 Chapter 21 of the Memoirs of Jacques Casanova, Volume I, by Giacomo Casanova. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova, Volume I, by Giacomo Casanova, Episode V, Milan and Mantua, Chapter 21 My journey to Susena in search of treasure. I take up my quarters in Francia's house, his daughter Gavotte. The opera was nearly over when I was accosted by a young man who, abruptly and without any introduction, told me that as a stranger, I had been very wrong in spending two months in Mantua without paying a visit to the natural history collection belonging to his father, Don Antonio Capitani, Commissary and Prebendal President. Sir, I answered, I have been guilty only through ignorance, and if you would be so good as to call for me at my hotel tomorrow morning, before the evening I shall have atone for my error, and you will no longer have the right to address me the same reproach. The son of the Prebendal Commissary called for me, and I found in his father a most eccentric, whimsical sort of man. The curiosities of his collection consisted of his family tree, of books of magic, relics, coins which he believed to be anti-Diluvian, a model of the Ark taken from nature at the time when Noah arrived in that extraordinary harbour, Mount Ararat, in Armenia. He load several metals, one of Cisostris, another of Semiramis, and an old knife of queer shape covered with rust. Besides all those wonderful treasures he possessed, but under lock and key, all the paraphernalia of Freemasonry. Pray tell me, I said to him, what relation there is between this collection and natural history? I see nothing here representing the three kingdoms. What, you do not see the anti-Diluvian kingdom, that of Cisostris and that of Semiramis, are not those the three kingdoms? When I heard that answer I embraced him with an exclamation of delight, which was sarcastic in its intent, but which he took for admiration, and he at once unfolded all the treasures of his whimsical knowledge respecting his possessions, ending with the rusty blade which he said was the very knife with which St. Peter cut off the ear of Malek. What, I exclaimed, you are the possessor of this knife and you are not as rich as creases? How could I be so through the possession of the knife? In two ways, in the first place, you could obtain possession of all the treasures hidden underground in the states of the church. Yes, that is a natural consequence, because St. Peter has the keys. In the second place, you might sell the knife to the Pope if you happen to possess proof of its authenticity. You mean the parchment? Of course I have it. Do you think I would have bought one without the other? All right, then. In order to get possession of that knife, the Pope would, I have no doubt, make a cardinal of your son, but you must have the sheaf, too. I have not got it, but it is unnecessary. At all events, I can have one made. That would not do. You must have the very one in which St. Peter himself sheathed the knife when God said, Mite gladium tuam in vaginam. That very sheaf does exist, and it is now in the hands of a person who might sell it to you at a reasonable price. Or you might sell him your knife, for the sheaf without the knife is of no use to him. Just as the knife is useless to you without the sheath. How much would it cost me? One thousand sequins. And how much would that person give me for the knife? One thousand sequins, for one has as much value as the other. The commissary, greatly astonished, looked at his son and said, with the voice of a judge on the bench, Well, son, would you ever have thought that I would be offered one thousand sequins for this knife? He then opened a drawer and took out of it an old piece of paper which he placed before me. It was written in Hebrew and a facsimile of the knife was drawn on it. I pretended to be lost in admiration and advised him very strongly to purchase the sheath. It is not necessary for me to buy it or for your friend to purchase the knife. We can find out and dig up the treasures together. Not at all. The rubric says in the most forcible manner that the owner of the blade, in Vajinom, shall be one. If the Pope were in possession of it he would be able, through magical operation known to me, to cut off one of the ears of every Christian king who might be thinking of encroaching upon the rites of the church. Wonderful indeed, but it is very true, for it is said in the Gospel that St. Peter did cut off the ear of somebody. Yes, of a king. Oh, no, not of a king. Of a king, I tell you. Inquire whether malek or melek does not mean king. Well, in case I should make up my mind to sell the knife, who would give me the thousand sequins? I would. One half tomorrow cash down, the balance of five hundred in a letter of exchange payable one month after date. Ah, that is like business. Be good enough to accept a dish of macaroni with us tomorrow, and under a solemn pledge of secrecy we will discuss this important affair. I accepted and took my leave, firmly resolved on keeping up the joke. I came back on the following day, and the very first thing he told me was that, to his certain knowledge, there was an immense treasure hidden somewhere in the papal states, and that he would make up his mind to purchase the sheath. This satisfied me that there was no fear of his taking me at my word, so I produced a purse full of gold, saying I was quite ready to complete our bargain for the purchase of the knife. The treasure, he said, is worth millions, but let us have dinner. You are not going to be served in silver plates and dishes, but in real Raphael mosaic. My dear commissary, your magnificence astonishes me. Mosaic is, indeed, by far superior to silver plate, although an ignorant fool would only consider it ugly, earthenware. The compliment delighted him. After dinner he spoke as follows. A man in very good circumstances, residing in the papal states, and owner of the country house in which he lives, with all his family, is certain that there is a treasure in his cellar. He has written to my son, declaring himself ready to undertake all expenses necessary to possess himself of that treasure. If we could procure a magician powerful enough to unearth it, the son then took a letter out of his pocket, read me some passages, and begged me to excuse him if, in consequence of his having pledged himself to keep the secret, he could not communicate all the contents of the letter. But I had, unperceived by him, read the word Cicena, the name of the village, and that was enough for me. Therefore all that is necessary is to give me the possibility of purchasing the sheath on credit, for I have no ready cash at present. You need not be afraid of endorsing my letters of exchange, and if you should know the magician, you might go haves with him. The magician is ready, it is I, but unless you give me five hundred sequins cashed down we cannot agree. I have no money. Then sell me the knife. No, you are wrong, for now that I have seen it, I can easily take it from you. But I am honest enough not to wish to play such trick upon you. You could take my knife from me. I should like to be convinced of that, but I do not believe it. You do not, very well. Tomorrow the knife will be in my possession, but when it is once in my hands you need not hope to see it again. A spirit which is under my orders will bring it to me at midnight, and the same spirit will tell me where the treasure is buried. Let the spirit tell you that, and I shall be convinced. Give me a pen, ink, and paper. I asked a question from my oracle, and the answer I had was that the treasure was to be found not far from the rubicon. That is, I said, a torrent which was once a river. They consulted a dictionary and found that the rubicon flowed through Cicena. They were amazed, and as I wished them to have full scope for wrong reasoning I left them. I had taken a fancy, not to perloin 500 sequins from those poor fools, but to go and unearth the amount at their expense in the house of another fool and to laugh at them all into the bargain. I longed to play the part of a magician. With that idea, when I left the house of the ridiculous centiquarian, I proceeded to the public library, where, with the assistance of a dictionary, I wrote the following specimen of Cicius erudition. The treasure is buried in the earth at a depth of seventeen and a half fathoms and has been there for six centuries. Its value amounts to two millions of sequins enclosed in a casket, the same which was taken by Godfrey de Bouillon from Matilda, Countess of Tuscany, in the year 1081, when he endeavored to assist Henry IV against that princess. He buried the box himself in the very spot where it now is before he went to lay siege to Jerusalem. Gregory VII, who was a great magician, having been informed of the place where it had been hidden, had resolved on getting possession of it himself, but death prevented him from carrying out his intentions. After the death of the Countess Matilda, in the year 1116, the genius presiding over all hidden treasures appointed seven spirits to guard the box. During a night with a full moon, a learned magician can raise the treasure to the surface of the earth by placing himself in the middle of the magical ring called Maximus. I expected to see the father and son, and they came early in the morning. After some rambling conversation, I gave them what I had composed at the library, namely the history of the treasure taken from the Countess Matilda. I told them that I had made up my mind to recover the treasure, and I promised them the fourth part of it, provided they would purchase the sheath. I concluded by threatening again to possess myself of their knife. I cannot decide, said the commissary, before I have seen the sheath. I pledged my word to show it to you tomorrow, I answered. We parted company, highly pleased with each other. In order to manufacture a sheath, such as the wonderful knife required, it was necessary to combine the most whimsical idea with the oddest shape. I recollected very well the form of the blade, and, as I was revolving in my mind, the best way to produce something very extravagant, but well adapted to the purpose I had in view, I spied in the yard of the hotel an old piece of leather, the remnant of what had been a fine gentleman's boot. It was exactly what I wanted. I took that old saw, boiled it, and made in it a slit in which I was certain that the knife would go easily. Then I paired it carefully on all sides to prevent the possibility of its former use being found out. I rubbed it with pumice stone, sand and ochre, and finally I succeeded in imparting to my production such a queer, old-fashioned shape that I could not help laughing, looking at my work. When I presented it to the commissary, and he had found it an exact fit for the knife, the good man remained astounded. We dined together, and after dinner it was decided that his son should accompany me and introduce me to the master of the house in which the treasure was buried, that I was to receive a letter of exchange for one thousand Roman crowns drawn by the son on Bologna, which would be made palable to my name only after I should have found the treasure and that the knife with the sheath would be delivered into my hands only when I should require it for the great operation. Until then the son was to retain possession of it. Those conditions having been agreed upon, we made an agreement in writing, binding all parties at our departure was fixed for the day after the morrow. As we left Mantua, the father pronounced a fervent blessing over his son's head and told me that he was Count Palatine, showing me the diploma which he had received from the Pope. I embraced him, giving him his title of Count and pocketed his letter of exchange. After bidding adieu to Marina, who was then the acknowledged mistress of Count Arcorati and to Baleti, whom I was sure of meeting again in Venice before the end of the year, I went to supper with my friend O'Neillan. We started early in the morning, travelled through Ferrara in Bologna and reached Cecena, where we put up at the posting house. We got up early the next day and walked quietly to the house of George Franzia, a