gardella portrait of the duke of wurtemburg — my dinner with gardella, and its consequences — unfortunate meeting i play and lose four thousand louis — lawsuit — lucky flight — my arrival at zurich — church consecrated by jesus christ himself

at that period the court of the duke of wurtemburg was the most brilliant in europe. the heavy subsidies paid by france for quartering ten thousand men upon him furnished him with the means for indulging in luxury and debauchery. the army in question was a fine body of men, but during the war it was distinguished only by its blunders.

the duke was sumptuous in his tastes, which were for splendid palaces, hunting establishments on a large scale, enormous stables — in short, every whim imaginable; but his chief expense was the large salaries he paid his theatre, and, above all, his mistresses. he had a french play, an italian opera, grand and comic, and twenty italian dancers, all of whom had been principal dancers in italian theatres. his director of ballets was novers, and sometimes five hundred dancers appeared at once. a clever machinist and the best scene painters did their best to make the audience believe in magic. all the ballet-girls were pretty, and all of them boasted of having been enjoyed at least once by my lord. the chief of them was a venetian, daughter of a gondolier named gardella. she was brought up by the senator malipiero, whom my readers know for his good offices towards myself, who had her taught for the theatre, and gave her a dancing- master. i found her at munich, after my flight from the leads, married to michel agata. the duke took a fancy to her, and asked her husband, who was only too happy to agree, to yield her; but he was satisfied with her charms in a year, and put her on the retired list with the title of madame.

this honour had made all the other ballet-girls jealous, and they all thought themselves as fit as she to be taken to the duke’s titular mistress, especially as she only enjoyed the honour without the pleasure. they all intrigued to procure her dismissal, but the venetian lady succeeded in holding her ground against all cabals.

far from reproaching the duke for this incorrigible infidelity, she encouraged him in it, and was very glad to be left to herself, as she cared nothing for him. her chief pleasure was to have the ballet- girls who aspired to the honours of the handkerchief come to her to solicit her good offices. she always received them politely, gave them her advice, and bade them do their best to please the prince. in his turn the duke thought himself bound to shew his gratitude for her good nature, and gave her in public all the honours which could be given to a princess.

i was not long in finding out that the duke’s chief desire was to be talked about. he would have liked people to say that there was not a prince in europe to compare with him for wit, taste, genius, in the invention of pleasures, and statesman-like capacities; he would fain be regarded as a hercules in the pleasures of bacchus and venus, and none the less an aristides in governing his people. he dismissed without pity an attendant who failed to wake him after he had been forced to yield to sleep for three or four hours, but he did not care how roughly he was awakened.

it has happened that after having given his highness a large cup of coffee, the servant has been obliged to throw him into a bath of cold water, where the duke had to choose between awaking or drowning.

as soon as he was dressed the duke would assemble his council and dispatch whatever business was on hand, and then he would give audience to whoever cared to come into his presence. nothing could be more comic than the audiences he gave to his poorer subjects. often there came to him dull peasants and workmen of the lowest class; the poor duke would sweat and rage to make them hear reason, in which he was sometimes unsuccessful, and his petitioners would go away terrified, desperate, and furious. as to the pretty country maidens, he examined into their complaints in private, and though he seldom did anything for them they went away consoled.

the subsidies which the french crown was foolish enough to pay him for a perfectly useless service did not suffice for his extravagant expenses. he loaded his subjects with taxes till the patient people could bear it no longer, and some years after had recourse to the diet of wetzlar, which obliged him to change his system. he was foolish enough to wish to imitate the king of prussia, while that monarch made fun of the duke, and called him his ape. his wife was the daughter of the margrave of bayreuth, the prettiest and most accomplished princess in all germany. when i had come to stuttgart she was no longer there; she had taken refuge with her father, on account of a disgraceful affront which had been offered her by her unworthy husband. it is incorrect to say that this princess fled from her husband because of his infidelities.

after i had dined by myself, i dressed and went to the opera provided gratis by the duke in the fine theatre he had built. the prince was in the front of the orchestra, surrounded by his brilliant court. i sat in a box on the first tier, delighted to be able to hear so well the music of the famous jumella, who was in the duke’s service. in my ignorance of the etiquette of small german courts i happened to applaud a solo, which had been exquisitely sung by a castrato whose name i have forgotten, and directly afterwards an individual came into my box and addressed me in a rude manner. however, i knew no german, and could only answer by ‘nich verstand’—“i don’t understand.”

he went out, and soon after an official came in, who told me, in good french, that when the sovereign was present all applause was forbidden.

“very good, sir. then i will go away and come again when the sovereign is not here, as when an air pleases me i always applaud.”

after this reply i called for my carriage, but just as i was getting into it the same official came and told me that the duke wanted to speak to me. i accordingly followed him to the presence.

“you are m. casanova, are you?” said the duke.

“yes, my lord.”

“where do you come from?”

“from cologne.”

