augusta becomes lord pembroke’s titular mistress the king of corsica’s son — m. du claude, or the jesuit lavalette — departure of the hanoverians i balance my accounts — the baron stenau — the english girl, and what she gave me — daturi — my flight from london — comte st. germain — wesel
lord pembroke wrote to augusta offering her fifty guineas a month for three years, with lodging, board, servants, and carriage at st. albans, without reckoning what she might expect from his grateful affection if it were returned.
augusta translated the letter for me, and asked for my advice.
“i can’t give you any counsel,” said i, “in a matter which only concerns your own heart and your own interests.”
she went up to her mother, who would come to no conclusion without first consulting me, because, as she said, i was the wisest and most virtuous of men. i am afraid the reader will differ from her here, but i comfort myself by the thought that i, too, think like the reader. at last it was agreed that augusta should accept the offer if lord pembroke would find a surety in the person of some reputable london merchant, for with her beauty and numerous graces she was sure to, become lady pembroke before long. indeed, the mother said she was perfectly certain of it, as otherwise she could not have given her consent, as her daughters were countesses, and too good to be any man’s mistresses.
the consequence was that augusta wrote my lord a letter, and in three days it was all settled. the merchant duly signed the contract, at the foot of which i had the honour of inscribing my name as a witness, and then i took the merchant to the mother, and he witnessed her cession of her daughter. she would not see pembroke, but she kissed her daughter, and held a private colloquy with her.
the day on which augusta left my house was signalized by an event which i must set down.
the day after i had given the marquis petina’s future bride the required certificate, i had taken out gabrielle and hippolyta for a ride. when i got home i found waiting for me a person calling himself sir frederick, who was said to be the son of theodore, king of corsica, who had died in london. this gentleman said he wished to speak to me in private, and when we were alone he said he was aware of my acquaintance with the marquis petina, and being on the eve of discounting a bill of two hundred guineas for him he wished to be informed whether it was likely that he could meet the bill when it fell due.
“it is important that i should be informed on that point,” he added, “for the persons who are going to discount the bill want me to put my signature to it.”
“sir,” i replied, “i certainly am acquainted with the marquis, but i know nothing about his fortune. however, the neapolitan ambassador assured me that he was the marquis petina.”
“if the persons who have the matter in hand should drop it, would you discount the bill? you shall have it cheap.”
“i never meddle with these speculations. good day, sir frederick.”
the next day goudar came and said that a m. du claude wanted to speak to me.
“who is m. du claude?”
“the famous jesuit lavalette, who was concerned in the great bankruptcy case which ruined the society in france. he fled to england under a false name. i advise you to listen to him, for he must have plenty of money.”
“a jesuit and a bankrupt; that does not sound very well.”
“well, i have met him in good houses, and knowing that i was acquainted with you he addressed himself to me. after all, you run no risk in listening to what he has to say.”
“well, well, you can take me to him; it will be easier to avoid any entanglement than if he came to see me.”
goudar went to lavalette to prepare the way, and in the afternoon he took me to see him. i was well enough pleased to see the man, whose rascality had destroyed the infamous work of many years. he welcomed me with great politeness, and as soon as we were alone he shewed me a bill of petina’s, saying —
“the young man wants me to discount it, and says you can give me the necessary information.”
i gave the reverend father the same answer as i had given the king of corsica’s son, and left him angry with this marquis of misery who had given me so much needless trouble. i was minded to have done with him, and resolved to let him know through his mistress that i would not be his reference, but i could not find an opportunity that day.
the next day i took my two nymphs for a ride, and asked pembroke to dinner. in vain we waited for petina’s mistress; she was nowhere to be found. at nine o’clock i got a letter from her, with a german letter enclosed for her mother. she said that feeling certain that her mother would not give her consent to her marriage, she had eloped with her lover, who had got together enough money to go to naples, and when they reached that town he would marry her. she begged me to console her mother and make her listen to reason, as she had not gone off with an adventurer but with a man of rank, her equal. my lips curled into a smile of pity and contempt, which made the three sisters curious. i shewed them the letter i had just received, and asked them to come with me to their mother.
