

agree with me that to put such tyranny in ,

practice it is necess ary to hate the person it is

,

practised upon an d if that be so I o ught to call

, , ,

upon my r eason to give me the strength n ecessary

”
to hate you likewi se .
 43 8

I went on speaking for a long time ; Bellino

did not answer but he seemed deeply moved At
,
.

last I told him that in the fearful state to which

,

I was reduced by his resistance I should be c om ,

p ell ed t o treat him without any regard for his

feelings and find ou t the truth by force
,
He .

“
answered with much warmth and dignity : Rec el
lect that you are not my master that I am in ,

your hands because I had faith in your promise

, ,

and that if you u se violence you will be guilty

, ,

of murder O rder the po stillion to stop I will

.
,

get ou t of the carriage and you may rely upon ,

my not c ompl ainin g of your treatment .

T h es e few words were followed by a torrent

of tears a sigh t which I never could resist I
felt myself moved in the inm
.
,

ost r ecesses of my
soul and I almost thought that I had been wrong
,
.

I say alm os t because had I been convinced of it

, , ,

I would have thrown myself at h i s feet entr eating

p ardon ; but not feeling myself comp etent t o stand
,

in judgment in my own cause I satisfied myself ,

by remaining dull and silent and I never ut tered ,

on e word until we were only half a mile from

Si nigagl ia where I intended to take supper and

,

to remain for the night Having fought long .

enough with my own feelings I said to him , ,

“
W e might have spent a little time in Rimini
like good friends if you had felt any friendshi p
,

for me for with a little kind compliance you

, , ,
”
could have easily cur ed me of my passion .
 440

your passion now very natural would then b e

, ,

come monstrous Your ardent nature would be

.

stronger than your r eason an d your reason itself ,

would easily come to the assistance of your senses

and of your nature That violent clearing u p of
.
-

the mystery were you to obtain it would le ave

, ,

you deprived of all control over yourself Di s .

appointed in not finding what you had expected ,

you would satisfy your passion upon that which

you would find an d the resul t would of course
, , ,

be an abomination How can you intelligent as.

,

you are flatter yourself that finding me to be a

, ,

man you could all at once cease to love me ?

,

Would the charms which you now see in me cease

to exist then ? Perhaps th eir power would on the ,

contrary be enhanced and your passion becoming

, , ,

brutal would lead you t o take any me ans your

,

imagination suggested t o gratify it You would .

persuade yourself that you mi gh t ch a nge me into

a woman o r what i s worse tha t you might
, , ,

change yourself in to one Your pas sion would .

inven t a thousand sophisms to jus tify your love ,

decorat ed with the fine appella tion of friendship ,

and you would not fa il to allege hundreds of

similarly disgust ing cases in order to excuse your
conduct . You would certa inly never find me
compliant ; and how am I to know that you woul d
n ot threa t en me wi th de ath ?
”

“
Nothing of the sort would happen Bellin o , ,

I answered rather tired of the lengt h of hi s

,
 44 1
“
argumen t positively nothing and I am sure
, ,

you are exaggerating your fears Yet I am .

bound to tell yo u that even if all you say should

,
,

happen it seems to me that to allow what can

,

strictly be considered only as a temporary fit of

insanity would prove a less evil than to render
,

incurable a disease of the mind which reason

”
would soon cut short .

Thus does a po or philosopher reason when

he takes it into his head to argue at th ese
periods during which a pa ssion raging in his soul
makes all its faculties wander To reason well .
,

we must be under the sway neither of love nor

o f a n ger for those two passions have on e thing
,

in common which is that in their excess they , ,

lower us to th e condition of brutes acti ng only

under the influence of their predominatin g instinct ,

and unfortunately we are never more disposed

, ,

to argue than when we feel ourselves under the

in fluence of either of those two powerful human
passions .

We arrived at Sinigagl ia late a t night and ,

I went to the best inn and after choosing a , ,

co mfortable room ordered supper As there was

,
.

but one bed in the room I asked Bellino in as , ,

cal m a tone as I could assume whether he ,

would have a fire lighted in another chamber ,

and my surprise may be imagined when he

answered quie tly that h e had no objec tion to
sleep in the same bed wi th me Such an answer .
,

1— 3 1
 442

however unexpected was necess ary to dispel the

,

angry feelings under which I was labouring .

I guessed that I was near the denou em en t of the

’

romance but I was very far fr om congratulating

,

myself for I did not know whether the d én ou e

,

m en t would prove agreeable or not I felt .

,

howe ver a real satisfaction at having conquered

, ,

and was sure of my self control in case the -

,

senses my n atural instinct led me astray

,
But , .

if I found myself in the right I though t I could ,

expect the most precious favours .

We sat down to supper opposite each other ,

and during the meal his words his countenance

, , ,

the ex pression of h i s beautiful eyes h is sweet ,

and voluptuous smile everything s eemed to an

,

nounce that he had had enough of playing a part

which must have proved as painful to h1m as
to me .

A weight was lifted off my mind and I ,

man aged to shorten the supper as much as

possible As soon as we had left the table my
.
,

amiable companion c alled for a night lamp nu -

,

dressed himself and went to bed I was no t long

, .

in following him and the reader will soon know

,

the nature of a dénea em en t so long and so

ardently desired ; in the mean time I b eg to wi sh
him as happy a night as the on e which was
then awai ting me .
reward me by an ardour equal to the fire kindled
by her charms .

T h e happiness I g ave her increased mi ne

twofold for it h as alway s been my weakness to
,

compose the four fi fth s of my enj oyment from the

-

su m total
-
of the happin ess which I gave the
charming being from whom I derived it Bu t such
.

a feeling must necessarily cause hatred for old age

which can still receive pleasur e but can no longer
,

give enj oyment to another An d youth runs away

.

from old age because it i s its most cruel enemy

,
.

An interval of repose became necessary in ,

consequence of the activity of our enj oyment O ur .

senses were n ot tired ou t but they required the

,

rest which renews their sensitiveness and restores

the buoyancy necessary to active service .

Bell ino was the first to break ou r silenc e

.

“ ” “
Dearest ,
she said ,
are you satisfied now ?
”
Have you found me truly loving ?
“
Truly loving ? Ah ! traitress that you are !
D o you then confess that I was not mi staken when
, ,

I guessed that you were a charming woman ? An d

if you tru ly loved me tell m e how you could
,

?
c ontrive to defer your hap piness and mine so long
But is it qui te certain that I did not make a
”
m istake ?
“
I am yours all ever ; see for yourself .

“
O h what delightful survey ! what charming
,

b eauties ! what an oc ean of enj oyment ! But I

could n ot find any trace of the pr otuberance
 44 5

which had so much terrified a nd disg usted me .

” “
What has become I said of that d re a dful, ,

monstrosity
“
Listen to me she replied and I will t el l
, ,

yo u everything .

