MEMOIRSOFJACQUESCASANOVAdeSEINGALT1725—1798
VENETIANYEARS，Volume1a——CHILDHOOD
THERAREUNABRIDGEDLONDONEDITIONOF1894TRANSLATEDBYARTHURMACHEN
TOWHICHHASBEENADDEDTHECHAPTERSDISCOVEREDBYARTHURSYMONS。
CONTENTS:
CASANOVAATDUX
TRANSLATOR’SPREFACE
AUTHOR’SPREFACE
CHILDHOODANDADOLESCENCE
CASANOVAATDUX
AnUnpublishedChapterofHistory，ByArthurSymonsI
TheMemoirsofCasanova，thoughtheyhaveenjoyedthepopularityofabadreputation，haveneverhadjusticedonetothembyseriousstudentsofliterature，oflife，andofhistory。OneEnglishwriter，indeed，Mr。HavelockEllis，hasrealisedthat’therearefewmoredelightfulbooksintheworld，’andhehasanalysedtheminanessayonCasanova，publishedinAffirmations，withextremecareandremarkablesubtlety。Butthisessaystandsalone，atalleventsinEnglish，asanattempttotakeCasanovaseriously，toshowhiminhisrelationtohistime，andinhisrelationtohumanproblems。AndyettheseMemoirsareperhapsthemostvaluabledocumentwhichwepossessonthesocietyoftheeighteenthcentury；theyarethehistoryofauniquelife，auniquepersonality，oneofthegreatestofautobiographies；asarecordofadventures，theyaremoreentertainingthanGilBlas，orMonteCristo，oranyoftheimaginarytravels，andescapes，andmasqueradesinlife，whichhavebeenwritteninimitationofthem。Theytellthestoryofamanwholovedlifepassionatelyforitsownsake:onetowhomwomanwas，indeed，themostimportantthingintheworld，buttowhomnothingintheworldwasindifferent。Thebustwhichgivesusthemostlivelynotionofhimshowsusagreat，vivid，intellectualface，fulloffieryenergyandcalmresource，thefaceofathinkerandafighterinone。Ascholar，anadventurer，perhapsaCabalist，abusystirrerinpolitics，agamester，one’bornforthefairersex，’ashetellsus，andbornalsotobeavagabond；thisman，whoisrememberednowforhiswrittenaccountofhisownlife，wasthatrarestkindofautobiographer，onewhodidnotlivetowrite，butwrotebecausehehadlived，andwhenhecouldlivenolonger。
AndhisMemoirstakeonealloverEurope，givingsidelights，allthemorevaluableinbeingalmostaccidental，uponmanyoftheaffairsandpeoplemostinterestingtousduringtwo—thirdsoftheeighteenthcentury。GiacomoCasanovawasborninVenice，ofSpanishandItalianparentage，onApril2，1725；hediedattheChateauofDux，inBohemia，onJune4，1798。Inthatlifetimeofseventy—threeyearshetravelled，ashisMemoirsshowus，inItaly，France，Germany，Austria，England，Switzerland，Belgium，Russia，Poland，Spain，Holland，Turkey；hemetVoltaireatFerney，RousseauatMontmorency，Fontenelle，d’AlembertandCrebillonatParis，GeorgeIII。inLondon，LouisXV。atFontainebleau，CatherinetheGreatatSt。Petersburg，BenedictXII。atRome，JosephII。atVienna，FredericktheGreatatSans—Souci。ImprisonedbytheInquisitorsofStateinthePiombiatVenice，hemade，in1755，themostfamousescapeinhistory。HisMemoirs，aswehavethem，breakoffabruptlyatthemomentwhenheisexpectingasafeconduct，andthepermissiontoreturntoVeniceaftertwentyyears’wanderings。Hedidreturn，asweknowfromdocumentsintheVenetianarchives；hereturnedassecretagentoftheInquisitors，andremainedintheirservicefrom1774until1782。
Attheendof1782heleftVenice；andnextyearwefindhiminParis，where，in1784，hemetCountWaldsteinattheVenetianAmbassador’s，andwasinvitedbyhimtobecomehislibrarianatDux。
Heaccepted，andforthefourteenremainingyearsofhislifelivedatDux，wherehewrotehisMemoirs。
Casanovadiedin1798，butnothingwasheardoftheMemoirs（whichthePrincedeLigne，inhisownMemoirs，tellsusthatCasanovahadreadtohim，andinwhichhefound’dudyamatique，delarapidite，ducomique，delaphilosophie，deschosesneuves，sublimes，inimitablesmeme’）untiltheyear1820，whenacertainCarloAngiolinibroughttothepublishinghouseofBrockhaus，inLeipzig，amanuscriptentitledHistoiredemaviejusquaPan1797，inthehandwritingofCasanova。
Thismanuscript，whichIhaveexaminedatLeipzig，iswrittenonfoolscappaper，ratherroughandyellow；itiswrittenonbothsidesofthepage，andinsheetsorquires；hereandtherethepagingshowsthatsomepageshavebeenomitted，andintheirplacearesmallersheetsofthinnerandwhiterpaper，allinCasanova’shandsome，unmistakablehandwriting。Themanuscriptisdoneupintwelvebundles，correspondingwiththetwelvevolumesoftheoriginaledition；andonlyinoneplaceisthereagap。Thefourthandfifthchaptersofthetwelfthvolumearemissing，astheeditoroftheoriginaleditionpointsout，adding:’ItisnotprobablethatthesetwochaptershavebeenwithdrawnfromthemanuscriptofCasanovabyastrangehand；everythingleadsustobelievethattheauthorhimselfsuppressedthem，intheintention，nodoubt，ofre—writingthem，butwithouthavingfoundtimetodoso。’Themanuscriptendsabruptlywiththeyear1774，andnotwiththeyear1797，asthetitlewouldleadustosuppose。
Thismanuscript，initsoriginalstate，hasneverbeenprinted。HerrBrockhaus，onobtainingpossessionofthemanuscript，hadittranslatedintoGermanbyWilhelmSchutz，butwithmanyomissionsandalterations，andpublishedthistranslation，volumebyvolume，from1822to1828，underthetitle，’AusdenMemoirendesVenetianersJacobCasanovadeSeingalt。’WhiletheGermaneditionwasincourseofpublication，HerrBrockhausemployedacertainJeanLaforgue，aprofessoroftheFrenchlanguageatDresden，torevisetheoriginalmanuscript，correctingCasanova’svigorous，butattimesincorrect，andoftensomewhatItalian，Frenchaccordingtohisownnotionsofelegantwriting，suppressingpassageswhichseemedtoofree—spokenfromthepointofviewofmoralsandofpolitics，andalteringthenamesofsomeofthepersonsreferredto，orreplacingthosenamesbyinitials。Thisrevisedtextwaspublishedintwelvevolumes，thefirsttwoin1826，thethirdandfourthin1828，thefifthtotheeighthin1832，andtheninthtothetwelfthin1837；thefirstfourbearingtheimprintofBrockhausatLeipzigandPonthieuetCieatParis；thenextfourtheimprintofHeideloffetCampeatParis；andthelastfournothingbut’ABruxelles。’Thevolumesarealluniform，andwereallreallyprintedforthefirmofBrockhaus。
This，howeverfarfromrepresentingtherealtext，istheonlyauthoritativeedition，andmyreferencesthroughoutthisarticlewillalwaysbetothisedition。
InturningoverthemanuscriptatLeipzig，Ireadsomeofthesuppressedpassages，andregrettedtheirsuppression；butHerrBrockhaus，thepresentheadofthefirm，assuredmethattheyarenotreallyveryconsiderableinnumber。Thedamage，however，tothevivacityofthewholenarrative，bythepersistentalterationsofM。
Laforgue，isincalculable。Icomparedmanypassages，andfoundscarcelythreeconsecutivesentencesuntouched。HerrBrockhaus（whosecourtesyIcannotsufficientlyacknowledge）waskindenoughtohaveapassagecopiedoutforme，whichIafterwardsreadover，andcheckedwordbyword。InthispassageCasanovasays，forinstance:
’Ellevenoitpresquetouslesjoursluifaireunebellevisite。’
Thisisalteredinto:’CependantchaquejourTheresevenaitluifaireunevisite。’Casanovasaysthatsomeone’avoit，commederaison，formeleprojetd’allierDieuaveclediable。’Thisismadetoread:
’Qui，commederaison，avaitsaintementformeleprojetd’allierlesinteretsducielauxoeuvresdecemonde。’CasanovatellsusthatTheresewouldnotcommitamortalsin’pourdevenirreinedumonde；’
pourunecouronne，’correctstheindefatigableLaforgue。’Ilnesavoitqueluidire’becomes’Danscetetatdeperplexite；’andsoforth。Itmust，therefore，berealizedthattheMemoirs，aswehavethem，areonlyakindofpaletracingofthevividcoloursoftheoriginal。
WhenCasanova’sMemoirswerefirstpublished，doubtswereexpressedastotheirauthenticity，firstbyUgoFoscolo（intheWestminsterReview，1827），thenbyQuerard，supposedtobeanauthorityinregardtoanonymousandpseudonymouswritings，finallybyPaulLacroix，’lebibliophileJacob’，whosuggested，orratherexpressedhis’certainty，’thattherealauthoroftheMemoirswasStendhal，whose’mind，character，ideasandstyle’heseemedtorecogniseoneverypage。Thistheory，asfoolishandasunsupportedastheBaconiantheoryofShakespeare，hasbeencarelesslyaccepted，oratalleventsacceptedaspossible，bymanygoodscholarswhohavenevertakenthetroubletolookintothematterforthemselves。ItwasfinallydisprovedbyaseriesofarticlesofArmandBaschet，entitled’Preuvescurieusesdel’authenticitedesMemoiresdeJacquesCasanovadeSeingalt，’in’LeLivre，’January，February，AprilandMay，1881；andtheseproofswerefurthercorroboratedbytwoarticlesofAlessandrod’Ancona，entitled’UnAvventurieredelSecoloXVIII。，inthe’NuovoAntologia，’February1andAugust1，1882。BaschethadneverhimselfseenthemanuscriptoftheMemoirs，buthehadlearntallthefactsaboutitfromMessrs。Brockhaus，andhehadhimselfexaminedthenumerouspapersrelatingtoCasanovaintheVenetianarchives。AsimilarexaminationwasmadeattheFrariataboutthesametimebytheAbbeFulin；andImyself，in1894，notknowingatthetimethatthediscoveryhadbeenalreadymade，madeitoveragainformyself。TherethearrestofCasanova，hisimprisonmentinthePiombi，theexactdateofhisescape，thenameofthemonkwhoaccompaniedhim，areallauthenticatedbydocumentscontainedinthe’riferte’oftheInquisitionofState；therearethebillsfortherepairsoftheroofandwallsofthecellfromwhichheescaped；
therearethereportsofthespiesonwhoseinformationhewasarrested，forhistoodangerousfree—spokennessinmattersofreligionandmorality。Thesamearchivescontainforty—eightlettersofCasanovatotheInquisitorsofState，datingfrom1763to1782，amongtheRifertedeiConfidenti，orreportsofsecretagents；theearliestaskingpermissiontoreturntoVenice，therestgivinginformationinregardtotheimmoralitiesofthecity，afterhisreturnthere；allinthesamehandwritingastheMemoirs。Furtherproofcouldscarcelybeneeded，butBaschethasdonemorethanprovetheauthenticity，hehasprovedtheextraordinaryveracity，oftheMemoirs。F。W。Barthold，in’DieGeschichtlichenPersonlichkeiteninJ。Casanova’sMemoiren，’2vols。，1846，hadalreadyexaminedaboutahundredofCasanova’sallusionstowellknownpeople，showingtheperfectexactitudeofallbutsixorseven，andoutofthesesixorseveninexactitudesascribingonlyasingleonetotheauthor’sintention。Baschetandd’AnconabothcarryonwhatBartholdhadbegun；otherinvestigators，inFrance，ItalyandGermany，havefollowedthem；andtwothingsarenowcertain，first，thatCasanovahimselfwrotetheMemoirspublishedunderhisname，thoughnottextuallyinthepreciseforminwhichwehavethem；and，second，thatastheirveracitybecomesmoreandmoreevidentastheyareconfrontedwithmoreandmoreindependentwitnesses，itisonlyfairtosupposethattheyareequallytruthfulwherethefactsaresuchascouldonlyhavebeenknowntoCasanovahimself。
II
Formorethantwo—thirdsofacenturyithasbeenknownthatCasanovaspentthelastfourteenyearsofhislifeatDux，thathewrotehisMemoirsthere，andthathediedthere。DuringallthistimepeoplehavebeendiscussingtheauthenticityandthetruthfulnessoftheMemoirs，theyhavebeensearchingforinformationaboutCasanovainvariousdirections，andyethardlyanyonehasevertakenthetrouble，orobtainedthepermission，tomakeacarefulexaminationinpreciselytheoneplacewhereinformationwasmostlikelytobefound。TheveryexistenceofthemanuscriptsatDuxwasknownonlytoafew，andtomostoftheseonlyonhearsay；andthusthesingulargoodfortunewasreservedforme，onmyvisittoCountWaldsteininSeptember1899，tobethefirsttodiscoverthemostinterestingthingscontainedinthesemanuscripts。M。OctaveUzanne，thoughhehadnothimselfvisitedDux，hadindeedprocuredcopiesofsomeofthemanuscripts，afewofwhichwerepublishedbyhiminLeLivre，in1887and1889。ButwiththedeathofLeLivrein1889the’Casanovainedit’cametoanend，andhasnever，sofarasIknow，beencontinuedelsewhere。Beyondthepublicationofthesefragments，nothinghasbeendonewiththemanuscriptsatDux，norhasanaccountofthemeverbeengivenbyanyonewhohasbeenallowedtoexaminethem。
Forfiveyears，eversinceIhaddiscoveredthedocumentsintheVenetianarchives，IhadwantedtogotoDux；andin1899，whenIwasstayingwithCountLutzowatZampach，inBohemia，Ifoundthewaykindlyopenedforme。CountWaldstein，thepresentheadofthefamily，withextremecourtesy，putallhismanuscriptsatmydisposal，andinvitedmetostaywithhim。Unluckily，hewascalledawayonthemorningofthedaythatIreachedDux。Hehadlefteverythingreadyforme，andIwasshownoverthecastlebyafriendofhis，Dr。Kittel，whosecourtesyIshouldlikealsotoacknowledge。
AfterahurriedvisittothecastlewestartedonthelongdrivetoOberleutensdorf，asmallerSchlossnearKomotau，wheretheWaldsteinfamilywasthenstaying。Theairwassharpandbracing；thetwoRussianhorsesflewlikethewind；Iwaswhirledalonginanunfamiliardarkness，throughastrangecountry，blackwithcoalmines，throughdarkpinewoods，whereawildpeasantrydweltinlittleminingtowns。Hereandthere，afewmenandwomenpassedusontheroad，intheirSundayfinery；thenalongspaceofsilence，andwewereintheopencountry，gallopingbetweenbroadfields；andalwaysinahazeoflovelyhills，whichIsawmoredistinctlyaswedrovebacknextmorning。
ThereturntoDuxwaslikeatriumphalentry，aswedashedthroughthemarket—placefilledwithpeoplecomefortheMondaymarket，potsandpansandvegetablesstrewninheapsallovertheground，ontheroughpavingstones，uptothegreatgatewayofthecastle，leavingbutjustroomforustodrivethroughtheirmidst。Ihadthesensationofanenormousbuilding:allBohemiancastlesarebig，butthisonewaslikearoyalpalace。Setthereinthemidstofthetown，aftertheBohemianfashion，itopensatthebackupongreatgardens，asifitwereinthemidstofthecountry。Iwalkedthroughroomafterroom，alongcorridoraftercorridor；everywheretherewerepictures，everywhereportraitsofWallenstein，andbattle—scenesinwhichheledonhistroops。Thelibrary，whichwasformed，oratleastarranged，byCasanova，andwhichremainsasheleftit，containssome25，000volumes，someofthemofconsiderablevalue；oneofthemostfamousbooksinBohemianliterature，Skala’sHistoryoftheChurch，existsinmanuscriptatDux，anditisfromthismanuscriptthatthetwopublishedvolumesofitwereprinted。ThelibraryformspartoftheMuseum，whichoccupiesaground—floorwingofthecastle。Thefirstroomisanarmoury，inwhichallkindsofarmsarearranged，inadecorativeway，coveringtheceilingandthewallswithstrangepatterns。Thesecondroomcontainspottery，collectedbyCasanova’sWaldsteinonhisEasterntravels。Thethirdroomisfullofcuriousmechanicaltoys，andcabinets，andcarvingsinivory。Finally，wecometothelibrary，containedinthetwoinnermostrooms。Thebook—shelvesarepaintedwhite，andreachtothelow—vaultedceilings，whicharewhitewashed。Attheendofabookcase，inthecornerofoneofthewindows，hangsafineengravedportraitofCasanova。