“not to-night,” said victoire, “this terrible news would keep her awake.”
i took her advice and we supped together, sadly enough.
i thought the poor wretch was ruined for life, and i reproached myself with being the cause of her misfortune; for if i had not released the marquis from prison this could never have happened. the marquis caraccioli had been right in saying that i had done a good deed, but a foolish one. i consoled myself in the arms of my dear gabrielle.
i had a painful scene with the mother the next morning. she cursed her daughter and her seducer, and even blamed me. she wept and stormed alternately.
it is never of any use to try and convince people in distress that they are wrong, for one may only do harm, while if they are left to themselves they soon feel that they have been unjust, and are grateful to the person who let them exhaust their grief without any contradiction.
after this event i spent a happy fortnight in the society of gabrielle, whom hippolyta and victoire looked on as my wife. she made my happiness and i made hers in all sorts of ways, but especially by my fidelity; for i treated her sisters as if they had been my sisters, shewing no recollection of the favours i had obtained from them, and never taking the slightest liberty, for i knew that friendship between women will hardly brook amorous rivalry. i had bought them dresses and linen in abundance, they were well lodged and well fed, i took them to the theatre and to the country, and the consequence was they all adored me, and seemed to think that this manner of living would go on for ever. nevertheless, i was every day nearer and nearer to moral and physical bankruptcy. i had no more money, and i had sold all my diamonds and precious stones. i still possessed my snuff-boxes, my watches, and numerous trifles, which i loved and had not the heart to sell; and, indeed, i should not have got the fifth part of what i gave for them. for a whole month i had not paid my cook, or my wine merchant, but i liked to feel that they trusted me. all i thought of was gabrielle’s love, and of this i assured myself by a thousand delicacies and attentions.
this was my condition when one day victoire came to me with sadness on her face, and said that her mother had made up her mind to return to hanover, as she had lost all hope of getting anything from the english court.
“when does she intend to leave?”
“in three or four days.”
“and is she going without telling me, as if she were leaving an inn after paying her bill?”
“on the contrary, she wishes to have a private talk with you.”
i paid her a visit, and she began by reproaching me tenderly for not coming to see her more often. she said that as i had refused her hand she would not run the risk of incurring censure or slander of any kind. “i thank you from my heart,” she added, “for all the kindness you have shewn my girls, and i am going to take the three i have left away, lest i lose them as i have lost the two eldest. if you like, you may come too and stay with us as long as you like in my pretty country house near the capital.”
of course i had to thank her and reply that my engagements did not allow me to accept her kind offer.
three days after, victoire told me, as i was getting up, that they were going on board ship at three o’clock. hippolyta and gabrielle made me come for a ride, according to a promise i had given them the night before. the poor things amused themselves, while i grieved bitterly, as was my habit when i had to separate from anyone that i loved.
when we came home i lay down on my bed, not taking any dinner, and seeing nothing of the three sisters till they had made everything ready for the journey. i got up directly before they left, so as not to see the mother in my own room, and i saw her in hers just as she was about to be taken down into my carriage, which was in readiness at the door. the impudent creature expected me to give her some money for the journey, but perceiving that i was not likely to bleed, she observed, with involuntary sincerity, that her purse contained the sum of a hundred and fifty guineas, which i had given to her daughters; and these daughters of hers were present, and sobbed bitterly.
when they were gone i closed my doors to everyone, and spent three days in the melancholy occupation of making up my accounts. in the month i had spent with the hanoverians i had dissipated the whole of the sum resulting from the sale of the precious stones, and i found that i was in debt to the amount of four hundred guineas. i resolved to go to lisbon by sea, and sold my diamond cross, six or seven gold snuff-boxes (after removing the portraits), all my watches except one, and two great trunks full of clothes. i then discharged my debts and found i was eighty guineas to the good, this being what remained of the fine fortune i had squandered away like a fool or a philosopher, or, perhaps, a little like both. i left my fine house where i had lived so pleasantly, and took a little room at a guinea a week. i still kept my negro, as i had every reason to believe him to be a faithful servant.
after taking these measures i wrote to m. de bragadin, begging him to send me two hundred sequins.
thus having made up my mind to leave london without owing a penny to anyone, and under obligations to no man’s purse, i waited for the bill of exchange from venice. when it came i resolved to bid farewell to all my friends and to try my fortune in lisbon, but such was not the fate which the fickle goddess had assigned to me.
a fortnight after the departure of the hanoverians (it was the end of february in the year 1764), my evil genius made me go to the “canon tavern,” where i usually dined in a room by myself. the table was laid and i was just going to sit down, when baron stenau came in and begged me to have my dinner brought into the next room, where he and his mistress were dining.