“
My name i s Th erese My father a poor .
,

clerk in the Institu te of B ol ogna had let an apart ,

ment in his house to the celebrated Salimberi a ,

cas trate an d a delightful musician

,
He was yo ung .

and handsome he became attached t o me and I

, ,

felt flattered by his afl ection and by the praise he

lavished upo n me I was only twelve years of age ;
.

he proposed to t each me music and finding that ,

I had a fine voice he cultivated it caref ul ly and

, ,

in less than a year I could accomp any myself

on the harpsichord His reward was tha t which
.

his l ove for me induced him to ask and I gr an ted ,

the reward without feeling any humiliation for ,

I worshipped him O f course men like yourself

.
,

are much above men of his species but Salim beri ,

was an exception His b eauty his manners his

.
, ,

talent and the rare qualities of his soul made

, ,

him superior in my eyes to all the men I had

seen until then He was modest and reserved
. .

rich and generous and I doubt whether he could

,

have found a woman able to resist him ; yet I

never heard him boast of ha ving seduced any .

The mutilation prac tised upon his body had

made him a monster bu t he was an angel by ,

his rare qualiti es and endowmen t s .

 446

S alim b eri wasat that time educ at ing a boy

of the s a me age as myself who was in R imin i ,

with a music teacher The f ather of the b o y

.
,

wh o was poor and h ad a large family seeing ,

himself near death had th ought of having hi s

,

unfortunate son maimed so that he shoul d b e

c ome the support of his brothers with hi s voice .

The name of the b oy was Belli n o the good

wom an whom you have j ust seen in Ancona was
hi s mother and everybody believes that sh e i s
,

mi ne .

“
I had belonged to Salim beri for about a
year when he announ ced to me one day weepin g
, ,

bitterly that he was compelled to leave me to

,

g o t o Rome but h e,
promised to s ee me again .

The news threw me into desp air He had arr anged .

everythin g for the continuation of my musical

education but as h e was preparing himself f or
, ,

his departure my father died very suddenly

, ,

after a short i llness and I was left an or phan

,
.

S ali m b eri had n ot co u rage enough to resist

my tears and my entreaties ; he made up hi s
min d to take me to Rimini and to place me in ,
'

the same house where his youn g pro tege was

’

ed ucated .We reached Rimi ni and put up at ,

an i n ; after a short res t S alim b eri left me to ,

c all upon the teacher of music and to make all ,

nec essary arrangements respecting me with him ;

but he soon returned looking sad and unhappy ;
,

Bellino had died the day bef o re .

 448

leavi ng you I will give you a sma ll instrument

, ,

and teach h ow to fix it in such manner that ,

if you had at any time to sub mi t to an exami na

tion you wo ul d easil y be mistaken for a man
,
.

If you accept my plan I feel certain that we,

can live together in Dresden without los ing the

good graces of the qu een who i s very religio us
,
.

Te ll me now whether you will accept my

“

, ,
’
p roposal ?
“
He could not entertain any doubt of my con
sent for I adored him As soon as he had made
,
.

a boy of me we left Rimini for Bologna where we ,

arrived late in the evening A little gold made .

everythi ng right with Bellino s mother ; I gave ’

her the n ame of mother and she kissed me , ,

c al ling me her dear son Salim b eri left u s and

.
,

returned a short time afterwards with the in stru

ment which would complete my transformation .

He taught me in the pre s ence of my new mother

, ,

how to fix it with some tragacanth gum and I ,

f ound myself exactly like my friend I would .

have laughed at it had not my h eart been deeply

,

grieved at the departure of my beloved Salimb eri ,

for he bade me farewell as soon as the cur ious

operation was completed Pe ople laugh at fore
.

bodings I do not believe in them myself but ,

the f oreboding of evil which almost broke my

,

heart as he gave me his farewell kiss did not ,

deceive me .I felt the cold shivering of death

run through me ; I felt I was looking at him for
 449

the last time and I fainted away Alas ! my fears

, .

proved only too prophetic S alimb eri died a year .

ago in the Tyrol in the prime of lif e with the ,

calmnes s of a true philosopher His death com .

p ell ed me to e arn my living with the assistance

of my musical talent My mother advised me to .

continue to give mys elf out as a cas trate in the ,

hope of being able to take me to Rome I agreed .

to do so for I did not feel suffi cient energy to

,

d ecide upon any other plan In the mean time .

she accepted an offer for the Ancon a Theatre ,

and Petronio took the part of first female dancer ;

in this way we played the com edy of The World ‘

’
Turned Upside Down .

“
After S al imb eri you are the only man I have
,

known and if you like you can restore me to my

, , ,

original state and make me give up the name of

,

Bellino which I ha te since the death of my pro

,

tector and which begins to inconvenience me

,
.

I have only appeared at two theatres and each ,

time I have been compelled to submit to the

scand al ous degr ading examination because every
, ,

where I am thought to have too much the appear

an ce of a girl and I am admitted only after the
,

shameful test has brought conviction Until n o w .

,

fortunately I have had to deal only with old

,

pries ts who in their good faith have been satisfied

, ,

with a very slight examination and have made a ,

favourable report to the bishop ; but I might fall

into the hands of some young abbé and the t est ,
 4 50

would then become a more severe one Besides .

,

I find myself exposed to th e daily persecutions of

two sorts of b eings : those who like you cannot , ,

and will not believe me to be a man and tho se ,

wh o for th e satisfaction of their disgusting pro

,

p e n s i ti es are
,
delight ed at my b eing s o or find ,

it advantageous to suppose me so The last par .

ti c ul arly annoy me ! Their taste s are so infamous ,

their habits so l ow that I fear I shall murder ,

one of them some day when I c an no longer , .

control the rage in which their obscene language

throws me O ut of pity my beloved angel be
.
, ,

generous ; and if you love me oh ! fre e me from

, ,

this state of shame and degradation ! Take me

with you I do not ask to beco me your wife that
.
,

woul d be too much happiness ; I will only be your

friend your mistress as I would have been
, ,

S al i m b eri s my heart is pure and innocent ; I feel

’

that I can remain faithful to my lover through my

whole life Do not abandon me T h e love I have
. .

for you is sincere ; my aff ection for S al im b eri was

inn ocent ; it was born of my inexperience and of
my gratitude and it is only with you th at I have
,

felt myself truly a woman .

Her em otion an inexpressible charm which

,

seemed to flow from her lips and to enforce con

vi cti on m ade me shed tears of love and sympathy
, .

I blended my tears with those falling from her

beautiful eyes and deeply mov ed I promised not
, ,

to abandon her and to make her the sharer of my

 4 52

angry and thi rs ti ng f or revenge

,
Did you not .

thr eaten me this very day in your c arriage ? I

conf ess you greatly f righ e n ed me but do not
’
r
,

fancy that I gave myself to you ou t of fear No .

,

I had made up my mind to b e yo u rs from the

moment you sent me word by Ce ci lia that you
would take me to Rimini and your c on trol over
,

your own feelings during a part of our j ourney

confirmed me in my res olution f or I thought I coul d
,

trust myself to your honour to y our del i cacy

,
.

“ ” “
Throw up I said
,
the engagement you
,

have in R imi ni ; let us proceed on our j ourn ey ,

and after remainin g a couple of days in B olo gna

, ,

you will go with m e to Venice ; dressed as a

woman and with another name I would challenge
, ,
”
the man ag er here to find you out .

“
I accept .Your wi ll shall always be my
law I am my own mistress and I give myself to
.
,

you without any reserve or restriction ; my h eart

”
belongs to you and I trust to keep yours
,
.