“is this the first time you have been to stuttgart?”

“yes, my lord.”

“do you think of staying long?”

“for five or six days, if your highness will allow me.”

“certainly, you may stay as long as you like, and you may clap when you please.”

“i shall profit by your permission, my lord.”

“good.”

i sat down again, and the whole audience settled down to the play. soon after, an actor sung an air which the duke applauded, and of course all the courtiers, but not caring much for the song i sat still — everyone to his taste. after the ballet the duke went to the favourite’s box, kissed her hand, and left the theatre. an official, who was sitting by me and did not know that i was acquainted with the gardella, told me that as i had had the honour of speaking to the prince i might obtain the honour of kissing his favourite’s hand.

i felt a strong inclination to laugh, but i restrained myself; and a sudden and very irrational impulse made me say that she was a relation of mine. the words had no sooner escaped me than i bit my lip, for this stupid lie could only do me harm, but it was decreed that i should do nothing at stuttgart but commit blunders. the officer, who seemed astonished at my reply, bowed and went to the favourite’s box to inform her of my presence. the gardelia looked in my direction and beckoned to me with her fan, and i hastened to comply with the invitation, laughing inwardly at the part i was going to play. as soon as i came in she graciously gave me her hand, which i kissed, calling her my cousin.

“did you tell the duke you were my cousin?” said she.

“no,” i replied.

“very good, then i will do so myself; come and dine with me to-morrow.”

she then left the house, and i went to visit the ballet-girls, who were undressing: the binetti, who was one of the oldest of my acquaintances, was in an ecstasy of joy at seeing me, and asked me to dine with her every day. cartz, the violin, who had been with me in the orchestra at st. samuel’s, introduced me to his pretty daughter, saying,

“she is not made for the duke’s eyes to gaze on, and he shall never have her.”

the good man was no prophet, as the duke got possession of her a short time after. she presented him with two babies, but these pledges of affection could not fix the inconstant prince. nevertheless, she was a girl of the most captivating kind, for to the most perfect beauty she added grace, wit, goodness, and kindness, which won everyone’s heart. but the duke was satiated, and his only pleasure lay in novelty.

after her i saw the vulcani, whom i had known at dresden, and who suddenly presented her husband to me. he threw his arms round my neck. he was baletti, brother of my faithless one, a young man of great talent of whom i was very fond.

i was surrounded by all these friends, when the officer whom i had so foolishly told that i was related to the gardella came in and began to tell the story. the binetti, after hearing it, said to him,

“it’s a lie.”

“but my dear,” said i to her, “you can’t be better informed on the subject than i am.” she replied by laughing, but cartz said, very wittily,

“as gardella is only a boatman’s daughter, like binetti, the latter thinks, and very rightly, that you ought to have given her the refusal of your cousinship.”

next day i had a pleasant dinner with the favourite, though she told me that, not having seen the duke, she could not tell me how he would take my pleasantry, which her mother resented very much. this mother of hers, a woman of the lowest birth, had become very proud since her daughter was a prince’s mistress, and thought my relationship a blot on their escutcheon. she had the impudence to tell me that her relations had never been players, without reflecting that it must be worse to descend to this estate than to rise from it, if it were dishonourable. i ought to have pitied her, but not being of a forbearing nature i retorted by asking if her sister was still alive, a question which made her frown and to which she gave no answer. the sister i spoke of was a fat blind woman, who begged on a bridge in venice.

after having spent a pleasant day with the favourite, who was the oldest of my theatrical friends, i left her, promising to come to breakfast the next day; but as i was going out the porter bade me not to put my feet there again, but would not say on whose authority he gave me this polite order. it would have been wiser to hold my tongue, as this stroke must have come from the mother; or, perhaps, from the daughter, whose vanity i had wounded: she was a good-enough actress to conceal her anger.

i was angry with myself, and went away in an ill humour; i was humiliated to see myself treated in such a manner by a wretched wanton of an actress; though if i had been more discreet i could have got a welcome in the best society. if i had not promised to dine with binetti the next day i should have posted off forthwith, and i should thus have escaped all the misadventures which befell me in that wretched town.

the binetti lived in the house of her lover, the austrian ambassador, and the part of the house she occupied adjoined the town wall. as will be seen; this detail is an important one. i dined alone with my good fellow-countrywoman, and if i had felt myself capable of love at that period all my old affection would have resumed its sway over me, as her beauty was undiminished, and she had more tact and knowledge of the world than when i knew her formerly.

the austrian ambassador was a good-natured, easygoing, and generous man; as for her husband he was not worthy of her, and she never saw him. i spent a pleasant day with her, talking of our old friends, and as i had nothing to keep me in wurtemburg i decided to leave in two days, as i had promised the toscani and her daughter to go with them on the next day to louisbourg. we were to start at five in the morning, but the following adventure befell me:—

as i was leaving binetti’s house i was greeted very courteously by three officers whom i had become acquainted with at the coffee house, and i walked along the promenade with them.