wealthy peasant, who was owner of the treasure. It was only a quarter of a mile from the city and the good man was agreeably surprised by our arrival. He embraced Capitani, whom he knew already and leaving me with his family he went out with my companion to talk business. Observant as usual, I passed the family in review and fixed my choice upon the eldest daughter. The youngest girl was ugly and the son looked a regular fool. The mother seemed to be the real master of the household and there were three or four servants going about the premises. The eldest daughter was called Geneviève, or Javat, a very common name among the girls of Cecena. I told her that I thought her a teen but she answered, in a tone half serious, half vexed, that I was very much mistaken for she had only just completed her fourteenth year. I'm very glad it is so, my pretty child. These words brought back her smile. The house was well situated and there was not another dwelling round it for at least four hundred yards. I was glad to see that I should have comfortable quarters but I was annoyed by a very unpleasant stink which tainted the air and which could certainly not be agreeable to the spirits I had to evoke. Madame Francia, said I, to the mistress of the house, what is the cause of that bad smell? Sir, it arises from the hemp which we are macerating. I concluded that if the cars were removed I should get rid of the effect. What is that hemp worth, madame? I inquired. About forty crowns. Here they are. The hemp belongs to me now and I must beg your husband to have it removed immediately. Capitani called me and I joined him. Francia showed me all the respect due to a great magician although I had not much the appearance of one. We agreed that he should receive one fourth of the treasure, Capitani another fourth, and that the remainder should belong to me. We certainly did not show much respect for the rights of St. Peter. I told Francia that I should require a room with two beds for myself alone and an anti-room for bathing apparatus. Capitani's room was to be in a different part of the house and my room was to be provided with three tables, two of them small and one large. I added that he must at once procure me a sewing-girl between the ages of fourteen and eighteen. She was to be a virgin and it was necessary that she should, as well as every person in the house, keep the secret faithfully in order that no suspicion of our proceedings should reach the inquisition or all would be lost. I intend to take up my quarters here tomorrow, I added. I require two meals every day and the only one I can drink is jevez. For my breakfast I drink a peculiar kind of chocolate which I make myself and which I have brought with me. I promise to pay my own expenses in case we do not succeed. Please remove the hemp to a place sufficiently distant from the house so that its bad smell may not annoy the spirits to be evoked by me and let the air be purified by the discharge of gunpowder. Besides, you must send a trusty servant tomorrow to convey our luggage from the hotel here and keep constantly in the house and at my disposal. One hundred new wax candles and three torches. After I had given these instructions to Franzia, I left him and went towards Susena with Capitani. We had not gone a hundred yards when we heard the good man running after us. Sir, he said to me, be kind enough to take back the forty crowns which you paid to my wife for the hemp. No, I will not do anything of the sort, for I do not want you to sustain any loss. Take them back, I beg. I can sell the hemp in the course of the day for forty crowns without difficulty. In that case I will, for I have confidence in what you say. Such proceedings on my part impressed the excellent man very favourably, and he entertained the deepest veneration for me, which was increased, when, against Capitani's advice, I resolutely refused one hundred sequins which he wanted to force upon me for my travelling expenses. I threw him into rapture by telling him that on the eve of possessing an immense treasure it was unnecessary to think of such trifles. The next morning our luggage was sent for, and we found ourselves comfortably located in the house of the wealthy and simple Franzia. He gave us a good dinner, but with too many dishes, and I told him to be more economical and to give only some good fish for our supper, which he did. After supper he told me that, as far as the young maiden was concerned, he thought he could recommend his daughter Javat, as he had consulted his wife and had found I could rely upon the girl being a virgin. Very good, I said. Now tell me what grounds you have for supposing that there is a treasure in your house. In the first place the oral tradition transmitted from father to son for the last eight generations. In the second, the heavy sounds which are heard underground during the night. Besides, the door of the cellar opens and shuts of itself every three or four minutes, which must certainly be the work of the devils seen every night wandering through the country in the shape of pyramidal plains. If it is as you say, it is evident that you have a treasure hidden somewhere in your house. It is as certain as the fact that two and two are four. Be very careful not to put a lock to the door of the cellar to prevent its opening and shutting of itself. Otherwise you would have an earthquake, which would destroy everything here. Spirits will enjoy perfect freedom, and they break through every obstacle raised against them. God be praised for having sent here, forty years ago, a learned man who told my father exactly the same thing. That great magician required only three days more to unearth the treasure when my father heard that the inquisition had given orders to arrest him, and he lost no time in ensuring his escape. Can you tell me how it is that magicians are not more powerful than the inquisitors? Because the monks have a greater number of devils under their command than we have. But I feel certain that your father had already expended a great deal of money with that learned man. About two thousand crowns. Oh, more, more! I told Francia to follow me, and, in order to accomplish something in the magic line, I dipped a towel in some water, and uttering fearful words which belonged to no human language, I washed the eyes, the temples, and the chests of every person in the family, including Javat, who might have objected to it if I had not begun with her father, mother, and brother. I made them swear upon my pocketbook that they were not laboring under any impure disease, and I concluded the ceremony by compelling Javat to swear, likewise, that she had her maidenhood. As I saw that she was blushing to the very roots of her hair in taking the oath, I was cruel enough to explain to her what it meant. I then asked her to swear again, but she answered that there was no need of it now that she knew what it was. I ordered all the family to kiss me, and, finding that Javat had eaten garlic, I forbade the use of it entirely, which order Francia promised should be complied with. Zhenviève was not a beauty as far as her features were concerned. Her complexion was too much sunburnt, and her mouth was too large, but her teeth were splendid, and her underlip projected slightly as if it had been formed to receive kisses. Her bosom was well-made and as firm as a rock, but her hair was too light and her hands too fleshy. The defects, however, had to be overlooked, and altogether she was not an unpleasant morsel. I did not purpose to make her fall in love with me. With the peasant girl that task might have been a long one. All I wanted was to train her to perfect obedience, which, in default of love, has always appeared to me the essential point. True that in such a case one does not enjoy the ecstatic raptures of love, but one finds a compensation in the complete control obtained over the woman. I gave notice to the father, to Capitani, and to Javat, that each would, in turn and in the order of their age, take supper with me, and that Javat would sleep every night in my anti-room, where was to be placed a bath in which I would bathe my guest one-half hour before sitting down to supper, and the guest was not to have broken his fast throughout the day. I prepared a list of all the articles of which I pretended to be in need, and giving it to Franzia I told him to go to Cessena himself the next day and to purchase everything without bargaining to obtain a lower price. Among other things I ordered a piece from twenty to thirty yards long of white linen, thread, scissors, needles, storacks, myrrh, sulfur, olive oil, camphor, one ream of paper, pens and ink, twelve sheets of parchment, brushes, and a branch of olive tree to make a stick of eighteen inches in length. After I had given all my orders very seriously and without any wish to laugh, I went to bed highly pleased with my personification of a magician in which I was astonished to find myself so completely successful. The next morning, as soon as I was dressed, I sent for Capitani and commanded him to proceed every day to Cessena to go to the best coffee-house to learn carefully every piece of news and every rumor and to report them to me. Franzia, who had faithfully obeyed my orders, returned before noon from the city with all the articles I had asked for. I have not bargained for anything, he said to me, and the merchants must, I have no doubt, have taken me for a fool, for I have certainly paid one-third more than the things are worth. So much the worse for them if they have deceived you, but you would have spoiled everything if you had beaten them down in their price. Now send me your daughter and let me be alone with her. As soon as Javat was in my room I made her cut the linen in seven pieces, four of five feet long, two of two feet, and one of two feet and a half. The last one was intended to form the hood of the robe I was to wear for the great operation. Then I said to Javat, Sit down near my bed and begin sewing. You will dine here and remain at work until the evening. When your father comes you must let us be alone, but as soon as he leaves me come back and go to bed. She dined in my room where her mother waited on her without speaking and gave her nothing to drink except Saint Javay's wine. Towards evening her father came and she left us. I had the patience to wash the good man while he was in the bath, after which he had supper with me. He ate voraciously, telling me that it was the first time in his life that he had remained twenty-four hours without breaking his fast. Intoxicated with Saint Javay's wine he had drunk, he went to bed and slept soundly until morning when his wife brought me my chocolate. Javat was kept sewing as on the day before. She left the room in the evening when Capitani came in and I treated him in the same manner as Francia. On the third day it was Javat's turn and that had been the object I had kept in view all the time. When the hour came I said to her, Go, Javat! Get into the bath and call me when you are ready for I must purify you as I have purified your father in Capitani. She obeyed and within a quarter of an hour she called me. I performed a great many ablutions on every part of her body, making her assume all sorts of positions, for she was perfectly docile. But as I was afraid of betraying myself I felt more suffering than enjoyment in my indiscreet hands running over every part of her person and remaining longer and more willingly on a certain spot, the sensitiveness of which is extreme. The poor girl was excited by an ardent fire which was at last quenched by the natural result of that excitement. I made her get out of the bath soon after that and as I was drying her I was very near forgetting magic to follow the impulse of nature. But quicker than I nature relieved itself and I was thus enabled to reach the end of the scene without anticipating the denouement. I told Javat to dress herself and to come back to me as soon as she was ready. She had been fasting all day and her toilet did not take a long time. She ate with ferocious appetite and the Saint-Gervais wine, which he drank like water, imparted so much animation to her complexion that it