1952

CARLO GOLDONI.

Oliver Goldsmith,I do not know any

1FTEE
figurein the history(if litemture
take the gentlereader's liking
Italian comic
more
that should

draiaalist,Carlo Golduni.
than the

These two ohariningwriters are not unlike in cerlaia

particulars of their lives. They were both children of
that easy-goingeighteenth century, of the period hetbre
its grief's began with the French Revolution,and as
Irishman and Venetian they might very naturally have
been allied in temperament ; the American traveller is
nowhere more vividlyreminded of a certain class of
adoptive lellow-ciiLsens than in Venice. Moreover,
they had both the vagabondizinginstinct, and were
sesthetifiwanderers,Goldsmith all over Europe, and
Goldoni up and down Italy,t^ die after many years
of self-exilein France. They were alike in their half
education for the medical profession, and alike in
abandoningthat respectablescience for the groves of
Academe, nut to say Bohemia ; Goldoni,indeed,left
the law and several other useful and grave ments
employ-
for those shades, which are not haunts of

floweryease, after aU. But these authors are even ^

6 CAHLO GOLDONI.

miire alike id certain

engaging qualities of miD"f than
iu their external circurastancee. If the English essay-
ist
was vastl;higher in the theorythan iu ihe conduct
of life,poor tioMoni had his luort^ideaa,too, and tried
to teach in his comedies purity,good faith,and other
virtues which were foolishness to most of the world by
whose dvor he must live. He resembled Goldsmith in
the amiabilityof his satire,the exquisitenaturalness
of his charateiization, the simplicityof his literary
motive ; bat he was do poet, though a genius,and he
falls below Goldsmith in this rather than in respect
of the moralityhe taught.
Perhaps Dr. Goldsmith would have been but little
pleasedto be compared with the Venetian dramatist,
if the coinparisoD had beeo made Id his lifetime, for if
he ever heard of Goldoni at all, it must have been in
scornful terms from that Joseph Barretti who dwelt in
London and cimsorted with. Doctor Johnson, and had
wielded upon his Italian brethren a Frusta Letteraria,
or LiteraryLash (as he called his ferocious critical
papers), that drew blood: Barretti despisedGoldoni
for a farceur of low degree,not being able to see the
truth and power of his comedies,and used t"i speak of
him as "one Charles Goldoni." Nevertheless,if the
Venetian could have brought himself to leave the de- lights
of Paris long enough to pay that visit to Lon-don
which the Italian operoticcompany once desired
(if him, he might have met Goldsmith ; and then I am
sure that the founder and master of the natural school
of English Action would have liked the inventor of
realistic Italian comedy. At any rate Goldoni would
have liked Goldsmith. The Spectator
was the fashion
at Venice as well as at London in Goldoni's day; it
had formed the taste for the kind of writingin which
 CARLO GOLDONI. 7

Grnldsinith excelled,and The Citizen of the World

would have found an admirer in
intelligent a man who
knew
helplessly as much of the world as himself.
I wish with all my heart that these amiable thors
au-

were aliltein having both written their memoirs.

What a treasure would not the of Gold-
antijhiography smith
he, writteD with the fulness and frankness of
Goldoni's ! What would
give for such a pic-
we turenot

of London lifeas Goldoni paintsof Venetian life

in the firsthalf of the last century I I fiincy the his-
tory
of Goldsmith written hy himself with the same
gentlenessand for^ving mildness and humorous self-
satire as Goldoni's ; more of these qualities it could not
have ; and I doubt if in the whole range of autobiog-
raphy
one can find anythingof a cheerfuUer sweetness.
I have personally to be glad that his memoirs was one

of the firstbooks which fell into my hands when I went

tolive in Venice, and that I read it togetherwith bis
comedies, Bo that the romantic citybecame earlyhu-
manized
through the lifeand
to me labors of the kindly
dramatist The " largeand beautiful house " in which
Goldoni says he was bom, between the bridgesof the
Cnuckle-bone and the Honest Woman (theVenetian
street nomenclature is much of it deliciouslyquaint),
is stillshown to strangers;and I have no doubt but
at CbiozzA, where mut^h of his boyhood was passed,
they could find you, lor a very small sura, manypalaeea
in which he lived. At any rate, when you visit that
smaller and forlomer Venice, twenty-five
miles away
in the lagoons,you cannot have a pleasanterassocia-
tion
with it than the dramatist's memory. Ooldoni
will tell you that ho was always returningto Chiozza
from whatever misadventure be- met with elsewhere,
until he finallyfled the lagoons to escape marriage
8 CARLO GOLDONI.

with a young lady of that cityto whom he had inad-

vertently
betrotheil himself. It was here that his
mother remained, while his father tried to establish
himself,at this cityand that,in his* profession of phy-
eician,and vainly placed his son at one school and
another, and was always on the point of making his
fortune. They were of a gay, improvidentModeneM

raee, and from the time when Goldoni's gnind"ther

came to Venice and outshone all the patricians in the
wasteful splendorof hia villa on the Brenta,to the very
last year of the dramatist's life amid the earlydays of
the French Revolution,his career seems to have been

pn)Yidentially enriched by every strange eiperienco

that could fitinto the hand of a cjimic author. What
better fortune for a man destined
comedy than to write
that he should run away from school at Rimini, and
come back by sea with a company of strollingplayers
in their bark to Chiozza ; or that from, the collegeof

Pavia, where his father afterwards placed him, he

ahould be expelled for writinga lampo6n on the princi-
pal
families of the city? He tells us how he was stantly
in-
smitten with shame and remorse, and sixtyyears
later,when his memoirs, he is still on
he writes his
knees to such of the good peopleas have so long vived
sur-

the wrong he did them. But in the mean time

there was that Dominican friar who accompanied him

home, that friarwho confessed him and took all his

little money from him in penance, and then fell asleep
amidst the tale of his remaming sins ; a ftiarforever
preciousto the imagination! And there was the pic-
turesqu
and mehidramatlc family dismay when he
reached home ; his father's wrath, his mother's tears !
It is aU like a chapterof Gil Bias.
Goldoui was stUl very young, and he had a very
 CARLO GOLDONI. 9

good heart ; he had been cajoled

into hia satire hj
aoniQ mnlicioug fellow -students,and the lesson that
humanity is ahove literature came to him mercifully
early. He was thereafter the fouDder of a school that
cnoobled satire
by dispersonallzing it. As regarded
his dramatic career, his expulsioofrom college was "b

advantage. It made him the companion of his father

in his medical practiceat Chiozza, where he saw

a strange and iastructlve side of life; and latr he waa

his father's fellow-traveUer on a journey into Gormauy

and a long sojonm iu the Friuli, where he constantly

enriched himself with curious experiences, whatever
were his father's giuns.
There must have been largenumbers of Italians in
the eighteenthcentury who did enjoythemselves,
not
but wherever you find them in memoirs they seem to
be having the best of times : eating, drinking,singing,
gaming, masking, making love rightand left; there
is apparentlyno end to their pleasures.This is the
impressionof Italian life that remains in one's mind
from Goldoni's recollections of his light-hearted youth.
They have theatricals in all the houses where he vis- its

; and he who began manager in his childhood with

a pappet-show is naturally turned to dramatic account

in those cheerful palaces. Wherever he goes, now
with his father, or later,when he passes from one city
to another on his own changing occasions,he has
nothingto do hut to amuse and to be amused. If it is
in the Venetian dependencies,he calb upon the patri-
dan governor, and stays at least two weeks with him ;
if it is in distant countries like Milan or Modena or

Parma, he is the guest of the Serenest Republic's

en-
voy,

an with no more to do than an ican

Amer-

envoy
to be to be profuse,
to be
minister,except gay,
10 CAKLO GOLDONI.

elegant,to ornament society,and to patronize the

bowing and obsequious (trts. Wliat a channing epoch !
Life is everywherea parly of pleasure. There is a cer-
tain

journey of Goldoni's (in one of his college\acA-

tioQB^,dowD the Po and over the lagoon to Chiozza,
which strilteaone even at this distance of time and

epaee with intolerable envy : ten young gentlemen and

their servants,in a luxuriously appointed barge,drift-
ing

idlydown the current, and nowise concerned about

arriving anywhere. Tbey all,save Goldoni, play
upon some instrument,and he, who cannot play,can
rhyme the incidents of the voyage. The peasants for-
sake
their fields and floclisas the happy voyagers pass,
and crowd the banks of the stream ; when the chanted
en-

barge halts at night near some town the citi-

zens

throngit with invitations to every sort of gayety;

the nobles from their villas send
hospitablyto arrest
the wanderers ; itis a long progress of delight, under
skies forever blue,among shores forever green. Ah,
to have been young and rich and well- bom In that day!
Or to have been a Venetian office-holder in times
when the government was the affair of the rich and
amiable patrician families who had the tasle to choose
such friends as
young Goldoni, and to make their
work to them
agreeable ! The render must go to his
autobiography
for the account of the prolongedpicnic
of young gentlemen and ladies who followed the chan-
oellor'acoadjutorGoldoni into the woods of Feltre to
stay the depredationsupon the government timber.
The expedition provedalmost fatal to Goldoni's peace ;
for he tells you how he fell in love with one of the

young ladies,and how "curiously"he reasoned him-

self
out of the imprudence of malting her his wife by

?wnsidering,Italian-like,
that if the "tigues of the
 CARLO GOLDONI. 11

Journey had so great effect upon her,she would fade

and age early,aud ao leave him to despair!

It ie hard to realize that all this junketingguea on

amidst pretty continual fighting.Spaniardsand Ana-
trians and Frenchmen are always down there in Italy"

cutting one another's throats,and every now and then

interruptingwith a siegeor a hattle the Italian party

of pleasure. The Italians take the interruption as

philosophically as they can, and as soon as the dead

are buried and the firesput out go on with their amuse-
ments

aa before. Of course a man predestinedto writ*

comedy must often be taken at a disadvautageby
these wars, and Goldoni'a memoirs owe some of their
most entertaining chaptersto his misadventures among
combatants with whom personallyand nationallyb
was at peace. The republicof Venice had long main- tained
her neutrality (thoughher territory was violated
at will by the belligerents) amidst the ever-renewed
hostilitiesof the barbarians who foughtout their quar- rels
on Italian ground, and she did not meddle with
that brief war which the Cardinal Fleuryand the Em- peror
Charles VI. set going between thein about the

Pragmatic Sanctiou and the election of the Polish

lung in 1729. It all resuhed in the succession of Maria
Theresa to the Imperial throne, in the establish-
ment
of the Spanish Bourbons in Naples, and the
house of Lorraine in Tuscany; but in the mean time

Goldoni, being a Venetian,had not even the tempered

interest in the war of those Italians whom its event
was to give this master or that. One
morning, fine

being now attached ti" the Venetian embassy in Milan,

he is roused by his servant with the news that the city
is in the hands of the Sardinians,who have joinedthe
French and Spanish side. This is annoying to a gen-
12 CARLO GOLDONL

tleman who has alreadj'

eo far entrred upon a literary
career as to have written an unsuccessful opera (there
is nothinginore Gil-Blas-like thitiihis aceouut of bow
the singerslaugh it to scnm), but Gcldoni is above
everythingcheerful,and he retires uncomplainingly
with the embassy Ui Creina, tii be out of the way of
the bombardment of the Milanese citadel;and ^am
Cretna he shortlyafterwards goes to Parma, where,
standingon the citywall,he witnesses the once fumous
battle of that name. The next day he sees the dead,
twenty thousand men, strippednaked over night,and
strewn in infinite sliapes of mutilation and horror over
the field;and, having by tltistime resignedbis office
under the Venetian envoy, he gladlyquits Panna for
the territories of the republic.
Never were misfortunes more bUthely narrated tliaii
those which beset him on this journey. He is first of
all thingsan author,and you shall read in his memoirs

how, amidst these scenes of violence and carnage, he

has been industriously contrivinga play : his Belisa-
lius, which he carries with Mm in his pooket,and
which he reads aloud to his travelling companion, a
young abb^ of literarytaste, as they drive along in
their carriagethrougli a country infested by camp fol-
lowers,
deserters from either host,and desperadoes of

every sort. Suddenlybrigandsappear, and atop at once

the carriageand the reading of Belisarius ; the liter- ary

gentlemen are glad to escax"e with their lives.

Towards nightfallGoldoni encounters some kindly
peasants at work in the field ; they take pity on him,
g^ve him to eat and drink, and bring him to their good
conS in the village. The curfi is a man of culture;
Goldoni mentions his play,the cur^ makes him a little
dinner,and ho reads his blessed Belisarius (which has
 ?CAKLO GOLDONL 13

reinalnoil safe from rapiwityof the brigands)to hb

the
host and two other ttppldusive abb^s ! What ia ad-

vemtf after all,thenf A matter of individual teiD'

perament, of race T
Goldoni repairsto Yeaice, and he does not again
quit that soft and safe retreat for ten years, during
which he establishes his fame. But at the end of that

time,his dfstinytakes him into the fighting once more;

his old friends,the FrcDchmen, the Sardinians, the

Spaniards,the Anstrians,are all at it as usual. They

are all dvil to the pleasantdramatist, however, and
treat him handsomely when he gets into trouble, and
he duly turns bis adventnres to account in comedy, with

unf;ulingenjoyment of their absurdity.

Goldoui, indeed,would not have been the c.nnning
worker in human nature that he was, if he had not

seen his own errors and their consequences with an

impartialeye. Somewhere in his comedies you will

find every one of them
used, with more or less guise,
dis-

usuallyless. He knew quitewell that he was

himself an amusing character, but for all that he recog-

nized his serious obligations to the race, and he kept a
much livelierconscience,literary and moral, than most

people of bis world. Certain things,as gaming and

intriguing, he was forced practic^lyto blink in himself
as well as others,such being the fashion of his age;
hut he wrote comedies in which the career of the
gam-
bler
was paintedin its true colore,and he helpedridi-
cule
the cavalier servenU out of existence. He seems

to have been attached

tenderly to his wife,who returned
his love with societydevoured
interest ; in a by debts
he abhorred envies, baclibitings,
debt, and amidst and

jealoumes of every kind he kept a heart nncorroded by

hatred and full of generous friendship.
14 CAELO GOLDONL

He cnrinualy
was limited in his satiricalscope. In
Veoice he could not paint a dlssoluUi or wicked noble,

or indeed put upon the stage a Venetian noble of any

sort; his nobles,therefore, were of the in-

ostensiibly ferior,
titled sort Irom the mainland. He might not so
much as name a convent in comedy ; any young lady
"
immured in a. nunnery must be mentioned fis being at
the house of an aunt," and of conrse the rices and follies
of the clergywere saered from his toueh. He drew his
characters from the citizen class but often with
chiefly,
great effect from the lowest of the people. Within the
bounds set him he jiainted
the Venice of his time bo

gracefully,
so vividly,
so truly,with so much more of
the local human nature than of the mere manners of the
age, that his playsmirror in wonderful degreethe Venice

No author purposelyand directly

ever wrote more

for the theatre than Goldoni ; in this,at least,he was

Shakespearian. He may he said to have always known
the stage ; his acquaintancewith playersbegan when
he ran awiiy from school with the strollers from Rimiui.
and it continued all his life. When he began seriously
to write comedy it was for a company of which he ally
actu-

formed a part, and he studied hU actors and kept

them as constantlyin view as the persons of his drama.
His observation was from the world at large; when he
had discovered or imagined a character he trained big
playersto his own of it. Often he wrote
concej"tion a

part especially for some comedian ; sometimes he trayed

por-
the characters of his actors in the play,and he
knew how to himself for their obstinacies,
ca-
prices,
avenge
andby good-naturedsatire
jealousies of their

recognizablequalities.
His material lay in himself and evervwhere about
 CARLO GOLDONI. 15

Min in the Venice which he knew bo well. There his

geniiu seemed to prosper most; althoughhe wrote
brilliantplayselsewhere,and lived to give the French
stage a comt-dy that had a prompt and (as those things
go) enduring success, Venice was the scene at his

greatesttriumphs. There for many years he continued

to produce one play after another with almost uninter-
rupted
good fortune,while elsewhere his inspiration
was fitfuland uncertain. The best of his hundred and
fifty
comedies are those in the soft speech of the lagoons;
the nest beet are those Italian playsof which the scene

is laid in Venice.

They simple afiairs as to plot,hut their move-

are ment

is very spirited. The dialogueis always brisk,

with a droll, natural,sarcastic humor in it that smacks
of the popularlife ; it is rarelywitty, perhapsthere

is not a memorably witty passage in all his plays;

there is no eloquence,and not oflon anything like
pathos,though now and then amidst the prevtuling

good spirils of his comedy there are touchos of real

tenderness. His art is extremelygood ; the playsare
well contrived. There are few long speeches;the

soliloquies aud the asides are few ; there are seldom

explanations or narrative statements ; the sympathetic
spectator is brieflypossessedof the situation b; the
dialogue; the rest is left to his patience,which is
nevr heavilytaxed, and to his curiosity, which is duly
piqued. I find tlie same sort of pleasurein reading
Goldoni's comedies aa in seeing them played; though
in reading,the baldness of the moralityis,of course,
more ^parent.' One ought not to smile at this mo- rality,

however, without remembering the age, the

religion, and the race to which it was addressed : to
tJiee some very elementary principles might have
noveL ?''
seemed
 16 CAJtLO GOLDONI.

I do not know how often Moli^re b Btillplnyed in

France, but in Italy, and especially in Venice,Goldoni
has hie reguliu: seaeons, and holds hie placeupon the

Btftgeaa firmlyas Shakespeare, with whom he is not

otherwise comparable; he was, as I have said,no poet.
All his countrymen are agreed aa to the vast, the
unique value of his theatre in their literature. "To
say Goldoni is M say Italian comedy," writes ToreUi
in a paper on the dramatist in his Passaggie Profill.
"The severe criticwho, in speakingof the gifts of this
bmous man, would hold him to strict account for his
many defects cannot disputethe cominoD voice which has
pronouncedthe Venetian humorist the"therand there-
storer of comedy. Goldoni,likealliUuatriousauthors, has
had his impassioneddetractors, his impassionedapolo-
gists
: they have foughtover his fame, for and against;
they have discussed the marvellous subtletyof his dia-
l"^neand the poverty of his diction. But the true judges
of Goldoni were not the detractors,nor the apologists,
nor the commentators, nor the libellers; his tme judges
were the peoplein pit,the spectatorssurprised
the by the
truth of the characters which he had studied from life,
and struck by the aptness of the sallies and replies,
which they had felt stirring in their own minds before
the persons of the play had nttered them. The worth
of Goldoni conaistB in the material truth,so to speak,
of his action,apparentlyexpressedas it comes to hand,
.

but reallysought out with study and artifice." The

prmse of Emiliani-Giudid is aa cordial and as just,if
not so subtile : " No one painted better than he the
life that served him for a model, f*ughtmoralitywith
urbaner satire,invented dramatic sitnationswith greaUr
art, showeil great"T fertility.Cesarotti,a fervent ad-
mirer
of French literature, him
compares to Moli6r,
 CARLO GOLDOSn. 17

and declares that if Goldoni hnd had mon" leisure (or

study,and could have and finished hlB ductions
meditated pro-
with more affectionat eai-e, he might have
hiia8td ft greater number of masterpieces,and have
been the first comic dramatist of the world Ool-
doni himself laments the fate that forced him to work
at Bueh a breakneck rate. In one year he promised
and composed sixteen comedies. Neaj'lyall his ductions,
pro-
lack
therefore, that final touch by which a .

writer frees his work from the inevitable redundancies

of the first sketch,gives the material greater signifi-
cance,
balances the
largerand the lesser parts, and
achieves for it beaaty and symmetry as a whole." I
am bound to say that I have not myselffelt in Goldoni
that ^ant of finish here deplored,except a certain ten-
dency

to tameness and coldness in ttie conclusion of

some of his plays. Neither should I agree with Cantil

in much of the censure which he mingles with his
praise: "Full of that spiritof observation and tation
imi-
which seizes and portrays life,he reveals acter,
char-
not in phrasesand reflections,
but in situations
and in contrasts ; and not oharacler strained and gerated,
exag-
hut mixed and average as we see it in society.
He obeys his own knowledgeof life rather than the quirements
re-

of art,but his observation was limited to

the lower dasses,whence he drew trivialpersons
GondoUers, servants, dancers, parasites, adventurers,
usurers, misers,husbands and wives of the pop-
eieitbei, ulace,
he depictswith marvellous fidelity, hut
....

not the patriciansin their refined corruption,nothing

that ennobles sentiment or elevates the inind. He

when he did not his

neglectedhis diction,and use

native dialect he fell into incorrect, common, and

an

Italian; he sins in useless Bceoos,

pleading-lawyer's
18 CARLO GOLDONI,

prolixdiscouraes, Bcurrilous allusions ; yet no one passes

sur-

him in the maDagement of dialogue,in the

naturalness of his characters, in the siinplicity of hia
style."
One can bai'dlyblame Goldoni for not embroiling
himself with the government by attacking the Venetian

nobles,and if he preferredto paint the common life

about him he was rightto do so ; in matters of art one
must do what one likes if one would do well. As for
the style,it is so much better l be graphicand simple
than la be Irreproachable that even the Italian world,
which really suffersfrom an ineleganceof speech, easily
forgives Goldoni's negligentdiction;the foreigner does
not feel it. To elevate the mind or ennoble the senti-
ments
is not quite the comic dramatist's business ; on
the other hand, Goldoni never pandered to a vicious
taste, in morals or testhetics. His cimedies pure are

in surprisingdegreewhen one thinks of the rary

contempo-
English stage and romance ; they may be read,for
the most part, with as little offence as so many noveb
of Dickens. Now and then he girds himself up to

attack some social abuse, like the cicisbeo system, by

which every fashionable wife had her conventional

adorer,recognizedin that quality by the world and tol-

erated

by the husband. It was a silly usage, but not

BO often wicked as might be thought. Parini's satire
lashed the poor cicisbei in Lombardy, while Croldoni
laughed at them in Venice ; but it must have cost the
dramatist more to be virtuous againstthem, for he was
a social creature, likingbest to pleaseevery one, and
fond of the gay and tine world. He gently complaius
of the enmities his ridicule of the cicisbei excited against

The reader of his memoirs will be interested and

 CARLO GOLDOSI. 19

perhaps amnsed to find Goldoai defendingthe Prot-

ealanta from the insult offered them in a dramatic

lampoon apon himself,and actaallyprocuringits sujt-

pression ou the ground of lis oSensiveness to the ani'

liassadors of many powers resident in Venice,

friendly
where indeed Protestantism
foreign had enjoyed
perfect
immunity ever eiuce tlie times of Lnther. Bui it is

reallynot fair to judge this sweet and kindlyspirit

as a

moralist or h reformer of any sort escept In his own

proper world of comedy. Here he hold,strenuous,

was

and untiring,and he succeeded in firmlyestablishing

the ItaliHn comic drama againstthe populartaste and
the power of the vested interests.
Of course there were Italians who
comedy wrote true
before Goldoni : there were Ariosto and Machiavelli, to

name no others,but their plays were not played,and

there was no body of national comedy at all answering
to that of the French or English. There were imita-
tore of the French and imitators of the Spanishschool
of comedy, and there was a sort of comic spectacle, full
of supernatural prodigiesand tanciful ejttravaganees,
which was In high favor. But the national spirit fonnd
e:f pression chieflyin the so-called comedy of art, which
had the strongesthold upon the popularaffection; and
Qoldoni supplantedthis by the sort of conquest which
seema to compromise and even to concede ; with the

French and Spanish schools,with the spectacular

drama, he never pretendedto make torms.
The comedy of art was simply the outline of an
action suppliedto the players. The characters in
drawn from the same stock: Panta-
every plot were
lone, Arlecchino, Brighella, Truffaldino, II Dottore,
Colombina, Corallina, and other inferior masks, and
of the it
the dialoguewas the inspiration actors^;, w^
20 CARLO GOLDONL

very good or very bad

accordingto their abOity,and it
could not have heen possible to a race with Icfiagenius
for improvisationthan the Italians. Some of these
masks were of vast antiquity,like Pantaloon and

Harlequin; the others dated back three or four centn-

ries. Arlecchino, Brighella,Truffaldino, Corallina,
and Culombina are always servants or people of low
degree; they have severallytheir conventional traits
of slynessand stupidity, as immulahle as the dresses
or masks in which they appear. Arlecchino and Bri- ghella
are by immemorial attribution natives of Ber- gamo,
and speak the quaint dialect of their city; they
are both rogues, but the former is nauallythe prey
of the latter. Colombina and Conilliua are equally
wicked jades,and are almost convertible characters.
They "know the defects of women in general, and of
their mistresB in particular.Colombina or Corallina,
whichever it is,is from eighteento twenty-fiveyears
of age. She is prettyjustshort of wounding the van- ity

of her mistress ; she knows by heart the swoons,

vapors, oapricea, tastes, of the lady whom she has the

advantageto serve. When she comes into her cham-

ber
in the morning and hears the call,'My dear Co- lombina
1 ' she instantlyforesees a day of convulsive
attacks,emotional prostration, of tfiars, and of confi-
dencs. If the ladyis old,Corallina makes fun of her

behind her back, and flattersher lo her fcee; tellsthe

whole neighborhoodof her artificial pretences,her speakable
un-

follies. If she is young, she aids her with

embassies, with advice; or else and then the case is

terrible she opposes her in everything,and makes

her reallyunhappy."
Pantalone dei Bisognosiis always a Venetian chant
mer-

; he wears the dress and the long beard of his

22 CAELO GOLDONL

ere,followingthe example of the ancient art,began to

give his piecesunityand form ; he began to write out
notes and take them into the theatre,Bhowing the plot
of the action,and explainingwhat each actor shduld
do upon the scene, the idea bj which he should be

guidedin improvising,and of what nature the fooneries

buf-
Harlequin should be. Scala was
of praised
to the shies,and proclaimedillustrious by all Milan.
The times were rather shameless : this brave pany,
com-

seeing themselves
every day higher in feivor
with the Milanese,loosed the rein of modesty, and let
their tongues wag at will, San Carlo Borromeo
called them before him, and, having thoroughly re-
buked

them Harlequin,forbade
all,especially them to

playanythingmore without firstsubmittingthe action

to the censorship. '
if we
happen to im-
But should

proptse something!' cried Scala, meekly. 'Write out

the play first, and you will avoid that,'repliedthe
archbishop. And perhaps from this point began the
abolition of the comedy of art, and the regularcomedy
had more studious fijllowers."

Nevertheless,the honor is Goldoni's of having ated

cre-

the regularcomedy without losingthe eharm of

the old,for there is a very great charm in the constant ,

recurrence of the familiar faces of Panlalone,Arlec-

chino, Brighella, Trufialdino,Colombina, and Coral-
lina in the perpetually
varied action and circumstance
of hisplays. When once you have entered into their
it is delightful
spirit, to find that the lover
always is

Florindo, and that his mistress is always Kosaura; it

is like meeting those people whom some novelists
hhve the fancy of making reappear through all their
fictions,
and there is a sort of convenience in it for ihe

lazy imagination. I do not mean to say that all of

 CARLO GOLDONI. 23

Goldoni'a comedies are restricted in their rnngo of

character to these
personages; great numbers iif them

depart from the tradition which these keep in

entirely
view ; hut I own that I lilie best those which follow
the old ci)medy of art in respect to their dramatia per-
mna, though I must own also that I do not quite
know why.
Goethe, writingfrom Venice in 1786, descrihes the
performanceof one of the best of the Goldimian come-dies

dealingwith the popular life, a comedy which

is stillsure to be played at least once every winter in

Venice :

"Yesterday, at the theatre of St. Luke, was per-

fonned Le Baruffe-Chiozotte, which I should interpret
the Frays and Fends of Chiozza. The dramatia per-
eotue are principally seafaringpeople,inhabitants of
Chiozia, with their wives,sisters, and danghters. The
nsual noisy demonstrations of such sort of people in
their good or ill luck, their dealingsone with other,
an-

their vehemence, but goodness of heart,common-

place

remarks and unaffected manners, their naTve wit

and humor, excellently
all this
imitated. The was

piece,moreover, is Goldoni'p,
and as I had been only
the day before in the placeitself,
and as the tones and
manners of the sailors and people of the seaport still
echoed in my ears and floateitbeforemy eyes, it de-
lighted
me verymuch, and although I did not stand
under-
a singleallusion,I was nevertheless,on the
whole, able follow it pretty well.
to I will now ^ve
you the plan of the piece: it opens with the females
of Chiozza sitting,as usnal,on the strand before their
eabins, spinning,mending nets, sewing, or making
Ijce ; a youth passes by, and notices one of them with
A more friendlygreeting than the rest. Immediatel-
24 CARLO GOLDONI.

the joliing
begins,
and oltserves
bounds; beconi'
no

ing tarMT and tarter, and growing ill-tempered, it soon

bursts out into repi'oaches; abuse vies with abuse ; in
the midst of all,one dame, more vehement than the
rest,bounces out with
the truth ; and now an endleea
din of scolding, and screaming; there is no
railing,
lack of mure decided outrage, and at last the peace
ofiBeers are oonipelledto interfere.
"The second act opens with the Court of Justice. In
the absence of the
pofUislA(who aa a noble could not
lawfullybe brought upon the stage)the actiiarius pre-
sides.
He orders the women to be broughtbefore him
one by one. This ^ves rise to an interesting ecene.

It happens that this officialpersonage is himself enam-

ored

of the first of the combatants who is brought be-

fore
him. Only too happy to have an opportunity of

epealiing with tieralone,instead of hearing what she

has to say on the matter in queBtiou, he makes her a
declaration of love. In the midst of it a second woman,
who is herself in love with the actuary,m a fit of ousy
jeal-
rushes in, and with her the suspiuous lover of the
first damsel, who is followed by all the rest and now
,

the same demon of confusion riots in the tourt as m

littlebefore had set at loggerheadsthe people of the

harbor. In the third act tliefun gets more and more

and
boistcreas, the whole ends with a hasty and poor
d^twAment, The happiestthought, however, of the
whole piece is a character who is thus drawn : an old
sailor,who, from the hardshipshe has lieen exposedto
fivm his childhood,trembles and falters in all his limbs,
and even in his very organs of speech,is brought on
the scene to serve as a foil to this restless, screaming,
and jabberingcrew. Before he can utter a wotd, he
has to make a long preparationby a slow
twitchingof
 CARLO GOLDONl. 25

Ma lips,and an assistant motion of his hands and arms ;

at last he blurts out his
thoughtsare on the mat-
what ter

in dispute. But aa he can only manage to do this

in very short Bcntenees, he aequirestherebya sort of
laconic gravity,
so that all he utters sounds like an

adage or maxim ; and in this way a happy contrast is

affiirdedto the wild and exclamations
passionate of the
other personages.
"But even as it was, I never witnessed anything
like the noisy delightthe people evinced at seeing
themselves and their mates representedwith such truth
of nature. It was one continued laugh and tumultuoas
shout of exultation from beginningto end Great
praise is due to the author,who out of nothinghas here
created the most amusing diveriisse)nent. However, he
never could have done it with any other peoplethan
his own merry and light-hearted countrymen."
There could be no better analysis of a Goldonian

play tliim this,nor more satisfactory testimonyto the

favor the dramatist enjoyed among his own people.
Yet it is said that Goldoui was at last glad to quit

Venice because of the displeasures he sufiered from the

BuccesB of ft rival dramatist, Carlo GozKJ. This writer
carried to the last excess the principle of the spectacular
drama, which Goldoni abhorred, and his popularity
must have been sorelyvexatious ; but our author,who
is commonly very frank about his motives,does not
hint at any such reason for his expatriation. Those
were the grand and courtly times when aprince,having

a fancy for this or that artist, could send through his

" "
ambassador and demand him of his native govern-
ment.
From time to time members of Goldoni's pany
com-

were demanded by foreignpowers ; at last he was

himself demauded of by the King of Franc*.
the republic
26 CARLO GOLDONL

Quit the Bftme, of coiiree, he was master to atay at

home if he Uked, but he preferred to accede to the de-
mand
and to go for two years to the great city,then as
now the centre of artistic whither
aspiration, hb fame
had precededhim. He lived in Paris the rest of his

days. He often thoughtof returningto Venice,hut as

often was helpless to tear htiiiKelftrorn the delightsof

Paris, the charms of Parisian society,

the quick and
constant succession of novelties in science, Uterature,
and art,the exquisite playingat the theatres, all,in

a word, that could allure a man of fine taste and light

temperament. Of light temperament Goldoni nn-
doubtedlywas, and as such he was a true son of his
century. It is amusing, in his memoirs, t observe
how unconBiuous he is of any broodingchange whieh
was to involve the destinies ol the agreeable great folk
with whom liislot wa8 cast : the princesses whom he

taughtItalian, the king whom he was broughtto Paris

to amuse, the elegant court of which he modestly
formed a part. He laments the death of the cold-
I)e"r1d debauchee Louis XY. as if he
really had been
the well beloved of his people; he devoutlyrejoices
over the nuptialsof Louis XVI. and Marie Autoinetto
and the birth of their children kingshipwere
as if the
to go on fi"revei'; and he makes no sign,amidst his
comments on French society, of any knowledge of an

impending and very imminent Prench revolurion. It

must be owned that republicanshave always taken
Tety kindlyto foreign monarcha ; the Swiss have been
the stay of several totteringdespots; the Americana
were the most loathsome admirers and tlatterersof the
Second Emperor. Poor Goldoni was in raptures

that is the truth with French royaltyand all that

"elongedto it,and probablyno man in France lyaa
 CARLO GOLDOSI. 27

more BstoniBhed when the Revolution swept everything

of that sort away. He had a pensionof four thousand
francs fi-om the king, which went with the other sions
pen-
when the dvil list was aholished,and sit Goldoni
fell into extreme poverty, and sieknesiB followed upiiQ
his deprivations. Then the poet Ch^nier rose one day
in the convention, and making these facts known asked
the restitution of Goldoni'a pension,which was voted

by a great majority;and anannuity of twelve Imndred

francs was continued to his widow after his death,which
took place five years later,when he was eighty-six
years old.
No kindlier creature seems ever to have lived,and
he had traits of genuine modesty that made himtruly
lovable. He neverwould suffer himself to becompared
with Molitire ; he meekly bowed down before French
geniuseswhom the world hns-ceased,if not to adore,
at least to hear of; when the great Count Alfieri calls
upon him he is almost
overpowered by the honor the
noble tragicauthor does a greater man. Nothing can
be sweeter than the courage with which he
goes to
Diderot (who, having plagiarized one of GoMoni'a com-
edies,

spoke ill of his talent)and compels his detractiir

to be his
personalfriend. He seems to have kept his
ttnper throughout, his triab and vexations in Venice
with actors,managers, patrons, and spectators; if ever
he retaliatesit is hy some satire which theyjoinhim in
enjoying, A very eurions chajiter of these troubles is
that relatingto the printingof his plays,a rightwhich
the manager, Meilebsu;,pretendedto forbid him, and
which be wasforced to assert, hy smuggling into Venice
an edition printedin Florence. all that part of bis But

autobiographyreUtingto his life in Italy is full of the

varied experience,and it makes a
quaintestand most
28 CARLO GOLDONL

wTiole dead world live again: a world of small dncal

and princelycourts; of alien camps in the midst of a

patientand peacefulcountry; of strange little local

and amliitionB ;
jealoiiRies of fHntaslic and conventional
culture fostered by a thousand and ono academies or

aodeties
literary {Goldoni shepherd ofwas himself a

that famous Arcadia which was the first of these); of a

restricted and frivolous intellectual life wasting itself
in idle disputations and trivial brilliancy ; of a social
moralityamu^ngly perverted, and yet not so bad as it
would seem Ui a wiser condition of things, though fool-
ishly

bad, without doubt. In this world the philoso-

phies
and heresies of transalpine Europe seem to have

no root ; it is as devont as it is gay ; the chnrch directs

itsculture as well aa its conscience,
one might almost
Bay its vices as well as itspleasures,
so much are the

clergyand the whole professionin and of

religious
that world.
When Goldoni gets to France his
autobiographyis
no longer so charming. His delightfulspiritindeed
remains unchanged,but it does not deal with such lightful
de-
inateriaL He sets down much wmceming Paris
that does not and, as I have hinted, he ointta
interest,
almost everythingthat touches the grand social and in-
tellectu

movement of the time. Perhaps as a foreigner

attached to the court he could not this ; hut he felt
pee

too deeplythe greatness and fasiiinationof the French

world ever lo leave it for his native land. He was full
of wonder its
variety,its mental liveliness,
at and its
eagerness for every sort of novelty, and the closing
chaptersof his memoirs are hardlymore than a chron-
icle
of such marvels ballooning,
as
walking on water,
and other semi-scientific inventions. He has much to
say of the journals of Paris,but not much of value,
D5i,.=.JnGoog[e
 AUTHOR'S PREFACE.

The life of
it is true, ought not to
a mHii,
appear tillafter his death ; but do these posterior traits
por-
bear any rcsemblaoce to the originalsfIf they

proceed from a friend,the iBngaage of praiseis not

always the languageof truth ; if from an enemy, satire
ia too often substituted for criticism.

My life is not but

interesting; it may happen that
some time hereafter a collection of my works may be
found in the comer of some old library.This will per-
haps
excite a curiosity
to know something of the singular
man who undertook the reformation of the theatre of his

country, who gave the stage and the press one hun-
tn dred
and comedies of character and intrigue,
fifty in

prose and in verse, and who saw eighteeneditions of

his theatrepublishedduring his own lifetime. It will
"
he undoubtedlysaid, This man must have been very
rich ; why did he quithis country t " Alas ! posterity
must be informed that Goldoui found repoKC, tranquil-
lity,
and comfort only in France, and that he finished
Cioo-5lc
32 author's preface.

bb career by a French comedy which had the good

fortune to succeed od the theatre of that nation.
I
thonght that the author alone could give ft certnin
and satisfactory idea of his character, his anecdotes,and
his writings ; and I imagined also, that by publishing
the memoirs of hia life in his own lifetime, if their ac-
curacy

was not challengedby his contemporaries,hia

veracity might be relied on by posterity.

In consequence of this idea, when I sew in 1760,
that after my first Florence edition,my theatre was the
subjectof universal pillage,that fifteen editions had
been publishedwithout iny avowal, without iny knowl- edge,
and what very incorrect state,I
is still worse, in a

conceived of printing
the project a seivind edition at my

own expense, inserting

andin each volume, inBtad of

a pref^kce,a part of my life, imagining, at that time,

that at the end of the work the historyof my person

and my theatre might he completed.
I was mistaken. When I began the octavo edition
of PasqualJ, with plates,at Venice, I eould not have

any idea that my destiny would lead me to cross the

On being called to France, in 1761, I continued to

furnish the changesand corrections which I had pri"-
jectedfor the Venice edition ; but the vortex of Paris,
my new occupations, and tho distance between the two
places,have diminished my activityand retarded the
execution of the press to such a degree,that a work
which was to extend to thirtyvolumes, and to be com-
pleted

in eightyears, is onlyat the expiration of twenty,

at the seventeenth volume, and will never be finished
in njy lifetime.
What and
at present agitates me is the acoonnt
urges
of my life. I repeat, it ia not ; but what I
interesting
 AnTHORS PREFACE. 33

have hithertogiven in the seventeen firat volumes haa

been so well that
receivisd, I am indiicelto cuutinue it,
espoeially
as what I have hitherto written has only n
reference to my person, and what remains for me to

sa; relates to my theatre in that

particular, of the
?

Italiansin general,
and in part of that of the French
which I have narrowlyexamined. The
comparison
of the manners and tastes of the two and what-
nations, ever
I have seen and observed,may perhaps,
be found
and
agreeable even instractive to amateurs.
I am resolved therefore long as I can ;
to lahor as

and I do BO with inexpressible pleasure, that I may the

sooner have to speak of my dear Paris,which gave me
so kind a reception, which has afforded me so much

amusement, and where I have been so usefully occupied.

I begin by throwingtogetherinto French the con- tents

of the historicalprefocesof my seventeen volumes

of Pasquali. This is an abridgmentof my life from

my birth to the commencement of what in Italyis

called the reformation of the Italian theatre. The

publicwill aee in what manner the comic genius,which

has always controlled me, was announced, how it was
developed,the useless effortsmade to turn me from
the cultivation of it,and the sacrificemade by me to

the imperiousidol which carried me along. This will

form the firstpart of my memoirs.
The second part will compreheud the
historyof all my
pieces,an account of the circumstances which supplied
me with the subjectof them, the success or failure of

my comedies, the rivalry excited by my success, the

cabals which I treated with contempt, and the cisms
criti-
which I the
respected, satires which I bor* in

and the cavils of the

silence, actors which I surmounted.
It will he seen that humanity is evnrywherethe same,
34 author's prepack

that jealousy employs itselfeverywhere, and that every-

where
a man Bf a. cool and triiuqiiil
disposition, in the

end,acquiresthe love of the public, and wearies out

the pei-fidy of his enemies.
The third part of these Memoirs will contain my
emigratiuninto France. I am so enchanted with
having an opportunity of spealting my mind freely on

this auhjfict,that I am almost tempted to begin my

work with that period. But in everything there ought

to be method. I should have been perhapsobligedto

retuuch the two preceding parts,and I am not fond of
going over what I have alreadydone.
This is all that I had to say to my readers. I re-

(jueotthem to read me, and to be so good as to yield

me their belief;truth has always been my favorite
virtue. I have always found my acc"iiint in it ; it has
saved me from the necessity of studyingfiJsehood, and
the mort^eatjon of blushing.

c4v=.JnGooglc
 MEMOIRS

OAELO GOLDONI.

PAET THE FIRST.

bom at Venice,in the 1707,in a

year

1WAS
largeand beautiful house between the bridges
of Nomboli and Donna Onesta,at the comer
of the street C^ cent' anni, in the parishof

St. Thomas. Jnlioa Goldoni,my father,was bom in

the same city; hat all his familywere of Modena.
My grandfather,Charles Goldoni, went through his
studies in the iamous collegeof Parma. There he
formed an aefiuaintanco with two noble Venetians,
whirh soon ripenedinto the most intimate friendship.
They prevailedon him to follow them to Venice. His
father being dead, he obtained penniEsiimfrom his

uncle, who was a colonel and governor of Finale,to

settle in the country of his where
friends, he obtained
a honoralite and lucrative appointment in the
very
office of tho Five Commercial Sages, and where he

married a Miss Barili of Modena, the daughter ot one

 36 MEMOIRS OF

counsellor of state of the Duke of

Parma, and the sister
of another. This was my paternal granihnother.
On her death m; grandfather became acquainted
with a reapectalile widow who had two daughters: ho
married the mother, and the eldest daughterwas
wedded to his son. They were of the Salvioni fiuuily,
and, though not rich,were in easy circumstances. My
mothcrwas a pretty brunette, and though a littlelame,
was Btillvery atlraclive. All their property came info
the hands of my grandfather.
He worthy man, hnt hy no means
was a an ec-ono-

inist. Pond of pleasure, the gay mode of life of the

Venetians was well suited to his disposition. He took

an elegantcountry-house, belonging to the Duke o,

Massa- Carrara,in the Marea Trevigiana,six leagues
from Venice,where he lived in great splendor. The
grandees of the neighborhoodcould not brook the ides
of Groldoui drawing all the villagers and strangersabont
him ; and one of his neighborsmade an attempt to
deprivehim of his house ; but my grandfather went to

Carrara,and took a lease of all the dnke's property in

the Venetian territories. He returned quiteproud of
his victory,atid lived more extravagantlythan ever.
He gave playsand operas, and had the best and most
celebrated acters and musicians at his command ; and
we had visitors from all qnarters. Amidst this riot
and luxury did I enter the world. Could 1 possilily
contemn theatrical amusements, or not be a lover of
gayety T
My mother brought me into the world with little
pjun, and this increased her love for me ; first ap-
my
peaiance was not, ae usual,announced by cries,and
this gentlenessseemed then an indication of the padflc
character which from that day forward I have ever
38 MEHOIBS OF

the age of four, I could read and write,I knew toy

oatechisin by heart,and a tutor was procred fur me.
1 waa very fond of bookie, and I learned with great
fiicility
my grammar, and theprinciples of geography
and arithmetic ; but my fovorite readingwaa comedies.
The libraryof my father contained a tolerable
Email
number, aod I employed almoet all my leisure mo- menta

in reading them. I even copied the pasBOges

with which 1 was most delighted.My mother gave
herself no concern about the choice of my reading; it
was enough that my time waa not taken up with the
usual plnythingsof children. Among the comicauthors
whom I frequently read and reread, Cic"^ini had the

preference. This Florentine author,very little knows

in the republicof letters, was the author of several
comedies of intrigue, full of whining pathos and
commonplace drollery ; still, however, they were es-

ceediuglyinteresting, for he possessedthe art of keep-

ing
up a atate of suspense, and he was eueeessful in
winding up hia
infinitelyattached to him,
plots. 1 was

studied him with great attention,and, at the age of

eight,I had the presumption to uomp"iBe a comedy.
The first person to whom I communicated this cir-
cumstance

was my nurse, who thought it quitecharm-

ing.

My aunt laughed at me ; my mother scolded and

caressed me by turns ; my tutor maintained that there
was more wit and common-sense in ittliau belongedto

my age ; but what was most singular,my godfather, a

lawyer, richer in gold thauin knowledge, could not be

prevailed on to believe that it was my com position.
He insisted that it had been levised and corrected by

my tutor, vpho was quite shocked at the insinuation.

The disputewas growing wann, when, luckily, a tliird

person made his appearance, and instantlyrestored

 CAELO GOLDOKI. 39

tranqnillitf.This waa M. YalM, afterwards the Abb^

Vallfi of Bergamo. This friend of the familyhad seen
me bnsied at nij comedy, and had witnessed nty puer-
ilities
and my little sallies. I had entreated him to

speak to nobud; on the sabject: he had

kept my seeret ;
and on this occasion he put my incredulous godfather
to sileuee, and rendered justiceto my good qnalities.
In the firstvolume of mj edition of PasqiiaU, I cited
the Abb^ ValU, who was livingin J770, in confinna-
tioD of the truth of this anecdote, suspecting that there
might be other godfathersnot disposedto give me
credit. If the reader ask what was the title of my
play,I cannot satisfy
him, for this is a trifle 1 did not
think of when compoung it : it would he easy for me
to invent one now ; but I prefergiving a true stat-

ment of
thingsto the embellishingthem. This edy,
com-

in short,or rather this pieceof infantine folly,was

circulated amongst all my mother's ac")uaiutance. A

copy was sent off to my father ; and this leads me

again to speak of him.

My father was only to have remained a few months
in Borne, but he stayed lour years. In this gi'eatcap-
ital
of the Christian world there was an intimate friend
of his, M. Alexander Bonicelli, a Venetian, who had

latelymarried a Soman lady of great wealth, and who

lived in great splendor. M. Bonicelli gave his ftieud
Goldoni a very warm reception : he received him iuUt
bis house, introduced him into all societies and to all
his acquaintance,and recommended hhn powerfullyto
M. Lanciai,the firstphysicianand secret camMere of

Pope Clement XI. This celebrated doctor,by whom

the republic of letters and the faculty have been riched
en-

with excellent works, conceived a strong attach-

ment
for my father,who possessedtalents,and who
40 UEHoms ot

was lookingout for employment. Lancisi advised liitn

to apply himself to inedioioe, and he promiaed him bis

fiivOT,assistance, and protection.My father conseot^d:

he studied in the college della Sapieozia, and aeirrd
his apprenticeship in the hrMpitaldel Santo Spirito.
At the end of four years he was created doctor, and
his MecEeoas sent him to make hia first experimentsat
Perugia.
My father's d^At was eiceediftgly fortanate : he
eontrived to avoid those diseases with which he was
''
unao4|uainted ; he cured his patients ; and the tian
Vene-
doctor" was quitein vogue in that country. My
"ther, who was perhaps a good physician,was also
very agreeablein company; and to the natural amenity

of his countrymen, he added an acquaintancewith the

usages of genteelcompany in the place which he had

quitted. He acquiredthe esteem and the friendship of

the BaiUoni and the Aotinori,two of the most nohle
and wealthy families of the town of Perugia.
In this town, and thus happilysituated,he received
the firstspecimen of his eldest son's abilities. Defe"^-
tive as comedy must have been, he was
this infinitely
flatteredwith it; for,calculating by the nilea of arith-
metic,
if nine years gave four carats of talent,eighteen
might give twelve ; and, by regularprogrcssiira, it was
possibleto arrive even at a degree of perfection. My

father determined on havingine with himself. This

was a sad blow for my mother, who at first resisted,
then hesitated,and at last yielded. One of the most
fevorablo opportunitiesoccurred at this time. Our
fiimilywas very intimate with that of Count Rinalducd
de Rimini, who, with his wife and daughter,was then
at Venice. The Ahh6 Rinaldncci, a Benedictine
father,and the count's brother, was to set out for
 CARLO GMJLDONI. 41

Bome ; and he undertook tn pass through Perugia,

and to charge of me to
tflke the that place.
Everything wae got ready,and the moment of de-
parture
arrived. I will not epeak of the tears of my
tender mother : those who have children well know
what is suffered on such tiyingoccasions. I was
very
warmly attached to her who had given me hirth,who
had reared and ; but the idea of a
cherished mc joumej
IB a charming consolation for a yonng man. Father
Kinalducci and myself embarked in the port of Venice,
in a sort of felucca, called peota-zuecchina, and we
Bailed for Rimini. I suffered nothing from the Bea; I
had even an excellent appetite, and we landed at the
mouth (if the Marecchia, where horses were in readi-
ness
for us. When a horse was brought to me, I was
in the greatestpossible embarrassment. At Venice no

horses are to be seen in the streets ; and though there

are two academics,I was too young to derive any ad- vantage
from them. In my infancyI bad seen horses
in the country, but I was afraid of them, and did not
dare to approach thera. The roads of Umhria, through
which we bad to pass, were mountainous, and a horse
was the moBt convenient mode of conveyance for pas-
sengers;
there was,
therefore,no alternative. They
laid hold of me by the middle,and threw me on the
saddle. Merciful Heaven ! Boots, stirrups,whip,
and bridle! what was to he done with all these things t
I was tossed about like sack ; the reverend father
a

laughedvery heartily
at me, the sen-ants ridiculed me,
and I even myself. I, became
laughed at by degrees
familiarized to my pony : I regaledit with bread and
fruit,and in six days'time we arrived at Perugia.
My father was glad to see me, and still more glad to
Bee me in good health. I told him, with an air of im-
42 HEH0IE8 OF

portaoce,that I had
perfnnned the journeyon horee-
haek ; he siniled aa he applaudedme, aud he embraced
me affectiunatelf. The plHC where we were lodged
was exceedinglydieinal, and the street steepand dirty;
I entreated my fiitherto remove, but he could not, as

the house belongedto the hotel or palace d'Antinori;

be ptud no rent, and was quite near the nune of St.
Catharine,whose physteianhe was.
I now viewed the town of Pemgia; my father con-
ducted

me everywhere himself; he began with the su- perb

church of San Lorenzo,which is the cathedral of

this country, where the ring with which St. Joseph es- poused

the VirginMary is still preserved: it is a stone

of a transparent bluish color,and very thick contour ;
BO it appeared to me, but this ring,it is said,has the

marvelloua property of appearing under a different

color and form to every one who approaches it. My
father pointedout to me the citadel, built when Perugia
was in the enjoyment of republican liberty, by order of
Paul the Third, under the pretext of a donation to the
Pemgians of an hospitalfor patientsand pilgrims.
He introduced piecesof cannon in carts loaded with
straw, and the inhabitants soon found themselvea
obligedto acknowledge Paul the Third. I saw fine
palacesand churches, and agreeablewalks. I asked
whether there was a theatre, and I was told there waa
none.
"
So much the worse," said I; I would not "

remain here for all the gold in the world!"

After passing a few days in this manner, my father
determined that I should renew my studies ; a very
proper which
resolution, accorded with my own wishes.
The Jesuits were then in vogue, and on beingproposed
to them, I was received without difficulty.The hn-
manity-classesare not regulated here as in France ;
 CARLO GOLDONL 43

there only three, under grammar, upper grammaF,

are

or huuanit]',properlyao called,ftnd rhetoric. Those

who employ their time well may finish their cnurse in
the8piu' of three years. At Venice I had gone
throughthe firstyear of under grammar, and I might
now have enteredthe upper, but the time which I had

lost,the distraction occasioned by travelling,and the

new masters under whom I was duced
in-
about lo be placed,
my father to make me recommence ray studies ;
in which he acted very
wisely, for you will soon see,

my dear reader, how the vanity of the Venetian marian,

gram-
who plumed himself on the composition of a
play, was in an instant wofullymortified. The ary
liter-
season was well advanced, and I was received in
the under class as a scholar properlyqualifiedfor the

upper. My answers to the questionsput to me were

incorrect; I hesitated in my translations;and the

Latin which T attempted to make was full of barhar-
isms and solecisms ; in short,I became the deriBJou of
my companions, who took a pleasurein challenging
me ; and as every encounter with them ended in my
defeat, my father was quite in despair,and I myself
was astonished and mortified,
and believed myself be-
witched

The lime of theholidaysdrew near, when we had to

perform a task,which in Italyis called the passage
Latin; for this little labor decides the iat* of the
scholar,whether he is to rise to a higherclass,or con-

tinne to remain in the same. The latter alternative

was all that 1 had a rightto expect. The day came :

the regent or rector dictated ; the scholars wrote down ;

andeveryoneexertedhimselfto thentmoat. I strained
honor and
every nerve, and figuredto myself my bition
am-

at stake,and the concern of my father and mother:

44 MEMOIRS OF

I s.awnrighboTS bestowinga aide glamseat mc, and

ni;
laughing at inj endeavors : facitindiffnatio
verswm.

Itage
and shame spurred ine on and intipired
me ; I read
iny theme, I felt my head eoo\,my hand rapid,and m;
nuinory fresh ; I finishedbefore the rest,I sealed my
paper, took it to the regent,and departed very well
^lea^edvilh myself.Eightdaysafterwanls the Brhiilare
wore collected together and calledon ; and the decision
of the eollege was published.The rst nomination
"
was, Goldoni to the Upper ; on which
"
a general
laugh burst oat in the and
class, many insultingservatio
ob-
were made. My translation was read niond,
in which there was not a singlefanlt of orthography.
The regent called me to the chair ; 1 rose to go ; I saw

my father at the door,and I ran to embrace him.

The regentwished to speak to mo in ; he
private
paid me several compliments,
and told me, that not-
withstandi
t)ie gross mistakes which
I committed
from time to time in my ordinarylessons, he had sus-
pected

that 1 was possessedof talents from the "vor-

ablc specimenshe occasionally
perceived
in my themes
and vei-ses ; bo added that this last essay convinced
him that I had cimcealed
purposely my and he
talents,
alluded jocularlyto thetricksof the Venetians. ."Yon
iu me t"K) great an honor, reverend father,"said I to
him ; " I assure you I have suffered too much during
the last three months to amuse myselfat such an ex- pense

: I did not counterfeitignorance;I was in reality

what I seemed,and it is a phenomenon which T cannot
explain." The regent exhorted me to continue my ap-.
and
plication, as he himself was to pass to the upper
class to which I had gained a right of entrance,he
assured me of his fiivor and good-will.
My father,who was perfectlysatisfied with mo, en-
46 HEHOIBB OF

(The Little Sister of Dim Pilone), and I was highly

Applauded; for ia a country where pla;a are rare the
spectators are Dot difficultto please. My father said
that I seemed to comprehend my part, but that I should
never be a good actor ; and he was not mistaken. We
continued to act till the end of the hoUdays. I took
my placeat the opening of the classes; at the end of
the year I passed to rhetoric ; and 1 finished ijiycourse
with the friendship and esteem of the Jesuits,who did
me the honor to (iffei'
me a placein their society, an

honor which ( did not accept. During this period

great changes took place in oor family. My mother
could no longer hear the absence of her eldest eon ;
and she entreated her husband either to return to ice
Ven-

or pennit her to joinhim.

to After many letters
and many discussions,it was at length decided that
Madame Goldoni,with her sister and her yiiungestson,
should join the rest of the family; and this was im- mediately
carried into execution.

My mother could not enjoy a single day of good

health in Perugia,so much did the air of the country
disagreewith her. Bom and brought up in the tem-
perate
climate of Venice, she could not bear the oold
of the mountains. She soffei'eda great deal,and was

almost at death's door, but she was resolved to mount

sur-

the pains and dangers of her situation so long

as she believed my residence in that town necessary,
that the course of my studies,which were now so far
advanced, might not be
exposedto interruption.When
my course was finished,she prevailedon my father to
satisfyher, and he very wilhngly consented. The
death of his protector,Antinori,had been
productive
of several disagreeableHrcumstances ; the physicians
of Perugia bore him little
good-will,and this induced
 CABLO GOLDONL 47

him the readilyto resolve on qaitling

mora the territory
of Perugiaand approach the mouih of the Adriatic.

II.

In a days the project

few was carried into eicecnlioii.
A carriage, capable of holdingfuur persons, was por-
ehaaed, and we had my brother into the bargwn. We
took the road of Spoleti, as the moat commodious, and
we arrived at iUmini, where the whole familyof Count
Binalducci was assembled,and where we were received
with transports of joy. It was of the utmost sequence
con-

that my lilerBiy applicationshoold not be a

second time interrupted. My father destined me for
medicine, and I had to enter un the stndy of philosophy.
The Dominioans of Rimini enjoyeda great reputa- tion
for logic, the key to all the sciences, physicalas
well AS speculative. Connt Binalducci introduced us

to Professor Candini, and I was intrusted to his care.

As the .
couut could keep me in his
not own hnuse, I
was boarded with M. Battaglini,
amerchant and hanker,
the friend and countryman of my father. standing
Notwith-
the remonstrances and regrets of my mother,
who would willinglypart from me, the whole
never

fouiilyset out for Venice, whei'e I could onlyjointhem

when it might be thought proper to send for me. They

embarked for Chioiza,* in a bark belonging to that

that
qucDtljliappeiit th
48 HEMOIKS OF

plac; and the wind being favorable,they arriTed

there ID a'verynhort time; but, on aemuDl of the

"tigue of my mother,they were obligedto atop there

for the 8he of repose.
This place agreedvery well with my mother, the air
of Chiozza eorreeponding with that of her n"tive place.
She elegantly
was lodged,enjoyed an agreeable view,
and a charming degreeof freedom ; her sister was eom-

plaisant,
my brother was stillan in"nt unable to speak,

and my father, who had projects, commnnicated his re-

flections

to his wife, by whom they were approved.

" "
We must not return to Venice," said he, tillwe are

in a situation to enable us to live without

being burden-
some
to any one." It was necesBary, therefore, that he
should firstgo to Modeua to arrange the funilyaffaire.

This was accordinglydone. My father was dow at

Modena, my mother at Ohiozsa, and myselfat Bimini.

I fell sick,and n'as seized with the small-poz, but
of a very mild hind. M. Battaglini did not inform my
parents tillhe saw me out of danger. It is impoesihle

to be better taken care of and attended to than I was

on thiiiocojtEion. I
hardlyIn a condition ta go
was

out, when my landlord,who was extremely attentive

and zealous for my welfare,urged meto return to Father

Candini. I went very unwiUingly: this professor, who

was a man of great celebrity, wearied me dreadfully ; he
was mild, wise, and learned ; he possessedgreat merit,
hut he was a Thomist in his soul,and could not ate
devi-
from his ordinarymethod ; his scholastic circumlo- cutions
appeared to be useless,and his tarbara and
haraliplonridiculous. I wrote from his dictation ; but,
instead of going over
my note-books at home, 1 nour-
ished

my mind with a much more useful and agreeable

philosophy; I read Plautus, Terence, Aristophanes,
 CAfiLO GOLDONI. 49

uid thefragments of Meuaader. It is true, I did nut

shine iu our dailjcircles ; but I had the address to per-
Bnftde my compBDioDS thiitmy iadiffereiiceti" the mai- ler's

lessons proceededneither from laziness nor stupid

ignorance, but frooi beingfatigued and disgusted with
their lengthand inutility. There were tminy of them
who thought ou this subject like myself Modern losophy
phi-
had uot theu luade the considerable progress
which has been since witnessed ; and it was at that
time necseftry (especiallyfor ecclesiastics)to keep to
the syBtms of Thomas, or Scot,or the peripatetic,
or

the mixed, the whole of which only wander iirom the

philosophy of good sense.