“we are going,” said one of them, “to visit certain ladies of easy virtue; we shall be glad to have you of our company.”

“i only speak a few words of german,” i answered, “and if i join you i shall be bored.”

“ah! but the ladies are italians,” they exclaimed, “nothing could suit you better.”

i did not at all like following them, but my evil genius led me in that wretched town from one blunder to another, and so i went in spite of myself.

we turned back into the town, and i let myself be led up to the third floor of an ill-looking house, and in the meanest of rooms i saw the pretended nieces of peccini. a moment after peccini appeared, and had the impudence to throw his arms around my neck, calling me his best friend. his nieces overwhelmed me with caresses, and seemed to confirm the idea that we were old friends. i did nothing and held my tongue.

the officers prepared for a debauch; i did not imitate their example, but this made no difference to them. i saw into what an evil place i had been decoyed, but a false shame prevented me from leaving the house without ceremony. i was wrong, but i determined to be more prudent for the future.

before long a pot-house supper was served, of which i did not partake; but not wishing to seem bad company i drank two or three small glasses of hungarian wine. after supper, which did not last very long, cards were produced, and one of the officers held a bank at faro. i punted and lost the fifty or sixty louis i had about me. i felt that i was drunk, my head was reeling, and i would have gladly given over playing and gone away, but i have never been so possessed as on that day, either from false shame or from the effects of the drugged wine they gave me. my noble officers seemed vexed that i had lost, and would give me my revenge. they made me hold a bank of a hundred louis in fish, which they counted out to me. i did so, and lost. i made a bank again, and again i lost. my inflamed understanding, my increasing drunkenness, and my anger, deprived me of all sense, and i kept increasing my bank, losing all the time, till at midnight my good rascals declared they would play no more. they made a calculation, and declared that i had lost nearly a hundred thousand francs. so great was my intoxication, although i had had no more wine, that they were obliged to send for a sedan chair to take me to my inn. while my servant was undressing me he discovered that i had neither my watches nor my gold snuff-boy.

“don’t forget to wake me at four in the morning,” said i. therewith i went to bed and enjoyed a calm and refreshing sleep.

while i was dressing next morning i found a hundred louis in my pocket, at which i was much astonished, for my dizziness of brain being over now, i remembered that i had not this money about me the evening before; but my mind was taken up with the pleasure party, and i put off thinking of this incident and of my enormous losses till afterwards. i went to the toscani and we set out for louisbourg, where we had a capital dinner, and my spirits ran so high that my companions could never have guessed the misfortune that had just befallen me. we went back to stuttgart in the evening.

when i got home my spaniard told me that they knew nothing about my watches and snuff-box at the house where i had been the evening before, and that the three officers had come to call on me, but not finding me at home they had told him to warn me that they would breakfast with me on the following morning. they kept the appointment.

“gentlemen,” said i, as soon as they came in, “i have lost a sum which i cannot pay, and which i certainly should not have lost without the drugged wine you gave me. you have taken me to a den of infamy, where i was shamefully robbed of jewellery to the value of more than three hundred louis. i complain of no one, since i have only my own folly to complain of. if i had been wiser all this would not have happened to me.”

they exclaimed loudly at this speech, and tried to play the part of men of honour. they spoke in vain, as i had made up my mind to pay nothing.

whilst we were in the thick of the fight, and were beginning to get angry over it, baletti, toscani, and binetti came in, and heard the discussion. i then had breakfast brought in, and after we had finished my friends left me.

when we were once more alone, one of the rascals addressed me as follows:

“we are too honest, sir, to take advantage of your position. you have been unfortunate, but all men are sometimes unfortunate, and we ask nothing better than a mutual accommodation. we will take over all your properties; jewels, diamonds, arms, and carriage, and have them valued; and if the sum realized does not cover your debt we will take your acceptance, payable at date, and remain good friends.”

“sir, i do not wish for the friendship of robbers, and i will not play a single farthing.”

at this they tried threats, but i kept cool and said —

“gentlemen, your menaces will not intimidate me, and, as far as i can see, you have only two ways of getting paid; either by way of the law, in which case i do not think i shall find it difficult to get a barrister to take up my case, or, secondly, you can pay yourselves on my body, honourably, with sword in hand.”

as i had expected, they replied that if i wished they would do me the honour of killing me after i had paid them. they went off cursing, telling me that i would be sorry for what i had said.

soon after i went out and spent the day with the toscani in gaiety which, situated as i was, was not far off madness. at the time i placed it to the daughter’s charms, and to the need my spirits were in of recovering their elasticity.

however, the mother having witnessed the rage of the three robbers was the first to urge me to fortify myself against their villainy by an appeal to the law.