“i thank you,” said i, “for the solitary man grows weary of his company.”
i saw the english woman i had met at sartori’s, the same to whom the baron had been so generous. she spoke italian, and was attractive in many ways, so i was well pleased to find myself opposite to her, and we had a pleasant dinner.
after a fortnight’s abstinence it was not surprising that she inspired me with desires, but i concealed them nevertheless, for her lover seemed to respect her. i only allowed myself to tell the baron that i thought him the happiest of men.
towards the close of the dinner the girl noticed three dice on the mantel and took them up, saying —
“let us have a wager of a guinea, and spend it on oysters and champagne.”
we could not refuse, and the baron having lost called the waiter and gave him his orders.
while we were eating the oysters she suggested that we should throw again to see which should pay for the dinner.
we did so and she lost.
i did not like my luck, and wishing to lose a couple of guineas i offered to throw against the baron. he accepted, and to my annoyance i won. he asked for his revenge and lost again.
“i don’t want to win your money,” said i, “and i will give you your revenge up to a hundred guineas.”
he seemed grateful and we went on playing, and in less than half an hour he owed me a hundred guineas.
“let us go on,” said he.
“my dear baron, the luck’s against you; you might lose a large sum of money. i really think we have had enough.”
without heeding my politeness, he swore against fortune and against the favour i seemed to be shewing him. finally he got up, and taking his hat and cane, went out, saying —
“i will pay you when i come back.”
as soon as he had gone the girl said:
“i am sure you have been regarding me as your partner at play.”
“if you have guessed that, you will also have guessed that i think you charming.”
“yes, i think i have.”
“are you angry with me?”
“not in the least.”
“you shall have the fifty guineas as soon as he has paid me.”
“very good, but the baron must know nothing about it.”
“of course not.”
the bargain was scarcely struck before i began to shew her how much i loved her. i had every reason to congratulate myself on her complaisance, and i thought this meeting a welcome gleam of light when all looked dark around me. we had to make haste, however, as the door was only shut with a catch. i had barely time to ascertain her address and the hour at which she could see me, and whether i should have to be careful with her lover. she replied that the baron’s fidelity was not of a character to make him very exacting. i put the address in my pocket, and promised to pass a night with her.
the baron came in again, and said —
“i have been to a merchant to discount this bill of exchange, and though it is drawn on one of the best house in cadiz, and made out by a good house in london, he would not have anything to do with it.”
i took the bill and saw some millions mentioned on it, which astonished me.
the baron said with a laugh that the currency was portuguese milries, and that they amounted to five hundred pounds sterling.
“if the signatures are known,” said i, “i don’t understand why the man won’t discount it. why don’t you take it to your banker?”
“i haven’t got one. i came to england with a thousand gold pieces in my pocket, and i have spent them all. as i have not got any letters of credit i cannot pay you unless the bill is discounted. if you have got any friends on the exchange, however, you could get it done.”
“if the names prove good ones i will let you have the money to-morrow morning.”
“then i will make it payable to your order.”
he put his name to it, and i promised to send him either the money or the bill before noon on the day following. he gave me his address and begged me to come and dine with him, and so we parted.
the next day i went to bosanquet, who told me that mr. leigh was looking out for bills of exchange on cadiz, and i accordingly waited on him. he exclaimed that such paper was worth more than gold to him, and gave me five hundred and twenty guineas, of course after i had endorsed it.
i called on the baron and gave him the money i had just received, and he thanked me and gave me back the hundred guineas. afterwards we had dinner, and fell to talking of his mistress.
“are you in love with her?” said i.
