The memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt

Friendship - I Have No Longer a Home - La Tintoretta - I Am Sent to a

akness of his wife, told me that he was quite certain I would never travel with her again. "Nor I

ilfully that I never could cont

rround her with every care and attention; I never left her until she had breathed her last. She was unable to leave me anythi

f her return to Venice, she had determined to give up the house, the rent of which she was still paying, tha

my brothers and my sister, in a good boarding-house. I called upon

ad already sold some linen, most of the china, and several tapestries; I now began to dispose of the mirrors, beds, etc. I had no doubt that my conduct would be severely blamed, but I knew

my mother, dated from Warsaw, and enclosing anot

told him that I had a son who was preparing himself for the Church, but that I had not the means of keeping him during his studies, and he promised that my son would become his own child, if I could

ou with him about the middle of next year, as he passes through Venice to reach Calabria. He informs you himself of his intentions in the enclosed letter. Answer him immediately, my dear son, and forward your letter to me; I will deliver it to the bishop. He will pave your way

repetition of my mother's. It was full of unction, and

that I could leave my country without any regret. Farewell, Venice, I exclaimed; the days for vanity are gone by, and in the future I will only think of a great, of a substantial career! M. Grimani con

ch pleased with my ready acceptance of those new circumstances in my life. He read me a lesson which I have never forgotten. "The famous precept of the Stoic philosophers," he said to me, "'Sequere Deum', can he perfectly explained by these words: 'Give yourself

f it were to give me the proof that perfection does not exist, and that there is a bad side as well as a good one to everything, a certain adventure happene

oison is a good remedy when administered by a learned man. He had, in my time, three favourites in whose education he took great pains. They were, besides myself, Therese Imer, with whom the reader has a slight acquaintance already, and the third was the daughter of the boatman Gardela, a girl three years younger than I, who had the prettiest and most fascinating countenance. The speculative old man, in order to assist fortune in her part

r other we took a fancy to examine into the difference of conformation between a girl and a boy; but at the most interesting part of our study a violent blow on my shoulders from a stick, followed by another, and which would have been itself followed by many more if I had not ran away, compelled us to abandon our interesting investigation unfinished. I got off without hat or cloak, and went home; but in less than a quarter of an hour the old h

ll the servants were acquainted with the cause of my exile, and, of course, the adventure was soon known through the city, and was received with gre

ession. Taking the inventory in my hand, I pointed out every article marked down, except when the said article, having through my instrumentality taken an airing out of the house, happened to be missing, and whenever any article was absent I said that I had not the slightest idea where it might be. But the uncouth fellow, taking a very high tone, said loudly

he abbe, after a very severe lecture to which I had to listen in silence, ordered me to render an account of all the missing articles. I answered that I had found myself under the necessity of selling them to avoid runni

over it and perceived that it was issued at the instance of Antonio Razetta. It was the name of the fellow with the swarthy countenance. The seals were already affixed on all the doors, and I was n

to-night, my dear friend," he added, "you must beg the hospitality of some one of your acquaintances. It has been a

t is their

the 'avogador', and M. Rosa summoned him in my name before the criminal court, and obtained against him a writ of 'capias' in case he should not obey the second summons.

the law, and to defend myself against a man with whom I ought never to have had a

sreputab

all right and justice, prevente

as to sell the rest of the furniture; I have prevented it. There is a room at your disposal at St. Chrysostom's, in a house of mine, the first floor of which is occupied by La Tintoretta, our first ope

sides, the arrangement offered the best satisfaction I could obtain, as to be a guest at his dinner table was an honour for me. I was likewise full of curiosity re

he road which would lead me, perhaps, to the throne of Saint Peter: everything in the future assumed in my eyes the brightest

t neighbour, but I took no notice of him. When the meal was over, I paid a last visit to my be

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 visitor at every hour of the

eighbour, that M. Grimani had not mentioned the circumstance, otherwise I would have paid my duties to her before taking possess

th that language, and would feel grateful if she would converse in Italian. She was surprised at my not speaking French, and said I would cut but a poor figure in her drawing-room, as they seldom spoke any other language there, because she received a great many foreigners. I promised to learn French. Prince Waldeck came in during the evening; I was

I was expecting the bishop, I would have fallen in love with her. She was herself smitten with a young physician of great merit,

tation, and the two gentlemen thought that the best thing they could do for me would be to send me to a clerical seminary. They arranged everything unknown to me, and the abbe undertook to inform me of their plan and to obtain from me a gracious consent. But

eady 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 promise, but 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 res

n and great kindness. But 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

ed, "I only meant that you

lay 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

y two young friends, Nanette and Marton, who bathed their pillows with tears; they could not understand, and this wa

