The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Volume 15: With Voltaire. Giacomo Casanova

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СКАЧАТЬ the resources of his brilliant and fertile wit, and charmed everyone in spite of his sarcastic observations which did not even spare those present, but he had an inimitable manner of lancing a sarcasm without wounding a person's feelings. When the great man accompanied his witticisms with a graceful smile he could always get a laugh.

      He kept up a notable establishment and an excellent table, a rare circumstance with his poetic brothers, who are rarely favourites of Plutus as he was. He was then sixty years old, and had a hundred and twenty thousand francs a year. It has been said maliciously that this great man enriched himself by cheating his publishers; whereas the fact was that he fared no better than any other author, and instead of duping them was often their dupe. The Cramers must be excepted, whose fortune he made. Voltaire had other ways of making money than by his pen; and as he was greedy of fame, he often gave his works away on the sole condition that they were to be printed and published. During the short time I was with him, I was a witness of such a generous action; he made a present to his bookseller of the "Princess of Babylon," a charming story which he had written in three days.

      My epicurean syndic was exact to his appointment, and took me to a house at a little distance where he introduced me to three young ladies, who, without being precisely beautiful, were certainly ravishing. Two of them were sisters. I had an easy and pleasant welcome, and from their intellectual appearance and gay manners I anticipated a delightful evening, and I was not disappointed. The half hour before supper was passed in conversation, decent but without restraint, and during supper, from the hints the syndic gave me, I guessed what would happen after dessert.

      It was a hot evening, and on the pretext of cooling ourselves, we undressed so as to be almost in a state of nature. What an orgy we had! I am sorry I am obliged to draw a veil over the most exciting details. In the midst of our licentious gaiety, whilst we were heated by love, champagne, and a discourse of an exciting nature, I proposed to recite Grecourt's 'Y Gyec'. When I had finished the voluptuous poem, worthy of an abbe's pen, I saw that the eyes of the three beauties were all aflame, and said,—

      "Ladies, if you like, I will shew you all three, one after the other, why the sentence, 'Gaudeant bene nati', was uttered"; and without waiting for their reply, I succeeded in making them happy. The syndic was radiant, he was pleased at having given me a present entirely to my taste; and I fancied that the entertainment was not displeasing to the three Graces, who were kept low by the Sybarite, as his powers were almost limited to desires. The girls lavished their thanks on me, while I endeavoured to assure them of my gratitude; but they leapt for joy when they heard the syndic asking me to come next day.

      As he was taking me back to my inn I told him how great a pleasure he had given me, and he said he had brought up the three jewels himself.

      "You," he added, "are the only man besides myself they know. You shall see them again, but I beg you will take care not to leave anything behind you, for in this town of prejudices that would be a great misfortune for them and for me."

      "You are always moderate in your enjoyment, then?" I said to him.

      "Unfortunately, that is no merit as far as I am concerned. I was born for the service of love, and Venus has punished me for worshipping her when I was too young."

      After a good night's sleep I awoke in an active mood, and began to write a letter to Voltaire in blank verse, which cost me four times the pains that rhymed verses would have done. I sent it to him with the poem of Theophile Falengue, but I made a mistake in doing so, as I might have known he would not care for it; one cannot appreciate what one does not understand. I then went to Mr. Fox, where I found the two Englishmen who offered me my revenge. I lost a hundred Louis, and was glad to see them set out for Lausanne.

      The syndic had told me that the three young ladies belonged to respectable families, but were not rich. I puzzled my head to think of some useful present I might make them without offending them, and at last I hit on a plan of the most ridiculous nature, as the reader will see. I went to a jeweller and told him to make me three golden balls, each of two ounces in weight.

      At noon I went to M. de Voltaire's. He was not to be seen, but Madame Denis consoled me for his absence. She had wit, learning without pretension, taste, and a great hatred for the King of Prussia, whom she called a villain. She asked about my beautiful housekeeper, and congratulated me on having married her to a respectable man. Although I feel now that she was quite right, I was far from thinking so then; the impression was too fresh on my mind. Madame Denis begged me to tell her how I had escaped from The Leads, but as the story was rather a long one I promised to satisfy her another time.

      M. de Voltaire did not dine with us; he appeared, however, at five o'clock, holding a letter in his hand.

      "Do you know," said he, "the Marquis Albergati Capacelli, senator ofBologna, and Count Paradisi?"

      "I do not know Paradisi, but I know Albergati by sight and by reputation; he is not a senator, but one of the Forty, who at Bologna are Fifty."

      "Dear me! That seems rather a riddle!"

      "Do you know him?"

      "No, but he has sent me Goldoni's 'Theatre,' the translation of myTancred, and some Bologna sausages, and he says he will come and see me."

      "He will not come; he is not such a fool."

      "How a fool? Would there be anything foolish in coming to see me?"

      "Certainly not, as far as you are concerned; but very much so far his own sake."

      "Would you mind telling me why?"

      "He knows what he would lose; for he enjoys the idea you seem to have of him, and if he came you would see his nothingness, and good-bye to the illusion. He is a worthy man with six thousand sequins a year, and a craze for the theatre. He is a good actor enough, and has written several comedies in prose, but they are fit neither for the study nor the stage."

      "You certainly give him a coat which does not make him look any bigger."

      "I assure you it is not quite small enough."

      "But tell me how he can belong to the Forty and the Fifty?"

      "Just as at Bale noon is at eleven."

      "I understand; just as your Council of Ten is composed of seventeen members."

      "Exactly; but the cursed Forty of Bologna are men of another kind."

      "Why cursed?"

      "Because they are not subject to the fisc, and are thus enabled to commit whatever crimes they like with perfect impunity; all they have got to do is to live outside the state borders on their revenues."

      "That is a blessing, and not a curse; but let me return to our subject. I suppose the Marquis Albergati is a man of letters?"

      "He writes well enough, but he is fond of the sound of his own voice, his style is prolix, and I don't think he has much brains."

      "He is an actor, I think you said?"

      "Yes, and a very good one, above all, when he plays the lover's part in one of his own plays."

      "Is he a handsome man?"

      "Yes, on the stage, but not elsewhere; his face lacks expression."

      "But his plays give satisfaction?"

      "Not to persons who understand play writing; they would be hissed if they were intelligible."

      "And what do you think of Goldoni?"

      "I СКАЧАТЬ