was no longer possible to see how sunburned she was. Being alone with her after supper I said to her, My dear Javat, have you been displeased at all I have compelled you to submit to this evening? Not at all. I liked it very much. Then I hope that you will have no objection to the bath with me tomorrow and to wash me as I have washed you. Most willingly, but shall I know how to do it well? I will teach you and for the future I wish you to sleep every night in my room because I must have a complete certainty that on the night of the great operation I shall find you such as you ought to be. From that time Javat was at her ease with me. Every strain disappeared. She would look at me and smile with entire confidence. Nature had operated and the mind of a young girl soon enlarges its fear when pleasure is her teacher. She went to bed and as she knew that she had no longer anything to conceal from me her modesty was not alarmed when she undressed herself in my presence. It was very warm. Any kind of covering was pleasant in the hot weather. So she stripped to the skin and soon fell asleep. I did the same, but I could not help feeling some regret at having engaged myself not to take advantage of the position before the night of the great incantation. I knew that the operation to unearth the treasure would be a complete failure, but I knew likewise that it would not fail because Javat's virginity was gone. The daybreak the girl rose and began sewing. As soon as she had finished the robe I told her to make crown of parchment with seven long points on which I painted some fearful figures and hieroglyphs. In the evening, one hour before supper I got into the bath and Javat joined me as soon as I called her. She performed upon me with great zeal and many things that I had done for her the day before and she was as gentle and docile as possible. I spent a delicious hour in that bath enjoying everything, but respecting the essential point. My kisses making her happy and seeing that I had no objection to her caresses she loaded me with them. I was so pleased at all the amorous enjoyment her senses were evidently experiencing that I made her easy by telling her that the success of the great magic operation depended on the amount of pleasure she enjoyed. She then made extraordinary efforts to persuade me that she was happy and without overstepping the limits where I had made up my mind to stop we got out of the bath highly pleased with each other. As we were on the point of going to bed she said to me, would it injure the success of your operation if we were to sleep together? No, my dear girl, provided you are a virgin on the day of the great incantation it is all I require. She threw herself in my arms and we spent a delightful night during which I had full opportunity of admiring the strength of her constitution as well as my own restraint for I had sufficient control over myself not to break through the last obstacle. I passed a great part of the following night with Francia and Capitani in order to see with my own eyes the wonderful things which the worthy peasant had mentioned to me. Standing in the yard I heard distinctly heavy blows struck under the ground at intervals of three or four minutes. It was like the noise which would be made by a heavy pestle falling in a large copper mortar. I took my pistols and placed myself near the self-moving door of the cellar holding a dart lantern in my hand. I saw the door open slowly and in about thirty seconds closing with violence. I opened and closed at myself several times and unable to discover any hidden physical cause for the phenomenon I felt satisfied that there was some unknown roguery at work but I did not care much to find it out. We went upstairs again and placing myself on the balcony I saw in the yard several shadows moving about they were evidently caused by the heavy and damp atmosphere and as to the pyramidal flames which I could see hovering over the fields it was a phenomenon well known to me but I allowed my two companions to remain persuaded that they were the spirits keeping watch over the treasure. That phenomenon is very common throughout southern Italy where the country is often at night illuminated by those meteors which the people believe to be devils and ignorance has called night spirits or will of the wisps. Dear Reader The next chapter will tell you how my magic undertaking ended and perhaps you will enjoy a good laugh at my expense but you need not be afraid of hurting my feelings. End of Chapter 21 Recording by Gilles Louvre, Montreal, Canada January 2007 Chapter 22 of the Memoirs of Jacques Casanova Volume 1 by Giacomo Casanova This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Anna Simon The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova Volume 1 The Venetian Years by Giacomo Casanova Episode 5 Melana Mantua, Chapter 22 My great operation had to be performed on the following day Otherwise, according to all established rules I would have had to wait until the next full moon I had to make the Gnomes raise the treasure to the surface of the earth at the very spot on which my incantations would be performed Of course, I knew well enough that I should not succeed but I knew likewise that I could easily reconcile Francia and Capitani to a failure by inventing some excellent reasons for our want of success In the meantime I had to play my part of a magician in which I took a real delight I kept Javot at work all day sewing together in the shape of a ring some thirty sheets of paper on which I painted the most wonderful designs That ring, which I called Maximus had a diameter of three geometric paces I had manufactured a sort of scepter or magic wand with a branch of olive brought by Francia from Cezena Thus prepared I told Javot that at twelve o'clock at night when I came out of the magic ring she was to be ready for everything The order did not seem repugnant to her She longed to give me that proof of her obedience and on my side, considering myself as her debtor I was in a hurry to pay my debt and to give her every satisfaction The hour having struck I ordered Francia and Capitani to stand on the balcony so as to be ready to come to me if I called for them and also to prevent anyone in the house seeing my proceedings I then threw off all profane garments I clothed myself in a long white robe the work of a virgin's innocent hands I allow my long hair to fall loosely I place the extraordinary crown on my head the circle Maximus on my shoulders and seizing the scepter with one hand the wonderful knife with the other I go down into the yard There I spread my circle on the ground uttering the most barbarous words and after going round it three times I jump into the middle Squatting down there I remain a few minutes motionless then I rise and I fix my eyes upon a heavy, dark cloud coming from the west, whilst from the same quarter the thunder is rumbling loudly What a sublime genius I should have appeared in the eyes of my two fools if, having a short time before taken notice of the sky in that part of the horizon I had announced to them that my operation would be attended by that phenomenon the cloud spreads with fearful rapidity and soon the sky seems covered with a funeral pile on which the most vivid flashes of lightning keep blazing every moment such a storm was a very natural occurrence and I had no reason to be astonished at it but somehow fear was beginning to creep into me and I wished myself in my room my fright soon increased at the sight of the lightning and on hearing the claps of thunder which exceeded each other with fearful rapidity and seemed to roar over my very head I then realized what extraordinary effect fear can have on the mind for I fancied that if I was not annihilated by the fires of heaven which were flashing all around me it was only because they could not enter my magic ring thus was I admiring my own deceitful work that foolish reason prevented me from leaving the circle in spite of the fear which caused me to shudder if it had not been for that belief the result of a cowardly fright I would not have remained one minute where I was and my hurried flight would no doubt have opened the eyes of my two dupes who could not have failed to see that far from being a magician I was only a paltrune the violence of the wind, the claps of thunder, the piercing cold and above all fear made me tremble all over like an aspen leaf my system which I thought prove against every accident had vanished I acknowledged an avenging god who had waited for this opportunity of punishing me at one blow for all my sins and of annihilating me in order to put an end to my want of faith the complete immobility which paralyzed all my limbs seemed to me a proof of the uselessness of my repentance and that conviction only increased my consternation but the roaring of the thunder dies away the rain begins to fall heavily danger of vanishes and I feel my courage reviving such as man or at all events such was I at that moment it was raining so fast that if it had continued pouring with the same violence for a quarter of an hour the country would have been inundated as soon as the rain had seized the wind abated the clouds were dispersed and the moon shone in all its plunder like silver in the pure blue sky I take up my magic ring and telling the two friends to retire to their beds without speaking to me I hurried to my room I still felt rather shaken and casting my eyes on Javot I thought her so pretty that I felt positively frightened I allowed her to dry me and after that necessary operation I told her pitchlessly to go to bed the next morning she told me that when she saw me come in shaking all over in spite of the heat she had herself shuddered with fear after eight hours of sound sleep I felt all right but I had had enough of the comedy and to my great surprise the sight of Genevieve did not move me in any way the obedient Javot had certainly not changed but I was not the same I was for the first time in my life reduced to a state of apathy and in consequence of the superstitious ideas which had crowded in my mind the previous night I imagined that the innocence of that young girl was under the special protection of heaven and that if I had dared to rob her of her virginity the most rapid and terrible death would have been my punishment at all events thanks to my youth and my exalted ideas I fancied that through my self-denying resolutions the father would not be so great a dupe and the daughter not so unhappy unless the result should prove as unfortunate for her as it had been for poor Lucy of Paysian the moment that Javot became in my eyes an object of holy horror my departure was decided the resolution was all the more irrevocable because I fancied some old peasant might have witnessed all my tricks in the middle of the magic ring in which case the most holy if you like, the most infernal inquisition receiving information from him might very well have caught me and enhanced my fame by some splendid autodafé in which I had not the slightest wish to be the principal actor it struck me as so entirely within the limits of probability that I sent at once for Francia and Capitani and in the presence of the unpolluted virgin I told them that I had obtained from the seven spirits watching over the treasure all the necessary particulars that I had been compelled to enter into an agreement with them to delay the extraction of the treasure placed under their guardianship I told Francia that I would hand to him in writing all the information which I had compelled the spirits to give me I produced, in reality a few minutes afterwards a document similar to the one I had concocted at the public library in Mantua adding that the treasure consisted of diamonds rubies, emeralds and one hundred thousand pounds of gold dust I made him take an oath on my pocketbook to wait for me and not to have faith in any magician unless he gave him an account of the treasure in every way similar to the one which, as a great favour I was leaving in his hands I ordered him to burn the crown and the ring but to keep the other things carefully until my return As for you, Capitani I said to my companion proceed at once to