Man has in hi mself a moral force of acti on

which always makes him overstep the line on
which he is stan di ng I had obtain ed everything
.
,
“ “
I want ed m ore Shew me
. I said how you
, ,
”
were when I mis to ok you for a man She got .

out of bed opened her trunk took ou t the in stru

, ,

ment and fixed it with the gum : I was compell ed

to ad mi re the ingenuity of the contrivance My .

curiosity was satisfied and I passed a most

,

delightful night in her arms .

 4 53

When I woke up in the morning I admired ,

her lovely face whi le she was sleeping ; all I knew

of her came b ack to my mind ; the words which
had been spoken by her bewitching mouth her ,

rare talent her candour her feelings so full of

, ,

delicacy and her misfortunes the heaviest of

, ,

which must have been the false character she had

been compelled to assume and which exposed her ,

to humiliation and shame everything strengthened

,

my resolution to make her the companion of my

destiny whatever it mi ght be or to follow her
, ,

fate for our po sitions were very nearly the same ;

,

and wishin g truly to attach myself s eriously to

tha t interesting being I determined to give to
,

our union the sanction of religion and of law an d ,

to take her legally for my wife Such a step as .

,

I then though t could but strengthen our love

, ,

increase our mutual est eem and insure the appro ,

b ati on of society which could not accept our uni o n

u nless it was sanctioned in the usual manner .

The talents of Th erese precluded the fear of

ou r being ever in want of the necessaries of life ,

and although I did not know in what way my own

,

talents might be made available I had faith in ,

myself . O ur love might have been les sened she ,

would have enj oyed too great advantages over me ,

and my self dignity would have too deeply suffered

-

if I had allowed my self to be supported by her

earni n gs only I t might after a time have altered
.
, ,

the n ature of our feelings ; my wife no longer ,

 4 54

thinking herself under any obligation to me mi ght ,

have fanc i ed herself the protecting instead of the ,

protected party and I felt that my love would

,

so on have turned into utter contempt if it h ad ,

b een my misfortune to find her harb ouring such

thoughts Although I t r usted it would n ot be so
.
,

I wanted bef ore taking the important step of

,

m arriage to probe her heart and I r esolved to

, ,

try an experiment which would at once enable

me to judge the real feelings of her in most soul .

A s so on as sh e was awake I spoke to her thus,

“
Dearest Th erese all you have told me le aves
,

me no d oubt of your l ove for me and the c on ,

s ci ou sn es s you feel of being the mistress of my

hea rt enhances my love for you to such a degree ,

that I am ready to do everything to convince you

that you were not mis taken in think ing that you
had entirely conquered me I wish to prove to
.

you that I am worthy of the noble confidence you

have repo sed in me by trusting you with equal
since
O ur hearts must be on a footing of perfect
equality. I kn ow you my deares t Th erese but
, ,

you do not know me yet I c an read in your

.

eyes that you do n ot mi nd it and it proves ou r ,

great love but that feeling places me too much

,

below you and I do not wish you to have so great

,

an advantage over me I feel certain that m v

.

confidence is n ot neces sary to your love ; that you

only care to b e mine that your only wish i s to
,
 4 56

c onsists in being my own mas ter perfectly ,

independent and not afraid of misfortune With

,
.

all that I am naturally inclined to extravagance

,
.

Lovely Th er ese you have my portrait

,
What .

”
is your answer ?
“
In the first place deare st let me assure you
, ,

that I believe every w ord you have just uttered as ,

I would believe in the Gospel ; in the second ,

all ow me to tell you tha t several times in Ancona

I have judged you such as you have j ust described
yourself but far from being displ eased at such a
,

knowledge of your nature I was only afraid of ,

s ome illusion on my part for I could hope to win ,

you if you were what I thought you to be In one .

word dear on e if it is true that you are poor and

, ,

a very bad hand at economy allow me to t ell you ,

.

that I feel delighted because if you love m e

'

, , ,

you will not refuse a pre s ent from me or despise ,

me for offering it The present consists of myself

.
,

such as I am and with all my facultie s I gi ve

, .

myself to you without any condition with no

’

restriction ; I am yours I will take care of you ,

.

For the future think only of your lov e f or me but ,

love me exclusively From this momen t I am

.

no longer Bellin o Let us go to Venice where

.
,

my talent will keep us both comfortably ; if you

wish to go anywhere else let u s go where you ,

please .

“
I must go to Con stantinople .

Then let us proceed to Constantinople If .

 4 57

you are afraid to lose me through wan t of con

s tan cy marry me
,
and y o ur right over me will be
,

stren gt hened by law I should not love you better .

”
than I do now but I should be happy to be your wife
, .

It is my intention to marry you and I am ,

delighted tha t we a gree in that respect The day .

after to morrow in Bologna you shall b e made

-
, ,

my legal wife before the altar of God ; I swe a r it

to you here in the presence of L ove I want y o u .

to be mine I wan t to be yours I want us to b e

, ,
”
u nited by the mos t holy ties .

“
I am the happiest of women ! We have
nothing to do in Rimini ; suppose we do n ot get
up ; we can have ou r dinner in bed and go away ,

to morrow well rested after our fatigues

-
.

We left Rimini the next day and stayed for ,

b reakfas t a t Pesaro As we were getting into the

.

carriage to leave that place an o ffi cer accompanied , ,

by two s o ldiers presented himself enquired for our

, ,

names and demanded our passports Bellino had

,
.

one and gave it but I looked in vain for mine ; I

,

could not find it .

The officer a c orpo ral o rders the postillion

, ,

to wai t and goes to make his report Half an .

hour afterwards he re turns gi ves Bellino his

, ,
.

passport saying that he can continue his j ourney

, ,

but tells me that his orders are to escort me

to the commanding officer and I follow him ,
.

“ ”
What have you done with your passport ?
enquires tha t officer .

1— 3 2
 4 58

“
I have lost it .

A passport is n ot so eas il y lost .

“ ”
Well I have lost mine
,
.

“
You cann ot procee d any further .

I come from Rome and I am going to ,

Constantin ople bearing a letter from Cardinal

,

Acquaviva . Here i s the letter stamped wi th

”
h i s seal.

“
All I can do f or you i s to send you to
”
M de Gages
. .

I f oun d the famous gener a l s tanding sur ,

rounded by his staff I told him all I had

.
’

already explained to th e officer and begged him ,

to let me continue my j ourney .

The only favour I can gran t you i s to put

y o u under arrest til l you receive an other passpor t
from R ome delivered under the same name as
the one you have given here To lose a passpo rt .

i s a misfortune which befalls only a thoughtles s ,

giddy man and the cardinal wi ll f or the future

,

know better than to put h is confiden ce in a

”
giddy fellow l ike you .

With these words he gave orders to take ,

me to the guard h ouse at St Mary s Gate

-
.
-
’
,

ou tside the city as soon as I shoul d h ave

,

written to the cardinal f or a new passport His .

orders were executed I was brought back to

.

the inn where I wrote my lett er and I sent it

, ,

by express to his eminence entreatin g him to ,

f orward the document wi th ou t l o s s of time , ,

 4 60

of the sort that my destiny had condemn ed me to ,

immediately after two delightful nights My good .

angel doubtless foun d some pleasure in bringing

such conjunctions before my mind for the benefit
of my instruction At all events teachi ngs of
.
,

that description have an infa lli ble efl ect upon

natures of a p eculiar stamp .

