The Memoires of Casanova

J. J. Rousseau-I

wsuit is Commence

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but to communicate to him the means I had spoken of for increasing the revenues of the state. I laid too great store by the advice of the man who had made my fortune not to follow it. I went to the comptroller, and trusting in his probity I explained my scheme to him. This was to pass a law by which every estate, except that left by father to son, should furnish the treasury with one year's income; every deed of gift formally drawn up being subject to the same provision. It seemed to me that the law could not give offence to anyone; the he

he Abby de Bernis, a cardinal. However, he had to go into exile by order of the king two days after hi

t a patron, but I had plenty of money, and so was

of opportunities for discovering his character, merely because, on being asked, he had given it as his opinion that the Prince de Soubise was not a fit person to command the French armies, this great ecclesiastic was driven into exile. The moment the Pompadour heard of this opinion of his, she decreed his

sisted in being amusing, and there were some who considered a jest incomplete that was not followed by a prosecution. A man whose name I have f

world's u

donned the g

e council stair

with the fair

is drest-Marec

ed a priest-the Duc

main-de

ad written some verses exactly like these, but that it was possible the prisoner had been inspired

s better to be a minister than a king-an opinion which seems ridiculous when it is analyzed. The question is, which is the better, independence or its contrary. The axiom may poss

recalled a minister whom he had disgraced; but on the death of Rezzonico he had to

pretext of giving him music to copy-an occupation in which he was very skilled. He was paid twice the sum given to any other copyist, but he

k him what would be called a good-natured man, and as he was far from having the manners of good society Madame d'Urfe did not hesitate to pronounce him vulgar. We saw

of Conti (father of the gentleman who is now

in conversation with the philosopher, who was even then famous. He found him in the park

said Rousseau: "however, I will tel

with whom he walked up and down for two or three hours. When it was dinner-ti

us?" said the prince. "I th

neither my wife, nor my mistress, nor my servant-maid, nor my mothe

with you alone, I will not dine with your other self, but w

m farewell and went out. Rou

horrified, as he had advised the lady to produce it, and was thought to have had some hand in its composition, as well as in that of the 'Lettres Peruviennes' and 'Cenie'. By a curious coincidence, just about

riding on. He was styled M. le Comte d'Aranda. A girl of sixteen, Viar's daughter, a fine-looking young woman, was appointed to look after him, and she was quite proud to call herself my lord's governess. She assured Madame d'Urfe that she took special care of him; that as soon as he woke she brought him his breakfast in bed; that she then dressed him, and did not leave h

e Aranda, "which," said I, "may some day prove a thorn in his side." She answered that the lad had said enough to convince her that he had a right to bear that name. "I had," she said,

you to ha

l from the Comte d'Aranda; how can you p

my birth is a secret I

ed me. I should not have thought him capable of it, and a week after

s pupil, saying that he played the flute capitally, danced and fenced admirably, rode well, and wrote a good hand. He shewed me the pens he had cut himself

nderstand a word he said, and partly because he seemed to think the matter as important as would a country squire with his thirty-two quarters. However, I was delighted t

d, "how you can be so foolish as t

w it is foolish, but leave me my title; it i

thought that at your age you would be capable of such a knavish trick. I know you did it out of stupidity, but after a certain li

him till he burst

shame of confessing to Madame d'Urfe that I had imposed on her;

o some place far removed from Paris under his proper name, I told him

l the truth-what sort of feelings doe

ich the reserve commended by yourself, as

owing for your age. And you may as well observe that when you are called upon for

very fond of me, and she shews

you lo

, y

with you in

th me the

ent when you

helps me t

ing e

care to

d enough to guess that the boy and girl were very good friends indeed, I conten

printing, the exquisite designs which are produced at Lyons by the tedious process of weaving, and thus to give customers excellent value at much lower prices. I had the requisite knowl

e to persevere, promising me his patronage, and all the

pacious hall, in which I meant to put my workmen; another hall which was to be the shop; numerous ro

is whole family; and I engaged four servants, a waiting-maid, and a porter. I had to give another share to an accountant, who furnished me with two clerks, who also took up their abode in the house. The carpenters, blacksmiths, and painters worked hard from morning to night, and in less than

nd that would not break me. If the worst happened I could fall back on my shares, which produced a good income, bu

if custom did not come in, but on looking at my beautiful materials these fears wer

a month about sixty thousand francs, and my we

e certain that this business was only meant to put the curious off the s

rection of the foreman. The best paid did not get more than twenty-four sous a day, and all of them had excellent reputations, for they had been selected at her own request by the manager's wife, a devout woman of ripe age, whom I hoped to find obliging if the fancy seized me to test h

s on the high road to fortune, and partly because I furnished so many people with the me

d I considered the matter happily settled; M. de la Popeliniere had married, and when Mdlle. X. C. V. returned to her mother there would be nothing more

tching me. In my turn I looked at them, and remembered seeing the man in a gaming-house, where he was known by the name of Castel-Bajac. On scrutinizing the features of the hag, I at last succeeded in recollecting who she was; she was the woman to whom I had taken Mdlle. X. C. V. I felt certain that she had recognized me, but not troubling myself about the matter I left the gardens to walk elsewhere.

cusation, I went to an attorney I knew and told him to appear for me. I instructed him that I did not know any midw

e had enough presence of mind to say that the necessary drugs were not ready, that she would have all in order by the next night; whereupon we left, promising to return. In the belief that we would not fail to keep the appointment, she went in to M. Castel-Bajac to ask him to hide in the next room that she might be protected from my fury, and that he might be a witness of what I said, but she had

ve the truth of her allegations. My advice to you is to take the matter before th

ys after he told me that the lieutenant wished to speak to me in priva

d gentleman. He was, in fact, the well-known M. de Sartine, who was the chief of police two years later. His

he asked me to sit down by him

lf innocent. What I want from you is an informal and strictly confidential declaration, for the case against you is a serious one, and of such a kind as to require all your efforts to wipe off this blot upon your honour. Your enemies will not respect your delicacy of feeling. They will press you so hard that you will either be obliged to submit to a shameful sentence, or to wound your feelings of honour in proving your innocence. You see I am confid

osition did not oblige me to make any reservations on account of hon

e. She is most likely an abandoned woman, who with

mitting the fact, see how chance favours her, and makes i

continually dogging your steps. The midwife sent me a requisition yesterday by her counsel, Vauversin. She says that the pregnant lady you brought to her house is the same whom Madame X. C. V. is searching for. She also says that you both wore black dominoes, and the police have ascertained

e have I t

you to the midwife's. In that case I should be compelled to order your arrest and examination, with a view to ascertain the name of the person whom you took with you. Do you realize that you are accus

ou will have condemned me wrongly, a

absurdity of the accusations, but it is the other circumstances about the case which make it a serious one for you. I can partly understand the circumstances, and the feelings of love and honour which bid you be silent. I have spoken to you, and I hope you will have no reserves with me. I will spare you all the unpleasant circumstances which threaten you, believing, as I do, that you are innocent. Tell m

offices, and said to him in quite another tone, that innocent as I was, I saw that my best course was to throw myself on h

at she would never have left her mother if she had not

her's house, and you will be safe, unless the midwife persis

no more without obtaining the consent of another party. If I succeed in doing so I shall be able to throw

to hear what you have to say. I th

adly have put an end to the case with money; but it was too late. I was sure that Farsetti had the chief hand in all this trouble, that he was continually on my track, and

whole story to M. de Sartine, but to do tha