He who censures with modesty will praise with sincerity.
* * * * *
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THE VICTIM OF MAGICAL DELUSION.
_OR, INTERESTING MEMOIRS OF MIGUEL, DUKE DE CA*I*A._
Unfolding Many Curious Unknown Historical Facts.
_Translated from the German of Tschink._
(Continued from page 38.)
“I have made my first attack upon Miguel and his tutor. Knowing by their
own declaration on their examination, which road they intended to take,
I made haste to get the start of them, accompanied by my two servants,
and waited for them at the skirts of the forest of ***ulano, three miles
distant from the next town. Wishing to make a surprising and lasting
impression upon their mind, I chose the most whimsical dress. An old
tattered coat, which was composed of numberless patches, and a new
embroidered satin waistcoat, which reached down to my knees, gave me a
very singular appearance; the rest of my body was naked. I had fastened
to my chin a long artificial white beard, which accorded very little
with my black hair. As soon as Miguel’s chaise came to the spot where I
was lying in ambush, I limped forth upon my crutches and begged the
tutor to give me his shoes and stockings. It would have highly amused
your Excellency if you had seen the astonishment which my unexpected
boldness created. The old gentleman seemed at first to be very unwilling
to comply with my extraordinary request; however, when I persisted in my
prayer with the impudence of an experienced beggar, without minding his
menaces and curses, and did not stir from the window of the coach; he
condescended at length to grant my request. When he stooped down to
unfasten his shoe-buckles, I perceived a letter-case, lying by his side
on the seat, which he probably had pulled out of his pocket with his
handkerchief, and taking with one hand his shoes and stockings, I seized
with the other the letter-case, without his perceiving it, and put it in
my pocket. Then I went to Miguel, whom I begged to give me his coat and
breeches. This new request excited the anger of the two travellers to
such a degree, that they commanded me to take myself off without delay.
Upon which I looked at Miguel with sparkling eyes, and raised such a
dreadful laughter, that they were frightened, and ordered the coachman
to go on. However, I darted suddenly forth and struck one of the horses
so violently, in a tender part, that he dropped down. This had the
desired effect. Miguel began to undress; having pulled off his breeches,
he took his purse out of the pocket and put it in a coat which the
servant had taken out of his travelling trunk, however I espied a proper
opportunity while Miguel was putting on a new pair of breeches, and
pilfered his purse. When they had done dressing and undressing,
I thanked them for their donation, warning them at the same time not to
take lodging at the principal inn of the town and to repair again after
three days, at a fixed hour, to the same spot where we then were. Then I
hobbled with my booty towards the forest, where I contemplated piece
after piece, with more satisfaction than a general feels after a gained
battle. And indeed, although the deed I had performed was not of the
heroic kind, yet it was no trifling action to have demanded and
received, of the son of a Duke his coat and breeches, and of a Count his
shoes and stockings, armed with no other weapon but my crutches, and
dressed in the garments of a miserable beggar. Every one must confess,
that this attempt would never have succeeded, if an uncommon degree of
resolution, boldness, firmness, and presence of mind had not been at my
command, not to mention the seisure of the letter-case and Miguel’s
purse, that every pick-pocket would have effected with equal success.
However, this action is for Miguel and his tutor, of no less importance
than the former. I have gained a great advantage, my first interview
with them having been attended with incidents which, for many reasons,
will make a deep impression on their mind. I have now the courage to
risk bolder attempts with the certain hope of success. Even the
conspirators to whom I have sent by one of my servants the pieces of
dress which I have got, along with a brief account of my taking
possession of them, will look upon these trophies as pledges of far
greater victories which I have engaged to gain over Miguel, and for
which every preparation has been made. I did not without reason select
the spot on the skirts of the forest of ***ulano for the scene of
action, for in that forest stands a castle which formerly belonged to
the Prince of Ge***, and at present is inhabited by the Countess of
Clairval, that enthusiast of whom I have given a description to your
Excellency in my last letter. I intend to allure Miguel to her
residence, when he shall come to the place of rendezvous. And he
certainly will not miss the appointment; for if he does not come out of
curiosity, the hope of regaining the purse and the letter-case, which he
knows to be in my possession, will make him keep the assignation. And I
shall certainly restore these things to him, for I wish to appear to him
to be an extraordinary man, but not a pick-pocket; however, he shall
receive them no where, but at the castle of the Countess. I have formed
a plan to that purpose, which promises to be of important consequences,
and shall be laid before your Excellency in my next letter.