AfterIhadbeenalloverthecastle，solongCasanova’shome，IwastakentoCountWaldstein’sstudy，andlefttherewiththemanuscripts。Ifoundsixhugecardboardcases，largeenoughtocontainfoolscappaper，letteredontheback:’Grafl。Waldstein—
Wartenberg’schesRealFideicommiss。Dux—Oberleutensdorf:
HandschriftlicherNachlassCasanova。’Thecaseswerearrangedsoastostandlikebooks；theyopenedattheside；andonopeningthem，oneafteranother，Ifoundseriesafterseriesofmanuscriptsroughlythrowntogether，aftersomepretenceatarrangement，andletteredwithaverygeneraliseddescriptionofcontents。ThegreaterpartofthemanuscriptswereinCasanova’shandwriting，whichIcouldseegraduallybeginningtogetshakywithyears。MostwerewritteninFrench，acertainnumberinItalian。Thebeginningofacatalogueinthelibrary，thoughsaidtobebyhim，wasnotinhishandwriting。
Perhapsitwastakendownathisdictation。TherewerealsosomecopiesofItalianandLatinpoemsnotwrittenbyhim。Thenthereweremanybigbundlesoflettersaddressedtohim，datingovermorethanthirtyyears。Almostalltherestwasinhisownhandwriting。
Icamefirstuponthesmallermanuscripts，amongwhichI，found，jumbledtogetheronthesameandonseparatescrapsofpaper，washing—bills，accounts，hotelbills，listsofletterswritten，firstdraftsofletterswithmanyerasures，notesonbooks，theologicalandmathematicalnotes，sums，Latinquotations，FrenchandItalianverses，withvariants，alonglistofclassicalnameswhichhaveandhavenotbeen’francises，’withreasonsforandagainst；’whatImustwearatDresden’；headingswithoutanythingtofollow，suchas:
’Reflexionsonrespiration，onthetruecauseofyouth—thecrows’；anewmethodofwinningthelotteryatRome；recipes，amongwhichisalongprintedlistofperfumessoldatSpa；anewspapercutting，datedPrague，25thOctober1790，onthethirty—seventhballoonascentofBlanchard；thankstosome’nobledonor’forthegiftofadogcalled’Finette’；apassportfor’MonsieurdeCasanova，Venitien，allantd’icienHollande，October13，1758（CePasseportbonpourquinzejours）’，togetherwithanorderforpost—horses，gratis，fromParistoBordeauxandBayonne。’
Occasionally，onegetsaglimpseintohisdailylifeatDux，asinthisnote，scribbledonafragmentofpaper（hereandalwaysI
translatetheFrenchliterally）:’IbegyoutotellmyservantwhatthebiscuitsarethatIliketoeat；dippedinwine，tofortifymystomach。IbelievethattheycanallbefoundatRoman’s。’Usually，however，thesenotes，thoughoftensuggestedbysomethingcloselypersonal，branchoffintomoregeneralconsiderations；orelsebeginwithgeneralconsiderations，andendwithacaseinpoint。Thus，forinstance，afragmentofthreepagesbegins:’Acomplimentwhichisonlymadetogildthepillisapositiveimpertinence，andMonsieurBailliisnothingbutacharlatan；themonarchoughttohavespitinhisface，butthemonarchtrembledwithfear。’Amanuscriptentitled’Essaid’Egoisme，’dated，’Dux，this27thJune，1769，’contains，inthemidstofvariousreflections，anoffertolethis’appartement’
inreturnforenoughmoneyto’tranquilliseforsixmonthstwoJewcreditorsatPrague。’Anothermanuscriptisheaded’PrideandFolly，’andbeginswithalongseriesofantitheses，suchas:’Allfoolsarenotproud，andallproudmenarefools。Manyfoolsarehappy，allproudmenareunhappy。’Onthesamesheetfollowsthisinstanceorapplication:
WhetheritispossibletocomposeaLatindistichofthegreatestbeautywithoutknowingeithertheLatinlanguageorprosody。Wemustexaminethepossibilityandtheimpossibility，andafterwardsseewhoisthemanwhosaysheistheauthorofthedistich，forthereareextraordinarypeopleintheworld。Mybrother，inshort，oughttohavecomposedthedistich，becausehesaysso，andbecauseheconfidedittometete—’a—tete。Ihad，itistrue，difficultyinbelievinghim；butwhatisonetodo！Eitheronemustbelieve，orsupposehimcapableoftellingaliewhichcouldonlybetoldbyafool；andthatisimpossible，forallEuropeknowsthatmybrotherisnotafool。
Here，assoofteninthesemanuscripts，weseemtoseeCasanovathinkingonpaper。Heusesscrapsofpaper（sometimestheblankpageofaletter，ontheothersideofwhichweseetheaddress）asakindofinformaldiary；anditischaracteristicofhim，ofthemanofinfinitelycuriousmind，whichthisadventurerreallywas，thattherearesofewmerelypersonalnotesamongthesecasualjottings。Often，theyarepurelyabstract；attimes，metaphysical’jeuxd’esprit，’
likethesheetoffourteen’DifferentWagers，’whichbegins:
Iwagerthatitisnottruethatamanwhoweighsahundredpoundswillweighmoreifyoukillhim。Iwagerthatifthereisanydifference，hewillweighless。Iwagerthatdiamondpowderhasnotsufficientforcetokillaman。
Sidebysidewiththesefancifulexcursionsintoscience，comemoreseriousones，asinthenoteonAlgebra，whichtracesitsprogresssincetheyear1494，beforewhich’ithadonlyarrivedatthesolutionofproblemsoftheseconddegree，inclusive。’AscrapofpapertellsusthatCasanova’didnotlikeregulartowns。’’Ilike，’
hesays，’Venice，Rome，Florence，Milan，Constantinople，Genoa。’
Thenhebecomesabstractandinquisitiveagain，andwritestwopages，fullofcurious，out—of—the—waylearning，onthenameofParadise:
ThenameofParadiseisanameinGenesiswhichindicatesaplaceofpleasure（lieuvoluptueux）:thistermisPersian。ThisplaceofpleasurewasmadebyGodbeforehehadcreatedman。
ItmayberememberedthatCasanovaquarrelledwithVoltaire，becauseVoltairehadtoldhimfranklythathistranslationofL’Ecossaisewasabadtranslation。Itispiquanttoreadanothernotewritteninthisstyleofrighteousindignation:
Voltaire，thehardyVoltaire，whosepeniswithoutbitorbridle；
Voltaire，whodevouredtheBible，andridiculedourdogmas，doubts，andafterhavingmadeproselytestoimpiety，isnotashamed，beingreducedtotheextremityoflife，toaskforthesacraments，andtocoverhisbodywithmorerelicsthanSt。LouishadatAmboise。
HereisanargumentmoreinkeepingwiththetoneoftheMemoirs:
Agirlwhoisprettyandgood，andasvirtuousasyouplease，oughtnottotakeitillthataman，carriedawaybyhercharms，shouldsethimselftothetaskofmakingtheirconquest。Ifthismancannotpleaseherbyanymeans，evenifhispassionbecriminal，sheoughtnevertotakeoffenceatit，nortreathimunkindly；sheoughttobegentle，andpityhim，ifshedoesnotlovehim，andthinkitenoughtokeepinvinciblyholduponherownduty。
Occasionallyhetouchesuponaestheticalmatters，asinafragmentwhichbeginswiththisliberaldefinitionofbeauty:
Harmonymakesbeauty，saysM。deS。P。（BernardindeSt。Pierre），butthedefinitionistooshort，ifhethinkshehassaideverything。
