In 1785, at Vienna, Casanova ran across Costa, his former secretary who,
in 1761, had fled from him taking "diamonds, watches, snuffbox, linen,
rich suits and a hundred louis." "In 1785, I found this runagate at
Vienna. He was then Count Erdich's man, and when we come to that period,
the reader shall hear what I did."
Casanova did not reach this period, in writing his Memoirs, but an
account of this meeting is given by Da Ponte, who was present at it, in
his Memoirs. Costa had met with many misfortunes, as he told Casanova,
and had himself been defrauded. Casanova threatened to have him hanged,
but according to Da Ponte, was dissuaded from this by counter accusations
made by Costa.
Da Ponte's narration of the incident is brilliant and amusing, in spite
of our feeling that it is maliciously exaggerated: "Strolling one morning
in the Graben with Casanova, I suddenly saw him knit his brows, squawk,
grind his teeth, twist himself, raise his hands skyward, and, snatching
himself away from me, throw himself on a man whom I seemed to know,
shouting with a very loud voice: 'Murderer, I have caught thee.' A crowd
having gathered as a result of this strange act and yell, I approached
them with some disgust; nevertheless, I caught Casanova's hand and almost
by force I separated him from the fray. He then told me the story, with
desperate motions and gestures, and said that his antagonist was
Gioachino Costa, by whom he had been betrayed. This Gioachino Costa,
although he had been forced to become a servant by his vices and bad
practices, and was at that very time servant to a Viennese gentleman, was
more or less of a poet. He was, in fact, one of those who had honored me
with their satire, when the Emperor Joseph selected me as poet of his
theater. Costa entered a cafe, and while I continued to walk with
Casanova, wrote and send him by a messenger, the following verses:
"'Casanova, make no outcry;
You stole, indeed, as well as I;
You were the one who first taught me;
Your art I mastered thoroughly.
Silence your wisest course will be.'
"These verses had the desired effect. After a brief silence, Casanova
laughed and then said softly in my ear: 'The rogue is right.' He went
into the cafe and motioned to Costa to come out; they began to walk
together calmly, as if nothing had happened, and they parted shaking
hands repeatedly and seemingly calm and friendly. Casanova returned to me
with a cameo on his little finger, which by a strange coincidence,
represented Mercury, the god-protector of thieves. This was his greatest
valuable, and it was all that was left of the immense booty, but
represented the character of the two restored friends, perfectly."
Da Ponte precedes this account with a libellous narrative of Casanova's
relations with the Marquise d'Urfe, even stating that Casanova stole from
her the jewels stolen in turn by Costa, but, as M. Maynial remarks, we
may attribute this perverted account "solely to the rancour and antipathy
of the narrator." It is more likely that Casanova frightened Costa almost
out of his wits, was grimly amused at his misfortunes, and let him go,
since there was no remedy to Casanova's benefit, for his former
rascality. Casanova's own brief, anticipatory account is given in his
Memoirs.
In 1797, correcting and revising his Memoirs, Casanova wrote: "Twelve
years ago, if it had not been for my guardian angel, I would have
foolishly married, at Vienna, a young, thoughtless girl, with whom I had
fallen in love." In which connection, his remark is interesting: "I have
loved women even to madness, but I have always loved liberty better; and
whenever I have been in danger of losing it, fate has come to my rescue."
While an identification of the "young, thoughtless girl" has been
impossible, M. Rava believes her to be "C. M.," the subject of a poem
found at Dux, written in duplicate, in Italian and French, and headed
"Giacomo Casanova, in love, to C. M."
"When, Catton, to your sight is shown the love Which all my tenderest
caresses prove, Feeling all pleasure's sharpest joys and fears, Burning
one moment, shivering the next, Caressing you while showering you with
tears, Giving each charm a thousand eager kisses, Wishing to touch at
once a thousand blisses And, at the ones beyond my power, vexed,
Abandoned in a furious desire, Leaving these charms for other charms that
fire, Possessing all and yet desiring Until, destroyed by excesses of
pleasure, Finding no words of love nor anything To express my fires
overflowing measure Than deepening sighs and obscure murmuring: Ah! Then
you think to read my inmost heart To find the love that can these signs
impart ....Be not deceived. These transports, amorous cries, These
kisses, tears, desires and heavy sighs, Of all the fire which devours me
Could less than even the lightest tokens be."
Evidently this same girl is the authoress of the two following letters
written by "Caton M . . . ." to Casanova in 1786.