“no; i have plenty of others, and if you like her you can have her for ten guineas.”
i liked this way of putting it, though i had not the slightest idea of cheating the girl out of the sum i had promised her. on leaving the baron i went to see her, and as soon as she heard that the baron had paid me she ordered a delicious supper, and made me spend a night that obliterated all my sorrows from my memory. in the morning, when i handed over the fifty guineas, she said that as a reward for the way in which i kept my promise i could sup with her whenever i liked to spend six guineas. i promised to come and see her often.
the next morning i received a letter through the post, written in bad italian, and signed, “your obedient godson, daturi.” this godson of mine was in prison for debt, and begged me to give him a few shillings to buy some food.
i had nothing particular to do, the appellation of godson made me curious, and so i went to the prison to see daturi, of whose identity i had not the slightest idea. he was a fine young man of twenty; he did not know me, nor i him. i gave him his letter, and begging me to forgive him he drew a paper from his pocket and shewed me his certificate of baptism, on which i saw my own name inscribed beside his name and those of his father and mother, the parish of venice, where he was born, and the church in which he was baptized; but still i racked my memory in vain; i could not recollect him.
“if you will listen to me,” he said, “i can set you right; my mother has told me the story a hundred times.”
“go on,” said i, “i will listen;” and as he told his story i remembered who he was.
this young man whom i had held at the font as the son of the actor daturi was possibly my own son. he had come to london with a troupe of jugglers to play the illustrious part of clown, or pagliazzo, but having quarrelled with the company he had lost his place and had got into debt to the extent of ten pounds sterling, and for this debt he had been imprisoned. without saying anything to him about my relations with his mother, i set him free on the spot, telling him to come to me every morning, as i would give him two shillings a day for his support.
a week after i had done this good work i felt that i had caught the fearful disease from which the god mercury had already delivered me three times, though with great danger and peril of my life. i had spent three nights with the fatal english woman, and the misfortune was doubly inconvenient under the circumstances. i was on the eve of a long sea voyage, and though venus may have risen from the waves of the sea, sea air is by no means favourable to those on whom she has cast her malign aspect. i knew what to do, and resolved to have my case taken in hand without delay.
i left my house, not with the intention of reproaching the english woman after the manner of fools, but rather of going to a good surgeon, with whom i could make an agreement to stay in his house till my cure was completed.
i had my trunks packed just as if i was going to leave london, excepting my linen, which i sent to my washerwoman who lived at a distance of six miles from town, and drove a great trade.
the very day i meant to change my lodging a letter was handed to me. it was from mr. leigh, and ran as follows:
“the bill of exchange i discounted for you is a forgery, so please to send me at your earliest convenience the five hundred and twenty guineas; and if the man who has cheated you will not reimburse the money, have him arrested. for heaven’s sake do not force me to have you arrested to-morrow, and whatever you do make haste, for this may prove a hanging matter.”
fortunately i was by myself when i received the letter. i fell upon my bed, and in a moment i was covered with a cold sweat, while i trembled like a leaf. i saw the gallows before me, for nobody would lend me the money, and they would not wait for my remittance from venice to reach me.
to my shuddering fit succeeded a burning fever. i loaded my pistols, and went out with the determination of blowing out baron stenau’s brains, or putting him under arrest if he did not give me the money. i reached his house, and was informed that he had sailed for lisbon four days ago.
this baron stenau was a livonian, and four months after these events he was hanged at lisbon. i only anticipate this little event in his life because i might possibly forget it when i come to my sojourn at riga.
as soon as i heard he was gone i saw there was no remedy, and that i must save myself. i had only ten or twelve guineas left, and this sum was insufficient. i went to treves, a venetian jew to whom i had a letter from count algarotti, the venetian banker. i did not think of going to bosanquet, or sanhel, or salvador, who might possibly have got wind of my trouble, while treves had no dealings with these great bankers, and discounted a bill for a hundred sequins readily enough. with the money in my pocket i made my way to my lodging, while deadly fear dogged every step. leigh had given me twenty-four hours’ breathing time, and i did not think him capable of breaking his word, still it would not do to trust to it. i did not want to lose my linen nor three fine suits of clothes which my tailor was keeping for me, and yet i had need of the greatest promptitude.
i called in jarbe and asked him whether he would prefer to take twenty guineas and his dismissal, or to continue in my service. i explained that he would have to wait in london for a week, and join me at the place from which i wrote to him.
“sir,” said he, “i should like to remain in your service, and i will rejoin you wherever you please. when are you leaving?”
“in an hour’s time; but say not a word, or it will cost me my life.”
“why can’t you take me with you?”
“because i want you to bring my linen which is at the wash, and my clothes which the tailor is making. i will give you sufficient money for the journey.”