If you should wish to close the lips of a

lo gician calling himself a phil os opher who dares ,

to argue that in this life grief overbalances pleasure ,

ask him whether he would accept a life entirely

without sorrow and happiness Be certain th at .

he wi ll not answer you or he will shuffle because , , ,

if he says n o he proves that he likes life such as

,

it is and if he likes it he must find it agreeable

, , .

which is an utter impossibility if life is painful ; ,

should he on the contrary a ns wer in the affirm a

, ,

tive he would declare hims el f a fool f or it would

, ,

be as much as to say that he can conceive ple asure

arising from indifference which is absurd nonsense ,
.

Suffering is inherent in human nature ; but

we never suffer without entertaining the hope of
recovery or at least very seldom without such
, , ,

hope and hope itself i s a pleasure If it h appens

, .

sometimes that m an suffer s without any expecta

tion of a cure he n ecess arily fin ds pleasure in th e
,

complete certainty of the end of his life ; for the

worst in all cases must be either a sleep arising
, ,

from extreme dej ection durin g which we have the ,

consolation of happy dreams or the loss of all

 4 61

sensitiveness But when we are happy ou r happi

.
,

ness is never disturbed by the though t that it will

be followed by grief Therefore pleasure during
.
,

its active period is al ways complete withou t alloy ;

, ,

grief is always soothed by hope .

I suppo se you dear reader at the age of

, ,

twenty and devoting yourself to the task of

,

m ak ing a man of yourself by furnishing your

mind with all the kn owledge necessary to render
you a useful being through the ac tivity of your
“
brain . Someone comes in and tells you I ,

bring you thirty years of existence ; it is the

immutable decree of fate ; fifteen consecutive years
must be happy and fifteen year s un happy You
,
.

are at lib erty to choose the half by which you

”
wish to b egin .

Confess it candidly dear reader you will not

, ,

require much consider ation to decide and you will ,

certainly begin by the unhappy series of years ,

because you will feel that the expe ctation of fifteen

delightful years cannot fail to brace you u p with
the courage necessary to bear the unfortunate
years you have to go th rough and we can even ,

surmise with every probability of being right that

, ,

the certainty of future h apin ess will soothe to a

considerable extent the misery of the first period .

You have already guessed I have n o doubt , ,

the purpose of this len gthy argument The saga .

c i ou s man believe me can never be utterly miser

, ,

able and I most willingly agree with my friend

,
 ’

Horace wh o says that

, ,
on the contrary ,
such a
man i s always happy ,

Nis i quu m pi tui ta m el es ta v

es t .

But pray where i s the man who is always suff er

, ,

ing from a rheum ?

The fa ct i s that the fearful night I passed in the
g uard house of S t Mary resulted for me in a slight
- -
.

loss and in a great gain The small los s was to

.

be away from my dear Th erese but being c ertain , ,

of s ee ing her within ten days the misfortune was ,

not very great : as to the gain it was in expe ,

ri en c e the true school for a man I gained a .

complete system against thoughtlessness a sy stem ,

of foresight You may safely bet a hundred to

.

on e that a youn g man who has once lost h i s

purse or his passport will n ot lose either a
,

sec ond time Each of those mi sfortunes h as b e

.

fallen me once only and I might have b een very

,

often the victim of them if experience had not

,

taught me how much they were to be dreaded .

A thoughtless fellow is a man who has no t yet

found the word dr ead in th e dictionary of his life .

The officer wh o relieved my cross grained -

Castilian on the following day seemed of a diff erent

nature altogeth er ; his prepossessing countenance
pleased me much He was a Frenchman and I
.
,

must say that I h ave always liked the French and ,

never the Spaniards ; there is in th e manners of

the first something s o engaging so obliging, th a t ,

yo u feel attracted towards them as towards a

 4 64

followed h i s advice He told me also that he

.

would have company to supper that there w ould ,

be a game of f are but that the ba nk er being a

,

Gr eek and a crafty player I ought n ot to play

,
I .

thought h is advice very c on siderate particularly ,

when I saw that all the p un ters lost and that the ,

Greek very calm in the mi dst of the insulting

,

treatment of those he had duped was pocketing ,

his money after handing a share to the officer wh o

,

had taken an interest in the bank .

The name of th e banker was Don Pépé il

Cadetto and by h i s accent I knew he was a
,

Neapolitan I communicated my discovery to the

.

ofllc er
‘
,
asking him why he had told me that
the man was a Greek He explained to me the
.

meaning of the word greek applied to a gambler ,

and the lesson which followed h is explanation

proved very useful to me in after years .

During the five follo wing days my life was ,

uniform and rather dull but on the sixth day the

,

same French officer was on guard an d I was very ,

glad to see him He told me with a hearty laugh

.
, ,

that he was delighted to find me still in the guard

house and I accepted the compliment for what i t
,

was worth .In the evening we had the same bank

,

at f are with the same result as the first time

, ,

except a violen t blow from the stick of on e of the

punter s upon the back of the banker of which ,

the Gr eek stoically feigned to take n o notice I .

saw the same man again nine years afterward s in

 4 65

Vienna captain in the service of Mari a Theresa ;

,

he then called himself d Afflisso Ten years later ’

.
,

I found him a colonel and some time after worth

,

a million ; but the last time I saw him some ,

thirteen or fourteen years ago he was a galley ,

slave He was handsome but ! rather a singular

.
,

thing ) in spite of his beauty he had a gallows ,

look I have seen others with the same stamp

.

Cagliostr o for instance and another who has not

, ,

yet been sent to the galleys but who cannot fail ,

to pay them a visit Should the reader feel any

.

cu riosity about it I can whi sper the name in

,

his ear .

Towards the ninth or tenth day everyone in

the army knew and liked me and I was expecting ,

the passport which could not be delayed much

,

longer I was almost free and I would often

.
,

walk about even out of sight of the sentinel .

They were quite right not to fear my running

away and I should have been wrong if I h a d
,

thought of escaping but the most singular adven

,

ture of my life happened to me then and mos t ,

un expec tedly .

It was about six in the morning I was .

takin g a walk within one hundred yards of the

sentinel when an ofli cer ar rived and alighted from
,

his horse threw the bridle on the neck of his

,

steed and walked off Admiring the docility of

, .

the horse standing there like a faithful servant to

,

whom his mas ter has given orders to wait for him
 4 66

I go up to him and with out any purp ose I get

,

hold of the bri dl e put my foot in the stirrup and

, ,

fin d myself in the saddle I was on horseback for .

the first time in my li fe I do n ot know whether I.

touched the horse with my cane or with my heels ,

but suddenly the animal starts at f ul l speed My .

right foo t having slipped out of the s tirrup I press ,

against the horse with my heels and feeling the , ,

pressure it gallops faster and faster for I did not

, ,

know h ow to ch eck it At the last advanced post

.

the sentinel s call ou t to me to sto p ; but I cannot

obey the order and the h orse carrying me away
,

faster than ever I he ar the whi zzing of a few

,

musket ba lls the natural consequence of my

,

involuntary disobedience At last when I reach .