1 had great want of

agreeableamneeinent
some to

relieve the ennui which overpowered me. I soon fijund

an opportunity, of which I availed myself; and my
readers will not be displeased perhapsto pass with me
from the circlesof philosophyto those of a coinpany of
comedians. We had one at Rimini, which appeared
to me quite cliarming. It was the first time I saw
women on the stage ; and I found that they ornamented
the scene in the most attractive manner. Biinini is in
the legationof Savenna; women are admitted on the
theatre,and we do not see there,as at Rome, men

without beards or even the Mgns of them. The first

day or two, I went modcBlly into the pit; but see-

very ing

young people like myself on the boards, I endeav-

ored
also to get there,and succeeded without difficulty.
I bestowed a side-gbinceon the ladies,who looked
boldly at me. By and by I grew more familiar,and
froia one subjectof conversation to another, and from
questionto question,they learned that I was a Vene-tian.

They were ail country -peopleof my own, and I

received compliments and caresses without .number
50 MEMOIRS OF

from thein. The director or manager him^lf lotuled

nie with kindaeae ; he aaked me to dine with hitn,and

I went. The reverend Father Caadini waa now entirely

oDt of my bead.
The point of finishing
4xiinediaD8 were their
nn the

engagement, and taking their departure, which was a

meet distresaing circumHtance for me. On a Friday,a

day of relaxation for all Italy,the state of Venice ex-cepted,

we ftirmed a rural party; all the company were

with UB, and the manager announced the

departure for
the followingweek ; he had engagedthe bark, which
waa to conduct them to Chiozza. "
To Chiozza ! " said
I, with cry of surprise.
a
"
Yes, sir,we are to go to
Venice, hut we shall stop fif1en or twenty days at
Chiozza, to give a few in passing."
representations
"
Ah ! my mother is at Chiozaa how gladlywould I
',

see her ! " "

Come along with us." " Yes, yes,"cried
one and alt; " with us, udth us, in oar bark ; you will
be very comfortable in it ; it wiU coat yon nothing; we
shall play,Uugh, sing,and amuse ourselvea." How
could I resist such temptations?How could 1 lose so

fine an f
opportunity I
acceptedthe invitation, and I

began to prepare for my journey.

I opened the business to my landlord,but he opposed
me warmly. As I insisted, however, he communicated
my projectto Count Rinalducd,and I had every one
againstme. I pretendedto acquiesM, and I kept my- self
quiet. On the day fixed for my departure1 put
two shirts and a niglitcap into my pocket; 1 repaired to
the port, was the first to enter the vessel, and concealed
myself well under the prow. 1 had my inkhom with
me ; I wrote an excuse to M. Battaglini : I told him I
could not resist the desire of seeing mother
my ; 1 re-
queatsd hiiD make
to a present of my clothes to the
 CABLO aOLDOKI. 51

nQrae who took care of me in id;

illuess;and 1 told
him that I waa on the point of departnre. Thia was a

I own
fault, ; I have coniinittd others,and I shall own
them in the same manuer. The players arrived.
"
Where is M- Goldonil "
Goldoni then eallied out

place,at which
of his-hiding- every one began to laugh.
I was feasted and carCBsed. We set sail. Adieu,
ItimiQi. My comedians were not Scarron's company,

hnt on the whole, they presenteda very amusing ooap-

imii. Twelve persons, actors as well us actresses,a
prompter, a machinist,a sti"re-Iteeper,
eightdomestics,
four chambermaids, two nurses, childrpu of every age,
cats, dogs, monkeys, parrots, birds^ pigeons,and a
lamb ; it was another Noah'a ark ! The bark was

verylarge,and divided inti) a number of aparttneuta.

Every female had lier little wimer, with eurtaiua. An
escellent bed was fitted up for me beside the manager ;
and all of us were comfortable. The steward, who
was at the. same time cook and butler,rang a little
bell,which was our aignalfor breakfast. On this we

all assembled in a sort of saloon in the middle of the

vessel above the chests,trunks, and packages. An
oval table was covered with coffee,
tea, milk, roast
meat, water, and wine.
The principalactress
(pranihe amoureuse) asked
for soup. There was none. She was quit* in a rage,
and they had al! the difficulty in the world to pacify
her with a cup of chocolate. She was the ugliest and
the moat difficulttu pleaseof the whole. After break-

faat,play was proposedtill dinner ahonld be ready. I

played treaset pretty well. It was the favorite game
of my mother, from whom I learned it. We were

going to begin tresset and piquet,but a fiiro-tableon

deck drew everybody towards it. The bank was more
52 HEUOIBS OF

a matter of amusement than and the director

interest,
would not have suffered it ou any other tenna. We
played,laughed,joked,and gave ourselves up to all
manner of tricltstillthe bell summoned ns to tUnner.
Macaroni ! Every one fell npon it,and three dishes
were devoured. We had also alaaiode beef,coldfow),

a loin of veal, a dessert,and excellent wine. What

a charming dinner I No cheer like a good appetite.
We remained four hours at table ; we played on dif-
ferent

instruments,and sang a great deal. The actress

who played the waitiog-maid gang divinely. I con- sidered

her attentively ; she produceda singularsensa-

tion

in me. Abiyl an adventure took placewhich in- terrupte

the happinessof the society. A cat escaped
from her ca^, the favorite of the principal
actress,
who called on every one for aswstance. She Wfts

brisklychased,but, beingas wild as her mistress,she

skipped,leaped about, and crept into every hole and
comer. When she found herself at last rather wannly
pursued,she climbed up the mast. Seeing the distress
of Madame Clarice,a sailor sprang up after her, when
the cat leaped into the sea, where she remained. Her
mistress was is despair,she attempted to kill every
animal within reach of her, and to throw her waiting-
maid into the watery grave of her darliug. We all
took the part of the waiting-maid,and the quarrelhe-
catne general.The manager made his appearance,
laughtMl,rallied, and caressed the afflictedlady. She
atlasl began herself to laugh,and the cat was foi^otten.
The wind was unfavorable,and we remained three days
at always with the same
sea, amusements, the samo
ptoaaures,and the same appetite. We arrived on the
fourth day at Chioiza.
I had not the address of my mother's lodgings,
but
54 HEMOIfiS OF

and
bitterly, informed her that she would soon receive

a portmanteau, containiiig
m; buuks, linen,and other
which
articles, nurse knew not what to do with.
my
My mother was uneaay,
yery and disposedto scold me ;
but apropos of letters,she remembered that she had
received a very interesting one from my fother; she
weDt to look for it,and put it into my hands : the fol-
lowing
is the substance of it.

"Paiia, MuehlT. 171-

"Ml DEAB Win, I have news for you

eonterningour
dear son, which will give you great pleasure.I quittedMo-
of amn^ng
deuB, u yoa know, to go to Piacenza,for the sake
affairs with my cousin,M, Barilli, who still awes me a part of

my mother's fortune ; and if I ean jointhis sum to the arrevs

whieh I havejuatreceived at Modena, we shall be ^le to settle

ourselves comfortably.
"
My cou^n was not at Piacenza ; he had set out to Favia,
to be presentat the marriage of a nephew of his wile. As the

joomey was not long,I resolved on joiuiughim at Pavis. I

found him, spoketo him, he owned the debt, and matters are

arranged. He is to pay me in six years ; bat you shall hear

what has happened to me in this town.
"
Ou alighting St the hotel of the Red Cross,I was aslfcd my

name, for the purpose of havingit entered at the police. Neit

day, the landlord introduced a servant of the ttovemoi'sto me,

who very politely saked me to repair,at my convenience,to the
government palace. Notwithstanding the word cmireniesce,I

was tar from being at my ease at that moment, and I was quite
at a loss to conjectnre what tbey coold possibly want with ue.
I went flrat to my cousin,and after our aShira were settled, I

spake to him of this sort of which

invitation, disquieted
me a

great deal, and 1 asked him whether be wss personally ac-

quainted

with the governor of Pavio. Ho told me he was,

that he hod known him long time, that he wss
a the Marquia
Goidoni-Vidoni,
of a good familyof Cremona, and a senator of
 CAELO GOLDONI. 55

Milan. At the name of Goldonl,I baniBhed evei? far; I con.

ied the most ideas,and I
flatlaring wm not deceiTed. I
went to see him in the sfternoou ; he received nie in the most
mpectful oud graciousmanner. It was m; signatarewhiih
had inspired
him with the desire of knowing me. We talked
a great deal ; I told him that I was originallyfrom Modena :

he did me the honor of oUerving that the town of Cremona

was not Terj distant from Modena. People came in, and he
gtked me to dine witt him neit daj. I did not foil to go, as

jon may well helieve;there were four ot o at table,and we

hid s very good dinner. The two other guestsleft ua after

cofi^ aod the senator and
myselfwere left by onraelfea We

^"oksof a nnmher of things,but principallyof my family,

my
situation,and my actual eireomstances;in short,he promisM
to do Bomethii^for my eldest son. At Favia there u a uni-
rrrsityas fiuaons as that of Padna, and everi! collegea,
where
those who have eihihitiooe are alone received. The marquis
engagedto obtain for me one of those eihibitions in the Pope's

College
; and if Charles behaves himself,he will lake cbt of

"
Write nothingof this to my soo. AC my Fctnm I shall
?end for him. I wish to have the pleasureof informinghim
of it myself.
"
I shall not be long,I hope,"etc.
The contents of thia letterwere quite calculated to
flatter me, and inspireme with the most unbounded

hopes. I then feltall the

imprudenceof my proceed-
ing.
I dreaded my Other's indignation,
and I was afraid
leat he should be inclined to distrust my conduct in a
town still more distant,and where I should be much
more at liberty.My mother informed me that she would
endeavor to screen me from my father's reproaches,

that she would take everythingon herself,partioalarly

aa repentance appeared wncere. I was reasonable
my
enuugh in fact for my age ; but 1 was apt to act incon-
1 ,
56 MEMOIBS OF

at times.
siderately This has done me much injury,
aa

the reader will see, and perhaps he will sometimes be

inclined to pityme.
My mother wished to introduce me to her acquaint-
ance
; but my only dress coosisled of an old aurtout,
which at sea had served me for dress,nightgown, and
a coveringfor my feet. She ordered a tailor,and I was
soon properlyequipped,and in a state to make my ap- pearance
abroad. My first care was to call on my trav-
elling

companions, who were very glad to see ine.

They were engaged for twenty representations ; and ae

I received a rightof admission,I resolved to take ad- vantage
of it with the good pleasureof my afiectionat*
mother. She was very intimate with the Abb^ Gen-
nari,a canon of the cathedral. This good ecclesiastic
was rather a rigorist.Plays in Italyare not proscribed
by the Roman church,and players
are not cated;
excommuni-
but the Abb^ Genuari maintained that the edies
com-

which were theu acted

dangerousfor youth, were

in which he was probablynot much in the wrong. My

mother therefore forbid me the theatre. I was obliged
to obey; but, though I did not go to the repreaenlatiims,
I visited the actors,and the actress who performed the
part of the wiuting-maidmore frequentlythan the oth-
ers.
I have always continued to have a predilection
for those who act that character.
In six days my father arrived. I trembled all over :

my mother concealed me in her dressing

-closet,
and
took the rest on herself. My father ascended the steps ;
my mother ran to meet him ; my aunt did the same,
and the usual embraces
place. My took father appeared
chagrinedand thoughtful,and he had not his usiiiit
gayety. They supposed him fatigued.On entering
the room, my father's firstwords "Where is my
were,
 CARLO GOLDONt 57

BonT" My mother aoBwered with perfect

uoeerity,
"Our youngest soil is boarded out." "No, do,"replied
"
my father in a rage, I want the and he inuet
eldest,
be here. In concealing
bim from me, yon are doing
very wrong ; he must be coirected for hig misconduct."
My mother wasquite at a loss what to do or say; she
ottered vaguely, "But howf" My lather inter-

mpted her, stamping with his feet; "Yes, I have

been informed of everythinghy M. Battaglini, who
wrote to me at Modena, and I found the letterin pass-
ing
throagb it." My mother entreated of hitn,with an

afflicted air,to hear me before condemuing mo. My

father,stillin a rage, ssked again where I was. 1
could contain myself no longer; I opened the glass
"
door, but I durst not advance. Go out,"said my
father to his wife and sisMr; "leave rae alone with
this profligate." When they were gone, I came ward
for-

trembling: "Ah, father!" "How, sirl How

do yon happen to be heret" "Father you have

been told." "Yes, I have been told that,in spileof

remontitrances and good advice,and Id oppositionto

every one, you have had the insolence to quit Rimini

abruptly." " What should I have done at Bimini,
"
fathert It was lost time for me." How, lost timet
Is the study of philosophyl"ist timet Ah ! the " "

scholastic philosophy, the syllogisms, the cnthymemas,

the sophisms,the uegos propos and concedus;do you
remember them, fetherf" (He could not avoid dis- playing

a slight movement of the Ups which indicated

his desire to laugh ; I was shrewd enough to perceive
it,and I took courage.) "Ah, father!" I added, "tench
me the philosophy of man, sound mora! philosophy,
and experimental "Comc,coine;
natural philosophy."

bow did you arrive here!" "By sea." "Withi^

58 MEMOIRS OF

whomT" "With a company of players,""Players!"

"They are very respectable people,father." "What
is the name of the maoagert " "
He isFlorindo on the
stage,and they call him Florindo de' Macaroni." "0,
I know him : he is a worthy man; he add Don vanni
Gio-
in the '
Festino di Pietra' ; he thought proper to
eat the macaroni belonging to Harlequin,and that ia
"
the way he came hy that Bumame." I aaaure you,
father,that this company
"
"Where ia the pany
com-

gone tot" "It is here." "Here?" "Yea,

father." " Do they act here T " "Yes, father." "I
shall go to see them." "And I also,fathert" "You,
rascal ! What is the name of theprincipalactreasf "

"Clarice." "0, Clarice!

excellent,ugly,but very
"
clever." "Father "I must goto thank them."
"And I,father i" "Wretch!" "I beg your pardon."
"Well, well,for this time."
My mother,who had heard everything, now entered :
she waa very glad to see me on good terms with my
father. She mentioned the AbbiS Gennaii to him, not
with the view of preventingme from
going to the play
(formy father was as ftmd of it as myself),but for the
sake of
informinghim tliat the canon, sufferingunder
dificreutdiseases, was anxious to see him ; that he had

spoken to the whole town of the famous Venetian phy-sician,

pupil of the great Laudsi, who waa instantly
expected; and that he had only to show himself to re- ceive

more patientsthan be could desire. This is what

reallyhappened. Everybody wished to have Doctor
Goldoni ; rich and poor flocked to him, and the pow
paidbetter than the rich. He took more commodious

apartments, and settled at Chiozza, to remain there so

long as fortune should continue favorable to him, or till

some other physicianin vogue should supplant trim.
 CARLO GOLDONL 59

Seeingme unoccupied,and in want of good masters in

town, my father wished himself to make something of
ine. He destined me for medicine, and till he should
have the letters annooncing my nomination to the Col-
lege
Pavia, he ordered me to accompany
of him in hia

dailyvisits. He thought that a littlepracticebefore

the study of the theory would give me a superficial
acquaintancewith medicine,which 1 might find very
Dseful for the underBtaudiugtechnical tenns and the
first principlesof the art.
I was not over fond of medicine ; but I durst not be
for I
refractory, should have been then told that I wished

to do neither one thingnor another.

III.

I naturally
WAS gay, but subject
from myin"ncy to
hypochondriacal or melancholy vapors, which threw
a dark shade over my mind. Attacked with a violent
fit of this disease,I soaght for reliefhut could
lethargic
find none. The playerswere gone ; Chiozza had no

longerany amusement to my taste ; I was discontented

with medicine,I hecame gloomy and thoughtfiil, and
fell away more and more every day. My parents soon
perceivedmy state ; my mother was the first to ques- tion
me. I confided my uneasiness to her. One day,
when we were partakingor a family dinner without
strangers or the presence of servants,my mother tamed
the conversation to me. There was a debate of two
hours. My father was absolutelyresolved that I
should apply to medicine. It was in vain for me to

agitatemyself,make wry faces, and look gloomy, he

would not yield. My mother at length prov^ to my

father that he and she did it in this way :

waa wrong,
 60 MEMOIRS OF

"The Marquis Goldoni,"gaid she,"wishes to take

our child nuder his care. If Charles he a good physi-
dftn,his protector may favor him, it is true; hut can
he give him patients 1 Can he persuade peopleto pre-fer
him to J others t
so mao He ma; procure him the
in the Uaivcrslly
placeof pnifesaor of Pavia ; but then,
what an iintnense time and lahor before he can get it ;
whereas if my son were to study law and become an

advocate, it would he
easy for a senator of Milan to
make his fortune without the smallest trouble or diffi-

My father made no answer ; be remained silent for a

few minutes. At length,turningto me, he said jocu-

larly:
"Would you lilcothe Code aud Digestof Justin -

iauf" "Yes, fether,"I replied, "a groat deal better

"
than the Aphorisms of Hippocrates." Your mother,"
said he, "is a seurihle woman: her reasons are good,
and I may acquiescein them; hut in the mean time

.
yon must not remain idle,hut continue to accompany

me." I was still therefore where I was. My mother

then took np my cause with warmth. She advised my
father to send me to Venice
with, my and settle me
uncle Indric,one of the hest attorneys of the capital,
and she pn)posedto accompany me herself and to re-
main

with mo there till my

departurefor Pavia. My
aunt supported hor sister's project. I held up my
hands and wept for joy. My father consented, and I
was to go instantly to Venice. I was now contented,
and my vapors were immediately dissipated. Four
days afterwai'da my mother and myself look onr de-
?

piirture. Wo had but a passage of eightleagues, and

we arrived at Venice at tlio hour of dinner. We want
to lodge witli M. Dcrtani,a maternal uncle of my
mother; and nert day we called on M, Indric,by
62 MEMOIRS OF

able,and who could onlj compare it with the small

towns which he had lived in. What I wag most tonished
as-

at Burprtsiogview which it preBents

was the

on a first approach. On eeeing the extent of small

islands HO cltiBe together and so admirably connected

by bridges,we imagine we behold a continent elevatd
OD a plain and washed od every Bide by aa immeDse

sea which surrounds it. This in not the sea, bnt a

very extensive marsh more or less wvered with water

at the mouths of several ports with deep canals,

which admit largeand small vessels into the town

and its environs. If you

by the quarter of St.
enter

Mark through a prodigiousquantityof vessels of every

description, ships uf war, merchantmen, frigates, leys,
gal-
boats,and gondolas,you land at the F^az-
barliB,
zctta (SmallPlace), where in one direction you see the

palace and the ducal church, which annonnce the

magnificence of the republic,and in another, the
place or square of Ht. Mark, surrounded with porticoe
fk"m designsby Palladio and Sanso'vino. In going
through the streets where haberdashery goods are sold,
you tread on flagsof Istrian marble, cnrefully ened
rough-
by the chisel to prevent their being aUppery,
The whole -quarteris a perpetual fair till you arrive at
the bridgeof a singlearch,ninetyfeet iu breadth over
the great tanal,which, from its elevation,allows the

passage of barks and boats iu the highesttides,which

offers three different roads to passengers and which
ui)holilB the roots of
twentj-four shops with lodgings,
which are covered with lead. This view, I own, ap-
peared
surprisingto me ; and I have not found it
properly described by travellers. I aak my reader's
pardon if my fondness has got the better of me.
I shall not gay more at pFcsent; but I shall take
 CARLO QOLDONL 63

the libertyof giving "nie ideti of the maDoera and

customs of Venice, its laws
conatitution,when and
drcnmataace shall lead me to the subject,
and when

m; linowledge may be supposedto have obtained more

consistencyand precisioD.I shall conclude this notlM

with a Huccinct account of its In Italy
spectacles.
their places of publicamusement are (^alled theatres-
There are seven in Venice, each bearing the name of
the titular church of its parish. The theatre of St.

John Chrysostom was then the first in the town,

where the grand operas were represented, where Me-
tastasio opened his dramatic, and Faiinello, Fauslino,
nnd Cozzoni, their inumcal career. At present the
theatre of St. Benedict is highestin rank. The six
other theatres are called St. Samnel, St. Luke, St.
Angelo, St. Cassian,and St. Moses. Of these seven,
two are generallydedicated to grand operas, two
tn comic operas, and three to pUys. I shall ad-
vert
more particularlyto all of them when I become
an author, in the manner of that country; for there
are none of them which have not had worits of
mine, and which have not contributed both to my
honor and
profit
I acquitted myselftolerably well in my employment
with the attorney at Venice. I possessed great facility
in giving a summary and abstract of a law-suit,and

my uncle would fain have kept me, but I was recalled

by a letter from my father. The situation in the
Pope'sCollegehad become vacant, and was kept open
tor me. The Marquis Goldoni communicated the cir-
oumetance to ns, and advised us to lose no time in setting

out. My mother and myself quittedVenice and re- turned

to Chiozza. My tmnkswere ready and corded,

my mother and my aunt in tears. My brother, v
64 MEMOIRS OF

had been tAken home, wished to

accnrnpany m. The
aeparntinn was highly pathetic;but the
chaiee rived,
ar-

and we were obligedto part.

We tnok the road of Rovigo and Ferrara, and
arrived at Modena, where we remained three days in
the honae of M. Zavarisi, a very respectablenotary in
that town, and a near relation of ours by the mother's
side. This worthy man had alt my father's afDurs in
hand. He drew our government annuities and our

houBe-rcntH,and, having suppliedus with money, we

went to Piaccnza. My father,when there,took care
to visit his cousia who
Barilli, had not altogetherful-
filled
his engagements. He oontriTed to make him
disphargethe arrears of the two years which were

owing, so that we were now tolerablywell Blocked

with reiidymoney, which turned out very useful to us
in the unforeseen circumstances in wtiich we were

afterwards placed.
On arrivingat Milan, we lodged at the inn of the
Three Kings, and the day followingwe went to pay

our visit to the Marquis Goldoni. It is impOBsible

to be better received than we were. My protector
seemed satisfiedwith me, and I was perfectly so with
him. The collegewas spoken of,and the day was
even fixed for my making my appearance in PavJa ;
but the marquis, ou l"Hikingmore attentivelyat me,
asked my father and myselfwhy I was in a lay dress,
and why I did not wear the clericalband (petit coUet).
We were quiteat a loss to know what he meant. At
length we learned for the first time that to enter the
College of Ghislicri, called the Pope's College,it was
essentially necessary, first,that those who heU exhi-
birions should be tonsured
; secondly,that they should
have a certificate of their civil situation and their
 CAHLO GOLDONI. 65

moral coDituct;thirdly, another certificateof their not

being married ; and fourthly, a certificateof baptism,
Hy father and myself were quitethunde^Bt^uc^k, fur all

this was new to us. The senator ccineoived that we

ought to have been infunned uf it,fur he had structed

in-
his secretary to transmit us a note on the
subject;bat this note was stillremaining in lus bu-
reau.
This occasioned a number uf excuses and a

number of eutreatiea for pardon on the pait of the sec-

retary.

The master waa kind, and we should have

'
gainednothing iu being cruss.
But it was necessary to remedy the mistake. My
fothcr resolved to write to his wife, She went diately
imme-
to Venice, speciesof
and set on foot every
solicibition. The certificates of celibacyand good
inorab were easilyprocured,and the baptismalcerUfi-
eate stillmore so; but the great embarrassment was

the tonsure, as the patriarchof Venice would not

graat dimissorial letters without the constitution uf

the patriinunyordained by the canons uf the church.
What was to be done ? The property of my father

was not situated in the Venetian dominions, and my

mother's was entailed. We
obligedto apply to
were

the senate for a dispensation.What delays,cmtra-

dictions, and loss of time ! The senatorial secretary
made us pay dear for his excuses and his blunders.
There was nothing but patience for us. My mother

gave herself a deal uf trouble,and she was at length

successful ; but while she was laboringfor her son at

Venice, what were we about at Milan 1

We remained fifteen days
Milan, diningand sup-ping at

every day with my priiteetor, who showed us

everythingmagnificent in th^t city, which is the capital

of Austrian Lombardy. I shall say nothing at presen*
66 MEMOIRS OF

of MilAQ. I have to return to it ; and I shall speak

more large coucerning it when I shall he more
at

qualified to handle the subject. In the mean time my

costume was changed, and I wore the clerical hand.
We set out at length for Pavia, well provided with
lettere of recommendation. We lodged and boarded
in the house of one of the towns-people,and I was
introduced lo the superiorof the collegewhere I waa
to be received. We had a letterfrom Senator Goldoni
for M. -Lauzio, professorof law; who himself con-
ducted

me to the university.I followed him into his

class,and did not lose my time wailingfor my title (J

collegian.
M. Lauzio waa a juriscousnlt
of the greatestmerit.
He possesseda very rich library, to which I had free

access as well as to his tahle. His wife was very kind

to me. She was still young enough, and must have
been pretty,but she was terribly
disfigured
by a strous
mon-

goitre which descended from her chiti to her

breast. These omamentB are by no means rare at

Milan and
Bergamo; but that of Madame Lauzio was

altogetherparticular in its kind, for it had a small

family of littlegoitresaround it. The small-pox is
certainly a great scourge for women; but I know no

young woman pittedwith the smalt-pos who would

exchange her scara for a Milanese goitre.
I derived great profit from the professor's library.
I ran over the institutes of Roman law, and fur-
nished

my head with the matters for which I was

destined. I did not always confine myself to prudence

juris-
There were shelves filled with a collection
of ancient and modem comedies,which were ray "vor-
itereading. I resolved to divide my time between the
study of law and the perusalof comedies during tlio
 CARLO GOLDONI. 67

whole periodof my frtayat Pavia; but my entry ioto

the collegewas the occasion of more than
dissipation
application; and I did well to profitby the three
inontha in which I waited for my dimiseorial letters
and certificates from Venice. I reread with more

knowledge and greater pleasurethe Greek and Latin

poets,and I said to myself, I wish itwere in my power
to imitate them in their plan^,their style, and their

pi'ecision ; but I should not be well pleasedif I did not

tlirow more interest into my works, more marked char-
acters,
more of the via comica,and bringabout a more
sucooaaful tenninatjon of the plot

We onghtto respect the great masters who have

paved the way for us in science and art ; but every

age has Its peculiargenius,and every climate its na-
tinnal taste. The Greek and Roman authors were
acquaintedwith Nature, and closelycopiedher; but
they exposed her unveiled and without restraint. It
was on this account that the fathers of the church
wrote against plays,and that the popes excommuni-
cated
them. They have been corrected by decency,
and the anathema has been recalled in Italy. It
deserves much more to be recalled in Fmnce; and
that it is not so is a phenomenon which I cannot

comprehend.
Rummaging abont in this library, I saw Englkh,
Spanish,and French theatres ; but I found no Italian
theatre. There were here and there old Italian pieces,
but no collectionwhich could do honor to Italy. It
was with pain I sawthat the nation which was quainted
ac-

with the dramatic art before every other in

modem deficientin something essential. I

times,was
.o;,lc
then the tonsure from the hands of CardinRl Cusani,
archbishopof Pavia ; an"l I went
in; "thr on with
to presentmyselfin the
leavinghis eminence's chapel,
college.The superior,called prefect, was the Ahh6
Bemerio, professor of canon law in the university, and

apostolical prothonotary, and in virtue of a bull of

Piu3 V, ho enjoyed the titleof prelate, immediately
subjectto the holyseat. I was received by the prefect,

vice-prefect, and almoner. They delivered to me a

short sermon, and introduced me to the oldest of the
scholars. I was then installed. My "ther embraced
and quittedme, and next day he took the road for
Milan on his way home.
Perhaps,my dear reader,I abuse your complaisanre
too much, in tJiking
np your time with trifles,
which,
can but littleinterest or amuse vou: but I have a.
70 MEMOIRS OF

agreeable bouses. Hence the cotlegianEi at Pavia are

viewed by the towns-people in the lightof officersin

garrisontowns ; they are detested by the men and

received by the women. My Venetian jargon was
agreeable to tbe and
Ifuiies, gave me some advantage
over mj comrades ; my age and figure w ere not un-
pleasing, and my coupleta and songs were by no means
ill relished. Was it my fault that I did not employ

my lime well f Yes ; for among the forty which our

number consisted of,there were seyeral wise and con- siderate

individuals, whom I ought to have imitated;

but I was only sixteen, was gay, weak, fond of pleas-
1 ure,
and I yielded to temptation.But enoughfor my
rst year of college; the holidaysare approaching;
theybeginabout the end of June, and terminate with
October.

IV.
months of vacation! Sixtyleagnee
FoUB from home,
and the same distance returning!We paid no board
in this but
college, such an espense was by no means

a matter of indifference. I mighthave boarded myself

in Pavia,but no student remained there .who did not
belongto the place. The sovrana is not then worn ;
and not havingthe Pope'sarms on our shoulders,
it
was to of Pavia should
be feared lest the towns-people
of
contest with us certain rights preference which we
had alwaysbeen accustjjiiiedto enjoy,
I was certain,besides, that my mother would be
highlydelighted to see me. I resolved, therefore,to
take my departure; and, beingshort of money, I went
by water, having for servant and guide a brother of
the butler of the coUege. The voyage was in no way
'remarkable. I Chiozza in a secular dress,
quitted and
 CABLO GOLDONL 71

returned in an ecclesiastical one. My baod was not

much calculated inspiredevotion ; but my mother,
to

who was piously iacliued,imagined she was ing

receiv-

no apostle. She einbniGed me with a ccrtniD de- gree

of ccmwderation,and requestedme to correct my
brother,who was causing her some uneasiness. He
was a very impationtand i^nrulylad, who absented
himself from school for the sake of fishing, and who at
eleven years of age fiiught like a devil,and cared for

nobody. My father, who knew him well, destined

him for a soltjier;
but my mother wished to make a

monk of him, and this was asubjectof continual dis-

pute
betwixt them. I troubled myselfvery little about

my brother. I soughtfor amusement, and found none.

Chiozza appeared to me more dirtythan ever. I had

formerly a small library, and I looked for my old Ci-

CDgnini,of which I could find but a part,my brother

having used the rest in making papers for his hair.
The Canon Glennari was stillthe friend of the family.
My fether had cured him of all the diseases which af- flicted
him, real and imaginary; and he was more

frequently with us than at home. I requestedhim to

procure me some books, but of the dramatic kind if
possible. The good canon was not himself stocked
over-

with literature, but he promised,however, to

do what he could fur mej and he kept his word. He
broughtme, a few days afterwards,an old comedy,
bound in parchment,and, without taking the trouble
of looking into it,he gave it to me, on my promiseto
return it instantly, fur he had taken it,without saying
anything,from the closet of one of his brethren. It
was the Mandragora of Machiavel. I was not ac-

qoflinted with it,but had heard of it,and knew very

well that it was not the most chaste production ,in the
world. I devoui'eilit on the firstreading,
and I rused
pe-
it at ieaat ten times afterwards. My mother
pdd no attention to the book I waa for 1 had
reading,
received itfrom an ecclesiastic
; but my futhersurprised
me day in my
one room while I was makingnotes and
remarks on the Mandragora. He knew the piece, and
was aware how danperousit was for a young man of
seventeen. He insistedon knowing from whom I got
it,and I told him. He lectured me severely, and
quarrelled
with the poor canon, who had merelysinned
throughinadvertency.
I had very good and very solid reasons to ui^ as an
excuse to my father, but he would not listento me. It
was neither the free stylenor the scandalous intrigue
of the piecewhich fascinated me; its lubricity even

disgusted me, and I could perceive that the abuse of

confession was a heinous crime both in the eye of God
and man; but it was the firstcomedy of character
which had ever falleninto my hands,and 1 was quite
'

enchanted with it. How desirable it would have been,

had the Italian authors continued,afterthis comedy,
to give decent and respectable and
pieces, to draw
their characters from nature instead of the romantic

intrigues in which they indulged.But the honor (if

comedy,and making it subservient to pur-
ennobling poses
of utility,
by exposingvice and absurdityto
derision and cj"n:ection,
was reserved for Molibre. I
was with this greatman, for 1 knew
yet nnacquainted
of
nothing French. I proposed, however, to leam it,
and in the mean time I accustomed myselfto con^der
men and
closely, to remark every appearance of origi-
nality
of character.
The
holidayswere now drawingto an end,and my
became necosHary. An abb^
departure of our acquaint-
 CARLO GOLIIONL 73

ance going to Modena, aod mj father availed

was

himself of the opportunity. He was the more disposed

to make me take that road, as I was to he supplied
with money in Modena. My companiun and myself
embarked with the courier of Modeua. We arrived in
two daye, and kidge with ooe of my father's
went to

tenants who let furnished lodgings.

I had enough to pay the expenses of posting to

Pavia; hut not findingmy cousin Zavarisi at Modena,

who had ordere to supply me with some money, I
should have been quite destitute on reachingcollege,
where those who have exhibitions requirea purse for
their pocket expenses. I arrived in the eveningof the

same day at Piacenza. I had a letter of recommenda-

tion
from my father for Connseltor BariJli, whom I ac-
cordingly

visited, and who received me very politely.

He (ifferedto lodge [ne in his house; an offer which I
very properly accepted. He was indisposedand de-
t"ir"jus of repose, and I was equallyso, so
that we
made a hastysupper and went earlyXfi hed. Eedect-
ing seriously on my situation, I was tempted to borrow
a hundred crowns from my dear relation, who appeared
so good and kind to me; but he no longer owed any- thing
to my father,having paid him even bef ire the

two last instalments became due ; and I was afraid lest

my Age, and my qualityof scholar,should appear by

no means calculated to inspire
him with confidence in

In this state nf irresolution and apprehension,I went

to bed ; but tliank Heaven ! neither embarrassments

nor chagrins nor reflections have ever destroyedmy

appetiteor disturbed my repose ; pud I sleptsoundly.
Next morning the counsellor sent to inquirewhether I
would breakfast with him. I was completely dressed,
74 MEMOIRS OF

and on I
descending found everythingready. My
landlord had a dieh of soup, and there wna a cap 4^
chocolate for metalking to-
; and, hrcakfaatingand
gether,

the converafttion became at last interesting.

"
My dear child,"said he, I am old, I have had a "

dangerousattack,and 1 expect every day the orders of

Providenc* to take mj leave of this world." I waa

proceedingto say those kind thingswhich are usually

"
uttered in such cases ; but he interruptedme. No
flattery,
my friend ; we are liom to die,and my career

is iF advanced. I have satisfiedyour father,"he tinued,

con-
"
for the reminder of the dower which was

dae from my to his ; but

ffunily on searchingamong
my papers and the accounts of my domestic concerns,
1 have found an account opened between M. Goldoni
yonr grandfather, and myself." " 0 heavens,"said I to

myself,"do we then owe him anythingt" "I have made

every examination," added the counsellor ; I have "

compared letters and books, and I am certain that I

still owe a sum to his heirs." I began now to breathe,
and 1 wished to speak,hut he still interrupted me and
continued his discourse. " I should not like to die,"
said be, without dischargingit. I have heirs who
"

only wut for my death to dissipate the property which

I have saved for them, and your father would have
some difficulty in procuringpayment. Ah ! ifhe were
"
here,"continued he, with what pleasure would I give
him the money !"
"
Sir,"said I, with an air of importance, "
I am his
' '
son ; Pater et filius censentur una et eadem persona ;
so says Justinian, as you know better than I do,"
"Aha!" said he, ''you are studying law then?"
"
Yes, sir,"said I ; "
and I shall bo a licentiatein a
short time; I shall go to Milan, where 1 mean to ful-
 CARLO GOLDONL 75

low the professionof ndvocate." He lookecl at me,

HD(1 smiled ; and then asked me m j age. I was a little
embarrassed, fur my certificate of baptism and my re-
ception

in the collegedid not tally. I answered, how-

ever,
with assurance and without violation of truth ;

" in my
I have pocket,sir,the letters-patent
of my
eoUege; would you wisli to look at themt Yon will

see that I was past eighteenwhen I was received,nod

this is my second year ; eighteenand two are twenty,
and I am close on my twenty -first year:
'
Annua in-
'
ceptus habetur cempleto ; and, accordingto the
pro
Venetian code, majority is atlwned at twenty-one."

(1 tried to perplex matters, but I was only nineteen.)

M. Barilli, however, was not to be duped. Ho clearly
saw that I was still in my minority,and that be should
be riskinghis money. He had, however, a. recom-
mendation

from my father in my favor,and why was

he to suppi-se me capable of deceivinghimt But he

changed the discourse ; he nest asked me why I had

not followed the profession of my father,and no longer
bJked of money. 1 answered, that I had no taste for

medicine; and immediately recurringto what was up- permost

in my mind, "Might I ask you, sir,"said
"
I, what is the amount of the sum my you owe

father!" "Two thousand lire of this country; the

money is in that drawer." Still, however, he did

not touch it.
Sir,"added I, with a degreeof curi-
"
osity
somewhat keen, "is it in gold or silver f"
"
It is in gold," said he, " in sequins of Florence,

which, after those of Venice, are in the greatest re- quest.

They are very convenient for carrying. Would

yon,"said he, with a waggish air,"take the charge
of them 1" " With the greatest pleasure, sir,"replied
I, " I shall give you areceipt,I shall inform my father.
76 MEMOIRS OF

and account Ifl biin for it." "Will you dispipateitt"

said he; "will you dissipatethis money I" "Alas I
"
air,"repliedI, with vivacity, you do not know me ;
I aaaure yon, I am incapableof a bad action ; the
almoner of the college is the treaanrer whom iny father
has appointed for my little revenne ; and upon my
honor, sir,on reachingPavia, I shall placethe sequins
in the hands of this worthy abh^."
"
Well,well,"said he, "I shall relyon your honeety;
write me a discharge agreeably to this draft which
I have prepared." I took the pen ; M. Barilli opened
his drawer and spread out the eequinson the desk. T
looked at thein with an eye of affection. "
Stop,"said
he, " I forgotyou are travelling, and there are rfibbers."
I remarked that t travelled post,and that there wa
nothingto apprehend. He was of a differentopinion,
however, and continued to insist on the danger- I
brought in my guide,the brother of the butler,and
then M. Barilli appeared satisfied. He delivered a

lecture to both of us. I still trembled. At last he

gave me the money, and I was consoled for everything.

The cimnaellor and myself dined together,and after
dinner the horses arrived. I toak my leave,and Bt-t

out for PaVia. Scarcelyhad I entered the town, when

I went to deiMJsitthe sequinsin the hands of my treas-
urer.
1 ashed Mjc for myself,which he gave me, and
I continued to manage the remainder of the sum so

well, that I had enough for the whole season at college

and my expenses home.
This year I was somen'hat less dissipatedthan the
former. I attended to iny lessons at the university,
and seldom acceptedthe partiesof pleasureto which I
was invited.
In October and in November fonr of iny companions
 MEMOIRS OP

balustrade, i-ith a
lightedup
on both Bides,Aiid adorned with glasses,painting?,
and engravings,and fitted tip with eupboarda,benches,
and chairs,in the first styleof convenience. It waa
a very different a"ur from the bark of the comediana
of Kmini.
We were in all ten masters and a number of mestics.
do-
There were beds under the prow and under
the poop ; but we travelled only hy djiy; and it was

decided that we should sleep in good inns, or when

we could findnone, that wo were t demand tality
hospi-
from the rich Benedictines who are in the session
pos-
of immense property along the two banks of the
Po. All these
gentlemen played on some instrument.
We had three violins,a violoncello,two oboes, a
French horn, and a guitar. 1 was the only person
who was good for nothing. I was ashamed of it,and

by way of remedying my want of abiUty,I employed

myself two hours every day in putting in verse, either
good or bad, the anecdotes and agreeableadventures
of the preceding day. This piece of complaisance
was productive of great pleasure to my travelling
companions, and served to amuso us after our coffee.
Music was their favorite occupation. At the dose
of day they ranged themselves on a sort of deck
which formed the roof of our floatinghabitation, and,
making the air resound with their harmony, they
attracted from all quarters the nymphs and shep- herds
of this river,which the grave of Phaeton.
was

Perhaps, my dear reader, you will be inclined to

observe that I am a little pompous here. It may be
BO ; but this is the way I piunted our serenade in my
verses. The fact is,that the banks of the Po (called
 CARLO OOLDONl. 79

by the Italian poete the king of floods)was lined with

all the inhnbitants ""f the environs, who came in
crowds to hear us. The displa;of hats and kerchiefs
hand-
in the air was a sulficientindication of their
pleaaareand their applause.
We arrived at Cremona at sue o'elock in the ing.
even-

The inhabitAQts had got noticu that we were to

pass through plaee; and the banks of the river

that

were filled with people awaiting our arrival. We

landed ; we were received with transports of joy.
We were ushered into a superb house which was

partly in the town and partlyin the country. We

gave a concert, and the musicians of the town added

to the pleasure. We had a splendidsupper, danced
the whole night,and, with the sun, returned to our
barge,where we found our mattresses delicious. The
same scene nearlywas repeatedat Piaceuza,Stellada,
and at the Bottrigues,in the house of the Marquis

Tassoni; and in this manner, amidst every speciesof

delightand amusement, wo arrived at Chiozza,where
I was to separate fi-om the most amiable and esting
inter-

societyin the world. My companions were

friendlyenoughto accompany me. I introduced them
to my father,who thanked them most sincerely, and

even urged them to sup with him, but they wished to

reach Venice that evening. They asked mo for the
verses which I had composed on our voyage. I re-
quested

time to make a fair copy of them. 1 promised

to send them, and I kept my word.

My mother had formed acquaintaneo with

an a

Donna Maria-EUzabetta Bonaldi,a nun of the convent

of St. Francis, sister of M. Bonaldi, advocate and

notary, of Venice. They had received in this convent,

from relic of their seraphic founder, which

Rome, a
80 MEMOIRS OF

was to be
exposed with pomp and edificHtion. For
this parpnee a. sennon was requisite, and Donna Bo-
naldi,on the faith of my clerical habiliments,believed
ine moralist,theologian, and orator. She was the pro-
tector
of a young abbS, gracefulin manner, and poe-
seeeed of a good memory; and she entreat^ of me to
coinpoee a sermon and confide it to her protfig^, being
Hure that he would deliver it adniirably. I at iirrt

sought to be excused, but afterwards reflecting that

the panegyricof Pius V. was delivered every year in
my college,and was composed by one of the students,
I accepted this opportunityof eiercising myself in an
art wjiicb did not appear to me very difficult. I posed
com-

my sermon in fifteen days. The little abbS

committed it to memory, and delivered it as well as an

oldpractisedpreacher could have done. The sennun

produced the greatest effect: the audience wept, ap-

plauded
and kept sidelingupon their chairs. The
orator grew wann, and worked away Vith his hands

and feet. On this the and the

applauseincreased, poor
devil quiteexhausted.
was He called for silence from
the pulpit; and silence immediately ensued. It was
known that I composed it,and the complimentsand
happy presages were numberless. I had highly flat-
tered
the nuus, and turned the discourse on them in a

delicate ascribingto them the possessionof

manner,
every virtue unblemished by bigotry(1 knew them,
and was well aware that they were not bigots); and
this was the means of procuringme a magnificent ent
pres-
in embroidery, tace,and swectinents. The labor
of my sennon and the discussions which followed pied
occu-

me so long that
holidayshad nearlyexpired.
my
My father wrote to Venice for a carriageto convey me
to Milan. An opportunityimmediatelyoccurred. Uy
 CARLO GOLDONL 81

"ther and myHelf went to Padua, where there was

a return chaise for Mihtn. The driver waa known

and could be relied on ; and I set oat alone in hU
chaise.
I
Alightedat the Marquis Goldoui's,and remained
there six days, tillthe end of the holidays. The ooa-
veraation of my protectorwas calculated to
altogether
inspireme with hope and ardor. I believed myself
OD the very plnuacleof good fortune,while I Stood
on the verge of ruin.

I LBAfiNED at Milan the death of the of

superior my
college, and I was acquaintedwith the Ahb Scara-
bell),his successor. On my arrival at Pavia, I imm""-
diatelypaid my respecia to the new prefect, who waa
very intimate with Senator Goldom, and who assured
me good wishes. I also visited the new
of his deau
of the students,who, after the usual ceremonies, asked
nic if I wished to maintain my ctvil-law thesis this

year. He added that it was my turn, hat that if I

was particularly
not desirous,he should like to pass
another in my place. I told him very franklythat as

my turn was come, I had good reasims for avuling

myself of it,as I was ansious to finish my course and

settle at Milan. The same day I requestedthe prefect
to have the goodnessto cause lots to be drawn to ascer-
tain

the points I had to defend. The day was fixed;

the articles were destined for me ; and I was to main-

tun my thesis during the Christmas holidays. Every-

thing
went on channingly, and I was conwdered a

desirous of acquiring honor. In

spiritedyoung man,
time amuaement necessary. Two
the mean some was
82 MEMOIRS OF

days afterwards I went out for the purpose of pajiug

\riHita; and I began with the house whicii I was est
fond-
of, I rang the bell (in Italythere are no porters)

and, on the door being opened, 1 was told that the lady
of the house was sick,and that her daughterreceived
no visits. I was sorry for this,and a number of com-
pliments

passedon both sides. I went to another door, -

and, on seeingthe servant, asked if I conld have the

honor of seeiug the ladies. "They are all in the
country, sir" (and yet I had seen two female heada
at the window). As 1 could make nothingof all this,
I went to a third place,and stillnobody was at home.
I own that I was very much piqued,that I believed
myself insulted,and I could not conjecturethe cause.
I resolved, however, not to expose myself to any more
of those unpleasantriccurrences, and with a troubled
mind and enraged heart I returned home.
In the evening I related,at the fireside where the
students generallyassembled, with an air of greater
indilfereuce than I reallyfelt, the adventure which I
had experienced. Some pitiedme and others laughed
at me. On the arrival of the supper hour, we entered
the refectory, and afterwards withdrew to our respective
rooms. While 1 was musing on the unpleasantcircuni-
Blances whiiih I had experienced, I heard a knocking

at my door, and four of my comrades immediately

entered, who told me they had something serious to
tiommuuicate to me. As I had not a Buffieient number

of chairs for them, we made a settee of the bed. E

willinglyprepared to listen to them; but all four
wished to speak at once ; each had his story to teU,
and each his opinion to give. The following b tbu
substance of what I could gather from their account.
The towns-peopleof Pavia were sworn enemies to
 CAELO GOLDONL. 83

the Btndents, and, during the lat holidaya, they had

entered into a conspirae;against us. It was agreed
on at their meetings,that any girlwho received the
viMts of a Student should never he asked in marriage

hy a townsman, and a resolution to this purpose was

signed hy forty of them. This resolution had heen

circulated in every house; the mothere and daughters
had taken the alarm, and the students had all of a
eudden become a dangerousohje^ in their eyee. The

generalopinion of my fonr companions was in favor

of revenge. I had no great desire to interfere in the
business ; but they treated me as a ooward and a troon,
pol-
and 1 was foolish enough to consider my honor
at stake,and to promisenot to quitthe party.
I imagined I was speakingto four friends ; but they
were traitors who ardently desired mj ruin. They
still entertained a grudge againstme for the affairof
the preceding year, and they had nourished hatred
against me for a whole twelvemonth in their hearts,
and wished for nothing more than an occasion for giv-
ing
vent to it. I was their dupe, but I had scarcely
entered my eighteenthyear, and I had to do with old
fosea of twenty- eightand thirty.
These worthies were in the habit of carryingpistols
in their pockets, to the nee of which I was an entire

stranger. They very generouslyfurnished me with

them ; I thought them pretty, I delightedin handling
them, and my head was quiteturned. I had fire-amis
on me and knew not what to do with them. Could I
dare to force open a door t Independentlyof the
danger of such an attempt, it would have been a tion
viola-
of the rules of decency and I
respectability.
wished to rid
myself of this useless encumbrance ; my
good friends frequentlycame to ^isit me and renew thr
84 HEUOIRS OF

powder in the pan they recounted unheard-of feats of

;

courage, the ohHtacIes which they had surmounted, the

rivala whom they had vanquished ; I, in my turn, hod
nUo sprung over harriers, reduced mothers and daugh-
ters
to subjection, and made head againstthe braroB
of the town ; we were all equallyveridical, and all of
us perhapsequallybrave.

When the traitors saw that notwithstanding my

pistols, I did nothing U" draw attention towards me,
they went to work in a different way. An accusation
tfas lodgedwith the superiursagainstuie of having
flre-anns in my pockets,and I was visited one day,on
enteringthe college, by the servants, who found my
pistols on me. The prefectof the collegewas not at

Pavia, and the vice-prefect ordered me to be confined

to my room under arrest. I was desirous of taking

advantage of this time to get on with my thesis, but
my pretendedfi'ieuds still came to tempt me, and U"

employ more dangerous means of seduction,

as they had

a tendency to tickle my self-love.

"
You are a poet,"swd they; "and you have con- sequently

much more sure and efficacious instruments

for your revenge than
pistolsand other fire-arms ; a
stroke of the pen, judidously applied,is a bomb which
crushes the principal object, and of which the splinters

carry havoc right and left among the adherents."

"Courage! courage!" they all exclaimed at once;
"
we shiJl furnish you with singularanecdotes,and
you will be revenged,and we also." I was quiteaware
of the danger and inconveniences to which they wished
to expose me, and I represented to them the trouble-
some
consequences which might be the result, " By
no means," said they; "
nobody will know ; wo arc all
four good friends,and men of honor; we promise to
66 MEMOIRS OF

those who were not implicated in it laaghed at the

work, while they condemned the author. Twelve

b^miUes cried for vengeanM, and my life was Bought

after ; but fortunately for me, I was etill under arrest

Several of my companions were insulted ; the Pope's

Collegewas besieged; the prefectwas written t, who
returned precipitately,
and, wishing to save me, wrote

immediately.to the Senator Goldoni. The latter de-

spatched
letters to the Senator Erba Odescalchi,
governor
of Pavia ; the archbishopfrom whom I had received
the tonsure was appliedto in my fav"ir,
as well as the
Marquis Ghislieri,
by whom I was named ; but all my
and all manner
protections, of proceedingswere less;
use-

my saerificc was inevitable,and had it not been

for the of the place in which
privilege I was, I should
have been laid hold of by the ministers of justice.My
exclasioD from collegewas announoed to me, and I was

detjuned tillthe storm was calmed,that I might take

my departurewithout danger.
What an accumulation
horror,remorse, and re-
ofgret

! My hopes vanished,my situation sacrificed, my

time lost! Parents,protectors,friends, acquaintances,
would in taking part againstme ; I was
all be justified
afflicted and inconsolable;I kept my room, I saw body,
no-

and nobody came U" see me. What a miserable

state of mind,
what a wretched situation ! In my
solitude I was oppressedwith grief,and filled with
objectswhich aud projects
tormented me,
incessantly
which rapidlysucceeded one another on my mind. The

injurywhich I had done to myself, and the inJusUce

which I had been guiltyof towards others,were petually
per-
before my eyes ; and the sense of this injustice
weighed more on my mind than my own personal dis-
aster.
If at the distance of
sixty years, there should
 CARLO GOLDONI. - 87

still remain at Pa via eaxae remeinbrance of inj person

and imprudence, I entreat the forgiveness
m; of thoae
whom I offended, while I assure them thnt I have been
amply punished for my ikult,and that I believe it to
be Buifieieutly expiated.
While I was plunged in remorse, and occupiedwith
these ToflectiouB, I reoeivcd the followingletter frum

my father,which was a terrible augmentation of my

ehagrinand deeper :

"
wibI] you, my dear aoD, to ptaa tbe TOcation tliis
I should

year at Milan. I liare enga{(ed to go to Udiae in Venetian

Friuli,to undertalcF a cure, which may occnjiy aie tome length

of time, and I am uacertaiD but I may also be obligedto go
into Austrian Friuli,on BcFoaat of another person Buffering
under the same disease. I shail write a letter of acknowledg-
ment
to the marquiafor bia generous offers to u9, but you must
also on your part endearor to merit his goodness. You inform
me that you have shortlyto defend a thesis ; endeavor to acquit
yonraelfwith honor. By this means jou will please
yonr tector,
pro-
and
highlydelightyonr father aud mother, vho love
yon dearly,"et.

This letter completed my degradation. How," "

said I, "shall I dare to exhibit myself before

my
parents, covered with shame and universal contempt?"
I was in such dread of tiiisterrible moment, that to

extricate myself from the consequences of one "uk I

meditated another,which might have totally ruined me.
"
No ; I will not expose myself to the most deserved
and the most cuttingreproaches; no, I will not appear
before my irritated tamily ; Chiozza shall never see me

more ; I will go anywhere rather than return to it ; I

will ran away, and try my fortune,and either make

reparationfor my fault,or perish. I will go to Kome,

S8 MEMOIRS OF

where I ehall perhaps find the fnend of m j "ther who

was 80 kind to him, and who will not abandon me.

Ah 1 if I could hut become the

pupil of GraTina,the
man the most vergaat in aiid the most
belles-tettredj
akiUed in the dramiLtic art. Ah ! ifhe shonld but ceive
con-

such an affectionfor me as he had for Meteataeio !

Have not I also good dispodtions,talents,and genius!
Yes, I must to Borne. But how cna I get thither f
Have I money enough? I mnat go afoot afoot!

;e?, afoot. And

my tmnk and my effects 1 Let the
trunk and effects go to the devil. All that I want
is someshirts, some stockings, neckcloths,and night-'
caps." While occupiedwith these eitravagant reflec- tions,
I kept filling a portmanteau with linen,which I
placedin the bottom of my trunk, destiningit for my
journeyto Rome.
As my departure was to be instantaneous, I wrote to
the almoner of the college for money, who, in his
answer, informed me that he had no property of my
father's in his hands, hut that, nevertheless, the ei-

pense of my passage hy water, and my hoard to Chi-

ozza, should he defrayed by him, and that the provedi-

tor of the house would furnish me with a small supply,
for which my father should he accountable. At the
break of the followingday a coach came for me; aud
after my trunk was put into it,the proveditorentered
it along with me. We drove to the Tieino,where we
got inUi a small boat, and at the plac where the
Tieino flows into the Po, we went on board a lai^
and ugly bark,which had brought a ladingof salt. My

guide consigned me over to the care of the mairter,to

whom he whispered something. He afterwards gave
me a sniall packet from the almoner of the college, and
after saluting me and wishing me a prosperona
voyage,
 CMtLO GOLDONL 89

he at laet took his leave. The firstthingI did was to

exauiiae my opened the packet. Heavens !

treasure. I
wliat an agreeable surprisefor me: I found in it forty-
two sequins of Florence (nearly twenty louia-d'ors).
This was Huffioieut to take me to Rome, Bupposing I

travelled post and took my trunk with me. But how

could the almoner, who had no money belongingto my
fAtber,confide this aum to me t Whils I was pied
occu-

with these reflectionsand these

charming projects,
the proveditor made his appearance a^n in his boat.
He had committed a mistake : the money given to me
belonged to the college,and was deetined to pay a
wcKid-merchant; and he took back the packet, and
gave me thirtypaoliin lieu of it,amounting to the value
of about twelve shillingB !
1 was now rich with a vengeance ! I did not wont

money for my Chiozza,but how was

passage to I to

manage mj journeyto RomeT The sequinswhich I

had beea handling added mightilyto my mortification ;
but I was obligedto console myself in the best way I
eould,and to bring my mind to bear with the inconven-
iences
of a pilgrimage. My bed was under the prow,
and my trunk beside me : I dined and supped with the
master of the bark, whose long stories were quite in-
sufferab

On the second
day we arrived at Piacenza, where
the master, having some business to transact, was duced
in-
to land. This appeared to me a favorable
moment for my
escape, I took my portmanteau, and
told my gentleman that I was commissiuned to give it

to Counsellor and that I would

Barilli, take this favor-
able

opportunityto do so ; but the knave would not let

me go. He said be had positiveiostructions to detain
me; and when I persistedin my inten^a, he threat-
90 MEMOIRS OF

-ened to have reourge to violent tneasares. I -was

obligedto yieldto force,and stomnch my chagiin: I

had DO alternative hut to go to Chiozza, or throw my-
setf into the Po. I retired to my nook; my uisfur-
tunes had not hitherto drawn a tear from me, but I
now wept bitterly. " In the evening I was sent for
to supper, but
refused to go. A few ininutea after-
wards,
I heard the words "
Deo gratias prononoccd
"

in pathetictone by an
a, unknown voice. It was
Still tolerably light;and ou lookingthrough a crevice
of the door, I observed a monk, who was ing
address-
himself to me. I opened,and let him in. He
was a Dominican of Palermo, the brother of a famous
Jesuit,highly celebrated as a preacher; and he had
eqibarked that day at Piacenza,and, like myself, was
bound for Cbiozza, He knew my story, the master

having revealed everythingto ; and he came to him

offer me the temporaland spiritual
consolation which
liis vocation entitled him to bestow upon me, and
which my situation seemed to require. He displayeda
and fervencyin his (Uscourse.
great deal of sensibility
I saw him shed tears ; at least I saw him apply his
handkerchief to his eyes- I w^ touched with this,and
abandoned myselfto his mercy.
The master sent to infonn
they wpr wait-
ing us that
for us. The reverend father was by no means
disposedto lose his collation,but, seeing me full of
compunction,he begged the master to have the good- ness
to wait a moment. Then turningtowards me, he
embraced me, and, with tears in his eyes, pointed out
to me the dangersof my and showed
situation, me that
the infernal enemy might take possessionof me and
plunge me into an eternal abyss. I have alreadyhinted
tliatI was Bobject t fits of hypochondriacal
vapors, and
 CARLO GOLDONI. 91

I waB then in deplorable

a most situation. My exordst,
perceivingthis,proposeilconfeeaioD to me. I threw

myselfat his feet. "God he praised1" said he; "yes,

iny dear child,prepare yourself tUl my return"; and
he theri went and snpped without me. I remained on

my knees and began a conscientious examination of

myself. In half an hour the father returned with a

wax-lightill hia hand and seated himself on my trunk.
I delivered my confiteor,
and went throughmy general
confessiou with the requisite humility and contrition.
It was necessary to exhibit signsof repentance ; and
the first point was to makereparation for the injury
done by me to the familiea againstwhom I had directed

my satire. But how was this to be done at presentt

"
Till you are enabled to retraet your calumnies,"Baid
the reverend father, "you can onlypropitiate the wrath
of God by means of atuis; for alms-giving is the first
meritorious work which effaH sin." "Yes, father,"
"
said I to him, I shall bestow them." By no means," "

"
he replied ; the sacrifice must be instantlymade."
"But I have only thirtypaoli." "Very well,child;
in foregoingthe money which we possess we have as
much merit as if we gave more." I drew ftirth my

thirtypaoli,and requestedmy confessor to take the

them to the poor.
chargeof distributing This he will-
ingly
acceded to, and then he gave me absolution. I
wished to continue still lunger,having some things to
say which I had ; but the reverend father
forgotten
began doze, and his eyes closed every moment
to ; he

told me to keep myself quiet, and he took me by the

hand, gave mc his benediction, and hurried away to

his bed.
We were still eight days longer on our passage; I

wished to confess myself every day, but I had no mor

92 MEMOIBS OF

money for penitence. I arrived, tremWing,at Chiozca,

with ID]' confewior,
who undertook to bring aboat a ree-

oncUiation between me and my relations. My father

was at Venice on business ; my mother saw me wming,
and received me with tears ; for the almoner of the col-
lege
had not failed to inform my IHmilyof the particu-
lars
of my conduct The reverend father had but little
difficultyin touchingthe heart of a tender mother; she

possessedability and flnnness, and, turningtowards the

Dominican, by whom she was fatigued, My reTerend "

"
fiither,"said she, if my son had committed a knavish
action,I would never have consented to see him more ;
but he baa been guiltyof a pieceof imprudence,and
I pardon him."
My travelling companion would have wished that my
father had been at home to present him to the priorof
St. Dominic. There was something under this which
I could not well comprehend. My mother told him
that she expected my father in the course of the day;
at which the reverend iather appeared satistied, and
without any ceremony he invited himself to dine with

US. While we table my father arrived,and I

were at

rose and shut myself in the adjoiningroom. On my

"
father's entrance he a largecowl.
perceived This is
a stranger," said my mother, who demanded tality."
hospi- "

"But this other plate, -this other chairt"

It was no longerpossibleto be silent respectingme;

my mother wept; the monk harangued; he did not
forgetthe parableof the prodigalson. My father was
good-natured,and very fond of me ; in short,I was sent
for,and at last
restored to favor.
In the afternoon
my father accompanied the Domini-
can
to his convent. They unwillingto receive
were

him, as all monks who travel ought to have a written

94 MEMOIRS OF

anil bonst
gether, of his miraclea,proceededeeparately
to the verification of the fects. The miraculous lace,
which resisted the
flames,was notJiiugmore nor less
than iron wire arrangedin such a manner as to deceive

the ejes. The nuns were reprimanded,and the monk

disappeared.
My fether and mjeelf took our departurea few days
afterwvdfi for Friuli,and we passed through Porto-.
Gruero, where my mother possessedsome revenue as

a publiccreditor. This small town, on the borders of

Friuli,is the residence of the Bishop of Concordia,a

cityof great andqiiity, but almost abandoned on account
of the badness of the air. Continuing our route, we
passedthe Tnilliamento,sometimes a river and times
some-

a torrent,which must be forded,as there are

'neither bridgesnor ferry-boats; and we at length- rived
ar-

at Udine, the capital of Venetian Friuli.

vr.