12th April 1786. "You will infinitely oblige me if you will tell me to
whom you wrote such pretty things about me; apparently it is the Abbe Da
Ponte; but I would go to his house and, either he would prove that you
had written it or I would have the honor of telling him that he is the
most infamous traducer in the world. I think that the lovely picture
which you make of my future has not as much excuse as you may think, and,
in spite of your science, you deceive yourself.... But just now I will
inform you of all my wooers and you can judge for yourself by this
whether I deserve all the reproaches you made me in your last letter. It
is two years since I came to know the Count de K . . . ; I could have
loved him but I was too honest to be willing to satisfy his desires . . . .
Some months afterward, I came to know the Count de M . . . ; he was not
so handsome as K . . . , but he possessed every possible art for seducing
a girl; I did everything for him, but I never loved him as much as his
friend. In fine, to tell you all my giddinesses in a few words, I set
everything right again with K . . . . and got myself into a quarrel with
M . . . ., then I left K. . . . and returned to M . . . ., but at the
house of the latter there was always an officer who pleased me more than
both the two others and who sometimes conducted me to the house; then we
found ourselves at the house of a friend, and it is of this same officer
that I am ill. So, my dear friend, that is all. I do not seek to justify
my past conduct; on the contrary, I know well that I have acted badly....
I am much afflicted at being the cause of your remaining away from Venice
during the Carnival . . . . I hope to see you soon again and am, with
much love,
"Monsieur, your sincere
"Caton M. . . ."
16th July 1786. "I have spoken with the Abbe Da Ponte. He invited me to
come to his house because, he said, he had something to tell me for you.
I went there, but was received so coldly that I am resolved not to go
there again. Also, Mlle. Nanette affected an air of reserve and took at
on herself to read me lessons on what she was pleased to call my
libertinism . . . . I beg that you will write nothing more about me to
these two very dangerous personages.... Just now I will tell you of a
little trick which I played on you, which without doubt deserves some
punishment. The young, little Kasper, whom you formerly loved, came to
ask me for the address of her dear Monsieur de Casanova, so that she
could write a very tender letter full of recollections. I had too much
politeness to wish to refuse a pretty girl, who was once the favorite of
my lover, so just a request, so I gave her the address she wished; but I
addressed the letter to a city far from you. Is it not, my dear friend,
that you would like well to know the name of the city, so that you could
secure the letter by posts. But you can depend on my word that you will
not know it until you have written me a very long letter begging me very
humbly to indicate the place where the divine letter of the adorable
object of your vows has gone. You might well make this sacrifice for a
girl in whom the Emperor [Joseph II] interests himself, for it is known
that, since your departure from Vienna, it is he who is teaching her
French and music; and apparently he takes the trouble of instructing her
himself, for she often goes to his house to thank him for his kindnesses
to her, but I know not in what way she expresses herself.
"Farewell, my dear friend. Think sometimes of me and believe that I am
your sincere friend."
On the 23rd April 1785, the ambassador Foscarini died, depriving Casanova
of a protector, probably leaving him without much money, and not in the
best of health. He applied for the position of secretary to Count Fabris,
his former friend, whose name had been changed from Tognolo, but without
success. Casanova then determined to go to Berlin in the hope of a place
in the Academy. On the 30th July he arrived at Bruen in Moravia, where
his friend Maximilian-Joseph, Count Lamberg gave him, among other letters
of recommendation, a letter addressed to Jean-Ferdinand Opiz, Inspector
of Finances and Banks at Czaslau, in which he wrote:
"A celebrated man, M. Casanova, will deliver to you, my dear friend, the
visiting card with which he is charged for Mme. Opiz and yourself.
Knowing this amiable and remarkable man, will mark an epoch in your life,
be polite and friendly to him, 'quod ipsi facies in mei memoriam
faciatis'. Keep yourself well, write to me, and if you can direct him to
some honest man at Carlsbad, fail not to do so. . . ."
On the 15th August 1785, M. Opiz wrote Count Lamberg about Casanova's
visit:
"Your letter of the 30th, including your cards for my wife and myself,
was delivered the first of this month by M. Casanova. He was very anxious
to meet the Princess Lubomirski again at Carlsbad. But as something about
his carriage was broken, he was obliged to stop in Czaslau for two hours
which he passed in my company. He has left Czaslau with the promise of
giving me a day on his return. I am already delighted. Even in the short
space of time in which I enjoyed his company, I found in him a man worthy
of our highest consideration and of our love, a benevolent philosopher
whose homeland is the great expanse of our planet (and not Venice alone)
and who values only the men in the kings . . . . I know absolutely no one
at Carlsbad, so I sincerely regret being unable to recommend him to
anyone there, according to your desire. He did not wish, on account of
his haste, to pause even at Prague and, consequently, to deliver, at this
time, your letter to Prince Furstemberg."
PART THE THIRD
DUX
1786-1798
I