,

the first advanced picket of the Austrians the ,

horse is st opped and I get off h i s back thank ing

,

God
An o fficer of Hussars asks where I am running
s o fast
,
and my tongue qui cker than my thought
, ,

answers with out any p ri vity on my part that I ,

can render no account but to Prince Lobkowi tz ,

commander in chi ef of the army whose head

- -
,

quarters were at Rimini Hearing my answer .

,

the offi cer gave orders for two Huss a rs to get on

h orseback a fresh one is given to me and I am
, ,

taken at full gallop t o Rimini where the officer on ,

guard has me escorted at once to the prince .

I find his highness alone and I tell him ,

candidly what h as just happened to me My .

 4 68

Rimini and to Pesaro without any fear and ,

rec over my trunk by paying the officer for the

horse he had lost . We reached the gate he ,

wished me a pleasant j ourney and we parted ,

company .

I f ound myself free wi th gold and j ewels

, ,

but without my trunk Th erese was in Rimi ni

.
,

and I could not enter that city I made up my .

mind to go to Bologna as qu i ckl y as possible in x

order to get a passport and to return to Pesaro

, ,

where I should find my passp ort from Rome for ,

I could not make up my mi nd to lose my trunk ,

and I did not want to be separated from Th erese

until the end of her engagement with the man ager
of the Rimini Theatre .

It was raining ; I had sil k stockings on and ,

I l onged for a carriage I took shelter u nder the

.

portal of a church and turned my fine overcoa t

,

inside ou t so as not to look like an abbé

,
At .

that m oment a peasant happened to come along ,

and I asked him if a carriage could be had to

“ ”
drive me to Cesena .I have one sir he said , ,
“
but I live half a leag ue from here .

“
Go and get it I will wait for you here
, .

While I was waiting for the return of the

peasant with his vehicle some forty mules laden
,

with provisions came along the road towar ds

Ri mi ni
. It was still raining fa st and the ,

mules passing close by me I placed my hand ,

m echanically upon the neck of o ne of them ,

 4 69

and following the slow p a ce of the a nimals I

re entered
-
Rimini without the slightest notice
being taken of me even by the drivers of the ,

mules I gave some money to the first street

.

urchin I met and h e t ook me to Th erese s

,
’

house .

With my hair fastened under a night cap -

,

my hat pulled down over my face and my fine ,

cane c oncealed under my coa t I di d not l oo k ,

a very elegant figure I enquired for Bellino s .

’

mother and the mistress of the house to ok me

,

to a room where I foun d all the family and ,

’
Th erese in a woman s dress I had reckoned .

upon surprising them bu t Petronio h a d told ,

them of our meeting and they were expec ting ,

me . I gave a full account of my adven tures ,

but Th erese fright ened a t th e danger that

,

threatened me and in spite of her love to ld me

, ,

that i t was absolut ely necessary f or me to go to

Bologna as I had been advised by M Va i s
, .
,

the officer .

“ “
I know him she said and he is a wo rthy
, ,

man but he comes here every evening and you

, ,
”
must conceal yourself .

’
It was only eight o clock in the morning ;
we had the whole day before us and everyone ,

pr omised to be discreet I allayed Th erese s .

’

anxiety by tellin g her that I could easily con trive

to leave the city without being observed .

Th er ese took me to her own ro om where ,

 4 70

sh e told me th at sh e had met the manager of

th e theatre on her arrival in Rimini and that ,

he had taken her at once to the apartments

engaged f or the family She had inf ormed him
.

that she was a woman and that sh e had made

,

up her mind not to appear as a cas trate any

more ; he had expressed himself delighted at such
news because women c ould appear on the stage
,

at Rimini which was n ot un der the same legate

,

as Ancona She added that her engagement

.

would be at an end by the 1 st of May and ,

that sh e would meet m e wherever it would be

.

agreeable to m e to wait f or her .

“
As soon as I can get a pas sport I said
'

, ,

“
there i s nothing to hinder m e f rom remaining
ne ar you until the end of your enga gement But .

as M Vais calls upon you tell me whether you

.
,

have inf ormed him of my having spent a few days

in Ancona
“
I did and I even told him that you had
,

been arrested because you had los t your passport .

I understood why the officer had smiled as

he was talking with me After my conversa tion
.

with T h eres e I received the compliment s of the

,

m other an d of the young sisters wh o a ppeared to

me less cheerful and less free than they had b een in
Ancona They felt that B ellino transformed into
.
,

Th er ese was to o formidable a rival

,
I listened .

patiently to all the comp laints of the mo ther

wh o maintained th at m g1v1ng up the char a c t er
,
 4 72

that he was sure I could leave the city with them

if I would go and meet them a quarter of an hour
before their departure and treat them to some
,

thing to dri nk I was of the s ame opinion and

.
,

made up my mind to make the attempt I asked .

Petronio to sit u p and to wake me in good time .

It pro ved an unnecess ary pre c aution f or I was ,

ready before the time and left Th erese s atisfied

,

with my love without any doubt of my c ons tancy

, ,

but rather anxious as to my success in attemp ti ng

to leave Rimini She had sixty sequins which
.

sh e wanted to force back upon me bu t I asked ,

her what opinion she would have of me if I

accepted them and we said no more abou t i t
, .

I went to the stable and h avi ng treated one

,

of the muleteers to some drink I told him that

I would willingly ride one of his mules as far

as Sarignan .

“ ”
You are welcome to the ride said the go od
,
“
fell ow
, but I would advise you no t to get on
the mule till we are outs ide the city and to pass ,

through the gate on foot as if you were one of

”
the drivers
.

It was exactly what I wan t ed Petron io .

accompanied me as far as the gate wher e I gave ,

him a substantial proo f of my gratitude I got .

ou t of the city without the slightest difficulty ,

and left the muleteers at Sarign an whence I ,

posted to Bologn a .

I found out that I could not obtain a passport ,

 4 73

for the simple reason tha t the authorities of the

city persisted that it was not necessary ; but I
knew better and it was not for me to tell them
,

why. I resolved to write to the French officer

who had treated me so well at the guard house -
.

I begged him to enquire at the war office whether .

my passpo rt had arrived from Rome and if so

, , ,

to forward it to me I also asked him to find

.

ou t the owner of the horse who had run away

with me offering to pay for it I made up my
,
.

mind to wait for Th er ese in Bologna and I in ,

formed her of my decision entreating her to wr ite

,

very often The reader will soon know the new

.

resolution I took on the very same day .

1— 3 3
 CHAPTER X III

I R EN OU NC E TH ECLERICAL PRO F ESS I O N AN D ENT ER

,

T HE MI LIT ARY S ERVIC E T HE RESE LEAVES F OR

—
—
NAP LES A N D I GO T O VENIC E I AM APPO IN T ED
,

EN S I G N I N T H E A R M Y O F M Y N A T I VE C O UNT RY

I EM BA R K F O R C ORF U AN D LA N D A T ORS ERA T O

,

T AK E A WALK

I H AD been careful on my arrival in Bologna to

, ,

take up my quarters at a small inn so as not to ,

attract any notice and as soo n as I had dispatched

,

my letters to Th erese and the French ofli cer I ,

thought of purchasing some li nen as it was at ,

l east doubtful whether I sho ul d ever get my trunk .