Chesena and remain at the inn until our luggage has been brought by the man whom Francia is going to send with it Seeing that poor Javot looked miserable I went up to her and, speaking to her very tenderly I promised to see her again before long I told her at the same time that the great operation having been performed successfully her virginity was no longer necessary and that she was at liberty to marry as soon as she pleased or whenever a good opportunity offered itself I at once returned to the city where I found Capitani making his preparations to go to the fair of Lugo and then to Mantua He told me, crying like a child that his father would be in despair when he saw him come back without the knife of Saint Peter You may have it, I said with the sheath, if you will let me have the one thousand Roman crowns the amount of the letter of exchange He thought it an excellent bargain and accepted it joyfully I gave him back the letter of exchange and made him sign a paper by which he undertook the sheath whenever I brought the same amount but he is still waiting for it I did not know what to do with the wonderful sheath and I was not in want of money but I should have considered myself dishonoured if I had given it to him for nothing Besides, I thought it a good joke to levy a contribution upon the ignorant fragility of a count Palatine created by the grace of the Pope In after days however I would willingly have refunded his money but as fate would have it it was a long time and when I met him again I was not in a position to return the amount it is therefore only to chance that I was indebted for the sum and certainly Capitani never dreamt of complaining for being the possessor of Gladium cum Fagina he truly believed himself the master of every treasure concealed in the papal states Capitani took leave of me on the following day and I intended to proceed at once to Naples but I was again prevented from what happened As I returned to the inn after a short walk my host handed me the bill of the play announcing four performances of the didon of metastasio at the Spada seeing no acquaintance of mine among the actors or actresses I made up my mind to go to the play in the evening and to start early the next day with post-horses a remnant of my fear of the inquisition urged me on and I could not help fancying that spies were at my heels Before entering the house the actress's dressing-room and the leading lady struck me as rather good-looking Her name was Naritsi and she was from Bologna I bowed to her and after the commonplace conversation usual in such cases I asked her whether she was free I'm only engaged with the manager she answered Have you any lover? No I offer myself for the post if you have no objection She smiled geringly and said More performances? I took two sequins out of my purse taking care to let her see that it was well filled and when she gave me the four tickets presented them to the maid who was dressing her and was prettier than the mistress and so left the room without uttering a single word She called me back I pretended not to hear her and took a ticket for the pit After the first ballet finding the whole performance very poor I was thinking of going away when, happening to look towards the chief box to my astonishment that it was tenanted by the Venetian Manzoni and the celebrated Juliet The reader will doubtless remember the bowl she gave at my house in Venice and the smack with which she saluted my cheek on that occasion They had not yet noticed me and I inquired from the person seated next to me who was that beautiful lady wearing so many diamonds He told me that she was Madame Curini from Venice whom Count Sparra, the owner of the theatre who was sitting near her, had brought with him from Fianza I was glad to hear that Mr. Curini had married her at last but I did not think of renewing the acquaintance for reasons which my reader cannot have forgotten if you collect our quarrel when I had to dress her as an abbey I was on the point of going away when she happened to see me and called me I went up to her and not wishing to be known by anyone I whispered to her that my name was Ferozi Manzoni informed me that I was speaking to her excellently Madame Curini I know it, I said, through a letter which I have received from Venice and I beg to offer my most sincere congratulations to Madame She heard me and introduced me to Count Sparra creating me a baron on the spot He invited me most kindly to come to his box, asked me where I came from, where I was going to, etc and begged the pleasure of my company at supper for the same evening Ten years before Jean-Juliette's friend in Vienna when Maria Teresa, having been informed of the pernicious influence of her beauty gave her notice to quit the city She had renewed her acquaintance with him in Venice and had contrived to make him take her to Bologna on a pleasure trip Monsieur Manzoni, her old follower who gave me all this information accompanied her in order to bear witness of her good conduct before Monsieur Curini I must say that Manzoni was not a well-chosen chaperone In Venice she wanted everybody to believe that Curini had married her secretly but at a distance of 50 leagues she did not think such a formality necessary and she had already been presented by the general to all the nobility of Susena as Madame Curini Papazes Monsieur Curini would have been wrong in being jealous of the Count for he was an old acquaintance who would do no harm Besides, it is admitted amongst certain women that the reigning lover who is jealous of her acquaintance is nothing but a fool and ought to be treated as such Juliet, most likely afraid of my being indiscreet, had lost no time in making the first advances but, seeing that I had likewise some reason to fear her want of discretion she felt reassured From the first moment I treated her politely and with every consideration due to her position I found numerous company at the generals and some pretty women Not seeing Juliet I inquired for her from Monsieur Manzoni who told me that she was at the pharaoh table losing her money I saw her seated next to the banker who turned pale at the sight of my face He was no other than the so-called Count Chelly He offered me a card which I refused politely but I accepted Juliet's offer to be her partner She had about 50 seconds I handed her the same sum and took a seat near her After the first round she asked me if I knew the banker Chelly had heard the question I answered negatively A lady on my left told me that the banker was Count Alfani Half an hour later Madame Kerini went seven and lost She increased her stake of 10 seconds It was the last deal of the game and therefore the decisive one I rose from my chair and fixed my eyes on the banker's hands but in spite of that he cheated before me and Madame lost Just at that moment the general offered her his arm to go to supper She left the remainder of her gold on the table and after supper, having played again she lost every second I enlivened the supper by my stories and witty jests I captivated everybody's friendship and particularly the generals who, having heard me say that I was going to Naples only to gratify an amorous fancy and treated me to spend a month with him and to sacrifice my whim But it was all in vain My heart was unoccupied I longed to see Le Crétien Thérèse whose charms after five years I could scarcely recollect I only consented to remain in Ciséna the four days during which the general intended to stay The next morning as I was dressing I had a call from the cowardly, alfany celli I received him with a jarring smile saying that I had expected him The hairdresser being in the room celli did not answer But as soon as we were alone he said How could you possibly expect my visit? I will tell you my reason as soon as you've handed me 100 seconds and you are going to do so at once Here are 50 which I brought for you You cannot demand more from me Thank you I take them on account but as I am good-natured I advise you not to show yourself this evening in Count Spada's drawing-rooms for you would not be admitted and it would be owing to me I hope that you will think twice before you're guilty of such an ungenerous act I have made up my mind but now leave me Those are not at my door and the cell-styled Count Alfany went away without giving me the trouble of repeating my order My new visitor proved to be the first Castrato of the theatre who brought an invitation to dinner from Narizzi The invitation was curious and I accepted it with a smile The Castrato was named Nicolas Periti He pretended to be the grandson of a natural child of sixty-fifth It might have been so I shall have to mention him again in fifteen years When I made my appearance at Narizzi's house I saw Count Alfany who certainly did not expect me and must have taken me for his evil genius He bowed to me with great politeness and begged that I would listen to a few words in private Here are fifty seconds more he said But as an honest man you can take them only to give them to Madame Kirini But how can you hand the amount to her without letting her know that you have forced me to refund it You understand what consequences such a confession might have for me I shall give her the money only when you have let this place In the meantime I promise to be discreet but be careful not to assist fortune in my presence or I must act in a manner that will not be agreeable to you Double the capital of my bank and we can be partners Your proposal is an insult He gave me fifty seconds and I promised to keep his secret There was a numerous attendance in Narizzi's rooms especially of young men who after dinner lost all their money I did not play and it was a disappointment for my pretty hostess who had invited me only because she had judged me as simple as the others I remained an indifferent witness of the play and it gave me an opportunity of realising how wise Mohammed had been in forbidding all games of chance In the evening after the opera Count Chelly had the pharaoh bank and I lost two hundred seconds but I could only accuse ill luck Madame Kirini won The next day before supper I broke the bank and after supper feeling tired and well pleased with what I had won I returned to the inn The following morning which was the third day and therefore the last but one of my stay in Ciesena I called the generals I heard that his adjutant had thrown the cards in Alfani's face and that a meeting had been arranged between them for twelve o'clock I went to the adjutant's room and offered to be his second assuring him that there would be no blood spilled I declined my offer with many thanks and at dinner time he told me that I had guessed rightly for Count Alfani had left her room In that case I said to the guests I will take the bank tonight After dinner being alone with Madame Kirini I told her all about Alfani alias Chelly and handed her the fifty seconds of which I was a depositary I suppose, she said that by means of this fable you hope to make me accept fifty seconds but I thank you I am not in want of money I will give you my word that I have compelled the thief to refund this money together with the fifty seconds of which he had likewise cheated me That may be but I do not wish to believe you I beg to inform you that I am not simple enough to allow myself to be duped and what is worse cheated in such a manner Philosophy forbids a man to feel repentance for a good deed but he must certainly have a right to regret such a deed when it is malevolently misconstrued and turned against him as a reproach In the evening after the performance, which was to be the last I took the bank according to my promise I lost a few seconds but was caressed by everybody and that is much more pleasant than winning when we are not laboring under the hard necessity of making money Count Sparer, who had got quite fond of me wanted me to accompany him to Priscieta because I had firmly resolved on going to Naples The next morning I was awoke by a terrible noise in the passage almost at the door of my room Getting out of my bed I opened my door to a certain cause of the uproar I see a troop of Speery at the door of a chamber and in that chamber