Volume VI Part 2 (1/2)
Ca of Lent He was in co to Paris He had completely despoiled his wife, and had left her for ever Campioni told ree Pocchini and the Sclav had disappeared a few days after reat deal of odium by his treatment of me Campioni spent a month with me, and then went on to London
I called on Count La beautiful, was an epitoe was Countess Dachsberg Three months after my arrival, this lady, as enciente, but did not think her tier, dean of the chapter, to a party of pleasure at an inn three quarters of a league fro I was present; and in the course of the meal she was taken with such violent pains that she feared she would be delivered on the spot She did not like to tell the noble canon, and thinking that I was encies she came up to me and told me all I ordered the coachman to put in his horses instantly, and when the coach was ready I took up the countess and carried her to it The canon followed us in blank astonishment, and asked me as the matter I told him to bid the coachman drive fast and not to spare his horses He did so, but he asked again as the matter
”The countess will be delivered of a child if we do not h, in spite of my syreen and white and purple, and look as if he were going into a fit, as he realized that the countess e The poor ridiron
The bishop was at Plombieres; they would write and tell him! It would be in all the papers! ”Quick! coachot to the castle before it was too late I carried the lady into her rook, and they ran for a surgeon and a ood, however, for in five minutes the count came out and said the countess had just been happily delivered The dean looked as if a weight had been taken off hishimself blooded
I spent an extre twice or thrice a week at Count La's At these suppers I made the acquaintance of a very ree in the prince-bishop's household, now Dean of Ratisbon He was always at the count's, as was also Dr Algardi, of Bologna, the prince's physician and a delightful man
I often saw at the same house a certain Baron Sellenthin, a Prussian officer, as always recruiting for hisHe was a pleasant man, soao I had a letter froh he was old, and hadmarried at all I should say the sasburg several Poles, who had left their country on account of the troubles, cast others was Rzewuski, the royal Prothonotary, who as the lover of poor Madalade
”What a diet! What plots! What counterplots! What misfortunes!” said this honest Pole, toto do with it!”
He was going to Spa, and he assured me that if I followed him I should find Prince Adam's sister, Toer's wife I detero there with three or four hundred ducats in my purse To this intent I wrote to Prince Charles of Courland, as at Venice, to send ave him an infallible receipt for the philosopher's stone The letter containing this vast secret was not in cypher, so I advised hi him that I possessed a copy He did not do so, and it was taken to Paris with his order papers when he was sent to the Bastile
If it had not been for the Revolution ht When the Bastille was destroyed, my letter was found and printed with other curious compositions, which were afterwards translated into Gernorant fools that abound in the land where my fate wills that I should write down the chief events ofand troublous life--these fools, I say, who are naturally my sworn foes (for the ass lies not doith the horse), ainstme that the letter has been translated into Gernorant Boheard the letter as redounding totheir blame would be turned into praise
I do not knohether my letter has been correctly translated, but since it has becoe to truth, the only God I adore I have beforein the year 1767, and we are now in the year 1798
It runs as follows:
”MY LORD,--I hope your highness will either burn this letter after reading it, or else preserve it with the greatest care It will be better, however, to inal
My attach; I confess my interest is equally concerned Allow hness to esteem me alone for any qualities you may have observed in me; I wish you to beco to confide to you This secret relates to the hness stands in need If you had been enerous, and will be poor all your days if you do not a that you would like ive you the secret by which I transmuted iron into copper; I never did so, but now I shall teach you how to make a much more marvellous transmutation
I should point out to you, however, that you are not at present in a suitable place for the operation, although all the materials are easily procurable The operation necessitates reat care necessary, far the least mistake will spoil all The transmutation of Mars is an easy and old is philosophical in the highest degree The gold produced will be equal to that used in the Venetian sequins Youyou information which will permit you to dispense withto youshould insure your life-long protection, and should raise you above that prejudice which is entertained against the general mass of alcheuish me from the common herd of operators All I ask you is that you ait till wethe process You cannot do it by yourself, and if you employ any other person but myself, you will betray the secret Ithe same materials, and by the addition of mercury and nitre, I made the tree of projection for the Marchioness d'Urfe and the Princess of Anhalt Zerbst calculated the profit as fifty per cent My fortune would have been o, if I had found a prince with the control of a mint whom I could trust Your character enables me to confide in you However, ill coood silver, dissolve in aqua fortis, precipitate secundum artem with copper, then wash in lukeater to separate the acids; dry, mix with half an ounce of sal ammoniac, and place in a suitable vessel Afterwards you ary crystals, four ounces of verdigris, four ounces of cinnabar, and two ounces of sulphur Pulverise and mix, and place in a retort of such size that the above matters will only half fill it This retort hts, for the heat ree At first your fire ins to appear, place the receiver under the retort, and Luna with the as , and as the spirit coulate your furnace, but do not let it pass the third degree of heat
”So soon as the subliins then boldly open your forth vent, but take heed that that which is sublimed pass not into the receiver where is your Luna, and so you must shut, the mouth of the retort closely, and keep it so for twenty-four hours, and then take off your fastenings, and allow the distillation to go on Then you must increase your fire so that the spirits may pass, over, until the matter in the retort is quite desiccated After this operation has been perforold appear in the retort Then draw it forth andyour corpus perfectuold, then lay it in water, and you shall find four ounces of pure gold
”Such old mine for your er and four men, you can assure yourself a revenue of a thousand ducats a week, and double, and quadruple that suhness chooses to increase the hness to er But remember it hness would give ive me your affection and esteem
I shall be happy if I have reason to believe that my master will also be my friend My life, which this letter places in your power, is ever at your service, and I know not what I shall do if I ever have cause to repent having disclosed my secret I have the honour to be, etc”
In whatever language this letter may have been translated, if its sense run not as above, it is not ive the lie to all the Mirabeaus in the world I have been called an exile, but wrongfully, for a man who has to leave a country by virtue of a 'lettre de cachet' is no exile He is forced to obey a despotic dom as his house, and turns out of doors anyone who meets with his displeasure
As soon as , The date of my departure was June 14th, 1767 I was at Ulh the toith the news that his highness would arrive from Venice in the course of five or six days
This courier had a letter for me It had been entrusted to him by Prince Charles of Courland, who had told the courier that he would findAs it happened, I had left the day before, but knowing the way by which I had gone he caught ave me the letter and asked me if I were the same Casanova who had been placed under arrest and had escaped, on account of so dispute with three officers As I was never an adept in concealing the truth, I replied in the affir beside us observed to art at the ti the three officers for their conduct in theany reply I read the letter, which referred to our private affairs, but as I was reading it I resolved to tell a little lie--one of those lies which do nobody any harhness, your sovereign, has listened to reason at last, and this letter informs me of a reparation which is in every way satisfactory The duke has created me his private secretary, with a salary of twelve hundred a year But I have waited for it a long time God knohat has beco, and---- -is now a colonel”