“if you give them the start,” said she, “they may possibly gain a great advantage over you in spite of the right being on your side.”

and whilst i toyed with her charming daughter, she sent for a barrister. after hearing my case the counsel told me that my best way would be to tell the whole story to the sovereign as soon as possible.

“they took you to the house of ill-fame; they poured out the drugged wine which deprived you of your reason; they made you play in spite of their prince’s prohibition (for gaming is strictly forbidden); in this company you were robbed of your jewels after they had made you lose an enormous sum. it’s a hanging matter, and the duke’s interest will be to do you justice, for an act of scoundrelism like this committed by his officers would dishonour him all over europe.”

i felt some repugnance to this course, for though the duke was a shameless libertine i did not like telling him such a disgraceful story. however, the case was a serious one, and after giving it due reflection i determined to wait on the dike on the following morning.

“as the duke gives audience to the first comer,” i said to myself, “why should i not have as good a reception as a labouring man? “in this way i concluded that it would be no use to write to him, and i was on my way to the court, when, at about twenty paces from the gate of the castle, i met my three gentlemen who accosted me rudely and said i had better make up my mind to pay, or else they would play the devil with me.

i was going on without paying any attention to them, when i felt myself rudely seized by the right arm. a natural impulse of self- defence made me put my hand to my sword, and i drew it in a manner that shewed i was in earnest. the officer of the guard came running up, and i complained that the three were assaulting me and endeavouring to hinder my approach to the prince. on enquiry being made, the sentry and the numerous persons who were present declared that i had only drawn in self-defence, so the officer decided that i had perfect liberty to enter the castle.

i was allowed to penetrate to the last antechamber without any obstacle being raised. here i addressed myself to the chamberlain, demanding an audience with the sovereign, and he assured me that i should be introduced into the presence. but directly afterwards the impudent scoundrel who had taken hold of my arm came up and began to speak to the chamberlain in german. he said his say without my being able to contradict him, and his representations were doubtless not in my favour. very possibly, too, the chamberlain was one of the gang, and i went from herod to pilate. an hour went by without my being able to see the prince, and then the chamberlain, who had assured me that i should have an audience, came and told me that i might go home, as the duke had heard all the circumstances of the case, and would no doubt see that justice was done me.

i saw at once that i should get no justice at all, and as i was walking away i thought how best i could get out of the difficulty. on my way i met binetti, who knew how i was placed, and he asked me to come and dine with him, assuring me that the austrian ambassador would take me under his protection, and that he would save me from the violent measures which the rascals no doubt intended to take, in spite of the chamberlain’s assurances. i accepted the invitation, and binetti’s charming wife, taking the affair to heart, did not lose a moment in informing her lover, the ambassador, of all the circumstances.

this diplomatist came into the room with her, and after hearing all the details from my lips he said that in all probability the duke knew nothing about it.

“write a brief account of the business,” said he, “and i will lay it before the sovereign, who will no doubt see justice done.”

i went to binetti’s desk, and as soon as i had written down my true relation i gave it, unsealed, to the ambassador, who assured me that it should be in the duke’s hands in the course of an hour.

at dinner my country-woman assured me again that her lover should protect me, and we spent the day pleasantly enough; but towards evening my spaniard came and assured me that if i returned to the inn i should be arrested, “for” said he, “an officer came to see you, and finding you were out he took up his position at the street door and has two soldiers standing at the foot of the staircase.”

the binetti said, “you must not go to the inn; stay here, where you have nothing to fear. send for what you want, and we will wait and see what happens.” i then gave orders to my spaniard to go and fetch the belongings which were absolutely necessary to me.

at midnight the ambassador came in; we were still up, and he seemed pleased that his mistress had sheltered me. he assured me that my plea had been laid before the sovereign, but during the three days i was in the house i heard no more about it.

on the fourth day, whilst i was pondering as to how i should act, the ambassador received a letter from a minister requesting him, on behalf of the sovereign, to dismiss me from his house, as i had a suit pending with certain officers of his highness, and whilst i was with the ambassador justice could not take its course. the ambassador gave me the letter, and i saw that the minister promised that strict justice should be done me. there was no help for it; i had to make up my mind to return to my inn, but the binetti was so enraged that she began to scold her lover, at which he laughed, saying, with perfect truth, that he could not keep me there in defiance of the prince.

i re-entered the inn without meeting anyone, but when i had had my dinner and was just going to see my counsel an officer served me with a summons, which was interpreted to me by my landlord, which ordered me to appear forthwith before the notary appointed to take my deposition. i went to him with the officer of the court, and spent two hours with the notary, who wrote down my deposition in german while i gave it in latin. when it was done he told me to sign my name; to which i answered that i must decline to sign a document i did not understand. he insisted on my doing it, but i was immovable. he then got in a rage and said i ought to be ashamed of myself for suspecting a notary’s honour. i replied calmly that i had no doubts as to his honour, but that i acted from principle, and that as i did not understand what he had written i refused to sign it. i left him, and was accompanied by the officer to my own counsel, who said i had done quite right, and promised to call on me the next day to receive my power of attorney.