Hereismine。Rememberthatthesubjectismetaphysical。Anobjectreallybeautifuloughttoseembeautifultoallwhoseeyesfalluponit。Thatisall；thereisnothingmoretobesaid。
Attimeswehaveananecdoteanditscommentary，perhapsjotteddownforuseinthatlatterpartoftheMemoirswhichwasneverwritten，orwhichhasbeenlost。Hereisasinglesheet，dated’this2ndSeptember，1791，’andheadedSouvenir:
ThePrincedeRosenbergsaidtome，aswewentdownstairs，thatMadamedeRosenbergwasdead，andaskedmeiftheComtedeWaldsteinhadinthelibrarytheillustrationoftheVillad’Altichiero，whichtheEmperorhadaskedforinvainatthecitylibraryofPrague，andwhenIanswered’yes，’hegaveanequivocallaugh。Amomentafterwards，heaskedmeifhemighttelltheEmperor。’Whynot，monseigneur？Itisnotasecret，’IsHisMajestycomingtoDux？’
’IfhegoestoOberlaitensdorf（sic）hewillgotoDux，too；andhemayaskyouforit，forthereisamonumenttherewhichrelatestohimwhenhewasGrandDuke。’’Inthatcase，HisMajestycanalsoseemycriticalremarksontheEgyptianprints。’
TheEmperoraskedmethismorning，6thOctober，howIemployedmytimeatDux，andItoldhimthatIwasmakinganItaliananthology。
’YouhavealltheItalians，then？’’All，sire。’Seewhatalieleadsto。IfIhadnotliedinsayingthatIwasmakingananthology，IshouldnothavefoundmyselfobligedtolieagaininsayingthatwehavealltheItalianpoets。IftheEmperorcomestoDux，Ishallkillmyself。
’TheysaythatthisDuxisadelightfulspot，’saysCasanovainoneofthemostpersonalofhisnotes，’andIseethatitmightbeformany；butnotforme，forwhatdelightsmeinmyoldageisindependentoftheplacewhichIinhabit。WhenIdonotsleepI
dream，andwhenIamtiredofdreamingIblackenpaper，thenIread，andmostoftenrejectallthatmypenhasvomited。’Hereweseehimblackeningpaper，oneveryoccasion，andforeverypurpose。InonebundleIfoundanunfinishedstoryaboutRoland，andsomeadventurewithwomeninacave；thena’Meditationonarisingfromsleep，19thMay1789’；thena’ShortReflectionofaPhilosopherwhofindshimselfthinkingofprocuringhisowndeath。AtDux，ongettingoutofbedon13thOctober1793，daydedicatedtoSt。Lucy，memorableinmytoolonglife。’Abigbudget，containingcryptograms，isheaded’GrammaticalLottery’；andthereisthetitle—pageofatreatiseonTheDuplicationoftheHexahedron，demonstratedgeometricallytoalltheUniversitiesandalltheAcademiesofEurope。’[SeeCharlesHenry，LesConnaissancesMathimatiquesdeCasanova。Rome，1883。]
Thereareinnumerableverses，FrenchandItalian，inallstages，occasionallyattainingthefinalityoftheselines，whichappearinhalfadozententativeforms:
’Sansmysterepointdeplaisirs，Sanssilencepointdemystere。
Charmedivindemesloisirs，Solitude！quetumeschere！
Thenthereareanumberofmoreorlesscompletemanuscriptsofsomeextent。ThereisthemanuscriptofthetranslationofHomer’s’Iliad，inottavarima（publishedinVenice，1775—8）；ofthe’HistoiredeVenise，’ofthe’Icosameron，’acuriousbookpublishedin1787，purportingtobe’translatedfromEnglish，’butreallyanoriginalworkofCasanova；’PhilocaliessurlesSottisesdesMortels，’alongmanuscriptneverpublished；thesketchandbeginningof’LePollmarque，oulaCalomniedemasqueeparlapresenced’esprit。
Tragicomedieentroisactes，composedaDuxdanslemoisdeJuindel’Annee，1791，’whichrecursagainundertheformofthe’Polemoscope:LaLorgnettementeuseoulaCalomniedemasquge，’actedbeforethePrincessdeLigne，atherchateauatTeplitz，1791。ThereisatreatiseinItalian，’DellePassioni’；therearelongdialogues，suchas’LePhilosopheetleTheologien’，and’Reve’:’Dieu—Moi’；
thereisthe’Songed’unQuartd’Heure’，dividedintominutes；thereistheverylengthycriticismof’BernardindeSaint—Pierre’；thereisthe’Confutationd’uneCensureindiscratequ’onlitdanslaGazettedeIena，19Juin1789’；withanotherlargemanuscript，unfortunatelyimperfect，firstcalled’L’Insulte’，andthen’PlacetauPublic’，dated’Dux，this2ndMarch，1790，’referringtothesamecriticismonthe’Icosameron’andthe’FuitedesPrisons。L’HistoiredemaFuitedesPrisonsdelaRepubliquedeVenise，qu’onappellelesPlombs’，whichisthefirstdraftofthemostfamouspartoftheMemoirs，waspublishedatLeipzigin1788；and，havingreaditintheMarcianLibraryatVenice，Iamnotsurprisedtolearnfromthisindignantdocumentthatitwasprinted’underthecareofayoungSwiss，whohadthetalenttocommitahundredfaultsoforthography。’
III
WecomenowtothedocumentsdirectlyrelatingtotheMemoirs，andamongtheseareseveralattemptsatapreface，inwhichweseetheactualprefacecominggraduallyintoform。Oneisentitled’CasanovaauLecteur’，another’HistoiredemonExistence’，andathirdPreface。Thereisalsoabriefandcharacteristic’Precisdemavie’，datedNovember17，1797。SomeofthesehavebeenprintedinLeLivre，1887。ButbyfarthemostimportantmanuscriptthatI
discovered，onewhich，apparently，Iamthefirsttodiscover，isamanuscriptentitled’ExtraitduChapitre4et5。ItiswrittenonpapersimilartothatonwhichtheMemoirsarewritten；thepagesarenumbered104—148；andthoughitisdescribedasExtrait，itseemstocontain，atallevents，thegreaterpartofthemissingchapterstowhichIhavealreadyreferred，ChaptersIV。andV。ofthelastvolumeoftheMemoirs。InthismanuscriptwefindArmeliineandScolastica，whosestoryisinterruptedbytheabruptendingofChapterIII。；wefindMariucciaofVol。VII，ChapterIX。，whomarriedahairdresser；andwefindalsoJaconine，whomCasanovarecognisesashisdaughter，’muchprettierthanSophia，thedaughterofTheresePompeati，whomIhadleftatLondon。’Itiscuriousthatthisveryimportantmanuscript，whichsuppliestheonemissinglinkintheMemoirs，shouldneverhavebeendiscoveredbyanyofthefewpeoplewhohavehadtheopportunityoflookingovertheDuxmanuscripts。I
aminclinedtoexplainitbythefactthatthecaseinwhichIfoundthismanuscriptcontainssomepapersnotrelatingtoCasanova。
Probably，thosewholookedintothiscaselookednofurther。IhavetoldHerrBrockhausofmydiscovery，andIhopetoseeChaptersIV。
andV。intheirplaceswhenthelong—looked—foreditionofthecompletetextisatlengthgiventotheworld。
AnothermanuscriptwhichIfoundtellswithgreatpiquancythewholestoryoftheAbbedeBrosses’ointment，thecuringofthePrincessdeConti’spimples，andthebirthoftheDucdeMontpensier，whichistoldverybriefly，andwithmuchlesspoint，intheMemoirs（vol。
iii。，p。327）。ReadersoftheMemoirswillremembertheduelatWarsawwithCountBranickiin1766（vol。X。，pp。274—320），anaffairwhichattractedagooddealofattentionatthetime，andofwhichthereisanaccountinaletterfromtheAbbeTaruffitothedramatist，FrancescoAlbergati，datedWarsaw，March19，1766，quotedinErnestoMasi’sLifeofAlbergati，Bologna，1878。AmanuscriptatDuxinCasanova’shandwritinggivesanaccountofthisduelinthethirdperson；itisentitled，’Descriptiondel’affairearriveeaVarsoviele5Mars，1766’。D’Ancona，intheNuovaAntologia（vol。
lxvii。，p。412），referringtotheAbbeTaruffi’saccount，mentionswhatheconsiderstobeaslightdiscrepancy:thatTaruffireferstothedanseuse，aboutwhomtheduelwasfought，asLaCasacci，whileCasanovareferstoherasLaCatai。InthismanuscriptCasanovaalwaysreferstoherasLaCasacci；LaCataiisevidentlyoneofM。