sitting up in bed a fine looking man who was making himself hauls by screaming in a Latin against that rabble, the plague of Italy and against the innkeeper who had been rascally enough to open the door I inquire of the innkeeper what it all means This gentleman answers the scandal who, it appears, can only speak Latin is embarrassed with a girl and the Speery of the Bishop have been sent to know whether she is truly his wife all perfectly regular if she is his wife he is only to convince them by showing a certificate of marriage if she is not, of course he must go to prison with her yet it need not happen for I undertake to arrange everything in a friendly manner for a few seconds I've only to exchange a few words with the Chief of the Speery and they will all go away if you can speak Latin you'd better go in and make him listen to reason who has broken open the door of this room nobody I've opened it myself with the key as is my duty yes the duty of a highway robber but not of an honest innkeeper such infamous dealing aroused my indignation and I made up my mind to interfere I enter the room although I had still my nightcap on and inform the gentlemen of the cause of the disturbance he answers with the lie of that in the first place it was impossible to say whether the person who was in bed with him was a woman for that person had only been seen in the costume of a military officer and that in the second place he did not think that any human being had a right to compel him to say whether his bedfellow was his wife or his mistress even supposing that his companion was truly a woman at all events he added I am determined not to give one crown to arrange the affair and to remain in bed until my door is shut the moment I am dressed I will treat you to a musing dînement of the comedy I will drive away all those scandals at the point of my sword I then see in a corner a broad sword and a Hungarian costume looking like a military uniform I ask whether he is an officer I have written my name and profession he answers in the hotel book astonished at the absurdity of the innkeeper I ask him whether it is so he confesses it but adds that the clergy have the right to prevent scandal the insult you have offered to that officer Mr Landlord will cost you very dear his only answer is to laugh in my face highly enraged at seeing such a scoundrel laugh at me I take of the officer's coral warmly and ask him to entrust his passport to me for a few minutes I have too he says therefore I can let you have one and taking the document out of his pocketbook he hands it to me the passport was signed by Cardinal Albani the officer was a captain in a Hungarian regiment belonging to the empress and queen he was from Rome, on his way to Parma with his patches from Cardinal Albani Alexander to Monsieur du Tyun prime minister of the infanta of Parma at the same moment a man burst into the room speaking very loudly he must be settled at once because he wanted to leave Cesena immediately who are you? I asked the man he answered that he was the veterino whom the captain had engaged I saw that it was a regular put up thing and begged the captain to let me attend to the business assuring him that I would settle it to his honor and advantage and do exactly as you please he said then turning towards the veterino I ordered him to bring up the captain's luggage saying that he would be paid at once when he had done so I handed him eight seconds out of my own purse and made him give me a receipt in the name of the captain who could only speak German, Hungarian and Latin the veterino went away and the spear you followed him in the greatest consternation except two who remained captain, I said to the Hungarian keep your bird until I return I am going now to the bishop to give him an account of these proceedings and make him understand that he owes you some reparation besides General Spada is here and I know him, interrupted the captain and if I had been aware of his being in Cesena I would have shot the landlord when he opened my door to those scandals I hurried over my toilet and without waiting for my hair to be dressed I proceeded to the bishop's palace and making a great deal of noise I almost compelled the servants to take me to his room a lackey who was at the door informed me that his lordship was still in bed nevermind, I cannot wait I pushed him aside and entered the room I related the whole affair to the bishop exaggerating the operator and making much of the injustice of such proceedings and railing at a vexatious police daring to molest travellers and to insult the sacred rites of individuals and nations the bishop without answering me referred me to his chancellor to whom I repeated all I had said to the bishop but with words calculated to irritate rather than to soften and certainly not likely to obtain the release of the captain I even went so far as to threaten and I said that if I were in the place of the officer I would demand a public reparation the priest laughed at my threats it was just what I wanted and after asking me whether I had taken leave of my senses the chancellor told me to apply to the captain of the spirit I shall go to somebody else I said, reverent sir besides the captain of the spirit delighted at having made matters worse I left him and proceeded straight to the house of General Spada but I did not know that he could not be seen before eight o'clock I returned to the inn the state of excitement in which I was the ardour with which I had made the affair mine might have led anyone to suppose that my indignation had been roused only by disgust at seeing an odious persecution perpetrated upon a stranger by an unrestrained, immoral and vexatious police but why should I deceive the kind reader to whom I have promised to tell the truth I must therefore say that my indignation was real but my ardour was excited by another feeling of a more personal nature I fancied that the woman concealed under the bed clothes was a beauty I longed to see her face which shame, most likely had prevented her from showing she had heard me speak and the good opinion that I had of myself did not leave the shadow of a doubt in my mind that she would prefer me to her captain the door of the room being still open I went in and related to the captain all I had done, assuring him that in the course of the day he would be at liberty to continue his journey at the bishop's expense for the general would not fail to obtain complete satisfaction for him he thanked me warmly gave back the eight ducats I had paid for him and said that he would not leave the city till the next day from what country I asked him is your travelling companion from France and he only speaks his native language then you speak French not one word that is amusing then you converse in pantomime exactly I pity you for it is a difficult language yes to express the various shades of thought but in the material part of our intercourse we understand each other quite well may I invite myself to breakfast with you ask my friend whether he has any objection amiable companion of the captain I said in French well you kindly accept me as a third guest at the breakfast table at these words I saw coming out of the bed clothes a lovely head with the cheveled hair and a blooming laughing face which although it was crowned with a man's cap left no doubt that the captain's friend belonged to that sex without which man would be the most miserable animal on earth delighted with the graceful creature I told her that I had been happy enough to feel interested in her before I had seen her and that now that I had the pleasure of seeing her I could but renew with greater zeal all my efforts to serve her she answered me the grace and the animation which had the exclusive privilege of her native country and retorted my argument in the most witty manner I was already under the charm my request was granted I went out to order breakfast and to give them an opportunity of making themselves comfortable in bed for they were determined not to get up until the door of their room was closed again the waiter came and I went in with him I found my lovely French woman wearing a blue frock coat with her hair badly arranged like a man's but very charming even in that strange costume I longed to see her up she ate her breakfast without once interrupting the officer speaking to me but to whom I was not listening or listening with very little attention for I was in a sort of ecstatic trance immediately after breakfast I called on the general enlarging upon it in such a manner as to pique his marshal pride I told him that unless he settled the matter himself the Hungarian captain was determined to send an express to the Cardinal immediately but my eloquence was unnecessary for the general liked to see priests attend to the business of heaven but he could not bear them to meddle in temporal affairs I shall he said immediately put a stop to this ridiculous comedy and treated in a very serious manner Goad once to the inn he said to his aide-account invite that officer and his companion to dine with me today and repair afterwards to the bishop's palace give him notice that the officer who has been so grossly insulted by his spirit shall not leave the city before he has received a complete apology and whatever sum of money he may claim as damages tell him that the notice comes from me that all the expenses incurred by the officer shall be paid by him what pleasure it was for me to listen to these words in my vanity I fancied I had almost prompted them to the general I accompanied the aide-account and introduced him to the captain who received him with the joy of a soldier meeting a comrade the adjutant gave him the general's invitation for him and his companion and asked him to write down what satisfaction he wanted as well as the amount of damages he claimed at the sight of the general's adjutant the spirit had quickly vanished I handed to the captain pen, paper and ink which is claimed in pretty good Latin for a native of Hungary the excellent fellow absolutely refused to ask for more than 30 seconds in spite of all I said to make him claim 100 he was likewise a great deal too easy as to the satisfaction he demanded for all he asked was to see the landlord and the spirit beg his pardon on their knees in the presence of the general's adjutant he threatened the bishop to send an express to Rome to Cardinal Alexander unless his demands were complied with for hours and to remain in Ciesena at the rate of 10 seconds a day at the bishop's expense the officer left us and a moment afterwards the landlord came in respectfully to inform the captain that he was free but the captain having begged me to tell the scoundrel that he owed him his sound threshing he lost no time in gaining the rule I left my friends alone to get dressed and to attend to my own toilet as I dined with them at the general's an hour afterwards I found them ready in their military costumes the French woman was of course a fancy one but very elegant the moment I saw her I gave up all idea of Naples and decided upon accompanying the two friends to Parma the beauty of the lovely French woman had already captivated me the captain was certainly on the threshold of 60 and as a matter of course I thought such a union very badly assorted I imagined that the affair which I was already concocting in my brain could be arranged amicably the adjutant came back with a piece sent by the bishop who told the captain that he should have the satisfaction as well as the damages he had claimed but that he must be content with 15 sequins 30 or nothing dryly answered the Hungarian they were at last given to him and thus the matter ended the victory was due to my exertions and I had won the friendship with the captain and his lovely companion in order to guess even at first sight that the friend of the worthy captain was not a man to look at the hips she was too well made as a woman ever to pass for a man and the women who disguise themselves in male attire and boast of being like men are very wrong for by such a boast they confess themselves deficient in one of the greatest perfections of pertaining to women a little before dinner time we