My father followed his professionat Udine, and I

resumed my studies. M. Movelli,a celebrated consult,
juris-
gave lectures on civil and law, in his
eanon

own house, for the instruction of one

of his nephews ;
he admitted a few persons belonpng to the country to
his lessons, and 1 had the good furtune to be of the
number. lown that I profitedmore duringsix months,
on this occasion,than I bad done during the three
years at Pavia.
I had a great desire tostudy; but I was young,
and requiredsome agreeablerelaxation ; I sought fi"r
amusements, and found them of various sorts. Lent
arrived; I went on Ash -Wednesday to iho
cathedral,
to hear Father Cataneo,a refonncd Augustine,whose
 CARLO GOLDONL 95

s I found admirable. On
going away, I retained
Ifce three pointsof his division,word for word; and I
endeavored to wnnpresH his argument, and give an

idea of its development Kwl morai in fourteen versee ;

ind in my own opinionI made a very toleraWe sonnet
of it. The eaine day I went and communicated it to
M. Treo, a gentleman of Udine, well versed in the
.
belles- lettrCB, who had a great taate for poetry, and
iny sonnet appeared very passableto him also. He
was kind enough to correct a few of the expressions,
and to
enoourago me to compose others. I followed
.
the preacherwith great exactness, performed the same
task every day, and at the close I found I had put
thirty-sixexcellent sermons into thirty-sissonnets of
one kind or another. I had taken the precautionof
(lendingthem to the press as aoun as I had sufGcient
materials for a sheet in quarto,and duringEasterweek
I puhlished my pamphlet, which was dedicated to the
deputiesof the town. I was overpowered with thanks
from the orator, and received many acknowledgments,
and a great deal of applausefrom the firstmagistrates.
The noveltyof the thinggave pleasure, and the rapid-
ity
of the execution was still more surprising.
My father was at Gorizia,in the house of his illus-
trious
patientCount Lantieri,lieutenant-general in the

tirmy of the Emperor Charles the Sixth, and inspector

of the Austrian troops in Camiola and German Friuli.
I was very well received hy that amiable nobleman,
who was the
delightof his country. We did not
remain long at Gorizia, but passed immediately to
Vipack, a very oonsiderahle market town in Camiola,
at the EOnrco of a river from which it takes its name,
and a fief of the house of Lantieri. We passedfour
luunthe there in the most agreeablemanner poswble.
96 MEMOIRS OF

The nobilitfof that country pay their visits in whole

imilies;Others, children,maslcra, servants, horaea,
"U Bet off at once, and all are received and lodged.
Thirty masters may be frequently seen, sometimes in
one house, and sometimes in another; but as CouDt
Lantieri was accounted valetudinary,he went where
no-

and received everybody. His table was not

delicately but abundantly served. I still remember

a dish of roast, which was the etiquette; a foreleg of

mutton, or veuison,or a breast of veal,constituted the

base of it ; above this there were hares or pheasants;
with red and gray partridges again above them, and
nest woodcocks or snipes or thrushes; and the pyra-
mid
ended with larks and fig-peckers.
This strange assemblage was immediately shared
out and distributed. The small birds were served up
on their arrival;every one laid hold of the game to

cut it up ; and the amateurs of meat saw the large

pieceswhich were most to their taete uncovered before
them. It was also the etiquette
to Mrve opthree sorts
of soup at each repast : bread soup with the ragouts ;

an herb soup with the first serviw, and peeledbarley

with the entremets : this barleywas moistened with the

gravy of the roast meat, and I was told that it was

good for digestion.
What was most troublesome to me was the healths
which we were obligedto drink.
every moment On
St. Charles's day they began with his imperialmaj- esty,
and each guest was presented with a drinking
vessel of a very singular kind ; it was a glassmachine

of a foot in length,composed of different balls,which

diminished progressively, and were separatedfrom one
another by small tubes,and which were terminated by
a longitudinal aperture, that could be very conven-
 CARLO GOLDONL 97

ientl)' appliedto the inoath,and throughwhich the

liqaorissued ; the bottom of this machine, caUed the
glo-g1i", was filled,and on placingthe top to the inoutb,
and raisingthe elbow, the wine which passed through
the different tubes and balls,rendered a, harmonious
sound; and all the guests performing the same tion
opera-
at the same time, made a concert of a very new
and pleasant sort. I know not whether the same
customs are stillobserved iu that country ; everything
changes,and everythingmay bo there changed ; but
if in those cantons there be yet any persons of the
olden times, like me, they may perhaps be glad to
have this bronght to their recollection.
Count Lantieri very well satisfiedwith my fother,
was

for he was greatlyrecovered,and almost completely

cured ; hb kindness was also extended to me, and to

procure amusement for me, he caused a puppet-show,

which almost abandoned, and which
was was very rich
in figures
and decorations,to be refitted. profited by 1
this,and amused the company by giving them a piece
of a great man, expresslycoiiiposed for wooden dians.
come-

This was the Sneezing of Hercules,by Peter

James Martelli,a Bolognese.
This eelebraled man was the only person who could
have left us a completetheatre,if he had not possessed
the follyof attemptinga new speciesof versification
fur the Italians; verses of fourteen syllables,and rhymed

by couplets nearlyfiko the French verses. I shall speak

of these Martellian verses in the second part of the
Memoirs; for notwithstandingtheir prosoription,I
took it into my head to he pleasednith them fifty
years after the death of their author.
MartelU published, in six volumes, dramatical positions
com-

of every from
possibledescription, the moer
98 HEUOIRS OF

severe tragedyto the pnppet-shuw called Bambocciata

bj him, of which the title waa the Sneezingof Hercules.
The imaginationof the author sent Hercules into the*
country of the pygmies. Those poor littlecreatures,
fi^ghtened at the aspect uf an anitnated mountain with

legsand arms, ran and concealed themselves in holes.

One day as Uercnies had stretched himself ont in the
open field,and was sleepingtranquilly, the timid in-
habitants
issued out of their retreats,and, armed with

pricklesand rushes,mounted on the monstrous man,

and covered hiinfi'om head to foot,like flies when they
"1II on a piece of rotten meat. Hercules waked, and
feltsomething in his nose which made him sneeze ; on
which his enemies tumbled down in all directioos.
This ends the piece. There ia a plan,a progression,
an intrigue, a catastrophe, and winding up ; the style
ia good and well supported; the thoughts and senti- ments
are all proportionateto the size of the person- ages.
The verses even are short,and everythingindi- cates

pygmies. A giganticpuppet was requisitefor

Hercules ; everythingwas well executed. The tainment
enter-

was productiveof much pleasure; and I coald

lay a bet that I am the only person who ever thought
of executingthe Bambocciata of Marlelli.
Our representations over, and Count Lantieri's cure
still going on better and better, my father began to
speak of returninghome. I was at the same time
invited to make a tour along with the secretary of the
count, who was charged with commissions for his
master. My father allowed me an abseuce of fifteen
days ; and we set out by post in a small four-wheeled
chariot. We first arrived at Laubec, the capitalof
Camioli, on the river of the same name. I saw ing
noth-
extraordinarythere but crawfish of surprising
 CABLO GOLDONI. 99

beanty and as largeas lobrtera, as some of them were a

foot in length. From thenc we passed to Gratz, the

eapilalof Slyria, where there is a very ancient and very
celebrated university, much bettor frequented than that
of Pavia, as the Germans are much more atudioua and
less dissipated than the Italians. 1 cuuld have wished
to extend my journey as far as Pra^iie ; but my com-
panion

and myself were both limited, he by the orders

of his master, and I by those of my lather. All that
we could do was not to return by the same ruad : we
traversed Carinthia; we saw Trieste,a considerable
seaport on the Adriatic Sea; from thenoe we passed
thi-ongh Aquileia and Gradisca,and returned to Vipack
two days later than the time prescribed ns.

Immediately on ray return my "ther took his leave

of Count Lantieri,who, as a recompense for his care,
made him a present of a very handsome of money,
sum

adding a very pretty box with his and a silver

portrait
watch for myself. A young man in those times was

glad to have a silver watch, aoA now the lackeys will

^not deign to carry them.

VII.
On our arrival at Chiozza we were received as a

mother receives her dear son, as a wife receives her

dear husband aHer a lung absence. I was delightedto

see again that virtuous mother who was so tenderlyat-

tached

to me ; iny mother and myself were very partial

to each other ; but how different the love of a mother
for her sou from that of a son for his mother! Children
love from ; but
gratitude mothers love by a natural

impulse,and self-love has not a less share in their len-

der

friendship;they love the fruits of their conjugal

100 MEMOIRS OF

union, couMived by them with BHtiefoction, carried by

theui with pain iu their bosom, and brought into the
world with BO much suffering.They have seen them
grow up from day to day ; they have eujoyed the first
displayof their innocence ; they have been accustomed
to Bee them, to love them, to walch over them. I
am even disposedtu heUeve that the last reason is the

strongestof all,and that a mother would nut he less

fond of a child changed at nurse than of her own, vided
pro-
she had bond fids received it for her own, bad
taken oare of its first education,and been accustomed
to caress and i^erish it.
This digression
is a foreignto these memoirs, but I
Ulie to gossip occasionally; and without hunting for
nothinginterests ine more
fioo things, than the analy^s
of the human hewt. But to resume the thread of our

discourse.
My father received a letter from his cogeiu Zavaris,
a notary at Modena, to the followingimport : The
duke had renewed an ancient ediet by which every sessor
pos-
of rents aod real property was prohibited"otn_
absenting himself ftxim his dominions without sion,
permis-
and these permissions cost a great deal. M. Zava-
risi added in his letter, that as my views respecting
Milan had failed, it would be advisable for my father tu
send me to Modena, in which there was a univeraiiy as

at Pavia, where I might finish my legal studies,receive

a license, and afterwards be entered as an advocate !
This worthy relation, who was sincerely attached to us,
put my father iu mind that his ancestois had always
held distinguished placesin the duchy of Modena; that
I might revive the ancient credit of our family,and, at
the same time,save the expense of a permission,which
would requireto be renewed He
every two years.
102 MEM0IR3 OP

teeD paBsengers : our conductor,named Bastia,was a

very aged and spare man, of a severe physiognomy,
but a very respectable
man, and pven devout withal.
We took our first dinner all of us togetherat the inn,
where the master procured the necessary pniviaionsfor
our supper, which was to he taken on our passage. At
nightfitll
two lamps difiused a lighteverywhere, and
the courier then made his appearance in the midst of

na with
chapletin his hands and begged and exhorted
a

us very politly to redte along with him aloud a third

part of a rosary and the litaniesof the Virgin. We all
gave our aasent to the pious request of tliegood man
Bastia,and ranged ourselves in two rows to divide the

pater-nosters and ave-marias, which we recited with

becoming devotion. In a corner of the boat there

were three of our travellers who sat with their hats on

and kept laughing and mimicking us. Baetia, having

perceivedthis,requestedthe three gentlemento observe
good manners at least,if they were not disposedto be
devout. The three unknown persons on this laughed
full in his face. The courier was vexed, but said noth-
ing

further,as he knew not whom he had to do with ;

but a sailor,who recognizedthem, told the courier
they were three Jews. Bastia's fury exceeded all

bounds, and he cried out like a mad person,

"
What 1

you are Jews, and at dinner you ate bacou !

"
At this

unexpected sallyeverybody began to laugh, and the

Jews as well as the rest. The courier continued," I

pity those who are bo unfortunate as not to know our

religion ; but I despisethose who observe none. You

ate bacon ; you are knaves." The Jews in a fury
threw themaelves on the courier : we took the able
reason-

part of defendinghim, and we forced the Israelites

to keep by themselves. Our rosary, thus interrnptcd,
 CARLO GOLDONL 103

was postponed to Uie followingday. We Bupped with

tolerable gayety, and we went to sleep on our little
mattr^Bsee. Nothing extraordinary took placeduring

the remainder of the voyage-

On approaching Modena, Bastla asked me where 1
meant to lodge. 1 knew not myself,aa M. Zavariai
was to find me oat a boarding-house.Bastia requested

uifl to board with him ; he was acquiuntedwith M.

Zavarisi,and he flattered himself that it would meet

with bis approbation. This was actuallythe case ;

and I went to lodgewith the eoniiei. It was a moGt
sanctified house father,bou, daughters,daughter-in-
:

la,w,and children were all pcBseBsed of the greatest

devotion. I found no amusement with them ; but as

they were honest people,who lived prudentlyand

tranquilly,I was very well pleasedwith their tions;
atten-

and people are always estimable when tliey

fulfil their social duties. My cousin Zavarisi,well
pleased to have me beside him, first presentedme to

th rector of the and look

university, me afterwards to

the bouse of a celebrated advocate of the country,

where I was to become acquaintedwith the practice
of the law, and where I instantlytook tny place. In
this study there was a nephew of the celebrated Mura-

tori,who procuredme the acquaintanceof his uncle,a

man of universal taleuts,
who was an honor to his tion
na-

and age, and who would have been cardinal if bo

had been less strenuous in his writingsin favor of the
house of Este.
My new companion showed me everythingmost eu-
lions in the town and, among ; the ducal
other things,
palace,which was extremelybeautiful and magnificent,
and whieh contained the vtduable collection of pictures
of
then at Modena, but since purchasedby the King
iatiog for humanity. " Good God ! enid I
reflections "

to myself,"to what are we subjectin this ahort life,

which we are obbgedto drag out 1 Here is a man cused
ac-
of utteringimproperlangua^ to a woman who
had been fakingthe sacrament. Who denounced himt
 CARLO GOLDONI. 105

The woman herself. Heavens! is not misfortune aJoae

a sufficient punishment T "
Whilst I was indulging my sad reveries,Falher
Bastia,knowing of m; return,came to propose to me

tu join his fiunil; in recitingthe roaary. I required

something to relieve my mind, nnd I acceptedthe pro- posal

with pleasure. I said mj rosary with devotion,
and I found my consolation iu it. Supper wa served
up, and the Ahh6 V was spoltenof. I marked the
horror which I felt for that spectacle; my host,who
was of the secular societyof that jurisdiction, ered
consid-
the ceremony superb and exemplary. I asked
him how the spectacleterminated. He told me that
his pridehad at lengthbeen humbled ; that his obsti-
nacy
had at length yielded ; that he was obligedto
avow with a loud voice all his crimes,to recite a for- mula
of retractation presented to hhn, and that he was

condemned to six years' imprisonment. The terrible

aspect of this man under his ignominious treatment
never quittedme. I saw no one ; I went to mass

every day with Baetia: I went to sennon and to

prayers with him ; he was quite contented with me,

and endeavored to nourish In me that unction which
appeared in ray actions and my discourse, by accounts
"rf visions,miracles,and conversions. My resolution
waa taken, and I was firmlyresolved to enter the order
of Capuchins. I wrote to my fiither a very labored
letter, which, however, was destitute of common-sense.
I requestedhis permissionto renounce the world, and
envelope myself in a cow!. My lather,who was no

fool,took care not to oppose me: he flattered mo a

I
great deal ; he seemed satisfiedwith the inspiration
displayed, and merely begged me to join him ately
immedi-
on of his letter,
the reeeipt promisingme that he
 luy oroiiier, wno naa always d

whs sent to Zara,the

capital uf Daliuatia; he
nrmy,
was consignedto M. ViMnoni,a cousin of my mother,
and a captainof dragoouB,and adjutantto the pro-
of
TeditoT-gcneralthat province, which belongs to the
 CABLO GOLDONI. 107

republicof Venice. This brave officer,whom all the

generals who sacceeded to the ooinraand of Zara
wished to have beaide them, took the oKarge of my
brother's cdnc-ation,and afterwards plaued him in his
regiment.
For my part,I knew not what was to become of me.

At the age of tweoty-one I had experiencodso many

reverses, so many had happened
siogularcatastrophes
to me, and so many troublesome events, that I no

longer Hatlered myself willi aoythiog, and saw no

other resource inmy mind than the dramatic art,

which I was stillFond
of,and which I should long be-
fore
have entered into,if I had been master of my own
will. My father,however, vexed to see me the sport
of fortune,did not allow himself to be cast down by
those circnmstances, which began 1o wear a serious
aspect both for him and me. He had been at a con-

Nderable and
useless expense to give mo a profession,
and he could have fished to procure me a respectable
and lucrnlive employment, which should cost him
nothing. This was not so easilyto be found ; he did
find one, however, and so much to my taste that I
furgutall thelosses wbiuh I had sustained,and I had
nothingfurther to regret.
The republicof Venice sends a noble Venetian for
governor to Chiozza, with the titleof "podestk," who
takes with him a chancellor for criminal matters ; an

office which correspondswith that of "lieutenant'

criminel " in France ; and this criminal chaneelior
must have an assistant in his
office, with the titleof
coadjutor.These appointmentsare more or less lucrv
tive,accordingto the country in which they are wtu-
ated ; but they are all very agreeable,
as the holders

of them are admitted to ihe governor'stable,are in

108 MEMOIRS OF

hla excellency'Bpsrty, nnd see every person of durtine-

tion in the place. However small the labor,it tarns
nut pretty welL My fnther enjoyed the protectionof
the govciiior, who was at that time the noble Francis
Bcintkdini. He was also very much connected with
the criininnl chancellor,and well aajnainted
with the
coadjutor. In short,he procuredmy appointment as
adjunct to the latter.
The periodof the Venetian government is fixed ; the
governors are changed every sixteen months. When
I entered my place,four mouths had only elapsed.Be-

nidca,I was a sapcmumerary, and conld not pretend

to any kind of .emolumenta; but I enjoyed all the
pleasuresof society, a good tahle,abundance of plays,

concerta, balls,and f^tes. It is a chaiming employ- ment

; but as they are not regularoffices, and as the

governor can give the coinmiaaion to whomsoever he

pleases,there are some of their chancellors who lan- guish
in inaction,and others who pass over the rest,
and have no time to repose themselves. It is personal
merit which brings them into repute; but most quently
fre-
protections carry the day. I was aware of the

necessityof securinga reputationto myself; and in

my qualityof supernumerary, I took every means of
instructingmyself, and making myself useful. The
coadjutorwas not too fond of employment; I assisted
him as much as possible ; and at the end of a few
months I had become as competent as himself The
chancellor was not long in perceiving it; and he gave
me thorny commissions withont their passingthrough
the channel of his coadjutor,which I was fortunate
enough to eaeeute to his satisfaction.
Criminal procedure is a very interesting lesson for
the knowle^eof hnman The
nature. guilty iudj-
110 MEMOIRS OF

propofiea, and God disposes. On the departnreof otir

governor from Chiozza, all were

eager to show him
every sort of honor ; and the wits of the town, orjliose
who thooght themselves such,had aliterary
assemhly,
in which the illaBtriooH person by whom they had
been governedwas celebrated both in verse and prose.
I sang also aU the sorts
glory of the heroof of the
festival, and I expatiatedat groat lengthon the virtues
and personalqualities of the governor'slady; both of
them had shown a kindness for me ; and at Bergamo,
where 1 saw them in office some time afterwards, as

well as at Venice when his excellencywas decorated

with the rank of senator, they always continaed to

honor me with their protction.

Everybody went away, and I remained at Chiozza

till M. Zabottini (thiswas the name of the chaDcellor)
called me to Venice for the journey to Feltre. I had

always cultivated the acqniuntance of the nuns of St.

Francis,where there were charming Ijoarders ; the Sig-
nora B had one under her dire"',tionwho was very
beautiful,very rich,and very amiable ; she would have

pleasedme infinitely, but my age, my hituation,and

my fortune forbade mc to flatter myself with the idea ;

the nun, however, did not despair; and when I called

on her she never uled to send for the young ladyto

the parlor. I felt that I waa becoming Beriously at-
tached

; the directress seemed satisfied; I did not com -

prehend her : I spoke to her one day of my incUnation

and my fear ; and she encouraged me and confided the
secret to me. This lady possessedmerit and prop-
erty;
but there was a stain on her birth. ever,
"How-
this small defect is nothing,"said the ladywith
the veil ; "
the girlis prudent and well educated ; and
I answer for her character and conduct. She has,"
 CARLO CiOLDONI. Ill

she eontinaed; " a gnardian,who must begainedover;

but let me alooe for that. This guardian, who is
very old and very infirm, has, it is true, some pre-
teueions to his ward : but
he is in the wrong, and

as I stand for something in this hiisinese

let me

alone, I say things for tho

again ; I shall arrange
best." I own, from this disconree,this confidence,and
this enconragement, I began to believe myself forta-
nate. Mies M ? look upon me
??
with an un-
did not favorable

eye, and I reckoned the affair as good as

concluded. The whole convent perceivedmy inclina-
lioQ for the boarder, and acquaintedthere were ladies
with the intriguesof the parlorwho took pity on me,
and informed me of what was passing. They did itin
this way. The windows of my room were eiacHy
oppositeto the steepleof the ronvent ; several aper- tures
were contrived in its construction, through which
the figuresof those who approached them were con-
fusedly seen. I had several times observed figuresand
signs At these apertures, and I learned in time that
those signs marked the letters of the alphabet,that
words were formed of them, and that a conversation
could thus be carried on at a distance. I had almost
every day a quarter of an hour of this mute converea-

tian,which was of a discreet and decorous nature. By

means of this manual
alphabet I learned that Miss
N was on the point of being married to her guar-
dian.
Indignantat the proceedingsof Lady B ,

I called on her after dinner,determined to diHplaymy

resentment. I demanded to her ; she came, and
see

on lookingsteadily at me, perceivedthat I was cha-

grined,
and dexterouslytook care not to give me time
to speak ; she began the attack herself with a stfft of

vigorand a degreeof vehemence. .

?

^
i
,
112 MEMOIRS OF

"
Very well, sir,"Bidd she, " you displeased,
are I
Be by your oountenance." I wished to apeak then,
but ehe would not lislan to me ; she raised ber voice,
"
and continned Yes, sir.Miss N
: is to be mar-
ried,

and her guardian is to marry her." I wished to

"
speak loud in my turn. Silence,BJlence," cried ehe,
"
listen to me ; thia maniago is my contrivance ; I
have,after mature consideration, been induced to second
it,and it was for you that I solicitedit." " For me ! "
seid 1. " Yes ; silence," said she, " and you shall see
the deNgn of an honest woman, who is attached to
you. Are you," continued she, " in a situation to
marry I No, for a hundred reasons. Wonld the lady
have waited your wiuvenienco T No, for it was not in
her power; she must have married; a young man
would have mairied her, and you would have lost her
forever. Now she is to be married to an old man, to

a who
valetudinary, cannot live long ; you will receive a

prettywidow who will be richer than she is at present :

and in the mean time you can go on in your own way.
Yes, yes, she is yonrs ; I pledge myself for that ; I
give you my word of honor."
Miss N now
appearance andmade
proached
ap- her
the grate. The directress said tu me, with a
mysteriousair," Compliment Miss on her marriage."
I could hold out longer. I
so made my bow, and went

away without sayinga word. I never saw either the

directress or the boarder agwn ; and happily I soon

foi^otboth of them.
As siton as I received the letter directing
me to pair
re-

Feltre,I set out ii'om Cbiozza,accompanied by

to

iriy father,
Hiid went to Venice to be introduced along
with hiui to his excellency, Paolo Spinelli,a noble
Venetian,the podesti or governor, whom I was to
 CABLO GOLDONL 113

follow. We also called on Chancellor Zabotthii, under

whose orders I was to labor. I loftVenice a few da^rs
afterwards,and in hours
forty-eight I reached the plce
of my residence. Feltre or Feltri is a towa sitoitted in
the Marcia Trevigiana, a provinceof the republicof
Venice, sixtyleagues from the capital. It contains a
and
bishopric a nobility.The town is raoan-
numerous

tainous and steep, and so completelycovered with

snow during the whole winter,that from the doors in
the narrow streets being choked up with snow and ice.
they are obligedto make their way out at the windows.
The followingLatin verse is ascribed to Csesar:

"
Feltria perpetno aisiuio damnata rigori."

Having arrived there before

cullengues,for the
m;
purpose of receiving from my predecessorthe archives
and other papers, I was very agreeablysurprised to
learn that there company of comedians
was a in the

town, who had been invited by the old governor, and

who intended giving a few representations on the ar-
rival

of the new. This company was nnder the direc-

tion
of Charles Veronese,the same who, thirtyyears
^lerwardfl,came to Paris to play the character of

pantaloon at the Italian theatre,and who brought

the beautiful Coralina and the charming Camilla,his

daughters, along with him. This company was not

amiss; the director, notwithstandinghis glass eye,
playedthe principal inamorato; and I saw with pl^is-
ure the same Florindo dei Macaroni whom I knew at

Kmioi, and who, of his age, onlyacted the

on account
charaoters of kingsin tragedy and noble lathers in
comedy.
Pour days afterwards the governor arrived, and the
ebaneellor and another ofQcer of justicewith the titl
H4 MEMOIHS OF

of near, who
here and in seveial o"^er provincesof the
atate of Veniee, has ft voice along with the podcsttiin
seoteDces and
judgments. I hiid aeide fur several
months everj idea of pleasure and amusemeat, and

appUed seriously to labor,as, aft^- tliissecond govem-

uent in which I acted aa cosdjntor, I could aspirebi a

chan('llorahip. I examined iuta the p^Mia in tha

chancery,n-numg iritich I found a comuiiBSiun frum the

Moate that my predeeessorH had neglected. I gave an
account of il to my principal, who judged the afliiirof
an interesting nature, and charged me to follow it
through with all my abililiee. This was a criminal
procedureon account of timber cut down in the forests
of the repuhlicjand there were two hundred peions
implicatdin the crime. This requiredan exam- ination

on the spot, to ascertain the corpus delicti. I

went myself with surveyors and guards acrose rocks,
toirenta,and prctcipicea. The procedureoccasioned a
great noise,and threw every one into consternation;
for the wood had been cut down with impunity f"ir
more than twenty years, and there was reason to prehend
ap-
a revolt,which might have fallen on the poor
devil of a coadjutorwho sleeping roused
lion, for- the
tunately,
this great aflairterminated something in Iho
same way as the parturition of the mountain. Tho
republicwas satisfied with securingits wood for the
future. The chancellor lost nothing,and the coadjutor
was indemnified for his fears.
I was iutruBted some time afterwards with another
commission of a much more agreeableand amusii^
nature. This was to carry through an investigation
ten leaguesfrom the town, into the circumstances of ti

dispute where fire-arms had been made use of, and

dangerous wounds received. Aa the country where
 CARLO GOLDOSL 115

thishappened was Sat, and the road la; through

eharmioj;estates I engaged geveral
and oouatrj-hoaaes,
of my friends to follow me ; WB were in all twelve,

six males and six females,and four domestics. We all

rode on horaebuek, and
employed twelve days in
we

this delici")us expedition. Dnring aU this time we

never dined and supped in the same place; and for
twelve nightswe never slepton beds. We went very
frequentlyon f'Mt along delightful roads bordered trith

vines, and shaded with fig-trees, breakbstingon milk,

and sometimes sharing the ordinaryfare of the peas-
ants,
which is a soup composed of Turkey eom called

polenta,and of which we made most dehcions toasU.

Wherever we went, we saw nothing but,^Ste8, cejoic-
ings, and enterttunments ; and at every place where
we stopped in the evening we had balls the whole night
through,in which the ladies played their part as well
as the men. In this party there were two sisters,
one

married and the other single. The latter was very

much my liking,
to and [ may say I made the party
for her alone. She was as prudent and modest as her
sister was headstrong
and foolish ; the
singularityof

ourjourney afforded us an opportnnityof coming to an

explanation,and we became lovers. *

My investigation was concluded in two hours ; we

selected another road for our return, to vary our ure

pleas-
; but on our arrival at Feltre,we wera all worn

out, exhausted,and more dead than alive. I feltthe

effects for a month, and my Angelicahad a fever
poor
of fortydays. The six gentlemen of our party pro-
posed
another speciesof entertainment to me. In the
palaceof the governor there was a theatre,which they
wished to put to some use ; and they did me the honor

to tell me that they had conceived the projecton in

lis MEMOlfiS OF

account, and the; left me the power of cbooung ibei

pieces and distiibuting
the characteis. I thanked
them, and acceptedthe propositioQ,
and with the ap-
probatio
of hia excellency
and my chancellor,I put
myselfat the head of this new entertainment. I could
have wishedsomething comic, but 1 was not fond
of buffoonery,and there were no good comedies;
I therefore gave the preferenceto tragedy. As the

operas of Metastasio were then represeutedevery-

where
even without music, I put the airs into redta-
tive ; I endeavored well
I conld In approsimjite
as as

the styleof that cbarming author ; and I made choice

of Didone and Siroe for our I distrib-
representation. uted
the parts, according to the characters
of my
actors, whom knew, and I
I reserved the worst for
myself. In this I actd wisely,for I was completely
unsuited for tragedy. Fortunately,I had composed
two small pieees in which I played two- parts of char-

actr,and redeemed my reputation.The firstof these

pieceswas the Good Father, and the second La Canta-
trice. Both were approved of, and my actingwas
considered passablefor an amateur. I saw the last of
these pieces some time afterwards at Venice,where a

young advocato thought proper to give it out as his

own work, and to receive compliments on the snbjeet ;
but, having been imprndentenough to publishit with
his name, he experiencedthe mortifiiWition of seeing
his plagiarism umnaaked.
I did what I could to engage my beautiful Angelica
to accept a part in our tmposwble;
but
tragedies, it was
she was timid,and had she even been willing,her
parents would not have given their permission. She
visited us ; but this pleasurecost her tears ; for she
was jealousand suffered much from seeingme on such
118 MEMOIRS OF

settle in one place(a propensitywhich he left as an

inheritance to his bod) had changed his country. In
returningfrom Modena, whither he went on family
affiiirs, he pa.i3edthroughFerrara,and there ho re-ceived

a very advantageous offer of being settled as it

physicianat Bagnacavallo,with a fiied income. This

was a favorable proposition, and he accepted it ; and
it was arranged that I should join him there the very
firstopportuuity my situation would adoiiit of.
On leavingFeltre,I paased through Venice without
stopping,and embarked with the courier of Ferrara.
In the bark there were numbers of people,but they

were in assorted. Among others,there was a meagre

and pale young man with black hair,a broken voice,
and a sinister physiognomy, the son of a butcher of
Padua, who set up for a great mau. This gentleman

grew weary, and invited everybody to play; nob"idr,

however, would listen to him, and I had the honor of
takinghim up. He proposedat lirat fero on a small
scale,t6)e-"-tSte, but this the courier would not have

permitted. We played at a child'sgame, called "cala-

carte,"in which he who has the greatestnumber of
cards at the end of the game gainsa fish,and he who
has the greatestnumber of spades gains another. I
lost njy cards always, and never had any spades: at
thirtysous the fish,he contjived to obtiun from me
two sequins; I suspected him, but I paid my money
without sayinganything.
On arrivingat Ferrara I had need d! repose, and I
went to lodgeat the hotel of St. Mark, where the post-
horses were kept. While I was dining alone in my
room, I received a visit from my gambler, who came
to offer me my revenge. On my refusing, he laughed
at me, and, drawing from his poi-keta pack of cards
 CARLO GOLDONL 119

and a handful seqaios, ha proposed faro to me,

of
which I however, refused. "Come, come, sir,"
still,
said he ; "I owe
you your revenge. I am an honert
man, wiUiug to give it you ; and you caaiuit refuse me.
Yoo don't know me," he continued. "
To set your
mind at case with respect to ine, there are the ouds;
hold you the hau1{ and 1 shall
punt." The proposition
seemed to me fair ; I was not yet cunning enough to

suspect the tricks of this sleight-of-hand geutry ; I be-

lieved
in good earnest that chance would deuide the

buainesa,and that I had an opportunityof recovering

my money.
I drew ten sequinsfrom my purse, as an equivalent
for those of my antagonist, and I mixed the cards and

gave him them to cut. He laid two punts, which I

gained,and on which I was as friskyas a harlequin.

I shuffled again,and gave the cards to him to cut : my

gentleman doubled his stake and gained ; he made

paroli: this paroU decided the bank, and I could not
refiiseto hold it. I held it accordingly, and I gained.
On this he swore like a trooper, took up the cards,
which had fallen on the table,counted them, found an

odd card,and maintained there was a false deal. He

attempted to seizetny money, which I defended. He
then drew a pistolfrom his
pocket; and I started
back and let go my sequins. On hearingmy plaintive
and trembling voice, a waiter of tho hotel,leagufid
in all pri'babilitywith the cheat, made his appear-
ance,
and announced to us that we had both incurred
the most rigorous penalties denounced againstgames
uf hazard, and threatened to inform against us in- stantly
if we refused to give him some money. I

was not long in giving him a sequin for myself

and I took post instantly, enraged at having lo**
120 MEMOIRS OP

ni7 monej, and still more at having allowed niyselfto

be ewindled.
On
arrivingat Bagnacavalla, I was oinsoled with
the sight of my dear parents. My fatht'rhad hud an
attack of a mortal disease,and his only regret wns, ae
he said,lest be should die without seeing me. AUe!
he saw me, and I saw him ; but this reciprocalpleasure
lasted but a very short time.

Bagnacavallola merely a largevillage, in the lega-

tion
of Bavenna, very rich,very fertile,and very com-
mercJaL After introducingme into the best societyof
this place,my "thcr, as an additional gratification for
me, took me to FaeDza. In this town was firstdis-
covered
the sort of
argillous
matter mixed with potter's-
earth and sand, of which the glazedearth is composed
which the Italians call majolica,the French faience
and the Englishdelft ware. lu Italy a number of delft

plateewere painted by Rafkelle d'Urbino, or by hie

pupils. These platesare Iramed in an elegantstyle,
and preservedwith great care in picturecabinets. I
saw a very abundant and very rich collection of them
at Venice, in the Gritnani Palace at Santa Maria mosa.
For-
Faenza is a very pretty town of Romagna, but
there is nothingremarkable to be seen in it. We were

very well received andby the Marquis Spada ;

treated

we saw several comedies performedby a strolling pany,

com-

and in six days wc returned to Bagnacavallo.

A few days afterwards, my father fell sick. It was
a year since he had been seizisl with his last diseatv :

be perceived,on taking to bed, that the relapsewaa

serious,and his pulse announced his danger to him.
His fever became malignant on thn seventh day,and
and
grew worse
every hour.
worse When he saw
himself his latterend, he called his
near me U" bedside,
 CARLO GOLDONL 121

and,recomtnendioghis dear wife to m j protection, bade

mo adieu, and gave me hie blessing. He sent im-
fur his confessor,
loediately and received the sacrament.
On the fourteenth day my father was no more. He
was buried in the church of St. Jerome of BagnacAvallo,
tlio9th March, 1731.
I will nut dwell here on the firmneas of a virtuous
fiitiier,
the griefof a tender wife,and the sensibility of
H beloved and grateful son, but sliall merelygive you a
rapid sketch of the most cruel moments of my life.
The loss was keenlyfelt by me, and it occasioned an
essential change in my situation and family. I endeav-
ored to console my mother, and she in turn endeavored
to comfort me : we requiredthe aasietaace of each other.
Oar first care was to leave the
place and return to my
inateAal aunt at Venice, and we lodged with her in
the house of one of our where
relations, fortunately
there were apartmeutB to let. During the whole jour^
ney from Rmiagna to Venice my mother did nothing
hut speak of my chancery-employment on the main- land,
which she called a. gipsyoccupation, for it waa

necessary to be on the spot, and to be perpetually

(hanging
from country to country. She wished to live

alongwith me, to see me occupied sedentarily beside

her,and she conjuredand solicited me with tarB in ber
eyes to embrace the profession of an advocate. On my
arrival at Venice,all our friends joined my mother in
the same wish ; I resisted as long as 1 could,but was
at last obligedto yield. Did I act wiselyt Will my
mother long enjoyher son T She had every reason to
think so; but my stars perpetually thwarted every one
of my projects.Thalia expected me in her temple,
she led me to it through many a crooked path,and
made me endure the thorns and the briers before yield-ing
me any of the flowers.
122 MEMOIRS OF

As I WHSthe pointof appearing

on Id mj gown in
the courts law, of
where a few years before I appeared

without one, I calledon my Uncle Indric, with whom

I acquiredmy knowledge of law-prartice.He was
gladUi see me again,and assured me of his endeavorB
iu my behalf. I had greatdifficulties, however,to sar-
mount. To be received advocate at Venice,the first

step is to he licensed by the University of Padua ; and

to obtain the license, a course of civillaw in that town
must be gone through, five consecutive years must be
passedthere,and the certificates of attendance at all
the different classesof the publicschools must be pro- duced.
Strangers alone can presentthemselves in the
college, defend their theses, and receive theirlicenseon
the spot without delay. T belonged by descent to Mo-
dena; but as both my fiitherand myselfwere bom in
Venice,was I entitledto the advantageof strangeraf
I know not,but a letter written by order of the Duke
of Modena to his minister at Venice,procured me a

plae in the privileged class. I was thus enabled to

repairinstantly to Padua and receive my degree of doc-

tor;
hut a now and stillmore serious difficulty now

occurred. The Venetian code is alone followed at the

bar of Venice; and BariJilus,
Baldus,'and Justinian are
never cited. They are scarcelyknown there ; but they
must be known at Padua. It is the same at Venice as

at Paris, young men

lose theirtime in a uselessstudy.
I had lost my time like other people;I had studied the
Honian law at Pavia,Udine,and Modena ; but then
fur four years this study had been interrupted,
and
every trace of the Imperiallaw was lost. I saw self,
my-
under the necessity
therefore, of becoming once
more a scholar,'
I apphed to one of my old friends,
M. Eadi,whom I
 CARLO GOLDOSL 123

knew in m
j infancy,and who, havingemployed his time
much better than myself,was become a good advocate,

nnd an excellent master for the inatructioa of the candi-

dates'

who frequent Pudoa only four times year, to

a

show themsctvcB and obtain their certiiica("sof attend-

ane. H. Itadiwas aworthy man, but,from being fond
of play,he was rather embarrassed in his circumstances.
Hia scbolara by his lessons,and frequently
profited car-
ried

his money as well as hie instriictioua away with

them. When M. Kadi thought me sufficiently prepared

fjr publicexhibition,
a wo set out t"^ether for Padua.
I own that,notwithstanding the instruction I had re-

ceived and a certain confidence acquiredin my inter-

course
with the world, I entertained a considerable
dread of the grave and solemn countenances by whom
I was to be judged. My friend laughed at my appro-
heusions,and told me I had notliingto fear,and all
that I had to pass through was nothingbut ceremony,
and that a person must be very ignorant indeed who
failed to be crowned with the laurels of the university.
On aniving at the cityof doctors, we waited first on
M. Pighi,the eivii-law profeesor, to request him to have

the gofxineas to he my promoter, that is,the person who

in qualityof assistant presents and supports the candi-
dates.
He acceded to my request,and received with
every expresdion of kindness a silver tea-hoard of
which I made him a present. Wo next went to the

officeof the university, to depositin the hands of the

treasurer the smn which the professors divide among
tliemselves. This advance is called a deposit; but it
is ther as at the theatre,the money b never returned
after the drawing of the curtain. We had visits to pay
to all the doctors of the college, and many of them we

accomplishedwith cards; but on callingon the Abb

124 HEHOIBS OF

Airighi,
one of the firstprofeaBora
in the univendt;,the

porter hnd urdera to reivive us. We found him in his

and paid him
elosct, tlieiisual complimentsof ing
request-
him to honor us with his present, and to grant us
his indulgence. He seemed vetj much astonished that
we should confine ourselves to this
dryand useless com-
plitnent We could not comprehend the cause of this;
hut wc afterwards obtained the followinginfonnatioD.
A new regulation had been enacted and pahlished, h;
order of the reformers of the course of studies at Padua,
by which all candidates for a doctor's degree, before
appearingin full college, were to undergo a particular

examination for the purpose of ascertaining whether

they were Buffiriently instructed fur a public examiDa-
tion. It was M. Arrlghihimself who, seeingthat this

publicexamination of candidates was treated as a mere

larce, that the indolence of youth was too much aged,

encour-

that questions were selected at pleasure, that even

the arguments were communicated and the answers nished,
fur-
and that they made only doctors without trine,
doc-
thought proper in the excess of his zeal to solidt
and obtain this famous regulation which wonld have

destroyedthe University of Padua had it been long en- forced.

I had therefore U) go throughthis eiaminstion,

and the Abh^ Arrighiwas to be my examiner. He

requestedM. Kadi to retire into bis library, and he be-

gan
immediately to interrogateme. He was by no
means disposed to spare me, but wandered from the
code of Justinian to the canons of the church, and from
the digeststo the pandects. I always,however, gave
an answer of one kind or another, though perhaps I
was more often wrong than right; but I displayeda
tolerable dejjreenf knowledge and a great deal of con-
fldence. My examiner, who was very strict and ecru-
126 MEMOIRS OF

began bi laugh and amuse ourselves. One of the five

Bcliolars was a candidate who had been refused in the
by Professor Arrighi;and he poured forth
D

IS against that abhi, who was a Corsican by

birth,and satirized his barbaritj* and the barbarity of
his country. I wished these gentlemen good night;

for,as iny examination was to take placeneit day, 1

requiredsleep; but they laughedat me, and drew
from their pockets a pack of cards,and one of them
producedhis sequinson the table. Radi was the first
to give in to the proposition; and the whole night
through we played, and Radi and myself lost our
money. We were interruptedhy the headle of the
college,who brought me the gown which I was to

appear in. The clock of the university summoned me

to the examination,which 1 had to encounter without

having closed my eyes, and smarting under chagrin at
the loss of my time and money.
However, the exigency requiredexertion. On my
arrival I was met by my promoter, who took me by
the hand and seated me beside himself on a trade,
balus-
with a numerous assembly in a semicircle in
front of us. When every person was seated,1 rose

and the usual ceremony

began by reciting and ing
propos-
the two theses which 1 had to defend. One of
those deputedto carry on the argumentationattacked
me with a syUogism in barbara with citations of texts
in tlie major and minor. I resumed the argument,
and in the citation of a paragraph 1 eoufounded No. 5
with No. 7 i my promoter whispered my mistake to

me, which I wished to correct. On this M. Arrighi

rose from his seat and siud aloud to M. Pighi," I
test,
pro-
sir,that I will not suffer the smallest injraction
of the laws of the regulation. All assistance to cajidi-
 CARLO GOLDONI. 127

dates is prohibited
at a time like this. It may pass
f:T this time; but I pve you warning for the fu-

I perceivedthat this miaplacedBallyen-.ited uni-

vprsal iadignution, and I seized the favorable mstant
to rosome the substAQce of my thesis and the propoei'
tions of the argumeDt. In
place of the echokstic
method I substituted learning,reasonings,and the
discussions of compilersand interpreters.I gave a

dissertation on the whole extent of intestate sncces-

sious,which met with universal applause ; and seeing

the Buceess of my boldneBs,I made an instantaneous
transition from the dvil to the canon law, and took
under-
the article of bigamy, which I treated like the

other, I went through the laws of the Greeks and

Romans, and cited councils. I was fortunate in the

questionswhich fell t") my Jotj for I knew them by

heart ; and on this occasion I acquired an immortal
honor. The votes were now taken, and the registrar
publishedthe result. I was made a licentiate "ne-
mine penitits ponitiisque discrepance" ; that is to say,
without one dissentient voice, not even that of M.

Anighi, who, on the contrary,was very well satisfied.

My promoter then put the doetor'a cap on my head
and proceededto pass an eulogium on the licentiate;
hut as I did not follow the usual routine,he composed
Latin prose and verse adapted to the occasion,which
was highlyhonorable both to himself and me. Every
one may enter on the receptionof the candidate,and
on this occasion I was quiteoverpowered by the com-
plimentg
and salutations which I received. Badt and

myself returned to onrhotel, very well pleasedwith

the termination and
of this affiiir, very much rassed
embar-

to find ourselves without This, how

money.
128 MEMOIRS OF

cvnr, was a sme qua nott, and we obtained some out

with-
much and took
difficulty, our departureexnltingly
and triumphantly
for Venice.
On arrivingat Venice, after embracing my mother
and aunt, whose joj wae ezceBsiTe,I paid u visit to

my uncle the attorney; whom I solicited to obtain a

place for me with an advocate for instruction in the

forme and
praeticeof the bar. My uncle, who was

enabled to ntako a choice,recommended me to H.

Terzi,one of the best pleadersand chamber-counsel in

the republic, with whom I was to remain two years ;
but I entered in the month of October,1731, and left
him in May, 173S ; when I was received as an advo-
cate.
In all probabilitythey looked merely to the
dale of the year and not to that of the months.
There always somethingextraordinaryin all my
was

arrangements, and, to say the truth,almost always to

iny advantage, I was bom lucky, and whenever I
have not been bo the feult has been entirely my own.
The advocates at Venice must have their lodgings
and 1" at their chambers in the quarter della Rti\.
I took apartments Patemian, and my mother
at Son
and aunt did not quit me. I equipped myself in my
professional gown, the same as that of the patricians,

envelopedmy head in an immense wig, and waited

with great impatiencefor the day of my presentation
in court. This presentation does not take placewith-
out

ceremony. The novice must have two assistants,

called at Venice Compari di Palazzo,whom the young

man selects from among those old advocates who an

the most attached to him. I chose M. Uccclli and M.

Roberti,both my neighbors. I went between my two
friends to the bottom of the staircase in the
groat
great hall of the courts, and for half an honr I was
 CARLO OOLDOSI. 129

obligedto make so many bows and contortion? that

my back was ^most broken, and my wig reBembled

the niAne of a lion. Every one wlio paesed me bad
something to say reapectingme; some observed that I
was a lad with iKiine expressiouin my counienance ;
others,that I was a new sweeper of the courts ; some
embraed roe, and others laughed in my face. At

length I ascended and sent my servant in quest of a

gondola, not daring to make my appearance in the

open street in my then equipment, and I appointed
him to meet me in the hall of the great council,where
I seated myself on a bench and where I saw body
every-
pass without being scon by anybody.
I began to reflect on the profession of which I had
made choice. There are generaUy two hundred and
fortyadvocates in the list at Venice; of these there
are from ten to twelve iu the first rank,twenty per- haps
in the second,and all the rest are obligedto hunt

for clients, and the pettifogging attomeya are willing

enongh to become their bounds on the condition of
shfuingtogetherthe prey. I was in apprehensionfor

myself as I was last on the list, and I regrettedthe

chanceries which I had abandoned. But then, ou the
otherliand,I saw no profession so lucrative and hon- orable
as that of an advocate. A noble Venetian, a
patrician, a member of the republic, who would not

deign to become merchant, banker, notary, physician,

or professorof a university, baa no heailatiou in em- bracing

the professiiin of an advocate, which be fol- lows

in the courts, and he calls the other advocates his
brothers. Everything depended on good fortune ; and
why wae I to be less fortunate than anotherf The

attempt required to be made, and it was incumbout

on me to plunge into the chaos of the bar, where

130 MEMOIRS OF

perseverance and probitylead to the temple "rf for-

While I inuainghy myself and buildiog

was thug
nasties in Spain,I observed a fair, round, and plump
woman of about thirty,advancing towards me, of n
tolerable figure, with a flat nose, roguiztheyes, a pro-
fusion
of gold about her neck, ear, arms, and fingers,
and in a dress which announced her to be of the infrrii-r

orders, but in easy circumstancea ; she accosted anil

" "
saluted me. Good day,air." Good day,madam."
"
Will you allow me to pay you my compHments 1 "

"On what?" "On your admission; I observed you

making your obeisance at court ; upon my word, air,
yon are prettilyequipped!" "Am I nott Do y"iii
think me handsome f " ''
0, the dress is nothing ; M.
Goldoni becomes everything." " So you know mp,
madamf "
"Have not I seen you four years ago ia
the land of in
litigation, long a peruke and a short
robe t " "
You are in the right,when I was with an

attorneyV So you know

" "
Yes, with M. Indric,"

my uncle,thenf" "It I know

every person here,
from the doge to the clerks of court." "Are you
uiarriedf" "No." "Are you a widow?" "No."
"
"Have yon any employment? "No." "You have
a revenue, then?" "None at all." "But you aro

well equipped; and how do you live then ? am

"
"I
a girlof the courts, and the courts tn^ntuin me."
"
Upon my word, that is very singular! You belong
to the courts, you say? Yes, sir; my father was
" "

employed in them." What did he follow?"

?'
"He
listened at the doors, and carried good news to those
who were in expectationof pardons, or
sentences, or
favorable judgments; and as he had good legshe was
always first with the news. My mother was alwa^
 CARLO GOLDONI. 131

here aa myself; she wae not proud,she received

well ae

of a few coin missions.

moii6y and ac";epted I was horn
and brought up in these gildedhalls,and you see I
"
have gold upon me."
story is very Your singular
;
so of your mother?
you follow the footsteps
"
"No,
air,I do somethingelse." "
And what is that T " "I
solicit lawsuits." ''Solicit lawsuits! I do not under-
I well kn"iwn Barabbas ; all
"
stAEid you." am as as

the advocates and attorneys are well linowD to be my

friends,and many peopleapply to me to procure them
counsel and defenders. Those who have recourse to

me aregenenJIyrich ; imd I applyto new-noiners,

uot
to persona without einpl.iyment, who wish nothing
better than to have an opportunity of making them-
selves known. Do you know, sir,that,such as you
see me, I have made the fortune of a good dozen of the
most femous advocates at this liarf Come, sir,take
courage ; with your good leave I sliall also be the
making of you." I was amused with listening to her ;
and as ray servant did not arrive I continued the versation.
con-

"
Very well,madam ; have you any good afiair at
present?" "Yes, air,I have several,and some of
them excellent ; 1 have a widow suspectedof having
concealed effects ; another anxious that a contract of

marriage drawn posterior to its date should be held

good; 1 have girlswho demand to be portioned;I

have wives who wish
separationa; and I have people
of condition pursued by their credilora : you see, you
have only to choose."
"My good woman," said I to her, "I have allowed
yon to speak,aud I wish now to speak in my turn. I
desirous of
am young aud enteringon my career, and
occasions of employment where I may appear t*" ail
132 MEMOIRS OF

vantage; but the deaire of labor and the itch of ing

plead-
will never induce me to undertake such bad causes

as those you propose to me." "

Ah, ah ! "
said she,
"
despisemy nlients,
you bceause I told yon there was
nothing to be gained ; but listen : jou shall be well
paid,and even paid beforehand if you choose." I sftw
my servant at a distance ; I rose, and said to the man
wo-
"
with a finn and determined tone, No, you are

not acquaintedwith me; I am a man of honor." She

laid hold of my Land, and said with a serious air,
"
Bravo ! continue always to entertain the same ments."
senti-
"
Ah, ah," said I to her, you change your "

language." "0 yea," said she, "aud the language

which I now use is better than that I have quitted.
Our conversation has not been without mystery ; bear
it in mind, and take care never t mention it. Adieu,

sir,be always prudentand always honorable,and you

will find your account in it." On this she went away,
and I remained lost in astonishment. I Miuld make

nothing of matter, but I afterwards learned that

the
she was a spy; that she came for the purpose of Bound-
ing
me ; but I never either learned or wished to leant
by whom she had been employed.

IX.

I WAS now advocate ; my

an introduction to the bar
had taken place,and the next thing was to procure
clients. to the
I attended every day in court, listening
masters of the profession, and looking round where
every-
to see if my physiognomyhappenedto take with
any one who
might think proper to give me an oppor-
tunity
of appearing in a cause of appeal. A new vocate
ad-
cannot shine and show himself (^ to advanti^
134 MEMOIRS OF
.

panied them to the door, and

they gave me nothing.
This is the lot of all beginners, who must. la;p their
conut with waiting for three or four years heforc the;
can get a name, or gain any money. I am inclined

think,however, that if I had continued my career

the bar, I ahuiild bavr got on much more prompt!;
than many of my brethren ; for in six months I pleaded
a cause and gained it ; hut my star alreadythreatened
me with a new ohauge, which I could not avoid,
reserve, however, for another place,the originand ci
sequences of a revolution much more violent still than
that which I had experiencedin the Collegeof Pavia.
Meanwhile I passed my time atone in my closet, or

with very indifferent company, and I made almanacs.

To make almanacs either in Italian or French is

lo^ng one's time with nseless fancies ; but at present,

however, it was otberwiae. I made a real almanac,
which was printed,relished,and applauded. I gave it
for title "The Experienceof the Past; Astrologerof
the Future ; Critical Almanac for the year 1732." It
contMned a general discourse on the year, and four
discourBcs on .the four intrwoTeQ
triplets, seasons in
in the manner of Dant, cont^ning criticisms on the
manners of the age, and for every day of the year
there was a prognostication containing a Joke,a criti-
cism,
or a point. I shall not give an account of a
trifle which does not deserve the trouble. I shall

merely transcribe the couplet for Easter-day,hecanse

this piece of pleasantry, in other respects perhaps the
most commonplace of the whole, produced a remark-
able
effect irom the verification of the prognostication,
and both procured nie plf^sure and services of great
importance. The predictionin Italian verse ran ^
follows :
 CARLO GOLDONL 135

"
In al gran gioroi)ana geotilconteSM
BiicriSca la measa."
AI jieruccrhier

"In tliis great da; a.a amiable counlesa nil] gacrifice the
niasa io her hairdresser."

Thislittle work, such as it ivas, amused me veiy much;

for there were then no public amusements in Venice,
and my different occupations prevented me from think-
ing
of them. The criticisme and pleasantries of mj
almanac were reallyof a eomie description, and each
progDostication might have furnished suhject-matter
Iota comedy. I was then seized with a desire to return
to my old project, and I sketched a few pieces; hut on
reQectingthat comedy did not harmonize very mnch
with the gravityof my gown, I concluded the majesty
of tragedy to he more analogous to my profession,
and I was guiltyof a hreach of fidelity to Thalia in

Tanking myselfunder the standard of Melpomene.

As I wish to conceal nothing from my reader,I must
reveal my secret to him. My affairs hecame deranged
(I shall soon explainwhy and wherefore). My closet
brought me in nothing,and I was under the necessity
of turning my time to some account. The profits in

comedy are very moderate iu Italy for the author ; and

from, the opera alone I could gain a hundred setjuins
at once. With this view I composed a lyrical tragedy,
called AmaloBonte. I was well pleasedwith my labor,
and I found peopleto whom the readingof it seemed to
give satis"ction ; but, to tell the truth,I had not made
choice of connoisseurs. I shuU afterwards speak of
this musical tragedy. But I must advert to a cause
which my Uncle Indric came to propose to me.

This cause was a contest originatingin a hydraulic

servitude. A miller made a purchaseof a stream of

136 UEHOIBS OF

water for his mill.proprietorThe

of the source altered
its direction;and the objectof the action wbb to rein-
Btat the miller in his rights,
with damages and inter-
est.
The town of Crema look the miller's part. A
model had been
executed ; and legalloTestigations,
and rebellions had taken place. The cause
violences,
was "^ a mixed nature, partlyciril and partlycriminal ;
and it came before the Avvogadori,a very grave magis-
tracy,
like that of the Roman tribunes of the people.
The advocate opposed to me was the celebrated Corde-

lina,the most learned and eloquentman at the bar of

Venice ; and I had to make an immediate answer out
with-
writingor time for meditation.
The day was appointed,and I repairedto the proper
tribunal. My adversaryspoke for an hour and a half;
I listened to him without fear. On the conclusion of
his harangue I began mine, in which I endeavored,

by a patheticpreamble, to conciliate the favor of my

judge. This was my first exhibition, and I required

indulgence. On enteringupoa the subject,I boldly

attacked the harangue of Cordelina; my facts were

true, my reasons good, my voice sonorouB, and mj

eloquencenot displeasing.I spoke for two hours, and
on ray conclusion I retired bathed from head to foot.

My servant waited for me in an adjoiningroom, I

changed my linen ; I waa fatiguedand exhausted.