Laforgue’sarbitraryalterationsofthetext。
Inturningoveranothermanuscript，IwascaughtbythenameCharpillon，whicheveryreaderoftheMemoirswillrememberasthenameoftheharpybywhomCasanovasufferedsomuchinLondon，in1763—4。Thismanuscriptbeginsbysaying:’IhavebeeninLondonforsixmonthsandhavebeentoseethem（thatis，themotheranddaughter）intheirownhouse，’wherehefindsnothingbut’swindlers，whocauseallwhogotheretolosetheirmoneyingambling。’ThismanuscriptaddssomedetailstothestorytoldintheninthandtenthvolumesoftheMemoirs，andreferstothemeetingwiththeCharpillonsfourandahalfyearsbefore，describedinVolumeV。，pages428—485。Itiswritteninatoneofgreatindignation。
Elsewhere，IfoundaletterwrittenbyCasanova，butnotsigned，referringtoananonymousletterwhichhehadreceivedinreferencetotheCharpillons，andending:’Myhandwritingisknown。’ItwasnotuntilthelastthatIcameupongreatbundlesoflettersaddressedtoCasanova，andsocarefullypreservedthatlittlescrapsofpaper，onwhichpostscriptsarewritten，arestillintheirplaces。Onestillseesthesealsonthebacksofmanyoftheletters，onpaperwhichhasslightlyyellowedwithage，leavingtheink，however，almostalwaysfresh。TheycomefromVenice，Paris，Rome，Prague，Bayreuth，TheHague，Genoa，Fiume，Trieste，etc。，andareaddressedtoasmanyplaces，oftenposterestante。Manyarelettersfromwomen，someinbeautifulhandwriting，onthickpaper；
othersonscrapsofpaper，inpainfulhands，ill—spelt。ACountesswritespitifully，imploringhelp；oneprotestsherlove，inspiteofthe’manychagrins’hehascausedher；anotherasks’howtheyaretolivetogether’；anotherlamentsthatareporthasgoneaboutthatsheissecretlylivingwithhim，whichmayharmhisreputation。SomeareinFrench，moreinItalian。’MoncherGiacometto’，writesonewoman，inFrench；’CarissimoaAmatissimo’，writesanother，inItalian。
Theselettersfromwomenareinsomeconfusion，andareinneedofagooddealofsortingoverandrearrangingbeforetheirfullextentcanberealised。ThusIfoundlettersinthesamehandwritingseparatedbylettersinotherhandwritings；manyareunsigned，orsignedonlybyasingleinitial；manyareundated，ordatedonlywiththedayoftheweekormonth。Thereareagreatmanyletters，datingfrom1779to1786，signed’FrancescaBuschini，’anamewhichIcannotidentify；theyarewritteninItalian，andoneofthembegins:’UnicoMioveroAmico’（’myonlytruefriend’）。Othersaresigned’VirginiaB。’；oneoftheseisdated，’Forli，October15，1773。’Thereisalsoa’TheresaB。，’whowritesfromGenoa。IwasatfirstunabletoidentifythewriterofawholeseriesoflettersinFrench，veryaffectionateandintimateletters，usuallyunsigned，occasionallysigned’B。’Shecallsherselfvotrepetiteamie；orsheendswithahalf—smiling，half—reproachful’goodnight，andsleepbetterthanI’
Inoneletter，sentfromParisin1759，shewrites:’Neverbelieveme，butwhenItellyouthatIloveyou，andthatIshallloveyoualways:Inanotherletter，ill—spelt，asherlettersoftenare，shewrites:’Beassuredthateviltongues，vapours，calumny，nothingcanchangemyheart，whichisyoursentirely，andhasnowilltochangeitsmaster。’Now，itseemstomethattheselettersmustbefromManonBaletti，andthattheyarethelettersreferredtointhesixthvolumeoftheMemoirs。Wereadthere（page60）howonChristmasDay，1759，CasanovareceivesaletterfromManoninParis，announcinghermarriagewith’M。Blondel，architecttotheKing，andmemberofhisAcademy’；shereturnshimhisletters，andbegshimtoreturnhers，orburnthem。InsteadofdoingsoheallowsEsthertoreadthem，intendingtoburnthemafterwards。Estherbegstobeallowedtokeeptheletters，promisingto’preservethemreligiouslyallherlife。’
’Theseletters，’hesays，’numberedmorethantwohundred，andtheshortestwereoffourpages:CertainlytherearenottwohundredofthematDux，butitseemstomehighlyprobablethatCasanovamadeafinalselectionfromManon’sletters，andthatitisthesewhichI
havefound。
But，howeverthismaybe，IwasfortunateenoughtofindthesetofletterswhichIwasmostanxioustofindthelettersfromHenriette，whoselosseverywriteronCasanovahaslamented。Henriette，itwillberemembered，makesherfirstappearanceatCesena，intheyear1748；aftertheirmeetingatGeneva，shereappears，romantically’apropos’，twenty—twoyearslater，atAixinProvence；andshewritestoCasanovaproposing’uncommerceepistolaire’，askinghimwhathehasdonesincehisescapefromprison，andpromisingtodoherbesttotellhimallthathashappenedtoherduringthelonginterval。
Afterquotingherletter，headds:’Irepliedtoher，acceptingthecorrespondencethatsheofferedme，andtellingherbrieflyallmyvicissitudes。Sherelatedtomeinturn，insomefortyletters，allthehistoryofherlife。Ifshediesbeforeme，IshalladdtheseletterstotheseMemoirs；butto—daysheisstillalive，andalwayshappy，thoughnowold。’Ithasneverbeenknownwhatbecameoftheseletters，andwhytheywerenotaddedtotheMemoirs。Ihavefoundagreatquantityofthem，somesignedwithhermarriednameinfull，’HenriettedeSchnetzmann，’andIaminclinedtothinkthatshesurvivedCasanova，foroneofthelettersisdatedBayreuth，1798，theyearofCasanova’sdeath。Theyareremarkablycharming，writtenwithamixtureofpiquancyanddistinction；andIwillquotethecharacteristicbeginningandendofthelastletterIwasabletofind。Itbegins:’No，itisimpossibletobesulkywithyou！’andends:’IfIbecomevicious，itisyou，myMentor，whomakemeso，andIcastmysinsuponyou。EvenifIweredamnedIshouldstillbeyourmostdevotedfriend，HenriettedeSchnetzmann。’Casanovawastwenty—threewhenhemetHenriette；now，herselfanoldwoman，shewritestohimwhenheisseventy—three，asifthefiftyyearsthathadpassedwereblottedoutinthefaithfulaffectionofhermemory。
Howmanymorediscreetandlesschanginglovershavehadthequalityofconstancyinchange，towhichthislife—longcorrespondencebearswitness？DoesitnotsuggestaviewofCasanovanotquitetheviewofalltheworld？Tomeitshowstherealman，whoperhapsofallothersbestunderstoodwhatShelleymeantwhenhesaid:
TrueloveinthisdiffersfromgoldorclayThattodivideisnottotakeaway。
But，thoughthelettersfromwomennaturallyinterestedmethemost，theywereonlyacertainproportionofthegreatmassofcorrespondencewhichIturnedover。TherewerelettersfromCarloAngiolini，whowasafterwardstobringthemanuscriptoftheMemoirstoBrockhaus；fromBalbi，themonkwithwhomCasanovaescapedfromthePiombi；fromtheMarquisAlbergati，playwright，actor，andeccentric，ofwhomthereissomeaccountintheMemoirs；fromtheMarquisMosca，’adistinguishedmanofletterswhomIwasanxioustosee，’CasanovatellsusinthesamevolumeinwhichhedescribeshisvisittotheMoscasatPesaro；fromZulian，brotheroftheDuchessofFiano；fromRichardLorrain，’belhomme，ayantdel’esprit，letonetlegoutdelabonnesociete’，whocametosettleatGoriziain1773，whileCasanovawasthere；fromtheProcuratorMorosini，whomhespeaksofintheMemoirsashis’protector，’andasoneofthosethroughwhomheobtainedpermissiontoreturntoVenice。Hisother’protector，’the’avogador’Zaguri，had，saysCasanova，’sincetheaffairoftheMarquisAlbergati，carriedonamostinterestingcorrespondencewithme’；andinfactIfoundabundleofnolessthanahundredandthirty—eightlettersfromhim，datingfrom1784to1798。Anotherbundlecontainsonehundredandseventy—twolettersfromCountLamberg。IntheMemoirsCasanovasays，referringtohisvisittoAugsburgattheendof1761:
IusedtospendmyeveningsinaveryagreeablemanneratthehouseofCountMaxdeLamberg，whoresidedatthecourtofthePrince—BishopwiththetitleofGrandMarshal。WhatparticularlyattachedmetoCountLambergwashisliterarytalent。Afirst—ratescholar，learnedtoadegree，hehaspublishedseveralmuchesteemedworks。Icarriedonanexchangeofletterswithhimwhichendedonlywithhisdeathfouryearsagoin1792。
Casanovatellsusthat，athissecondvisittoAugsburgintheearlypartof1767，he’suppedwithCountLambergtwoorthreetimesaweek，’duringthefourmonthshewasthere。ItiswiththisyearthatthelettersIhavefoundbegin:theyendwiththeyearofhisdeath，1792。Inhis’Memoriald’unMondain’LambergreferstoCasanovaas’amanknowninliterature，amanofprofoundknowledge。’
Inthefirsteditionof1774，helamentsthat’amansuchasM。deS。
Galt’shouldnotyethavebeentakenbackintofavourbytheVenetiangovernment，andinthesecondedition，1775，rejoicesoverCasanova’sreturntoVenice。ThentherearelettersfromDaPonte，whotellsthestoryofCasanova’scuriousrelationswithMme。d’Urfe，inhis’Memoriescrittedaesso’，1829；fromPittoni，Bono，andothersmentionedindifferentpartsoftheMemoirs，andfromsomedozenotherswhoarenotmentionedinthem。TheonlylettersinthewholecollectionthathavebeenpublishedarethosefromthePrincedeLigneandfromCountKoenig。
IV
CasanovatellsusinhisMemoirsthat，duringhislateryearsatDux，hehadonlybeenableto’hinderblackmelancholyfromdevouringhispoorexistence，orsendinghimoutofhismind，’bywritingtenortwelvehoursaday。ThecopiousmanuscriptsatDuxshowushowpersistentlyhewasatworkonasingularvarietyofsubjects，inadditiontotheMemoirs，andtothevariousbookswhichhepublishedduringthoseyears。Weseehimjottingdowneverythingthatcomesintohishead，forhisownamusement，andcertainlywithoutanythoughtofpublication；engaginginlearnedcontroversies，writingtreatisesonabstrusemathematicalproblems，composingcomediestobeactedbeforeCountWaldstein’sneighbours，practisingverse—writingintwolanguages，indeedwithmorepatiencethansuccess，writingphilosophicaldialoguesinwhichGodandhimselfarethespeakers，andkeepingupanextensivecorrespondence，bothwithdistinguishedmenandwithdelightfulwomen。Hismentalactivity，uptotheageofseventy—three，isasprodigiousastheactivitywhichhehadexpendedinlivingamultiformandincalculablelife。Asinlifeeverythinglivinghadinterestedhimsoinhisretirementfromlifeeveryideamakesitsseparateappealtohim；andhewelcomesideaswiththesameimpartialitywithwhichhehadwelcomedadventures。Passionhasintellectualiseditself，andremainsnotlesspassionate。Hewishestodoeverything，tocompetewitheveryone；anditisonlyafterhavingspentsevenyearsinheapingupmiscellaneouslearning，andexercisinghisfacultiesinmanydirections，thatheturnstolookbackoverhisownpastlife，andtoliveitoveragaininmemory，ashewritesdownthenarrativeofwhathadinterestedhimmostinit。
’Iwriteinthehopethatmyhistorywillneverseethebroaddaylightofpublication，’hetellsus，scarcelymeaningit，wemaybesure，eveninthemomentofhesitancywhichmaynaturallycometohim。Butifeverabookwaswrittenforthepleasureofwritingit，itwasthisone；andanautobiographywrittenforoneselfisnotlikelytobeanythingbutfrank。
’TruthistheonlyGodIhaveeveradored，’hetellsus:andwenowknowhowtruthfulhewasinsayingso。Ihaveonlysummarisedinthisarticlethemostimportantconfirmationsofhisexactaccuracyinfactsanddates；thenumbercouldbeextendedindefinitely。Inthemanuscriptswefindinnumerablefurtherconfirmations；andtheirchiefvalueastestimonyisthattheytellusnothingwhichweshouldnothavealreadyknown，ifwehadmerelytakenCasanovaathisword。
Butitisnotalwayseasytotakepeopleattheirownword，whentheyarewritingaboutthemselves；andtheworldhasbeenverylothtobelieveinCasanovaasherepresentshimself。Ithasbeenspeciallylothtobelievethatheistellingthetruthwhenhetellsusabouthisadventureswithwomen。ButtheletterscontainedamongthesemanuscriptsshowsusthewomenofCasanovawritingtohimwithallthefervourandallthefidelitywhichheattributestothem；andtheyshowhimtousinthecharacterofasfervidandfaithfulalover。Ineveryfact，everydetail，andinthewholementalimpressionwhichtheyconvey，thesemanuscriptsbringbeforeustheCasanovaoftheMemoirs。AsIseemedtocomeuponCasanovaathome，itwasasifIcameuponoldfriend，alreadyperfectlyknowntome，beforeIhadmademypilgrimagetoDux。
1902
TRANSLATOR’SPREFACE
Aseriesofadventureswilderandmorefantasticthanthewildestofromances，writtendownwiththeexactitudeofabusinessdiary；aviewofmenandcitiesfromNaplestoBerlin，fromMadridandLondontoConstantinopleandSt。Petersburg；the’vieintime’oftheeighteenthcenturydepictedbyaman，whoto—daysatwithcardinalsandsalutedcrownedheads，andtomorrowlurkedindensofprofligacyandcrime；abookofconfessionspennedwithoutreticenceandwithoutpenitence；arecordoffortyyearsof\"occult\"charlatanism；
acollectionoftalesofsuccessfulimposture，of’bonnesfortunes’，ofmarvellousescapes，oftranscendentaudacity，toldwiththehumourofSmollettandthedelicatewitofVoltaire。Whoisthereinterestedinmenandletters，andinthelifeofthepast，whowouldnotcry，\"Wherecansuchabookasthisbefound？\"
Yettheabovecatalogueisbutabriefoutline，abareandmeagresummary，ofthebookknownas\"THEMEMOIRSOFCASANOVA\"；aworkabsolutelyuniqueinliterature。Hewhoopensthesewonderfulpagesisasonewhositsinatheatreandlooksacrossthegloom，notonastage—play，butonanotherandavanishedworld。Thecurtaindrawsup，andsuddenlyahundredandfiftyyearsarerolledaway，andinbrightlightstandsoutbeforeusthewholelifeofthepast；thegaydresses，thepolishedwit，thecarelessmorals，andalltherevelanddancingofthosemerryyearsbeforethemightydelugeoftheRevolution。ThepalacesandmarblestairsofoldVenicearenolongerdesolate，butthrongedwithscarlet—robedsenators，prisonerswiththedoomoftheTenupontheirheadscrosstheBridgeofSighs，atdeadofnightthenunslipsoutoftheconventgatetothedarkcanalwhereagondolaiswaiting，weassistatthe’partiesfines’ofcardinals，andweseethebankmadeatfaro。VenicegivesplacetotheassemblyroomsofMrs。CornelyandthefasttavernsoftheLondonof1760；wepassfromVersaillestotheWinterPalaceofSt。
PetersburginthedaysofCatherine，fromthepolicyoftheGreatFredericktothelewdmirthofstrolling—players，andthepresence—