I deemed it expedient to order some clothes like

wise . I was thus rumi nating when it suddenly
,

struck me that I was not lik ely now to succe ed in

the Church but feeling great un certainty as to the
,

profession I ought to adopt I t ook a fancy to

,

tran sform myself into an ofli c er as it was evident

,

that I h ad not to acc oun t to an yone f or my ac tions .

It was a very natural fancy at my age for I had ,

just passed through two armies in which I had seen

 4 76

My un iform was white the vest blue a gold , ,

and silver shoul der knot and a sword knot of the

-
,
-

same material Very well pleased with my grand

.

appearance I went to the coff ee room and taking

,
-
, ,

some chocolate began to read the newspaper s quite

, ,

at my ease and d elighted to see that everybody

,

was puzzled A bold individual in th e hope of

.
,

getting me into conversatio n came to me and ,

addressed m e ; I answered him with a m onosyllable ,

an d I observed that every one was at a loss what

to make of me When I had sufficiently enj oyed

.

public admiration in the co ff ee room I promenaded -

,

in the busiest thoroughfare s of the city and ,

returned to the inn where I had dinner by myself

, .

I had just concluded my repast when my land

lord presented himself with the travellers book ’
,

in which he wanted to register my name .

“ ”
Casan ova .

”
Your profession if you pleas e sir ?
, ,
”
“
O ffi cer
.

”
In which service ?
“ ”
None
.

”
Your native plac e ?
‘
Venice ”
.

“ ”
Where do you come from ?
“
That i s no business of yours .

This answer which I thought was in keeping

,

with my external appearance had the desire d ,

effect : the landl ord bowed himself ou t and I felt ,

highly pleased with myself for I knew tha t I ,

 4 77

should enj oy perfect freedom in Bologn a and I ,

was certain that mine host had visited me at the

instance of some curious person eager to know
who I was .

The next day I called on M O rsi the banker .

, ,

to cash my bill of exchange and took another for ,

six hundred sequins on Venice a nd on e hundred ,

sequins in gold : after which I a gain exhi bited

myself in the public places Two days afterwa rds .
,

whilst I was taking my coffee after dinner the ,

ba nker O rsi was announced I desired him to .

be shewn in and he made his appearance a ecom

,

p an i ed my Monsignor C ornaro whom I fei gned ,

not to know M O rsi remarked that he had

. .

called to ofl er me his services f or my letters of

exchange and introduced the prelate I rose and
,
.

expre sse d my gratification at making his acquaint

“ ” “
ance . But we have met before he replied at , ,
”
Venice and Rome Assuming an air of blank
.

surprise I told him he must certainly be mistaken

,
.

The prel ate thinking he cou ld gues s the reason

,

of my reserve did not insist and apo logized I

, , .

off ered him a cup of coffee which he accepted , ,

and on leaving me he begged the h o nour of my

, ,

company to breakfast the next day .

I made up my mind to persist in my denials ,

and called upon the prelate who gave me a poli te ,

welco me He was then apostolic prothonotary in

.

Bologna . Breakfast was served and as we were ,

sipping our chocolate he told me that I had mos t ,

 4 78

l ikely some g oo d r easons to wa rran t my reserv e ,

bu t that I was wrong not to trust hi m the more ,

so that the a ffair in question did me great honour .

“ ” “
I do not kn ow said I what affair you are
, ,

allu di n g to He then hand ed me a newspaper

.
,

telling me to read a paragraph which he pointed

ou t. My astonishment may be im agined when
I read the fol lowin g correspondence from Pes aro :
M de Casanova an offi cer in the service
“

.
,

of the queen h as des erted after ha ving kill ed

,

his captain in a duel ; the circumstances of the

duel are not known ; all that h as been asc ert ained
i s that M de Casanov a has taken the road to
.
.

Rimini ri di ng the h orse belonging to the cap ta in

, ,
”
wh o was kill ed on the spot .

In spite of my surprise and of the di fficul ty ,

I had in keeping my gravity at the reading of the

paragraph in which so much untruth was blended
,

with so little that was r eal I ma n aged to keep a ,

serious coun tenan c e and I told the prelate tha t

,

the Casanova spoken of in the newspap er must

be another m an .

“
That may be but you are certainly the ,

Cas an ova I knew a mon th ago at Car di n a l

’
Acquaviva s and two years ago at the house of
,

my sister Madame L ovedan in Venice Besides

, ,
.

the Ancona banker speaks of you as an ec cl esi

”
asti c in his letter of advice to M O rsi . .

“
Very well monsign or
, your excellency
compels me to agree to my being the same
 4 80

purpose of giving to the affair every a ppearance

of truth .

O n the fourth day of my stay in B ologna ,

I received by express a long letter from Th erese .

She informed me that on the day after my

,

escape fr o m Rimini Baron Vais had presented

,

to her the Duke de Castropignano wh o having , ,

heard her sing had ofl ered her one thousand

,

ounces a year and all travelling expenses paid

, ,

if sh e would accept an engagement as prima

donna at the San Carlo Theatre at Naples where
-
, ,

she would h ave to go immediately after her

Rimini engagement She had reques ted and
.

obtained a week t o come to a decision Sh e .

enclosed two documents the first was the wr itten

,

memorandum o f the duke s prop osals which sh e

’
,

sent in order that I should pe r use it as sh e di d ,

not wish to sign it wi thout my consent ; the

second was a formal engagement written by ,

herself to remain all her life devoted to me a nd

,

at my service . She added in her letter that if ,

I wished to accompany her to Naples sh e would ,

meet me anywhere I might app oint but that , ,

if I h ad any obj ection to return to tha t city sh e ,

w oul d immediately refu se the brilliant off er f o r ,

her only happines s was to please me in a ll

things.

For the first tim e in my life I found myself

in need of thoughtful con sideration before I could
make up my mi nd Th er ese s letter had entirely
.
’
 4 81

upset all my ideas and feeling that I could no t

, ,

answer it at once I told the messenger to call

,

the next day.

Two motives of equal weight kept the balance

wavering ; self love an d love for Th er ese I felt
-
.

that I ought not to require Th erese to give up

such prospect s of fortune ; but I could no t take
upon myself either to let her go to Naples without
me or to accomp an y her there
,
O n one side I .
,

shuddered at the idea that my love might ruin

Th erese s prospects ; on the other side the id ea
’
,

of the blow inflicted on my self love on my pride -

, ,

if I went to Naples with her sickened me ,

.

H ow could I make up my mind to reappear

in that city in the guise of a cowardly fellow
,

living at the expense of his mistress or his wife ?

Wh at would my cousin Antonio Don Pole and ,

his dear son Don Lelio Caraffa and all the

, ,

p atricians who knew me have said ? The thought

,

of Lucrezia and of her husband sent a cold

shiver through me I considered that in spite of
.
,

my love for Th erese I should b ecome very

,

miserable if everyone despised me Linked to .

her destiny as a lover or as a husband I would ,

be a degraded humbled and mean sycophant

, , . .