My uncle made his appearance, who exclaimed," My
dear nephew, we have gained the action, and the
adverse party is condemned in costs. Courage, my
firiend,"continued he; "this first attempt makes you
known as a man who will got on, and you will not he
in want of clients." Who would not conclude me very
fortunatet Heavens! what adestiny! Whatanum-
berof vicissitudes and reverses!
 CiRLO GOLDONL 137

The unfortunate event which

aboat to reooant, I am

and which I have alreadyannounced, might have

appeared among the anecdoteB of the two preceding
years; hut I prefergiving the whole eturyat once, to
interweaving it piecemealwith the rest of wy nfura-
tioD. My uiotherhadljeen very intimate with Madame
St. and Misfl Mar two sialerB living

apart,though
,

lodged under the same roof. During her travels the

acquaintancednipped; hut it wae renewed on out

settlingagain at Venice. I was introduced to these

ladies;and aa Miss Mar was richest, she lodged on

the first floor. As she saw company, she received the

greatestnumber of visits. Miss Mar

was not young ;
but she stillpossessed
the remains of beauty. At the
age of fortyshe was as "esh as a roee, as white as

snow, withanatural complexion;large, sparkling, and

intelligent eyes, a charmingmonth, and an agreeable

embonpoint. Her nose alone disfigured her somewhat.
It was aquihne,and a little too much raised,which,
however, gave her an air of importancewheu she as- sumed

a serious tone. She had always refused mar- riage,

though from her respectable air and her fortune,

she uould never have been in want of advantageous
offers( and for my good or bad fortune, it so happened
that I was the happy mortal who made the firstim-
pression

on her. We understood one another,but

durst not speak ; for she acted the prude,and I was
afraid of a refusal. I consulted my mother, who was
by no means displeased ; and even, from an opinion
that the match was advantageousto me, took upon her
to open the matter. She proceededvery slowly,how- ever,
not to draw me from my professional occupation,
and she was desirous to see me firstsomewhat mOTf

finnlyestablished. ,^ ,

CTOOgIc
138 MEMOIRS OP

Meanwhile, I continued to page m^r evenings with

Miss Mar

.
Her sister used
join the paity, with to

her two datightrs,who were mturiageable. The

oldest waa deformed, and the other waa nglj. She
had,however, black and roguisheyes, an abnndaiioe
of entertaining and poseessedthe most natural
drollery,
and engaging gra^^efulnesa. Her aunt disliked her, fta:
she had frequently opposed her in her temporary inoli'
nations, and oever failed to use her utmost efforts
to supplant her in good graces.
my For my part, I
amused myselfwith the
niece,and liept steadfaat to ibe
aunt. In the mean time an excellencycontrived to
introduce himself to Miss Mar ,
and paid her some

attentions,of which she waa the dupe. Neither of

them had the least affection for the other ; the lady
wished the title, and his eirrellency the fnrtnne.
However, seeing myself deprivedof the place of
honor which I had occupied, I was piqued,and, by
way of revenge, paid my court to her detested rival. I
CArried my vengeance so far that in two months' time
I hecame completely
enamored, and I drew up fur my
ugly uiiatressa good contract of marriage,regularand
fonnal in every respect. The mother
of the young
woman and her adherents,it is true, made nse of every
means to get hold of me. In our contract tliere were
articles very advantageousfor me ; I was lo receive an
income belongingto the yonug lady ; her mother was
to give up her diamonds to her; and I was to receive a

lajnsideraWe sum of money from a friend of the femily,

whom they would not name to me.
I still continued to visit Miss Mar and passed the

evenings as usual; but the aunt distmsted the niece,

for whom my attentions were, as she could perceive,
somewhat less reserved. She knew that for some time
 CARLO GOLDONI. 139

I nenallyasceDded to the second floor before eotering

the first;she was devoured
bj vesatioD,and wished
to get rid of her sister, her uieces,and myself. For
this purpose she soJidted ber marriage with the gentle-
man
whom she supposed she had secured; and pro-
posed
to him to agree npon the time and conditions :
but what was her astonishment and humiliation to

receive for answer that liisexcellencydemanded the

half of her property aa a donation on marrying her,
and the other half after her death! She was seized
with transports of hatred, and contempt; she
rage,
sent a formal refusal to her suitor,and almost died of

grief. All this was communicated by persons about

the honse to the eldest sister, and it threw both mother

and daughter into the greatest joy. Miss Mar did

not dare to speak ; slie was forced to stomach her
chagrin;and, seeingmo displaymarks of kindoesa for
the niece,she cast now and then a furious look at me
with her large eyes, which were inflamed with rage.
In this society we were all of us bad politicians. Miss
Mar
who knew not the footing on which her niece
,

received me, stillflatteredherself with the hope of tear- ing

me from the objectof her jealousy, and on acconnt

of the difference of fortune,of again seeing me at her
feet ; but the perfidious part of which 1 am now going
to aceuse myself soon completelyundeceived her. I
composed a song for my mistress,which was set to
music by an amateur of taste,with the intention of
having it sung in a serenade ou the canal wliich the
house of these ladies overlooked. I took an opportu-
nity
fitvorable for the eiecntion of my project, fuUy
sure of pleasing the one and provokingthe other.
Aljout nine o'clock in the evening,when wc were

aseembled in a party in the saloon of the aunt, a very

140 MEMOIRS OF

noisysymphony was heard on the canal nucier the bd-

con; of the aunt, and coneequeatly also under th
windows of the nieco. We all rose that we might
enjoy it ; and on the conclueion of the overture, we

h^ird the eharming Agneee, a, female einger

voice of

then in fashion for Berenadee, who, from the sweet- ness

of her vdiee and the purity of her expression,
gave an effect to the music and a celebrity to tiie

couplets.
.
The Rong was gnecessful at Venice, and snng np
and down everywhere; hut it lightedup the torch of
discord in the minds of the two rivals,each of whom

appropriatedit to herself. I tranquillized the niece

by uaauringher in a whisperthat the f^te was intended

for her, and I leftthe mind of the other in douht and

agitation.I received compliments ^m every one,

which, however, 1 refused,and continued incognito;
but I was by no means sorry to he suspected.
NeKt day I made my entrance aX the usual hour.
Mise Mar who was watching for me, saw me enter,
,

came out to me in the passage, and made ine aoenm-

paoy her into her room. Having requested me to sit

down her,she said to me, with
beside a seriouB and

passionateair, You have regaledus "

with a very
brilliant entertainment ; but aa there are more women

than one in this house, for whom, pray, was tbis piece
ofgallantryintended T I know not whether I have a

right to return jou ray thanks." "

Madam," I swered,
an-
"
I am not the author of the serenade."
Here she
interruptedme with a proud and almost
"
threatening air. Do not conceal yourself," said shei
"
the effort is useless ; tell me only whether this
amusement was intended for me or for another. I
must warn yon," imntinued she, "that this deelaiv
142 MEMOIRS OF

houM which elie BeUom visited. Miss Mar ing

avail-
,

herself of the ceremooieB SDch occauons,

usual on

was malicious enoagh ta inform her of it ; she sent her

a marriage card ; my mother was greatlyastonished;

she spoke to me; I was obligedto own eyerything ;
Btill,however, I endeavored to soften the follycom-
mitted

b; me in givingeffect to promises of a nature

not altogetherto be relied on ; and I ooncladed by
tellingher that at my age a wife of fortywas not a

suitable match for me. This last reason seemed to

appease my mother more than all the reet. She ashed

me whether the time was yet fixed for my marriage.
I told her that it was, and that we had still three good
months before us. A marriage at Venice in form, and
with ail the customary follies, is a mnch more monious
cere-

affairthan anywhere else. In the first place,

there is the signatureof the contract,with the inter-vention
of parents and iriends, a formality which we

avoided by signingour contract secretly. Secondly,

the presentation of the ring. This is not the marriage-
ring,but a Btoue ring,a solitary diamond, which the
bridegroom must make a present of to his bride. The
relations and friends arc invited on this occasion : there
is a great displayin the house ; great pomp and mnch
dressing; and no meeting takes placeat Venice with- out
espeusive refreshments. This expense we could
not avoid ; for our marriage,however could
ridiculous,
not be kept secret ; and we were obligedto do like
other people,and go completelythrough with things.
The third ceremony is the presentationof the pearls.
A few days before the nuptialbenediction takes place,
the mother, or the nearest rotation of the bridegroom,
waits on the bride,and presents her with a necklace of
fine which
pearls, the young ladywears about
regularly
 CARLO GOLDONI. 143

hr neck from that

day to the termination of the firet
year of her marriage. Few familiee poeaeae these pearl

necklaces,or wish to be at the expense of them ; bat

thej are hired,and if they are anything beautiful, the
hire is very high. This preeentatioD is atteoded with
balls,entrtjumDeuts,and dresses, and consequently is

very expensive.
I shal! say nothingof the other snccessive ceremonies
which are nearly similar to those which take place
everywhere. I stupat that of the pearlH, which I ought
to have gone through,hut which I omitted for a hun-dred
reasons ; the first of wliichwas, that I had no
more money. On the approachof this last preliminary
of the nuptials,I intimated to my intended mother-in-
law, that I now expectedthe performanceof the three
conditious of our uontract. These were the revenues

which were to be
assignedover to me, the diamonds
which the mother agreed to depositin the hands of
her daughter, or mine, before the day of the presenta-
tion
of the pearls, and the puttingme in possessionof
the whole or part of the considerablesum which was
promisedto her by the unknown protector. The fol-
lowing
is the result of the conference which one of my
cousins took the chargeof. The of the young
revenues

lady consisted in one of those life

-annuities destined by
the republic for a certjun number of females ; bat they
must all wait
their turn ; and there were sUll four to
die before Mies St. could enjoyhera ; she herself

mighteven die before teachingthe first quarter's ment.

pay-
As to the diamonds,they were decidedlydes-
tined
fur the daughter; hut the mother, who was still
young, would not consent to partwith them duringher
own lifetime, and would only agree to give them after

her death. With regard to the gentleman who wa

144 MEM0IE3 OF

to give the (forwhat reason

monej is not bo clear),
ho hajj undertaJien a joumejr,and was nut. U" return for

Such was the comfortable situation in Which I was

placed. I had not aufficientmeans to support an ex-

penaJTe estahlishment, and still less to enahlo me to

vie with the luxury of two fortunate couples. My

closet yieldedme littleor nothing; I had contracted
dehte : I eaw myself on the brink of a precipice, and
I was in love ! i mused, I reflected, I sustained a dis-
tressing
conflict between love and reason ; but at last
the latter gainedthe victoryover the dominion of the

senses. I communicated situation t^ my mother,

my
who, with tears in her eyes, agreedwith me that some
violent resolution was absolutelynecessary to avoid
ruin. She mortgaged her property to pay my debts at
Venice ; I
assignedover my Modena property for her
maintenance, aud I formeit the resolution of departing.
In the moment when I had the most flattering
pects,
pros-
ntter the successful appearance made by me in
court in the midst of the acclamations of the bar,I
quittedmy country, my relations, my friends,my love,
my hopes, and my profession ; I took my departure,
and landed at Padua : the firststep was taken,the rest
coat me nothing; for,thanks to the goodness of my
temperament, excepting my mother, everythingelse
was soim foigotteuby me ; and the pleasureof liberty
consoled me for the loss of my mistress.
On leavingVenice, I wrote a letter to the mother
of the unfortunate woman ; and I attributed to
young
her the immediate cause of the resolution to which I

was reduced. I assured her that on the fulfilment of

the three conditions of the contract, I should soon turn
re-

; and, expectingan answer, I etiU continued my

 CARLO GOLDONL 145

jonrney. I cftrrieilmy treaaure along with me. Thia

was Amalaeonte, which I ha^ composed during my
leisure, which I entertHJued hopes which
aud respecting
I beliered to bo extremelywell founded. I knew that
the opera of Milau wae one of the laost oonsidcrtkble
not only of Italy,
but of all Europe. I proposed,there-
fore,
to present my drama to the direetiun at Milan,
which is in the hands of the nobility.I calculated on

the recptiouof my work, and that I could not ^1 to

obtain the hundred sequins; but he who reckons with-
out
hia host,reckons twice.

X.

In my way Milan, I arrived at Vi-

from Padua to

cenza, where 1 stoppedfor four days. In this city

I was acquainted with Count Panninion Triscino, of
the family of the celebrated author of Sophouisba,a

tragedycomposed in the Grecian manner, and one of

the best piecesof the good age of Italian literature. I
knew M. Trissino in earlyyoutli at Venice. We both
of OS had a taste for the dramatic art. I showed him

my AmalasoDte,which he
applaudedvery coldly, and
he advised me to be consttMt to comedy, for which
he knew me to possess talents. I was displeasedto
find he did not think my opera charming,and I attrib-uted
his coolness to the preference which he himself
manifested for coiaedj.
I saw with pleasureat Viecnza the famous Olympic
theatre of Palladio, a very celebrated architect of the
sixteenth century, and a native of that city; and I
admired his triumphalarch,which with no other or- naments

but those of the regularity of its proportions,

for the chef-d'"BUVre of modem architeeture.
passes
146 MEUOIRS OF

The beaatiiul modelsexist, and the imitations are me;

I passedfrom Yiceoza to Verona, where I was desimua
of becoming seqaaintcd with the Marquis Maffei,the
author of Merope, a very Bucceaaful work, which has
been happiljimitated. This man, who was versed in

every departmentof literature, knew better than any

person the necessity for the reform of the Italian thea-

tre.
He attempted the undertaking, and published a
"
volume with the title of Reform of the Italian Thea-
tre";
which contained his Merope and two comedies,
the Ceremonies and Rajout. The tragedy met with
generalapplause; but the two comedies were not so

Buccessfnl.
Not findingM. Maffei at Verona, I took the road til
Brescia,and stopped for the night at Desenzano, on
theLagodiGarda. Sappingat the tablc-d'hdie, vhere,
notwithBtanding my chagrin,I ate with the best ap- petite
in the world, I happened to be seated beside
an abb^ of the town of Sal6, whose agreeableconver-
sation

prompted me to visit that charming country,

where we proceed through orange-treee in the open
Mr, and always along the banks of a delightful lake.
Another reason detenoined me to turn aside from my
road. I was short of money.
very Fortunately,my
mother was proprietorof a house at Sal6,and, being
known to the tenant, I had reason to flattermyself

that I should obtain somethingfrom him.

It was but four leaguesfrvm Desenzano to Sal5,and
the abb and myself proposed this journeyon Horse-
back
for the sake of enjoyingthe pleasureof the road.
On the third day I returned alone,after a great deal of
amusement, with a few sequinsin my pocket,advanced
me by my mother's tenant. I paid the driver, who
waited my retura,bis three days'
repose, and resumed
the Brescia road.
 CABLO GOLDONL 147

When at Vieenzs, I wrote to M.

NoveHo, whom I
hud known at Feltre in the qualityof vicar of the

goremment, and who was then aasessor of the gov-

ernor
of Brescia. alightedat the government- pal-
I ace
: M. Novello received me very graciously; and,
recoUeeting some comic triflescomposed hy me at Fri-

tre,ho asked me in the course of the evening,at sup-

per,
whether I had anythingof the same kind to show
him. I mentioned my opem, whieh he expresseda
fniriosityto hear. We fixed on the followingday.
He invited to dinner along with us several literary
men, of whom there are
many in that part of the try
coun-

in deserved estimation,and aftercoffee I ciimmenced

my drama, which wb listened to with attention, and

unaniuonslyapplauded.
As my judgeswere connoisseurs, I had every reason

to lie satisfied. They even analyzed my piece. The

character of Amalasonte waa well imagined and well
sustained, and was a moral lesson for queen -mothers
charged with the guardittnship and edacation of their

august children. The good and bad courtiers, artfully

contrasted, formed an interesting picture,and the un-fortunate

catastropheof Atalarie and the triumph of

Ainalasonte formed a denouement, which, while it sat- isfied
the severe laws of tragedy,was productiveof the
entertainment and pleasurepeculiar to the melodrama.

My styleappeared to this judicious assemhly more

adaptedto tragedythan music, and they could have
wished me to suppress the aiis and the rhyme for the
sake of convertingit into a good tragedy. I thanked
them for their indulgence,hut I was not in a situution

to profit by their advice. In Italya tragedy with all

the excellence of Comeille or Racine might have
gainedme highhonor, hut very littleprofit ; antlI was
 148 MEMOIRS OF

in want of both. I quittedBrescia with the determi-

nalion of leavingmy drama untouched, and of ofiering
it to the opera of Milan.
There ia a shorter way from Bi'escia to Milan, but I
was desirous of seeing Bergamo, snd I took the road
by that city. In traversingthe country of Harlequin,
I was curious to observe whether there was any existing
trace of that couiic character which afforded such en-

tertaioDient to the Italian theatre. I could see neither

the black
visages,nor the smalt eyes, nor the ludicrous
dress,but I observed the hair tails in the
party-eolorcd
hats with which the peasants of those districtsare still
equipped. I shall speak of the mask and of the char-
acter
and originof Harlequin in a chapter dedicated to
the historyof the four masks of Itahan comedy. Ou

my arrival at Bergamo, I alightedat an inn in the

suburbs,as carriages aie unable lo ascend to the town

which is very high and very steep. I went on foot ti. ,

the government quarter,which is precisely the summit

of this rough mountain. Extremely fetigned,and ,

cursingmy idle curiosity,knowing nobody,and re- quiring

repose, I at last remembered that M. Porta

my old companion in the criminal chanceryof Chiozza,

.
had appointed civil chancellor of Bergamo. I
been

inquiredfur his resideiice, which I found out : my

however, was not at home, but six leaguesdis-

friend, tant,
on a commission relative 1o his office. I quited
re-

his servant to allow me to rest myself a ment,

mo-

and in the course of mj conversation with him

I asked who was governor of the town. What pleas-
'

ing news! What Agreeablesurprisefor me!

an It
was his excellencyBonfadini, he who was podcstkat
Chiozza while I served, there in qualityof vice-chan- '

cellor. I found myself all at once quite at home, and j

150 MEMOIRS OF

ladj for the RestdeDt of Venice, which proved of great

utilityt me. On the
CKpimtion uf fifteen days I took
mj leave of his excellenoy.My air was by no meaus
expressiveof eoutent. He questionedme closelyon
the subject: but I did not dare lo say anything; yet
he could easilyperceivethat my embarrassmeiit did
not proceed from excessive wealth. He opened his
parse, I refused; he ioBisttid. I modestly took ten

sequins,for which I wished to give him my note, but

he refused to take it. What goodness and kindness ! I
took iny departurenext day,and couUnned iny journey.
I arrived at length at Milan, the venerable capital
of Lombardy, the ancient appanage of the Spanish

monarchy, where I should have appeared with the

cloak and raff, accordingto the CastiUan costnme, had
not the satiric Muse depriveduie of the placefor which
I was destined. I was now a candidate for the cothur-
nw ; but the honors uf a triumphwere reserved for the
ioek. I went to lodgeat the Hotel del Pozzo, one of
the most famous in Milan ; for if we wish io exhibit
ourselves advantage,we must, at least,appear rich,
to

if we be not so in reality
; and next day I carried the
letter of recommendation of the governor'slady to the
Sesident of Venice.

Bartoliui,secretary of the senate, and fiirmerly

M.
vice-bay at Constantinople, was then resident. He
was very rich,very magnificent, and in as high consid-
eration
at Milan as at Venice. Several years wards
after-
,

named, by ehelitm grand chanoellor of

he was

the republic;a dignitywhich he continued to enjiiy to

the period of his death,which gives the titleof "excel-
lency"
to the person who holds it,and gives him a
placeimmediately after the actual nobility.The Keei-
dent of Venice being the only foreign minister resident
 CARLO GOLDONL 151

at Milan, on account of the dwly a"iri which take

placebetw6D the two neighboringetaiea,the Venetian
envoy enjoys the highest considcnttion,
and is consid-
ered

on an equalfootingwith grandeeauf the duchy of

This minister received me in the most frank and

encouragingmanner. He liad
high esteem for the
a

ladyby whom I was recommended, and offered every

assistance within his own power, or within the reach
of his interest; but with a grave and niiniaterialair he
inquiredinto the motives of my journey to Milan, and
the nature of the adventures mentioned in the letterof
Madame Bonbdint. The questionwas natural and
proper, and my answer simple. I related to him, firom
beginningto end, the whole atory of the aunt and the
niece. The resident was acqoaintedwith the persons,
and laughed heartily at my recital; and with respect
to the fear expressed by me, lest I should be pnrened
and molested,he assured me that I need be nnder no

apprehensionat Milan.
The naTvet^ of my conversation, and the detail of my
adventures, ted the minister to conclude I was by no
means rich ; and he asked me very noble man-
in a ner,

if I stood in need of anything for my present

supply. I thanked him ; I had stillsome of my Ber-gamo
sequins,and I haA my opera, and wanted ance
assist-
from nobody. M. Bartoliui invited me to dine
with him next day ; I acceptedhis invitation,and took
my leave of him.
I was eager to prwent my piece,and to have it read.
We were then in the very time of the camiviil. There
was an Milan, and I was
opera at acquaintedwith
Cafiariello,the principalactor, and also with the
director and composer of the ballets,and bie wJf
152 HEM0IB8 or

(Madame Groasat^ata), who waa the principaldancer.

I thoughtit would look becoming, and be of advan-
tage,
fur me to I"e presentedto the directors of the
Milan theatre by known individuala. On a Friday,a
day of relaxation throaghoatalmost atl Italy,I waited
in the evening on Madame Grossatesta,who kept an
open hoDse, where the actors, actreaseH, and dancers
of the opera usually assembled. Tbb eicelleut dancer,
who was my .countrywoman, and whom I knew at

Venice, received me with the utmost politeness ; and

her husband, a clever and wcll-iuformed Modenese,
had a disputewith his wife respectingmy country, in
which he very gallantly maintained that bj descent
mine was the same as his own. It was stillearly,and
as we were almost alone,I took advantage of that cir- cumstanc
to announce my projectto them. They were
enchanted with it,and promised to introduce me, and
they congratulated me beforehand on the reception of

my work.
The company continued to increase; Caffariello
made his appearance, saw and recognizedme, saluted
me with the tone of an Alexander, aud took his place
beside the mistress of the house. A few minutes wards,
after-

Count Prata, one of the directors of the theatre,

the most skilled in everythingrelative to the drama,
was announced. Madame Grossatetita introduced me

to the count and spoke to him of my

opera, and he
undertook to propose me to the assembly of directors ;
but it would afford him infinite pleasure,he said,to
know something of my work ; a wish in which he was
joined by my countrywoman. I wanted nothingBu
much as an opportunityof reading it. A small table
?and a candle were brought towards us, round which
Jre all seated V"urselves,
and I began to read. I an-
 CARLO GOLDONI. 153

Dounoed the titleof "

Amalasonte." Cafiitriello
sang
' ' "
the word AiaalasoDt ; it was
Long,and seemed lidira-
loiisto him. Everybodylangliedbut uiyaelf; the lady
scolded,and the nightingale was eilent. I read ovr the
natnea of the charactere, of which there were nine in
the piece. Here a Btnall shrill voice,which proceeded
from an old castrato who sung in the choruaes, and
who mewed tike a cat, cried out, "Too many, too

many ; there ore at least two charactora too many."

I saw that I by no means
was at my ease, and wished
to give over my reading. M. Prata imposed silence on
this insolent fellow,who had not the merit of Cafla-
ri:!lloto excuse him, and, turning to me, observed,"It
h true, sir, there are usually not more than six or
seven characters in a drama ; but when a work is de*

servingof it,wo willingly

put ourselves to the expense
of two actors. Have the goodness,"he added, "to
continue the
reading,if you please."
I resumed my reading, Act first, scene first,

Clode-
sile and Arpagon. Here M. Cafiuriello again asked me
thenameof the firstsoprano in my opera. "Sir,"said I,
"
it is Clodesile." What ! said he,
" "
you open the
"

scene with the principal actor,and make him appear

while all the peopleenter, seat themselves,and make a

noise. Truly, sir,I am not your man." (What pa-

tience!)
M. Pratahere interposed. Let ns see,"said "

be, whether the scene

"
is interesting." I read the
firstscene, and while T was repeatingmy verses, a lit- tle
insignificant wretch drew a paper from his pocket,
and went to the harpsichord to recite an air in his part.
The mistress of the house was obligedto make me er-
cuses without intermission. M. Prata took me by the

hand, and conducted me into drosaing-cioset

a at a con-
siderable

disttmce from the room. GooqIc

154 MEMOIKS OF

The pount, havtog requestedme myself,satto seat

down beside me and endeavored to pacifyme respect- ing

the misbthavior of a set of giddy fools. He re- quested

me to read my drama to himself alone,tliatho

might be able to form a judgment of it,and to tell me
hia opinionwith sincerity.I was very well pleasedwith
this act of complaisance,for which I returned him my
thauks,and I began the reading of my piece,which I
went through from the firstverso to the last, not spar-
ing
him a singlecomma. He listened with attention,
with patience ; and, on the conclusion of the reading,
he gave me the result of his attention and judgment
nearlyin the following words :

," It appears to me," said he, "

that you have tolera-
bly
well studied the poeticsof Aristotle and Horace,
and that you have written your pieceaccordingto the
principles of tragedy. You do not seem to be aware
that a musical drama is an imperfect work, subjectto
rules and rustoms destitute of common sense, I am

willingto allow,but which stillrequire to be literally

followed. you in France, you might take more
Were
pains to pleasethe public; but here you must begin by
pleasingthe actors and actresses ; you must satisfythe
musical composer ; you must consult the scene-painter :

every departmenthas its rules,and it would be treason

against the drama to dare to infringe on them, or to
foil in thoir observance.
"
Listen,"he continued, "
I shall
point out t you
a few of those rules which are immutable, and with
which you do not seem to be acquainted. The three

principalpersonages of the drama ought to sing five

airs each; two in the firstact, two in the second,and
one in the third. The second actress and tiie seconii
soprano can onlyhave three,and the inferiorcharacten
 CARLO GOLDONI. 155

must be satiisfiod
witb a. single
air each, or two at the
most. The aathor of the words must furnish the mneii'
"uaD with the differentshades which form the ehiaru-
scuru of musie, and talie care that two patheticairs do
Dot succeed each other. He must distribute with the
same preectution the bravura nirs,the lura of action,the
inferior airs,and the minuets and rondeaus.
"Ho must, above all things, avoid givingimpassioned

aii^,bravura air?,or rondeaus,to inferior characters j

those poor devils must be satisfied with what they get,
and every opportunityof distinguishing themselves is
denied them."
M. Prata would have goneinterrupted
on ; but I
"
him. You have told me ennugh, sir/'S(ud I to him,
"
do not take the trouble of enlarging farther on the

subject.I again returned him my thanlts, and took my

leave. I perceived at last that my judges at Bresda

were in the right, and that Count Trissino of Vieenza

was stillmore in the right,

and that I alone was wrong.
On returning to my lodgings, I felt one moment hot and
the next cold; I was quite crestfallen. I drew my
piece from my pocket,and at sight of it T felt half
inclined to tear it to pieces. The waiter of the inn
"
entered,and inquiredwhat I wished for supper. I
"
shall not sup," I answered, hut make up a good fire."
I stillhad my Amalasonte in my hands ; I kept read- ing
a few of the verses, which I thought charming.
"Accursed rules! My pieceis good, I am certain of it;
but the theatre is had, and the actors, actresses, com- posers,

decorators

may the devil take them all! And

thou, unfortunate
production,which hast cost me so
much labor,and deceived my hopes and expectations,
I consign thee to the devouringflames I On this I "

and looked upon

threw it into tie fire, it while bum
156 .
HEMOmS OF

ing,with a sort of cool compkcency. My chagrinand

indignationrequiredBome rent; I tamini myTeogeonce
against myself,and then I deemed mysielfsufficiently
revenged. All was over, and the piece entirelyout iif
ray hettd ; hut on stirring up the ashes with the tongs,
and collecting the remains of my manuscript to com-
plete

the work of deBtruction, I began to reflect that on

no occasion had I saciiflcedmy snpper to toy chagrin.
I called the waiter,and ordered hiin to cover the table
iustantiy. 1 had not long to wait ; 1 ate and
heartily,
drank stillmore so; I then wont lo bed, and enjoyeda
profound sleep.
The only thing extraordinary was, thati awoke next

morning two hours sooner than usual. Unpleasant

remembrances now began to influence my mind.

"Come, come," said I to myself, "no ill-humor;

pluckup courage, and call on the Resident uf Venice."
He had invited dinner; and, that I might have a
me to

privateinterview with him, it was requisitethat I

should visit him instantly. I accordinglydressed my- self
and set out. The minister,seeing me at nine
o'clock in the morning, suspectedthat somethingpar- ticular
had urged my visit. He received me in bis

dressing-room. I gave him to understand that I wished

to speak to him privately, and he gave orders for his
servants to leave ua. I related to him what had hap-pened
the precedingday. I gave him a description of
the disagreeableconversation which had so much

Hhoeked me; communicated the opinion of Count

Prata to him ; and I concluded with observing that I
was the most emlmrrassed man in the world.
M. Banolini was much amused with the account of
.

the comic scene of the three heroic actors, and asked

ine to allow him to read my oper^
"
My sirt
upera,
168 MEMOIRS OF

his talents t aeconnt bjrvending hia medicines. Tbie

was QOthiug more nor less than playingthe luonnK-
bimk ; but his Specific remedies were good, and his sci-
ence
and eloquenceprocuredfor him a reputationand
a degree of consideration by no means common. He
resohed publicly all the most difficultquestionswhich
were proposed to him in every science and on the most
abstruse subjects.Problems, pointsof eritJdsm,his- tory,
and literature, were handed up to him on his em-
pirical

stage, and he returned an immediate answer,

and gave very dissertations. He appeared
satisfactory
some years aiterwards at Venice. He was sent for to
Verona on account of an epidemicaldisease,which cut
off all who were attacked by it. His arrival in that
twn resembled the appearance Esculapiusin Greece;
of
he cured everybody with a particular sort of apple

{pommes d'api),and Cyprus wine. In gratitudefor

this,he was named first phyaioianof Verona ; but he

did uot enjoythat dignity long,having died the same
year, regretted by everybody exceptingthe physidans.
When at Milan,the Anonymous had the satisfaction
of seeing the place where he eihibited always filled
with crowds of peopleon foot and in carriages ; but
as the learned were far from being the best pur- chasers,
he was obligedto furnish bis scaffold with ob-jects
calculated to attract and entertain the ignorant
multitude,and the new Hippocratesvended his dmgs
and displayedhis rhetoric,surrounded with the four
masks of the Italian comedy. M. Bonafede Vitali had
also a pasMon for comedy, and kept up at his own pense
ex-

a complete company of comedians, who, after

assisting their master in receiving the money thrown
up in handkerchie",and returningthe same handker-
chiefe filled with small
pots or boxes, represented
 CARLO GOLDOSL 159

piecesIn tliree acta,with the help of torches of while

wax, in a stylewhich might be rAllcd mngniflcent.I
wished to become aGquaintedwith the Anonymous, as
much on aceounl of the extraordinary man himself,as
for the sake of his Etesistance. I called on him one

day, nnder the pretext of purchasiughia antidote. He

interrogated mc respectingthe disease which I had, or
which I believed myself to have; and he soon ceived
per-
that it was mere curiosity which brought me to
his house. He gave orders to bring me a giwidcnp of

ehocolate,which, he said,was the most suitable medi- cine

for my disease. I was delightedwith this piece
of politeness.We conversed togetherfor some time,
and I found him na amiable in privateas he was
learned in public. In the course of oar conversation
I informed him that I was attached to the Besident of
Venice. It occurred to him that I might be able to

assist him in certain project,

a which he communicated
to me. I undertoolt to serve him, and I was fortnnate
enongh to succeed. The a"ir was this : (but do not,
my dearreader,let this digression disgustyou, for yim
will soon perceivehow necessary it is for the connec-
tion

of my story.)
The theatres of Milan were closed durii^ Lent, as is
nsual throughoutItaly. The theatre for the represen-
tation
of comedy was to hare opened at Easter, and an
for that into with
engagement purpose had been entered
one of the best theatrical companies ; bnt the director,
having received an Germany, set out
invitation into
without givingthe slightest notice,and leftthe Milan-
ese

quiteunprovided. The town, being then without

entertainments,proposed to send to Venice and Bo- logna

to raise a company. The Anonymous was

desirous that the preferenceshould be given to his
160 ,
MEMOIRS OF

which certainly was not excellent,but which, nevef-

theleBB, e^iDiaiueiilthree or four iudividuiilH of merit,and

which, on the whole, was very well arranged. In fuel,

M- Cftsali, who acted the principallovers,and M.
Buhini, who was an admirable pantaloon, were both
caEed the followingyear to Venice, the first for the
theatre of St. Samuel, and the other for that of St.
Luke. I willingly accepted of a commiasion, which
pmmimi every way to be agreeableto mo. I imparted
it to the minister, who undertook to speak to the prin-
cipal
ladiee of that city. I myselfmentioned the huri-

nesa to Count Prata,whose acqu^ntanc I continued to

cultivate;I employed my own credit,and that of the
Eesident of Venice, with the goveruor ; and in three
daya'time the contract was signed,and tbe Anonymous
satisfied; and 1 had, by way of recompense, a second
box in front,large enough to contain ten persons.
Availing myself of this company, with which I was

on an intimate footing,I resumed the compositionof

Qome theatrical trifles. I should not have bad cient

suffi-
time comedy, as the arrangement with the
for a

Anonymous was merely for the springand summer, to

the month of September; and as there was a musical

composer, and a male and female who sang prettywell

in the company, I composed an interlude for two
"
voices,under the title of the Venetian Gondolier,"
which was executed with allthe success that such a cies
spe-
compositionought to have. This la the first
of
comic productionof mine which appeared in publicand
afterwards in print; for it was pubUshed in the foDith
volume or the Veneti;:n edition of my comic operas by
Paequali.
Whilst tbey were actingmy Venetian Gondolier at
Milan,togetherwith sketches or outlines of oomediee,
 CAELO GOLDONI. 161

tlie first repreBeatation

of BelisariaB.was given out,
and it was continually
annoBneed during six days to
excite the and
publiccariosity secui-e a full houge. In
this the comedittua were not deceived. The theatre of
Milanat that time,afterwards burnt down, the almost

universal destinyof theatres, was the largestin Italy

^

next to that of Naples; and on the firstrepresentation

of
Belisarius,
the crowd was so great that the passages
even were chuked up. But what a detestable piece!
Justinian imbecile,Theodum
was a courtesan, and
Belisarius a long-windeddivine. He appearedon the
stage deprivedof his eyes ; Harlequin was his guide,
and drove him alongwith a cudgel. Everybody was
shocked,and no one more so than myself, having dis-
tributed
anumber of ticketsto persons of the first merit.
Next day I called on Casiili,who fell
laughing
a

when ho saw me, and said in a bantringtone, Very "

well, sit ; what do you think of our famous Beli-

sarinsT" "I think," said I, " that itis such a piece
of indignityto the publicas I could hardly have pected."
ex-
"
Alas, sir,"he replied," you know but
littleof furors. There is not company which
a does
not fallupon
occJtflionally similar tricks to gain money;
and this in the theatrical jargonis called una arroslita
"
(roasting). What do you mean by arrostitaT" said
''
I. It means," ho answered,
" in good Tuscan, una
eorbellalura ; in the Lombard dialect una mtnchionndaj
and in French une attrape (a trick). The actors are
in the habit of availing themselves of it,and the pub-
lic
iiSaccustomed to suffer it ; all are not equallydeli-
cat*, and the arrostitaa will be continued tilltheyare
suppressedby arefurm." "I entreat of you, M. Casali,"
said I, " not to roast me a second time ; and I advise
for there never
you to bum your Belisarius, any.-!
was

thing, I believe,more detesUble." Googic

162 MEM0IR3 OF

" "
You are in.the right,"said he ; but I amper-
euaded that good pieM might be made
a of thie bad
"
one." Undoubtedly,"I observed ; for the historj "

of BelisariuB may furnish the subjectof an exrellent

"
piece." "Well, sir,"repliedCasali, be you are de- sirous
of laboringfor the theatre,you cannot do bet-
ter
than begin with this." ''No," Baid I, "I will
"
begin with a tragedy." Make a tragi-comedyof it."
"
Not in the teste of yonrs." Let there be no *'

"
masks nor buffoonery." I shall see what I can do."
"
Stop a moment, here is Belisarius." "
I don't want
it ; I shall take historyfor my guide." "
So much the
better ; I recommend my friend Justinian you." " I
to
shall do the best I can." "
I am not rich,but I shall
" " "
endeavor Nonsense." I write for my amuse-
ment."
"
I must impart a secret to you, sir. I am
going next year to Venice, and
only carry a if I could
Belisarius along with me, a magnificentBelisarius

{infiochi).""You shall have it perhaps. "But you

'' "
must pnimiseme." Well, I do promise." On yimr
honor f " On my honor."
"
With this,Casali was
satisfied ; and I quittedhim and returned home, de-
termined
to keep my word with him carefullyand
religiously.
The resident, knowing that I was returned,sent for
me for the purpose "ifinformingme that he was on the
pointof settingout for Venice on particular business,
having received permission from the senate to absent
himself from Milan lor some days. He had a Milanese
secretary; but they were not on good terms with each
other. The secretary was somewhat too fastidious,
and the minister was subjectto very violent salliesof
pasBion. He honored me with several commit
and as there was reason to apprehend from the r
 CABLO GOLDONL 163

whicli were in circolation that

Loinbardjwas on the
point of being implicated in a war, he charged me,

among other things,to write to him every day,and to

be an attentive observer of everythingwhich should
take place. This waa encroaching on the duties of the

eeeretary; but I conid not refuse, and it would have

been in v^n to argue the pointwith the miniater. I
did not Ml to execute the commissions intrusted to

me ; but I endeavored,at the same time,to undertake

the work which I promised to execute on my word of
honor.
In a few days I completedthe firstact. I municated
com-

it to M. Casali, who was enchanted with it,

and wished copy it instantly
to ; but two events took

placeat the same time,the flratof which retarded my

progress in the work, and the other preventedme from
working for a long time.

? XI.

Earlt one morning my servant burst into my room

and drew aMde ihe curtain. On seeingme awake, he

exclfumed, " Ah, sir 1 I have great news to tell you :

fifteen thousand Savoyards,horse and f(M"t, have taken

possession of the city,

and are drawn up in the square
of the cathedral." Astonished at this piece of unex- pected

news, I put a hundred ([uestions to my lackey,

wbo knew nothingmore than what he had already told

me. I dressed myself with all possible expedition, and

repairedto the coffee-house, where ten people en-

deavored to speak at once to me. All were anxious to
be the first to inform me ; and I had many different
what
accounts,but the followingis actually took place.
We were in the cojamcoccmont of the war of 1733,
164 MEMOIRS OF

called the war of Don Carlos. The

King of Sardiniti,
havingdeclared himself for that prince,had united hu
forces with those of France nnd Spain against Che
house of Austria. The Savoyards,having marched
all night,arrived by break of day at the gates of Milan.
The general demanded the keysof the town, and, Milan
heing too lat^efc)ra defence, the keys were accordingly
delivered over to him. Without inquiringfarther intii
the matter, I deemed myself sufficiently instructed tn
communicate the event to the resident. I returned
and wrote an account of it,which I sent off express to
Venice, and three days afterwards the Venetian minister
returned to Milan.
In the mean time the French troops soon made their

appearance, and joined their allies the Sardinians,

and they formed togetherthat large army which was
called by the Italians Varmata dei Gallo-Sardi. The
alhes preparedfor laying^ege to the castle of Milan,
and they made approachesfor the purpose of battering
the citadel, which obligedthe inhabitants of the parade
to shift their qaartera. The besieging army soon b"^n
to open their trenches and to construct their covered

ways; the siegeproceededrapidly;the batteries kept

night and day, and the guns of the citadel an-
firing swered

hesiegers.The bombs now

those of the and
then improperly directed paidns a visit in the town.
A few days afterwards my minister received a ducal
letterin parchment,and sealed with lead,from a eonrier
of the republic of Venice, directing him to leave Milan
and take up his residence at Crema daring the war.
This information the resident immediatelycommuni'
cated to me. He took this opportunityto get rid of
his secretary,
whom he disliked,
and he conferred this
honi)rable and lucrative situation on and oidcwd
me,
me to hold myself in readiness to set out next day.
166 MEMOIRS OF

under the neoeesityof

capitulating, having demanded
aod obtained all the hunun of war, dnims beating,col-
ors

flyiug,and covered wagons to Mantua, which was

the general rendezvous of the Germans, who were not

strong to oppose the progress of their

yet sufficiently
enemies. The combined armies,profiting by this fa-
vorable

oonjunuture, laid siegea few days afterwards to

Pizzighetone,
a, small frontier town in the Cremonese,
at the confluence of the Serio and Ada, very well fied
forti-
and
possessinga very considerable citadel Tbe
theatre of war advancingnearer and nearer to Crema,

we were the better enabled to procure news, as we

oould distinctly hear the dischargeof the guns; but

hostilitiesdid not proceedmuch iarther, for the Ger-
mans,
who were in expectationof orders from Vienna
or Mantua, demanded an armistjce of three days,which
was readilygranted to them.
On this occasion I was sent,in the quality of an hon-
orable

apy, to the camp of the allies. It is impossible

to draw with accuracy such a pictureas a camp sents
pre-
during an armistice;the most brilliant festivit
prevails, and altogether it exhibits the most astonishing

spectaclewhich it is possibleto imagine. A ]"ridge

thrown over the breach afforded a eommunicatbn tween
be-

besiegers and the besieged: tables were

the
spreadin every quarter,and the officers entertained one
another by turns: within and without,under tents and

arbors,there was nothing but balls,entertainments,

and coneerte. All the peopleof the environs flocked
there on foot,on horseback, and in carriages : provis-
ions
arrived from every quarter j abundance was seen

in a moment, and there was no want of stage doctors

and tumblers. It was a charming "ir, a deEghtful
leudesvons. I eigoyed it for several hours day;
every
 CARLO GOLDONI. 167

and on the third I saw the Gennan garrisonmarch out

with the same houors as those which had been grantei]
to the CHatle of Milan. I was am used to Bee Frenuli
and Fiedmuntese eoldient leavingtheir standards and
themselves
thniBting in the midst of the ranks of their

countrymen, and thus desert with impunity.

evening I made a reportof all that I
In the saw or

learned to th^ minister;and I ventured to assure him,

in consequence of the conversations which I had had
with different officers,
tiiat the- combined armies were

to encamp in the duchies of Parma and Piacenza for

the purpose of securing them from the incursionswhich
there was every reason to apprehendfrom the Germans.
The event corresponded with the infunnation ; the allies

gradually defiled towards the Cremonese and established

themselves in the environs of Parraa,where the duchees-
dowager,at the head of the regency, governedthe state.
The distance of the troops diminished my labor very
much, and afforded me leisure to apply to more able
agree-
I
occupations. resumed my Belisarius, on whieh
I employed myself with great assiduity and interest,
and I never quittedit til! it was fini^ed, and tillI
thought I had every reason to he satisfied.
In the mean time my brother,who on the death of
M. Visnoni had quittedthe service of Venice,and re-
pairedto Modena, in lie hopes of being employed hy
the duke, having l"cen disappointed in this eKpocta-

tion,came to joinmo at Crema. I received him in a

very friendly manner, and presentedhim to the resi- dent,

trbm whom he received the placeof gentleman,

formerlyoccupiedby myself. But if the one was hot

and impatient, the other was fieryin the extreme ; and
they could not agree together. The resident gave my
brother his diBroissal, and ho took his leave in very bad

hiunor.
 16S MEMOIRS OF

The
ill-conduct of my brother did me Boine injury
in the mind of the minister,who never afterwards had
the eame kindness or for me,
friendship A cal
hypocriti-
Dominican contrived to wonn himself into his fidence,
con-

and when I was not in the way he wrot to

Iliadictation. All this had a tendencyto disgustme.
My superiorand myself were now two beingsdiscon-
tented
with each other,and the following adventure
had the effect()fproducinga total rupture.
One day when I was in my chamber, a servant tered
en-

with the information that I was wanted by the

minister. I made my appearance before the resident,
who gave mo a manuscriptto copy. It was the man-
ifesto

of the King of Sardinia,wifh the reasons which

induced him to engage in the French cause. This pro-
ductiou was at that moment of some value, for the
originalwas stiU in the press at Turin, and it required
to he copiedthat it might be sent off to Venice.
The minister did not dine nor sup at borne that day.
He ordered me to bring hnn the manuscript and copy
next morning when he awoke. Tbe paper was pretty
voluminous and badly written, but it required despatch.
I returned to my room, and sat dowu instantly to work,

and labored at it tillnine o'clock in the evening,taking

no other dinner than a cup of chocolate. On finishing,

I locked the twocopiesin my desk,and repairedto the
Stag ma, where I engaged in a faro party with four
gentlemen,noneof whom were known tome. I punted

and won, and I durst not therefore go away first. We

passed tbe whole night at play. When I looked at

my watch, I found it was seven o'clock in the morning.

I was stilla winner, but I could not remiun any longer
;
and I therefore made escuses to the company, and
my
took my leave of them.
 CARLO GOLDONI. 169

I met one of our servants a few steps from the inn,

by whom I was informed that I had been sought for
by order of the iu every corner.
resident He rose at

five o'clock in the morning, and asked for me; and on

beingtold that I tiad sleptout all night,he became

qiiitfurious. I made all the haste I could home, and
entered my chamber, from which I took the two papers,
and delivered them to the minister. He gave me a

and even iar as

very unpleasant reception, went so to

snspect me of having commuoicatod King of Sar-

dinia's the

manifesto to the extraordinary proveditor of the

republicof Venice. This impntation hurt and dis- tressed

me very much, and, contrary to my usual mode

of behavior, I gave way to an impulse of passion.
The minister threatened to have me arrested. I quitted

him, and suught a refugewith the bishop of tlietown,

who took my part,and undertook to make
up matters
with the resident. I thanked him for his kind inten-
tion

; but my resolution was taken to depart as soon

as my innocence should be established. The resident

had time to moke inquirywhere I had passed the
night,and his opinionof me underwent a change ; but
I waa nnwillingto expose myself any more to Mmilar

unpleasantscenes, and I asked penntssionto give up

my situation, which was accordinglygranted. 1 called
on the minister for the purpose of excusinginyself, and
returninghim my thanks. I then parked up the dif-ferent
articles belonging to me, hired a chaise for
Modena, where my mother still remained,and set out
three days afterwards.
On arriving at Parma, the 28th of June, St. Peter's
Evo, iu 1733, a memorable day for that town, I went
to lodge at the Oateria del Gallo. I was awaked next

out of.bodj'
morning by a dreadful noise. On springing
170 MEMOIRS OF

and opening m^ room window, I percei'ved the place

fiillof people running in all directions, and rushing

againstone another. There was nothing but weeping,

crying,aud dlatress : I observed women carryingtheir
children in their arms, and others draggingthem along
the ground ; men loaded with hampers, baskets,trunks,
and packages; old men unable to supp(^ themselves ',

sick persons in their shirts;carts upturned and the

horses running about loose. "What is the meaning of
all this," swdl; "is it the end of the world t"
I wrapped myaelf in my great-coat over my shirt,
rushed hastily .down stairs to the kitchen ; but to all
my demands and questions I cnuld receive no answer.
The innkeeperwas packing up his plate,aud his wife,
with her hiur all dishevelled,held a box of jewels in
her hand and her olothes in her apron. I wished to

speak to her, but she threw me againstthe door and

rushed ont. "What is the matter? what is the mat-
tert "
I asked of every person I met. At length 1
jiereeived
a raan at the stable-dour,whom I recognized
to be my driver. I went up to him, and be was able
to satisfy
my curiosity.
"The whole placeis in uproar,"said he, "and not
without reason ; for the Germaos are at the gates of
the town, and if they enter it,it is sure to be pillaged.
Every one is takingrefagein the church, and con- fiding

their effects to the of God."

protection "Will
said I to him, "have
Hie soldiers," time for reflection
on such an occasion t Besides,are all the Germans
"
Catholics t
While I thus
conversingwith ray guide, tiie
was

srene immediately changed,and nothing but cries of

joy, ringingof bells,and dischargingof all manner of
^reworks,was to be heard. The churches were im-
 CARLO GOLDONI. 171

mediatelyempty, the property was carried btiek agiun,

fj'iendswere inquiringktndty for one Another and bracing
em-

in an affectionate manner. How was this

change bronght aboutT The affairwas this: a spy ia
the pay of both the allies and the Germaua appeared
the night before in the camp of tbe former at the
villageof St. Peter,a league distance from the city,
and gave inftirmation that a detachment of the Ger-
man
Inxipe forage the followingday in the
were to
environs of Parma with the intention of surprising the
town. The Marshal de Coigny, who then commanded
the army, detached the two regimentsof Picardyand
Champagne to watch the enemy; but as this brave

general never failed in precaution or vigilance,he

caused the spy whom he distrusted to be arrested, and
gave orders that the whole camp ehonld remain under
arms. M. de
Coigny was not mistaken; on the two
regiments arrivingwithin sightof the ramparts of the
town, they discovered the German army to the num-
1"er of fortythousand, under Marshal de Mercy, with
tn flcld-pieccs.The French, who were advanang
on the highway, surrounded with largeditches, had
no means of retreat ; they advan":d boldly,but they
were nearlyall cut down by the enemy'sartillery.
This was the signalof surprisefor the Preneh com- mander.

The spy was instantly hanged, and the army

began its march with the utmost eKpedition. The
road was confined and the cavalrycould not advance ;
but the infantrymade such a vigorous charge that
the enemy were forced to retreat, and it was then that
the alarm of the Parmesans was converted into joy.
Everybody ran to the ramparts of the town, and I

ran with the rest. It was impossibleto have a neare'

of battle; the smoke frequentlyprevented

?

view a
172 MEMOIRS OP

from distinguishing objects; but still tre bad a Tery

rare antp-d'ml,such as few peoplecan boast of hav- ing
enjoyed. A continual fire was kept np for nine
hours without interruption, and night separated the
twoarmies. The Germans dispersedthemselves among
the mountain? of Reggio, and the allies remained ters
mas-

of the field of battle. Next day I saw Marshal

de Mercy, who was killed in the heat of the battle,
,

brought into Parma on a litter. This general waa

embalmed and sent to Genuauy, as was also the Prince
of WUrteniberg,who shared the same fate.
But a much mure horrible and disgusting spectacle
was seen by me in the afternoon of the followingday.
This was the dead bodies which had been stripped
during the night,and which were said to amount to

twenty-fourthousand. They were lying naked in

heaps ; and limbs, arms, skulls,and blood were tered
scat-

in all directions. What carnage ! The Pw-

a

niesaus dreaded lest the air should be inferted from

the difficultyof interring such a number of massacred
bodies ; bnt the republicof Venice, whose territories
are almost contiguousto those of Parma, and which
was interested in the preservation of the purityof lie

air, sent an abundance of lime, that all these car-cases

wight speedilydisappear' from the surface of the

On the third
day after the battle I was desirona of

proceedingto Modcna, My guide observed that the

roads in thux direction were all impracticable, on count
ac-
of the continual incursions of the troops of the
two parties. He added that if I wished to go to
Milan, to which place he belonged,he would conduct
me there,and if I were inclined to go to Bresda he
knew one of his comrades who the point of
was on
174 MEMOIRS OF

myBelf exceedinglyfortunate in escapingwith the loss

of ray iiiunej' and effects,
and in havingsaved Belisa-
riuB from the wreck.

Having loet eight of the robbers,and not knowing

what was become of my travelling companion, I dis-
covered
an avenne of trees,and I laydown tranquilly
beside a stream. I allayedmy thirst with the water
which I lifled to my mouth in the hollow of my hand,
and the water tasted delicions. Feeling myself ex- hausted

with fatigue,and my mind having become

more calm, and not seeingany person to whom I could
apply, I look by chance one of the directions of the
avenue, which 1 was persuaded would terminate in
some inhabited place. I soon perceivedlaborers at
work in the field. I accosted them with confidence,
and communicated my adventure to them, of which
they knew something already,having seen the knaves
who strippedus proceedalong a cross road laden like
mules. They were who
desertei's, attacked passen-
gers,
and spare the hamlets and farm-
did not even houses.
Such are the unfortunate fruits of war, which
iall indiscriminately
on friends and E"es,and distress
the innocent. "
How," said I, " can these robbers get
rid of the effects stolen by them in this manner out
with-
being apprehended?" The peasants were all

anxious to answer me, and eagerness marked

their
their indignation.At a short distance from the place
where then were, there was
we a company of rich in-
dividual

establishad and tolerated for the purpose of

purchasing the spoils of the victims of war; and the
purchaserspaid no attention whether the efieeta came

from the field of battle or the highway.

The sun was setting. These good peopleoffered
me a small fragment of their repast, which, notwith-
 CARLO GOLDONL 175

standingmy disaster, I ate with coDsiderable appetite.

Thej invited me to pasa the nightwith thein,and I

was disposedti" accept with gratitude the hnspitalitf
of those kind individnals, when a respectable old man,
the father and grandr^ther uf my benefactors, remnrked
to me, that with them I conld only repose on straw
and hay, and that it would be better to allow them to
conduct me to Casal Pasturlengb, which was onlya
league .distant, and where the parishpriest, a very
worthy and politeman, would receive and lodge me
with the utmost pleasure. This opinionmet with
generalapplause. A young man nndorlook to conduct
me. I followed him, profiering thanks to Heaven,

which, while it tolerates the wicked,escitee also kind

and virtuous hoarta to relieve their fellow -creatures.

XII.
at Caaal Pasturlengo,
On arriving I desired my guide
to infiirmtheclergymanof my accident. Afew minutes
afterwards this worthy past")rcamo to the door,offered

me his hand, and requestedme to walk in. Enchanted

with this fovorahle reception, I turned towards the

young man by whom 1 had been escorted,and in

thanking him, I testifiedmy regretat my inability to

recompense hiin. The clergyman perceived my em-

barrassment,

and gave few pence to the peasant,who

a

went away quitesatisfied. This is a trifle,it is true ;

bat it proves the way of thinkingof a just and passionate
com-

man-

The supper is taken at an earlyhour in the country.

That of the clergymanwas ready when I arrived,and
with him what
I made no ceremony, but gladlyshared
his govemamte. Our o
bad been preparedby
176 MEMOIRS OF

don turned at first on the war, and I mentioned what

I had aeen at Panna, Milan, aud Pizzighetne. In-
aen'ililj
I found injselfengaged in Bome details re-
specting

my pinploymtnt and occupations and my ,

diacourse ended ae usual with the article of BelisariDs.

The who
ecrlesiastic, was a very wiso and pTemplary
man, did Dot condemn decent and moral plays,and ht"
expresseda curiosity to hear my piece; but I was theo
too fatiguedto begin the reading,and it was put off
tillnext dy. I was shown to a delightful bed, where
I forgotall my chagrins, and slepttill ten o'clock the
?next morning.
As soon as I was awake, an exrellent cup of choco- late
was brought me. As the weather was fine,I
walked out till midday, the hour of dinner,when we

saw each other again with pleasure. Two other ab-

b^s of his parishdined with us, and after dinner I be- gan
the readingof my piece. My host demanded my
permission to admit his govemante and his fegisstur.
For my part, I could have wished the whole village
present. The piece was very much relished. The
three abbfis,who were by no means blockheads,dis- tinguish
the most interesting and remarkable pas- sages
; and the villagers proved by their applausethat
my work was suited to every capacity, and equally
capableof pleasingthe learned and the ignorant.
I received the complimentsof my host, who thanked
me for my compljusauce; the two other abbds followed
his example, and each of them me an invitation
gave
to ilinner ; hut I was unwillingto occa^on any incon-
venience
to my landlord,and I was, besides,anxious
to continue The
my route. clei^yman asked me in
what manner I intended to travel. I told him I was
very well disposedto set out on foot ; but this worthy
 CARLO GOLDONL 177

man would not hear of such a thing. He gave me his

horse aad his servant, and he gave the eervant orders
to pay for my dinner. I loiik inj leave next day,
overcome with the favors and acta of kindness I had
received.
at Besenzano, I dined in the
On arriving same inn

on the Lake di Gurda, where I had twice hefore slept,

and I arrived at Verona at night"ll.
Verona ia one of the finest cities of Italy. It de-
serveSi doabt,that I tihould
withont speak of its heau-
ties,its omamentfi, its academies,and the talents whieh
it has produced and fostered in every age ; but this
digressionwould lead roe too far ; and I shall merely
confine myself to the mention of the monument which
has some relation,perhaps,to the subjectof my me-moirs.

At Verona there is an the

amphitheatre, work

of the Itvmans. It is not known whether it belongs

to the period of Trajan or Domitian ; bnt it is in such
excellent that it may
preservation, be used at present
as well as in the time when it was constructed. Thiti
vast called in Italy1'Arena
edifice, dt Verona, is of an

oval fonn ; its greatestinterior diameter is two hundred

and twenty-fiveParis feet,and the smallest one hun-
dred and thirty-three. Porty-flverows of marble steps

surround it,which are capable of containing twenty

thousand persims seated at their ease. In the central
of all kinds
space spectacles given : courses, jousts,
are

bull-fights; and in summer, playsare even represented

with DO other lightthan that of the natural day. For
this purpose, in the middle of the space, there is erected, ?

on very strong supports,a theatre in boards, which is

taken down every winter and refitted again in the fine
season the best companies of
; and Italyoccasionally
resort here to displaytheir talents. There are no boxe-
178 .' MEMOIRS OF

for the spectators ; a space inclosed off with boarde

fbrms a Tost pit with chairs. The lower orders are

allowed,fur a trifling expense, k" range themaelvea

along the steps in frunt of the theatre ; and notwith'

standingthe small expense of admission,there is nut
tt theatre in Italythat yields so much as the Arena.
On leavingmy inn the day after my arrival, I ob-
served
playbills, in which I read that " Harlequin
Mute through Fear" was to be acted that day. I went

iu the aftemooD, and placedmyself in the enclosure, in

the middle of the Arena, where there whs a very
numerous assembly. The curtain was drawn ; an.
apologywas to be delivered for the change of the piece,
which was not the Mute through Fear," as had been
"

promised,but another,the name of which I do not now

remember. But what an agreeablesurprisefor me !
The actor who came forward to address the publicwas
no other than my dear friend Caaali,the proposer and

proprietor of my Belisarius.
1 quittedmy place to get upon the stage. As the
placewas not very estensive,my intention was diately
imme-

opposed. I asked for Casali ; he came forward,

and appeared quite enchanted to see me. He made

way fur me, and introduced me t the director, the

principal actress,the second and third,and the whole
company. All were eager to speak to me. Casali
took me apart; we went behind a curtain ; the ration
deco-

was changed,and I remained exposed to the

audience ; I escaped with aU possibleexpeditionfrom
the hisses with which 1 was assailed. This was talher
an unlucky prelude for an author; but the Veronese
have BulEcientlyindemnified me in the sequelfor this
little disagreeableincident. The company was the one
which Casali mentioned to me at Milan ; it belongedto
 CARLO GOLDONI. 179

the theatre of St. Sainnel,in Venice, where

Qrimani
it plained
every autumo ttud winter, passing the apring
and summer on the mainland.
The company was under the direction of M. Imer, a
very polite and respectableGenoese, who invited me to
dine with him next day, which was a holidaywith
them. I accepted his invitation,and promised in
return to read himmy Belisariue. We were all hi

unison, and satisfied with one another.

Next day I
repairedaccordinglyto the director's,
where I found all
the company assembled. Imer wished to treat his

eoiupauiong with the noveltywhich CaSfJi had been

mentiuQuig to them. The dinner was splendid,and
the gayety of the comedians quite charming. They
made couplets, and sang hacchanaUan songs. They
anticipated every wish of mine ; they were so many
crimps anxious to enlist me.
When dinner was over, we retired to the director's
room, I read my piece. It was
where listened to with
attention,and at tlie coucluaion the applause was gen-
eral
andcomplete. Imer took me by the hand, and
with a magisterial tone pronounced,"Bravo!" I was

complimented by every one ; Casali wept for joy.

One of the actors asked me very pohtely if his com-
rades

were to have the good fortune of being the first

to represent my piece. Casali rose, and in a decided

"
tone, answered : Yes, sir,M. Goldoni did uie the
honor to labor for me " ; and, laying hold of the piece
which was lying on the table, " I shall," said he,
" with the good pleasureof the author, proceedto copy
it out myself." Without waiting the author's answer
he carried it off instantly.
Imer took me apart, and requestedme to accept of
a singleapartment in the same house beside his own '
180 MEMOIRS OF

he invited me also to his table all the time that hia

company should remain at Verona. In my stances
circum-
I could refuse
nothing. Without having had
the advantage of a regulareducation,Imer possessed
intellectand information ; he was pa8sionatlyfond of
comedy : he was naturallyeloquent,and could have
supported with great ease the part of an extempore
lover according to the Italian practice, had hia height
and figurecorrespondedwith his talents. Being short,
squat, with a short neck or rather with none, small

eyes, and a littleflat noae,

appeared he ridiculoua in
serious characters,and overcharged characters or cari-
caturea were not in ^hiun. He possessed a good
voice ; he contrived the introduction into comedy of
musical interludes, which bad so long been inseparable
from the grand opera, and had at last been suppressed
to make room for ballets.
The comic opera had its originat Naplesand Rome,
but it was nnknown in Lombardy and the Veneljau
dominions,so that the projectof Imer succeeded, and
the novelty was productiveof much pleasure, and
highly profitableto the comedians. He had two tresses
ac-

in this company for interludes ; the one a very

pretty and a very ahle widow of the name of Zanetta
Casanova, who plajcd the part of young lovers in
comedy ; and the other a woman possessedof a charm-
ing
voice,but who had no talenta for acting. Thb
waa Madame Agnese Amnrat, the same singer whom
I mentioned as employed by me in my serenade at
Venice. Neither of these two women knew a single

note of music, and Imer was preciselyin the same

situation ; hut they were all three possessed of taste,
a correct ear, and a perfectexecution; and the public
were satisfiedwith them.
182 uEMonts OP

with the partsin their hands; and the pieceprodneed

a at the second reading
Btillgreateriupression than at
the first.
Caaali, more and more satisfiedvith me, after as-
enringme that the director and propiietor of the
theatre wiiuld take care to recompense me, requested
me to do him the favor to receive, mark
as a particular

of his gralitude, a presentof six sequins.