were prepared to General Spada's mention and the general presented the two officers to all the ladies not one of them was deceived they were acquainted with the adventure they were all delighted to dine with the hero of the comedy and treated the handsome officer exactly as if he had truly been a man but I am bound to confess that the male guests offered the French woman homages more worthy of her sex Madame Carini alone did not seem pleased because the lovely stranger monopolized the general attention and it was a blow to her vanity to see herself neglected she never spoke to her except to show off her French the poor captain scarcely opened his lips for no one cared to speak Latin and the general had not much to say in German an elderly priest who was one of the guests tried to justify the conduct of the bishop by assuring us that the innkeeper and the speary had acted only under the orders of the holy office that is the reason he said for which no bolts are allowed in the rooms of the hotels so that strangers may not shut themselves up in their chambers a holy inquisition does not allow a man to sleep with any woman but his wife 20 years later I found all the doors in Spain with a ball outside so that travelers were as if they had been in prison exposed the outrageous molestation of maternal visits from the police that disease is so chronic in Spain that it threatens to overthrow the monarchy some day and that should not be astonished if one fine morning the grand inquisitor was to have the king shaved to take his place end of chapter 22 chapter 23 of the memoirs of Jacques Casanova volume 1 by Jacques Amal Casanova this is the LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org the memoirs of Jacques Casanova volume 1 the Venetian years by Jacques Amal Casanova episode 26 chapter 23 I purchase a handsome carriage and proceed to Parma with the old captain and the young French woman I pay a visit to Gévoit and present her with a beautiful pair of gold bracelets my perplexity is respecting my lovely traveling companion a monologue conversation with the captain Tetta Tett with Henriette the conversation was animated the female officer was entertaining everybody even Madame Quarini although she hardly took the trouble of concealing her spleen it seems strange, she remarked that you and the captain should live together without ever speaking to each other why Madame we understand one another perfectly for speech is a very little consequence in the kind of business we do together the answer given with graceful liveliness made everybody laugh Madame Quarini Juliet, who foolishly assuming the air of a prude thought that its meeting was too clearly expressed I do not know any kind of business she said that can be transacted without the assistance of the voice or the pen excuse me Madame there are some playing at cards for instance as a business of that sort are you always playing we do nothing else we play the game of the pharaoh and I hold the bank everybody understanding the shrewdness of this evasive answer laughed again and Juliet herself cannot help joining in the general merriment but tell me said Count Spada does the bank receive much as for the deposits they are of so little importance that they are hardly worth mentioning no one ventured upon translating that sentence for the benefit of the worthy captain the conversation continued in the same confusing style and all the guests were delighted with the graceful wit of the charming officer late in the evening I took leave of the general and wished him a pleasant journey I do he said I wish you a pleasant journey to Naples and hope you will enjoy yourself there well general I am not going to Naples immediately I have changed my mind and intend to proceed to Parma where I wish to see the Infante I also wish to constitute myself the interpreter of these two officers who know nothing of Italian haha young man opportunity makes a thief does it not well if I were in your place I would do the same I also bade farewell to Madame Carini who asked me to write her from Bologna I gave her a promise to do so but without meaning to fulfill it I had felt interested in the young French woman when she was hiding under the bedclothes she had taken my fancy the moment she had shown her features and still more when I had seen her dressed she completed her conquest at the dinner table by the display of a wit which I greatly admired it is rare in Italy and seems to belong generally to the daughters of France I did not think would be very difficult to win her love and I resolved on trying putting myself esteem on one side I fancied I would suit her much better than the old Hungarian a very pleasant man for his age but who after all 60 years on his face while my 23 were blooming on my countenance it seemed to me that the captain himself would not raise any great objection for he seemed one of those men who treating love as a matter of pure fancy except all circumstances easily and give way good naturally to all freaks of fortune by becoming the traveling companion of this ill matched couple I should probably succeed in my aims I never dreamed of experiencing a battle at their hands my company would certainly be agreeable to them as they could not exchange a single word by themselves with this idea I asked the captain as we reached our end whether he intended to proceed to Parma by the public coach or otherwise as I have no carriage of my own he answered we shall have to take the coach well I have a very comfortable carriage and I offer you the two back seats if you have permission to my society that is a piece of good fortune be kind enough to propose it to Henrietta will you madam grant me the favor of accompanying you to Parma I should be delighted for we could have some conversation but take care sir your task will not be an easy one you will often find yourself obliged to translate for both of us I shall do so with great pleasure I am only sorry that the journey is not longer we can arrange everything for time allow me to leave you now as I have some business to settle my business was in reference to a carriage for the one I had boasted of existed only in my imagination I went to the most fashionable coffee house and as good luck would have it heard that there was a traveling carriage for sale which no one would buy because it was too expensive 200 sequins were asked for it although it had but two seats and a bracket stool for a third person it was just what I wanted I called at the place where it would be seen I found a very fine English carriage which could not cost less than 200 guineas its noble proprietor was then at supper so I sent him my name requesting him not to dispose of his carriage until the next morning and I went back to the hotel well pleased with my discovery at supper I arranged with the captain that we would not leave Cessna until after dinner on the following day and the conversation was almost entirely a dialogue between Henrietta and myself it was my first talk with a French woman I thought this young creature more and more charming yet I could not suppose her to be anything else but an adventurous and I was astonished at discovering in her those noble and delicate feelings which denote a good education however as such an idea would not have suited the views I had about her I rejected it whenever it presented itself to my mind whenever I tried to make her talk about the captain she would change the subject of conversation or evade my insinuations with a tact and a shrewdness which astonished and delighted me at the same time for everything she said bore the impress of grace and wit yet she did not allude this question at least tell me madam whether the captain is your husband or your father neither the one nor the other she answered with a smile that was enough for me and in reality what more did I want to know the worthy captain had fallen asleep when he awoke I wished them both good night and retired to my room with a heart full of love and a mind full of projects I saw that everything had taken a good turn and I felt certain of success for I was young I enjoyed excellent health I had money and plenty of daring I liked the affair all the better because it must come to a conclusion in a few days early the next morning I caught upon Count Dandani the owner of the carriage and as I passed a jeweler's shop I bought a pair of golden bracelets in Venetian filigree each five yards long and a rare fineness I attended them as a present for Jevolte the moment Count Dandani saw me he recognized me he had seen me in Padua at the house of his father who was a professor of civil law at the time I was a student there and I bought his carriage on condition that he would send it to me in good repair at one o'clock in the afternoon having completed the purchase I went to my friend Franzia and my present of the bracelets made Jevolte perfectly happy there was not one girl in Cessna who could boast of possessing a finer pair and with that present my conscience fell at ease for it paid the expense I had occasion during my stay of ten or twelve days at her father's house four times over but this was not the most important present I offered the family I made the father take an oath to wait for me and never to trust in any pretended magician for the necessary operation to obtain the treasure even if I did not return or give any news of myself for ten years because I said to him in consequence of the agreement in which I have entered with the spirits watching the treasure at the first attempt made by any other person the casket containing the treasure will sink to twice its present depth that is to say as far as thirty-five fathoms and then I shall have myself ten times more difficulty in raising it to the surface I cannot state precisely the time of my return for it depends upon certain combinations which are not under my control but recollect that the treasure cannot be obtained by anyone but I I accompanied my advice with threats of utter ruin to his family if he should ever break his oath in this manner I atoned for all I had done for far from deceiving the worthy man I became his benefactor by guarding against the deceit of some cheat who would have cared for his money more than for his daughter I never saw him again and most likely he is dead but knowing the deep impressions I left on his mind I am certain that his descendants are even now waiting for me for the name of Farouzi must have remained immortal in that family Javot accompanied me as far as eight of the city where I kissed her affectionately which made me feel that the thunder and lightning had had but a momentary effect upon me yet I kept control over my senses and I congratulate myself on doing so to this day I told her before bidding her adieu that her virginity was no longer necessary for my magic operations I advised her to get married as soon as possible if I did not return within three months she shed a few tears but promised to follow my advice I trust that my readers will approve of the noble manner in which I concluded my magic business I hardly dare to boast of it but I think I deserve some praise for my behavior perhaps I might have ruined poor Francia with a light heart had I not possessed a well filled purse I do not wish to inquire whether any young man having intelligence loving pleasure and placed in the same position would not have done the same but I beg my readers to address that question to themselves as for Capitani to whom I sold the sheath of St. Peter's knife for rather more than it was worth I confess that I have not yet repented on his account for Capitani thought he adduped me in accepting it as security for the amount he gave me and the count his father valued it until his death is more precious than the finest diamonds in the world dying with such a firm belief he died rich and I shall die a poor man let the reader judge which of the two made the best bargain but I must return now to my future traveling companions as soon as I had reached the end I prepared everything for our departure for which I was now longing Henriette could not open her lips without my discovering some fresh perfection for her wit delighted me even more