The Memoires of Casanova

dame D'Urfe on My

ther-I Conceive a

d on a Financial M

-M. d'Afri-Esther

erese I

de la Tour d'Auvergne had left him, the latter, knowing his aunt's taste for the occul

ring more especially to her brothers MM. de Pont-Carre and de Viarme who had lately been chosen head of the trade companies, and his son. I have alre

and people looked upon me as her husband, and despite the improbability of the supposition this was the only way in which they could account for the lon

aining incognito was to guard myself from arrest and imprisonment; which according to her would be the inevitable result of the minister's discovering my real character. These wild notions were the fruit of the nocturnal revelations of her genius, that is, of the dreams of her disordered spirit, which seemed to her realities. She did no

since she was a woman, and the genii only communicated with men, whose nature is more perfect. Nevertheless, by a process which was well known to me, I might make her soul

s I would have made the attempt, but I felt sure that her disease was without remedy,

to speak the truth I was flattered to see myself treated as one of the most profound brothers of the Rosy Cross, as the most powerful of men by so distinguished a lady, who was in high repute for her learning, who entertained and was related to the first families of France, and had an

thousand francs in a year, and she invested her savings in the exchange, and in this way had nearly doubled them. A brother used to buy her in Government

e on this subject in a tone of persuasion almost irresistible, I told her that I must confess I had the power to do what she wanted, but that I could not make up my mind to

know the death I shall have to

, is that d

e poison which ki

Paracelsus obtain

the reason of hi

s the r

osite nature is incapable of the hypostasis, to obt

the poison, and that the thing is impo

enquire of the oracle whether there be any

I had no hesitation in extracting her name from the oracular pyramid

I am advised, will be provided by you; and I do not think you will be

ing on her infatuation. When I returned to the table where she was seated she scanned my features atten

iage, which was always at my disposal, was at the door, and I drove to the Boulevards, where I wa

ion of a battle piece which had taken all the critics by storm.

ried an Italian dancer. M. de Sanci, the ecclesiastical commissioner, gave the wedding party. He was fond of the girl, and out of gratitude to my brother f

e to me at considerable length on the great dearth of money, a

in exchange the securities of any other country whose credit was higher than that of France, and that these s

e thought the whole idea an excellent one, and advised me to go to Holland with a letter from M. de Choiseul for M. d'Afri, the ambassador at t

said he, "you will be able to get as man

told me that M. le Duc de Choiseul would be at the Invalides the next day, an

with twenty millions, and if, contrary to my hopes, yo

tion of the paper being returned, if t

, you will hear about that from the amba

Choiseul, so famous for taking decisive action, had no sooner read M. de Boulogne's letter and spoken a few words to me on the su

e Baletti and all my friends except Madame d'Urfe, with whom I was to spend the whole of

y; I had reconciled them several times already, and they regarded me as a kind of go-between. They came to see me on the day on which I was making my preparations for going to Holland. My brother and Tiretta were with me, and

of jealousy. He ate nothing, changed colour ten times in a minute, and looked daggers at his wife, as much as to say he did not see the joke. To crown all, Tiretta began to crack jests at the poor wretch's expense, and I, foreseeing unpleasantness, endeavoured, though all in vain, to moderate his high spirits and his sallies. An oyster chanced to fall on Madame Gaetan's beautiful breast; and Tiretta, who

f she returned to him. So, leaving Tiretta with my brother, I got into a carriage with her and I took her, according to her request, to her kinsman

or this unfortunate girl; while if I had

id I, and drawing three hundred francs

the ruin of her husband, who sha

the reader shall hear what became o

rge of some shares of hers and to sell them for her. They amounted in value to sixty thousand francs, but she could not dispose of them on the Paris Exchange owing to the

e constituted depositary and owner of the property by a deed, which w

O U for the moneys, but she would not hear of such a

t on board and arrived at Rotterdam the next day. I got to the Hague on the day following, and after depositing my effects at the "Hotel d'Angleterre" I proceeded to M. d'Afri's, and found him reading M. de Choiseul's letter,

that as it was Christmas Eve he supposed I should be going to rock the infant Jesus asleep, but I answered that I was come to keep the Feast of the Maccabees with him-a reply which gained me the applause of the whole family and an invitation to stay

d that the thing might easily be do

ng after break

em, sir; come in here and

thousand florins in notes and gold, he told me that if I liked I c

and, as I had been merely jesting in the remarks I had made, I

just now. Each ducat will fetch five florins, two stivers and three-fifths. This is the rate of exchange with Frankfort. Buy in four hundred thousand ducats; take them or send them to Frankfort, with bills of exchange on Amsterdam, and your