“and when i have done that,” he said, “your business will be mine.”

i was comforted by this man, who inspired me with confidence, and went back to the hotel, where i made a good supper and went tranquilly to sleep. next morning, however, when i awoke, my spaniard announced an officer who had followed him, and told me in good french that i must not be astonished to find myself a prisoner in my room, for being a stranger and engaged in a suit at law it was only right that the opposite party should be assured that i would not escape before judgment was given. he asked very politely for my sword, and to my great regret i was compelled to give it him. the hilt was of steel, exquisitely chased; it was a present from madame d’urfe, and was worth at least fifty louis.

i wrote a note to my counsel to tell him what had happened; he came to see me and assured me that i should only be under arrest for a few days.

as i was obliged to keep my room, i let my friends know of my confinement, and i received visits from dancers and ballet-girls, who were the only decent people i was acquainted with in that wretched stuttgart, where i had better never have set foot. my situation was not pleasant to contemplate: i had been drugged, cheated, robbed, abused, imprisoned, threatened with a mulct of a hundred thousand francs, which would have stripped me to my shirt, as nobody knew the contents of my pocket-book. i could think of nothing else. i had written to madame the gardella, but to no purpose, as i got no answer. all the consolation i got was from binetti, toscani, and baletti, who dined or supped with me every day. the three rascals came to see me one by one, and each tried to get me to give him money unknown to the other two, and each promised that if i would do that, he would get me out of the difficulty. each would have been content with three or four hundred louis, but even if i had given that sum to one of them i had no guarantee that the others would desist from their persecution. indeed, if i had done so i should have given some ground to their pretensions, and bad would have been made worse. my answer was that they wearied me, and that i should be glad if they would desist from visiting me.

on the fifth day of my arrest the duke left for frankfort; and the same day binetti came and told me from her lover that the duke had promised the officers not to interfere, and that i was therefore in danger of an iniquitous sentence. his advice was to neglect no means of getting out of the difficulty, to sacrifice all my property, diamonds, and jewellery, and thus to obtain a release from my enemies. the binetti, like a wise woman, disliked this counsel, and i relished it still less, but she had to perform her commission.

i had jewellery and lace to the value of more than a hundred thousand francs, but i could not resolve to make the sacrifice. i did not know which way to turn or where to go, and while i was in this state of mind my barrister came in. he spoke as follows:

“sir, all my endeavors on your behalf have been unsuccessful. there is a party against you which seems to have support in some high quarter, and which silences the voice of justice. it is my duty to warn you that unless you find some way of arranging matters with these rascals you are a ruined man. the judgment given by the police magistrate, a rascal like the rest of them, is of a summary character, for as a stranger you will not be allowed to have recourse to the delays of the law. you would require bail to do that. they have managed to procure witnesses who swear that you are a professional gamester, that it was you who seduced the three officers into the house of your countryman peccini, that it is not true that your wine was drugged that you did not lose your watches nor your snuff-box, for, they say, these articles will be found in your mails when your goods are sold. for that you will only have to wait till to-morrow or the day after, and do not think that i am deceiving you in any particular, or you will be sorry for it. they will come here and empty your mails, boxes, and pockets, a list will be made, and they will be sold by auction the same day. if the sum realized is greater than the debt the surplus will go in costs, and you may depend upon it that a very small sum will be returned to you; but if, on the other hand, the sum is not sufficient to pay everything, including the debt, costs, expenses of the auction, etc., you will be enrolled as a common soldier in the forces of his most serene highness. i heard it said to the officer, who is your greatest creditor, that the four louis enlistment money would be taken into account, and that the duke would be glad to get hold of such a fine man.”

the barrister left me without my noticing him. i was so petrified by what he had said. i was in such a state of collapse that in less than an hour all the liquids in my body must have escaped. i, a common soldier in the army of a petty sovereign like the duke, who only existed by the horrible traffic in human flesh which he carried on after the manner of the elector of hesse. i, despoiled by those knaves, the victim of an iniquitous sentence. never! i would endeavour to hit upon some plan to gain time.

i began by writing to my chief creditor that i had decided to come to an agreement with them, but i wished them all to wait upon my notary, with witnesses, to put a formal close to the action and render me a free man again.

i calculated that one of them was sure to be on duty on the morrow, and thus i should gain a day at any rate. in the mean time i hoped to discover some way of escape.

i next wrote to the head of the police, whom i styled “your excellency” and “my lord,” begging him to vouchsafe his all-powerful protection. i told him that i had resolved on selling all my property to put an end to the suit which threatened to overwhelm me, and i begged him to suspend the proceedings, the cost of which could only add to my difficulties. i also asked him to send me a trustworthy man to value my effects as soon as i had come to an agreement with my creditors, with whom i begged for his good offices. when i had done i sent my spaniard to deliver the letters.

the officer to whom i had written, who pretended that i was his debtor to the amount of two thousand louis, came to see me after dinner. i was in bed; and i told him i thought i had fever. he began to offer his sympathy, and, genuine or not, i was pleased with it. he told me he had just had some conversation with the chief of the police, who had shewn him my letter.

