Volume II Part 29 (1/2)

The baroness was not long before she gave me to understand that she felt kindly disposed towards me, and that she would receive my attentions with pleasure; I paid her a visit the very next day ”If you are fond of cards,” she said, ”co” At her house I amblers, and of three or four frauleins ithout any dread of the Commissaries of Chastity, were devoted to the worshi+p of Venus, and were so kindly disposed that they were not afraid of lowering their nobility by accepting some reward for their kindness--a circumstance which proved toonly the girls who did not frequent good houses

The baroness invited ht to her house Vais, Campioni, and Afflisio The last one played, held the bank, won; and Tramontini, hom I had become acquainted, presented hih her that Afflisio hausen This introduction was the origin of the great fortune made by that contrabrand count, because Tra transactions, contrived to obtain for him from the prince the rank of captain in the service of their imperial and royal majesties, and in less than three weeks Afflisio wore the uniforrade When I left Vienna he possessed one: hundred thousand florins TheirThe emperor had a creature of his own to hold the bank He was a kind, rand imperial costume, and I was surprised to see him dressed in the Spanish fashi+on I almost fancied I had before my eyes Charles V of Spain, who had established that etiquette which was still in existence, although after hih Francis I had nothing in common with that nation

In Poland, some years afterwards, I saw the saustus Poniatowski, and the old palatine nobleht of that costuood a countenance as they could, for under Russian despotisnation

The Emperor Francis I was, handsome, and would have looked so under the hood of a monk as well as under an imperial crown He had every possible consideration for his wife, and allowed her to get the state into debt, because he possessed the art of beco himself the creditor of the state He favoured commerce because it filled his coffers He was rather addicted to gallantry, and the ened not to notice it, because she did not want the world to know that her charer captivate her royal spouse, and the enerally admired All the archduchesses except the eldest seest the sons I had the opportunity of seeing only the eldest, and I thought the expression of his face bad and unpleasant, in spite of the contrary opinion of Abbe Grosse-Tete, who prided hinomist

”What do you see,” he asked me one day, ”on the countenance of that prince?”

”Self-conceit and suicide”

It was a prophecy, for Joseph II positively killed hih not wilfully, and it was his self-conceit which prevented hi, but the knowledge which he believed hi which he had in reality He delighted in speaking to those who did not kno to answer hiuments, or because they pretended to be so; but he called pedants, and avoided all persons, who by true reasoning pulled down the weak scaffolding of his argu, and he spoke to ed iainst some miserable parchments, and he added,--

”I despise ht, but what are we to think of those who sell it?”

After that question he turned his back uponspoken to

The great passion of that king was to see those who listened to hih, whether with sincerity or with affectation, when he related so manner all the particulars of an anecdote; but he called anyone who did not laugh at his jests a fool, and that was always the person who understood hiave the preference to the opinion of Braed his suicide, over that of the physicians ere directing hi to reason Nevertheless, no one ever denied his claie; but he had no idea whatever of the art of governe of the human heart, and he could neither dissemble nor keep a secret; he had so little control over his own countenance that he could not even conceal the pleasure he felt in punishi+ng, and when he saw anyone whose features did not please hireatly

Joseph II sank under a truly cruel disease, which left hi, at the same time that he knew his death to be certain This princehe had done and of seeing the i it, partly because it was irreparable, partly because if he had undone through reason what he had done through senselessness, he would have thought hi to the last to the belief of the infallibility attached to his high birth, in spite of the state of languor of his soul which ought to have proved to hireatest esteem for his brother, who has now succeeded hie to follow the advice which that brother gave hireat soul e reward upon the physician, a ence, who pronounced his sentence of death, but a completely opposite weakness had prompted him, a few months before, to load with benefits the doctors and the quack who made him believe that they had cured hi that he would not be regretted after his death--a grievous thought, especially for a sovereign His niece, whom he loved dearly, died before him, and, if he had had the affection of those who surrounded him, they would have spared him that fearful information, for it was evident that his end was near at hand, and no one could dread his anger for having kept that event froh very much pleased with Vienna and with the pleasures I enjoyed with the beautiful frauleins, whose acquaintance I hadthat agreeable city, when Baron Vais, , invited me to join a picnic at Schoenbrunn I went, and I failed to observe the laws of temperance; the consequence was that I returned to Vienna with such a severe indigestion that in twenty-four hours I was at the point of death

I ence left in me by the disease to save my own life Campioni, Roquendorf and Sarotin were by reat friendshi+p for h I had almost positively declared that I would not see one That disciple of Sangrado, thinking that he could allow full sway to the despotis to bleed ainst e inspiration I openedlancet in hand and preparing to open the vein

”No, no!” I said

And I languidly withdrew , as the physician expressed it, to restore ain I suddenly feltI put my hand forward, seized one of my pistols, fired, and the ball cut off one of the locks of his hair That was enough; everybody ran aith the exception of ave me as much water as I wanted to drink On the fourth day I had recovered ood health

That adventure amused all the idlers of Vienna for several days, and Abbe Grosse-Tete assured one any further, because all the witnesses present in my room at the time would have declared that he wanted to use violence to bleed itimate self-defence I was likewise told by several persons that all the physicians in Vienna were of opinion that if I had been bled I should have been a dead entlemen would certainly not have expressed the same opinion I felt, however, that I had to be careful, and not to fall ill in the capital of Austria, for it was likely that I should not have found a physician without difficulty

At the opera, a great many persons wished after that to make ht, pistol in hand, against death A estions and as at last killed by one, had taught me his system which was that, to cure those attacks, all that was necessary was to drink plenty of water and to be patient He died because he was bled once when he could not oppose any resistance

My indigestion re of ae, as taken hoestion: his carriage having been stopped opposite the Quinze-Vingts by so,

”Sir, I a of?” answered Maisonrouge, sighing deeply; ”I wish I was in your place, you rogue!”

At that time I made the acquaintance of a Milanese dancer, who had wit, excellent reat beauty

She received very good society, and did the honours of her drawing-room marvellously well I became acquainted at her house with Count Christopher Erdodi, an aenerous race of a harlequin That girl inspired me with love, but it was in vain, for she was herself enaiolini I courted her, but she only laughed at me, for an actress, if in love with someone, is a fortress which cannot be taken, unless you build a bridge of gold, and I was not rich Yet I did not despair, and kept on burning my incense at her feet