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

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44<br />

pleasure. During my husb<strong>and</strong>'s absence, your last <strong>and</strong> much honored letter<br />

came to my h<strong>and</strong>s. Your amiable compliments to me, engage me to take the<br />

pen to give you renewed assurance that you have in me a sincere admirer<br />

of your great talent . . . . When I wish to point out a person who writes<br />

<strong>and</strong> thinks with excellence, I name Monsieur <strong>Casanova</strong> . . . ."<br />

In 1793, Teresa de Quency wished to return to Venice at which time Zaguri<br />

wrote <strong>Casanova</strong>: "<strong>The</strong> Bassani has received letters from her husb<strong>and</strong> which<br />

tell her nothing more than that he is alive."<br />

<strong>Casanova</strong> passed the months of May, June <strong>and</strong> July 1788 at Prague,<br />

supervising the printing of the Histoire de ma fuite.<br />

"I remember laughing very heartily at Prague, six years ago, on learning<br />

that some thin-skinned ladies, on reading my flight from <strong>The</strong> Leads, which<br />

was published at that date, took great offense at the above account,<br />

which they thought I should have done well to leave out."<br />

In May he was troubled with an attack of the grippe. In October, he was<br />

in Dresden, apparently with his brother. Around this time "<strong>The</strong><br />

Magdalene," a painting by Correggio, was stolen from the Museum of the<br />

Elector.<br />

On the 30th October 1788, <strong>Casanova</strong> wrote to the Prince Belozelski,<br />

Russian Minister to the Court of Dresden: "Tuesday morning, after having<br />

embraced my dear brother, I got into a carriage to return here. At the<br />

barrier on the outskirts of Dresden, I was obliged to descend, <strong>and</strong> six<br />

men carried the two chests of my carriage, my two night-bags <strong>and</strong> my<br />

capelire into a little chamber on the ground level, dem<strong>and</strong>ed my keys, <strong>and</strong><br />

examined everything . . . . <strong>The</strong> youngest of these infamous executors of<br />

such an order told me they were searching for '<strong>The</strong> Magdalene! . . . <strong>The</strong>

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