, and I left it in her hands for fifteen years. The worthy old lady is still alive, and with her ninety years she enjoys go

ery glad to go there, and intend to r

you do not know your bishop, with whom

ichel he had to stop in consequence of a violent attack of vomiting w

ound himself with the woman he adored and with the fear that it was for the last time, will easily imagine my feelings during the last hours that I expected ever

g my size, I was not old enough. Besides, I would not shave myself, through vanity, because I thought that the down on my face left no doubt of my youth. It was ridiculous, of course; but when does man cease

you wish to belong

father; I wish to study t

ce you to the f

most reverend father, and

y, my dear son;

adly all the questions propounded in Latin by the examiner, I made so many solecisms, that he felt it his duty to send me to an inferior class of grammar, in which, to my great delight, I fou

t contempt, and when they spoke of their own sublime discourses, they laughed if I appeared to be listening attentively to their discussions which, as they

as we were coming from mass paid me his friendly compliments. His first question was to enquire what science I was studying, and he thought I was joking whe

ch ignorance at the e

just enough to compel me to the

dormitory received me with great astonishment, and in the afternoon, at play time,

others, we always walked together. We conversed upon poetry, and we both delighted in the beautiful odes of Horace. We liked Ariosto better than Tasso, and Petrarch had our whole admiration, while Tassoni and Muratori, who had been his critics, were the special ob

bed, and to undress quietly after having said his 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 plac

for sleep and not for conversation, it was admitted that a pupil who slept out of his own bed, did so only for immoral purposes. So long as he stopped in his own bed, he could do what he liked; so much the worse for him if

ot is right only as far as the abuse of nature is concerned, but this abuse would very seldom occur if the directors exercised proper wisdom and prudence, and if they did not make a point of forbidd

ng that the lantern was out, had taken a sudden fancy to pay me a visit. I very soon begged him to go away for fear the prefect should be awake, for in such a case we should have found ourselves in a very unpleasant dilemma, and most likely would have been acc

until to-morrow -

lighted the lantern an

ell for rising, the rector, followed by the p

u must be guilty; but I wish to forgive them, and to save their honour I promise that their name

d, after which ceremony we repaired to the garden, where my friend told me that, having unfortunately met the prefect after he

of being forgiven, for, of course, y

would not have known any more than he knows at present, ev

se confession: you are at all

r is responsible for the gu

ery reverend rector must by this time be satisfied that the

to the snoring of our keeper, and when it ceased, understanding our 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 his hand, coming along slowly and taking a survey of all the beds right and left. I could understan

rned from a certain place in the dark, I fou

answered; "I ha

aking any remark when, on your return, you found your bed already tenanted? And how

l of this crucifix of mine, and I knew I was rig

r Argus; and he went to the lantern, t

has not gone out of itself; it has been the handiwork

after this scene, which had broken the repose of every pupil, I quietly slept until the appearance

urally was considered as the most guilty, and then myself, whom nothing could convict of the offence, ordered us to ge

to believe that the cause of all this disorder is, if not entirely innocent, at least due only to extreme thoughtlessness; but the scandal given to

great crucifix. The rector told them to execute his orders, and, as we were in that position, the wretches administered to each of us seven or eight blows with a stick, or with a rope, which I received, as well as my

was found in my bed. As an innocent person I must protest against this sham

ew who had put the lamp out. The rector left the room in the midst of hisses and curses, but he sent us to prison all the same at the top of the house and in separate cells. An hour afterwards, I had my bed, my trunk and all my things, and my meals were brought to me every day. On the fourth day, the Abbe Tosello came f

e to M. Grimani's gondola in which he had come, and we took our departure. On our way, the abbe ordered the boatman to leave my things at the Palace Grimani, add

Jesuits, without any money, and wit

cumstances of the case, he promised to bring me the same evening, at Madame Orio's house, an extra-judicial act. I repaired to the place of appointment to wait for him, and to enjoy the pleasure of my two charming friends at my sudden reappearance. It was indeed

e two amiable sisters who were expecting me with their usual loving impatience, but, I am bound to confess it with all humility, my sorrows were prejudicial to love in spite of the fortnight of absence and of abstinence. They

ted. I answered that the person might as well come out, but he quietly remarked that he had a friend at hand to conduct me forcibly to the gondola, if necessary, and without any more hesitation I went towards it. I had a great dislike to noise or to anything like a public exhibition. I might have resi

dola, it leaves the landing and takes the direction of the Lido. No one spoke to me, and I remained silent. After half-an-hour's sailing, the gondola stopped before the sma

reading its contents, gives orders to M. Zen, his adjutant, to consign me to the guard-house. In another quarter of an hour my conductors take their

ould not starve; then, stretching myself upon a hard camp bed, I passed the night amongst the soldiers without closing my eyes, for these Sclavonians were si

rther orders are only to keep you a prisoner in the fort, and I am 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 recollect that, if

d kindly supplied my table with all the implements necessary for writing. A Sclavonian soldier informed me very politely that he would attend upon me, and that I would pay him for his services whenever I could, for everyone knew that I had only ten

s, a certain Paoli Vida, one of the singers of St. Mark's Church, and his wife, a pretty woman, sister-in-law of the major, whom the husband chose to confine in the fort because h

pleasant tone, upon things which, said in a different manner, might have displeased my audience; all expressed their satisfaction, and shewed so much sympathy that, as we parted for the night, I received from all an assurance of friendship and the offer of their services. This is a piece of good fortune which has never failed me whenever I have bee

ards; a man who always tells the truth must be possessed of great moral courage. Experience has taught me that truth is a talisman, the charm of which never fails in its effect, provided it is not wasted upon unworthy people, and I believe that a guilty man, who candidly

him. The major advised me to write out my story and send it to the secretary of war, undertaking that he should receive it, and