than her beauty it struck me that the old captain was pleased with all the attention I showed her and it seemed evident to me that she would not be sorry to exchange her elderly lover for me I had all the better right to think so in so much as I was perfection from a physical point of view and I appeared to be wealthy although I had no servant I told Henriette that for the sake of having none I spent twice as much as a servant would have cost me that by me being my own servant I was certain of being served according to my taste I had no spying at my heels and no privileged thief to fear she agreed with everything I said and it increased my love the honest Hungarian insisted upon giving me in advance the amount to be paid for the post horses at the different stages as far as Parma we left Cessna after dinner but not without a contest of politeness respecting the seats the captain wanted me to occupy the back seat near Henriette and how much better the seat opposite to her suited me therefore I insisted upon taking the bracket seat and had the double advantage of showing my politeness and of having constantly and without difficulty before my eyes the lovely woman whom I adored my happiness would have been too great if there had been no drawback to it but where can we find roses without thorns when the charming French woman uttered some of those witty sayings which proceed so naturally with the tips of her country woman I could not help pitying the sorry face of the poor Hungarian and wishing to make him share my mirth I would undertake to translate in Latin Henriette Sallies but far from making him marry I often saw his face bear a look of astonishment as if what I had said seemed to him rather flat I had to acknowledge to myself that I could not speak Latin as well as she spoke French and this was indeed the case the last thing which we learn in all languages is wit and wit never shines so well as in justs I was 30 years of age before I began to laugh in reading Terence Plautus and Martial something being the matter with the carriage we stopped at Forley to have it repaired after a very cheerful supper I retired to my room to go to bed thinking of nothing else but the charming woman by whom I was so completely captivated along the road Henriette had struck me as so strange I did not sleep in the second bed in their room I was afraid lest she would leave her old comrade to come to my bed and sleep with me and I did not know how far the worthy captain would have put up with such a joke I wished of course to possess that lovely creature but I wanted everything to be settled amicably for I felt some respect for the brave officer Henriette had nothing but the military costume in which she stood not any women's linen not even one chemise for a change she took the captain's shirt such a state of things was so new to me that the situation seemed to me a complete enigma in Bologna excited by an excellent supper and by the amorous passion which was every hour burning more fiercely in me I asked her by what singular adventure she had become the friend of the honest fellow who looked her father rather than her lover if you wish to know she answered with a smile ask him to relate the whole story himself only you must request him to not omit any of the particulars of course I applied at once to the captain and having first ascertained by signs that the charming French woman had no objection the good man spoke to me thus a friend of mine an officer in the army having occasion to go to Rome I solicited a furlough of six months and accompanied him I seized with great delight the opportunity of meeting a city the name of which has a powerful influence on the imagination owing to the memories of the past attached to it I did not entertain any doubt that the Latin language was spoken there in good society at least as generally as in Hungary but I was indeed greatly mistaken for nobody can speak it not even the priests who only pretend to write it and it is true that some of them do so the exception of my eyes my senses remained perfectly inactive I spent a very tedious month in that city the ancient queen of the world when Cardinal Abani gave my friend dispatches for Naples before leaving Rome he introduced me to his eminence and his recommendation had so much influence that the cardinal promised to send me very soon with dispatches for the Duke of Parma Pienkénza and Gustala assuring me that all my traveling expenses would be defrayed as I wished to see the harbor called in four more times Quentum Kele and now Sivitia Veccia I gave up the remainder of my time to that visit and I proceeded there with a Chicharoni who spoke Latin I was luring about the harbor when I saw coming out of a tatan an elderly officer and this young woman dressed as she is now her beauty struck me but I should not have thought any more about it if the officer had not put up at my inn an apartment over which I had a complete view whenever I opened my window in the evening I saw that couple taking supper at the same table but I remarked that the elderly officer never addressed a word to the young one when the supper was over the disguised girl left the room and my companion did not lift his eyes from a letter that he was reading as it seemed to me with the deepest attention soon afterwards the officer closed the windows the light was put out and I suppose my neighbors went to bed the next morning being up early as is my habit I saw the officer go out and the girl remained alone in the room I sent my Chicharoni who was also my servant to tell the girl in the garb of an officer that I would give her a ten sequence for an hour's conversation he fulfilled my instructions and on his return he informed me that her answer given in French had been to the effect that she would leave for Rome immediately after breakfast and that once in that city I should easily find some opportunity of speaking with her I can find out from the Vettorino said my Chicharoni where they put up in Rome and I promise you to inquire of him she left Civittia Veccia with the elderly officer and I returned home on the following day two days afterwards the cardinal gave me the dispatches which were addressed to Monsieur Dutelot the French minister with the passport and the money necessary for the journey he did not hurry on the road I had almost forgotten the handsome adventurist when two days before my departure my Chicharoni gave me the information that he had found out where she lived and that she was with the same officer I told him to try to see her and to let her know that my departure was fixed for the day after the morrow she sent me word by him that if I would inform her of the hour of my departure she would meet me outside the gate and she would accompany me on the way I thought the arrangement very ingenious and during the day I sent the Chicharoni to tell her the hour at which I intended to leave and where I would wait for her outside of the Porto del Popolo she came at the appointed time and we have remained together ever since as soon as she was seated near me she made me understand by signs that she wanted to dine with me you may imagine what difficulty we had in understanding one another I was distressed by our pantomime and I accepted the adventure with delight we dined gaily together speaking without understanding but after the dessert we comprehended each other very well I fancied that I had seen the end of it and you might imagine how surprised I was when upon my offering her the ten sequence she refused most positively to take any money making me understand that she would rather go with me to Parma because she had some business in that city and I turned to Rome the proposal was after all rather agreeable to me I consented to her wishes I only regretted my inability to make her understand that if she was followed by anyone from Rome and if that person wanted to take her back I was not in a position to defend her against violence I was also sorry that with our mutual ignorance of the language spoken by each of us we had no opportunity of conversation for I should have been greatly pleased but I think must be interesting you can of course guess that I have no idea of who she can be I only know that she calls herself Henriette and that she must be a French woman that she is as gentle as a turtle dove and that she has evidently received a good education and that she enjoys good health she is witty and courageous as we have both have seen I in Rome and you in Cessna at General Spada's table if she would tell you her history and allow you to translate it for me in Latin she would indeed please me very much for I am sincerely her friend and I can assure you that it will grieve me to part from her in Parma pleased to tell her that I intend to give her the 30 sequins I received from the Bishop of Cessna and that if I were rich I would give her more substantial proofs of my tender affection now sir I shall feel obliged to you if you will explain it all to her in French I asked whether she would feel offended if I gave her an exact translation she assured me that on the contrary she wished me to speak openly and I told her literally what the captain had related to me with a noble frankness which a slight shade of shame rendered more interesting Henriette confirmed the truth of her friend's narrative but she begged me to tell him that she would not grant his wish respecting the adventures of her life be good enough to inform him she added that the same principle does not allow me to tell the truth as for the 30 sequins which he intends to give me I will not accept even one of them and he will deeply grieve me by pressing them upon me the moment we reach Parma I wish him to allow me to lodge wherever I may please to make no inquiries whatever about me and in case he should happen to meet me to crown his great kindness to me by not appearing to ever have known me she uttered the last words of this short speech which she had delivered very seriously and with a mixture of modesty and resolution she kissed her elderly friend in a manner which indicated esteem and gratitude rather than love the captain who did not know why she was kissing him was deeply grieved when I translated what Henriette had said he begged me to tell her that if he was to obey her with an easy conscience he must know whether she would have everything she required in Parma you can assure him she answered I did not entertain any anxiety about me this conversation had made us all very sad we remained for a long time thoughtful and silent until feeling the situation to be painful I rose wishing them good night and I saw that Henriette's face wore a look of great excitement as soon as I found myself alone in my room deeply moved by conflicting feelings of love surprise and uncertainty I began to give vent to my feelings as a kind of solitiquy as I always do when I am strongly excited by anything thinking is not, in those cases, enough for me I must speak out loud and I throw so much action so much animation into these monologues that I forget that I am alone what I knew now of Henriette had upset me altogether who can she be? I said speaking to the walls this girl who seems to have the most elevated feelings under the veil of the most cynical libertinism she said that in Parma she wishes to remain perfectly unknown her own mistress and I cannot, of course, flatter myself that she will not place me under the same restrictions as the captain to whom she has already abandoned herself goodbye to my expectations to my money, to my illusions but who is she? what is she? she must have either a lover or a husband in Parma or she must belong to a respectable family perhaps thanks to a boundless love for debauchery and to her confidence in her own charms she intends to set fortune, misery and degradation at defiance and to try to enslave some wealthy nobleman but that would be the plan of a mad woman or a person reduced to utter despair and that does not seem to be the case with Henriette yet she possesses nothing true but she refused as if she had been provided with all she needed the kind assistance of a man who has the right to offer it and with whom ensued she can accept without