chamberoftheVaticanissucceededbyanintrigueinagarret。Itisindeedanewexperiencetoreadthishistoryofamanwho，refrainingfromnothing，hasconcealednothing；ofonewhostoodinthecourtsofLouistheMagnificentbeforeMadamedePompadourandthenoblesoftheAncienRegime，andhadanaffairwithanadventuressofDenmarkStreet，Soho；whowasboundovertokeepthepeacebyFielding，andknewCagliostro。Thefriendofpopesandkingsandnoblemen，andofallthemaleandfemaleruffiansandvagabondsofEurope，abbe，soldier，charlatan，gamester，financier，diplomatist，viveur，philosopher，virtuoso，\"chemist，fiddler，andbuffoon，\"eachofthese，andallofthesewasGiacomoCasanova，ChevalierdeSeingalt，KnightoftheGoldenSpur。
AndnotonlyaretheMemoirsaliterarycuriosity；theyarealmostequallycuriousfromabibliographicalpointofview。ThemanuscriptwaswritteninFrenchandcameintothepossessionofthepublisherBrockhaus，ofLeipzig，whohadittranslatedintoGerman，andprinted。FromthisGermanedition，M。AubertdeVitryre—translatedtheworkintoFrench，butomittedaboutafourthofthematter，andthismutilatedandworthlessversionisfrequentlypurchasedbyunwarybibliophiles。Intheyear1826，however，Brockhaus，inorderpresumablytoprotecthisproperty，printedtheentiretextoftheoriginalMS。inFrench，forthefirsttime，andinthiscompleteform，containingalargenumberofanecdotesandincidentsnottobefoundinthespuriousversion，theworkwasnotacceptabletotheauthorities，andwasconsequentlyrigorouslysuppressed。Onlyafewcopiessentoutforpresentationorforreviewareknowntohaveescaped，andfromoneoftheserarecopiesthepresenttranslationhasbeenmadeandsoleyforprivatecirculation。
Inconclusion，bothtranslatorand’editeur’havedonetheirutmosttopresenttheEnglishCasanovainadressworthyofthewonderfulandwittyoriginal。
AUTHOR’SPREFACE
Iwillbeginwiththisconfession:whateverIhavedoneinthecourseofmylife，whetheritbegoodorevil，hasbeendonefreely；Iamafreeagent。
ThedoctrineoftheStoicsorofanyothersectastotheforceofDestinyisabubbleengenderedbytheimaginationofman，andisnearakintoAtheism。InotonlybelieveinoneGod，butmyfaithasaChristianisalsografteduponthattreeofphilosophywhichhasneverspoiledanything。
IbelieveintheexistenceofanimmaterialGod，theAuthorandMasterofallbeingsandallthings，andIfeelthatIneverhadanydoubtofHisexistence，fromthefactthatIhavealwaysrelieduponHisprovidence，prayedtoHiminmydistress，andthatHehasalwaysgrantedmyprayers。Despairbringsdeath，butprayerdoesawaywithdespair；andwhenamanhasprayedhefeelshimselfsupportedbynewconfidenceandendowedwithpowertoact。AstothemeansemployedbytheSovereignMasterofhumanbeingstoavertimpendingdangersfromthosewhobeseechHisassistance，Iconfessthattheknowledgeofthemisabovetheintelligenceofman，whocanbutwonderandadore。Ourignorancebecomesouronlyresource，andhappy，trulyhappy；arethosewhocherishtheirignorance！ThereforemustwepraytoGod，andbelievethatHehasgrantedthefavourwehavebeenprayingfor，evenwheninappearanceitseemsthereverse。AstothepositionwhichourbodyoughttoassumewhenweaddressourselvestotheCreator，alineofPetrarchsettlesit:
’Conleginocchiadellamenteinchine。’
Manisfree，buthisfreedomceaseswhenhehasnofaithinit；andthegreaterpowerheascribestofaith，themorehedepriveshimselfofthatpowerwhichGodhasgiventohimwhenHeendowedhimwiththegiftofreason。ReasonisaparticleoftheCreator’sdivinity。
WhenweuseitwithaspiritofhumilityandjusticewearecertaintopleasetheGiverofthatpreciousgift。GodceasestobeGodonlyforthosewhocanadmitthepossibilityofHisnon—existence，andthatconceptionisinitselfthemostseverepunishmenttheycansuffer。
Manisfree；yetwemustnotsupposethatheisatlibertytodoeverythinghepleases，forhebecomesaslavethemomentheallowshisactionstoberuledbypassion。Themanwhohassufficientpoweroverhimselftowaituntilhisnaturehasrecovereditsevenbalanceisthetrulywiseman，butsuchbeingsareseldommetwith。
ThereaderoftheseMemoirswilldiscoverthatIneverhadanyfixedaimbeforemyeyes，andthatmysystem，ifitcanbecalledasystem，hasbeentoglideawayunconcernedlyonthestreamoflife，trustingtothewindwhereveritled。Howmanychangesarisefromsuchanindependentmodeoflife！Mysuccessandmymisfortunes，thebrightandthedarkdaysIhavegonethrough，everythinghasprovedtomethatinthisworld，eitherphysicalormoral，goodcomesoutofeviljustaswellasevilcomesoutofgood。Myerrorswillpointtothinkingmenthevariousroads，andwillteachthemthegreatartoftreadingonthebrinkoftheprecipicewithoutfallingintoit。Itisonlynecessarytohavecourage，forstrengthwithoutself—
confidenceisuseless。Ihaveoftenmetwithhappinessaftersomeimprudentstepwhichoughttohavebroughtruinuponme，andalthoughpassingavoteofcensureuponmyselfIwouldthankGodforhismercy。But，bywayofcompensation，diremisfortunehasbefallenmeinconsequenceofactionspromptedbythemostcautiouswisdom。Thiswouldhumbleme；yetconsciousthatIhadactedrightlyIwouldeasilyderivecomfortfromthatconviction。
Inspiteofagoodfoundationofsoundmorals，thenaturaloffspringoftheDivineprincipleswhichhadbeenearlyrootedinmyheart，I
havebeenthroughoutmylifethevictimofmysenses；Ihavefounddelightinlosingtherightpath，Ihaveconstantlylivedinthemidstoferror，withnoconsolationbuttheconsciousnessofmybeingmistaken。Therefore，dearreader，Itrustthat，farfromattachingtomyhistorythecharacterofimpudentboasting，youwillfindinmyMemoirsonlythecharacteristicpropertoageneralconfession，andthatmynarratorystylewillbethemannerneitherofarepentingsinner，norofamanashamedtoacknowledgehisfrolics。Theyarethefolliesinherenttoyouth；Imakesportofthem，and，ifyouarekind，youwillnotyourselfrefusethemagood—naturedsmile。YouwillbeamusedwhenyouseethatIhavemorethanoncedeceivedwithouttheslightestqualmofconscience，bothknavesandfools。Astothedeceitperpetrateduponwomen，letitpass，for，whenloveisintheway，menandwomenasageneralruledupeeachother。Butonthescoreoffoolsitisaverydifferentmatter。IalwaysfeelthegreatestblisswhenIrecollectthoseIhavecaughtinmysnares，fortheygenerallyareinsolent，andsoself—conceitedthattheychallengewit。Weavengeintellectwhenwedupeafool，anditisavictorynottobedespisedforafooliscoveredwithsteelanditisoftenveryhardtofindhisvulnerablepart。Infact，togullafoolseemstomeanexploitworthyofawittyman。Ihavefeltinmyveryblood，eversinceIwasborn，amostunconquerablehatredtowardsthewholetribeoffools，anditarisesfromthefactthatIfeelmyselfablockheadwheneverIamintheircompany。Iamveryfarfromplacingtheminthesameclasswiththosemenwhomwecallstupid，forthelatterarestupidonlyfromdeficienteducation，andIratherlikethem。Ihavemetwithsomeofthem——veryhonestfellows，who，withalltheirstupidity，hadakindofintelligenceandanuprightgoodsense，whichcannotbethecharacteristicsoffools。Theyarelikeeyesveiledwiththecataract，which，ifthediseasecouldberemoved，wouldbeverybeautiful。
Dearreader，examinethespiritofthispreface，andyouwillatonceguessatmypurpose。IhavewrittenaprefacebecauseIwishyoutoknowmethoroughlybeforeyoubeginthereadingofmyMemoirs。Itisonlyinacoffee—roomoratatabled’hotethatweliketoconversewithstrangers。
