Old Age and Death The Memoirs Of Jacques Casanova De Seingalt ...

Old Age and Death The Memoirs Of Jacques Casanova De Seingalt ... Old Age and Death The Memoirs Of Jacques Casanova De Seingalt ...

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22 last disrespects to the Tribunal. At least, in May 1783, M. Schlick, French Secretary at Venice, wrote to Count Vergennes: "Last week there reached the State Inquisitors an anonymous letter stating that, on the 25th of this month, an earthquake, more terrible than that of Messina, would raze Venice to the ground. This letter has caused a panic here. Many patricians have left the capital and others will follow their example. The author of the anonymous letter . . . is a certain Casanova, who wrote from Vienna and found means to slip it into the Ambassador's own mails." In about four months, Casanova was again on the way to Italy. He paused for a week at Udine and arrived at Venice on the 16th June. Without leaving his barge, he paused at his house just long enough to salute Francesca. He left Mestre on Tuesday the 24th June and on the same day dined at the house of F. Zanuzzi at Bassano. On the 25th he left Bassano by post and arrived in the evening at Borgo di Valsugano. On the 29th, he wrote to Francesca from the Augsbourg. He had stopped at Innsbruck to attend the theater and was in perfect health. He had reached Frankfort in forty-eight hours, traveling eighteen posts without stopping. From Aix-la-Chapelle, on the 16th July, he wrote Francesca that he had met, in that city, Cattina, the wife of Pocchini. Pocchini was sick and in deep misery. Casanova, recalling all the abominable tricks this rogue had played on him refused Cattina the assistance she begged for in tears, laughed in her face, and said: "Farewell, I wish you a pleasant death." At Mayence, Casanova embarked on the Rhine in company with the Marquis Durazzo, former Austrian Ambassador at Venice. The voyage was excellent and in two days he arrived at Cologne, in rugged health, sleeping well

23 and eating like a wolf. On the 30th July he wrote to Francesca from Spa and in this letter enclosed a good coin. Everything was dear at Spa; his room cost eight lires a day with everything else in proportion. On the 6th September he wrote from Antwerp to one of his good friends, the Abbe Eusebio della Lena, telling him that at Spa an English woman who had a passion for speaking Latin wished to submit him to trials which he judged it unnecessary to state precisely. He refused all her proposals, saying, however, that he would not reveal them to anyone; but that he did not feel he should refuse also "an order on her banker for twenty-five guineas." On the 9th he wrote to Francesca from Brussels, and on the 12th he sent her a bill of exchange on the banker Corrado for one hundred and fifty lires. He said he had been intoxicated "because his reputation had required it." "This greatly astonishes me," Francesca responded, "for I have never seen you intoxicated nor even illuminated . . . . I am very happy that the wine drove away the inflammation in your teeth." Practically all information of Casanova's movements in 1783 and 1784 is obtained from Francesca's letters which were in the library at Dux. In her letters of the 27th June and 11th July, Francesca wrote Casanova that she had directed the Jew Abraham to sell Casanova's satin habit and velvet breeches, but could not hope for more than fifty lires because they were patched. Abraham had observed that at one time the habit had been placed in pledge with him by Casanova for three sequins. On the 6th September, she wrote:

22<br />

last disrespects to the Tribunal. At least, in May 1783, M. Schlick,<br />

French Secretary at Venice, wrote to Count Vergennes: "Last week there<br />

reached the State Inquisitors an anonymous letter stating that, on the<br />

25th of this month, an earthquake, more terrible than that of Messina,<br />

would raze Venice to the ground. This letter has caused a panic here.<br />

Many patricians have left the capital <strong>and</strong> others will follow their<br />

example. <strong>The</strong> author of the anonymous letter . . . is a certain <strong>Casanova</strong>,<br />

who wrote from Vienna <strong>and</strong> found means to slip it into the Ambassador's<br />

own mails."<br />

In about four months, <strong>Casanova</strong> was again on the way to Italy. He paused<br />

for a week at Udine <strong>and</strong> arrived at Venice on the 16th June. Without<br />

leaving his barge, he paused at his house just long enough to salute<br />

Francesca. He left Mestre on Tuesday the 24th June <strong>and</strong> on the same day<br />

dined at the house of F. Zanuzzi at Bassano. On the 25th he left Bassano<br />

by post <strong>and</strong> arrived in the evening at Borgo di Valsugano.<br />

On the 29th, he wrote to Francesca from the Augsbourg. He had stopped at<br />

Innsbruck to attend the theater <strong>and</strong> was in perfect health. He had reached<br />

Frankfort in forty-eight hours, traveling eighteen posts without<br />

stopping.<br />

From Aix-la-Chapelle, on the 16th July, he wrote Francesca that he had<br />

met, in that city, Cattina, the wife of Pocchini. Pocchini was sick <strong>and</strong><br />

in deep misery. <strong>Casanova</strong>, recalling all the abominable tricks this rogue<br />

had played on him refused Cattina the assistance she begged for in tears,<br />

laughed in her face, <strong>and</strong> said: "Farewell, I wish you a pleasant death."<br />

At Mayence, <strong>Casanova</strong> embarked on the Rhine in company with the Marquis<br />

Durazzo, former Austrian Ambassador at Venice. <strong>The</strong> voyage was excellent<br />

<strong>and</strong> in two days he arrived at Cologne, in rugged health, sleeping well

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