I remained tranquilly at Verona tillthe end of Sep-

temher. At hist I set out with Iraer for Venice in a

and
postchoise, we arrived there at eighto'clock in
the eveningof the same day. Imer conducted mo
into his house,showed me the room which he destined
for me, introduce me to his wife and his daughters,
and as 1 had a strongdesire to see my maternal aunt,
I him
Tei|uested to with
dispense my suppingwith his
bmily. I was very dc-sirousof ohtaiuinginformation
respecting Madame St. and her daughter,and
learning whether theystillentertained any pretensions
to me. My aunt assured me that I might keep my-.
self perfectly tranquil; that these high-mindedladies,
on hearingthat 1 had entered into an engagement
with comedians,had set me down as unworthy to
approachthem, and enterlained no other sentiuienta
for me but those of contempt and indignation. "
So
much the hetter," said I, "so much the better ; tLia

is still another advantageWhich 1 shall owe to my

talents. With the comedians I am like an artist iu
his workshop. They worthypeople,
are much more

estimable than the slaves of prideand ambition." I

next spoke of my family afliirs.My mother, who
was stillat Modena, was in good health,
and my debts
were almost whollypaidoff. I suppedwith
my aunt
and my relations. After takingleave of them to

c4v=.JnGooglc
 CARLO GOLDONI. 183

retani to my host,I chose the longestroad,ami went

roand by the bridgeof the Itialtoand the square of
St. Mark ; and 1 enjoyedthe chajming BpectaIe of a
"aty stillmore wonderful by nightthan by day. ^^

I had nut yet seen Paris,but I had returned from

several towns where at night everythingwas total
darkoeas. It appearedto me that the lamps of Venice
funned a decoration both useful and agreeable, and the
more deservingof praise, a the burden does not fell
on individuals, but is defrayedby an ndditional draw-
ing
of the lottery every year. Besides this general
illamination,there is that of the shops,which at all
ecasons remain open tilt ten o'clock in the evening,
and a great number are not shut tillmidnight,and
several are never shut at all.
Everythingeatable is to be found displayedat night
mid-
in Venice,the same as in the middle nf the day;
ail the taverns arc open, and
snppers are in tion
prepara-
in every inn and hotel;for company dinners and
Huppers are not common in
Venice, but partiesof
pleaeuroand picnicsbring togetherindividnals with
greater liberty and gayety. In summer the square of
St. Mark and its envinins are frequented by night aa
much aa by day. The coffee-houses are full of fiwh-
ionable company, males and females of every descrip-
tion.
In every square, street, and canal singingis to
bo heard. The shopkeepers sing while Iheyselltheir
wares; the workmen singon quitting their labors; the
gondolierssingwhile n'aiting for their masters. The
essential character of the people is gayety, and the
character of the Venetian language is pleasantry.
Delightedto see my country again,which always
appeared to me more and more extraordinaiyand
ftmusing, I returned to my new lodging,where I found
184 MEMOIRS OF

Imer waitingfor me, who informed me of his inten- tion

of calling on M. Grimfini,the proprietor of the
theatre, next day, and of taking me with him to be
introduced to his excellency, if I had no other engnge-
ments. Ae I wfis unengaged, 1 acceptedhis propoei-
tion,and we accordingly went together.M. Griinani
was the most politman in the world ; and he had
nothingof that inconvenient haughtinesswhich is as
prejudicial to the great as it is humiliating to inferiors.
lUustrioas by birth, and estimable from his talents, he
was desirous only of being beloved,and his amiable
qnalilies captivated every heart.
He received me with great kindness,and engaged
me to labor for the company whiuh he maintained ;
and by way of farther eniMiuragement, he gave me

hopes,that as he was aiso proprietorof the theatre of

St. John Chiysostom, and undertaker of the grand
opera, he would endeavor
employ me and attach me
to

to that theatre. Qnite pleasedwith his excellency,and

the kind offices which Imer had rendered me with him,
I gave np every thought but that of deserving the
publicsuffrage.The first representation of Belisarius
was fixed for St. Catharine,a periodwhen the vacationa
of the courts are at au end, and when the company turn
re-

from the country. In the wean time we were pied

occu-

with rehearsals, sometimes of my tragi-coraedy,

and at other times of my interlude; and as my tions
occupa-
were not I preparedsomething
very considerable,
new for the carnival. I undert^xik the composition
of atragedycalled Bosimonda, and another interlude
called La Birba. I derived the plotof the largepiece
from La Rosimonda del Mute, a paltryromance of
the last century, and the smaller one was a picture
"rf the Jugglersof the Square of St.
Mark, whose kn-
 CAfiLO GOLDONl. 185

goage, tiumor,tricks,and whole behavior I hod studied

with great care. Tlie comic traits that I made use of
in my interhides were bo much grain that I Bowed in
my field to ripenone day into an agreeable and profita-
ble
harvest.

xrii.

At length,
on the 24th November, 17.34, my Beli-
earios appearedon the stage for the firsttime. It was

my d^Clt, and it could not have been more briUiant

or satisfactoryfor me. My piecewaa listened to with
a silence alli^gether and unusual Id the
extraordinary
Italian theatres. The public, accustomed tu iioise,gave
veut to itbetween the acts ; and by expressions of joy,

clappingof hands,and reciprocal signsbetween the pit

and boxcB,the author a:id actors received tbe most dis-

tioguishedmarks of applause. All these displays of.

Hn unusual degreeof satisfaction redoubled at the end
of the pieceto EUch a degreethat the actors were quita
affected. Some wept while others laughed,and these
different effects flowed trom the same feeling of joy.
The author of the pieceis not called for in Italy fur the

purpose of being seen and applauded on the stage.

But when the principal actor presented himself to an-
nounce

tbe play for the succeeding evening,all the

spectatorsat once cried, "Questa, questa, qiiesta," that
"
is to say, The same, the same" ; and the curtain was

dropped. The same piecewas accordingly given next

day,and it was continued to be given every day tillthe
14thof December, when the autumn performanceswere
eluscd. This was a very fortunate commencement for
for the piecewas by no means so valuable as it had
me,
been and
estimated, 1 hold it mywtf in so littleconaid-
186 HEUOIRS OF

eration that it shall never appear in the collection of

ID J works.
Elegantliteratureis as well nnderstood aodasmnoh
cultivated at Venice as in anj other
place;but the
coDDoisseurB could not avoid applaudinga. work, the
imperfectionsof which were well known to them.

Seeingthe auiriorityof my pieceover the farces,

and
other ordinary
productions of the comedians,theywere
induced to thisfirstattempt a Buccesaion of
augur from
capableof excitingemulation and paving
other pieces
the way for a reform of tbe Italian theatre. The
defect
principal of my piece was the appearanoe of
Belisarins wi^ his ^es pat out and bleeding ; with.
this exception, the play,which I called a tragi-com- .

edy,WHS not destitute of merit ; and it interested tiie

spectatorin a suitable and natural manner. My heroes
were men and not demigods,their passions had the
degree of elevation suitable to their rank, but they
appearedwith the properties of human nature witb
which we are acquainted, and their virtues and vices
were not carried to an iinaginarj excess. My style
was not elegant, and my versification has never been

anyway sublime; but this was preclselj what waa

requisite to bring back to reason a publicaccustomed

to hyperboles, antitheses, and everything ridiculously

giganticand i-onrnntic
At the siilh representatiim of BeliBBrins, Imer
thoughthe might add La Pupilla,and this littlepiece
was very well rweived by the public ; but while Imer
supposedthe interlude supportedthe tragi -comedy,it
was, on the contrary,the tragi-comedy which supported
the interlude. At all events I was a great gainer; for
til publicseeingme eome forward at the same time in
the two walks and in a manner
altogether new, I vraa
 CARLO GOLDONI. 187

honored with the generalesteem of my conntrTineo,

and t received the tnoet flHttering
and diBtiognuihed

enconragemeut from them.

On thie occasion I mude ric(|uaintance
an with his
excellencyNicolas Balhi, a Venetian patricianand
senator, whose warm and constant protectionhas
always been highlyhonorahle to me, and whose opin- ions,
credit,and adherence have always been of the
greatest utilityto me. On the 17th January my
Ktisimonda was represonted for the first time. It was
not damned ; hut after Belisarius I could hardly
flatter myself with an equallyhrilliant success : it
had four very tulerahle representations. On the fifth,
Imer supported it witK a new interlude. La Birba

gave high pleasure ; this very comic and very gay trifle
mmntained Eosimonda during four other represen-
tations
; hut at lat we were obligedto return to Bel- isarius.
This piecehad the same success on being
resumed as at first, and Belisarius and La Birlw
were playedtogethertillShrove-Tueaday, and finished
the carnival ; and with them we terminated the theat-
rical

year.
The theatres opened at Venice tillthe begiu-
are not

ning of Octiiber ; but during the fifteen days of the

fair of the Ascension, there is a grand opera, and
sometimes two, which have sometimes as many as

twenty representations.Grimani, the proprietorof

the theatre of St. Samuel, had an opera in that season
represented on his account ; and he attached me to that

spectacle,as he had promised. The drama which they

were to givethis year was not new ; they had chosen
La Griselda,an opera of Apostolo Zeno and Pari-

ati,who worked in conjunction before the departureof

Zeoo for Vienna, in the emperor'sservice,and the
 188 HEUOIBS OF

roinpoBcr who was to set it to mnuc waa the AbhS

Vivaldi,called il prete TtMSO (the red prieet),
on account

of his hair. He wae much better known by this nick-

name
than hj his real name.

This who
ecclesiastic, whs an excellent performeron
the violin and an indifferentcomposer, had trained and
instructed ein^ng Miss Girourl,
in a young singer,bom
at Venice, but tlie daughter of a French hairdresser.
She was not pretty,hut graceful ; her shape was gant,
ele-
her eyes and hair were beautiful,and her month
charming ; she had very littlevoice,hot a great deal of
action. She was to representthe character of Grieeldo.

M. Grimani sent me to the musicians to make the

changes in the opera, both for the sake uf

necessary
shorteningit,and changing the positionand character
of the airs to suit the acMrs and
the composer. I called
therefore on the Abb Vivaldi,and announced myself
as having come excellencyGrimani.
"om his I fonnd
him surrounded with miiHlc, and with the breviaryin
his hand. He rose, and maile the sign of the cross,
put his breviaryaside, and then, after the usual com-
,
pUments, What motive, sir,"said he,
"
procures m
"

the pleasureof seeing you t Hia excellencyGri-

mani " "

has employed me to make such changesas you

may deem necessary in the opera of next feiir: I there-

fore
wish to be informed,sir,what are your intentions."
"
So, so, you are employed to make the changes in the
opera of Griselda ; M. Lnlli is not now then attached
to the theatre of M. Grimani
Lalli,who is ?" "
M.

very old, will always enjoy the profits, the epistles

dedicatory, and the sale of books, which I do not care

for, I shall have the pleasureof being employed in

an exerdse highly amusing for me, and I shall have

the honor of commencing under the orders of M, Vi-
190 HEMOIBS OF

drnma, and paper and ink,resumed bia breviary, and

walked about,reciting his psalmBand hymna. I read
)ver the scene with which I waa alreadyacquainted;
I recapitulated all that the masiciaii desired, and, in
leas than a quarter of an bour I wrote dnwn an air of
eightverses, divided into two parts. 1 then called my
ecclesiastic, and showed him my work. Vivaldi read
it,his cciuutenance brightenedup, be read it again,
threw down hie prayer-book,
and called Miss Giraud.
"
When she entered,he exclaimed Ah, here is a derful
won-

man, here is an excelknt poet : read this air;

this gentlemancomposed it here without from
stirring
the Bpot in less than a quarter of an hour." Then
turning towards me, he said,"I
beg your pardon,
sir "
; and he embraced me, and protestedhe would
never have any other poet than myself. He confided
the drama to nie, with orders to make some other
changes;in all of which he
satisfied with me, and
was

the opera succeeded admirably. I waa now initiated

in the opera, ia comedy, and in the which
interludes,
were the forerunners of the Italian comic operas.
The
company of Orimani had gone to Padua, to

perfonnthere duringthe springseason, and I was ex-

pected

there with impatientto givemy pieces. When

I got clear of the opera of Venice,I repaired
to Padna.

My noveltiea made
their appearance at the theatre of
and the applausesof my
that place, brethren the doc-
tors
equal to those of ray countrymen. I found
were

that great changes had taken placein the company ;

the waiting-maidhad gone to Dresden,having been
engagedby that conrt, and the harlequin bad been dis-
charged
; and M. Campagnani, a Milanese, the delight
of the amateurs of his country,but insupportable when
actingwith professional actors, had been adopted in
 CARLO GOLDONI. 191

his place. Bat the greateatloss eiperienwdby the

ccmpany waa that iifthe Widow Casanuva, who, not-

withatandingher connection with the director, had
acceptedof an engagemnnt in the service of the KiDg
of Poland. She waa succeeded as a singerby Madame
Pasealacqua,who at the same time performed the
characters of waiting-maids; and for the parts of
loveiB,they had made an at^quisition of a Madame
Ferramonti,a charmingactress, who was younK, beau-
tiful,

very amiable,and very intelligent, full of talents

aud interesting qualities.
I was not long in discerning her merit,and I at- tached
myselfin a particularmanner to her; I became
the friend of her husband,who was not employed in
the company; and I formed the projectof making an
excellent actress of this young woman. The other
women did not fiiilto become
jealousof her. I perienced
ex-

several disagreeable
occurrences in quence
conse-

; and I should have suffered still more if she

had not twen carried off by death the same year.
My comedians had g^'^" M Padua the number of
agreedupon, and they were
representations preparing
to visit Udine in Venetian Frinli.
Imer proposed that I should
accompany him, and I
consented tu follow the company ; but I did not travel
with the director. I made my excnse to him, and set
out in an excellent carriagewith Madame Ferramonti
and the good man her husband.
My works were very much applauded at Udine.
That town prepossessedin my favor ; and the
waa

author of the Easter poetrywas, in their opinion,a

very excellent dramatic poet.

On returning to Venice, the first thing I did waa to

had a long conversation to-

embrace my mother ; we
192 MEMOIRS OF

gether; 1117 Yene^an property was digencnmbered ;

my Mcidena revenne increased ; my brother had entered
re-

the army, and my mother was desirous that I

should again resume my professionof advocatt^. I
reasoned with her on the subject,and declared that as

I had quittedit,and made

once my appearauire in my
country in a character altogetherdifferent, I could no

longer flatter myself with the confidence which I did

not merit ; while the career which I had entered upon
was equally honorable,and might in time turn out

lucrative.
My mother, with tears in her
eyes, said that she
durst not oppose my wish, that she reproachedherself
with having seduced me from the Criminal Chancery,
and that,having confidence in my reason, honor, and
activity, she left me at full libertyto choose my "iwn

profession. I thanked her and embraced her a second

time ; and from one tilingto another I came to the

article of Madame St. and her daughter, quite

- ?

satisfied that the contempt expressedby these ladies

for the employment chosen by me had relieved me from
all fear and embarrasBment.
" "
By no means," said my mother, you are quit*
mistaken ; Madame St. and her daughter have
waited on me ; they overpoweredme with their polite-
ness,
and they spoketo me of you as an estimable and
wonderful young man. Your distinguished success has
rendered you their eyes worthy of their conridera-
in

tion,and they stillreckon on you."

"
No," said I, with a tone of indignation; " no, my
mother, I will never connect myself with a familyby
whom I was deceived,ruined,and at last treated with
disdain."
"
Do not alarm yourself,"
repliedmy mother ;
"
they
 CAELO GOLDONI.

take to procure your release. Let us talk of something

else,"continued she ; *' tell me what you have been
doingeince oar separation."
I instantly satisfied her,and communicatl several
of my adventures,though I concealed also a great
number. I inaile her successively weep, laugh,and
tremble ; we dined withrelations ; my
our mother
was anxious to tell the company what I had iinparted
to her ; but she oulyoonfused matters and excited their

curiosity, and I was myselfobligedto tell everything

over again; when, exhilarated by the gayety of the

repast,I ventured to mention a number

particulars of
which were quite new to my mother. "
Ah, you
knave!" she exclaimed from lime to time,''you did
not tell me this,or that,or that other." I passedmy
time very agreeably, and made old uncles and aunl^

laugh at my expense, who never laughedbefore in their

lives. My conversation was perhapsin those daysmore
engagingthan wy writings.
Towards the end of September my company of
comedians returned to the capital ; we reheai'sed our
Openingpiece,and on the 4th of Oft^iher it appeared
on the stage. The novelty producedsnrprise ; the lit-
erary
assembly was relished ; the comedy in one act
failyd on account of the liarlequin, who was not an

agreeableactor; the comic opera was well received,

and became a standing pieceat the theatre.

XIV.
? The actors of St. Samuel were to pass the springthe
next year at Genoa, and the summer at Florence; and
194 MEMOIES OF

aa there were six new actors in the company, Imer

deemed necnssary, and propueed that I
my presence
should accompany him. I had thus an excellent portunit
op-
of seeiugtwo of the most beautiful citiesuf

Italy,and all my defrayed. I

espenses were to be
spoke to my mother, who always approved of my rea-
sons,

and I set out for Genoa with ibe director.

After passing through the very rich and delightful
.

viliageof San Pietro d' Arena, we discovered Genoa in

the direction of the sea. What a charmingand prising
sur-

! It
spectacle is a semidrcular amphitheatre,
which on the one hand forms the l)asinof the port,
vast

and graduallyriaea ou the other alongthe declivityof the

mouDtaiu with immense
buildings,which at a distance
seem placedabove one another,and are terminated by
terraces,balustrades,or ganlens,which serve fur ruo"
to the differenthabitations. In front of these,rows of
palaces,hotels,and houses of citizens, some coated
with marble,and others ornamented with painting, the
two moles which form the mouth of the port,are to be

seen ; a work worthy of the Bomans, as the Genoese,

notwithstanding the violence and depth of the sea,
have overcome nature, which seemed to oppose their
establishment,
We
alightednear the lighthouse, and entered by
the gate of St. Thomas. We saw the immense Doria
palace,where three sovereignswere lodged at the
same time, and we then went straight to the inn of St
Martha till we got the lodgingswhich were to be pro-
cured
for ua. The lotterywas drawing that day, and
I had a great desire to see that The tery,
lot-
ceremony.
called in Italy" U lotto di Geneva," and at Paris
"
La loterie royale de France," was not then estab-
lished
at Venice. There were, however, persona who
 CALO GOLDONI. 195

disposedof tickcte underhand lottery of Genoa, for the

and I had one of theee tickets in mj pocket,which I
brought from home with me. The lotterywas vented
in-
aX Genoa, and the first idea of it was suggested
by ctiauce. The Genoese draw twice every year, by
lot,the names of five eeoators to supply the placesof

those who go out of office. The names of all those

who are in the urn, and who may be drawn, are known
at Gejioa. Individuals uf the town began by betting
"
among themselves : one ^id, 1 bet that such a one
"
will come out at nest drawing ; another said," I bet
"
that a difierent person will be drawn ; and
the wnger

was equal. Some time afterwards,banks for aud

againstwere opened by artful persons, who gave an

advantage to those who put intii them. This came to

the ears of government, and the small banks were hibited
pro-
; but the farmers who offered for thein were

listened to. In this manner the lottery

was established
for two drawings,and some time afterwards tho number

was augmented. The lottery is now almost universal,

and I shall not presume to say whether it is deserving
of praise or blame ; 1 speitk of everythingnithout de- ciding
anything; and endeavoring to view thingsin as
fiivorable lightas possible, it appears to me that the

lotteryof Genoa fomishes ft good revenue for the gov-

ernment,
an occupationfor the idle,and a hope for the
wretJihed and unfortunate. For my part I was quite
delighted with the lottery on this occasion ; for I gained
a prize of a hundred pistoles, with which I was very
well satisfied.
But at Genoa a pieceof good fortune of still greater
value happened to me, which shed its blissfulinfluence

over all the rest of my life; for I there married a pru'-

dent,kind,and charming young woman, who indem-
196 MEMOIRS OF

nified me for all the trioks played me by other men,

wo-

and reiwnciled me to the fair sex. Yes, my dear

reader,I became hushaod, and I will tell you how.
a,

The director and myselfwere lodged in a house be-

lon^ng to the theatre. I had obserred,oppowte the
windows of my room, a young woman who appeared
to uie rather pretty,and with whom I wished to form

an acquaintance. One day, when she was alone at her

window, I saluted her somewhat tenderly ; she boweil
and instantly withdrew, and did not make her appear-
ance
again. This eicited my cariosity, and irritated

my self-love. I endeavored to learn who lived site

oppo-
my apartments. The houec belongedto M. Conio,
a notary of the Collegeof Genoa, and one of the four
notaries deputedto the Bank of St. George ; a respect-
able
man, possessed of property,but who, ha^'iIlg a

very numerous family,was not in snch easy circam-

stancPB as he ought to have been.

So far good ; I was deairous of forming an acquaint-
ance
ith M. Conio ; I knew that Imer had paper of
that hank derived from the rents of boses which he
by
negotiated means of exchange brokers. I requested
him to confide one of the bank-bills to my care, which
he very did
willingly ; and I went to the Bank of St.
George to prcEeut this bill to M. Conio,and to avail
myselfof that opportunityto discover his character. I
found the notary surrounded with people,and I waited
till they were gone ; I then went up to him, and re-
quested

him to have the goodness to pay the value of

my note. This worthy man received me with great
politeness ; but he told me that I had made a mistake,
that the bills were not payable at the bank, but that
the first exchange broker or merchant would have
given me cash for them instantly.I begged to be ci-
198 MEMOIRS OP

In a month's I received my mother's

time consent

and papers ; and a few days afterwardfl

the I'cqui^te
M. Conio also received the flatteringmost
acooante
of me. Our marriage was fixed for the month of July,
the portionagreed on, and the contract eign.ed.
Imer knew nothing of all this; I had grounds for
apprehendingthat he would endeavor to frustrate my
project. He was in reality very much chagrinedat it,
as he was obligedto pass the snmmer at Florence,and

I could not accompany him. I promised, however,

that I would not quitthe uuupany ; that I should la- bor
for the season at Venice, and return in good time,
and I kept my word. I was now the most contented
and happy man in the world ; but was it posMble for
me to experiencehappinesswithout some misfortune
afterwards f I was seized with a fever on my riage-night,
mar-

and I experienceda semmd attack of the

small-pox,which I had had at Eimiui in my youth.

Fortunatelyfor me I was not and my
dangerouslyill,
features were not impaired. My poor wife shed many

a tear over my pillow; she was then,and has always

since been, my chief consolation.
At lengthmy wife and myselfset out for Venice in
the begmning of September. 0 heavens ! What
tears were shed ! What a cruelseparationfor my
wife; she quittedall at once, father,mother, brothers,
MSters, uncles,aunts but she went

with her hus-
band.
On arrivingat Venice with uiy wife,I intro-
duced
her to my mother end aunt. My mother was
enchanted with the mildness of her daughter-in-law,
and my aunt, who was not in easy circumstances,made
friend and confidante of her niece. It
a was a charming
family:all was peace and harmony; and I was the
happiestman in the world. My comedians,who had
 CARLO GOLDONI. 199

renoancd all hopes of me, were glad to see me again,

more CBpecif^lyas I brought theui a new piece, Hi-
"

oaldo di Montolbaso," a in
tragi-comedy, five acts and

This subjectwas derived from the stocli of the Italian

theatre. I purifiedit from the gross "ult8 which
rendered it and
brought it as near as pos-
inaufierable,
of the ancient ohivalry,
eible to the style and the decency
and decorum requisitein a piece whore Charlemagne
made his appearance. The public,accustomed to see

Binaldo, Paladin of France, appear in the council of war

wrapped up in a torn cloak, and harlequindefend his
master's castle and put to flightthe emperors'soldiers
with kettles and broken pots, were pleasedto observe
the calumniated hero maintain his cause with (Ugnity,
and were not discontented with the suppressionof the
misplacedbuffoonery.
Several changes took place in the company during
Lent, which brought it as near the point of perfection.
as possible.
We changedLa Bastona,the mother, for La Bastona,
the daughter,an excellent actress,full of intelligence,
noble in seiious parts,and very agreeablein comic.
Vilalba,the principalactor, was succeeded by Simo-
netti,who was not so brilliant as his predecessor,but
more decorous,intelligent,and docile. We made an

acquisition of Golinetti for a pantaloon, who was but

indifierentwith his mask, but admirable in the character
of young Venetians without one ; and we gained also
Lombardi, who both in figure and talents was unrivalled
in the part of the doctor.
What rendered
the company perfectwas the acquisi-
tion
of Sacehi,the fcmous harlequin,whose wife was
tolerable in the part of secondary lovers,and whose
200 MEM0IE8 OF

nster, thouji^h a littleextravagant in her action,per- formed

very well in the ch"raeter of wmting-maid.
" "
I am DOW," Baidltoiuyself,perfectly at my ease,
and I uau give loose to my imagination. Hitherto I
have labored on old Bubjects, but now I most creat
and invent for myself. 1 have the advantage of very

promisingactors ; but in order to employ them usefully

I must begin with studyingthem. Every person baa
his peculiarcharacter fim nature ; if the author gtvee
him a part to representin unison with his own, he may
lay his account with success. Well then,"coDtinued
1, " this perhaps the happy moment
is to set on foot

the reform which I have so long meditated. Yes, I

must treat subjects of character : this is the soun-e ")f

good comedy ; with this tlie great Moli^re began his

career, and he carried it to a degreeof perfection which
the ancients merely indicated to us, and which the
modems have never seen equalled."
Was I wrong in encouragingmyselfin this manner T
No ; for my inclinations were fiied on comedy, and
good comedy was the proper aim for me. I should
have been wrong had I entfrtmned the ambition of

ecjnalhngthe mastersof the art ; bat I merelyaspired

to reform the abuses of the theatre of my country, and
this requiredno great extent of
learningtu accomplish.
Agreeablywith this mode of reasoning,which seemed
to perfectly
me just,1 cast my eyes round the company
for the actor best adapted to sustain a new character
to advantage. I fixed on Golinetti the pantaloon, not
for the purpose of employing him in a mask, which
conceals the physiognomy and prevents a sensible actor
from displaying the passion which he feelsin his coun-
tenance,
but I admired his behavior in the companies
where I had and sounded him
seen
; I believed him
 CAELO GOLDONI. 201

possessedof qualiSeatioDB
for ao excellent actor, and I
was not mistaken.
I composed, therefore,
Et comedy of character,
under
"
the titleof Moinulo Cortegan." Momolo in Venetian
is the diiiilDUtive uf Girolamo
(Jerome) ; but it is im-
possible
to translate the adjectivecortesan into any
other language. This tena cortesan is not s corruption
of the word courtier (courtesan), but is rather derived
from courtesy and courteous. The Italians themselves
are not generally ac^juainted with the Venetian corte-
san

: hence when I committed this pieceto the press, I

called it " L'Uouio di Mondo," and were I to transiato
it into French, I should he induced to give it the title
of " The Accomplished Man." Let ua see whether I
am mistaken. The true Venetian eertesan is service-
able',
of"cioas,and possessed of probity. He is gen- erous
without profusion ; gay without rashness ; fond
of pleasurewithout mining himself; he ie preparedto
bear a part in everything for the good of society ; he
preferstranquillity, but will not allow himself to be

duped ; he is affable to s^, a warm friend and a zeal-

ous

protector. Is not this an accomplishedman t

I shall he asked whether there aremany of these
cortcsans at Venice.
Yes; a tolerable number. There
are people possessedof^these. qualitiesin a greateror
less degree; but when we are to exhibit the character

to the public,we must always displayit in all its per-

fection.

That
any character may be productiveof effecton
the stage, it has always appeared to me necessary to

contrast it with oppositedescription.

characters of an

In this piece I introduced a rascallyVenetian, who

deceives strangers; and my wirtesan, without being
with the persons imposed on, secures then"
ac()naintd
202 -
MEMOIfiS OF

from the deceit and uamaeks the knave. Harlequinis

not a etupideervant in this
play ; he is an idle fellow
who insists on his sister supporting hia vices ; the
cortesan procures an establi^ment for the ^rl, and
subjects the lazyfellow to the necessityof working for
his bread. In short,this accompliahedman finishes
his brilliant career by marriage, and chooses among
the ^t-omen of his acquaintane*the one with the least
pretensiuDB and the greatestshare of merit.
This piecewas wonderfullysnccessfiil, and I was
satisfied. I saw my countrymen renouncing their old
relish for farces ; I saw the announced reform,but I
could not yet boast of it. The piecewas not reduced

to dialogue ; and the only part written out was that of

the principal actor. All the rest was outline ; 1 had
endeavored to suit the actors ; but they were not all

equallyqualified to fill the void with skill. There was

not that equality of stylewhich characterizes the pro-
duction
of one author ; I could not reform everything
at once without stirring up againstme all the admirers
of the naUonal comedy, and I waited for a favorable
moment to attack them boldlywith greater vigor and
greater safety. My comedians were U" play on the
mainland during the spring and summer; they were
desirous of my followingthem ; but T U)ld them, iu the
''
languageof Scripture, Uxorem dazi " (I have taken
a wife).

Another reason confirmed mo in my resolution of

remainingat Venice. The' proprietorof the theatre
where my comedies were acted in autumn and winter
employed me to write a musical drama for the fairof
the Ascension "if that I
composed this piece
year.
during Lent, and I was desirous of being present at the
"
^'. was to be set to music by the wlebrated
 CARLO GOLDONL 203

Galuppi,wlio went by the nnme of Bnranello ; but,

recolleo.tiug, before delivering it to him, that I was
iniataken in my Amalasonte, and being uncertain
whether I iiad Bucceeded in observingall the extrava-
gances

which arc called rules in the muBical drama, I

wished it to be seen and esamined before submitting
it to the pnblic,and I made choice uf Apostolo Zeno,
who had then returned from Vienna, whore he was

auMeeded by Metastasio,as my judge and adviser.

These two illustrious authors effected the reforma-
tioa of the Italian opera. Before them, nothing but
gods, devils,maehinea, and wonders were to be found
in these harmonious entrtainments. Zenu was the
firstwho conceived the
possibility of representing tra-
gedy
in lyrical verse without degradation, and of sing-
ing
it without producing weakness. He executed the

projectin a manner the most satisfactoryfar the pub-

lic
and the most glorious for himself and his nation.
In his operas we see heroes such as thejactually were,
or ai least such aa they have been handed down to us
by historians;his characters are vigorously supported;
his plans always well conducted ; his episodes aro
necessarily connected with the main action ; and his stylo
is masculine and vigorous, and the words of the wrs

adapted to the music of his day. Metastasio,who suc- ceeded

him, brought lyricaltragedyto the utmost per- fection

of which it was snacepUble; his styleis pure
and elegant; his verses flowing and harmonious; an
admirable precisionand clearness prevailthroughout
his sentiments,and this precisionis concealed under
the veil of an apparent factlity; ho displaysthe most

affecting energy in the language of the paasions ; his

portraits, his groups, his rich descriptions, his mild mo-

rality,

his insinuatingphilosophy, his analyse of the

204 MEMOIRS OF

hnmitii henrt,the profusionand ekUful Application of

hifl knowledge ; his aire, or rather hia incomparable

inadrigals, BOinetimes in the manner of Pludar and

eometimeH that of Anflcreon,have all rendered him the
subjectof most deserved admiration,and entitled him
to the hnmortI crown conferred on him by the Ital-ians
and acquiesced in by other nations.
Were I to venture on comparisons,I should say that,
in his style, Metastasio has imitated Rncine, and that
Zeno imitated the vigorof Comeille. Their genius re-
sembled

their chnracters. Metastasio was mild, pnl-

ishcd,and agreeableiu company. Zeno was serious,
profound,and instructive. To the latter then I made
my applicationto analyze my Gustavus. I found
this respectable author in his closet ; he received me in

a very politemanner, and listened to my drama from

beginning to end without utteringa singleword. I

could discern,however, irom the espressiunof his
oonntenance, the good and fanlty passages of my work.
"This is good/' said he, tailing me by the hand; "it
will do very well for the Mr of the AsccuMon."
I understood his meaning, and I was proceedingto
tear my drama to pieces;but he prevented me, and
told me by way of consolation that my opera, however
indifferent, waa a hundred times better than those
which their authors,under the prcteictof imitation,

only copiedfrom others. He durst not mention him- self;

but I knew the plagiarisms of which he had good

grounds for complaint. I profited by the mute correc-

tions

of M. Zeno ; I made a few changesin those places

at which my judge gnashed liis teeth; my opera was

given i the actors were good, the music excellent, and
the ballets
very gay ; nothingwas said of the drama;
I kept behind curtain j I shared in the
my applauseto
206 MEMOIRS OP

'womati, who would have become hia wife but for the
decayedstate of hia affaire, is,with her relations,on a

viait at the Prodigal's house on the Brenta. The lover

offers her a valuable ring, which the ladyrefuses. Some
time aiterwarJe, the attorney of the Prodigal arrives
from Venice with the news that he has gained his law-
sait. The generous man is desirous of showing his joy
and gratitude, and, having no money, he givesthe ring
to the attorney, which he accepts, and then returns
home. In the mean time the
lady,having been advised
to acceptthe trinliet, lest the young spendthrift should

disposeof it in an impi'oper nianner, returns and men-

tions

the ring,and excuses her former refusal ; she

could not receive it without permission ; that permis-
sion
she had now obtained Alas ! the ring is no

longerin hia possession ; the lover is inconsolable, the

Prodigal in despair! What trouble and embarrass-
ment!
This is one of those fortunate situations which

amuse the spectators, which produce revolutions,

and
which bring the action naturallyto a close.
It was said ttiat this adventure
actuallyhap-
pened had

to an individual of liigh
rank, to whom I lay
under considerable obligations.Fortunately,this lord
did not discover the circumstance,or affectednot to per-
ceive
it. He was interested in my success ; my piece
succeeded;and ho was as well pleasedwith it as self.
my-
My Prodigalhad twenty successive representa-
tJuns when it first came out; it was equallyfortunate
when resumed
during the carnival ; but the characters
in maslis complained that I did not give them enough
to do, and that 1 was on the point of ruiningtheui.
They had their amateurs and protectors disposedto
defend their cause.

In consequence of their complaints,

and agreeably
tc
 CAELO GOLDONI. 207

the planlaid down b j me, in the beginning of the nomic

year I gave a comedy of intrigue, entitled the " Thirty-

two Miafortunes of Harlequin." The execution of this
fell to Sacchi at Venice; and I was certaia of its euc-
cesa. This
actor, known on the Italian stage by the
name of Trufialdin,added to the natural graces o( his
action thoroughaequaintance
a nilh the art of comedy
nnd the different European tlieatres. Antonio Sacchi
possessed a lively and brilliant imagination; he played
in comedies of intrigue; but while other hariequins
merely repeatedthemselves,Sacchi,who always ad- hered
to the essence of the play,contrived li give au
air of freshness to the piece, by his new salhes and un-
expected

repartees. It was Sacchi alone whom the

peopleci'owded to see. His comic tnuts and his jests
were neither taken from the language of the lower
orders uor that of the comedians. He levied contribu-
tions
on comic
authors,on poets,orators, and philoso-
phers;
and in his impromptus we could recognize the
thoughtsof Seneca,Cicero,or Montaigne; but he pos- sessed
the art of appropriating the maxims of these
greatmen to himself, and allyingthem to the simplicity
of the blockhead ; and the same proposition which was
admired in a serious author became highlyridiculous
in the month of this excellent actor. I speakof Sacchi
as of a man no longerin existence;for,on account of
his great age, there rcinaine only to Italythe regret
of having lost him without the hope of ever possessing
his equal.
My piece,supportedby the actor above-mentioned,
was as successful as such a comedy could be. The
amateurs of masks and outlines were satisfiedwith me.

They found more proprietyand common-sense in my

Thirty-twoMisfortunes than in the comedies of art.

 OF

I observed that what gave the greatest pleasurein my

piecewas the iiGcumulation of events upon one another.
myselfof this discovery,
I availed and gave, fifteendays

afiemarde,a second comedy of the same kind,stillmore

and "
crowded with budnesH events, as I called it The
Critical Night; or, The Hundred and Four Events in
the Night."
sjune

This piece might be called the touchstone of the

comedians, fur it was labored with such complicatiun
and ingenuity,that ncne hut the actors to whom I in-
trusted
it coidd have executed itwith the same accuracy
and facility.I experiencedthe truth of this four years
ftfterwai'ds. I was then at Pisa in
Tuscany. A stroll-
ing

company thought proper, by way of paying court

to ine, to act this piece. Next day, in a coffee-house
on the quay of the Amo, I heard a person say, Dio "

mi guard] Ha. mal di denti e da Cento e Quattro Acci-

denti" (Ood lieepme fi^jm the toothache and The
Hundred and Four Accidents). This proves that the
reputationof an author frequently depends on the exe-
cution

of the actors. He ought not to lose sightof that

tmth. We requirethe assistance of one another,and
we ought to entertain for one another reciprocal love
and esteem, servatii si

XV.
I HAD satisfied the barbarous of my cotintry-
taste

men, and laughedin my sleeve at their compliments;

and I burned with the desire of carryingthe refbrm
completely through. But an event took place this
year, which interruptedfor several months the course
iifiny favorite occupation.
Count Tuo, the Genoese consul at Venice,having
 CABLO GOLDONI. 209

died,the relations of mj wife, who were in thaenjoy-

ment
of credit and influeDce,demanded tbe pliuM for
me, and soon carried it.
I was now io the -bosom of my country,honored with
the confidence of a foreignrepublic;and it required
some time to become acquaiutedwith au employment
of which I waa ignorant. The onlyGenoese
altogether
minialer at Venice waa their consul. I was therefore

chargedwith everytbiDg. I wrote off despatches every

eightdays; I communicated news, and set up for poli- tician.
This trade I learned at Milan,and I had not

yet forgotten it. My accounts, reflections, and conjee-

tares were relished at Genoa, and I waa by no means
on had terms with the diplomatic body at Venice.
My DRW situatiira and iny now occupations did not pre-
Tent me from resuming the thread of my theatrical
pursnits; and in the carnival of the same year I gave
an opcia to the theatre of St. John Chrysostom, and a
comedy of character to that of St. Samuel.
My opera, the titleof which waa Orontes,Ring of "

Scythia,"bad a very brilliantsuccess. The music of

Buranello was divine ; the decorations of Jolli sujierh ;
the actors exi;ellent ; not a word waa B^d of the book ;
but the author of the words did not on that account
the less enjoy the good forluae of this charming spec-

But at the theatre,

when a new pieceof mine, callei]
"
The Bankruptcy,"was acted at the same time,atl the
applauses, all the clappingof hands and braves,were
for me. Id this piece there were far greaternumbers
of written scones than in the two precedingones. I

proceededqnietlyin making my advances towards the

liberty of writingmy piecesentirely out; and notwith-
standing
the impediments of masks, I soon plished
accom-

my wish.
210 MEMOIRS OF

I was now full of houora and

jo; ; but yon know,
my dear reader,that my happy days have never been
of long duration. Wbu the consulate of Genoa was

offered to me, I
acceptedit with gratitude and respect,
without demanding what were the eraoluinentaof the
office. This was anitther of my follies,for which I
paid dearly. I thought of nothingat firstbut render-
ing

myself worthy of the good-willof the republic,

with whose confidence I was honore^i I took lodgings
in which I could rec"ive foreign
ministers in a suitable
manner. 1 increased my domestic establishmeut,iny
table,and my retinue. I thought 1 could not with
propiietyact otherwise. In writingafter the lapseof

some time to the aecrelary of state, with whom 1 responded,

cor-

I mentioned the article of my salary; and I

received for my consolation from the secretary an
answer nearlyin
followingterms: the "Count Tuo
[my predecessor] served the republic for nearlytwenty
years without any emolument; the senate were satb-
fied with me ; the considered it proper
government,
that I should be recumpeused, but the Corsican war
rendered the unable
republic defrayan expense which
to
for BO long a time it had ceased to providefor."
What sad news for me ! The profitsof the consulate
did not amount to a hundred crowns per annum. I
wished up my situation instantly
to throw ; but by the
courier I received a tetter from a Genoese
following
senator, confidingan intricate commission to my care,
and encouraging me to remain in office.
Aperson intrusted witli the affairsof the republic
of Genoa, and who held in a foreigncourt the sion
commis-
of the senate, and full powers from the'pubUe
creditors,had abused the confidence of the Genoese,
escaped with considerable sums of moiiey,and been
 CARLO GOLDOKI. 211

livingfor Beveral daya quietlyat Venice, The senator

sect nie letters of credit for Sniitin Cainbiasio, the
?banker, and a power to obtain the body or a seizure of
the giwds of his debtor. The commiseiou was cate,
deli-
and the exceutidu promised to be attended with
difficulty. I knew my country, however; in a gov- ernment
where there are almost as many primary
tribunals aa matters subject to eonlestation, if the
affiur l"e good, there are means of obtaining justice
-without violating the delicacyof the law of nntious. I

was listened to, and well served ; my client was demnifie

in-
aud the money and effects passed through
my hands into those of M. Cambiasio, to be disposed
of by the patrician. This affair,
Genoese which was

well conducted and happily terminated,did me infinite

honor; but my unlucky star was not long in over-
whelming

mo with its influence. In the inventoryof

the effects recovered by me, there were two boxea of
gold enriched with diamonds. I was intrusted with the
sale ofthem. I confided them to a broker; this rascal
pledged them with a Jew, leftthe duplicates, and made
his escape. I was the responsible person, and it waa
requisite to pay for their recovery. M. Cambiaaio sup- plied
me with money on a^^uuut of the senator, aud
my father-in-law paid it back again at Genoa out of
the remainder of his daughter's portionwhich ho still
owed me.

I by no means
was therefore in easy circumstances
in the beginningof the
year 1740 ; aud to add to my
misfortune,I was all at onee deprivedof the best part
of my rents. The war between the French and Span-
iards
on the one hand, and the Austrians ou the other
began to break out. It was called the war of Don
Philip; and Lombanly w.is inundated with foreigi .
212 MEMOIBS OF

troopB to installthat princein the posaesaionof P^nm

and Plarentia. The Duke of Modcna joinedhis forces
to those of the Bourbons. He was a generalisBimo of
their army and, to support,the expenses
; of the war,
he stopped the payment of the annuities of the ducal
bank ealled Luoghi di Monte.
This void in my doineatio affairsthrew me into great
consternation. I could no longermaintiun iny rank in
society.I formed the resolution of setting out instantly
for Modcna in quest of money at all hazards,and to

pass on Genoa,
to and demand
justice.1 wrote in con-
sequence
'

to the republic, and demonstrated the neceS'

sityof a journey,I demanded permissionto appoint a
fobstitiite in my place,and I waited for the consent of
the senate. In this expectation, and in the midst of
my chagrinsand emharrasement, my bnither nrriveJ
from Modena, as much dissatisfiedas myself with the
suspension of our annuities,and still more piqued at
not having been included in the new promotion made
by his royalhighnessin his troops. He had quittedthe
service altogether, and came to enjoyhis tranquillity at

my expense.
On the other hand, I was teased for works by the
comedians. my onlyconsolation ; but Sacchi
This was

had left us, and the half of bis comrades had followed
him. Golinetti,the pantaloon, whs no longerwith us,
and the most essential actors were all new to me. I
sought out the individual amongst them most capable
of interesting me, and mj predilectionfor waiting-

maids induced me to fix un Madame Baccherini,who

succeeded the sisterof Sacchi in that character.
She was Florentine,extremelypretty,very
a young
with a plump and round figure,
gay, and very brilliant,
while sliin,dark eyes, a great deal of vivacity,
and a
 214 MEMOIRS OF

.
of cIOHiog. The company were to jmbs the epring at

GeDua, and it waa to be acted there for the first time.

I proposedto appear there also at the first representa-
tion,
but I became all of a sudden the sport of fortune-
Events of a singularnature ovortumed
my projects,
and I did not witness of my piect
the representation
till four years afterwards.
On the removal of the comedians I felt myself lonely;
for in my then disagreeablesituation every company
wearied me. 1 thoughtonly of my journey : my mother
and my aunt stood in no need of my assistance ; my wife
was to follow me, and my brother alone was burden-
some
to us aU. He entertained the highestidea of him-
self:
1 was of a difTercntopinion,and he was offended -

at my way of thinliing.
For example, he did not tate
hesi-
to ask me to propose him to supply my place dnr-
iug my absence from Venice, or to send bim to Genon
to solicitthe salary"if my ofBce ; but I did not believe
him (^ut out for either of these and
eonimiBsions, I went
on usual,tillI should receive letters from Genoa, iu
as

the execution "ifmy project.

The letters arrived,the permissionwas granted,my
substitute WHS approved of,and I was satisfied. I re-
solved

therefore to go to Modena to demand payment

of my annuities ; to go to Genoa to solicit payment of

my salary; to be present at the representation of the

Donna di Garbo, as La Baccherini would perhaps re-
quire

my assistance, and at any rate would be very

glad to see me. The charms of this delightfid actress

added to my eagerness; I feasted myselfwith the idea
of seeing her perform this important part in my piece.
But, 0 heavens ! the brother of Madame Bacoiierini
was still at Venice. He waited on me ; I saw him in
tears ; he could not pronounce a singleword ; he put a
 CABLO GOLDONI. 215

letter from Genoa into my hands,containing

an account

of the death of his aiatr.

After this event I stilladhered to my but
project, I

was nut so eager tu set out, and even endeavored to

put off Diy departure. A surety of noble VenetianB

had taken a lease of the theatre of St. John Chryeog-
tom for five years, and demanded anopera from me
for the hir of the Ascension. At first I refused to isfy
sat-

them ; but on becoming master of my lime, I

aecepted of the
ooinmission,and finished in a few days
an opera entitled
"
Statira,"which 1 had in my port'
folio. I was present at the rehearsals and the resentat
rep-
of this drama, and I drew the profitsof
authorshipand received an extraordiuary
recompense
from these generous lessees. I had reason to be sat-

iafied with this prolongation of iwy stay in Venice, but

I ptud very dear for it in the sequel,and I was debted
in-
to my brother for the cruel oinbarraaament in
which I was placed. He entered my house one day at
two o'elook in the afternoon,and pushed open with his
cane thefoldingdoors of my hat was study. His
drawn over his brow, his countenance was red, his
eyes BparUiug, I knew not whether
from joy or
mge. Looking hard at me with a disdainful air,
"Brother," said he, "you will not always treat me
as lightlyas yon do now." What do you mean, "

brother t" "I do not compose verses, hut every one

has his value, I have made discovery." '? If it

a

can bo of any use to you, I shall he exceedinglyglad."

"
Yes, useful and honorable for me, and stillmore ful
use-

and honorable for you." "For me!" "Yes: I

have made an Bagnsan capt^n,
acqufuntance with a

amiM, a man
who has not his fellow. He keeps up
with the principal
a correspondence courts of Europe ;
216 HEMOIBS OF

he has commis^ona at which yon would tremble; he

is employed to raise recruits for a new repmeut of two
thouaand Sclvouiana ; hut, 0 heavens I if the ^v-
emmcnt of Venice were Ui discover this,
we should be
ruined, brother,^brother,
I have disclosed the

matter, you know the importanceof discretion."

"
I wished to surest a few reflectionsto him. Listen
"
to me," BEud he, intemipting me ; there is a captaincy
here open for me ; I have served in Dalmatia, as you
know this my friend also knows ; he knew my uncle
;
Visinoni at Zara, and be destines a company for me.
"
Butfur you," continued he, it is quiteanother ^kir."
"
Pur ine? what the devil does he want with met"
"
He knows by reputation,
you he esteems you, you
will be the auditor,the grand judge of the i-egiment."
"IT" "Yes, you."
At that moment the servant entered,and announced
to ns that dinner was ready. "The deuce take both
you and the dinner!" said my brother; "we have
"
business to transact ; leave us undisturbed." But
cannot defer it," said I, "till after dinner t"
you
"
Not at all ; it must wait." "
Why t" "
The tain
cap-
is coming." "
So you have asked him f " " Yes ;

arc you displeased that I have taken the liberty to in-

lite a friend 1" "

The captainis your friend,then 1 "
" Yon have
"
I have no doubt of it." just formed ac-
quaintance

with him, and he is your Mend alreadyt "

"
We soldiers are not courtiers ; we know one another
at firstsight; honor and glory form the bond of our

union, and next moment wo become friends."

My wife arrived, and entreated ns to bo done.
"
Good heavens ! madam," cried my brother," this is
being very impatient." " It is your mother," said
she, " whu ia growing impatient." " My mother, my
 CABLO GOLDONI. 217

mother, let her dine and go to bed."

"
All this,my
brother,ainelb Badly of gunpowiler." " I am Borry,
I am sorry ; bat the captain cannot be long." A
knock was heard ; it was the captain; a number of

compliments and excuses passed,and we sat down to

dinner.
Thia man had more the appearance of a courtier
than a soldier. He
supple,inild,affected,
was his
complexion was wan, his face long,his nose aqniUne,
and his eyes small,round, and greenish. Ho was
very
galhint,very attentive to the ladies,holdinggrave dis-
courseH to the old women, and saying pleasantthinga
to the young, yet uone of his little stories sceined to

talte off his attention from his dinner. We took our

coffee at table ; my brother put me in mind of the

"

remainder of my stock of wine for the sake of enter-

taining
his
friend,and the Kagusan, my brother, and

myself went to shut ourselves up in my study. ?

As the recommendation of my brother did not give

me the most favorable idea of this nnknowu person,
and as he did not want for address or forcMght,
he re-
counted

to me in
very rapid and
a elegantpreamble,
his name, his country, his condition,
his titles,
his ex-
ploits,

and concluded with showing me the letters-

patent, written in the Italian language,in which he

was empowered to raise two thousand men of the
Ulyriannation for a new regimentin the service of the
power from n'hom he held the commission. In these
letterethe Bagusan
appointed colonel of the regi-
was ment,
with the power of naming offloers, judge,quarter-
masters,
etc., and they contained the signatares of the

sovereign minister and secretary of state of the war

departmentwith the seal of the crown. I was not any

great judgo of these foreign signatures, and 1 was dis-

218 UEH0IR3 OF

trostfut(ifa mttn whom I

onlyeaw for the firsttime,
and tillI should be enabled to verify their aulheDticitj,
I ventured tu put a few quentiouB tu the captain, who
did not fnilto give ine tuttisfactory anewera. I first
asked him by what aeeident iny brother and myself
were so fortunate as to interest him in our lavor.
"
Your
brother,"Baid he," is a man who may be of
utilityto my btprests. H ie acquaiutd with Dal-
matia and Albania, where he hns served, and these are
two pnnineeacapable iifsupplying cxKlknt men lor
our regiment.1 mean to provide liim with lettersand
money and send him there to recrnit." At this my
brother clunground the Ragiisnn." You shall see,
you shall see ; I shall procure G:"ryou Dal-
niy friend,
nifltians, Albanians, Croatinns, Mohichinns, Turks and
devils;let me ulone, Gospodina,
Gospodiua, dobro,
Jutro, Gospodiun."
The captain, who was hitnsclf a Srlavonian, and
laughedin his sleeve perhapsat this displaced lllyiiiin
salutation of my brother, smiled,and turningtowards
me :
" For
you, sir," said he," I do myselfan honor
in requesting you to a"'CPpt the officeof aiKlitor-gencral
of my regiment. You are bred to the Inw,and your
situation of consul But apropos of tlieplacewhich

you fill," continued he, " i have a favor to demand of

yoo. I am at presentin Venice,which is a free conn-

try; but the affiiir in which 1 am now engagedis rery

delicate, and mightgiveoifence to the government on
account of their Dalmatian subjects ; I am lset by
spies;I am afraid of beingtaken by surprise ; and if
you could lodgeme in your house,Ifdiould not perhajw
be secure from the pui-auits of the republic, but I should
have time escape them."
tji
"
Sir,"said I, " my lodgings
are not sufficiently

ctv.-.ii,Googl
 CARLO GOLDONI. 219

eominodious." Mj brother exclnimed, intcmipting

me,
"
I shall giveup iny room to the captain."I deavored
en-

to defend myself,but iu vwn. Thus tha

Ki^usan gilthimself estiiblished in iny honae.
The societyof tliisman was agreeahleenough; I
allowed myself to be gained over without difficulty ;
and I could not bringin jself to suspecthhn. I wished,
however, to have nothingto reproachmyself with.
Wherever I heanl persons mentioncil aslwingconcerned
in the secret of the business in question, I began to
make inr|uirieB. I called on the merchants employed
for the regimental unifonns. I spoke to the officers
engaged by the brevet-olonel. He received one day
a bill of exchange for six thousand ducats,drawn on

MM. Poinmer,brothers, German bankers ; the bill was

not aeccptedbecause they had received no letters of
advice,but the signatures were oxnetlyimitated. My
belief was at lengthfixed, and I fell iiit^ the snare.
Three days afterwards the Ragusan entered the house
in great agitationand constemalion ; ho had to pay
six thousand livres in the course of the day, and he
could procure no delay; the officersof the law would
be despatched in pursuit of him ; the nature of the debt
would discover everything; he was in despair, as all
was ruiued. I was affected by his discourse, my brother
solicited me, my heart determined ire. I made what
efforts leould to raise this sum; Iwaa fortunate
enough
to succeed,I gave it in the course of the day to my
gaeet,and next day the scoundrel disappeared,
I was plungedin embarraasmont ; my brother made
inquiries after him to kill him; but he was fortunately
out of danger. All th()se who were duped by the
Eagusan repairedto my liouse, and we were forced to

etop their complaintsto avoid the indignationof the

220 MEMOIRS OF

government nnd the derision of the public What

resolution adoptf Tho robber left Venice
couU I on

the l.lth of ScptemlMT, 1741, and 1 embarked on the

1 8th with my wife for Bologna.

XVI.

Sad, thoughtful, and plungedin chagrin, I wm

night in that coarior's
about to puBH a most tlisngrceahte
bark, which in former times I had found very coinfiirt-
able nnd very amusing. My wife,who was more rotison-

abie than myself,instead of cuinphUningof her situation.

Boughtonlyto console me. Animated by her example
and advite,I endeavored to dispeltlie regret for the
past by the hope of better fortune in future. I fell
asleep,and 1 found myself,on awaking,like a miin
who has been shipwreckedand who lias saved himself
by Bwinmiing.
On nniving at the bridgeof Lago Scnro on the Po,
at a league's distance from Ferrara,I took post and
arrived in the evening at Bologna. I was well ac-
quainted

with that city, and well known there. Tiio

directors of the theatres called upon me ; they aslied me
fur some of my pieces;I made some difficulty,but I
was iu want of money ; they took care to ofler me

and 1 was not backward in acceptingit. I con-fided

some,
three of my originalsto tlicm to be copied out.
I waited accordingly, and I
It was necessaiy to wait ;
did not lose my time.
I was asked at comedy witliout females
Venice for a

and susceptible of militaryexercises, for a collegeof

the Jesuits. The pretendedcaptain,who deceived mc,
occurred to my mind and furnished me with a subject.
I oatitled my "
piece The Impostor"; I employed iu
222 MEMOIRS OF

The did
proposition not diapleaae
me ; but I wished
to eimsolt my wife. She was a Genoese ; we were on

the niaA Ui relatjima;but, poor child! she was

her

goodueaaand complacencypersonified.Whatever her

husband proposed was approved of by her. Content
to see me trcmquil and satisfied,she encouraged me to
follow my new and we
project, set out three days after-
wards
with the good old VeneUan.
On arrivingwithin sight of the ramparts of Rimini,

we were stoppedat the firstadvanced post and escorted

ti" the main gnard. There the comedian was set at

liberty on deukring who he whs, and my wife and my- self

were sent to the court of Modena, I knew several

persons of all ranks attached t(" his highness; I nas

well received, and even caressed. A lodgingwae pro-
cured
for me, and next day I was presentedto that
prince,who received me with kindness,and asked me
the motive which induced me to visit lUmiui. I was

not long in tellinghim the truth ; hut I had no sooner

pronounced the words " ducal bank" and " arrears," than
his highnessturned the conversation to the theatre, my
piece,and my success; and the audience tenninated
two minutes afterwards. I saw that I had nothingto
hope this quarter; I turned my views next
for from
to the comedians, where my expectationswere better
realized.
1 was invited to dinner with the director,to whom

Ferramonti had spoken a gn^at deal about me. All

the company were present; the principalfemale acter
char-
was an excellent actress, but very much vanced
ad-
in years ; the second actress was a stupid and
badly educated beauty; Colombina was a fi-eah and
attractive brunette; she was the
waiting-maid.
Everybody asked me for pieces; every one wished
 CABLO aOLDONI; 223

to be the
principal Ba1"ject. To whom was I to gise
the pnjfereneo ? The Count de Grosbergextricated me
from my embarraBSment. This brave officer, brigadier-
generalof the regimentof Walloon guards,in the
anny of his Catholic Majesty,was stronglyattached
to the theatre. He was a particular protectorof har-
lequin-
He requested me to labor for that character,
and I did so with the greatestpleasure, as the harle-
quin
was good and the-protectorgenerous.
The theatre was closed on the termination of the
amival. M. de
Gages, who acted ab"ng with the
generalissimo as generalcommandant, kept up the
most exact order,and the most rigorousdiscipline
throughoutthe whole army. There was no gaming,
no balls,no suspiciouscharacters. lUmlni resembled
a convent. The Spanianlapaid their conrt to the
ladies of the country in the Castilian manner ; and the
ladies were pleasedto see the done of Mars on their
bended knees before them. The societies were ously
numer-

attended,but free from tumult, and gallantry

shone firth without scandal.
The Gennan troops quarteredin the Bologna ter-
ritories
made some movements which alarmed the

Spaniards.In .
three days the army and
decinped, I
remained at Kimini in a state of greaterembarrassment
than ever. I was a subjectof the Duke of Modena j
and I was Genoese consul Venice ; and these two
at
nations iu that war took the side of the Bourbons. I
had every reason to fear being considered by the Aus-
triauB suspiciouscharacter. I communicated
as a my
fears to persons belongingto the country with whom I
was acqu^n1d. Everybody considered them well
founded; but then how was I to act? Neither horses
nor carriages were to be had. The army had carried
224 '
HKMOIRS OF

I fnuiid some foreignmerchants in the Bame predic-

ainent with tnye]f.I entered into an arrangement
with them ; we sgreedto go by sea, and hired a. bark
for Pesaro. The weather
favorable, hut there
was

had been a Btonn the night beii"re, and the ea was

stillin agitation. Oar women suffered very much ; my

wife spitblood. We anchored in Catholica Koads,the
half of our projected voyage ; and finished our jour- ney
hy laud in a peasant's cart. Wo leftour effects in
chargeof some of our domestics, who were to join us
at Pesaro,iind we nrriTcd in that.town fatigued and
exhausted,without acquaintances and without Icxlgiogs,
and yet these were the least of the evils in store for
us. All was in confusion in Pesaro,which bad more

peoplethan could he contained in it. There was no

room in the inns,and no furnished lodgingsto be had.

Count de
Grosbergwas at Fano ; all the officers""f
my acquaintancewere occupied,and the persona at-tached
to the Duiie of Modena could only offer me their
table. A Modoneae valet,in possession of a garret,
resignedhis elegaut apartment to me for money.
Next day I left my wife in her garret,and went to
the mouth of the FogUa to see if my goods were rived.
ar-

I found my travellingcompanions there on

the same errand. They had passed the night still
more uncomfortablythan myself. No barks fi^m Bi-
mini: no news of onr effects. I went back to the
town. Count de Grosberg had returned ; he took
compassionon me, and allowed me to lodgewith him-
telf. At this I was not a little rejoiced;but two
hours afterwards I was plungedagain in a terrible

I met one of the merchants whom I had seen by

the Bcasbore,and found him in great disti'esaand
 CAELO GOLDONL' 225

" "
tation. Well, air," said he, no news yett"
"
Alas !" said he, "all is lost: the AustriHii hussars
have taken possession ofCatholica; our bark, our
effects and servants,are iu their hands. I have just
now received a letter from my correspondentat El-
"
mini,communicatiog the news." O heavens ! wliat
''
shall we dot" said I. I know not,"he replied;
and
abruptlyquittedme.
I stood thunderstruck. irreparableThe loss was

for me ; my wife and myself were very well equipped;

we had three trunks, two portmanteaus, bosea, and
bandboxes; and now we were left without a shirt.
Great evils requiregreat remedies. I formed my pro-
ject
; I thoughtit a good one, and proceeded
instantly
to communicate it to my protector. I found him ap-
prised
of the invasion of Catholica, and acquainted
him with the loss of my effects. "I shall go and
endeavor to recover them," said I; "I am not a

I
soldier, am not attached to Spain; I require
merely
a conveyance for myselfand wife." Count de Gros-
berg admired my courage ; and to get rid of us per-
haps,
he commenced with procuringfor me the ports
pass-
of the German commissary, who followed the
Spanishtroopsfor that purpose, and who gave orders
to let me have a chaise. There was no post at that
time ; the drivers concealed themselves. One was

at lengthdiscovered, and theyforced him to take me.