Then came the thought Is this to be the end of

,

al l my hope s ? The die was cast my head had ,

conquered my heart I fancied that I had hit

.

upon an exce llent expedient which at all event s ,

made me gain time and I resolved to ac t upon i t

, .
 4 82

I wrote t o Th erese advising her to a ccept th e

,

engag ement f or N aples where sh e might expect

,

me to j oin her in the month of July or af ter my ,

return from Constantinople I cautioned h er to

.

engage an honest looking waiting woman so as

- -
,

to appear respectably in the world and to l ead ,

such a l ife as would permi t me to make her my

wife o n my retu rn withou t being asham ed of
, ,

mysel f I fores aw th a t her success would be

.

insured by her beauty even more than by her '

talent and with my nature I knew that I could

, , ,

never assume the character of a n easy going lover -

or of a compliant husband .

Had I received T h erese s letter one week ’

sooner it is certain tha t she would no t have gone

,

to Naples f or my love would then have proved

,

stron ger than my reason ; but in matters of l o ve ,

as well as in all others Time i s a great teacher

, .

I told Th erese to di rect her a nswer t o Bologn a ,

and three days after I received from her a le tt er

, ,

loving and at the same time sad in whi ch sh e

, ,

informed me that sh e had signed the engagement .

She had secured the services of a wo man wh o m

sh e could present as her mother
; sh e would reach
Na ples towards the middle of M a y and sh e would ,

wait f or me there till sh e heard fr om me tha t I no

longer wanted her .
 4 84

I knew that b etween the state of Mantua and

that of Venice the passa ge was fre e and I knew ,

likewise that there was n o restriction in the com

m un i cati on between Mantua and M odena if I
could th erefore penetrate into the s tate of Mantua
by stating that I was coming from Modena my ,

success would be certain becau s e I could then

,

cross the Po an d go straight to Venice I got a .

carrier to drive me to Rever e a city situated on the

,

river Po and belonging to the sta te of Mantua

,
.

The driver to ld me that if he took th e cross

,

ro ads he could go to Rever e and say that we

, ,

c ame from Mantua and that the only difficul ty

,

would be in the absence of the sanitary certifi c ate

which i s delivered in Mantua and which was ,

certain to be asked for in Rever e I suggested .

that the best way to manage would be for him to

s ay that he had lost it and a little money rem o ved
,

every obj ection on his part .

When we re ached the gates of Rever e I ,

represented myself as a Spanish officer going to

Veni ce to meet the Duke of Modena ! whom I
knew to be there ) on business of the greatest
impor tance .The sanitary cer ti fica te was not
even demanded mi litary honours were duly paid
,

to me and I was most civilly treated

,
A c erti fi .

cate was immediately delivered to me setting forth ,

that I was travelling from Revere and with ,

it I crossed the Po without any difficulty at

, ,

O stiglia from whi ch place I proceeded to Legnago

, .
 4 85

There I left my carrier as much pleased wi th my

generosity as with the good luck which had at
—
tended our journey and taking post hors es I
, , ,

reached Venice in the evening I remarked that .

it was the 2 n d of April 1 7 4 4 the anniversary , ,

of my birth which ten times during my life

, , ,

h as been marked by some important event .

The very next morning I went to the ex

change in order to procure a pass age to Constan
tin opl e but I could not find any passenger shi p
,

sailing before two or three months and I engaged ,

a berth in a Venetian ship called Our L ady of th e ,

R osary Comman der Zane which was to sail for

, ,

Corfu in the course of the month .

H aving thus prepared myself to obey my

destiny which according to my superstitious
, ,

feelin gs called me imperiously t o Constantinople

, ,

I went to St Mark s Square in order t o see and

.
-
’

to be seen enjoying by anticipation the surprise

,

of my acquaintances at not finding me any longer

an abbé I must not forget to state that at
R ever e I had decorated my hat with a red
cockade .

I thought that my first visit was by r igh t , ,

due to the Abbé Grimani The moment h e saw .

me he raised a perfect shriek of astonishment for ,

he thought I was still with Cardinal Acquaviva ,

on the road to a political career and he saw ,

standing before him a son of Mars He had just .

left the dinner table as I entered and he had

-
,
 4 86

company . I obs erved amongst the guests an of

fi cer wearing the Spanish uniform but I was n ot ,

put ou t of c ountenance I told the Abbé Griman i

.

that I was only passing through Venice and that ,

I had felt it a duty and a plea sure to pay my

resp ects to him.

“
I did not expect to see you in such a
costume .

“
I have res olved to throw off the garb which
could not procure me a fortune likely to sa tisfy my
ambition .

“ ”
Where are you going ?
To Constantinople ; an d I hope to find a
quick passage to Corfu as I have dispatches from
,

”
Cardinal Acquaviva .

“ ”
Where do you come from now ?
“
From the Spanish army which I left ten ,
”
days ago .

These words were hardly spoken when I ,

heard the voice of a young nobleman exclaiming ,

”
That i s not true .

The profes sion to which I belong I s aid to ,

hi m with great animation does n ot permit me

,

to let anyone give me the lie .

And upon that bowing all round I went

, ,

away without taking any notice of those who

,

were calling me back .

I were an uniform ; it seeme d to me that I

was right in showing tha t sensitive and haughty
pride which form s one of the characteristics of
 4 88

M Rosa
. and I undertake to put it to rights
,
”
within two hours .

It was the room adj oining the chamber of th e

two sisters N anette said i m mediately that sh e
.

would come downstairs with her sister but Madame ,

O rio answered that it was unnecessary as they ,

could lock them selves in their room .

There would b e no need for them to do that ,

”
madam I said with a serious and modest air ;
, ,

“
and if I am likely to occasion the sligh test di s
tu rb an ce I can remain at the inn
,
.

“
There will be no disturbance whatever ; but
forgive my nieces they are yo un g prudes and , ,
”
have a very high opinion of themselves .

Everything being satisfactorily a rranged I ,

forced upon Madame O rio a payment of fifteen

sequins in advance assuring her that I was ,

rich and that I had made a very good bargain

, ,

as I should spend a great deal more if I kept

my room at the inn I added that I would send .

my luggage and take up m y quar ters in her

,
-

h ouse on the following day During the wh ole .

of the conversation I could see the eyes of my ,

two dear little wives sparkling with ple as ure

.
,

and they reconquered all their influence over

my h eart in spite of my love for Th eres e
, ,

whose image was all the same brilliant in my , ,

soul : this was a passing infidelity but not in ,

constancy .

O n the following day I called at the war office ,

 4 89

but to avoid every chance of unplea santness

, ,

I took care to remo ve my cockade I found in .

the office Maj or Pel odoro wh o could not control

,

his j oy when he saw me in a military uniform ,

and hugged me with delight As soon as I had .

explained to him that I wanted to go to Con

stan tin opl e and that although in uniform I was
, , ,

free he advised me earnestly to seek the favour

,

of going to Turkey with the bai l e who intended ,

to leave within two months and even to try to ,

obtain service in the Venetian army .