“i don’t want anything. you shall pay me what i have spent when i rejoin you. wait a moment.”
he went out and came back again directly, and holding out sixty guineas, said —
“take this, sir, i entreat you, my credit is good for as much more in case of need.”
“i thank you, my good fellow, but i will not take your money, but be sure i will not forget your fidelity.”
my tailor lived close by and i called on him, and seeing that my clothes were not yet made up i told him that i should like to sell them, and also the gold lace that was to be used in the trimming. he instantly gave me thirty guineas which meant a gain to him of twenty- five per cent. i paid the week’s rent of my lodging, and after bidding farewell to my negro i set out with daturi. we slept at rochester, as my strength would carry me no farther. i was in convulsions, and had a sort of delirium. daturi was the means of saving my life.
i had ordered post-horses to continue our journey, and daturi of his own authority sent them back and went for a doctor, who pronounced me to be in danger of an apoplectic fit and ordered a copious blood- letting, which restored my calm. six hours later he pronounced me fit to travel. i got to dover early in the morning, and had only half an hour to stop, as the captain of the packet said that the tide would not allow of any delay. the worthy sailor little knew how well his views suited mine. i used this half hour in writing to jarbe, telling him to rejoin me at calais, and mrs. mercier, my landlady, to whom i had addressed the letter, wrote to tell me that she had given it him with her own hands. however, jarbe did not come. we shall hear more of this negro in the course of two years.
the fever and the virus that was in my blood put me in danger of my life, and on the third day i was in extremis. a fourth blood-letting exhausted my strength, and left me in a state of coma which lasted for twenty-four hours. this was succeeded by a crisis which restored me to life again, but it was only by dint of the most careful treatment that i found myself able to continue my journey a fortnight after my arrival in france.
weak in health, grieved at having been the innocent cause of the worthy mr. leigh’s losing a large sum of money, humiliated by my flight from london, indignant with jarbe, and angry at being obliged to abandon my portuguese project, i got into a post-chaise with daturi, not knowing where to turn or where to go, or whether i had many more weeks to live.
i had written to venice asking m. de bragadin to send the sum i have mentioned to brussels instead of london.
when i got to dunkirk, the day after i left paris, the first person i saw was the merchant s— — the husband of that therese whom my readers may remember, the niece of tiretta’s mistress, with whom i had been in love seven years ago. the worthy man recognized me, and seeing his astonishment at the change in my appearance i told him i was recovering from a long illness, and then asked after his wife.
“she is wonderfully well,” he answered, “and i hope we shall have the pleasure of seeing you to dinner tomorrow.”
i said i wanted to be off at day-break, but he would not hear of it, and protested he would be quite hurt if i went away without seeing his wife and his three children. at last i appeased him by saying that we would sup together.
my readers will remember that i had been on the point of marrying therese, and this circumstance made me ashamed of presenting myself to her in such a sorry plight.
in a quarter of an hour the husband arrived with his wife and three children, the eldest of whom looked, about six. after the usual greetings and tiresome enquiries after my health, therese sent back the two younger children, rightly thinking that the eldest would be the only one in whom i should take any interest. he was a charming boy; and as he was exactly like his mother, the worthy merchant had no doubts as to the parentage of the child.
i laughed to myself at finding my offspring thus scattered all over europe. at supper therese gave me news of tiretta. he had entered the dutch east india company’s service, but having been concerned in a revolt at batavia, he had only escaped the gallows by flight — i had my own thoughts as to the similarity between his destiny and mine, but i did not reveal them. after all it is an easy enough matter for an adventurous man, who does not look where he is going, to get hanged for a mere trifle.
the next day, when i got to tournay, i saw some grooms walking fine horses up and down, and i asked to whom they belonged.
“‘to the comte de st. germain, the adept, who has been here a month, and never goes out. everybody who passes through the place wants to see him; but he is invisible.”
this was enough to give me the same desire, so i wrote him a letter, expressing my wish to speak to him, and asking him to name an hour. his reply, which i have preserved, ran as follows:
“the gravity of my occupation compels me to exclude everyone, but you are an exception. come whenever you like, you will be shewn in. you need not mention my name nor your own. i do not ask you to share my repast, far my food is not suitable to others — to you least of all, if your appetite is what it used to be.”
at nine o’clock i paid my call, and found he had grown a beard two inches long. he had a score of retorts before him, full of liquids in various stages of digestion. he told me he was experimenting with colours for his own amusement, and that he had established a hat factory for count cobenzl, the austrian ambassador at brussels. he added that the count had only given him a hundred and fifty thousand florins, which were insufficient. then we spoke of madame d’urfe.
