In the year 1695, a Piedmontese, who stiled himself Count Caraffa, came
to Vienna, and privately waited on the prime minister, pretending he was
sent by the duke of Savoy on a very important affair, which they two
were to negotiate without the privity of the French court. At the same
time he produced his credentials, in which the duke’s seal and signature
were very exactly imitated. He met with a very favourable reception,
and, without affecting any privacy, took upon him the title of envoy
extraordinary from the court of Savoy. He had several conferences with
the imperial council, and made so great a figure in the most
distinguished assemblies, that once at a private concert at court, the
captain of the guard, denying him admittance, he demanded satisfaction
in his master’s name, and the officer was obliged to ask his pardon. His
first care was to ingratiate himself with the jesuits, who at that time
bore a great sway at court; and in order to this, he went to visit their
church, which remained unfinished, they pretended from the low
circumstances of the society, he asked them how much money would
complete it. An estimate to the amount of two thousand louis-d’ors being
laid before him, Caraffa assured them of his constant attachment to
their order; that he had gladly embraced such a public opportunity of
shewing his esteem for them, and that they might immediately proceed to
finishing their church. In consequence of his promise, he sent that very
day the two thousand louis-d’ors, at which sum the charge had been
computed.
He was very sensible this was a part he could not act long without being
detected; and that this piece of generosity might not be at his own
expence, he invited a great number of ladies of the first rank to supper
and a ball. Every one of the guests had promised to be there; but he
complained to them all of the ill returns made to his civilities,
adding, that he had been often disappointed, as the ladies made no
scruple of breaking their word on such occasions, and, in a jocular way,
insisted on a pledge from every lady for their appearance at the time
appointed. One gave him a ring, another a pearl necklace, a third a pair
of earings, a fourth a gold watch, and several such trinkets, to the
amount of twelve thousand dollars. On the evening appointed not one of
the guests were missing; but it may easily be conceived, what a damp it
struck upon the whole assembly, when it was at last found that the gay
Piedmontese was a sharper, and had disappeared. Nor had the jesuits any
great reason to applaud themselves on the success of their
dissimulation; for a few days before his departure, the pretended count,
putting on an air of deep concern, placed himself in the way of the
emperor’s confessor, who inquiring into the cause of his apparent
melancholy, he intrusted him with the important secret, that he was
short of money at a juncture when eight thousand louis-d’ors were
immediately wanted for his master’s affairs, to be distributed at the
imperial court. The jesuits, to whom he had given a recent instance of
his liberality by so large a donation, immediately furnished him with
the sum he wanted; and with this acquisition, and the ladies pledges, he
thought he had carried his jests far enough, and very prudently withdrew
from Vienna.
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