He was kept all night in M. de Grosberg's sl"bles,
and I set out early nest morning.
I have not spoken of my wife since this last acci-
dent,
for the sake of not tiringmy reader's palitnce,
but the situation of a woman who loses all at once

her jewels,dress,and everythingbehinging to her,

be easilyimagined. However, she was of a
may
226 MEMonts OP

thoroBghlygood and reaaonable temper, and readily companied

ac-

me on my journey. The driver,afairepeok-

ing but craftyfellow,came for ub when he was ready,
and exhibited not the slightest mark of discontent ; and
we set out after takingsome breakfast, quitetranquil and

gay. The distance from Pesaro to Catholica waa ten

miles; we liad gone them, when

three of
we were

under the necessity of alighting. I ordered the driver

to stop; we got down, and the rascal turned the
horses immediately, set off at a gallopfor Pesaro, and
left us in the middle of the highway ^dthout either
resource, or the alighlest hope of findingany. Not a
livingaoul was to be seen. Not a pcaeant in the fields,
not a singleinhabitant in any of the houses; every-body
dreaded the approach of the two armies ; my
wife wept, I raised my eyes towards heaven, and felt
"
myself inspired."Courage," said I, my dear friend ;
we are but six miles from Catholica; we are young
enough and strong enough to walk that distance;we
must not return, we must
have nothing to reproach
ourselves with." She compliedwith the best grace in
the world,and we continued our journeyon foot.
After an hour's walk we came to a rivulet too
broad to be leaped and too deep to beforded by my
wife. There was a small wooden bridge for the con-
venience

of foot-passengers,
but the planks were all
broken. This did not disconcert me : I stooped
down, mywife put her arms round iny neck, 1 rose

smiUng, crossed over the inexpressible

stream with
joy,
and said to myself," Omnia iKtna tnea mecum porta "
(I carry all my property upon me). My feet and 1^
were wet, but it did not signify.We (ntinaed our
journey,and after some time came to another stream
like that we had passed. The depth
was and
similar,
 CABLO OOLDONI. 227

the bridge was equally ruinous. This was no ob-

8talo ; WD paaeed it as we did the former, aad with
the same gayety. Rut it waa a very different matter
when, close upon Catholiea,
we came to a torrent of
considerable breadth, which rushed along with great
fury. We sat down at the foot of a tree,tillProvi-
dence
should afford us the means of crossingit with-
out
danger.
Neither carriages,
horses,nor carts were to he seen j
thei-e wrtB no inn neighhorliood
in the ; we were tigued,
fa-
wo had passed this day without eatingatiy-
?
and
tiling, we were therefore in want of some refrcsh-
tncnt. I rose for the purpose of lookingabout mo.
"
"This torrent,"Bald I, must necessai'ily
enler tiie
sea. If we banks, we shall at litsl come
descend its
to the mouth of it." We proceededncconiiiigly down
the stream, instigated by distress iind supportedby
hope; and we begun to discover sails, wliii^h were iin

indication of the proximityof the sea. Tliis iiifiisoil

ctrarago into na, and wo quickened our pace. As \to

proceeded,we observed the torrent become less und

less agitated, and our joy was not to be (Mintaine"l

when at length our eyes were blessed with the sight

of a boat. it belonged to some fishennen, from
whom we met with a very kind reception. Tliej
carried us over the opposite hank, and returned
to us

a thousand thanks for a paoliwhich I gave tliem, A

second consolatory
circumstance was neither less agree-
able
nor less necessary to us. A bituich of a tree
attached to a cottage announced a place of rufresli-
ment; we procured milk and ncw-luid eggs, with
which we highly satisfied.
were

The nourishment which we iiad

repose and sliglit
taken enabled us to proceed on our journey. We
228 MEM0IE8 OF

were guidedby lad of the inn to tho first adTanced

posts of the Austrian hnssitrs. I presentedm; pass-
port
to the sergeant, who detached two soldiers to
escort us, and we arrived through fields of trodden

grain,and vines and trees cut down in all directions,

to the quarters of the colonel commandant. Thid
officer received ns at first as he would
an; two foot-

paasengers ; but on reading the passport which one of

the soldiers gave hiw, he requestedus to be seated.
Then looking at me with an air of goodness,he ex-
claimed:

"What, are you M. Goldonif" "Alas! I

am, Mr." "The author of Belisarius and of the

Venetian Cortesant" "The same." "And is this
lady Madame Goldonit" "She is my only ing
remain-

property." "I was told that you were on foot."

"
It is but too true, sir."
I then recounted to him the rascallytrick which
the driver of Pesaro played us ; I described our sad

journey to him, and concluded with mentioning the

seizure of our property,assuringhim that my resources

and my situation in life depended altogetheron my

recovering them.
"
Not so feet,if you please," stud the commandant ;
"why do yon follow the army T Whyare you connected
with the Spaniards? "
As the truth had never yet injuredme, but had al-
ways,
on the contrary,been my support and my defence,
I gave him a short account of my adventures. I men-

titmed my Genoese consulate,my Modena annuities,

my views of indemnification ; and I told him that I
should he completelyruined if I were
deprived of the
small remains of my wrecked fortune.
"
Console yourself,"
aaid he in a fi-iendly
tone to me,
"
you shall not lose it." My wife rose with tears of
230 MEMoms OF

eomething." " Weshall find you somethiDg to do ;

" Who the
we hftve a tolerabie theatre here." are

principal
arture f " "
Madame Casaliui is a very good
actress; Madiime Buualdi
" "The waiting-iniiid,
you meau t " " Yes," " She is iny friend. WcU, I
shall be glxd to see her again.''While M. Borsari
and tny wife
myselfwere carryingon thiH converBaliun,
did not feet the greatest ease in the company of the
German officers,
who did not prostratethemselves be-
fore
the ladies like the Spania,rde. She made me a

signthat the cunvcrsation was becoming wearisome tu

her. We took our leave of the company, and Borsari
did not quitus. waitingfor me ut the
My servant was

door,to iufonii me that my old lodgings were occupied.

Boi'sari promisedthat I should have them again,as ho
could prevailou the officer, who waa an acquaintance
of liis, to relinquishthein for others. In tlieuifian time
he ocr^jmmodated us iu his own house,and gave us a
room beside his own, wliiuli we gladlyacceptedaud
occupiedfor three days,
Next day my friend presented me to his master. The

princ* had heard of we. He communicated the plan

of fl to me, and intrusted ine witli the management
a

of it. The em press -queen, Maria Theresa, hail just

then married the archduchess,her Bister,to Prince
Clmrles uf Lomune. Marshal Lobcowitz was desirous
of displayingrejoidngs at lUmini fur tliiaaugust mar-
riage;

he eujoinedme to write a cantata; aud he loft

the choice of the composer, and the number aud "juality
nf the voices,to Boraari and myself. He left us mas- ters

of everything, and all that he recommended was

order and promptitude. There was a music-master at

BJmini named Ciccio Maggiure,by no means uf the
fit rank of comiMisers, but who might well pass iu
 CAKLO GOLDONI. 231

time of war. We made choice of him for the music,

and ordered two male and two female Bingersfrom
Bologna. I composed words to some old music of our

composer, and in a month's time our cantata was cuted

exe-

in tlie theatre of the town, to the satifaxrtionof

the pcrBon who pro[josed it,and of the foreign officers
and nobility c)fthe place, Tho composer and myself
were very liberally recompensed by the German general ;
but the Neapolitan, who wua by no means a fool, sug'
gcstedbeforehand a means which he had perhapsmore
than once put in practice for the nugmentatiouof our
profits.We bound up a considerable number of copies
of our printed cantata ; and we went round in a hand-
some
coach to present(copies to nil the olBcers of tlio
staff of the different regimentsin the town and envi- rons.
We receiveit as the fruits of this proeeeiliug a

purse very decently filledwith Venetian sc(]uins, Spiiu-

ish piiitoles, and Portuguese pieces, which we divided
equallybetween us.
In the mean time I received a letter from Genoa, rc-
qnaintingme that a Venetian merchant,witliout any
intendon of iujuring me, solicited my officeof consul,
in case I was unwillingto retain it,and offered to do
the duty without any emolument, for tlie sake of the
title, which, in his situation, was of much greaterad-
vantage
to him than it could be to me. The Genoese
senate did depriveme of the office,
not but theyplaced
me in the predicament of either withdi'awing, or serving

gratuitously. I adtipted the firstresolution ; I resigned

the officeand never thoughtof it afterwards.
Besides, I had suffered so much that I was gladto
have an opportunity of enjoyingsome tranquillityfor a
littletime. I had money, I had nothingto do, and I
was happy.
232 HEMOIBS OF

BJTnioi presentedquitea different appearance from

that which it exhibited during the posseeeion of it bjr
the SpauianU. There were amuBements of every de-
Wirlptiou ; bulls,concerts,publicgames, brilliant socie-ties.
Every dcBcriptiou of character,everj situation
in life,might find entertainment of eome kind or other.
I was fond of my vifc,I shared my pleasures with her,
aod slie followed me everywhere.
Tile journeyto Genoa was ni"w nseless ; I wsa free,
and the master of my imJinations ; 1 possessed a suffi-
ciency
of money, and I was induced to carry into
execution pn"ject
a which I had long entertained.
1 wished to visit Tuscany ; to go over it and reside
there fiir Bome time. I requiredto get familiarized
with the Florentines and Sienese, who are the living
texts of the pure Italian language. I imparted this
wish to iny wife ; I pointed out to her that this jour-
ney
broughtus nearer to Genoa; she appeared satis- fied,
and wo determined on settingout for Florence.
My wife and myselftook post to Castrecarro; froin
thence we crossed the Alps of St. Benedict on horse- back,
and we arrived at lengthin that fine territory to
which we owe the revival of letters. I will not enlarge
on the beauty and attractions of the cityof Florence ;
all writers and travellers do justice to it. Elegant

Btreeta, magnificent palaces, delightful gardens,superb

w.ilks,numerouH societies, liteiuturo generally culti*
vated, multitudes of curiosities, the luts patronized,
talents held in estimation, a flourishing agriculture, a
rich soil,an importantcommerce, a rich river run-
ning

through the town, a considerable seaport in lis

dependencies, handsome men and beautiful women,
gayety, wit, strangers from all nations,amusei
'ivery description,it is a eharmiug

country.
 CARLO GOLDOXL 233

I passed four mostdelightfulmonths in this city,

where I fiirmed severttl very interesting acquaintiinces:
that of the Senator Euscellw,Auditor of the Jurisdic-
tion;
Doctor Cocchi, " systematicphysicianand an
agrootthle philosopher;the Abh Gorri,an eiilight-
(!iiedantiquary, well veraed in tbe Etrnscan language;
the Abb^ L^tmi,author of a literary journal,the best
work of the kind ever seen in Italy.
It was iny intention to pass the summer in Florence
and the autumn in Sienii;hut the desire which I cn-
tertaJDed of seeing aud hearingthe Chevalier Perfetti
detennineU me to set out in the beginningof the month
of Augnst.
Perfetti was one of those poets,onlyto be met with
in Italy, who compose aud deliver verses extempore ;
but he was ao superiorlo every other person, and
added such science and el^ance to the facJIity of hb
versification, that he gainedthe honor of beingcrowued
in the capitol of Rome ; an honor which had never
been eonferred on any since the days of Petrarch.
This celebrated man was very aged; he was seldom
to he seen tn company, and stillless in public. I was
told that he was to make his appearane-e on Assump-
tion
Day at the Academy of the Intronati of Siena.
I set out instantly with my faithful mate; and we
were admitted as strangersto a placein the Acaitemy.
Perfetti was seated in asort of pulpit;oneof theaccad-
emicians addressed liim ; and as he could not wander
from the subjectof the festival for which tbe academy
was met, he proposed for argument the rejoicings of
the angelson the approachof the immaculate body of
the Virgin.
The poet sang for a quarterof an hour strophesin
the manner of Pindar, and nothing could be more
234 HEH01R3 OF

; he
aarpri^nf; WB? Petrarch,a Miltoo,aod
by turns a

a Rousseau ; he was Pindar himself. I was gladthat

I had heard him, and I paid him a viait next day. My
a"^utuiitaDC with him procured me a number of others.
The society of Sienna was delightful. There was not

a gaming party which was not prac-eded by a literwy

conversation ; every one read their own compositions,
or those of others,and the ladies participatd in this
as well as the men.

xvri.
I INTENDED to stay onlya few days at Pisa,and I
remained three years there. I settledin the placewith-
out
wisliing
it,and entered iuto engagements without
considering what I was about. My comic geniuswas
not extinguished, but suppressed. Thalia,piqued at
my desertion, despatchedemissaries from time to time
to bringme againto her staudards. I yielded at length
to the gentle violence of an agreeable seduction, and I
quitted a second time the temple of Themis for that
of Apollo.
I shall use my ntmost endeavors to comprisein a
few words the transactions of a periodof three years
which alone would require a volume.

I amused myselfin examiningthe remarkable curi'

osities of Pisa the first day after my arrival : the ca- thedral,

which is rich in etatnes and paintings;the

singular steeple, which outwardly seetna to incline very

much to one side,and which appears Btraight ia the
inside ; the churchyard, Bun-ounded with a superb
and
portico, containing earth impregnatedwith alkali
or calcareous
salts,which reduces dead bodies to ashes
in twenty-four
hours. But I began to be
wearied, for
I know nobody.
 CARLO COLDOSr. 235

Walking one day near the

caslle,I obBerved a uuin-
ber of couches round a gatfiway,and people entering.
On lookingin,I saw a vast court with a gardenat the
end of it)and a number of peiaons seated under a surt
of arbor.
I approachednearer; I oVserred a man in livery,
who had the air and manners of a man of importance.
I asked to whom the placebelonged,and why such a
number of
peoplewere then assembled.
This very polite and intelligent
valet was not lungin
my curiosity. The
"
satisfying assembly which you
Bee,"snid he, "is a colonyof the Arcadi of Koine,
called la Colonia Alfeiv,the Colony of Alpheus,a very
celebrated river in Greece,which flowed through the
ancient Pisa In Ellis."
I whether I could
irniuired be prwient at tlie meet-
ing.

"By all means," said the porter; who accom-

panied

me himself to the entrance of the garden,and

then preeente^l
mn to one of the valeta of the academy,
by whom I was seated in the circle. I listened atten-
tively,
and heard productionsof every description.I
applaudedthe bad as well as the good.

Everybody looked at me, and se"^mod curious to

know who I was; I was seized with a desire to satisfy
them. The who
procuredme the placewas not
man

far from my chair. I called hiin,and desired him to

ask the person who preuded in the aasemblywhether
a stranger might be permitted to express in verso the
satisfaction which ho had experienced.The dent
presi-
announced my demand to the aBSembly,who
readily gave their consent.
I had a sonnet in my head, composed by me in my

youth,under similar circumstances;I hastilychanged

a. few words to adapt it to the occasion.
I delivered
:.236 .
MEMOIRS OF

my fourteen verses with the tone and inflection of

voice which set off nentiment and rhyming to the great-
est
advantage. The sonuet had all the appearance of

being extern puraneous, and wa" very much upplaaded.

I kuow not whether thesittingwas to have been
longerprotracted,
but all the assemblyrose and flocked

Here was a circle of formed

acquaintances at once ; a
number of societies to choose from. That of M. Fabri

was the miist useful and agreeablefor me. He was

chancellor of the Jurisdiction of the Order of St. Ste-

phen,
and he
presidedover the Assembly of the Arcadi,
under the pasloml titleoF Guardiau.
I saw all the Areadian shepherdswho were thatday
assembled in succession : I dined with some and supped
with others. The Fisans are very kind and obliging
to strangers, and tbey conceived a great frtendsbip
and
consideration for myself as a Vene-
me. tian I announced

advocate; I told them jtartof my adventures;

ihey saw that I was a man without employment, but
capableof it ; they proposedto me to resume the gown

which I had quitted, and they promised me clients and

books. Any foreignlicentiate may practisent the bar
vf Pisk ; and I undertook Iwldlyto pleadas a civil and
criminal advocjite.
The Pisans were every way asgood as their word,
and I was fortunate enough to them.
satisfy I labored

nightand day ; I had more carises than I could take;

under-
I found out the secret of diminiahingtbe burden

to the satisfaction of my clients ; 1 demonstrated 1o

them the follyof litigation,and endeavored to bring
about a reconciliation with adverse parties. They
paid me for my consultations,
and we all of ua
were
satisfied.
238 HEM0IR3 OF

br of Flurence,called H MagiMrato degli Otto (tbe

Tribunal of Eight). I employed both reaaoning and
pathos ; he was not a criminal inured to Crimea,who
endeavored to palliate his guilt, but a rash and incon-
siderate

young man, who owned his fault,and only

asked furgiveueaa for the sake of the honor of a re- spectable

father and two inl^reatiDg young womtn of

qualitywho were fitfor marriage. My youthfulrobber

was at lengthcondemned to I'emain In prisonfor three

months; the familywere very well satisfied with me,

and the criminal judge was pleasedto cumpliment me
on the occasion. This attached me more and more to

a which
profession was productive of both
at once

fuid
honor and pleasure, a very reasonable profit.
In the midst of my labors and occupations, I received
a letter from VeBJee, which threw all my blood and

spiritsinto commotion. It was a letter from SocchL

This RoQicdian had returned to Italy; he knew I wati
nt Pisa ; he asked me for a comedy ; he even sent me
the subjectof one, which he left me at freedom to work

on as I pleased. What a temptation fur me ! Sacclii

was an excellent actor ; comedy had been my passion ;
I fdt my "dd taste,my old fire and eutbusiasm,reviving
"
within me. The subjectproposedwaa The Servant
of Two Masters " ; and I easily saw wliat might be made
i.fit with such an actor as Sacchi. I was therefore de-
voured
with a desire of trying my hand again I
knew not what to do
lawsuits and clients crowded
(in me^but poorSaeehi
my but "The Servunt with

Two Masters "

Well, for this time
but I cannot

yes, I can. At lengthI wrote in answer that I would

undertake it.
I labored by day for the bar, and by night at my
play : I finished the piece,aud it to
sent Venice. No-
 CAELO QOLDONL 239

body knew the circnm^buiM ; my wife only was in the

secret,and she suffered aa mnch as myself. While I
worked at my piece,my dooiB were dosed at nightCUl,
and I did not pass my eveningsin the eo^-hoose uf
the ArcadL The ist tiroe I made my
appearanee
tiiere, I was reprotkcbcd for my aod I exensed
neglect,
myself on account of my increase of basiuess. These
gentlemen were very glad to see me employed ; hot
bUII they were unwillingthat I should forget the de-

lightAil amusement of poetry.

H. Fabri arrived,and was delightedto see me. He
drew a largepacket from his pocket, and presentedme
with two diplomas which he had procuredfur me ; the
one was my charter of aggregationto the Arcadi of

Rome, under the name of Polisaeno ; the other

gave
me the investiture of the Fegean fields. I was on this
saluted by the whole aaaembly in chorus under the
name of Polisaeno Pcgeio,and embraced by them as a

fellow-shepherdand brother. The Arcadians are very

rich,as yon may perceive, my dear reader ; wo possess
estates in Greece ; we water them with our labors for
the sake of reapingbranches of laurels ; and the Turks
sow them with giala and plant them with vines,and
laugh at both our titlesand our songs.
Notwithstandingmy occupations, I still composed

sonnets, odej,and other piecesof lyrical poetry from

time t time for the sittingsof our academy. But
however much the Pisans might t"esatisfiedwith me,
I was not satisfiedmyself. I must do myselfjustice, I
have never been ft good poet. In point of invention

perhaps I have not been defective,and the theatre is ft

proofof it; for my geniustook that turn.
Some time afterwards Sacchi communicated to me

of my "
The Servant of Two Mas-
the BuwBS piece.
240 ; MEMOIRS OF

"
ters wa applauded and drew immenac
crowds, and
he aent ine a pre(Qt whieh I did not expect ; but he
demanded another piei^e the eiibject
Still, of which he
left entirely to me. He wished, however, as my last
comedy had a comic foundation,that this should have
an intetesting fahle for basis,susceptible of sentiment
and alt the pathos compatiblewith a comedj. This
WHS the language of a man ; I knew him well ; I was
very desirous of satisfying him, and his mode of acting
engaged nie still mure to him ; but then my closet

this kept my mind on the rack again. At my last

pieceI had said only this once. I had three days t
answer him in. During these three days, walking,
dining,or sleeping, I thought of nothingbut Sacchi ;
and I WHS obliged to get this objectout of my bead to
be good for anythingelse.
I composed on this occasion the piece known in
France as well as Italyunder the title of " Harlequin's
Child Lost and Found." The success of this tride was

; it was
astonishing the means bringingme to Paris,
of
Hud was therefore a fortunate piecefor me ; but it shall
never see the lightas long as I live,nor even have a
place in my Italian theatre. I composed it at a time
when my mind was agitated. It contained interesting
situations;but I had not sufficient time to prepare
them with that precisionby which good works are
characterized. There were diamonds perhapsin it,
but then they were set in copper ; some of the scenes

appeared evidentlythe work of an author,but the piec

ns a whole seemed the productionof a scholar. 1 own
that the winding up of the plotmight
pass for a model
if the comedy taken altogether not disfigured
were by
eBsential faults. Its principaldefect is the want of
probability throughout.I have always judged it with-
 CAELO GOLDOKI. 241

out prepussessiun, and I have never allowed myttelfto

be seduced by the applauselavished on it.
When my piecewae finished, I read it attentively
over, acid perceivedall the beauties which might render
it agreeable, and all the defects with which it abuuuded.
I Bent it, however,to its place of destination. Italy
had just begun to relish the first attempts at the re- form

pnijecledby me. There stillwere numbers of

partisansof the old comedy, and I was certain that

mine, wliich did not wander much from the ordinary

and beaten track,would afford pleasureand even sur- prise

from the mixture of comic and pathetic scenes

which I had artfully introduced. I afterwards h"arut

the brilliantsuccess which it met with, and I was not

astonished ; but what was my surprise, ou arrivingin

Prance, to find that tliis piece drew crowds, and was
applaudedand even extolled tc) the skies in the Italiau
theatre of Paris. It must be owned that we enter

theatres with very different ideas and ; and

prejudices
the Frenchmen applaud in the Italian theatre what
they would condemn In that of their own nation.
After sending the Son Harlequin't") M, Sacchi,
of
who was to father i^ I resumed my dailyoccupations.
I had several causes to despatch, and I began with that
which appeared tfl me most interesting.The client
whose cause I was engaged in was only a peasant ;
hut the peasants of Tuscany are in easy circumstances,
always at law, and pay well. They have almost all
of them leases of their possessions to themselves,their

children,and grandchildren.They givea suitable sum

on enteringinto possession, and pay an annual quit-
rent. They consider these possessionsas their own
property, theyare attached to them, they impnivo theip
carefully, and at the end of the lease the proprieti
242 MEMOIRS OF

derives the advantage. My client had to' do with the

prior of a convent, who wished the leaae ammlled on

the ground that monks are alwnys minors,and that the

land might be let to greator advantage. I discovered
the hidden E^piing of all this. It was a young widow,
who, nnder the protection of the reverend tkther, wished
to dispossessthe countryman. I composed a memorial,

which interested the nation,and in wliicli I proved the

importanceof preservingleases for lives from infringe-
ment.
1 gained my cause, and derived infinitehonor
from my pleading.I was ohligedsome days afterwards
to go to Florence to solicitan order from tho
govern-
ment
for shuttingnp a lady in a convent tillthe termi-
nation
of the cause then commenced. She was of ago
and a rich heiress,and had signeda contract of riage
mar-

"with a Florentine gentleman who held a mission

com-

in the Tuscan army, and she waa desirous of

marrying a young man more to berliking. While my
client and myself were in the capital,the young lady
contrived to manage matters with her new favorite in
such a way as to elude our proceedings. The lawsuit
asnmed another appearance, and thieatened to become

serious. We listened to propositions, the lady was

rich,and the affiiirwas auiicablyarranged.

On returningfrom Florence,I wae obligedto go to
Lncca in another suit. I was glad to have an oppor-
tonityof seeingthat republic, which isneither exteoMve
nor powerful,but which is rich,agreeable, and very
wiselygoverned. I took my wife along with me, and
we passed sis days there in the most agreeable manner

in the world. It was the beginning of May. The day

of the Invention of the Holy Cross is the principal fes-
tival
of this town. In the cathedral there is an
image
of our Saviour,called II Volto Santo,which is exposed
 CARLO GOLDONl.

that dftywith the moat brilliantpomp, and such a i

ber of voices iiiid musical instruments as I have i:

seen equalledcither at Venice or Rome. A devout tive

na-

of Lucca bequeatheda sum of looneyforreceiving

in the cntliedral on that day every muRieian who cornea

forward, and to pay them not accordingto their talents,

but the distanco from which theycome, and the recom- pense

is fixed at so much per league ur mile.

Wlien my busiuesa was over, and my curiosity grat-
I
ifioJ, quittedwith regret that channiug country,
wliicli, under tlie protection of the emperor, pro tem-
pore,

enjoys the moet tranquilliberty, and possesses

iho most salutary and exact police. I was glad to see
and show to my wife anotlier very interestingpart
of TuBcany. We proceeded through the territ"irics of
PcBcia,Pisloia, and Prnto. It is impossihle to see hills
with a better exposure, csbttcs better cultivated, or

more luxuriant aud delightful fields. If Italybe the

gardenof Eur()pe,Tuscany is the garden of Italy.
A few days after my return to Pisa, my wife's eldest
brother anivcd at Genoa; he was sent by his pareuta
to claim pcrfonnauceof my engagement to visit them.
I had been twice absent ou business,and I could not
suffer myselfio be absent a third time merelyon pleas- ure.
My wife said nothing,bat I knew the desire which
she hod to see her family, and I foresaw the chagrinof
my brother-in-law, if ho had been obliged to return
home alone. I arrangedmatters to the satisfactionof
all tliree; my wife accompanied her brother to Genoa,
and I remained by myself peaceablyoccupiedwith the
business of my closet. I had causes in every tribunal,
clients in every rank of life,the first-rate nobility, the
richest citizens, merchants of the highestcredit, parish
priests, monks, rich fanners,and even one of iny brctli
244 MEMOIBS OF

ren, who, being implicAted

in a ciiminal aetinn,
made
choice of ine for his defender. Tliusthewhole town was

on my side ; at least anybody would have supposed so,

as I
myself most cnrtainlydid believe it; but I soon
perceived that I was grosslymlstahen. Through frieml-
ship and coosideration I had become naturalized in the
hearts of individuals; but I was stilla strangerwhen
these individuals met in a
same body. At tliistime an
old advocate of Pisa departed this life,
who, according
to the custom of the country, was nominated the do-
feiider of several religious bodies,of cnrporations and
differenthouses in the town, all which brought iu to
him, in com, oil,and money, a very respectable sum,
which defrayedthe expenses of housekeeping. At his
death,I asked for all these vacant places, that I might
obtain some of them ; but theywere all givento Pisans,
and the Venetian was excluded. I was told by way of
consolation, that I had onlybeen two years and a half
at Pisa; that my adversaries had,for four years at least,
been takingstepsfur succeeding the deceased ; that en-gagements

had been entered into on the subject ; and

that the very first opportunityI should be satisfied.
All this might be very true; but it was singular tliat,
out of twenty places, I could not procure one. This
event threw me into ill-humor, and iniUsposed me to
such a. degreethat I no longerlooked on my employ.-
ment iu any other light than as a casual and precarious
mode of subsistence.
One day,as busied in reflectionsof this nature,
I was

a desirous of speakingto nie, was

stranger, announced.
I observed a nearlysix feet high and
man broad in portion,
pro-
crossingthe hall,with a cane in his hand,and
a round hat,in the Englishfashion. He entered with
measured step into my closet 1 rose. He wade a
' 246 MEMOIRS OV

Tontages at present to foa; I am an actor, and I am

speaking to an author wbuse aseixtance I want."

"
You want mj aasiBtanceT " "
Yes, sir,I come to
ask coined; from
a you ; I bave proraieed my eotn-

paniuna to olttaiu a comedy from Goldoni, and I am

desirous of keeping my word."

"Yon wish one?" sud I, emiling. "Yes, sir,I

know you by reputation
; you are as kind as yon are

able, and I know you will not refuse me." "

I am

occupiedwith buninesa,and caanot gratifyyou." I "

respect your occupations;- you will compose the piece

at your leisure,when you ft*! inclined."
He laid hold of my box while we weretalking, took
suufT from it,slippedinto it several golden ducats,shut
it ag^D, and threw it down on the table with one of
those which
gesticulations indicate a wish to conceal
what one would be very glad to have discovered. I
opened my box and refused to accept the money.
"
Do be
displeased,
not I earnesilybeg of you," said

he; " this IE merely to account of the paper." Iwisbed

to return the money ; this gave rise to various postures
and bows ; he rose, withdrew, gained the door and dis-appeared

What was to be done in such a caset I adopted,

I think, the best resolution the a^r admitted of. I

wrote to Darbes that he might rely on piecewhich the

he had demanded from me ; and I requested to be in-

fonned whether he wished it for a pantaloon in a mask,

or without one. Darbes soon answered me; he could

not throw gesticulations
auy or contortions into hb
letter,but it was
singularin its way. "
I am to have
then," said he, a comedy from Goldoni.'?
It will be
the lance and buckler,with which I shall
challengeall
the theatres of the world How fOTtDnat I am!
 CARLO GOLDONI. 247'

I betted a hundred niMiEigeT, that I

dnrats with onr

should obtain a pieoefrom Goldoui ; if I gain the bet,

the mauager mast pay, and the piece is mine. I am

young, and not known;

yet suffieiently but I will
challengeHubini, the pantaloonof St. Lulie, and Cor-
rini, the pantaloonof St. Samuel in Venice ; I will
attack Ferramonti at Bologna, Pasini at Milan, Bcl-

lotti, known by the name of Tiziani,in Tusrany, and

even GoUnetti in his retreat,and Garelh in bis grave."

He concluded by tellingme that he wished his
charai^er to h that of a young man without a mask,

and he pointed out as a model an old comedy of art,

called "Pantalon Paroncin."
Tbis parandn, both in the literaltranslation
word
and the character, correspondsexactlywith the French
wotii petO-mtUfre; for jxirou, in the Venetian dialect,
is tbesameaspaJron^inTiiscan, and moitreiu French;
and paroncin is the diminutive of poroM, as petit-mi^tre
is the diminutive aimaitre.
In ray time the Venetian paronciniplayed the same
part at Venice as the mattres at Pans ; batevery-
petit-
thingehangee.
There are now none in France, and perhaps they
exist no more in
Italy.
I composed a piece for Dtu'heB under the titie of
"
Touin Bella Grazia," which may be translated, "
The
Elegant Antonio."
I finished my work in three weeks, and carried it
myself to Leghorn, a town with which I was well ac- quainted,

beingbut four leaguesftY"m Pisa,and where

I had friends,clients, and wirrespondents. Darbes, to
whom I sent notic* of my arrival,called upon me at

the inn where I lodged; I read over my pieceto him ;

he appearedvery well satisfiedwith it,and with man"-
248 HEMOIBS OF

eeremnnipj,bows, and broken

words, he very guUantly
gave me the bet which he had gained,and, to avoid
my thankinghim, ran out instantly,under the pretext
of communicatingthe pieceto the manager.

xviir.
After my with
Darbes, I looked at
conversation

my watch. It was two o'clock. I could not, at such

. laic honr,break in on any of my friends, and I gave
orders to have something broughtme from the kitchen
of my inn. As they were coveringthe table,M. Me-
dcbac was announced. On entering, he overpowered
me with politeness, and invited me to dine with him.
The soups were alreadyon my table,and I thanked
him. Darbes, who accompanied the manager, took
my hat and cane, and presented them to me. Medebao
iusisted on his part; Darbea laid hold of my left arm
and the other by the right;they locked me between

them, dragged me along,and I was forceil tc accom-

pany

them.
On enteringthe manager's,Madame Medebac came

to receive us at the door of her antechamber. This

actress, as estimable on account of her proprietyof
conduct RS her talents,was young and handsome. She
received me in the most respectfuland gracious manner.

We sat down to a very respectable familydinner,

which was served up with the ntmost order and ness.
neat-

They had day a comedy of

advertised for that
art; but,by way of complimentto me, they changed
the bills,
and gave out " Griaelda" ; adding,"
A tragedy
by M. Goldoni." Although this piecewas not alto-
gether
mine, my eelf-love was llatl*red,
and I went to
see it in the boi dtstinei for me.
 CARLO GOLDONI, 249

I extremelywell pleasedwith Madame

was Mede-
bae.,who playedthe part of Griselda. Her natural
gentleneBH, her pathfetiovoie-e,her intelligence,
her
action,rendered her altogether
an interesting
(jbjeotin
my eyes, and raised her as an abtreas above all whom
I had ever known. I complimentedMadame Medehafl
and her husband. This man, who was acfiuainted
with works, and to whom
my I had confided the morti-
fications
experienced by me at Pi"a,made a very in-
trostingproposalto me a few days afterwards. I
must mention it to my reader ; for it was in quence
conse-

of this
proposalof Medebac that I renounced
the profession followed by me for tiiree years, and that
,
I resumed my old oecnpation.
"
If you are determined on quittingTuscttny," said
Medebac one day to me ; " if you mean to return to the
bosoms of your countrymen, your relations, and friends,
I have a project to propose to you, which will at least

prove to yira the value which I set on your person and

talents. There are two play-housesat Venice,"con- tinued

he ; "I engage to direct a third,and to take a

lease of it for five or six years, if you will do me the
honor of
laboringfor me."
The appeared to me flattering
proposition ; and it
requiredno great offer to turn the scale in favor of
comedy. I thanked the manager for the confidence
he reposedin me ; I accepted the proposition ; we
made an agreement, and the contract was instantly
drawn up. I did not sign it at tliat moment, for I
wished to communicate it to my wife,who had not
yet returned, I knew her docility, but I owed her

my esteem and friendship. When she arrived, she

approvedof it,and I sent my signature to Leghorn.

My muse and pen were thus again at the disposal of

 250 HEUOIKS OF

an initividual. A Freuch author will,perhaps,think

this singularengagement.
a A luftQ of it will
letters,
be said,ought to be free,and to despiseservitude and
cvnstraiiit. If this author be in easy circuinataDCeB

.
like Voltaire, like Rousseau, I have nothing
or cynical

to say u" huD ; but if he be one of those who have bo

objection to share in the profitsderived from the Bale

of their works, I beseech him Ui have the goodnesst
listen to uiy justification. The highest price of ad-
iDiBUon to Uie theatre in Italydueei not exceed the sum
of a Koman paoU, ten French sous. All those,it is

true, who go to the buses, pay the same sum in enter-

ing

; but the bones I"eloiig to the proprietor of the thea-

tre,
and the receipts cannot be considerable ; so that the
author's share is hardly worth the looking after. Men
of talents in Prance have another resource; tions
gratifica-
from the cotirt,pensions,and roylj presents.
But there is nothing of this kind whatever in Italy;
and hence the description of people the best quaUfied
perhaps for mental excellence remain sunk in lethargy
and idleness.
I have sometimea been tempted to look npon myself
as a phenomenon. I abandoned myself,without re-
flection,

to the comic impulse by which I was stimu-

lated

; I have, on three or four occasions, lost the

most favorable
opportunitieB for improving my pitua-
tion,and always relapsedinto my old propensity ; but
the thought of this does not disturb me; for though
in any other situation, I might perhaps have been in
eaaieF circumstances,I should never have been su

happy. I was very pleased with my new situation,

and my agreement with Medebac. My pieceswere to
be received without of rejection, and to be
any power
?aid for without
waiting the result One repiesenta-
 CAKLO GOLDONI. 251

tion wns the same to fiA;; and if I beertou^

me as

more atteution and zeal in the cumposition of my

worke, to inaure their auccess, I was stimulated solely
by the love of gloryand honor.
I connected myself with Medebac in the month of
Septemher,174,a.nd I was to jdu him at Mantua in
the month of Aprilin the following year. I had thus
six moDtiu' time to arrange my afiairsat I^sa,to de- spatch
the causes in hand, to give up others which I
could not retain, to take leave of my judges andcUents,
Bud to bid a poetical adieu to the Academy of the
Arcadi. I discharged every duty,and set out after
Easter. Before qoitting Tascany,I wae anxious onco
more to pay a visit to the dty of Florence,the capitaL
In takingleave erfmy acquaintances, it was proposed
to me to visit the Academy of the Apatisti-It was
not unknown to me; hut I wished to see that day
the sibillone, a sort of literary amusement which takes
placefrom time to time,and which I had never yet
seen. The sibillone, or greatsibyl, is a child of only
ten or twelve years of age, who is placedon a tribune
in the middle of the asBembly. Any one of the persons
repaentpuis a questionto the young sibyl; the child
must pronounce some word on the occasion which
becomes the ")racleof the
prophetess, and the answer
to the pflq)osed question. These answers of a hoy,
-without time for iMedJon, are in generaldestituteof
"ximmon-sense ; but an academician beside the trib-
tine rises up, and m^ntains that the sibillone has
returned a very proper answer, and undertakes to give
an immediate interpretation of the oracle.
the reader may have some
That idea of the Italian
imaginationand boldness,I shall give some account
of the the answer, and the the
interpretation,
question,
day when I was present.
252 HEM0IR3 OF

A person who, like myself,was a stranger,asked the

sibylto inform biin why women weep with greater ease
and more frequentlythan men. The only answer
which the sibylreturned was straw ; and the interpreter,
addressingthe author of the question,maintained that
nothing could be more decisive or satisfactory than
the oracle. This learned academician,who was a tall

and lasty abb^ of about forty,with a sonorous and

agreeablevoice,spoke for nearly three quartersof an

hour. He went into an analysisof different elender
plants,and proved that straw surpassed them all in
fragility; he passed from straw to women; and in a
inanner equallyrapid and luminous, entered iutx" an
anatomical view of the human body. He explained
the source of tears in the two Bciea. He proved the
delicacyof fibres iu the one, and the resistance in the
other. He concluded with a piece of flattery io the

ladies who were present,in assigning tbe prerogatives

of sensibility to weakness, and took care to avoid say*

ing anything of their banng lean at command.

I own that this man surprisedme. It was impos'
ble to displaymore erudition and precision in a matter
which did not seem susceptible tffit. These are tricks,
I am willingto admit, something in the taste of tlie
masterpieceof an unknown author (dtff'tPauvrt (fm

tnctmnw) ; hut it is not the less true that such talents

are rare and estimable,and that they only vant couragement
en-

to rise to a level with many others,and

carry those who possess them down to posterity.
On returningto my lodgings the same day, I found
a letter from Pisa, infunningme that my trunks were
at the custom-house of Florence. I sent them off
neit day forBologna, and arrived at Mantua towards
the end of April.
254 MEUOISS OF

thus "J-,the matter which I have now U" offer to his

ftttentioa will engage hitn
perhaps to continue his
kindness towards me. My stylewill be always the
same, without eleganceanA without pretension,but
animated by zeal for iny art, and inspired
by a love of
truth.

D5-,z*JnGOOglC
 PAST THE SECOND.

I.

a Batisffwtionfor me to rotuni at the end

1HATuf five years to my country,which bad always

been dear to me, and which improved in my
last de-
eyes after every abiwnce. After my parture
from Venice,my mother took apartments for
herself and sister in the George, in the
conrt of St.
neighborhoodof St. Mark. The quarterwas beautiful,
and the situation tolerable;and I joined my dear

mother, who always caressed me, and never coin-

phuned of me. She questioned me respectingiiiy

brother,and I made similar inquiries uf her ; neither
of us knew what had become of him. My mother be- lieved
him dead, and shed tears; but I knew him
somewhat better,and was certain that he would one day
return to be a burden to me. In this I was not deceiveil.
Meilebac had taken the theatre of St. Angelo, which
was not over lar^e,was less fatiguingto the actors,
and contained a sufficientnumber of people to produce
adequate receipts. I have forgottenthe piece which
was representedat the opening of the theatre. I
only know that the company, being strangers,had to
strugglewith very able rivals,and had the greatest
difficultyin obtainingprotectorsand partisaus.
Darbes, who acted the Venetian characters,had al-
256 ^EMOIKS OF

waye l"een well received and applnudedhitherto

even

in them ; but he had never jct playedwithout a tnaak,

sad Ihe absence of this was prepiseJy what whs most
calculated to set him off to adrantage. He durst nut
act in the chara":tere composed by ine for "c"linetti in
the theatre of St. Samuel. In this respectI thpaght
him quite right ; for first impresGions are not ealy
effiiced, and comparisonsought, as "r as poesiblf,
carefully to be avoided. Darbes could onlytherefore
appear in the Venetian piecewhich I had composed
for him. I was afraid that " The ElegantAutoniu "
would not eqnal the " Cortesan Veneziano,"but we
could only make a trial.
We began to put it in rehearsal. The actors were
quiteovercome with laughter, and I laughed heartily
myself. We thoughtthe publicwould follow our ex- ample

; but the public, which is said to have no opiniou

of its own, was quitefirm and decided againstthis
pieceat its fin^trepreseutation, and I was obligedin-
stantly
to withdraw it. Insiiuilai-c.ireumHtancjsIhave
never been
disgustedeither with the spectatorsor
actors, but have always begun coollyto examine self.
my-
I saw this time that I was in the wroug.
clearly
This unfortunate comedy is in print. So much the
worse for me and for those who take the trouble of
readingit. I shall only observe, in atonement fur

my ftiult, that when I wrote this comedy, I had been

four years out of practice ; my bead was occupied
with my profesdonal employment, I was uneasy in
mind and in bad humor, and, to add to my mis- fortune,
it was approved of by my actors. We were
sharers in the folly, and we were equal sharers in
the loss.
Poor Darbes was very much mortified,
and it be-
 CARLO GOLDONt 257

camo ?necessBry to console him. I instantly begftna

ni^w piece of the same sort,and in the mean time I
made bitn appear with bis mask comedyin a new

which did him great honor ami was eminentlysuc-

cessful.

This was
"
The Prudent Man," a piece in
three acta,and iu prose. This comedy had the great-
est
sncvess in Venice. The declamations with which
it abounded were not in the taste of good comedy,but
Darbes could not have
possibly been more at his ease

in the superiority
displaying of his talents in the differ-
ent
shades which he had to express. Nothing more
was necessary to procure him the generalcharacter of
the most accomplishedactor then on the stage. But
to establish his reputation
still more, it was
necessHTy
to exhibit him in a situadon where he could shine with
bis countenance unmasked. This waa my project,
and
the aim I had in view.
principal Dai'bes was While
in the enjoymentof the applausehe derived iroiu his
Prudent Man, I labored at a piecefor him entitled
" The Venetian Twins."
I had had sufGcient time and opportunities
to exam-
ine
into the different personalcharacters of my actors.
In Darbes I perceived two oppositeand habitual move-
ments

in his figureand his actions. At (me time he

was the gayest, the most brilliant and lively
man in
the world ; and at another he assumed the air,the ners,
man-

anil conversation of simpletonand a blockhead.

a

These changestook placequitenaturally, and without

reflection. This discoverysuggestedto me the idea
of making him appear under these different Aspects in
the same play. The play was eitolled to the very
skies. The inwmjiarable actingof Darbes contributed
intinilelyto its success. His gloryand his joy were at

their height. The director was not leas pleasedto

258 HEMOIKS Of

witness the
completesueceaa of hie undertaking, and I
had my share also in the generalsatisfoctionin seeing
myselfcaressed and applaudeda great deal more than
I dpserved.
I hadgiven three new piecessince uy retnm to
Venice without having my tranquillity disturbed by
any criticiera ; but during the Christmas holidays,
when thie who had no employmeut were deprivedof
the amusement of the theatres,several pamphlets

againstthe author and the playersmade their appear-

ance. It whs the company of Medebac whieh wna

principally aimed at. They called it the Company of

fiope-Daacers ; and these expressionswere the more
malicious,as they had some sort of truth for their
foundation. Madame Medebac was the daughterof a
rope-dancer. The uncle who acted Brighella had been
clown ; and Darbcs was married to the sister-in-law
of the principal of these tumblers. This fiimily,
ever,
how-
though educated in a perilous and disreputable
situation, were most exemplary in their morak, and
were nowise defective in pointof education. Medebac,
who was a good aelor,and the friend and cmmtrymaD
of these people, observingthat several of them pos-
sessed
talents for comedy, advised them to change
their situation. To this they agreed,and Medebac
took upon himself to form them. The new aetors
made the most rapidprepress under him, and in a short
time were enabled to make head Rgainstthe oldest and
most respectable companies in Italy. Was
it fair to
reproachthiscompany,which had alwaysbehaved moat
respectably, and now had aftaiued great proficiency,
with their former professionT This was pure malice,
and proceededfrom the jealousy of their rivals. They
were dreaded by the other theatres of
Venice,who,
 CABLO GOLDONI. 259

mmbte to ruin
them, were mean eniwghto treat them
with contempt. When I first
saw these co am indaao
Leghorn,I was as much attached to them nn account
of their talents as their conduct;and I endeavored to
raise them, thmngh their own care and my efiitrts,
at
that degreeof connideration which they everj way
merited. But allthese effortsof the enemies of Mede-
bac were vain. The comedians gainedevery day a
firmer footing
; and the playwhich 1
ahout to men-
tion am

established their credit and enabled

completely
them toenjoythe most perfect tranquillity.
We openedthe carnival of the year 1748 by the
"Vedova Scaltra" (The Coming Widow). Several
of my plays had been very fortunate, but none (ifthem
equalled this. It had thirty 8ucce9.iverepresentAtions ;
and was everywhererepresented with the same cess.
suc-
The commencement of my refoignation oonld not
be more brilliant. I had another playstillto givefor
the carnival. It was of importance that the close of
it should not disappoint the expectations which the
success of the beginning of the year gave lise to. I
hit upon a work perfectly calculated to crown my
labors.
I had seenthe theatre of St. Luke a piece
at called
"
Le Putte de Castello" ( The Girls of the Quarterof
Castello). This was a popularcomedy,the princi-pal
subject of which was a Venetian girl without
talents, morals, or address. The work made itsap-
pearance
before the theatres were placed under the trol
con-

of a censor. Character, plotand dialogue, thing

every-
was faulty, everything was dangerous.It was
a national eomedy, however. It amused the public,
and served to draw crowds, who laughed at the misap- .

plied jokes.I was so nrnch pleased with the public.

 260 MEMOIBS OF

who began to prefc*comedy to farce,and decency to

Rcunilitj,that, to prevent tke mischief which this
piecewas calculated to produce in minds^et undecided,
I gnve one in the same style,hut leepectable aiMLin-
"
Btructive, which I called, La Putta Onorata" (The
Respectable Girl),and which was calculated to prove
"
an antidote to the poisonof The Girls of the Quar-
ter
of Castello."
In some of the of this comedy I painted the
scenes

Venetian Ironi nature

gondoliers in a very entertaining
manner to those who are acquainledwith the language
and niauners of my country. I wished to be ciled
recon-

to this class of domeBtios,who were deservingof

some attention, and who were discontented with me.

The gondoliersat Venice are allowed a placein the

theatre,when the pitis not full ; but as they could not
enter at my cofliedieB, they were forced to wait for
their masters in the streets or in their gondolas. I
had heard them myself distinguish me with very droll
and comical epithets ; and having procuredthem a few
placesin the comers of the houee, they were quitede-
lighted
to see themselves brought on the stage,and I
biBme theirfiiend. The piecehad all the success which
I could desire. It was impossible
to conclude the son
sea-

with greaterbrilliancy.
My reform was now farad,-
vanced. What ahappinessandpleasureforme!
While
I worliedon plotsof the Italiancomedy,and only
theold
gave pieces partlywritten and partlysketched,I was
aih"wed the peaceableenjoyment of the applauseof the
-pit; but when I announced myself for on author,an
inventor,and poet, the minds of men awoke from their
lethargy,and I was supposed worthy of their attention
and their criticisms. My
. countrymen, so long ac-customed
to trivial forces and gigantic
representations,
262 MEMOIRS OF

which might have rendered it had. Th Italians wonld

never have been wi rigidlydiflposed towards ine, es-pecial);

in the case of my first productions, had they

not been provolied by the iojiidicious zeal of my par-
tieane. They extolled my pieces greatlybeyond their
merit,and well-informed people only condemned their
fanaticism. The disputesgrew more and more wann

on the subjectof my last piece. My champions main- tained

that the Pntta Onorata " was a faultlessoomedy,
"

and the rigorists niainttuned that the protagonist was

injudiciously chosen. 1 ask pardon of my readers fur

here making use of a Greek word, which ought to bo
known, but which is very little used. It is not lu be
found in any dictionary that I know of ; but it has been
frequentlyused by celebrated authors of my country.
"
The term protagonist" is employed by Castelvetro,
Crescimbeni,Gravina, Quadriik, Muratori,Maffei,Me-
tastasio, and many others,to signify the principal ject
sub-
of the piece. Theutilityof this Greek word, which
comprisesthe meaning of six words'in one, is evident ;
and I request peiinlssion to avail myself of it for the

purpose of avoidingthe monotony of a phrase which

in the course of my work might at length become
wearisome. It was said that the character of the Pro-
tagonist
was ill-chosen,
because it was selected from
the class of vicious or ridiculous characters. "
The spectabl
Re-
Girl,"on the other hand, was virtuons and
interesting from her morals, her mildness, and her por-
tion,
and T had Mled, it was said,in the object of my
comedy, which is,to hold vice up to abhorrence,anil
to correct failings.My censors were in the right; but
I was not in the
wrong.
My objectwas to hegin by flattering
the country for
which I was employed,and the subjectwas new, agree-
 CARLO GOLDONL 263

able, and nnUonal. I proposed

a model to my apecta-
tora for their imitation. If we sacceed in inspiring

love of
probity,is it not better to endeavor to gain
hearts by the channs of virtue than by the horror of
vieei Id speakingof virtue, I do not mean an heroical
from its dlstiessee,
virtue,affeutiiig and patheticfrom
its iliclion. Those works which in French are called
dnvmas have
certiuulj their merit ; they are a speeies
of theatriciilrepresentation between tragedyand comeily,
and an additional subjectof euterttunment for feeling
hearts. The misfortunes of the horoea of tragedyin- terest
us at a diBtanee,but those of our equals are cal-
CuUted to iiSect us more closely.Comedy, which is
aa imitation of nature, onght not to reject virtuous and
patheticsentiments,if the essential ol)jeot be observed
of enlivening it with those comic and prominent traits
which (vmstitiite the very foundation of its existence.
Far be it fiinn me to indulgethe foolish presumption
of settingup for a preceptor. I merely wish to impart
t"" my readers the littleI havelearned,and have my-
self
done ; and in tlie most contemptible boolts we
always find somothiug deservingof attention.
The Venetian language, wliieh I used in the comedy
of the " Putta Onorata,"anU in several other plays,is
undoubtedly the mildest and most agreeableof all the
dialects of Italy; its pronunciationis clear,delicate,
and easy, its words abundant and expressive,and its
phrasesharmonious and ingenious ; and as the char-
acter
of the Venetian nation is distinguished fiirgayety,
their language is in the same manner distinguished for
lightness and pleasantry.
This does not prevent the language frem being sus- ceptible

of treatingin an elevated manner the most

grave and interesting subjects.The advocates plea"J

264 HEMOIES OF

Id Venetian,and the hiuranguee

of the eenaton are livered
de-
in the same idium
derogatiag ; but without
from the majesty of the throne or the diguityof the
bar,our orators possess a happy facultyof associating
the most ajfreeahleand interesting graces with the
most sublime eloqaence.

11.

Op all my the
pieces ''
Vedova Scaltra "
was the moet
fortunate ; hut it also underwent the most severe and
dangerouscriticisms. My adversaries, or those of my
comedians, made au Bttmpt which would have ruined
all of us, if I had not been courageous enough to step
forward in defence of the common cause. At the
third of the second season
representation of this pie(,
the of St. Samuel
play-bills announced a new comedy,
"
called The School for Widows." I was told that it
was a parodyof mypiece,hut it was no suchthing,it
was my widow herself,with the same plot and the
same iucidenta. Nothing wns changed but the dia-
liigue,which was filled with insultinginvectives
agiunst me and my comedians. One actor uttered a

few phrasesof my originnl, stuff.

another added silly
Some of the hon-cnols and pleasantriesof my piece
"
were repeated,and a cry was set up in chorus of pid!
Stu-

stupid1" This work cost no trouble to the author,

who had merely followed my plan, and whose styhj
was not superior
to my own : applause, however, huiBt
forth from every quarter,and the sarcasms and satiri-
cal
traits were received with cries
laughter, of bravo,
and reiterated clappingof hands. I was in my box,
coveied with my mask. I liept and
silence, CAUed tbe
publicungrateful;hut I was in the wrong; for thip
 CABLO GOLDONL 265

Jnimioftlpublicwas none of mine. Three fonrths of

the spectatorswere people who had an
compoeed of
interefrt in my ruin ; for Medehac and myselfhad to

struggleagainstsix other theatres in the same city.

ach of them had its several friends and adherents;
and those who were not interested were amused with
the scandal.
I formed my resolution.
instantly I had resolved
to answer no hut I might have been re-
criticisms;
proaehedwith cowardice,had I not attemptedto stop
the torrent which then threatened to overwhelm me.

I returned home, and gave orders to my familyto sup

and retire to bed,and leave me to myself. I imme-
diately
shut myself up in my closet, and seized my

pen in dudgeon,which I did not quit till I imagined

myself avenged. I put my apologyinto action,and
composed a dialogue with tlireecharacters, under the
titleof " Apologetic Prologueof the Cunning Widow."
I did not dwell on the stupidity of the work of my
enemies. My firstendeavor was to pointout the dan- gerous
abase of theatrical liberty, and the necessity
of a policeto preserve deeenoy in theatres. I had
remarked in this wicked parody certain expressions
which could not but sliock tlie delicacy of the republic
with respectto strangers. The peopleof Venice,for
example,use the word ' I'animbruo " by way of insult
'

to Protestants. It is a vague word,somewhat like that

of Huguenot in France ; and the gondolier of my lord,
in " The School for Widows," thoughtproper to call
his master Panimbruo. The other strangerswere not
treated with more ceremony ; and I was sure that my
observations could not fitilto effect the ohjeotwhich I
had in view. After advocatingthe interest of civil
I defended
society, my own cause, aud set forth the in-
26G MEMOIRS OF

justicewhich I had expeiieoced. I opposed reason to

satire,and answered insults by decent rollectioDS. On

the completionof tny wnrk, I did not present it to gov-
pniment. I avoided everything like the confiict of
jurisdictionB and protections. I therefore sent my
pamphlet to the press, and addressed my complaints
to the public. I could not coaceal tny project, which
wns known and dreaded, and every means was re-

Biirted to to prevent its execution.

Medebac had a protector in the first order of tbe
nobility and in the first officers of state,who ought to
have favored mej but he was afraid lest my temerity
should occasion my own ruin and that of his prot^.
He did me the honor tovisit me, and advised me at

flrst to withdraw my Prologue, but when he saw that

I was dctonnined, he infonncd ine that I ran the risk
of the supreme
displeasing tribunal to which the police
of the state i inti'ustcd. I however, firm in my
was,
resolution and not to be shaken by anything; and I
tld his excellency very frankly, that iny work was in
the press ; tliat my printerwas known ; and that the

government might seize my manuscri|itif it thought

proper ; but that if tliis was attempted,I should in-
Btanllyset out to have it printedin another winntry,
This noblemaD was astimished at my firmness. He
knew me ; he was kind
enongh to relyon me ; he took
nie by air of confidence,
the hand with an and left me
to prosecute my wishes. The day following,my
pamphlet made its appearance. Three thousand copies
were thrown off,and I gave orders for their distribution
gratisat allthe coflfee-houses,theatres,and other places
of assembly,and to my friends, protfelors,and acquaint-
ance.
"
The School for Widows "
wns instantly
sup-
pressed,
and, two days afterwards,an order was issued
 CARLO GOLDONI. 267

ty the government for the license of theatrical pro-

ductions
My "
Cunning Widow was more applauded "

and drew greater crowds than ever";our euemieH were

humbled, and we redoubled our zeal and aetivitj. If
my reader should be curious tu know the author of
"
The School for Widows," I cannot him.
satiflfy I
shall never name those whose intentions have been
directed lo ruin me.

The termination of the carnival of 1749 was ap-

proachin
We wentadmirably,and had
on the ad-
vantage
over all the other theatres ; but, after the
.
battles which we had gained,something brilliant was
requisite to crown my year. The malice of my enemies
had given me too much oecupaUun to allow me to
execuie the projectof a brilliant close, which I had
sketched. I found a comedy in my portfolio which by
no means satisfied me, and which I was therefore
unwilling to hazard. I should have wished the mainder
re-

of the carnival filled up with old

plays; but
Medebac told me that,as we had only given two new
playsin the course of the year, and as the publicwhich
seemed satisfied with the defence of "The Cunning
"
Widow would not perhaps be equallydisposedto
pardon us for our want of novelty,it would be abso- lutely
necessary to obviate this reproachby closing with
a uew comedy. To these suggestions, which were not
without foundation,I at once yielded. I gave "The
Fortunate Heiress,"a comedy in three acts, and in
prose. It fell, however, as I had foreseen ; and as the
pnbhc easilyforgetthose who have contributed to their
amusement, and never pardon those who have wearied
them, we were on the pointof closingour theatre under
very unpleasantcircumstances.
Another event of a much more disagreeable natur
268 MEM01BS OF

aiti much more dangemuB coneeqnences Iiappencdto

disturb our ifpose at the sume time. Dnrbes, who
was an excelleot actiir and one of the pillarsof tho

coiiipaay, was demanded from the republicof Venira

by the Saion minister for the servii* of the King of
Poland. He bad t"i Bet out instantly, and quittedub
abi*uptly to prepare for his journey. Medebac's loM
was the greater,as we knew tif no person capable of
supplyinghis plitce, and the boxes for the ensuing year
began to be thrown up.
Piquedat the ill-buinor of the public, and presuming
something on my own worth, in the closingaddrCFs
delivered by the principal actress, 1 promised,in very
indifferent verses, but very distinctly and positively,
that,next year, I would bring out sixteen new pieces.
When I entered into this engagement, I had not a

singlesubjectin my head. However, there was no

alternative but keeping my word, or destruction. My

friends trembled fur me, my enemies smiled ; I forted
com-

the former,and laughed in my turn at the others.

You will see how I extricated This
injself. was a

terrible year for me, and the remembrance of it still

makes my flesh creep. Sixteen comedies of three acts
each, and each act filling up, accordingto the custom
of Italy, two hours and a half of representation. But
what alarmed me the most was the difficultyof finding
an actor equal in pointof ability and agreeablequalities
to the one we had lost. Evei'yendeavor was used by
Medebac and myself to discover a suitable person on
the continent of Italy; and at lengthwe found out a

young man who played the character in which we were

deficient in strolling companies with applause. We
bpoHght him to Venice fiir trial. He acquitted himself
very well with his mask, and still better with his
270 MEMOIRS OF

Ladies." I composed this comedy during my residence

at Mantua, and it was acted in the theatre of that
town by way of trial. It was received with great pleas-
ure,
but I ran the lisk of drawiug on myself the indig-
nation
of one of the firstladies of the country, who, a
short tjme before,had been in the situation of one of
the females of the piece. Every one fixed their eyes on
her boi ; but, fortunately for hie, she possessed too
much good sense to give any furtherance to the malice

of the evil-disposed,and warmly applauded all the

^taxsages wliiuh could bear an applic?ition.to her. The

same thiug happened afterwards to me at Florence and
Verona ; and in each of these cities it was l"elievcd that
I had taltea the subjectof my play from among them.
This is an evident proof that Nature is everywhere the

same, and that,if we consult her, we shall never fiiil

in our characters. This piecewas not so fortunate at
Venice as elsewhere,and that for very good reasons.
The wives of the patridansarc in a situation which
secures thein from having tlieirpre-eminence called in
questionat home ; and they are unacquaintedwith the
punctilios of the provinces.
I had taken this piecefrom the class of noblee,but
the followingfrom the middle class. It was in Italian,
"
"
La Bottega di Cafe (The Coffee-House), and it bod
a very brilliant success. The assemblage and contrast
of the characters could not failto plr^ise. That of the
backbiter was placedto several well-known individuals.
One of them vowed vengeance againstme, and I was
threatened with swords, knives,and pistols ; hut, curi-
ous
perhaps to see sixteen new playsin one year, they
gave me tiine to finish them. At a time when I was

looking out for

subjectsof comedy everywhere,I rcJ-
lected liavingseen the "
Liar" of Comeille,translated
 CARLO GOLDONI. 271

into Italian,represented at Florence in a, private thea-

t ro ; and aa a pipce which we have seen acted is more
easilyretained, I TBmembered very distinctly those
jilaces with which I had been the most struch. I reool'
Icct havingsaid, when I saw it, "Thia ia a goodcom-edy,

but the cliaracterof the Liar is susceptible of a

inuoh frreater degree of comic humor." As I had nut
much time to heailaterespecting the choice of my suh-
jecta, I fixed iin this; and my iinagination, which was
then very quickand ready, instantly furnished me with
such an abundance of matter for comedy, that I wits
tempted to create a new "Liar." But I rejected my
project. To Comeille I was indebted for the firstidea,
.

and I respected my muster,and considered it an honor

to work after him; adding, however,what seemed*
ncceaaary for the taste of my nation and for the success
(ifmy piece, whioh had allthe ajtplauso I could possi-
bly
desire. The subject of a liar,
which was less vi-
cious
than comic, suggested another to me of " more
wicked and dangerous nature ; I mean the flatterer.
Rousseau's was un^uccesBfulin France, but mine was
Tery well receivedin Italy; for thia reason : the French

poet treatedthe subjectmore as a philosopher tlian a

i-ouiic
author;whereas I endeavored, in inspiring hor-
n"r for the vice, to enliven at the same time the piece
by comic episodes and prominent traits.
The following comedyis altogether differentin kind
from the preceding; for it is taken from among the
classof the ridiculous, an ?alternationwhich is not
without its use in the production of several works.
The"Famigliadel I'Antiquario" (The Antiquary's
House) was the sixth of the sixteen projected plays.
I calleditat firstmerely "
The Antiquary" from the tagonist;
pro-
fearfullestthe disputes between his wife
but,
 272 ,
MEMOIRS OF

and ehouM
danglitcr-in-Uw producea, doable intercflt,
I gavo a title to the
cimeilywliieh embraced the whole
Rt once, especially aa the failings of the two wiv^s and
that of the head of the feniily set off one another, and
coDtribaled equaU; to the humor and the moralityof
"
the work. The word antiquarian" is equallyapplied
in Italyto those who devote their teaming to the study
of antiquity, and those who pich up, without knowl-
edge,
copiesfor originiila and triflesfor preciousmonu-
inenta. I look tny subjecttrain among the latter.