“you are very wise,” said he, “in consenting to a composition, but we need not all three be present. i have full powers from the other two, and that will be sufficient for the notary:”

“i am in bad enough case,” i replied, “for you to grant me the favour of seeing you all together; i cannot think you will refuse me.”

“well, well, you shall be satisfied, but if you are in a hurry to leave stuttgart i must warn you that we cannot come before monday, for we are on duty for the next four days.”

“i am sorry to hear it, but i will wait. give me your word of honour that all proceedings shall be suspended in the mean time.”

“certainly; here is my hand, and you may reckon on me. in my turn i have a favour to ask. i like your post-chaise; will you let me have it for what it cost you?”

“with pleasure.”

“be kind enough to call the landlord, and tell him in my presence that the carriage belongs to me.”

i had the landlord upstairs and did as the rascal had asked me, but mine host told him that he could dispose of it after he had paid for it, and with that he turned his back on him and left the room.

“i am certain of having the chaise,” said the officer, laughing. he then embraced me, and went away.

i had derived so much pleasure from my talk with him that i felt quite another man. i had four days before me; it was a rare piece of good luck.

some hours after, an honest-looking fellow who spoke italian well came to tell me, from the chief of police, that my creditors would meet on the ensuing monday, and that he himself was appointed to value my goods. he advised me to make it a condition of the agreement that my goods should not be sold by auction, and that my creditors should consider his valuation as final and binding. he told me that i should congratulate myself if i followed his advice.

i told him that i would not forget his services, and begged him to examine my mails and my jewel-box. he examined everything and told me that my lace alone was worth twenty thousand francs. “in all,” he added, “your goods are worth more than a hundred thousand francs, but i promise to tell your adversaries another story, thus, if you can persuade them to take half their debt, you will get off with half your effects.”

“in that ease,” i said, “you shall have fifty louis, and here are six as an earnest.”

“i am grateful to you, and you can count upon my devotion. the whole town and the duke as well know your creditors to be knaves, but they have their reasons for refusing to see their conduct in its true light.”

i breathed again, and now all my thoughts were concentrated on making my escape with all i possessed, my poor chaise excepted. i had a difficult task before me, but not so difficult a one as my flight from the leads, and the recollection of my great escape gave me fresh courage.

my first step was to ask toscani, baletti, and the dancer binetti to supper, as i had measures to concert with these friends of mine, whom i could rely on, and who had nothing to fear from the resentment of three rascals.

after we had had a good supper i told them how the affair stood, and that i was determined to escape, and to carry my goods with me. “and now,” i said, “i want your advice.”

after a brief silence binetti said if i could get to his house i could lower myself down from a window, and once on the ground i should be outside the town walls and at a distance of a hundred paces from the high road, by which i could travel post and be out of the duke’s dominions by daybreak. thereupon baletti opened the window and found that it would be impossible to escape that way, on account of a wooden roof above a shop. i looked out also, and seeing that he was right i said that i should no doubt hit on some way of making my escape from the inn, but what troubled me chiefly was my luggage. the toscani then said:—

“you will have to abandon your mails, which you could not take off without attracting attention, and you must send all your effects to my house. i engage to deliver safely whatever you may put in my care. i will take away your effects under my clothes in several journeys, and i can begin to-night.”

baletti thought this idea a good one, and said that to do it the quicker his wife would come and help. we fixed on this plan, and i promised binetti to be with him at midnight on sunday, even if i had to stab the sentry, who was at my door all day, but who went away at night after locking me in. baletti said he would provide me with a faithful servant, and a post-chaise with swift horses, which would take my effects in other mails. to make the best use of the time, the toscani began to load herself, putting two of my suits of clothes under her dress. for the next few days my friends served me so well that, at midnight on saturday, my mails and my dressing case were empty; i kept back all the jewellery intending to carry it in my pocket.

on sunday, the toscani brought me the keys of the two mails, in which she had put my goods; and baletti came also to tell me that all the necessary measures had been taken, and that i should find a post- chaise, under the charge of his servant, waiting for me on the high road. so far good, and the reader shall now hear how i contrived to escape from my inn.

the sentry confined himself to a small ante-chamber, where he walked up and down, without ever coming into my room, except at my invitation. as soon as he heard that i had gone to bed he locked the door, and went off till the next day. he used to sup on a little table in a corner of the ante-room; his food being sent out by me. profiting by my knowledge of his habits, i gave my spaniard the following instructions:

“after supper, instead of going to bed, i shall hold myself in readiness for leaving my room, and i shall leave it when i see the light extinguished in the ante-room, while i shall take care that my candle be so placed as not to shew any light outside, or to reflect my shadow. once out of my room, i shall have no difficulty in reaching the stairs, and my escape will be accomplished. i shall go to binetti’s, leave the town by his house, and wait for you at furstenburg. no one can hinder you from joining me in the course of a day or two. so when you see me ready in my room, and this will be whilst the sentry is having his supper, put out the candle on the table: you can easily manage to do so whilst snuffing it. you will then take it to re-light it, and i shall seize that moment to get off in the darkness. when you conclude that i have got out of the ante- room, you can come back to the soldier with the lighted candle, and you can help him to finish his bottle. by that time i shall be safe, and when you tell him i have gone to bed he will come to the door, wish me good night, and after locking the door and putting the key in his pocket he will go away with you. it is not likely that he will come in and speak to me when he hears i have gone to bed.”

nevertheless, as he might possibly take it into his head to come into the room, i carefully arranged a wig-block in a night-cap on the pillow, and huddled up the coverlet so as to deceive a casual glance.

all my plans were successful, as i heard afterwards from my spaniard. whilst he was drinking with the sentry i was getting on my great coat, girding on my hanger (i had no longer a sword), and putting my loaded pistols in my pocket. as soon as the darkness told me that le duc had put out the candle i went out softly, and reached the staircase without making the least noise. once there the rest was easy, for the stair led into the passage, and the passage to the main door, which was always open till nearly midnight.

i stepped out along the street, and at a quarter to twelve i got to binetti’s, and found his wife looking out for me at the window. when i was in the room, whence i intended to escape, we lost no time. i threw my overcoat to baletti, who was standing in the ditch below, up to the knees in mud, and binding a strong cord round my waist i embraced the binetti and baletti’s wife, who lowered me down as gently as possible. baletti received me in his arms, i cut the cord, and after taking my great coat i followed his footsteps. we strode through the mud, and going along a hedge we reached the high road in a state of exhaustion, although it was not more than a hundred paces as the crow flies from where we stood to the house. at a little distance off, beside a small wayside inn, we found the postchaise in which sat baletti’s servant. he got out, telling us that the postillion had just gone into the inn to have a glass of beer and light his pipe. i took the good servant’s place, and gave him a reward, and begged them both to be gone, saying i would manage all the rest myself.

it was april and, 1760 — my birthday — and a remarkable period in my career, although my whole life has been filled with adventures, good or bad.

i had been in the carriage for two or three minutes when the postillion came and asked me if we had much longer to wait. he thought he was speaking to the same person that he had left in the chaise, and i did not undeceive him. “drive on,” i answered, “and make one stage of it from here to tubingen, without changing horses at waldenbach.” he followed my instructions, and we went along at a good pace, but i had a strong inclination to laugh at the face he made when he saw me at tubingen. baletti’s servant was a youth, and slightly built; i was tall, and quite a man. he opened his eyes to their utmost width, and told me i was not the same gentleman that was in the carriage when he started. “you’re drunk,” said i, putting in his hand four times what he was accustomed to get, and the poor devil did not say a word. who has not experienced the persuasive influence of money? i went on my journey, and did not stop till i reached furstenburg, where i was quite safe.

i had eaten nothing on the way, and by the time i got to the inn i was dying of hunger. i had a good supper brought to me, and then i went to bed and slept well. as soon as i awoke i wrote to my three rascals. i promised to wait ten days for them at the place from which i dated the letter, and i challenged them to a duel a l’outrance, swearing that i would publish their cowardice all over europe if they refused to measure swords with me. i next wrote to the toscani, to baletti, and to the good-natured mistress of the austrian ambassador, commending le duc to their care, and thanking them for their friendly help.

the three rascals did not come, but the landlord’s two daughters, both of them pretty, made me pass the three days very agreeably.

on the fourth day, towards noon, i had the pleasure of seeing my faithful spaniard riding into the town carrying his portmanteau on his saddle.

“sir,” said he, “all stuttgart knows you to be here, and i fear, lest the three officers who were too cowardly to accept your challenge may have you assassinated. if you are wise you will set out for switzerland forthwith.”

“that’s cowardly, my lad,” said i. “don’t be afraid about me, but tell me all that happened after my escape.”

“as soon as you were gone, sir, i carried out your instructions, and helped the poor devil of a sentry to empty his bottle, though he would have willingly dispensed with my assistance in the matter; i then told him you had gone to bed, and he locked the door as usual, and went away after shaking me by the hand. after he had gone i went to bed. next morning the worthy man was at his post by nine o’clock, and at ten the three officers came, and on my telling them that you were still asleep they went away, bidding me come to a coffee-house, and summon them when you got up. as they waited and waited to no purpose, they came again at noon, and told the soldier to open the door. what followed amused me, though i was in some danger in the midst of the rascals.