blushing since she has not been ashamed to grant him favors with which love had nothing to do does she think that it is less shameful for a woman to abandon herself to the desires of a man unknown and unloved than to receive a present from an esteemed friend and particularly at the eve of finding herself in the street entirely destitute in the middle of a foreign city amongst people whose language she cannot even speak perhaps she thinks that such conduct will justify the faux pas of which she had been guilty with the captain and give him to understand that she had abandoned herself to him only for the sake of escaping from the officer with whom she was in Rome but she ought to be quite certain that the captain does not entertain any other idea he shows himself so reasonable that it is impossible to suppose that he ever admitted the possibility of having inspired her with a violent passion because she might have seen him once through a window in Sevitia Veccia she might possibly be right and feel herself justified in her conduct towards the captain but it is not the same with me for with her intelligence she must be aware that I would not have traveled with them if she had been indifferent to me she must know that there is but one way that she could obtain my pardon she may be endowed with many virtues but she has not the only one to grant me from wishing the reward which every man expects to receive at the hands of a woman he loves if she wants to assume the prudish manners towards me and make a dupe of me I am bound in honor to show her how much she has mistaken after this monologue which made me still more angry I made up my mind to have an explanation in the morning before our departure I shall ask her to grant me the same favors which she had so easily granted to her old captain and if I meet with a refusal the best revenge will be to show her a cold and profound contempt until our arrival in Parma I felt sure that she could not refuse me some marks of real or pretended affection unless she wished to make a show of a modesty which certainly did not belong to her and knowing that her modesty would only be all pretence I was determined not to be a mere toy in her hands I felt certain from what he had told me that he would not be angry with me if I risked a declaration for as a sensible man he can only assume a neutral position satisfied with my wise reasoning and with my mind fully made up I fell asleep my thoughts were too completely absorbed in Henriette for her not to haunt my dreams but the dream which I had throughout the night was so much like reality that on waking I was so deeply struck with the delights of that night that if my door had not been fastened with a bolt I should have believed that she had left me during my sleep to resume her place near the worthy Hungarian when I was awake I found that the happy dream of the night which had turned my love for that lovely creature into a perfect amorous frenzy and it could not be otherwise let the reader imagine a poor devil going to bed broken down with fatigue and starvation he succumbs to sleep that most imperative of all human ones but in his dream he finds himself before a table covered with every delicacy what will then happen why a very natural result his appetite much more lively than on the previous day does not give him a minute's rest he must satisfy it or die of sheer hunger I dressed myself resolved on making sure of the possession of the woman who had inflamed all my senses before resuming our journey if I do not succeed I said to myself, I will not go one step further but in order not to offend against propriety and not to observe the reproaches of an honest man I felt that it was my duty to have an explanation with the captain in the first place I fancy that I hear one of those sensible calm, passionless readers who have the advantage of what is called a youth without storms or one of those whom age has forced to become virtuous exclaim can anyone attach so much importance to such nonsense age has calmed my passions down by rendering them powerless but my heart has not grown old and my memory has kept all the freshness of youth and far from considering that sort of thing a mere trifle my only sorrow, dear readers arises from the fact that I have not the power to practice to the day of my death and the prayer of my life when I was ready I repaired to the chamber occupied by my two traveling companions and after paying each of them the usual morning compliments I told the officer that I was deeply in love with Henrietta and I asked him whether he would object to my trying to obtain her as my mistress the reason for which she begs you I added to leave her in Parma and not to take any further notice of her must be that she hopes to meet some lover of hers there I had a half an hour's conversation with her and I flatter myself that I can persuade her to sacrifice that lover for me and if she refuses me I remain here you will go with her to Parma where you will leave my carriage at the post only sending me a receipt so I can claim it whenever I please as soon as breakfast is over said the excellent man I shall go and visit the institute and leave you alone with Henrietta I hope you may succeed when I part with her should she persist in her first resolution I could easily obtain a veterino here and you could keep your carriage I thank you for your proposal and it would grieve me to leave you highly pleased at having accomplished half of my task and at seeing myself near the denouement I asked the lovely French woman whether she would like to see the sights of Bologna I should like it very much she said if I had some other clothes but with such a costume as this I do not dare show myself about the city then you do not want to go out no can I keep you company that would be delightful the captain went out immediately after breakfast the moment he had gone I told Henrietta that her friend had left us alone purposefully so as to give me the opportunity of a private interview with her tell me now whether you intended the order which you gave him yesterday to forget you never to inquire after you and not even to know you if he happened to meet you from the time of our arrival in Parma for me as well as for him it is not an order that I gave him I have no right to do so and I could not so far forget myself it is only a prayer I address to him a service which circumstances if it compelled me to claim it his hands and he has no right to refuse me I have never entertained any doubt if his granting my command as far as you are concerned it is certain that I should have addressed the same prayer to you if I had thought that you had any views about me you have given me some marks of your friendship but you must understand that if under the circumstances I am likely to be injured by the kind of attentions of the captain yours would injure me much more if you have any friendship for me you should have felt all of that as you know I entertain great friendship for you you cannot possibly suppose that I would leave you alone without money without resources in the middle of a city where you cannot even make yourself understood do you think that a man who feels for you the most tender affection can abandon you when he has been fortunate enough to make your acquaintance when he is aware of the sad position in which you are placed if you think such a thing possible you must have a very false idea of friendship and should such a man grant your request he would only prove that he is not your friend I am certain that the captain is my friend yet he will obey me and forget me I do not know what sort of affection that honest man feels for you or how far he can rely upon the control he may have over himself but I know that if he can grant you what you have asked from him his friendship must be of a nature very different from mine for I am bound to tell you that it is not only impossible for me to afford you willingly the strange gratification of abandoning you in your position even that, if I go to Parma you cannot possibly carry out your wishes because I love you so passionately that you must promise to be mine or I must remain here in that case you must go to Parma alone with the captain for I feel that if I accompanied you any further I should soon be the most wretched of men I could not bear to see you with another lover with a husband not even in the midst of your family in fact I would faint see you let me tell you, lovely Henrietta that if it is possible for a French woman to forget an Italian cannot do it at least if I judge from my own feelings I made up my mind you must be good enough to decide now and to tell me whether I am to accompany you or to remain here answer yes or no if I remain here it is all over I shall leave for Naples tomorrow and I know that I shall be cured in time of the mad passion I feel for you but if you tell me that I can accompany you to Parma you must promise me that your heart will forever belong to me alone I must be the only one to possess you but I am ready to accept as a condition if you like that you shall not crown my happiness until you have judged me worthy of it by my intentions and by my loving care now be kind enough to decide before the return of the too happy captain he knows all for I have told him how I feel and what did he answer that he would be happy to see you under my protection but what is the meaning of that smile playing on your lips pray allow me to laugh for I have never in my life realized the idea of a furious decoration of love you understand what it is to say to a woman in a declaration which ought to be passionate but at the same time tender and gentle the following terrible words madam make your choice either one of the other and decide ha ha ha yes I understand perfectly it is neither gentle nor gallant nor pathetic but it is passionate remember that this is a serious matter and that I have never yet found myself so much pressed by time can you on your side realize the painful position of a man who being deeply in love finds himself compelled to take a decision which may perhaps decide issues of life and death be good enough to remark that in spite of the passion raging in me I do not fail in the respect I owe you that the resolution I intend to take if you should persist in your original decision is not a threat but a worthy effort of a hero which ought to call for your esteem I beg of you to consider that we cannot afford to lose time the word choose must not sound harshly in your ears since it leaves my fate as well as yours entirely in your hands do you feel certain of my love do you want to see me kneeling before you like a simpleton crying and entreating you to take pity on me no madam that would certainly displease you and it would not help me I am conscious of being worthy of your love I therefore ask for that feeling and not for pity leave me if I displease you but let me go away for if you are humane enough to wish that I should forget you allow me to go far away from you so as to make my sorrow less immense should I follow you to parma I would not answer for myself for I might give way to my despair consider everything well I beseech you you would indeed be guilty of great cruelty were you to answer now come to parma although I must beg you not to see me in that city confess that you cannot in all fairness give me such an answer am I not right certainly if you truly love me good god if I love you oh yes believe me my love is immense sincere now decide my fate what ha always the same song yes but are you aware that you look very angry no for it is not so I am only in a state of uncontrollable excitement in one of the decisive hours of my life I pray to the most fearful anxiety I ought to curse my whimsical destiny and the Cibri of Cessna may god curse them too for without them I should never have known you are you then so very sorry to have made my acquaintance have I not some reason to be so no for I have not given you my decision yet now I breathe more freely for I am sure you will tell me to accompany you to parma yes come to parma end of chapter 23 and end of the memoirs of Jacques Casanova volume 1 the Venetian years by Jacques Casanova