e clerks of the Mint tr

you pay them in current

neither money nor c

housand florins in a week. By the way you ta

rry you were

my sons to transact

arp lesson, M. Boaz went into

ewing me a letter he had received from M. de Boulogne, in which he was instructed not to let me dispose of the twenty millions at a greater loss than eight per cent., as peace was immi

east knavish mean pretty much the same thing. If you like," he added, "I will give you a letter of introduction to M. Pels, of Amsterdam." I accepted his offe

fter the celebration. The Comte de Tot, brother of the baron, who lost all his money at the seraglio, and whom I

every minute, even while she was speaking. She died shortly after, and it was discovered at the postmortem examination that she had a disease of the brain which caused her extreme prope

Turkish minister, and I thought he would die

found bow to the goddess. The candlesnuffer, who perhaps may have been a bad wit, crossed the stage just afterwards, and likewise bowed to the goddess. This put pit and boxes in a good humour, and peals of laughter so

Turk could have laughed like that. It may be said that a great Greek philosopher died of laughter at seeing a toothles

hose who do not laugh at all, as laughter is good for

mine by two horses, and containing a fine-looking young man and his servant. His coachman called out to mine to make way for him. My coachman answered

said I; "and, moreove

not posting; and if you are foreigner, as you say, you must conf

ummoned the Dutchman to give way or defend himself. He was cooler than I, and replied, smiling, that he was not going to fight for so foolish a cause, and that I might get in

finding M, d'O-- directly afterwards he offered to do me my sixty bills and give me twelve per cent. M. Pels told me to wait, as he said he could get me fi

. d'O-- was a widower, and had this only child; consequently, Esther was heiress to a large fortune. Her excellent father loved her blindly, and she deserved his love. Her skin was snow white, delicately tinted with red; her hair was bla

of mosaic, with Persian carpets. The dining-hall was cased in alabaster, and the table and the cupboards were of cedar wood. The whole house looked like a block of solid marble, for it was covered with marble without as well as within, and must have cost immense sums. Every Saturday half-a-dozen servant girls, perched on ladders, washed down these s

to a concert. I replied that, being in her company, nothing

o go very well, but I

to escort you . . . but I dar

were to ask my father I am sure h

u sure

oliteness, and my father would not do such a thing.

ess I d

e-liberty which they lose only by mar

my request, trembling lest I

ou a ca

s,

ive orders to get

, fa

nova has been kind enough to of

Thank you, papa, f

ed she had used a little powder, but Esther was jealous of her ebon tresses, which displayed the whiteness of her skin to admiration. The chief aim of women i

iled her bosom, whose glorie

like this in my keeping I could hardly think. I asked myself whether I was to remember that I was a free-lance of love, or whether honour bade me forget it. Esther, in the highest spirits, told me that we were going to hear an Italian singer w

ot be trusted alone with a gentleman, but here they

your welfare, and happier still h

or me to make; 'tis m

hoice is not pleasing to you,

ove a man until we know

not in love

never felt the

ay kiss y

d you kiss

ve modestly enough, but which went to my heart. My delight was a little alloyed wh

ll curious to know who I was. The fair Esther, who knew no more than my name, could not satisfy them. All at once seeing a fair young gir

for she may be a relation of yours. Her name

gentleman, "I beg to introduce to you

u were my friend, as we are, perhaps, r

stantly, as my father came from

I don't think much of such matters. Besants d'or and such

it; but it may nevertheless afford us a few minutes' am

all my

w, and I will bring my family-tree with me. Will yo

will call on you myself to-morrow.

the employ of the French minist

uced me to her. She was Esther's dearest friend, a

s ago, when the old senator Malipiero had struck me because we were playing together. I had seen her again at Venice in 1753, and then our pastime had been of a more serious nature. She had gone to Bayreuth, where she had been the margrave's mistress. I had promised to go and see her, but C-- C-- and my fair nun M-- M-- had left me neithe

he was said to be a woman with a history, and to be very badly off. "She goes from one town to another, singing at al

e find t

irty or forty florins. The day after to-morrow she will go to the Hague, then to Rotterdam, t

he a l

idow, but also on account of a great grief she is reported to have gone through. She will soon be coming round." I took out my purse; and counted