Ihavewrittenthehistoryofmylife，andIhaveaperfectrighttodoso；butamIwiseinthrowingitbeforeapublicofwhichIknownothingbutevil？No，Iamawareitissheerfolly，butIwanttobebusy，Iwanttolaugh，andwhyshouldIdenymyselfthisgratification？
’Expulitelleboromorbumbilemquemero。’
Anancientauthortellsussomewhere，withthetoneofapedagogue，ifyouhavenotdoneanythingworthyofbeingrecorded，atleastwritesomethingworthyofbeingread。ItisapreceptasbeautifulasadiamondofthefirstwatercutinEngland，butitcannotbeappliedtome，becauseIhavenotwritteneitheranovel，orthelifeofanillustriouscharacter。Worthyornot，mylifeismysubject，andmysubjectismylife。IhavelivedwithoutdreamingthatI
shouldevertakeafancytowritethehistoryofmylife，and，forthatveryreason，myMemoirsmayclaimfromthereaderaninterestandasympathywhichtheywouldnothaveobtained，hadIalwaysentertainedthedesigntowritetheminmyoldage，and，stillmore，topublishthem。
Ihavereached，in1797，theageofthree—scoreyearsandtwelve；I
cannotsay，Vixi，andIcouldnotprocureamoreagreeablepastimethantorelatemyownadventures，andtocausepleasantlaughteramongstthegoodcompanylisteningtome，fromwhichIhavereceivedsomanytokensoffriendship，andinthemidstofwhichIhaveeverlived。Toenablemetowritewell，Ihaveonlytothinkthatmyreaderswillbelongtothatpolitesociety:
’Quoecunquedixi，siplacuerint，dictavitauditor。’
ShouldtherebeafewintruderswhomIcannotpreventfromperusingmyMemoirs，Imustfindcomfortintheideathatmyhistorywasnotwrittenforthem。
ByrecollectingthepleasuresIhavehadformerly，Irenewthem，I
enjoythemasecondtime，whileIlaughattheremembranceoftroublesnowpast，andwhichInolongerfeel。Amemberofthisgreatuniverse，Ispeaktotheair，andIfancymyselfrenderinganaccountofmyadministration，asastewardiswonttodobeforeleavinghissituation。FormyfutureIhavenoconcern，andasatruephilosopher，Ineverwouldhaveany，forIknownotwhatitmaybe:asaChristian，ontheotherhand，faithmustbelievewithoutdiscussion，andthestrongeritis，themoreitkeepssilent。IknowthatIhavelivedbecauseIhavefelt，and，feelinggivingmetheknowledgeofmyexistence，IknowlikewisethatIshallexistnomorewhenIshallhaveceasedtofeel。
ShouldIperchancestillfeelaftermydeath，Iwouldnolongerhaveanydoubt，butIwouldmostcertainlygivethelietoanyoneassertingbeforemethatIwasdead。
Thehistoryofmylifemustbeginbytheearliestcircumstancewhichmymemorycanevoke；itwillthereforecommencewhenIhadattainedtheageofeightyearsandfourmonths。Beforethattime，iftothinkistolivebeatrueaxiom，Ididnotlive，Icouldonlylayclaimtoastateofvegetation。Themindofahumanbeingisformedonlyofcomparisonsmadeinordertoexamineanalogies，andthereforecannotprecedetheexistenceofmemory。Themnemonicorganwasdevelopedinmyheadonlyeightyearsandfourmonthsaftermybirth；
itisthenthatmysoulbegantobesusceptibleofreceivingimpressions。Howisitpossibleforanimmaterialsubstance，whichcanneithertouchnorbetouchedtoreceiveimpressions？Itisamysterywhichmancannotunravel。
Acertainphilosophy，fullofconsolation，andinperfectaccordwithreligion，pretendsthatthestateofdependenceinwhichthesoulstandsinrelationtothesensesandtotheorgans，isonlyincidentalandtransient，andthatitwillreachaconditionoffreedomandhappinesswhenthedeathofthebodyshallhavedelivereditfromthatstateoftyrannicsubjection。Thisisveryfine，but，apartfromreligion，whereistheproofofitall？Therefore，asI
cannot，frommyowninformation，haveaperfectcertaintyofmybeingimmortaluntilthedissolutionofmybodyhasactuallytakenplace，peoplemustkindlybearwithme，ifIaminnohurrytoobtainthatcertainknowledge，for，inmyestimation，aknowledgetobegainedatthecostoflifeisaratherexpensivepieceofinformation。InthemeantimeIworshipGod，layingeverywrongactionunderaninterdictwhichIendeavourtorespect，andIloathethewickedwithoutdoingthemanyinjury。Ionlyabstainfromdoingthemanygood，inthefullbeliefthatweoughtnottocherishserpents。
AsImustlikewisesayafewwordsrespectingmynatureandmytemperament，Ipremisethatthemostindulgentofmyreadersisnotlikelytobethemostdishonestortheleastgiftedwithintelligence。
Ihavehadinturneverytemperament；phlegmaticinmyinfancy；
sanguineinmyyouth；lateron，bilious；andnowIhaveadispositionwhichengendersmelancholy，andmostlikelywillneverchange。I
alwaysmademyfoodcongenialtomyconstitution，andmyhealthwasalwaysexcellent。Ilearnedveryearlythatourhealthisalwaysimpairedbysomeexcesseitheroffoodorabstinence，andIneverhadanyphysicianexceptmyself。Iamboundtoaddthattheexcessintoolittlehaseverprovedinmemoredangerousthantheexcessintoomuch；thelastmaycauseindigestion，butthefirstcausesdeath。
Now，oldasIam，andalthoughenjoyinggooddigestiveorgans，Imusthaveonlyonemealeveryday；butIfindaset—offtothatprivationinmydelightfulsleep，andintheeasewhichIexperienceinwritingdownmythoughtswithouthavingrecoursetoparadoxorsophism，whichwouldbecalculatedtodeceivemyselfevenmorethanmyreaders，forInevercouldmakeupmymindtopalmcounterfeitcoinuponthemifI
knewittobesuch。
Thesanguinetemperamentrenderedmeverysensibletotheattractionsofvoluptuousness:Iwasalwayscheerfulandeverreadytopassfromoneenjoymenttoanother，andIwasatthesametimeveryskillfulininventingnewpleasures。Thence，Isuppose，mynaturaldispositiontomakefreshacquaintances，andtobreakwiththemsoreadily，althoughalwaysforagoodreason，andneverthroughmerefickleness。
Theerrorscausedbytemperamentarenottobecorrected，becauseourtemperamentisperfectlyindependentofourstrength:itisnotthecasewithourcharacter。Heartandheadaretheconstituentpartsofcharacter；temperamenthasalmostnothingtodowithit，and，therefore，characterisdependentuponeducation，andissusceptibleofbeingcorrectedandimproved。
Ileavetoothersthedecisionastothegoodoreviltendenciesofmycharacter，butsuchasitisitshinesuponmycountenance，andthereitcaneasilybedetectedbyanyphysiognomist。Itisonlyonthefactthatcharactercanberead；thereitliesexposedtotheview。Itisworthyofremarkthatmenwhohavenopeculiarcastofcountenance，andthereareagreatmanysuchmen，arelikewisetotallydeficientinpeculiarcharacteristics，andwemayestablishtherulethatthevarietiesinphysiognomyareequaltothedifferencesincharacter。Iamawarethatthroughoutmylifemyactionshavereceivedtheirimpulsemorefromtheforceoffeelingthanfromthewisdomofreason，andthishasledmetoacknowledgethatmyconducthasbeendependentuponmynaturemorethanuponmymind；botharegenerallyatwar，andinthemidstoftheircontinualcollisionsIhaveneverfoundinmesufficientmindtobalancemynature，orenoughstrengthinmynaturetocounteractthepowerofmymind。Butenoughofthis，forthereistruthintheoldsaying:’Sibrevisessevolo，obscurusfio’，andIbelievethat，withoutoffendingagainstmodesty，IcanapplytomyselfthefollowingwordsofmydearVirgil:
’Necsumadeoinformis:nupermeinlittorevidiCumplacidumventisstaretmare。’