“It was also not without proper reason, that I advised Miguel not to
lodge at the principal inn of the town, for I wanted to know, by his
regarding or disregarding this caution, whether my words had made an
impression on his mind, and found credit with him or not. For that
reason I went in the dusk of the evening to the town, accompanied by my
servant, and dressed in a common unsuspected garb, taking apartments at
the inn against which I had cautioned him, in order to know whether he
had followed my advice. But alas! I have been rather too sanguine in my
hope, for Miguel and his tutor are at present in that very inn: however,
I will punish him for it in such a manner, that he shall have reason to
repent his having slighted my advice. With that view I have taken an
apartment close by his, and I must beg your Excellency to give me leave
to lay down the pen and to act, for midnight is set in, and the time for
executing my plan is at hand.
“I am, &c. &c.”
The following sheet contained the continuation of this letter.
“Wonderful things have happened since I had the honour to write to your
Excellency! My designs have a rapid success, and fortune herself seems
to favour them. I had formed a plan to chastise Miguel and his tutor for
their disobedience; however, the execution of this design has been
interrupted by an accident, which has assisted me to gain my aim in a
more glorious manner than I ever could have expected. I had already put
on the garb of a monk, which I had brought with me in my portmanteau,
had fastened the white beard (which however had been almost set on fire
by the candle) to my chin, and was going to execute my plan, when a
sudden alarm of fire disturbed the house. The pressing danger not
allowing me to change my dress, I effected my escape in my disguise, and
concealing my portmanteau which I had fortunately saved in a remote
corner, I took with my servant a position which rendered it impossible
for Miguel and his tutor to get out of the house without my seeing it.
However, my anxiety rose to the highest degree, when the fire had
consumed already the greatest part of the house, and Miguel was still in
it. My apprehensions had reached the highest summit, when I suddenly saw
him and his tutor rush out of the burning building. My servant, whom I
had ordered to watch carefully every word and motion of theirs, was
close at their heels, while I followed him at a small distance,
concealing my face with my hood. They had no sooner stopped, than Miguel
recollected that he had left the picture of his mother upon the table;
he valued it so high, that he would have gone back to fetch it, if his
tutor had not retained him forcibly. My servant, who gave me this
intelligence, suffered himself to be persuaded by his love for me, and
the ten ducats which I offered to him, to attempt saving it. Pretending
to assist in extinguishing the flames, he requested one of the firemen
to give him a wet blanket, wrapped himself in it, got safe into the
house, went to Miguel’s apartment, seized the picture, which was lying
upon the table, and jumped out of the window, which was not higher than
one pair of stairs, in order to avoid the dangerous retreat through the
house. He pushed through the multitude, who were loudly admiring his
boldness, and gave me the picture. I returned it to Miguel, reproaching
him severely for having slighted my advice. He was astonished, and
looked alternately at me and the picture. I espied a favourable
opportunity, concealed myself behind my servant; and stooping down,
untied my beard, and pulled off my monk’s garb unobserved by the
multitude, whose attention was entirely taken up by the fire. I could
not help laughing when Miguel, after he had gazed some time at the
picture, took my servant by the arm, mistaking him for me, and
perceiving his error, enquired in vain all around for me, though I was
not six steps distant from him.
“These events could not fail to strengthen the first impression which I
had made upon him in the disguise of a beggar, and to make him believe
that I could be nothing less than a soothsayer, and a worker of
miracles. This was just what I wanted, for it increased his desire to
get better acquainted with me, and made him impatient to meet me the
third day at the appointed place.
“Your Excellency may easily think that I was not idle during this
interval, and did not omit to make the proper preparations for Miguel’s
reception. My principal care was to gain the servants of the Countess,
to whose house I intended to introduce him, that I might act my part at
the castle without the knowledge of the lady, at the same time I
endeavoured to attain a thorough knowledge of all the roads and
bye-paths, of all the bushes and haunts of the forest, in order to
regulate my measures accordingly, and to take advantage of them as
circumstances should require. I also did not omit to train my
substitutes properly, for their respective parts which they were to act.
Their number amounted to eight experienced fellows, for my servant
Manuel, whom I had dispatched to the desolated castle, with the
above-mentioned pieces of dress, returned on the second day with six
more people, whom the conspirators had sent to my assistance, with the
assurance that I could rely upon their fidelity and activity. And,
indeed, these fellows rendered me the most essential services, as the
consequence will shew.
(_To be continued._)
* * * * *
_HINT TO THE SCHOLAR._
Learning and genius, like beauty and feminine vivacity, are to be
considered but as the ornaments of life, the essentials of which are
good temper and virtue: and wherever these latter, or either of them,
are wanting, no talents, however brilliant, can give their possessor any
genuine title to love, or even to esteem.
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_For the +New-York Weekly Magazine+._
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