“they went in, and taking the wig-block for your head they came up to the bed and politely wished you good morning. you took no notice, so one of them proceeded to give you a gentle shake, and the bauble fell and rolled along the floor. i roared with laughter at the sight of their amazement.

“‘you laugh, do you, rascal? tell us where your master is.’ and to give emphasis to their words they accompanied them with some strokes of the cane.

“i was not going to stand this sort of thing, so i told them, with an oath, that if they did not stop i should defend myself, adding that i was not my master’s keeper, and advising them to ask the sentry.

“the sentry on his part swore by all the saints that you must have escaped by the window, but in spite of this a corporal was summoned, and the poor man was sent to prison.

“the clamour that was going on brought up the landlord, who opened your mails, and on finding them empty said that he would be well enough paid by your postchaise, replying only with a grin to the officer who pretended you had given it him.

“in the midst of the tumult a superior officer came up, who decided that you must have escaped through the window, and ordered the sentry to be set at liberty on the spot. then came my turn, for, as i kept on laughing and answered all questions by ‘i don’t know,’ these gentleman had me taken to prison, telling me i should stay there till i informed them where you, or at least your effects, could be found.

“the next day one of them came to the prison, and told me that unless i confessed i should undoubtedly be sent to the galleys.

“‘on the faith of a spaniard,’ i answered, i know nothing, but if i did it would be all the same to you, for no one can make an honest servant betray his master.

“at this the rascal told the turnkey to give me a taste of the lash, and after this had been done i was set at liberty.

“my back was somewhat scarified, but i had the proud consciousness of having done my duty, and i went back and slept at the inn, where they were glad to see me. next morning everyone knew you were here and had sent a challenge to the three sharpers, but the universal opinion was that they were too knowing to risk their lives by meeting you. nevertheless, madame baletti told me to beg you to leave furstenburg, as they might very likely have you assassinated. the landlord sold your chaise and your mails to the austrian ambassador, who, they say, let you escape from a window in the apartment occupied by his mistress. no one offered to prevent me coming here.

“three hours after le duc’s arrival i took post and went to schaffhaus, and from there to zurich, with hired horses, as there are no posts in switzerland. at zurich i put up at the “sward,” an excellent inn.

“after supper, powdering over my arrival in zurich where i had dropped from the clouds as it were, i began, to reflect seriously upon my present situation and the events of my past life. i recalled my misfortunes and scrutinized my conduct; and was not long in concluding that all i had suffered was through my own fault, and that when fortune would have crowned me with happiness i had persistently trifled that happiness away. i had just succeeded in escaping from a trap where i might have perished, or at least have been overwhelmed with shame, and i shuddered at the thought. i resolved to be no more fortune’s plaything, but to escape entirely from her hands. i calculated my assets and found i was possessed of a hundred thousand crowns. “with that,” said i, “i can live secure amidst the changes and chances of this life, and i shall at last experience true happiness.”

i went to bed pondering over these fancies, and my sleep was full of happy dreams. i saw myself dwelling in a retired spot amidst peace and plenty. i thought i was surrounded on all sides by a fair expanse of country which belonged to me, where i enjoyed that freedom the world cannot give. my dreams had all the force of reality, till a sudden awakening at day-break came to give them the lie. but the imaginary bliss i had enjoyed had so taken my fancy that i could not rest till i realized it. i arose, dressed myself hastily, and went out, fasting, without knowing where i was going.

i walked on and on, absorbed in contemplation, and did not really awake till i found myself in a ravine between two lofty mountains. stepping forward i reached a valley surrounded by mountains on all sides, and in the distance a fine church, attached to a pile of buildings, magnificently situated. i guessed it to be a monastery, and i made my way towards it.

the church door was open, and i went in and was amazed at the rich marbles and the beauty of the altars; and, after hearing the last mass, i went to the sacristy and found myself in a crowd of benedictines.

the abbot, whom i recognized by his cross, came towards me and asked if i wished to see the church and monastery. i replied that i should be delighted, and he, with two other brethren, offered to shew me all. i saw their rich ornaments, chasubles embroidered with gold and pearls, the sacred vessels adorned with diamonds and other precious stones, a rich balustrade, etc.

as i understood german very imperfectly and the swiss dialect (which is hard to acquire and bears the same relation to german that genoese has to italian) not at all, i began to speak latin, and asked the abbot if the church had been built for long. thereupon the very reverend father entered into a long history, which would have made me repent my inquisitiveness if he had not finished by saying that the church was consecrated by jesus christ himself. this was carrying its foundation rather far back, and no doubt my face expressed some surprise, for to convince me of the truth of the story the abbot bade me follow him into the church, and there on a piece of marble pavement he shewed me the imprint of the foot of jesus, which he had left there at the moment of the consecration, to convince the infidels and to save the bishop the trouble of consecrating the church.

the abbot had had this divinely revealed to him in a dream, and going into the church to verify the vision he saw the print of the divine foot, and gave thanks to the lord.