“she poisoned herself,” said he, “by taking too strong a dose of the universal medicine, and her will shews that she thought herself to be with child. if she had come to me, i could have really made her so, though it is a difficult process, and science has not advanced far enough for us to be able to guarantee the sex of the child.”
when he heard the nature of my disease, he wanted me to stay three days at tournay for him to give me fifteen pills, which would effectually cure me, and restore me to perfect health. then he shewed me his magistrum, which he called athoeter. it was a white liquid contained in a well-stoppered phial. he told me that this liquid was the universal spirit of nature, and that if the wax on the stopper was pricked ever so lightly, the whole of the contents would disappear. i begged him to make the experiment. he gave me the phial and a pin, and i pricked the wax, and to lo! the phial was empty.
“it is very fine,” said i, “but what good is all this?”
“i cannot tell you; that is my secret.”
he wanted to astonish me before i went, and asked me if i had any money about me. i took out several pieces and put them on the table. he got up, and without saying what he was going to do he took a burning coal and put it on a metal plate, and placed a twelve-sols piece with a small black grain on the coal. he then blew it, and in two minutes it seemed on fire.
“wait a moment,” said the alchemist, “let it get cool;” and it cooled almost directly.
“take it; it is yours,” said he.
i took up the piece of money and found it had become gold. i felt perfectly certain that he had smuggled my silver piece away, and had substituted a gold piece coated with silver for it. i did not care to tell him as much, but to let him see that i was not taken in, i said —
“it is really very wonderful, but another time you should warn me what you are going to do, so that the operation might be attentively watched, and the piece of money noted before being placed on the burning coal.”
“those that are capable of entertaining doubts of my art,” said the rogue, “are not worthy to speak to me.”
this was in his usual style of arrogance, to which i was accustomed. this was the last time i saw this celebrated and learned impostor; he died at schlesing six or seven years after. the piece of money he gave me was pure gold, and two months after field-marshal keith took such a fancy to it that i gave it him.
i left tournay the next morning, and stopped at brussels to await the answer of the letter which i had written to m. de bragadin. five days after i got the letter with a bill of exchange for two hundred ducats.
i thought of staying in brussels to get cured, but daturi told me that he had heard from a rope-dancer that his father and mother and the whole family were at brunswick, and he persuaded me to go there, assuring me that i should be carefully looked after.
he had not much difficulty in getting me to go to brunswick, as i was curious to see again the mother of my godson, so i started the same day. at ruremonde i was so ill that i had to stop for thirty-six hours. at wesel i wished to get rid of my post-chaise, for the horses of the country are not used to going between shafts, but what was my surprise to meet general bekw there.
after the usual compliments had passed, and the general had condoled with me on my weak state of health, he said he should like to buy my chaise and exchange it for a commodious carriage, in which i could travel all over germany. the bargain was soon struck, and the general advised me to stay at wesel where there was a clever young doctor from the university of leyden, who would understand my case better than the brunswick physicians.
nothing is easier than to influence a sick man, especially if he be in search of fortune, and knows not where to look for the fickle goddess. general bekw — — who was in garrison at wesel, sent for dr. pipers, and was present at my confession and even at the examination.
i will not revolt my readers by describing the disgusting state in which i was, suffice it to say that i shudder still when i think of it.
the young doctor, who was gentleness personified, begged me to come and stay with him, promising that his mother and sisters should take the greatest care of me, and that he would effect a radical cure in the course of six weeks if i would carry out all his directions. the general advised me strongly to stay with the doctor, and i agreed all the more readily as i wished to have some amusement at brunswick and not to arrive there deprived of the use of all my limbs. i therefore gave in, but the doctor would not hear of any agreement. he told me that i could give him whatever i liked when i went away, and he would certainly be satisfied. he took his leave to go and make my room ready, and told me to come in an hour’s time. i went to his house in a sedan-chair, and held a handkerchief before my face, as i was ashamed that the young doctor’s mother and sisters should see me in the state i was in.
as soon as i got to my room, daturi undressed me and i went to bed.