His advice suited me exactly and the sec ,

r etar
y o f war wh o had known
, me the year
before happening to see me summoned me to
, ,

him . He told me that he had received letters

from Bologna which had informed him of a
certain adventure entirely to my honour adding ,

tha t he knew that I would not acknowl edge it .

He then asked me if I had received my discharge

before leaving the Spa nish army .

“
I could not receive my discharge as I was ,
”
never in the service .

“
An d how did you manage to come to Venice
”
without performing quaran tine ?
“
Persons coming from Mantua are no t subj ec t

True ; but I advise you to enter the Venetian

”
service like Maj or Pel odoro .

As I was leavi ng the ducal palace I met ,

the Abbé Grimani who t old me that the abrupt

VOL . 1 —3 4
 4 90

mann er in whi ch I had left hi s h ouse had di s

pleased everybody .

“ ”
Even the Spanish officer ?
No for he remarked that if you had truly
, ,

been with the army you could not act differently

, ,

and he h as himself assured me that you were

there and to prove what h e asserted he m ade
,

me read an article in the newspaper in which ,

.

it is stated that you ki lled your captain in a

”
duel O f c our se it i s only a fable ?
”
How do you know that it i s not a fact ?
”
Is it true then ? ,
“
I do not say so but it may be true quite , ,

as true as my having been with the Sp a nish army

”
ten days ago .

“
But that is impo ssible unless you have ,

”
broken through the quarantine .

“
I have broken nothi ng I have openl y .

crossed the Po a t Rever e and here I am I am , .

sorry not to b e able to present myself at your

’
excellency s palace but I cann ot do so until I
,

have received the most complete satisfaction from

the person who has gi ven me the lie I could .

pu t up with an insult when I wore the livery

of humility bu t I cannot bear one now that I
,

”
wear the garb of honour .

“
You are wrong to take it in such a hi gh
tone. The person who at tacked your veracity
is M Val m arana the provedi tore of th e sanitary
.
,

department a nd he con tends th at as nob o dy can

, ,
 4 92

a most delightful n i ght After that they t ook

.

the agreeable duty by turns and in order to avoid

,

any surprise in case the aunt should take it into

her head to pay them a visit we skilfully displaced
,

a par t of the partition which allowed them to

,

come in and ou t of my room without opening the

door But the go od lady b elieved u s three living
.

specimens of Virtue and never th ough t of putting

,

u s t o the test.

T wo or three days af te r wards M Grimani , .

con trived an interview between me and M Val .

marana wh o told me that if he had been aware

, ,

that the sanitary line could b e eluded he would ,

never h ave impugned my veracity and thanked ,

me f or the information I had given him The .

afl ai r was thus agreeably arranged and until ,

my departure I h onou red M Grim an i s excellent

.
’

dinn er with my presence every day

‘

Towards the end o f the month I entered the

service of the Republic in the capacity of ens ign
in the Bala regiment then at Corfu ; the young
,

man who had left the regiment through the magical

virtue of my on e hundred sequins was lieutenant ,

but the secretary of war obj ected to my h avi ng

.

that rank for r easons to which I had t o submi t ,

if I wi shed to enter the army ; but he promised

me that at the end of the year I would be pro
, ,

moted to the grade of lieutenant and he granted ,

me a furlough to go t o Const an tinople I accep ted .

,

for I was de termined t o serve in the army .

 4 93

M Pierre Vendramin an illus trious senator

.
, ,

obtained me the favour of a passage to Constan

ti nopl e with the Chevalier V enier who was pro ,

c eedi n g to that city in the quality of bai le but as ,

he would arrive in Corfu a month after me the ,

chevalier very kindly promised to take me as he

called at Corfu .

A few days before my departure I received a ,

letter from Th erese who informed me that the

,

Duke de Castropignano escorted her everywhere .

“ ” “
The duk e is old she wrote ,but even if he ,

were young you would have no cause for u n easi

,

ness on my account Should you ever want any

.

money draw upo n me from any place where you

,

may happen to be and b e quite certain that your

,

l etters of exchange will b e paid even if I had to ,

”
sell everything I po ssess to honour your signature .

There was to b e another passenger on board

the ship of the line on which I had engaged my
passage namely a noble Venetian who was going
, , ,

to Zante in the quali ty of counsellor with a ,

numero u s and brilliant retinue The capt a in of

the ship told me that if I was obliged to take my
,

meal s alone I was not likely to fare very well

, ,

and he advised me to obtain an introducti on to

the nobl eman who would not fail to invi te m e
, g

to share his table His name was Antonio Dolfin

.
,

and he had been nicknamed Bu c entere in con ,

sequence of his air of grandeur and the elegance

of his to ilet Fortuna tely I did n ot require to beg
.
 4 94

an i ntroduction for M Grimani offered of h i s

,
.
,

own a ccord to present me to t h e magnificent

,

councillor who received me in the kindest manner

, ,

and invited me at once to take my meals at hi s

table He expressed a desire that I should m ake
.

the acquaintance of his wife who was to aecom ,

pany him in the j ourney I c alled upon her the .

next day and I found a lady perfect in manners

, ,

but already of a certain age and completely deaf .

I had therefore but lit tle pleasure to expect from

her conversation She had a very charming y o ung
.

daughter whom sh e left in a convent She b e .

came celebrated afterwards and sh e is still alive , ,

I believe the widow of Procura to r Iron whose

, ,

f amily i s extinct .

I have seldom seen a fin er looking man or a -

,

man of more im posm g appearance than M Dolfin . .

He was emi nently distin guished f or hi s wit and

politeness He was eloquent always cheerful when
.
,

he lost at cards th e favourite of ladies whom

, ,

he endeavoured to please in everything always ,

courageous and of an equal temp er whether in

, ,

good or in a dverse f ortune .

He had ventured on travelling withou t per

mission and had entered a f oreign service which
, ,

h ad brought him into disgrace with the govern

ment for a noble son of Venice cannot be guilty
,

of a greater c rime F or this offenc e he had b een

.

i mprisoned in the Leads— a favour which destiny

kept als o in reserve f o r me .

 4 96

not go out ; I devoted the whole of the day to friend

ship . Madame O rio and her lovely nieces shed
ma ny tears and I j oined them in that delightful
‘

employment During the las t night that I spent

.

with both of them the sisters repea te d over and

,

over in the midst of the raptures of love that

, ,

they never would see me again They guessed .

rightly ; but if they had h appened to see m e again

they would have guessed wrongly O bserve how .

wonderful prophets are !

I went on board on th e 5th of May with a
, ,

good supply of clothing j ewels and ready cash, ,

.

O ur ship carried twenty four guns and two -

hun dred Sclavonian soldiers We sailed from .

Mal am acc a to th e shores of Istria during the

night and we came to anchor in the harbour o f
,

O rsera to take ballast I landed with several

.

others to take a stroll through the wretched pl ace

where I had sp ent three days nine months bef ore ,

a recollection which caused me a pleasan t sensa

tion when I compared my present position to what
it was at that time What a diff erence in every
.

thin g h ealth
fi
social condition and money !
,
I ,

felt quite cer t ain that in the splendid uniform

I was now wearing nobody would rec ognize the
miserable looking abbé wh o
-
but f or Friar ,

Stephano would have —

become God knows
,

what !

EN D O F VOL . I .