III.
"
FoK soma time the novel of Pamela" had been the
delight
of the Italutus,
and my friends urged me strongly
to turn it into a comedy. I was acquaintedwith the
work, and felt no dlfhcnlty
in seizingthe spirit of it,
and approximating the objects ; but the moral aim
(f the English author wa? not reconcilable with the
manners and laws of my country. A nobleman in
London does not derogate
from his nobility
in marrying
a peasant ; hut at Venice a patricianwho should marry
a plebeianwould deprivehis children of the patrician
nobility,and they would lose their rightto the sover-
eignty.

Comedy, which is, or ought to be, a school

for propriety,should only expose human weaknemeB
'

for the sake of correctingthem; and it would be un-

justifiable

to hazard the sacrifice of an unfortunate

posterityunder the pretext of recompensingvirtue. I
renounced, therefore,the charm of this novel,but ne-
cessitated

as I then was subjects, and

to multiplymy
surrounded both at Mantua and Venice by perauns
who instigated to labor
me
upon it,I willingly sented.
con-
I did not, however,
begin the work tillI had in-
 CAHLO GOLDOSI. 273

Tented a d^Donemeat which,instead of beingdangt^rous,

might serve as a model to virtuous lovers,and reuder
the catastropheboth more agreeableand more interest-
ing.
The oomedy of Pamela is a drama, according
'? "

to the French definition; but the publicfound it inter-

eatingand amusing, and of all my works yet given, it

was the most successful.
After a piece,I gave one founded on the
sentimental

usages of civil society,under the titleof " II Cavaliere

di buon gusto,"which might be translated in French,
"L'Homme de Gout" (The Man of Taste). This
title,it is true,would in France announce a person quainted
ac-

with the sciences and fine arts ; whereas the

Italian of good taste, whom I paint in my piece,is a
man who, with a moderate fortune,contrives to sess
pos-
charming house, select servants, an excellent
F

cook, and shines in societyas an affluent individual,

without injuring any one or deranging his afiairs.
There are curious individuals in the piece anxious to

conjecturehis secret, and slanderers who atta".-khis

fame ; and the latter are of the number of those who
frequenthis table and profitby bis generosity. ThiH
piece succeeded tolerably well,but it was its misfor-
tune
to follow " Pamela," which had turned everybody's
head. It was more fortunate when resumed the fjl-
'?
lowing year. The same thing happened to The
Gamester," which was the ninth comedy of my gagement
en-

; but as it did not rise again like the otbei',

I myselfcoincided with the publiciu regardingit as a
piececondemned without remedy.
In the comedy of "The Coffee-House,"the third
piece of this year, I had very happily introduced a
gamester, and the character was acted by onr new

pantaloon,without a mask, in a veiy agr^bla

^^od
274 MEMOIRS OF

interratiogmaimer. Believingthat I had not then

said enough on the subjectof this anfortunate passioD,
I proposedto treat the matter more thonmghly ; but
the episodical gamester of The Coffee-House""
had
the advantage of the one which was the prinnipftl
ject
sub-
of the piece.'
I may be allowed also to add that
all sortsuf games of hazard were then tolerated at
Venice; and that the famous Ridotto,which enriched
some and ruined otheis, hut which drew gamesters
from the four quarters of the world, and threw money
into circulation, was then also in existence. It was
unadvised in me, therefore, to lay open the consequen-
ces
of this dangerous amusement, and still more the
tricks of certain gamblers,and the artificesof the bro- kers;
and in a cityof two hundred thousand souls,my
piece could not fail to have a number of enemies.
The r^iiblio of Venice has since prohibited games of
hazard and suppressedthe Sidotto. This suppresdon

may be complained of by cert4un individuals;but to

of this measure, it is only necessary
prove the wisdom
to state that those very members of the grand coundl
who are fond uf gaming gave their voices in favor of
the new law, I do not state this with a view U' excuso

to the suh-
the failure of iiiypieceby arguments foreign
jeet. It fell,and consequentlyit was liad ; and it is
no small matter for mo comedies,itiraj
that of sixteen
the only one which failed. The public called out W
"Pamela"; but I refused to gratify the wish. 1 wi"
jealous of fulfilling my cngagcmeut, and I had still
seven new pieces to give.
After the failure of my last piece it was said that
Goldoui's fire was exhausted ; that he Ix'gunto decline;
that he would end badly,and that his pridetrould be
humbled. This last expi'ession alonv gave me any
 CARLO QOLDONL 275

displeasure. I might be aecusei) of imprDdence in

having contracted an engagement which might cost me
theloasof tnjhealth, or that of my reputation;but as to
pride,I never possessedany, or at least,I could nevi^
perceiveit. I treated this libel with contempt; but I
was more and more convinced of the necessity of re-
establishin

the interest, gayety, instruction,and the

old credit of my theatre. All these views were fulfilled
in the comedy of " The True Friend," which was an-

nouncttd at the opening of the Raroival. I derived the

plotfrom an historical anecdote, and I treated it with

all the delicacythe subjectdemanded. This is one of

tny favorite plays; and I had the pleasureof seeing

the public of the same opinionwith myself: and in-deed
I was astonished that I could bestow the necessary
time and care on it in so lalw"rionsa year for me. But
the "
Finla Ammalata"
(The Feigned Invalid),by
which it was followed,cost me no less trouble, and was
attended with equal success.
Madame Medebac, who furnished me with the sub- ject
of it,was an excellent actrtas,strongly attached to
her profession, but she was subjectto fitsof ennui ;
she was often ill, often imagined herself so, and Kne-
times nothingailed her but her fits, which she hud at
her command. In this last case we had only to pro-
pose
givinga fine character to a Bubaltem actress,and
she recovered instantly.I took the liberty of drawing
Madame Medebac herself;she partly saw it,but as
she found the part cliarming, she acceptedit,and rep-
resented
it admirably. Notwithstanding the sim- plicity
of the subject, this piecewas generallywell re-
ceived,

and extremelyapplauded. Perhaps it owed its

success to the actress,who took a pleasurein playing
her own character, and exhibited it without the smallest
276 MEMOIRS OF

effortor eonstiaint. Theof differentcharae-

physicians
ten, and a Ae"iquidnuncof an upothecftiy, who miEtook
everythingthat was said to him, and preferred the
readingof gazettesU.i that of prescriptions,
coDtributed
DO less to the miccess.

Aftr the
comedy of " Pantla,"and more espeeially
duringthe equivocalsuccess of " The Man of Taste,"
and tbe failure of The Gamester,"my friends abso-
"
lutely
insisted that I should giveanother pUy borrowed
from some novel,that I might,as theysaid,spare my-
self
the trouble of invention. Wearied with their licitations
so-

I at last told them that,instead ("f reading

a novel for the sake of
composinga play,I should pre-
fer
composinga piecefrom which a novel might be made.
Some began to laugh,and others took me at my word.
"
Give us, then,"said they,"a novel in action;a piece
as full of plotas a novel." "
I vrilldo so." "
la ear-
nest

? "
Yes,in earnest."
"
On your houorT "
" "
On

my honor."
I returned home, and, warm with my promise,I be-
gan
play and the novel
the at the same time,without
having the subjectof either the one or the other. " I
must," said I to myself,"have a greatdeal of intrigue;

I must surprise and astonish,and at the same time ex-

cite

an interest;I must have the comic comhined with

the pathetic.A heroine would excite a stronger inter-
est
than a hero; but where shall I seek her t We shall
see: but in the mean time let us adoptan unknown
lady for protagonist":and I immediatelywmte dnwn
a comedy ; act first,
L'lncognita,
'?
on my paper, scene
first." ''
This woman should have a name, let us give
her thfttof
Eosaura; but is she to make her appearance
alone,to give the firstaccount of the argument of the
playf Ko, that is the fault of the ancient comedies;
278 MEMOIRS OF

no lODgerbo the next, who uttere masitna,and who ia

infliimed with passionquit the reverse
a of her first

way of thinking, forms a proper subjectfor coinedj.

The winding-upof this pieceis euilable to the foil]'
which is proposed to be corrected. Rosaura decides
At lengthfor marriage,but everjbodj shuns her and
refuses to have her. Madame Hedehac played the
charaolr admirably. Her natural luilduess was cellently
ex-

adapted to the silliness of the Capricious

Woman, and the pieceproduedall the effect which I
could desire.
I had bnt another eomedy to give to conclude the
year, and fulfilmy engagement. We were at the last

Sunday of the carnival hut one, and I had not written

a line of this la.stpiece,nor even imagined the subject
of it. I sallied out of my house that day,and, by way
of recreation,
repairedto the square of St. Mark. I
looked round to see if any of the masks or jugglers
might furnish me with the subjectof a comedy,or some
sort of spectacle for Shrovetide. I observed under the
arcade of the clock a man with whom I was instantly
struck,and who furnished me the subject I was in quest
of. This was an old Annenian, ill-dressed, very dirty,
and with a long heard,who ran about the streets of
Venice,selling the dried fruitsof his country,which he
called aboffigi.This man, who was to be found every-
where,
and whom I had myself so frequently met, was
so well known and so much despised, that when any
one wished to laugh at a girldesirous of a husband,he
proposedto her Abagigi in derision. This was enough
to send me home satisfied. On enteringmy house,I
shut myself up in my closet, and began a low comedy,
which I called "
I Petligolezzi "
{The Gossips). Under
this titleit has been translated into French
by M. Hie-
 CARLO GOLDONI. 279

coltuni the youngor, and repreaented at the Italian the-

atre
in Paris. The traoElator very properly changed
the character of Ahagigi, which was unknown in
France, into that of a Jew dealer in hnt
Bpectaclea;
neither the French Jew nor the Italian Annenian is
the protagonist; and the;are onlyserviceable in carry-
ing
forward the plotof the piece, which succeeded in
both langaages. I coald onlygive it on Shrove Tnes-
da; for the first time,and with it we closed the carnival.
The concourse was so extraordinary that day that the

prioeof boxes was tripled and quadrupled, and the ap-

plause
was so tumultuous that the passengers were in
doubt whether theywere the expression of satis"ction
or a generaldisapprobation. I was seated very tran-
quilly
in my box, surrounded h; my friends, who wept
for joy. A crowd of peoplecame in questof me, obliged
me to leave the place, draggedand carried me in spite
of all my endeavors to the Kdotto, exhibited me from
one h^l to another, and lavished a profusion of com-
pliments

on me, which 1 should willingly have escaped

if possible.I was too mach fatigued to support such

a ceremony ; besides,as I was ignorantof the origin

of this enthnsiasm of the moment, I was displeased to
think that this piece should be preferred to so many
others of which I was more fond. But I soon discerned
the tme motive of this generalacclamation. It was

the triumphof the fiilfilmentof my engagement.

IV.
At the
age of forty-threeI had a great fiicility
both in invention and execution,but stillI was a man

subjectto infirmitiealike others. The assiduity of my

labors at lengthundermined my health,and I fell sick,
280 MEHOIBS OF

and paidthe penaltyof my folly,I was always aob-

jectto fitsof spleen,
which attacked body and mind at
onre ; but I felt a renewal of them at this time with
more violence than ever. I was literally
won) out
with fatigue,
but etill my wretched state was, in a

greatmeasure, occasi"jned by the chagrinwhich I felt.

I must conceal nothingfrom my readers.
I had given sixteen piecesin the course of a year.
The director,it is true, did not demand them ; but
?tillhe profited by them. What benefit had I de-
rived
t Not a "rthingbeyond the annual stipulation,
not the smallest gratification. I received abundance
of praise,and a profusion of compliments, but not the
most acknowledgment. 1 was
Irifling displeasedat
this,but I said nothing. However, we cannot live on
gloryalone ; and I had no other resource but an edition
of my works, Who wouhl suppose that in this I should
meet with from Medebac, and
opposition that some of
should approve of the opposition!
bis protectors This
man disputedmy right of authorship under the pretext
of having purchased my works. Of the periodof our

engagement there was stillsome time to run ; 1 wiuld

not, or rather I was unwilling,to enter into a litiga-

tion
with persons whom I should have occasion to see

every day ; I was too great a lover of peace to sacrifice

it to interest ; and I yielded my pretensions, and was
satisfiedwith the permissionof printing
every year a
singlevolume of my comedies. From this singular
permissionI discovered that Medebac counted upon
my remaining attached to him duringmy whole life;
but I wailed the expiration of my fifth year to take
my leave of him. I gave the manuscripts of four of
my piecesto Antonio Bettinelli, the bookseller, who
undertook the firstedition of "
my Theatre," and pub-
lished
the firatvolume at Venice in 1751,
 CAELO GOLDONI.

Our company were to pass the springand si

at Turin. 1
thought that a clmnge of air and the
pleasureof the journeymight contribute to the restora-
tion
of my health.
I followed the company at my own

expense ; and, in the intention of visiling Genoa, I

took my dear companion along with me. I was unac-

quaiatedwith Turin,which I found a delightful place.

The uniformity of the buildings in the principal streets

producesa charmingeffect. The squares and churches

are exceedinglybeautiful ; the citadel is a superb
promenade ; -and the royalresidences, both in town and
country, displaygreat magnificence and taste. The
inhabitants of Tarin are very kind and polite; they
have much of the manners and customs of the French,
and speak the language familiarly ; and on the arrival
of a Milanese,a Venetian,or a Genoese,they are in
the habit of saying," He is an Italian."

My pieceswere represented at Turin with applause,

to crowded audiences ; but there were a set of singular

beings,who, at every one of my productionB, observed,

"
This is good,but it is not Moli^re." This was doing
me more honor than I deserved, for it had never tered
en-

into my head to compare myself with the French

author. I knew that those who pronouncedthievagae
and ridiculons judgment,merely went to the theatre
for the sake of making the circuit of the boxes,and

indulgingin conversation. I was acquaintedwith

Muli^re,and respected this master of the art as highly
B6 the Piedinonl^se, and I was seized instantly with a
desire lo give them a convincingproofof it. I im- mediatel
composed a comedy in five a^tts, and in verse,
without masks or change of scene, of which the title
and principal sul)jectwere Molifire himself- The argu-
ment
was taken from two anecdotes of his private life :
282 HEMOIBS OF

the ODe, his proJMted marriage with iMbelle, tbe

daughterof Bejan); and the other,
the prohibition
of
hia " Tartuffe." These two histoiical "cta accord bo
well togetherthat the unityof actioo is perfectly ob-
aerved. The impostors of Paria,ulanaed at tlieroinedj
of " Moli^re,"knew that the author had sent to the

cainp, where Luuis XIV. then was, to obtain pennis-

eion for ita represeotation,
and the;were a"aid lest the
revoca^on of the
prohibition should be oblaiiH^. I
employedin jaj piecea person of the name of Pirloo,
a hypocrite in every sense of the word, who introduces
himself into the author's house,discoveis to La Bejard
Moli^re's love for her daughter, of which she was yet
ignorant,engages her to quit her cotnpanioDand
director;behaves in the same manner to Isabelle,

holdingup to her the sitoation of an actress as the road

to per^tion,
and endeavors Foret,their
to deceive La
waiting- woman, who, more adroit than her mistresses,
dupes the duper,inspires hhn with a love for her,and
takes his cloak and hat from him to give to Moh^re,
who appeus on the stage with the dress of the itopoe-
tor. I Ixildenough to exhibit in mj piecea much
was

more marked hypocritethan that of MoU^re; hut hypo-

crites
had then lost a great deal of their ancient credit
in Italy.During the interval between the fourth and
Tartufie "
last acts of my comedy, the "
of Mohfere is
acted on'the theatre of the H6tel de Bourgogne; all
the characters of my piecemake their appearance in
the fifthnet, fur the purpose of complimenting Moli^re:
Pirlon,concealed in a closet,where he was expecting
La Foret,is forced to come forth in the presence of all
the spectators,and is assailed with the sareasine which
he so richlydeserved ; and MoUfere,to add to his joy
and happiness,marrieH Isabelle,in spite of the mother,
who asiHred1o the conquest of her future eon-inrlaw.
 CABLO GOLDONL 283

In thia piecare to be found neveral detailsof the

lifeof Molifere. The character of Valerlo h Baroa,an
actor of Molifere'scompany. Leandor is a copy of La
a friend
Chapelle, of the author,and often mentioned
in the account of his life; and Count Laaca is one of
the Piedmonteee who judgedof pieceswithout seeing
them, and instituted an awkward comparisonbetween
the Veuetian and French authors,that is to say, be-
tween
the echular and the master. Thia work is in
verae : I had
composedtragi-comedies in blank verse,
bnt this is the firstcomedywhich I composedin rhyme.
As itssubject waa a French author, who wrote largely
in that style, itbecame necessary to imitate him; and
I found nothing that approachedthe Alexandrines but
the Martllian verses, of which 1 have already spoken
in the firstpart of these memoirs. On the conclusion
of my piece, and the distribution of the parts,I wit- nessed
two rehearsals at Turin,and set out for Genoa
without seeingit acted. The actors,and a few of the
townspeople, were let into the secret of the character
of Count LascA. I chargedthem to acquaint me with
the result; and I learned, a few daysafterwards, that .

the piecehad the greatest success ; that the original of

the criticism was discovered, and that he had been
candid enough to avow that it was deserved.
I remained the whole summer at Genoa, leading a

most deliciousand completely idle life. How delight-

ful
itis,especially aAer much severe labor, to pass a
few days without doinganything ! But the autumn
was feat approaching ; the season beganto grow more
cool,and I resumed the road to my workshop.
On arriving at Venice,I found my first volume in
print,
and money in the hands bookseller. I
of my
received at the same time a goldwatch,a box of the

D5i,.=.JnGoog[
284 MEMOIRS OP

same metal, a silver board with cbocolate,and four

pair of Venie ruffles. These were presents frmn
those to whom I had dedicated my four firstcomedies.
Medebac arrived a few days after me, and spoke highly
of the pleasurewhich "MoliSre" gave at Turin. I
had a strong desire to see it myself; and we brought
it out at Venice in the month October,1751, Tliis
of
piece contained two novelties,the sulijectand the
versification; for the Marlellian verses were at that
time forgotten.The monotony of the ccesural pause,
the great frequencyof the rhyme, and the perpetual
recurrence of couplets, disgustedthe ears of the Italians
during the lifetime of the inventor,and every person
was prejudicedagainst me for pretendiugto revive
a mode of versification already proscribed.But the
effectgave the he to this anticipation ; my verses were

equallywell relished with the piece,and "Mohfere"

WB8 classeilby tlie publicvoice alongwith " Pamela."
Were I permittedto pronounce my own opinionof the
relative worth of my comedies, I should have a great
deal to say in fevor of the " Padre di Famiglia" (Fa- ther
of a Family) ; but, taking the decision of the
publicrespectingmy works for my guide,I am forced
to rank it only in the second class of my comedies. I
bestowed all the care which my observation
my and
zeal inspiredme with on subject;and
this interesting
"
I was even tempted to call my piecethe School for
Fathers"; but great masters have alone a rightto
give Schools; and I might possiblybe deceived as
''
well aa the author of the School for Widows." I
had seen in the worid
indulgentmothers, unjuststep-
mothers,
spoiledchildren,and dangerous preceptors;
I grouped all these different objectsin a
singlepicture,
and in the conduct of a wise and prudent
father,I
286 MEHOIKS OF

moHt respectable names at the bar,in pointof talents,

as those whose probitywas the moBt to be snepectM.

It will sr"rcelybe believed that the anthor of the
criticism belongedhimself to this respectable body ; the
foct,however,is but too trne; and this audadoog maa
had even the impudenceto make a boaat of it : he was
punishedby universal contempt, and obliged to change
bis profession.
Let us pass from one fortunate pieceto another
which was not less fortutiate, "II Feudataiio" (The
Feiidatary) ; the principal subjectof which is a pre-
aumptive heiress of a fief fallen into the hands of
strangers. The differences between the ladyand the
possessor of the estate in questionare arrangedby a
marriage between these two persons; but the piece
contains incidents of a very interesting nature, and it
is enlivened by characters and scenes of a comical,

new, and original description.I lierived this proridon

of ridicule from a residence, some years before,at
Sanguinetto, a fief of Count Leoni,in the Veronese,
when I was there employedby that nobleman in draw-
ing

up a legal report. I know not whether this comedy

ia equalin point of merit to the "Padre di Famiglia";
but its succeas was greater,and I am therefore l"onnd
to respectthe opinionof my judges.
The same fortune also befell the "Figlia Obbcdi-
ente" (ObedientDaughter); inferioralso in my opinion
to the " Padre di Famiglia," but which was equally
successful with the foregoingcomedy. On inquiring
into the cause of this phenomenon, I am led to impute
it to the pleasure received from the comic scenes with
which the two last playsabound, whereas the princi-
pal
merit of the other is of a critical and moral nature.
This ia a proofthat in generalwe preferamiisement to
 CARLO QOLDONI. 287

instrttctjon. In this last comedy the prineipal eubject

fur itis destitute of
is far from being very intfireating,
suspeDsion,
as the winding-up of the plot is foreseen
at the commencement of the aii^iun. It owed itsfortune
entirelyto the originaland very episodeswith
comic
which it abounded. Roaaura, the heroine of the play,
sacrifices her love to her respect for her father, who
does not condemn the inchnatiun of his daughter; but
in the absence of her lover he^ngages her to a rich

stranger,and he is the slave of his word. The person

to whom Rusaura is destined by her father is of so

singulara character that it would hare been thought

improbableand unnatural if the had not been
original
reooguized. In his extravagance there is nothing to
detract either from his morals or ids probity: he ia
even noble, just,and generous ; but his manners, hia
inonoayllahic conversation, hia injudiciousprodigality,
hia whimsical though sensible reflections,rendered him
highlyeomic,.and the subjectof generalconversation.
How could I lose sightof such an original
t I brought
him forward,but with every regard to decency,and
those who knew him and were even attached to him
could not complain of me. Another personage, not

so noble, but comic,

not less contributed to increase
~
the amusement of the comedy. This was the "ther
of a dancer, proud of the wealth of his daughter,
derived,as he said, from her talents,without dero-
gating
from her virtue. When sick at Bologna, I
was visited in my'convalesceoceby this man, who
never ceased speakingto me of princes,kings,and the
like,and of the excessive delicacyof his daughter. I
returned hb visit as soon as I was able to go out
her
His daughter
was not at home ; hut he showed me
plate. "Observe," said he, "all these silver dishef
288 MEMOIRS OF

everythingia nilver with dh, even the verj warming-

pan is silver." forgetthe father eatisfi^,
Could 1
the daughter happy, and virtue recompenaedt This
episodeis very well connected in the piecewith that
of the extraordinaryman, and hoth contributed to the
success of the obedient daughter, who marries her
lover with the approbationof her father. The piece
was applauded, aud with it we closed the autumn
of 1751. -^

During the Chiiatmaa holidays,an adventure took

place extremely fortunate for Medebac, and agreeable
for myself. Marliani,the Brighellaof the company,
was married; and his wife, who, like himself, bad
been a rope-dancer, was s very pretty and amiable
young Venetian, fiJllof wit and talents, and with the
happiestdisposition for the stage. I look her under
iny care, and composed a piecefor her deb"t. Madame
Medebac supplied me with interestingand affecting
ideas when I wished for cuinic scenes of a ^mple and
innocent description ; and Madame Marliani,who was
lively, witty,and naturallyartful, gave a new flight to

my imagination, and encouraged me to labor in that

speciesof comedy which requiresa displayof finesse

and artifice.
1 began with the "ScrvaAmorosa," or "The erous
Gen-
Waiting-Maid"; for the adjective omoroso-a, in
Italian,is appliedto friendship as*well as love. This
piece met with the most complete success, and Cora-
liiiawas very much applauded in it; but she beeatne
all nt once, from this circumstance, a formidable rival
for Madame Medebac. The wife of the diractoF was
entitled to consolation ; and it
some was our duty, be-
 CARLO GOLDONI. 289

Bides,to eacourage And flatterthe actress who for threo

years had been the principal support of our theatre. I
gave out, therefore, immedinflj,a comedy eipressly
"
written for her,called La Miiglie Saggia" (The Sen-
Mlile Wife). Tho piece was univerHallyand oon-
Htanllyapplauded,and the directress was iinmediutely
cured of her jealimafrenzy
I still felt at that time, aud have ever eince cou-

tinned to the consequences of the exc^sive fatigue

feet,
I sustmoed in composing itiy eixteen comedies. I quired
re-

a change of air, and I went to joininy comedians

at Bologna. On my arrival in this town I entered a
coffee-house facingthe church of St. Petroniufl, No
one knew who I ipas. A few minutes after uiy eu-

tntnce, a nohleinon of that ctmntry ciune iit,and

addressinghimself to five orsix persons "ifhis ac-

quiuatauce,seated round a table,he said to them in

"
good Bologuese, Have you heard the news, my
.fiends t "
He was asked what he alluded to, and ho
"
answered, Goldoni has justarrived." "
That is of no

eonscqueuce to me," said one. "

What is that to usf "

said anotiier. The third answered more politely,",I

should be very glad I see him." "A fine object
to see,

truly!" said Ihe two former. ''

He is the author of
those beautiful
comedies,"said the other. Here he
was interruptedby the man who had not yet spoken,
and who eiclaimed aloud,"O yes, the great author!
the magnificentauthor,who has suppressed masks and
ruined comedy ! " At that moment Doctor Fiume
arrived,who said,while he embraced me, '* Welcome,
my dear Goldotii." The person who had expressed
desire to know me advanced towards loe, and the
others stole out one by one without saying a word.
I waa highlyamused with this little scene. I w*
290 UEHOIRS OF

glad to see doctor,who some

the years before had
been my physioiaa, and I made the best return I eonld
to the politeBologoese,who had espreasedgo good an
opiuioQof me. We aU went out together to call on

the Marquis d'AlhergatiCapaeelli, a senator of Bu-

This nohleman, well known in the

republicof let-
ters,
from his translations of several French tragedies,
from several good comedies of his own compoeition,
and Still more from the high opinion entertained of
him by Voltaire,Independentlyof his science and bis
genius,poBBessed an admirable talent for theatrical
declamation. There were no actors or amateurs then
in Italy who equalled him in representingtragedy
heroes,or lovers in comedy. His country, whose de- light
he was, had the pleasureof enjoyinghis talents
sometimes at Zola and sometimes at Medicina, his es-

talcs; where be was seconded by male and female

amateurs, whom he animated by bis intelligence and
experience. I was fortunate enough to contribute to
his pleasure,having composed five pieces fjr his
theatre,of which I shall give some account at the end

of this second part. M. d'Alhergatialways showed

great kindness and friendshipfor me. I made his
house my borne whenever I went to Bologna, and, in
our present distance from each other,he has not for- gotten
me, having addressed one of his comedies tu

me, precededby a very charming epistle, with which I

have every reason to be highlyflattered.

During my stay in Bologna I did not lose my time,

I labored for my theatre,and composed, among other
"
things,a comedy entitled I PontigliDomestici," (The
Domestic Disputes),with which we opened, at Venice,
the comic year 17K. I passed from an interastiog
 CAHLO GOLDONI. 291

Bubjectto one of a comic Oftture. I had Been a very

rich man with
onlydaughter,who was young
an and
pretty, and who posseaseda fine talent for poetry,to
whose marriagehe would not give his consent, that he
niighthave the sole enjoyment of this channing muse.
He hold literary assemblies in his house. Every one
went with pleasurefor the sake of tbe daughter; but
the ridiculous liobavior of tbe iaifaerwas quiteinsuffer-
able.
When the young lady recited her verees, this
inbtua(d man nsed to rise from his seat; he would
look about him to tbe rightand left,
and enjoinstrirt
silence. A sneeze discomposedhim; he whs offended
if snuff'were
taken; and he exhibited such a varietyof
gestures and contortinns,
that it was the most difficult
thingin the worid to refrain from laughter. When the
verses daughter were finished the father was the
of the
first to applaud them, and then he left the eircle.
Without for those poets who
the smallest consideration
were recidngtheir compositions,
he went behind the
chairs of all present, expressing himself loudly,and
with the utmost indecorum, in each terms as these :
"
Did you hear my daughlerT What do you think of
herf This is quite another thing!" I was several
times present at scenes of this nature ; but the last
which I wituessed took rather an unfortunate turn ; for
the authors in good earnest,and quitted
quarrelled the
place very abruptly. This foolish father detennined on
a journey to Rome, that his daughter might be crowned
in the capitol.He was preventedby tie relations of
the fiunily; and the government having at lengthin- terfere
in the business,the lady was married in spit
of him ; the consequence of which was, that fifteen
days afterwards he fell sick and died of chagrin.

^TOOglC
292 HEMoma os

title of ''D Poeto Fanatico" (The Fanatical Poet),in

which I was induced to givethe fkther rIbo a. tast of

some kind or other for poetry,for the sake of throwing

mora gayety into the piece; this work, however, is hy
no metuis equaltil the "Metroinanit!"of Pirou ; hut,on
the contrary,one of mj moet indifferent comedies. It

met, however, with some success at Venice ; hut this

was owing to the entertainment which I had thrown
into the principal subject.Collalto acted a young im-
provisatore, and in the delivery of bis verses pleased
by the graces of his singing. The servant was also a
poet, and his composilioDSand burlesque impromptus
were very amusing; but a comedy without interest,
intrigue, or suspense, notwithstanding the beauties of

particular parts,is sliU,after all,a poor piece. Why

was it printedthen T Because the booksellerB layhold
of everything, without so much as consulting the au-
thors,

even duringtheir own lifetime.

On the arrival of the ChrisImsB holidaysof the year
1751,it heirame time to put Medebac in mind that the
end of our engagement was approaching, and to give
him notice not to relyon me for the following year,
I spoke to him in an amicable way, and without any
formality.He answered me very politely that he was

sorry for it,hut that I was the master of my own clinati

in-
He did his utmost, however, to induce me
to remain with him, and even sent several of his friends
to speak to me on the subject ; hut my resolution was
firmlyfixed ; and during the ten days of relaxation I
entered into an agreement with his eseellencyVen-
dramini,a noble Venetian,and proprietor of the the-
atre
of St Luke.
I had still to labor for the theatre of St
Angelo
till the close of 1752; and I
discharged
my duty bo
294 HEHOISS OP

the epoM ot twenty-fourboure. I was perhaps flat-

tered
in Italy;feat I was told that it was the mott

natural and best conducted of all m;

pieces,and that
the actiuD was completely supported oud perfect in
every respeet.
From the jealoasywith which M"dame Medebae
viewed the progress of
Coralina,this last piece,one
might have thought,would have hilled her outright;
but as her disorder was quite singularin its kind, she
quittedher bed in two days and demanded the repre-
sentation
"
of the Ijoeaudieni" to be stopped for the

purpose of again ^ving out "Pamela." The public

was not highly satisfiedwith tbis ; bat the director did

not think proper to oppose the desire of his wife, and

"Pamela" appeared again on the theatre after the
fourth representation of a fortunate and new comedy.
These littlepieces of kindness will every now aod then
take placewhere despotismdisdains to yieldto reason.
For my part I had nothing to say in the business ; the
disputerelated to two of my daughters,and I was a
tender father to both the one and the other.

VI.

1 FASBBD from the theatre of St. Angelo to that

of St. Luke, where there bnt where
director,
was no

the actors shared the receipts;and the proprietor of

the house, who enjoyed the benefit of the boxes, paid
their salaries in proportionto their merits, or the
lengthof their services. This patricianwas- the per-
son
with whom 1 had to act. I gave him my pieces,
which were instantlypaid for,before even being read.
My emoluments were almost doubled; I enjoyijd the
full libertyof
printing my works, and I was nut
 CARLO GOLDONL 295

obligedio follow the company to the continent. My ,

eituation woe therefore become much more luorativo,

and at the same time infinitely
more honorable.
Bat what IB there in thia world without ita diaad-

vantages t principal
The
actress of the company was

almost fifty.They had latelyreceived a charming

Florentine, hnt for second parts only; and I ran the
risk of beiog obligedto ^ve subordinate charactera to
this young woman, and those of lovers to the old
actress. Madame Gandini, the first actress,had the
good sense to do herself justice ; but her husband
declared,in high terms, that he would not allow his
wife to sustain the slightestinjury ; and the proprietor
of the theatre, who had the rightto decide, wag afraid
of discharging two old persons, to whom the company
had been mnch iodebled.
I spoke tn M. Gandini in private, and asked him
bow longbe thought his wife capableof enjoying her
?ituation wid her profits."My wife," swd he, "may

yet shine on the stage for these ten years." " Very
well,"said I ; " I am authorized hy the proprietors to
seeuru to Madame Gandini her salaryand her situation
for the space of ten years. I engage, for my part,to

bring ber forward in characters calculat4"d to gain

applause;but then yuu must leave me at libertyto
employ her as I please." "No, sir,"he answered
abruptly; " my wife is (he principal actress, and I
would rather be hanged than see her degraded." So
saying,he turned his back to me in a rude aud indec-
orous
manner. I swore that I would be even with
him ; and you will see, in the third pieceof this year,
whether I kept tny word.
The company were to pass the springand summer
at Leghorn,and I calculated on remainingat Venice,
29G HEHonca of

where my firstobjectwas to look after the ditioD oS

my works. The two firstvolumes had been published
by Bettinelli the bookseller,
and I was on the point of
taking the mannacript of the third to him ; but what
was my astonishment when I was told by this matic
phleg-
man, with the most chilling that
iDilifference, he
could no longer receive any more copy from me ; that
he was to receive it from the hands of Medebao; and
that he was to continue the edition on account of this
comedian. On
recoveringfrom my surprise, and whea
"
my indignation was succeeded by a oalin, Take care,
fiiend,"said I to hiin; "ynu are not rich,and have
children ; do not ruin yourself, do not force me to nuD

you." He persiBtcd, however, in his resolution. tinelli,

Bet-
whom I had too early, perhaps, allowed to
receive the privilege of printingmy works, had been
gained over by money t and I had therefi"reto contend
against the director, who contested the right of prop-
erty
of my pieces,and against the bookseller,who
was empowered to pubUsh them.
I should,without doubt, have gained my suit,hut
this would have requiredlitigation, "and chicaneryis
the same all the world over. I took the shortest
method; for instantlyto Florence, and com-
I went menced

a new leaving Medebac and Bettinelli

editi"in,
at to continue the one
liberty at Venice : but I pub-
lished
a prospectus which threw both of thetn into
consternation ; for I announced corrections and tions.
altera-
I
appliedat Florence to a M. Paperini,a very
respectableprinter and a worthy man. We cluded
con-

our agreement in two hours' time, and in the

month of May, 1753, wc had the first volume in the
press. This fortunate edition of ten volumes, octavo,
by subscription,
and at my expense, was extended to
 CARLO GOLDOKI. 297

Beventeen hundred copies;and on the of

publication
the siKth volume,it was filledup.
completely I had
five hundred subscribera at Venice,and the entry of
my edition waa prohibited in the territoiiesof the
republic.Thia proscription of my works in iny own
country may appear singular ; but it was a mere aSalr
of commerce. Bettinellihad found protectorsto cure
se-

t him his exclusive and

privilege, the body of
booksellers seconded him, because mine wafi a foreign

and all
however,thia prohibition,
Notwithstanding,
the precautions every time that one
of my adversaries,
of my volumes issued from the press, five hundred
copieswere despatchedto Venice. An asylum for
them had l)een found the banks of the Po ;
on a pany
com-

of noble Venetians went in quest of the band

contra-

commodityto the Venetian confines,

introduced
it into the capital,
and made the distribution in open
day ; for the govemLuent would not interferein an
aSair which waa more lidiculousthan interesting.
When I was at Florence,aud my new company at
Leghorn, I visited them occasionally, and put into
the hands of the primiipal
actress two comedies which
I found leisure to compose, notwith standiog the fa-
tiguingand assiduous attention which my edition re-
quired

from me. We all met at Venice in the begin-

ning
of the month ofOctober,and the firstnew piece
wliich we gave was "L'Avaro Geloso" (The Jealous
Miser). 1 drew the protagonist of this piecefrom
nature. I became acquaintedwith his portrait and
his history where this man
at Florence, lived to the
disgraceof humanity. He was chargedwith two
vices equallyodious,but which, from the contrast
placedhim in highlycomic sitr
between his passions,
298 MEMOIRS OF

UjoDE. The
iniam; of this diarsclfir ie calcolatod to
excite diegoBt; however, the piece would still have
succeeded,but the actor to whom the part -was trusted
in-
wfta exceedinglydefco-ined, aud in. no tion
estima-
with the public. I thought I acted properlyin
choosing,for a wicked character, a man who answered
that deecription pretty well himself,and I imagined
that his leaunees,his iU looks,and hia broken voice
would suit tolerablywell with the part. In this,
however, I was much deceived. Some tinie afier-
wards I gave the same part to Bubini, who acted the
Venetian characters ; and the same piece,which pletely
com-

failed at its d^b"t,became afierwards one of

the favorite piecesof that cxcelleut actor.
My enemies, who were not sorry at the anfortnnato
and the partisansof the thea-
issue of my first piece, tre
of St Angelo, observed, with a sort of tnalicious
joy, that I would repent having quitteda company U"

whom I was indebted for the success of my works.

None of these observations gave me the smallest un-
easiness.

I was sure of silencingthem with my thhil

piece; but in the mean time I was in great apprehen-

sion
for the second,which I was about to give. This
was the " Donna di Testa Debole,b la Vedova Infatn-
ata" (The SillyWoman, or Infatuated Widow). The
as 1 had
piecefellat its firstrepresentations, fureaeen ;
and I unfortunately saw my prognosticationtoo well

verified.
I perceived,when it was too late,the circumstances
which were unfavorable
my comedians.for me and
They were not instructed in the new
jet sufficiently
method necessary for my comedies : I had not yet ^lail
time te infuse into them the taste, tone, or natural
and expressivemanner which distinguished
the tuttors
 CARLO GOI-DONL 299

of the theatriB of St. Angelo. Anotlier circumetaiicd

was Blillmore remarkable. The theatre of St. Luke
was mueli larger,and from that circumBtance every-
thiog simpleaad delicate ia action,everythingrefined,
agree"ble,and truly comic, loet much of its attiao-
tiun. It was natural to suppose that the publicin
time would reconoOe themselves to the situation, and
listen with more attention to regular aud natural
pieces; but it was requisite t make a strong imprea-

sioD at ?firstby vigorous subjects, by actions which,

without being gigantic, rose above the level of ordi-
iiary wimedy.
.
This was my firstproject ; but the publication of my
works did not leave me the master of my wishes,and
it was nut tillmy third piece that 1 made the requisite
effortof imagiaation to install myself with honor in the
nSw theatre, where I had to carry through reform and
support my reputation.Having this objectin view, I
looked out for a subjectcapable of supplying me with
comic and interesting situations and showy exhibitions.
I had perusedthe modem historyof Salmon, translated
from the English into Italian : but I did not find there
the faillewhich forms the subjectof my piece. In
that instructive work, however, I acquiredinformation
respectingthe laws, manners, and customs of the Per-
sians;
and from the details of the Englishauthor,I
composed a comedy entitled "La Sposa Peruana"
(The Persian Spouse).
The subject of this pieceis not heroic : a rich finan-
dr of Ispahan,of the name of Machmout, engages
and forces Thamaa, his son, to marry against his will,
Fatima, the daughterof Osman, an officer of rank in
the army of the Sophi. This in what we every day
see in out pieces; a young lady betrothed to a younjr
 300 MEMOIHS OF

man whose heart already ]ocmpied. However,

is
the nAines of Fatiina,Machmout, and Thainas began to
lead the publict^i expect Bomething estraordinary; and
the Haloon of the finaapier furoished with a sola and
cushions in the Mahoinctan style,and the dreMes
and turbans in the Oriental coetume, announced a

strange nation,and whatever la strange naturallyex-

cites

curiosity.Thainas had a Circa^tan slave of the

name of Hircana, to whom he was tenderlyattached,
and who, notwithstandingher servitude,proudly re-
fused

tu allow her lover and master to share her "vors

with other women, not even with the one hia father
destined for his aponse. This comedy was highly suc-
cessful,

and was representedso long that some curious

tudividnalii had tJine totronscribe it,and it appeared
inprintwithout a date some tjme aAorwards.
I owed the Hattering
reception of this pieceto Hadaroe
Brcsciani,who acted the character of Hircana, and for
whom I bad conceived and executed it. Gandini would
not bUiiw the of
prerogatives his wife to l"e encroached
on ; and this would have been all very well if Madame
Gandini had not been on the verge of fifty ; but to
avoid disputsB, I gave a character to the second actress
greatlysuperiorto that of the first. I was highly rec- ompensed

fur my pains; for it was impossibleto rep-

resent
a strong and interesting passionwith more force,
energy, and truth than was displayed by Madame Bros-
ciani in this important character. This actress,who,
to her talents and information, added the advantageof
a sonorous voice and a charming pronunciation, duced
pro-
such an impposaon in this fortunate comedy,
that she always went afterwards by the name of Hir-
cana. The interest taken by the publicin the chamc-
fcr of Hircana tnight lead to a suspidon that I had
302 MEMOIRS OF

rordingl; mjcunntrymeii with

gratified the seqnel
wUdt
was BO mnch desired
by them.
"
I entitledthe second pieceon this subject, Hircami
at Julfa." Julfa,or Zulfa,is a town a. league diatant
from Ispahan,and inhabited by a colonyof Armenians,
whom Schah-Abas iovited into Persia for the advan-
tage
of trade.
Hircana,forced to leave Ispahan,forms
the resolution of repairing to Jnlia, where at last
Thamas mtilce^ her bo. offer of his hand. Her joy is
at its height. The; are now both satisfied; and the
publicthanked me with reiterated appluosesfor having
terminated the catastrophe of Hircana in a satisfactorj
manner. But, next da;, the very Bame pnblic were
asking if this sponee of Thamas was to be happy, if

Machmout would pardon hie eon for all the displeasure

he had caused him to experience, and if he would re- ceive

favorably a woman who had thrown his houBe

into trouble and desolation. The novel, it was said,
was greatlyadvanced, but not yet finished. I was
aware of this also,and had foreseen the consequence
so well,that I had a third piecequitearrangedin my

imagination, which I gave the following year under the

titleof " Hircana at Ispahan." This was so succeesful

that it greatlysurpassed the two others, sdll possessing

the same interest, and leaving nothing more to be
desired by the friends of the Circassian.
This third Persian comedy did not make its appear- ance
on the stage tilla year after the second,and three
jeBTs after the first; but I have placed them here in
succession, that my readers may have a distinct view
at once of the three differentactions on the same sub*
ject. The success of the last was even greater,if pos-
aible,
than that of the others.

ctv.-.ii,Googlc
 CAELO GOLDONL

VII. .

I HVST return the year 1753, from which I was

to

induced to waDder, that I might not interruptthe con-

tinuity
"
of The Three Persians." The public de-
manded
versee: there
aitemAtive; and in the
was do
"
eneoing carnival I gave II Filosiofo Ingleae" (The
English Philosopher). The theatre representedft
street in the eityof London, with a coffee-house and a
iKKikselleHe shop. At that time a translation of the
English " Spectator,"a periodical work, was in the
hands of everybodyat Venice. The women of Venice,
who till then were no great readere,began to relish
that work, and to become philosophers.1 was lighted
de-
to see crilioism and instruction admitted to the
toilets of my dear countrywomen, and this induced ine

to rompose the pieceIn question-

In the beginningof the year 1754 1 received a letter
from my brother. For twelve years I had had no news

of him ; and ho gave me then an account of himself

from the battle of Veletri,in which he was present, in
the suite of the Duke of Modena, to the day in which
he thought proper to write to me. This letter was

dated Irom
Rome, in which cityho had married the
widow of a lawyer, by whom he had two children ; a
boy of eightand a girlof live years of age. His wife
waa dead; he was tired of residing in a country where
militarymen were neither useful nor held in estima-
tion

; and he waa desirous of livingbeside his brother,

and of presenting him tlie two shoots of the family of
Ooldoni. Far from being piqued at a silence and
neglect of twelve years, I instantlyfelt an interest in
these two children,who might perhaps stand in need
ot my assistance. I invited my brother to return tp
304 HEMOmS OF

my honse ; I wrote to Rome, that he might be sopplied

with the money h eUtod in need of; and in the mouth
of March of the year I embraced with real satis-
same faction
this brother, whom I had always loved, and

my niece and nephew, whom I

adoptedas my children.
My mother, who was stillaUve, felt a livelypleasure
in eeeing ag^n a son whom ehe no longerreckoned

among the living; and my wife,whose goodness and

Bwetnes8 of dispositionnever varied,received thefle
two children aa her own, and took care of their eda-
cation.
Surrounded with all that was most dear to me, and
contented with the of my works, I
snccess was one of
the happiestmen in the world ; hut I was, at the fame

time, extremely wearied. I was still sufferingfrom

the immense fatignewhich 1 had undergone for the
theatre of St. Angelo; and the verses, to which I
had accustomed
unfortunately the public,coat me in-
finitely

more trouble than prose. My spleen began to

attack me with more than UBual violence. The nev

which
filinily, I maiulained in my house, rendered my
health more than ever necessary to me, and the dread
of losing it augmented my complaint. My attacks
were as much of a physicalas a moral nature. times
Some-

my iinaginatjon was heated by the effervescence

of the bodilyfluids, and sometimes the animal economy
was derangedby apprehension. Our mind is so inti-mately
connected with our body, that if it were not for

reason, which belongsto the immortalsoul,we should

be mere machines. In my present state I requiredei-
errise and amusement. I resolved on a short journey,
and I took all my familywith me.
On my arrival at Modena I attacked with
was a
'efluxion in my chest. Everylidywas in an alarm
 CAELO GOLDONI. 305

for me, but I was nowise alarmed myself; and this is

the way in which
l"een all mj I have
lifediiie: poe-
sessinga great deal of courage when in danger,and
from ridiculous apprehensions
stiffering when in good
health. I got rid of my but
iudiapositiun, I had no

time for amusement.

My comedians were at Milan,

where I went to join them ; haviug ray wife, my

brother,
and hie two children,always along with inc.
The expense nowise alarmed me, as my edition went
on and money
auGceesfully, poured in upon mo from all
quarters. Money has never been long stationary with
me.. " The
Persian Spouse had the same "
aucceaa at

Milan as at Venice,and I waa overwhehued with pnuse,

with offers of friendship,and presents. M j health was
improving, my spleensubsided,and I led a delicious
life; but this state of happiness, uid
prosperity, tran-

qnillity
was not of long duration.
The
company of the theatre of St. Luke made an

acquisitionof escellent actor, of the name

an of An-
geleri,
a native of Milan, who had a brother at the bar,
and whose relatives were of great in the
respectability
middle class of that place. This man was subjectto
fitsof and
spleen, I had several conversations with him
at Venice on the extravagance of our malady. I inet
with him on my arrival at Milan, and found him worse

than ever. He was tormented between the desire of

displaying the superiority of his talents and the shame
of appearingon the theatre of his native place. He
suffered infinitely from seeing bis companions ap- plauded,
and haviDg no share himself in the applause
of the public This spleengained ground every day,
and the conversatiims which we had togethertended
also to excite mine. He yieldedat length to the im-pulse

of his genius,and exposed himself in publuMiiBi^k

306 HEHOtss or

pU7ed with great applause,and, on returningbehind

the scenes, he dropped down dead. The stage was
empty ; the actors did not make their appearanue; the
news graduallyspread; and at last reached the box
wherelwas. "ObeaTens!
AngelerideadT Mycou-
pnnion in splen! "
I rushed oat tike a madman, and

proceeded withont knowing where. I Teahed home

without being conacious of the way I took. Everybody
perceivedmy agitation ; and when I was asked the
cause of it,I cried oat repeatedly, "
Angeleriie dead!"
and threw myself upon my bed. My wife,who knew

my dispontion,endeavored to tranqmlfiie me, and ad-vised

lae to be bled. I believe I should have done well
to have
followed her advlee ; but in the midst of the
phantoms which harassed me to a degree that alinoat
suspended respiration, I was stillsensible of my folly,
and ashamed of having yielded to it. Notwithstanding

my endeavors to call reason to ray assistance, the revo-

lution

was so violent that ] was seized with real illness,

and my mind was more difficultto cure than my body.
Doctor Baronio, my physician,after frequently em-
ploying

all tl|eresources of his profession, cured me

thoroughlyone day by an advice which he gave me.

"
Consider your disease," stud he, in the lightof a
"

child who comes forward attack you with a drawn

to

sword. If you be on your guard,he cannot hurt you;

hat if you lay open your breast to him, the child will
kill you I " This apologuerestored me to health, and
I have never forgotten it I have found its use in

every stage of my life; for this cursed child sometimes

threatens me yet, and it costs me some effurta to dis-

Duringthe progress of my recovery at Modena, and

in the intervals of
wj fitsat Mihin, I never lost sight
 CARLO GOLDOHl. 307

of m; theatre. I returned to VeniM with

euffleiency a

of luaterials for the year 1754 ; andour theatre opeued

with a piececalled "La Villegiatura" (The Coantiy
Excursiou). I had observed, in my journey, a number

of country houses alongthe bauks of the Brenta,whore

all the pompof luxurywas displayed. In former tjiues
OUT ancestors jre"|aentedtheeespotsforthesole purpose
of collecting their property,and their descendants go
there merelyto spendtheirs. In the countrytheykeep
open table, playhigh,giveballs and theatrical enter-
tainments,
and the Italian cicisbeo system is there in-
dulged
without disguise or construint,and giuns more
ground than elsewhere. 1 gave a view of all these
4urcamstanoeB shortlyafterwards in three consecutive
pieces. In the first there ia no interest; but the de- tails
of a gallant nature are very amusing, and the
varietyof uharacters introduced givearise to incidents
and dialogues of a highlycomic nature,and furnishes
an opportunity for the displayof much justand enter-
taining
criticism. My object was seen throughand
applauded, and the piece, though in prose, met with
more success than I could have imagined.
I preparedfor the carnival a comedy in prose, th
subject of which did not appear to me adapted for verse.
" "
I allude to the Vecchio Bizzarro ; this word bietarro
sometimes in Italian has the of the French
signification
word biiarre, and means capricious,
tiintastical,and
even extravagant;but it is much mure frequently used
to express what is gay, amusing,and brilliant; and
the best translation for my " Vecehio Bizzarre,"is "Tho
Amiable Old Man." I recollectedthe" CortosanVene-
ziano,"givenbj me fifteen years before to the theatre
of St. Samuel, and represented by Golinetti with so
maeb applause ; and 1 was desirous of composing a

tJoogIc
308 MEUOIES OF

piecein the same stylefor Kubini,who acted Panta-

looa in the theatre of St Luke. But Golinetti waa

n young man, ftud Rubini fifty

at the least;and as I
wished to bring him forward in this piecewithuut a

uiaak,it was necessary to adapt the cliaracler to hia

age. Those men who have been amiable in their youth
are proportionably so in their old itge ; and "if this Ru-
bin!
himself was a proof,for he was as agreeableon
the Htage as delightfulin company.
I expectedthat this pUy would at leaat be equally
successful with "The
Cortsan"; but in this expec-
tation
I was sadlydeceived. Rubini, who had iiever

appearedwithout a inask,wax so constrained and em-

liarrassed in his acting, that he displayedneither grace
nor art nor common-sense. The piecefell in the most
cruel and humiliating
manner for both himself and
ine : it was with the that It was
greatestdifficulty
allowed to go on to and when the cur-
the conclusion, tain

lowered,nothingbut hisses were to be heard.

was

I escapedwith all possible expeditiou from the theatre,

to avoid disagreeable compliments,and repairedUi the
Rjdotto. I mixed, concefJed beneath my mask, in the
crowd which assembles there on leaviug the theatres,
and I had sufficient time and opportunity to hear the

eulogieswith which both myself and my piec-ewere

honored. I went fi\)m one gaming-tableto anolher,
and I found myselfthe universal subject of conversa-
tion.

"Goldoni is done,"said sinne; " Goldoni hns

emptied bis bag,"said others. I recognizeda naeal
voice which proceededfrom a mask, and declared aloud
that "the portfolio was exhausted." He was asked
what portfolio be alluded to. "The maunsodpt," said
he, "from which Goldoni has drawn everythingthat he
has yet produced." Notwithstanding the desire which
310 MEHOIBS OT

the theatresof St. Samuel Angelo; and I be-

(md St. gan
now to Bend tu the preBB the productions
of the two
tirstyeareofmy uewengagoinenlwiththatof St. Lnke.
This edition in octavo, under Ihetitle of "New Theatre
of M. Goldoni,"waaundertaken Ly Pitteri, a honkeeller

of Venice. I him
sQppiied with Buffident materials for
six mouths, and then went to joinmy comedians,who
were pasung the springat Bologna.
On nrriving at the bridgeof Ldigo-Senro, a league

from Feirara,where certain duties are demanded, I

fiirgot to subtaitmy trunk to an examination, and I was
takeu into custodyon leavingthe vilbige.I had a
BmaU store of chocolate, coffee,and tapere. These
were contraband cominodttieB, and liable to confisca-
tion. This subjected me to a considerable fine;and in
the dominions of the chureh the re venue- officers are by
DO means lenient. The custom-house officer,who had
peace-officers along with him, on searchingmy trunk,
found several volumes uf my comedies,which he ex-
tolled

as highlydelightful. He acted himself in private

parties.On my naming myself,he was surprised, chanted,
en-

and kindlydisposed towards me ; and he gave

me reason to entertain the most favorable hopes. Had
he been alone,he would have set me at lib-
instantly erty

; hut as it was, the guardswould not have consented

to lose their dues. The officerordered my trunk to be

packed up again,and took me jrithhim to the custom-

house.
The director of the customs was not there:

my protectorwent himself M Ferrara in quest of him ;

and he returned in three hours' time with an order for
my liberation,
on paying a small sum of duty for my
provisions.I wished lo recompense the officer for the
service he had rendered me ; but he refused two sequins
which I requestedhim to accept,and even my choco-
 311
CARLO GOLDONL
[/'
late,which. I offered (o ahare with him. All I coald
do, therefore,was to thank and admire hiin; I wrote
his name down in my iiienioraDdum-hcKik ; I promised
him a, copy of my new edition,All ofter which he ac-
'
cptedwithgratitude, and I entered my chaise, resumed

iiiy jouraoy,and arrived in the eveningat. Bologna.

In this city, the mother of science and the Athens
of Italy, ouinplainta had been made some ye"re before
of my reformation, as havinga tendency to snppress the
four maskaof the Italian comedy. This sort of comedy
was in grealer eadmation at Bologna than elsewhere.
There were several persons of merlt"iii that place, who
took a delightin composing outlines of pieces, which
were very well represented there by citizens of great
ability, and the dcUghtof their country. The amateurs
of the old comedy, on seeing the rapid progress of the

new, declared everywhere that it was unworthy of an

Italian to give a blow to a species of comedy in which
Italyhad attjuned greatdistinction, and which no other
nation had yet been able
ever to imitate. But what
made tho greatestimpressionon the disi^ntented was

the of masks, which

suppression my system appeared
to threaten. It was stud that these personages had for
two centuries been the amusement Italy, and (hat it of
onght not to be deprived of a speciesof comic diversion
which it had created and so well supported. ..^__

Before venturing to give any opinion on this subject,

I ima^ne the reader will have no objection to listenfor
a few minutes to a short account of the origin, einploy-
inent,and efiectaof these four masks. Comedy, which
in all ages has been the favorite entertainment of pul'
iahed nations, shared the fate of the arts and sciences,
and was buried under the ruins of the empire during
the decay of letters. The germ of comedy, however.
 312 MEMOIRS OF

was never altogetherextinguiehed in the fertileboBom

of Ital;. Those who firsteDdeavored to bring about
iw revival, in an ignorantage, writerB of
not finding,
sufficient skill,
had the boldness to draw oat plane,to
distribule ihem int^i acts and scenes, and to utter,ex-
tempore,

the thoughis,and
BubjectH, wittidstns which
they had concerted among themsekes. Those who
could read
(and neither the great nor the rich were of
the number) found that in the comedies of Plautus
and Terence there alwaysduped fathers,
were debauched

sons, enamored knavish servants,and mercenary

girls,
maids; and, runningover the difierentdistrictsof Italy,
they took the Withers Iruin Venice and Bologna,the
servants from Bergamo, and the loveis and waiting-
iniuds from the dominions of Home and Tuwiany.
Written proofsare not tu be expectedof what took
plae in a time when writing was not in use; but I
prove my assertion in this way: Pantaloon has ways
al-
been a Venetian, the Doctor a Bolognese,and
Brighella and Harlequin,Beigamasks; and from these
places, there^jre,the comic personages called the four
masks of the Italian comedy were taken by the players.
What I say on this subjectis not altogether the crea-
ture

of my imagination : I possess a manuscriptof the

fifteenth century,in very good preservation, and bound
in pan'hment,containing a hundred and twenty sub-
jects,
or sketches of Italian pieces, called comedies of
art, and of which the basis of the comic humor are

always Pantaloon, a Venetian merchant; the Doctor,a

'
Bolognese juris-ooDSuU;and Brighella and Hariequin,
Bergamask valets, the first clever and sprightly, and
the other a mere dolt. Their antiquity and their long
existence indicate their origin.
With respect tn their employment. Pantaloon and
 CARLO GOLDONI. 313

tho Doctor, called bj the Italians the two old men,

representtho purt of fathers,
and the other partswhere
cloaks are worn. The first is a merehast,because
Venice in its ancient times was the richest and most
commercial
extenaively country of Italy. Ho has al-
ways
preserved the ancient Venetian costume ; the
bUck dress and tho woollen bonnet are stillworn in
Venice ; and the red under- waistcoat
breeches, and
cut out like drawers, with red stockingsand slippers,
are a most exact rcpresentaUoaof the equipmentof
tho first inhabitants of the Adriatic murshes. The
boani,which was considered as an ornament in those
remote ages, has been
caricatured, and rendered ridic-
ulous
in subsequent periods.
The second old man, called the Doctor,was taken
froin amiiug tho lawyers,for the sake of opposinga
learned man to a merchant ; and Bolognawas selected,
because in that citythere existed a university, which,
notwithstanding the ignorance of the times,stillpre-
served
the offices and emoluments of the professors.
lu tho dress of the Doctor, wc observe tho ancient cos-
tume

of the university and bar of Bologna,which is

nearlytho same at this day ; and the idea of the sin-
gular
mask which covers his face and nose was taken
from a wine stain which the
disfigured countenance of
a consult in those times.
jui'is- This is a tradition still

existing amoug the amateurs of the comedy of art.

