Volume II Part 74 (2/2)
I continued er I stopped at a good-looking house, which stood by itself I asked to speak to the one to a wedding on the other side of the river, and would be away for two days, but that he had bidden him to welcome all his friends while he ay Providence! luck! chance! whichever you like
I went in and was treated to a good supper and a good bed I found by the addresses of so entertained in the house of M Rombenchi--a consul, of what nation I know not I wrote a letter to hi an excellent supper and having had a good sleep, I rose, and dressingable to leave the porter any ratitude, and shortly afterwards crossed the river, pro for five hours I dined in a monastery of Capuchins, who are very useful to people in , and walked along at a good pace till three o'clock I halted at a house which I found froed to a friend of mine I walked in, asked if the master was at ho by hireet him, but as soon as he sawreasons for his behaviour I explained to him hoas situated, and asked him to let adin He replied that he could not so lass of water, since he dreaded the wrath of the Tribunal for my very presence in his house He was a stockbroker, about sixty years old, and was under great obligations to me His inhuman refusal produced quite a different effect on nation, or nature, I took hiall over, he took a key fro me a bureau told me he kept money there, and I had only to open it and take what I wanted; I told hi a drawer containing gold, I told him to count me out six sequins
”You askeda loan of you as a friend; but since I owe the ive you no note of hand You shall be repaid at Venice, where I shall write of the pass to which you forcedyour pardon! take the sixty sequins, I entreat you”
”No, noon my way, and I advise you not to hinder me, lest in my despair I come back and burn your house about your ears”
I went out and walked for two hours, until the approach of night and weariness made me stop short at the house of a farmer, where I had a bad supper and a bed of straw In the ht an old overcoat, and hired an ass to journey on, and near Feltre I bought a pair of boots
In this guise I passed the hut called the Scala There was a guard there who, uess, did not even honour ot to Borgo de Valsugano in good time, and found Father Balbi at the inn I had told hireeted reat overcoat, a low hat over a thick cotton cap, disguised hiiven hie for my cloak, that he had arrived without difficulty, and was faring well He was kind enough to tell me that he did not expect to see me, as he did not believe ood faith Possibly I should have been wise not to undeceive hi day in the inn, where, without getting out of my bed, I wrote more than twenty letters to Venice, in et the six sequins
The o, and to his brother nobles, and love-letters to the servant girls who had been his ruin I took the lace off ay appearance unsuitable to my position, as it made me too ina and lay there, and was visited by a young Count d'Alberg, who had discovered, in some way or another, that we had escaped froina I went to Trent and fro money for my dress, linen, and the continuation of my journey, I introduced ave adin In the ood inn where I spent the six days the ht me the sum of a hundred sequins, and my first care was to clothe my companion, and afterwards myself Every day I found the society of the wretched Balbi more intolerable ”Without me you would never have escaped” was continually in hisot He irls, and as he had neither the figure nor the ood hearty slaps, which he bore patiently, but was as outrageous as ever in the course of twenty-four hours I was amused, but at the same time vexed to be coupled to a man of so low a nature
We travelled post, and in three days we got to Munich, where I went to lodge at the sign of the ”Stag” There I found two young Venetians of the Cantarini family, who had been there some ti the on recluses for my daily bread, I did not care to pay my respects to them It was otherith Countess Coronini, whom I knew at St Justine's Convent at Venice, and who stood very ith the Bavarian Court
This illustrious lady, then seventy years old, gave ood reception and promised to speak onfulfilled her proainst me, but as for Balbi there was no safety for hiht be claihness had no wish to et him out of the town as soon as possible, for him to fly to some other quarter, and thus to avoid the bad turn which his beloved brethren thein duty bound to look after the interests of the wretched felloent to the Elector's confessor to ask hiive Balbi letters of introduction to soive the lie to the fine reputation of his brethren of the order; his reception of me was as discourteous as it well could be He told me in a careless way that at Munich I ell known I asked hiood or bad news; but heAnother priest told one out to verify the truth of a
”What miracle is that, reverend father?” I said
”The empress, theof Charles VII, whose body is still exposed to the public gaze, has war keeps them warm”
”You can assure yourself personally of the truth of this wonderful circulect such an opportunity would have been to lose the chance of mirth or edification, and I was as desirous of the one as of the other Wishi+ng to be able to boast that I had seen a miracle--and one, moreover, of a peculiar interest for myself, who have always had the hty dead It was quite true that her feet arm, but the matter was capable of a simple explanation, as the feet of her defunctlamp at a little distance off A dancer of ht there with the rest, came up to me, complimentedabout it His news pleasedto interest the public This son of Terpsichore asked lad to accept his invitation His naata, and his as the pretty Gandela, whoo at the old Malipiero's The Gandela was enchanted to see me, and to hear from my own lips the story of my wondrous escape She interested herself on behalf of the ive hi Canon Bassi, of Bologna, as Dean of St
Maurice's Chapter, and a friend of hers I took advantage of the offer, and she forthroteme that I need not trouble myself any more about the monk, as she was sure that the dean would take care of hietting rid of him in so honourable a ave him the letter, and pro hie, and started him off the next day at daybreak
Four days after, Balbi wrote that the dean had received hiiven him a room in the deanery, that he had dressed him as an abbe, that he had introduced him to the Prince-Bishop of Armstadt, and that he had received assurances of his safety froistrates Furthermore, the dean had promised to keep him till he obtained his secularization from Rome, and with it freedom to return to Venice, for as soon as he ceased to be a monk the Tribunal would have no lien upon hi me to send hientlerateful fellow, ”is not gentleave him no answer
As I was now alone in peace and quietness, I thought seriously of regaining iven erous I put myself on diet, and in three weeks I was perfectly well In the meanwhile Madahters She was going to Paris to ent, and would have passed for a youngto marry an actor, was extremely beautiful, an accomplished dancer, and played on the clavichord like a professional, and was altogether hted to see htmy wishes, intireat pleasure I had nothing to say respecting the expenses of the journey
I had to accept their offer in its entirety My design was to settle in Paris, and I took this stroke of fortune as an omen of success in the only tohere the blind Goddess freely dispenses her favours to those who leave thee of her gifts And, as the reader will see by and by, I was not ifts of fortune were of no avail, since I abused them all by my folly Fifteen months under the Leads should have made me aware of er stay to learn how to cure s
Madame Riviere wished to take me with her, but she could not put off her departure, and I required a week's delay to get money and letters fro, and we agreed that if possible I would join her there She left Munich on the 18th of Deceot fro I made haste to pay , not soFather Balbi, as because I wanted to make the acquaintance of the kindly dean who had ridMunich, and I went iood ecclesiastic He was not in, but I found Balbi in an abbe's dress, with his hair covered hite powder, which set off in a new but not a pleasing manner the beauties of his complexion of about the same colour as a horse chestnut