oking at her, and she passed on. A little girl, four or five years old, followed her, and when she got to the end of the bench she came back to kiss my hand. I could not help recognizing in her a facsimile of myself, but I concealed my emotion. The

her, with a laugh, "that you and that littl

lle. Casanova, "there i

ces are often th

h a wicked smile, "but you

h it, though of course I ca

ce she fell fainting on the sofa, though whether the fainting fit was real or assumed I cannot say. Thinking that she might be really ill I played my part properly, and brought her to herself by sprinkling her with cold water and putting my vinaigrette to her nose. As soon as she came to herself she began to gaze at me without saying a word. At last, tired of her silence, I asked her if she w

ificate. The birth of the child fell in with the period at which I had been intimate with Therese, and her perfect likeness to myself left no room for doubt. I therefore raise

asure in my sight; if we w

rge of the little girl I should s

cannot give a proper education; ta

re i

or rather in pa

ou mean by

rned to me until I pay the perso

ch do y

ore; you can then take my son, and I shall be the happiest of mothers. I wi

and instead of four d

ach other again

uite cool, despite the ardour of her embraces. Seeing that her trouble was of no avail, she sighed,

tell the tale if it were a true one; but not being a romance writer, I am anxious that this work shall contain the truth and nothing but the truth. Convicted by her amorous and jealous margarve of infidelity, she had been sent about her business. She was separated from her husband Pompeati, had followed a new lover to Brussels, and there had caught the fancy of Prince Charles de Lorraine, who had

reated me with the greatest courtesy. After reading my pedigree he went for his own, and found it exactly the same; but he merely laughed, and seemed to care little about it, differing in that respect from Don Antonio of Naples, who set such store by my pedigree, and treated me with such politeness on that account. Nevertheless, he bade me make use of him in anything relating to business if I did anything

the offer a good one, and I accepted it, taking a bill of exchange on Tourton & Baur. At the rate of exchange at Hamburg I found I should have seventy-two thousand francs,

side wind, there being no rudder. I was pleased and astonished at the skill of our two sailors in lowering sail exactly at the proper time; for the sleigh ran a good way, from the impetus it had already received, and we stopped just at the bank of the river, whereas if the sail had been lowered a moment later the sleigh might have been broken to pieces. We had some excellent perch for dinner, but the strength of the wind prevented us from walking about. I went there again, but as Zaandam is well known as the haunt of the millionaire m

e I found Esther in the highest of spirits. She gave me a warm welcome,

her father said an honest man had nothing to be asham

asanova, who t

ently; I knew her when I was a lad, and i

rised, then, to see your

ld is my daughter? Madame

d how about your falling asleep yester

nt asleep, as I had not clo

for I have always to wait long hours before sleep comes to me, and when I

take an interest, telling the story of her life, and

o such pers

ly seen fourteen summers; but a

w is books, and the help of som

y matter for anyone w

please me it must be all true, as I lay it do

rvices, and if you will accept them I bel

er, and shall keep

ng it, and before I leave for the Ha

extreme beauty set my blood on fire, and M. d'O-- laughed heartily at the war his charming daughter waged on me. At eleven o'clock we

"you will continue to

as easy to perceive that my

ng gentleman, who looked at me a moment in return and then whispered in Mdlle. Casanova's ear. She smiled and whispered something to Esther. Esther stepped up to her father and said a f

d'O--; "at any rate we should as

dventures on your journey f

young gentleman, and I guessed

with a fine fellow who desired to see my carriage turn u

mistress pretended to be angry, and told him that he ought to have fought. Esther observed that he had shewn more true courage in listening to reason,

accidents. We reached the river, and as I was a perfect neophyte in this sport the figure I cut may be imagined. However, I resolutely determined to conquer my awkwardness, and twenty times, to the peril of my spine, did I fall down upon the ice. I should have been wiser to have left off, but I was ashamed to do so, and I did not stop till, to my huge delight, we were summoned in to dinner. But I paid dear for my obstinacy, for when I tried to rise from t

atoms, although I had used almost the whole of a pot of ointment which Esther had given me for that purpose. In spite of my torments I did not forget my promise, and I had myself taken

I went early in the morning, leaving my post-chaise at the door. Her governe

u would not have come at all unless I

ely face. But seeing my eyes straying towards her bosom, and guessing that I shoul

y yourself at the Hague with the fair Trenti,

and for no other reason, and in six days at latest you will see me back again

of honour, but mind y

onate a kiss that I went away feeling certain of my bliss being crown

2 - RETUR