Brighullaand Harlequin,called in .Italythe two
Zani,were talten from Bergamo ; because,tho fonner
being a very sharp fellow,and the other a stupid
clown, these two extremes are onlyto he found among
the orders of that part of the (country. Bri-
lower
ghellarepresentsan intiiguing, and knavish
deceitful,
valet. His dress is a speciesof livery; his swarthy
314 MEUOIES OF

mask is a caricatnro of the color of the mhabiteuta of

those high mountfline,biniied h; the heat of the enn.
Some comedianH, in this character, have taken the
name of Fenocchio,Fiqueto,and Scapin; but they
have alwaysrepresented the name valet and the same
Bergamask. The harlequins have also asgnmed other
names ; t~hey
have been sometimes Tracagnins,Tnif-
faldins,Gradelins,and Mezetina ; but theyhave always
been stupidBergamasks. Their dress is an e^iact rep-resentat
of that of a poor devil who has pickednp

piecesof stuffs of diffttrcntcolors to patch his dress;

his hat corresponds with hia meniUrity, and the hare'd
tail with which it is ornamented is stillcommon in the
dreas of the peasantry of Bergamo.
I have thus, 1 trust, sufficiently
demonstrated the
originand einphiymentof the four masks of the Ital- ian
eomcdy ; it now remains for mo to mention the
effects resulting from them. The mask must always
he very prejudicial l the action of the perfonner either
in joy or sorrow; whether he be in love, cross, or
good-humored,the same features are alwaysexhibited ;
and however he may gesticulate and vary the tone, he
can neier convey by the eountenatipe,which is the in- terpret
of the heart, the different passionswith
which he is mwardly agitated The masks of the
Greeks and Romans were a sort uf speaking-trumpets,

luienled fur the purpose of conveying the sound through

the vast extent of their amphitheatres.Passion and
sentiment were not, in those times, carried to the
pitch of delicacynow actualljnecessary. The actor

must, in our days,possess a soul , and the aoiil under

a mask la like a fire under ashes These were the
reasons which induced me to endeavor the reform of
(he Italian theatre,
and to supply the place of farces
 CARLO OOLDONI. 315

with comedieB. complaintsbecame loader and

But the
louder ; I waa diggUKtedwith the two parties, and I
endeavored to saUsf; both ; I undertook to pnxluce

a few pieces merely sketched,without ceasingto gire

r"iinedies of charActer. I employed the maaks in the
former ; and I displayed a more noble and interesting
comic humor in the others ; each participated in the

species of pleasurewith which they were most lighted

de-

; with dine and patienceI brought about a

reconciliation between them ; and I had the satisfec-

tion,at length,to myself authorised in following
tme

my own taste,which became, in a few years, the most

general and prevailiug in Italy. I willinglypardoned
the partisans of the comedians with masks the injuries
they laid to my charge; for they were very able ama-
teurs,

who had the merit of giviug themselves an terest

in-
to sketched comedies.
I was most disgustedwith those persons of qnality
who called for vengeance against me for having rid-
iculed
the cicisbeo system, and ventured to attack the
nobility. I was not desirous of
eicosing myself in
this respect,and still less of correcting myself; but I
entertained too high a value for the suHrage of the Bo-
lognese,not to endeavor to convert the discontented,
and to deserve their esteem. I invented a comedy, the
subjectof which was worthy of a country where the
arts,sciences,and literaturewere more generallycul-
tivated
than elsewhere. I selected for the subjectof
my piece Terence the African";as I had, several years
"

before, selected the French Terence. This comedy isone

of my favorites ; it cost me infinitelabor,and procured
me a great deal of satisfaction; it merited the general
eulogium of the Bologoese ; conld I then possiblyre- frain

to give it the preference f Content with the so |^,

316 ITEUOIRS OP

eeos of J "Terence,"Iretnrned to Venlc*,nnd fiHMed

in

the rest of the Buminer at BagnoU, s. superbpstate in

the district of Padufi,belongingto Count Widiman,
A noble Venetian, and a feudatorfin the imperial
dominiona. This rich and generons noblemaii was

alwayaaccompaniedhj a nainerous and select society.

They ftpreeented plays,and he himself bore a part in
them ; and, notwithstanding his natural eeriousDese,
there was not a harle(|uinof them all more gay and
nimble than himself. He had studied Sacchi, and
imitated him tv admiration. I suppliedlittlesketches ;
bat I durat not venture to playin them. Some ladies
of the party obligedine to take the character of a
lover; I satisfied them, and thus enabled them to
laugh, and enjoy themselves at my expense. I was

piqued ; and next day I sketched a small piece,entitled

"
The Fair " ; and in placeof one character for myself,
I took four, a stage-doctor,
a sharper, a stage-man-

ager, and a ballad-monger.In the firetof these char- acters

1 mimicked the jugglersof the sqoare of St.
Mark ; and I uttered under the mask of the fourth
several and
allegorical critical couplets,
concluding
with the complaintof the author againstthem for

laughing at me. This pleasantry was approved of;

and thus 1 took my revenge iu my own way.
i quittedthe company of Bagnoliabout the end of
the -month of September,and returned home, to be
theatre. The first
preaent at the opening of my
noveltywe gave was "II Cavaliere Giooondo" (The
Merry Gentleman),a piecewhich I should perhapshave
forgotten,if I had not seen it printedagainstmy will
in the edition of Turin : it was not damned ontright
at
its first representation
; it wasin verse, and displeased
nobody,but 1 myselfwas disgustedwith it. Afterlhis
318 HEHOmS OF

and introdaced Tillot,

to M. du
intendant- general of
the hoDSe of his royalhighness,who was afterwards a
minister of etat, and ailvancd to the titleof Marquis
de Felino. This worthy Frenchinaii, full of intellect,
talents,and probity, revuived me with kindness ; gave
tue very pretty apartment; destined me
a a seat at
his table,and directed mo to M. Jacobi,then intrusted
with the managemeot of the entertainments,for my
instructions. The same day I went to the court -

comedy, and saw, for the firsttime, French actors. I

was enuhantd with their acting,and astonished at the
silence which prevailedin the theatre. I do not recol-
lect
the name of the comedy which was that day repre-
sented
; but on seeing,in one of the scenes, a lover
warmly embrace his mistress, this action,which is
naturaland allowable to the French, but prohihltadto
the Italians, pleasedme so much that I called out,
"
Bravo ! as loud na I could.
"
My indiscreet and un-
known

voice shocked the silent assembly. The prinee

wished to know whence it came ; I was named, and
the surpriseof an Italian author was considered donable.
par-
This sallywaa the means of my general
introduction to the public I went behind the scenes
after the conclusion of the performance, where I was
soon surrounded with people, and I thns farmed a
number of acquaintances,who made my re^dence in
Parma very agreeableto me, and whom I regretted
at parting. I had the honor, some days afterwards, of
kissingthe hands of the infante,infauta,and the prin- cess-roy
their daughter. I enjoyed for some time
the pleasuresof Colomo, and then retired to Parma, to
labor without interruption.
I was liberallyrecompensed for my time and my
trouble; and I left Paniia with letters-patent of poet,
 CARLO GOLDONI. 319

Rnd actual eervant of his royalhighness,and with tm

annaal penmon which the reigningdoke had the good-
ucsB to continue to me.

My journey to Parma, and the pensionand diploma

conferred excited the envy and rage of my ad-
on me,
versarieB. They had reported at Venice, during my
absence, that I was dead; and there was a monk who
had even the temerityto say he had been at my fu-
neral.
On arrivinghome safe and sound, the ovil-
disposedbegan displaytheir irritation at my good
to
fortune. It was not the auth"irs,my antagonists, who
tunnented me, bnt the partisansof the different thea-
tres
of Venice.
I was defended by literary
men, who entertained a

favorable opinionof ; and

this gave rise to a war-
me fare

in which I was very innocentlythe victim of the

irritation which had been excitd. Every day wit'
nessed compositionfor or againstme ; but I
some new

had this advantage,that those who interested them-

{telves for me^rom their manners, their talents,and
their roputatiofll, were among the most prudent and
distinguished men in Italy. One of the articles for
which I was most keenly attacked,was a violation of
the purityof the language. I was a Venetian,and I
bad had the disadvantage of suckingin with my moth-
er's
milk the use of a very agreeableand seductive
patois,which, however, was not Tuscan. I learned
by principle, and cnltivated by reading, the language
of the good Italian authors ; but first impressions will
return at times,notwithstanding every attention use^
in avoiding them. I had undertaken a journey ii
320 MEMOIRS OF

Tasnany, where I remained for four years, with the

viw of beoiming fainilkr with the language ; and I
printedthe firstedition of m; works at Florenoe,nnder
the eyes and the criticism of the learned of that place,
that I might parifythem from errors of language.
All precautionswere
my iueufBeient to satisfythe
: I always Guled in one
rigorista thingor other; and I
was perpetuallyreproachedwith the originalsin of
Vcnetianism.
Amidst all this tedious I recollected,
trifling one day,
that Tasso had been worried his whole lifetime by the
academicians delta Cruse-a,who maintained that his
" "
Jerusalem Delivered had not passed through the
wcve, which is the emhlem of their society. I was

then in my closet,
and I turned my eyes towards the
twelve quarto volumes of the works of that author, and
esclaimed, " 0 heavens ! must no one write in the
Italian language,who has not been bom in Tuscany 1"
I turned np mechanically the five volumes of the tionary
dic-
de la Crusca, where I found more than six
hundred words, and a number of erpressions,appniTed
of by the academy, and rejectedby the world: I ran
over several ancient authors considered as classieal,
which it would he impossibleto imitate in the present
day without censure ; and I came to this conclusion,
that we must write in good Italian, but write at the
same time so as to he understood in every comer if
Italy. Tasso was therefore wrong in reforming his

poem to please the acAdemieians de la Crusca : hia

"Jerusalem Delivered" is read by everybody,while
"
nobody thinks of reading his Jerusalem Conquered."
In the ensuing camivnJ, I received a letter fnim
Home. Count having engaged to uphold the
,

^ordinona theatre in that capital,

fiied his eyes on me.
 CABLO OOLDONI. 321

He demanded from me piecesfor hia comedians,And

iavited me repairto Rome to direct them.
to

I had never ;et viaited Hume ; (uid the coadilions

propoaed to me were highlyhonorable. Could I re- fuse

80 favorable and advantageous an opportunityf

I could not engage myself,however, without an
avowal to the patrician who confide"lto me the inter*
ests of his theatre at Venice. I imparted the project
to him, and assured bim that I would not bil to sup-
ply
his comedians with noveldea. Ho readily gave his
consent, and even displayedgreat satisfaction on the

I
acceptedthe invitation accordingly, and demanded
ioformation reapectiog the construction /"f the Tordi-
Qona theatre,and the actors who were to perform in it.
The person who correspondedwith me gave me no

information on these two points, which appearedto me

of some importance: he supposed that,on arrivingat
Rome, I could blow comedies as glassesare blown iuR
manufactory;and he merely infnnned me that he had
taken care to have handsome apartments for me in the
best quarter of Some, in the house of a very politeand
very worthy abb^, who, from his knowledge,would be
able to render my residence in Rome highlyagreeable
and interesting.
I accepted the proposition; and being precluded
from laboiiog for the Soman actors,of whom I knew
nothing,I employed my time for the comedians of
Venice.

D5i,.=.JnGoo
 UEMOIHS OF

XI.

I KNEW that for some yeacB mj comedies had been

representedat the Capranica theatre, and that the;
were applauded there as weU as at Venice. I was,
therefunt, about to oombat againstmyself,and I was
desirous of acting in such a manner that tiiypresenre,
and the care beetoweil by me, should incUue the pnblic
iu favor of the new theatre,which was to open under

uiy direction. 1 had never hazarded iny works vith-

out knowing the actors by whom they were to be rep-
resented
; and I wrot again for instruction respoeting
the character,and the aptituteof the comedians who
were destined for me.

I infonned,in answer, that Count

was was self
him-
unacquaintedwith the actors,the greatest part of
whom were Neapolitans,who would not make their
appearance in Rome tillthe latter end of the ninfith of
November. In 1;he same letter I learned that the count

did not demand new pieces from me, that I

might
bring with me those which I had latelycomposed for
Venice ; that I should see and examine the company
myself,and that in the space of a month the theatre
uiicht be opened.
I embarked in the beginning of October with my
wife : I did not wish to go alone,and I could not have

company more to my liking. We first went to Bo-

logna,
whence we may go to Rome either by the vray
of Florence or Loretto ; I preferred the latter road, as
I was anxious to satisfy at once both my devotion and

my curiosity. The smalt town of Loretio has the ap-

pearance
of a perpetual fair of chaplets, medals,and
'mages. It seems that all those who traverse this
 CARLO GOLDONI. 323

countryare bound purchasethese holycommodities

to
to regalestrangers with them. In purchasing my store
of them, like other people, I ainosed myselfwith in-
terrogati
my merchant on the profit of his trade.
"Alas,sir," said he to me, "there was a time when,

throughthe grace of the goodVirginMary,those in

our situationmade rapidfortunes;but for several yoars
the Mother of God, irritatedat our sins,
has ahandoned
us ; the sale diminishes every day; aU that we can do
is to keep soul and body together: and if it were not
for the Venetians,we should he obligedto shut up
shop." When all my purchases were well assorted and
tied up, my merchant presented me what he .calleda
conscientious hilj. I paid him without much gling:
hag-
the good man made the signof the cross with
the money which I gave him, and I went away very
much edified. I showed my purchaseto the Abbfi
Toni of Loretto, from whom I learned that the mer-
chant,

havingperceived I was a Venetian, had made

me pay for mj poodsa third more than the ordinary
price.It was late,and I was in haste tiicontinue my
journey,
so that I had nn time to go and tell my re-ligious

Mend that he was a knave.

I continued my route for Rome, and on my arrival
in that capitalI wrote to Count .
He sent his
valet-de-charobre nest day to me, and invited me to
dine with him. A coach waa in
my door to
waiting
at
take me, and I dressed, set out,and found all the come-
dians

assembled at his house. After the usual ceremo-

nies

I
appliedU" the person nearest me to learn from
him his employment. " Sir," said he with an air of
importance,"
I playPunch." "
What, sir," said I to
T" "
him," Punch ! in the Neapolitan language Yes,
"
he replied,in the same
air," way as your Harlequins

D5i,.=.JnGoo
324 MEMOlRg OF

Bpeak in Bergtuntusfc
or Venetian. I have been,I mtij
Bay without boaetinK, the delightof Rotne for upwards
of ten yearp. M. Franpisco here plays la Popa (ih*
waiting- maid), and M. Petrillo acts the mothers ami
aoher-minded vnmen, and
years wc have heen for ten
the support of the theatre of TonJinona."
My aiuutenance fell immediately,and I looked At
the count, who was as embarrassed as myself. "
I
peiYteive, now that it is too late,the inconveniences of
onr wtuation,"said he to me; " but we must endeanir
to remedy matters as far as possible."I gave tfaf
Neapolitan and Soman actors to nnderstand that,for
some time,masks had not been employed in my pieees.
"
Nevet mind ; do not let that alann you," said the
celebrated Puncb ;
"
we are not puppets ; we neither
want judgment nor memory ; let us see what you want

with us."
I drew from mf pocket the comedy which I had
destined for them, and offered to read it. Everybody
"
prepared to hear me ; and I read La Veduva Spiri-
tosa." comedy gave infinite pleasureto the
The
count; and the comedians, not daring perhaps to say
what they thoughtof it,acquiescedin the determina-
tion
.of the person who had the power of selecting thi
pie(s. The parts were instantlyordered to be copiet
out, and the comedians withdrew. When seated a

table I did not conceal from the coxvat my fear that we

had both of us committed a pieceof imprudence, he in

sending for me to Rome and myself in eoming.
Whilst the comedians were their parts
learning 1
thought only of seeing and examining everythingin
Rome, and visitingthose to whom I had letters of
recommendation. I had a letter from the minister of
Parma for Cardinal Porto-Carrero,the Spanish am-
326 MEM0IR3 OF

neceasary at Borne ns at Paris. I d"y car-

saw every
dinals,

princes,princesses, and foreignministera;and

immediately after my receptionI was visited,next
day, by valets who came to cumpUnient me oa my ar-
rival,

and to whom it was necessary to givefrom three

tu ten paoE accordingto the rank of their maetere,
and to those of tlie Pope three sequins. This is the
custom of the country ; the sum is fixed,and there is
no abatement. 1
In the course of my visits I did not failto exawiDC
the precious monuments of that city, formerly the ,

capitalof the world, and now the principalseat of the

Catholic religion. I shall not dwell on the chef-^au- I

vres known to everybody,but shall confine myself to '

an expressionof the effect produced on my mind and '

senses by the view of St. Peter's of Eome. i

I was fifty-twowhen I first saw this temple ; from i

the age of reason to that time, I had heard it spoken '

of with enthusiasm ; I had read the historians and j

travellers by whom it is described in a suitable manner. |
I that
imagined,therefore, seeingit myself iny sur-
on prise

wonld be diminished by anticipation; but it so '

happened that all the deseriptions fell below the actual .

impressionit made on me ; and that everythingwhich, I

when at a distance,appeared to me described with
exaggeration, rose in grandeur when I actuallyviewed |
it. I am no connoisseur in architecture, and I shaU
not attempt to make a displayof terms of art to ex-
plain

the cause of the delightwhich I felt; but I am

certain that it was the effectof the accuracy of propor-
tion
displayed throughout such an unmense oxtnt.
If the objects of construction and ornament excite
our admiration,the sanctuary of that church iB in an
equal degree productive of devotion. The bodies of
oa his table a dish made b; himself, and which he
never failedtn announce to biE guestsas a dish fur the
advocate Goldoni,dressed by the hands of his serrant
; adding, that nobodyshould touch it without the
advocate's permission.He gave concerts: Misa
sung delightfully, and she was seconded by voices aud
instruments of the firstmerit, which in Rome may be
found in abundance in allclassesand all ranks. .
.

These of
parties pleasure
were always,aecordiil^;M*.'
328 MEMOIRS OF

the account of my dear a.hb6, ordered for the advocate

Goldoni, and I could not vex him more tiun bf dining
ut passing the evening in any other honee. One
or

day,when I came home to tell him that I had engaged

to dine out, he vrished himself at the devil and scolded

"
my wife. Nobody shall eat,"said he, " of the disb
which I prepared for the advocate Goldoni." He then
entered his kitchen,and, lookingwith a distressed air
at the delicious dish which he hod taken so much
pleasorein preparing,be was at last seized witJi a fit
?^ rage and threw the stewpan into the court. On
my retnm home in the evening the ahM was io bed
and refused to see me. Everybody laughed,but 1 felt
very uneasy ; however, the servant at that iuBtant
having delivered me an invitation to go next day to

the rehearsal
of my piece,and that interesting
me

considerably
more thaTi the other I
circumstance, soon

forgotthe abh^, and sleptvery tranquilly.

I repwred to Count 's to be present at the re-hearsal

of my piec. The comedians were there : they

had studied their parts,and got them by heart. I was
flattered by their attention,and I resolved t"i eecond
their zeal and give them all the assistance in my

power. They began ; Donna Placida and Donna Lui-

gia ; these female parts were acted by two ^uaog
Eomans, a journeyman barber and a journeyman
.

carpenter. Good Heaven! tvhat extravagant declama-

tion
! what awkward gestures ! No tnitL, no intel-
ligence.

I ventured to speak in
generalterms of the
bad taste of their mode of declamation. Punch, who
was always the orator of this
company, replied very
briskly,"Every one has his manner, sir,and this
happens to be ours." I formed my resolution in
rilenw, : I merely observed to them that the
piece ap-
 CARLO GOLDONL 329

peared to me to be too long,and this was the only

puintin which we were a^eed. I abridged it at leaat
a good third,to spare me the trouble of hearingit;
and, tiresome as the task was, I was presentat every
one of the rehearsals, even at the last one in the
theatre.
All the theatres are openedin Rome on Ibe same

day, the 26th of December. I was temptednot to go,

but the count bad destitied me a plaeeiu his bos and
I decentlyrefuse to be present. I went
conld not
and found the house fully
accordingly, and the
lighted
curtain abont to be drawn. There
were, at moet,
not more than a hundred persons In the boxes and
thirtyiu the pit. I had been informed beforehand
that the Tordinona theatre was the resort of coal-
beavers and sailors,and that,without Punch, none of
the lovers of farf would attend. however, I
Still,
was inclined to believe that an author sent for ex-
pressly

from Venice would excite curiiwityand attract

spectatorsfrom the ceutre of the town ; but my actors
were known
sufficiently in Some. When the curtain
was drawn the actors made their appearauce,'and
played in the same manner as they had rehearsed.
The publicbecame impatientand asked for Punch,
and the piecewent on worse and worse. I could bear
it no longer;I begau to feci myselfgrowingunwell,
and I asked the count's pennissiunto withdraw,
which he readily grantedme, and even made me an
offerof his coach. I quitted the theatre of Tordinona
and went to join my wife, who was in that of
Aliberti.
My wife,foreseeingthe failure of my pieceas well
as myself,bad gone to the opera with the daughterof
ray landlord. On my entering their bos they pei;-

Googlc
330 HEUOIRS OF

ceived,by my eounteDance,the chngriDwHcb I felt,

"
without my havingspoken to them. Console yonr-
eeir," Biud the young lady to me, laughing," things
are not better here : the music does not pleaee at all,

there is not one agreeable air,recitative, or ritomello ;

Buranello has sadlyforgothimself this time." She

was skilled in music and capableuf judgingfor herself;
and I saw that everybodythere was of her opinion.
The pit of Kome is dreadftil; the abb^e dedde in a
vigorousand noisy manner; there are no gnards or
police; and biBses, cries, laughter, and invectives re-
sound

from all quarters of the house. But it must be

owned that be who pleasesthe churchmen may deem
himself fortunate. 1 was at the firstrepresentation
of
the "
Ciccioof Mayo" in the same theatre,and the ap-
plauses
were as violent as the censures had formerly
been. A
part of the pitwent out at th^ close of the

entertainment,to conduct the musician home in tri-

umph,
and the remainder of the audience
stayed in
"
thetheatre,calling out without intermlBsion, Viva
Mayo I " till every candle was burnt to the socket.
What would have become of me, had I remained at
Tordinona tillthe couchisiou of my piece! I trembled
when I thought of this. I called on Count neat

day, fully detennined never to expose myself againto

a similar danger. Fortunately I had to do with a just
and reasonable man, who himself saw the impossibUity
of deriving any advantagefrom his comedians without
allowingthem to proceedin their own way. I shall
state,in a few words, tbe arrangement to which we
were ")bligedto have recourse.
It was agreed that the Neapolitans should givetheir
usual sketches diversifiedwith musical iuterlndes, the
subjects of which I should
arrange from parotUedairs ;
 CiRLO GOLDONI. 331

and this project

was in a few days carried into execa-

lion. We found the be^t scores of uiy comic operas in

the musicehopB. Borne isnurssry of singers. We
a

procureil
two good find nix tolerable ones. The first
"
interiude we gave waa Areifanfano Ee di Pazzi,"the
music by Buranello, This little Eipectacleafforded
great pleasure, and the theatre of Tordinona succeeded
in a way that preventedthe count from beinga great
loser, I had failedin Tordinona,and this was a mor-
tifying

chagrinfor me; but I waa indemnified by the

actors of Capranica. This theatre, which for several

years had devotd itselfto my pieces, was then acting

"
the comedy of Pamela." The play was so well acted

and afforded such pleasure, tliatit alone supported the

theatre from its opening to the close, that is,from the
26th of December to Shrove Tuesday.

Every time that I went was a new triumphfor me.

The actors of Capranic, whom I had extolled to the
skies bec-ause they were deserving of it,entreated mo
to have the goodnessto compose a piecefor their the- atre.
They were in no want of a comedy from me,
because they had all those which I printedevery year
U" choose fron) ; but it was a kindness they wished to
show ine by way of gi'atitnde, for the profits which
they had derived from my works. I consented to
gratify their desire without appearingto have any idea
of their intention. I asked them if they had any sub- ject
to give mo which might be agreeableto them.
They proposedthe continuation of "Pamela." I prom-
ised
to furnish them with it before my departure; I
kept iny word and they were satisfied; I was not less
so with the noble and generous manner in which they
recompensedme for my trouble. This comedy appea'
"
in the collectionof my works under the titleof PftBM
332 MEH0IB8 OP

MaritatA." I did not witoMS the of this

repreeeatation
piece;I learned, however,that itesucc^BH was less brill-
iant
than that of the precedingpart of " Pamela," and
this did not aitonish me. There vaa more study and
refineinent in the second,and more interest and action
in the first. The one was adaptdfor the theatre and
the other for the closet. I beg pardon of those who
OommiBsioned it,if I disappointed
them in their views.
I gave them the choice of their subjprt, and I cannot
reproach jny self with havingneglected it.

xri.
The carnival
beginsalmost nniversallythronghont
all Italy,
toward the end of December or beginning of
January. At Borne the time of gayety or folly, tinguish
dis-
for the liberties of the masks, does not
cnmmence till Shrovetide ; the mask is only tolerated
from two to five o'clock in the afternoon. At fall
night-
mask ; and
every person ought to appear without a
it may be said that the carnival of Rome lasts only

twenty-fourhonre, but this short time is admirably

well employed. It is impossible to form an idea of

the brilliancy and magnificence of these eight days.

Throughoutthe whole lengthof the Coreo four rows of

richlydewirated CHrriagee
are to be seen; the two lat-
eral
rows are merelyspectatorsof the two which pass
and down in the middle. A number of masks on
up
foot,by no means of the lower orders,run about along
the pavement singing and uttering of drollery
every sort
and biiffi"onery, and throwingprofosi'in of sweetmeats
into the carriages, which return the volleyswith inter-
est
; so" that in the eveningthe streets are eovered with
brayed sugar. In the same placeand duringthe same
334 MEMOIES OF

When over, the abb^a

all was embarrassnuqit came
be-
eeriouB ; for Done of the company thoDght of
going away. He had a^ed a number of them to gnp-

per, and he did not recollect either the names or the

number of those whom he had invited. Among the
i!umi"an; were several musical amateurs ; and a vocsl
and iDBtmmental concert was struck up. Everything
went on well,but still nobod; thought of going awaj.
What was to be donef The poor abh6 came to me in
the utmost oonatemation, and consulted with me on

the subjectof his embarrassment. "

This is nothli^,
"
nij friend," said I to him j jom have committed a
"
pieceof folly, and you must pay fw it." But then,
forty or fifty " "Courage, my dear abbS," aaid I,

"courage; send for violins;cover a littlesideboard

with all expedition ; set the company a dancing and

eztiicMe yourselfthe best way you can." He ap- proved

of my proposal;the ball was given; the re-freshments

were found HufBcient;the nightwas spent

brilliantly, and everybodywent away well pleased.
We were near the close of the carnival,and we spent
these last days of gayety with one another in the most
agreeablemanner. On the arrival of Lent we changed
decorations,but we did not amuse ourselves the less.
Everywhere muaic and card-tables were to be found.

The most common game was mouche, called the Beast.

I remorlied there a degreeof politeness to.wardswomen
which I have never elsewhere ol"Berved. If a lady is
in danger of being the beast, a small card is played to
lave her from this disagreeable predicament.
I quitted Kome on the 3d of August, to the great
regret of my host,from whom I eicperienced the great-
est
kindness. He never ceased to write to and
me,
he sent me every Roman almanaes to the daj
year
; one clianoe lamianes a
expression
336 UEMOIRS OF

new thought. After some time I became enabled to

reduce the four operations to having the
one alone ;
plan and the three divisions in my head, I began at
once, Act the Firet,Scene the First,and proceeded
straight on to the conclusion, with this maxim alwayR
in view, that all the lines ought to terminate in a fixed
point,that ia,in the winding-up of the action,which is
the principal part for which all the machines are put in
motion. I have rarelybeen disappointed in my catas-
trophiee. This T may boldlysay, as it has been uni- versally
allowed, and the mattir seems to me by no
means attended with diffirulty. It is very easy to have
afortunnte winding-up,when it has been well prcpar("d

in the beginningof the piece,and never lost sight of

in the c^mrse of the work.
I began then, and finished in fifteen days,a edy
com-

of three acts, in prose, entitled " Gl' innamorati"

(The Lovers). The title promised nothing now, for
there are few plays without love; but I knew none

wliere the lovers resemble those which I drew in this.

Love would be the most dreadful scoui^e on the face
of the earth, were all lovers as impassioned and miser-
able
Bs the principal
two eharacters of my comedy. 1
knew however, and had seen
the originals, them al

Rome, where I was the confidant of both. I was the

and
witness of their passionand affection, of
frequently
their fits of raving and ridiculous transports. I had
more tlian once quaiTeb,cries,and des-
witnessed their peration
with torn handkerchiefs, broken glasses, and
knives drawn. My lovers are extravagant, but they
are not the less true. I am willingto allow that there
is more truth than prolwibility in this work ; but, fifoin
the certainty of the fact,I imagined it possible to rep-
resent
a picturewhich ehonld dispose some to laugh.
 CARLO GOLDONI. 337

and inapire others with fer. Such a, subjectia France

would not have been supportable. Id Italyit was sidered
con-

Bomewhat exaggerated, and I heard several per-

sons
of mj acquaintancHboast of baviug been nearly
in the same situation. I was not wrong then in paint-
ing,
in strong colors,the folliesof love in a country
where the heart and the bead are more than anywhere
else healed by the power of the climate.

XIII.
With "La Donna
Stravagaate"(The Capricions
Woman) we opened the carnival of 1760. The prin-
cipal
character of the piecewas so wicked, that the
women would not have allowed it to he natural,and
I wasobliged,therefore, to say that it was pure in-
vention.
This piecewas prettysuccessful, and would
have been more so, but Madame Bresciani,whose nat-
nral disposition was a little capricious, imagined her-
self
portrayedin it,and the work suffered from her ill
humor. I soon made reparationfor my injuriesto- wards
this excellent actress. I composed a Yenelian -

piece,entitled " Le Baruffe Chioizote " (The Dis- pute

of the People of Chiozza). This low comedy
produced an admirable effect. Madame Bresciani,
notwithstandingher Tuscan accent, bad acquiredthe
Venetian manners and pronunciation so well,that she

afforded as much pleasure in low as in genteelcomedy.

I had been coadjutorof the critninal chancellor at
Chiozza in my youth; an office corresponding with
that of substitute of the lieutenant-criminel. My situ-
ation brought me in contact with that numerous and
tumultuooB population of flshennen, sailors, and low
whose onlyplaceof assemblage was the of
women,
338 UEHoms of

street. I knew their inannere, their Angularlanguage,

tlieirgayetj,trad theirmalice ; I was enabled Ut paiot
them aceuratel]'; and the capital, which is only eight
leaguesdistant from that tows, was perfectlywell
acquaintedwith my originalH.The piece had the
most brilliant success ; and with it we dosed the ear-

On the Ash- I was

Wednesday fullowiog, at one of
those spare suppers with which our Yenetinn epicures
comineuce their Lent collations. We had every fish
which the Adriatic Sea or the Lake di Garda eoutd
supply. The conversation turned on plays, and the
modestyof the author, who was one of the gnests,was
not spared. Wearied with hearing the same thingover
and over again, and by way of putting a slop to com-
pliments

and eulo^ee without end,I impartedto the

society a project which I had just conceived. The wine
and other liqaors had^elevated the minds of the com- pany

; but theybecame instantly silent, Hnd listened

attentively to me. It was a new edition of my " The-
atre
"
which 1 wished to speak to them about. I en-
deavored

to he as brief as possible ; but I said enongh

to make my meaning nnderstood. I was applauded
and enconrt^ed, and paper and ink were sent for. The

party was composedof eighteen individuals, without iu-

cluding myself;a subscription-paper was immediately
drawn up; each individual subscribed for ten copies;
and by this mamsuvre I procureda hundred and eighty
subscriptions. This was the originof my Paaquati
edition, of which I have spokenenough in the Prefeee
to these Memoirs. 1 will not exhaust the reader's pa-
tience
further at present, but proceedto communicate
a letter which I received some days afterwards fium
Feraey.

D51z=.JnGOOglC
 CAELO GOLDORI. 339

Perhaps jon may imagine it was from U. de Yul-

tair. In that case yon are mistaken. I have received
several letters irom that great and wonderful tnaa;
but at that Ume I had not the honor to correspond

The letter of which I

speakingwas signedPoin-
Mn

sinet. I knew nothingof him, bnt he announced self

him-
as an author. He spoke of several piecescom*
posed by iiiin for the comic opera at Paris ; he said
he was on a visit to bis friend, at Femey, from wtiom

he had instructjons to mention a nnmber of tilings;

and he requested me to return an answer to him at
Paris.
He wrote to me on the auhjectof a translation of all
my theatricalworks into French, which he had in con-

temptation.He asked bluntly,

me and without any
ceremony, for the manuscripts of my piecesnot yet
and
printed, for the communication of any anecdotes
respectingmyself. I was at firstinduced to believe

myselfhonored in the wish expressedby a Frenub thor,

au-

to enter upontranslation of my works ; but I

a

could not help thinkingbis demands a littlepremature;

and,beingpersonally unacquaintedwith him, I returned
an answer, couched in respectful terms, hut sufficient
to dissuade him from his undertaking.
I infi"rmed M. Poinsinet, that I was engaged iu a
new edition,with corrections and alterations, and that
my pieces were, besideH, fiillof the different Italian di-
alects,
which rendered it almost impossible for a stran-
ger
to eieeute translation of my
a
"
Theatre."
I thought this sufficient: by no means ; for I ceived
re-

a second letterfrom the same author,dated from

Paris I shall expect fVom you, sir,the changes and
:
"

correetions which you propose to make in your new

340 HEMOIfiS OF

edition. Witli respectto the diffi^rentItalian dialects,

do not alarm ; I have a servant
yonrself who baa gone
over all Italy,and can explain them to me lo yoor
eati^"ction." 1 waa very highl; offended at this pro-
posal,
and Buppoeedthat the French anthor was ing
laugh-
at me.* 1 went instantlj'to Count de Baschi, the
French ambaesadur at Venice, and cominunicated to

him the two lettersof M. de Poiasinet,requesting liim

to inform me what sort of a man he was.

I do not recollect what his excellencytold me with

respect to M. Poinsinet,hut he delivered me a letter

which he had received with
despatches from bis the
court This was a very agreeablepiece of news for

me, and I Bhall proceedto give an account of it.

The letter delivered to me hy the French ambassa-
dor
was from M. Zaaazzi, the principal actor of the
Italian theatre at Paris. This man, equallyrespecta-
ble
for his character and hie talents, had carried with

him, into France, the manuscript of my comedy, en- titled

"
Harlequin'sChild Lost and Found." This

piece ho had presentedto his companions, by whom It

waa approved of and acted. It had ^ven giat pleas- ure,

be told me, and had confirmed the reputation

long enjoyed hy my works in that conntry, where a

desire was felt to have me.

M. informed
Zanuzzi, after this introduction, me

that he waaempowered by the principal gentlemen (rf

the king'sbedchamber, intrusted with the regulation
of theatrical entertainments,to offer me an engage-
ment for two years, with an honorable salary.
Count Baschi described to me, at the same time,
the eagerness which the Dulte d'Anmont, the first
tleman
gen-
of the chamber on duty, displayed to procure
me J and he added,that,in case of any ho
diffienhy,
342 UEMOIBS OF

underuke to secure me an establishment at Venice,

either under the title of office or peDsion, I should

prefermy country to the whole uoiveree.

I waa listened to with attention and interest. My
reflections were approved of as just,and my behavior
considered respectful.Every one uutertj"ok to pd-
deavur to satisfy me. Many meetingswere held on
my account; and the followingis the result of them.
In a republican state favore are only granted by a
mfLJorit; of votes. Those who demand them muft
wait a long time before they can be bsUoted ; and
mth reepect to pensions,when there is any competi- tion,
the useful arts are alwayspreferred to agreeable
talents. This was enough to determine me to renounce
all expectations from this qnarter.
I wrote to Parma, and obtained the desired permis-
Bion. With a littleefiiirtI overcame the opposition
of the proprietor of the theatre of St. Luke ; and when
I was at fuD liberty, I engaged with the French bassador,
am-

and wrote in consequence to M. Zanuzzi at

Paris. just,however,that I should allow my
It was hut
actors and their master time to providethemselves with
an author,and I fixed my departuretrom Venic fui
the month of April,1761.
I then set out from Venice
my with
wife and
nephew. On arrivingat Bologna,1 fell sick. I wa
forced composeto
a comic opera, which partook
stronglyof my fever. Fortunately,the opera only
was buried. On recoveringmy health,T continued my
journey. I passed through Modena, where I merely
renewed my power of attorney to my notary on account
of the assignment to my nephew, and next day I set
off for Parma. I passe"leight days in that towa very
agreeably. I had dedicated my new ediUou to the
 CARLO GOLDONI. 843

In"nte Don Philip:I had the honor to presenthim

with the two first volumes; and I kissed their royal
highnesses' hiinds. I theu saw, fur the firsttime,Che
Infante Don Fernando,at that time hereditary prince,
and now reipiingduke. He did me the honor to con- verse

with me, and to congratulate me on my joumey

to France. " You
are very fortunate," said he ; " you
will see the king my grandfather." I augured,from his
gentleness, that this princewould one day turn out the
delight of his subjects ; and I have not been mistaken.
The In"ute Don Fernando is adored by his people, and
the august archduchess, his spouse, has carried the

pnblinfelicity and the gloryof this government to

their utmost heiglit.
I had volumes with me presentto her highness
to
the Princess Henrietta of Modena, Duchess Dowager of
Landgravineof D'Armstadt.
Parma, and latterly The

princess,who resided at Borgo San Domino, between

Parma and Piaceuza,was then at Corte Maggiore,
her country-house.I went several miles out of my
road to pay my court to her. I met with a very
favorable reception,and was honored with comfortable
lodgingsfor myselfand people. We passed three
days there very delightfully. The ladies and gentle-
men
of the court,who were in the habit of actingmy
playson the theatre of the landgravine, were anxious
to treat me with an entertainment ; but the heat was

excessive,and I was desirous of reachingPiaeenza.

On arriving iu that city,we were overpoweredwith
kind attentions and new pleasures.The Marquis
Casati,who was one of my subscribers, expectedme
with impatience. We found everythingwhich we

could wish for in his house ; excellent lodgings, good

The marohionw* and
cheer,and delightful company.
344 HEUOIRS OF

herdaughter-in-law were Htudione in the extreiae to

pleasens ; we renijuned there four days, and we tnuld

hardlyprevut on them to allow ub to pii)cee"i; hut ?we
had lost too much time already,and hail spent no
we

lesa than three inotithe since leavingVcuii'. Not-

withstand
therefore,the insupportableheat, we
were obligedto set out again.
When at Piitcensa, it became neceBsary to choose by
what road I should proceedto France. My wife was
desirous of seeingher relations before we qnitted Italy;
and 1 therefore preferred the road by Genoa tii that of

Turin, for her sake. Wo passed eightdays in a very

gay manner in the native place of my wife; but the
periodof separationwas attended with many sighs and
teal's. It was the more distressing, as onr relations
never expected to see us again. I promisedto return
in two years, but they did not believe me. At last,
amidst adieus,embrae-es, tears,and cries, we einlwtrked
in the felucca of the French courier,and set sail fur
Antihes, steering along the shore whitdi the Italians
call La Riviera di Genova. We were diiven from the
roads by a hurricane,and almost cast away in douhUug
Cape Noli. The unfavorable state of the weather vented
pre-
us from proceeding
on our
voyage. The courier,
who durst not delayhis journey,took a horse,and went
on by land,and exposed himself to the difficultyof
crossingmounttuns stillmore dangerousthan the sea.
For hours
forty-eight every idea of re-embarkingwas
out of the qnealion. The sea stillcontinuing boister-
ous,
I went down to Nice, where the roada were cable.
practi-
I
quittedthe felucca,and soughtfor a carriage.
We fonnd one by chance, which had arrived Ihe day
before. It was the berlin which conveyed to Nice the
femous Mademoiselle Deschauips,on her escape from
 CAKLO GOLDONI. 345

the prisonof Lyons, t was told a part of her Htorj.

I sleptin the room destined for her,iind which she
refused to accept on aewmnt of a hug which she dis-
covered
on entering it. I fotiud the carriagevery com-
fortable;

and I bargainedfur my fare W Lyons, on

condition of beingallowed to go by Marseilles, and to
stay there a few days. The driver belongedto that
in comingto an
country ; so that we had Uttle difficulty
agreement. 1 set out from Nice next day, and crossed
the Var, which separatesFrance from Italy.Here I
reiterated my adieu to my own country, and invoked
the shade of Moli"re to be my guidein that of liis.

D5i,.=.JnGoog
 PART THE THIRD.

I.

enteringthe kingdom of Fraiice,IwaBBoon

rtstruck with the French politeness.I had ex-

M veral disagreeable

the Italian custom-houses

r ircumstances
perienced

at

; but I was visited in

two minutes at the harrier of StLaurent, near the Var,
and mjtrunkswere not rummaged. On arriving ntAnti-
bea,I received uuspeakahle attenion from the command-
ant
of that firontierplace. I wished to show him my

passport. "I can dispensewith that,sir,"said he; "you

are anxiouslyespeetedat Paris,and you must quicken
your journey."I proeeededonwards, and sleptthe first
nightat Vidiauban. Supperwas brought in. We bad nn
soup on the table ; my wife required s"ime, and my nephew
was also desirous of havingit. On calling for it,
we found
that no person takes soup in France in the evening.
My nephew maintained that supper took its name from

Boup, and that consequently there ouglit to be soup at

every supper. The landlord,who understood nothing

of these distinctions, made his bow, and went out-
My young man was correct in the main, and 1 amused

myself in entering on a short dissertation respecting

the etymology of
supper Hud the suppressionof bou|i.
"
The ancients," said I, " made only one meal a day,
 CARLO GOLDONL 347

the cana, which

served up in the ereiuDg ; aud as
was

thisrepaatalwaya began with eoup, the French changed

the word aena into supper. In progress of time luxury
nod gluttoDj mnltipliedthe number of meals; soup
was taken from the supper, and added to the dinner,

and the Ciena is now in France inereifa supper with-

out
soup." My nephew, who kept a little jouraal of
our travels,did not fail lu enter in hi? memorandum-
book this piecof erudition of mine, which, however
whimsical it may appear, is not destitute of truth.
We set out next day fmm Vidauban at an earlyhour,
aud arrived in the eveningat Marseilles. M. Cornet,
the Venetian consul in this town, waited on us without
delay; he offered us apartments in his house, which,
from a sense of delicacy,
we were induced to refuse ;
but, being tormented in the course of the night by the
insupportablevermin which sting and infect at the
same time, we were obligedto accept of the generous
offer of the brother of our good frieudB of Venice.
We enjoyed the sightof Marseilles for sis days. Its
situation is agreeable; it carries on a rich commerce ;
its inhabitants are very amiable,and the port is a mas-
terpiece

of nature and art.

Continuing our journey, we passed through Aiz.

We merely passedin a carriageon the superb prome-
nade
called the Cours ; and we arrived at an earlyhour
at Avignon.
I had been now four months from Venice. Part of
the time I was confined to my bed at Bologna, but I
hadtakenagreaitdeal of amusement since my recovery,
and I began to be afraid lest the slowness of iny jour-
ney
shoold injureme in the minds of those who were

expectingme at Paris. On arrivingat Lyons, I found

a letter from M. Zauuzzi lying there tor me; it was
348 MEMOIBS OF

fuU of reproaches,somewhat keen I mast awn, hnt

not so sharp ab I deserved. Man is an inconceivable
aod indefiDable being. I cannot explainto myself the
motives which sometimes induee me to net againstmj

principles and againstlay interest. With the best in- tention

in the world tn give myself entirely up to
whatever 1 am interested in,I am stopped or turned
from my road by the merest triHea. An innocent
pleasure, a piece of respectful wimplaisance,a feeling
of curiosity, a friendlyadvice,an engagement of little
moment, are none of them to be considered as vicious ;
bat there are cases and circumstances in which ever
what-
withdraws the mind from what it is employed un
may he considereddangerons; and I have never been
able to shut my mind againstyieldingto these seduc-
tions.
I onght to have set out from Lyons the instant
after 1 received that letter;but how could I poewbly

quitone of the most beautiful cities in France without

viewing itt Could I omit visiting those mannfaetnrieB
which supply Europe with their stuffiiand their de- signs
T I lodged in the royalpark,and remained there
ten days; did it requireten days, I may be asked, to
examine what was worth ubservation in Lyonsf No;
but that time was hardly sufficient tfl allow me to

accept all the dinners and suppers which those rieh

manufaeturere vied with each other in giving me. sides,
Be-
I injuredno person. My salarywas not to OMn-
menue till my arrival in Paris ; and supposing the
Italian comedians to he in want of me, 1 was certun

that by activityI should he enabled to indemnify them

on my arrival. But this want was atend ; for,
an

during my journey,the comic opera had been united to

the Italian eoinedy ; the now branch gained ground on
the old ; and the Italians, who were before the support
350 MEMOIHS OF

eoBcb ; let ug Bet out on foot." "

Bat the distance is
"
great." " Never mind ii." Itia hot." "That not
can-

be helped." In fttct,
the heat was this year equal
to that of Italy;but it wiks a circumstance of little
moment for me. I ; I was
onlyfifty-three
waa then
strong,healthy,and vigorous, and curioeity
and impa-
tience
lent me wings.
In crossingthe Boulevards, I had a glimpseof that
vast promenade which snrroundH the city,and afibrda
to passengers the coolness of the shade in summer, and
the heat of the sun in winter. I entered the Palais
Boyal. What crowds ! what an assemblageof people
of every 1
description what a charmingrendezvous !
what a promenade!
delightful But with what a prising
sur-

view my senaes and mind were struck on proachin

ap-
the TuilerieB ! I saw the whole extent of
that immense garden,which hiis nothing to be pared
com-

with it in the universe ; and my eyes were unable

to measure the lengthof it. I hastilyran throughits
alleye,its thickets,its terraces,basins, luid borders. I
have seen very rich gardens,superb buildiogs, and
preciousmonuments ; but nothing can equalthe mag-
nificence
of the Tuileries. On leavingthis enidiant-
ing place I was struck with another spectacle, a ~

maj^ic river,numerous and convenient bridges, vast

quays, crowds of carriages, a perpetu^ tluvng of

people. I was stunued by the noise, fatiguedwith
the distance, and overpoweredby the excessive heat.
I was bathed iu perspirationwithout being awara
of it.
We crossed the Pont Royal, and entered the H8tel
d'Aumont. The duke home. This
was at prindpd
gentleman of the king'sbedchamber,who wm in hu
year of doty,had sent for Paris ; and
me to he received
 CARLO GOLDONI. 351

Tne with kindncsB,and has

always contintied to honor me
with hia favor. It was late,and we had not suffldent
time to pay allthe visitswhich we projected. We called
a coach and drove to Mademoiselle Camilla Veronese's,
where we were expected to dinner. It was ble
impossi-
to l"e more gay and amiable than Mademoiselle
Camilla. She acted waiting-maida in the Italian the-
atre,
and she was the delightof Paris on the stage,
and of every whith
society had the of enjoying
felicity
her wtmpany. We sat down to dinner. The guests
were nnmerous, the dinner and the company
delicious,
amusing. We took coffee at and
table, did not quitit
tiU we went to the theatre.
The Italian theatre was then in the street Man-
conseil. It was the old Hfltel de
Bourgogne, where
MoMre displayed his talents and skill. That I might
have a better opportunity of knowing my Italian ac-
tors,

I took apartments near the theatre; and iu tlint

house I had the good fortune to possess a charming
neighborwhose company has alwaysbeen highlyuse-ful

and agreeableto me. This was Madame Ricco-

boni, who, having renounced the theatre, delighted
Paris with her novels,which for parityof style,deli-
cacy
of images, truth of passion,and the art of inter-
esting
and amusingher readers at the same time,raised
her to a level with whatever was most valuable in
French literature. I
applied to Madame Biccolwni
to give me sorae preliminary account of my Italian
actors. She knew them thoroughly,
and favored me
with a which
description I afterwards discovered to
be perfectly
correct and worthy of her candor and
discretion.
On the oomic-operadays I observed an astonishing
crowd of people,and on other days the house almost
352 MEMOIRS OB

empty. This, however, did not dlarm me. My dear

countrymen onlygave well-known nnil
piece*, outlines
of "a indifferent
description,such as I had rcfortned in
Italy. "I shall give,"said I to myself, "character,
sentiment,plot,management, and style."I cjimuii'
nicftted my ideas to my comedians. Some of them
enconragedme to follow my plan,and others asked
only for farces. The first were lovers who were de-
sirons of writtenpieces; the second,comic actors who,
unsccustoaied to Icam anything by heart,were bitious
am-

of shiningwithout takingthe painsof studying.

I proposedto wait littlebefore commenRing
a iny task.
I demanded four months' time to examine the public
taste, to ascertain the mode of pleasingParis ; and
duringthat nothingbut run abonl, pry into
time I did
everything, and enjoy myself.
Paris is a world of itself; everything
there is on a
large scale,the good and bad both in abundance.
Whether you go to theatres,promenades,or placesof
pleasure,
you find every comer full. Even the churches
are crowded. In a town of
eighthundred thousand
souls there must necessarilybe more of both good and
bad peoplethan anywhere else ; and it rests with our-
selves

to make our choice. The debauchee wiU iind it

and the virtuous man
his passions,
easy to gratify wUt
meet with encouragement in the exercise of his virtues.
I was neither so fortunate as to rank with the latter,
nor so wretched as to give myself up to irregularity
I continued tolive at Paris in my usual manner, "ind
of decent pleasures,
and esteeming worthy and honor-
able
men. Every clay I felt myself more and more

confounded in the ranks,the classes,the manners of

living,and the different modes of thinking. I no
longer knew what I was, what I wished for,or what I
 CARLO GOLDONI. 353

waa Iwcoming. J
quiteabsorbed in the vortex.
waa I
saw the ueceaeity
of returaiug to mifaelf, but I could
find no means of doingso, or rather. I did not attempt
it. Fortunatelyfor me, the court went to Fontaine-
bleau, whither the different actors were obligedto
repair. I followed them with my littlefamily, and I
found, in this delightful
abode, the repose and tran-
quillity
which I had sacrificed to the amusement of the
capital.I every day the royalfamily,
saw the princes
of the blood,the grandees of the kingdom,the French
and foreign ministers, all assembled at the castle, and
was present at the royaldinners ; theyf"illowedthe court
to mass, to the theatre,to hunling-parties, without
embarrassment,constraint,
or confusion.
In the courseof this visitthe Italians gave " Harle-
quin's
Child Lost and Found." This piece, which was
very successfulat Paris,did not meet with the like suc-
cess

at Fontainehleau. It was outline ; the ans

comedi-an

thoughtproper to incorporate
some of the jokesof
the "Cocu imaginaire," which displeasedthe court,
and ruined the piece. This
is the great inconvenience
of comedies of this description. The actor who plays
from his own head speakssometimes at random, spoils
a scene, and damns a piece. I was not attached to
this work ; on the contrary,I have said enough in the
first part of these Memoirs, to prove in how little
estimation I held it; but still I was sorry to see the
first pieceof mine
given at court unsuMessful.
ever

This tronblesome event proved still more strongly

the necessityof givingpieces fullywritten. I returned
to Paris with a firm and determined mind; but I had
not to do with my comedians of Italy
; I was no

longerthe maater at Paris,as L had been in my own

ctv.-.ii,Goo
 HEUOIBS OF

ir.

On to Paris I looked with another eye on

retnrning
that immense city,ita population,its ainusementa, and
its seductions, t bad had time fur and
reflection, to

learn that the confuaiun in which everythingappeared

at first to proceededneither from the nature nor
me

mannere of the people,hut from the curiosity and im-

patjenee to which my giddiness was attributable. I
was obhged frankly to own that it is impoBsihle to

enjoy Paiis, and he amused in it,without a eacrifrce

of either time or tranquillity.I had formed, on my rival,
ar-

loo many ; I proposed

acquaintances to preserve
them, but to enjoy them in moderation ; and I des-
tined

my morningsto labor and the rest of the day to

company. I took apartments at the Palais Jtoyal;

my study looked into the
garden,which was very dif-
ferent
then from what tbe late impnjvementa have
made it,but which possessed peculiarbeauties which
some peoplestiU regret. Notwithstanding my ocn-
pation,I could not avoid bestowinga look every now
and then at that delightfulalleywhich was animatMl
every hour by so many different ohjcets.The fasts
break-
the Caf^ de Foi (the Faith Coffee-Honse)were
at

taken under my window. Peopleof every description

resorted there to repose and refresh themselves. J
overlooked also the famous called the
chestnut-tree,
Tree of Cracow, round which the newsmongers nsed
to flock with their news, and to trenches,camps,
trace

militarypositions,and divide Europe as their "ncy

led them, with their canes on the sand. These untary
vol-
abstractions were sometimes useful to me.

They afforded an agreeablerepose to my mind, and I

retumed to labor with more
my vigoraud more gayety.
 CARLO GOLDONI. 355

I was now preparingfor my d^bftt ; and it was

iucumbecit on me to make my Grat

appearance on the
French stage with some new produptionwhich might
correspond with the opinionof me previously
tained
enter-

by the public. My actors were etilldivided in

opinion. Some persisted of written
in their preference
while others approvedof outlines. A meeting
pieces,
was called on iny account, and at-wbich I was present.
I showed them the indecency of introducing an Huthor
without ; and
dialogue it was agreedthat I should

begin with a, finished piece. I wua now but

satisfied;
I stillforesaw that the actors,who had lost the habit
of gettingtheir characters by heart,without imy mal-
ice
or improper intention on their part,would second
my views very I found myself,there-
imperfectly. fore,
under the
necessityof confining my ideas, and
limitingmyselfto a subject of no great boldness of
conception,that I might not hazard a work which
should require too great accuracy in the execution,
myself with the idea of bringing
flattring them grad-
ually
to the reform wliich I had carried into effect in
Italy.With this view, I composed a comedy in three
"
acts,entitled Paternal
Love ; or, The G-ratefulWait-
ing-Maid."
It had onlyfour representations. I wished
to take my
departureimmediately ; but how could I
leave Paris,which had so fascinated me f My engage-
ment
was for two years, aud I was temptedto remdn
the whole of the period.The most of the Italian
actors asked onlyfor outlines;the publicwere tomed
accus-

to them, the court suffered them, and why

shonld I have refused to complywith the established
practice t "
Well then,"said I, let us compose out-
lines, "

if they will have them ; every sacrifice seems

nothing, every pain seems Bupportahlofor the plcaa-
ure of remwnipg two years in Paris." CiOi^ijIc
356 MEMOIRS OF

It cannot be s^d, however, that my amnaements

preTentedine from discharging

my duty. In the Bpam
of these two years I producedtwenty-fonr
pieces,the
titlesof which,and their fat,are to be found in tbo
"TheatricHl Alinauac" (Almanach des Spectacles).
Eight of these pieceswere successful,
and they cost
mo more labor than if I bad written tbem entirely
out. I could
onlypleaseby interesting situations, and
a comic humor artfully preparedand secured from
the capricesof the actors. I was more successful than
I could have expected ; but whatever was the snccess
of my pieces,I seldom went ti) see them. I preferred
good comedy, and frequented the French theatre for
the sake of amusement and instruction. I had a free
admission the theatre ;
to an honor conferred on me on

my arrival in Paris. This was the more for

flattering
me, asnobody could then have foreseen that I wonld
one of their authors.
day be enrolled in the catalogue
I found this national spectacle equallywell supplied
with tra^c and comic actors. The Parisians spoke
with enthusiasm of their departedactors of celebrity.
It was said that Nature had destroyed the monlds in
which she cast these great men ; but in this they were
mistalien. Nature producesthe mould, the model, and
theoriginalat the same time, and renews tbem at

pleasure.This is the way in all ages: we always

regret the past, and complainof the present, such is
human nature.

The first time I went to the French theatre "The

"
Misanthrope was acted,and the part of Alceste waa
performed by M. Graudval. This very able and very
popular and esteemed actor,havingserved out bis time,
had retired pension. After few years, he
on a a was
seized with a desire of making his tippeanuice aguinon
358 MEMOIRS OF

is stodj,but the Btudy ia concealed by art under the

appearance of nature. I leftthe theatre quite
enchanted.
I wished anxiouslyfor twu either
things, to be able to

compose piecesfor French actors,or to see my country-

men
capableof imitating them. Which would be the
moBt di^cultto realize? Time alone could detennine
this difficulty.
In the mean time I was assiduous in my attendaikce
at the French theatre.
They had given the year be- fore,
"The Father of a Fauiily," by M. Diderot ; a new
and Buceeesful comedy. It was generally said at Paris
that this was an imitation' of the piececomposed by me.
under the same Utle,which was priuted in my works.
I went to it,hut I could perceive no
the theatre to see

resemblance to royplay. The publicwere unj.u8twhen

theyaccused this poet and philosopher of pla^arism,
and this suspicionwas iufused into them by a criticism
in the "LiteraryYear" (Ann^e Litt^raJre).Diderot
produced some years before a comedy entitled "The
Natural Son"; and Freron,in speakingof it in his peri-
odical
work, stated that there was a great resemblance
between the French pieceand " The True Friend " of
M. Goldoni. Freron contrasted the French and Italian

scenes, and both seemed to be derived "um the same

source. In concludingthis article the journalist

served
ob-
that the author of "
The Natural Son" promised
togive " A Father of a Family"; that Goldoni bad also
given a playwith that title; and that it would be seen

whether theywould by chance turn out the same. M.

Diderot was far from beingunder the necessity of cross-
ing

the Alps for comic subjects

to relieve his mind with
after his scientificoccupations. Three
years afterwards
"
be gave The Father of a Family,"which had no re-
?embhince whatever to mine. My protagonist
was a
 CARLO GOLDOm. 359

mild,wiae, and prudentman, whose chsradflr and eon-

dactwere equallyinBtmctlve and exemplary. That of
M. Dideroti on the other hand, was a harsh and Fievere

who pardoned nothing,

fitther, and gave his malediction
to his son. He was one of those wretched beingswho
exist in nature, bat whom I should never have dared to
bringon the stage. I did M. Diderot justice:1 deavored
en-
"
to undeceive those who supposed his Father
Family" to be taken from inine ; but
(if a I said noth-
ing
respectinghis Natural Son." The "
author was

with Freron and ine; he wished

displeased to give vent
to his ra^e, alid to let it tall on one or other of us.
"
The preference
was givento me. He printeda course
Dis-
on Dramatic Poetry,"in which he treated me

somewhat harshly.Goldoni," he said," has

"Charles
written in Italian a comedy,or rather a larce,in three
acts." In another placehe siud," Charles Goldoni has
composed some sixtyfareea." It was easy to aee that
this light
way of treatingme and my works was pressive
ex-

of the consideration in which he held them,

and that he called me Charles GoMoni as we name

Pierre le Bfux in Kosc and Colas. He is the only

French writer who did not honor me with his kindness.
I was vexed to possessedof such distin-
see a manguished
merit prejudiced agfunst me. I did what I
could to have an opportunityof meeting him, not with
the view of complaining of his treatment of me, but to
convince him that I did not deserve his indignation.I
endeavored to procure an introduction to those houses
which he was in the hahit of ; but
frequenting I was

never so fortunate as to fallin with him. At length,

tired of waiting,I called npou him at his own house.
I entered one day, escorted by M. Duni, who was one

of lus friends. After being announced and received,

360 MEMOIKS OF

the Italian muBicifliipresented

me as literary
a man of
his country, desirotis of fonningan aeqnaintance with
those who were at the head of French literature. M.
Diderot endeavored
vainly to conceal the embarrassraent
iuto which he was thrown by my introducer. He could
not, however, shrink from what the rules of politeneEa
and Bocii^y in
prescribed such a caee. We spoke of
different matters, and at laat tlie conversation fell on

dramatic wurks. Diderot honestlyo-ned to me'that

some pieceshad caused
of my him a doalof chagrin;
I courageouslyanswered him that I perceived this.
"
You know, sir,"said he, "
what it is for a man to be
wounded in his most delicate part" "Yes, sir," replied
1,"I am aware of that; I understand you ; but Ihave
"
nothing to reproachmyself with." Come, come,"
said M. Duni, interruptingus, "
these literaryings
bicker-
ought not be carried any
to further;both of you
tinght
to follow Tasso's advice ;

'
Ogni trialamemoria omai si laccia;
E poDfcansiin obblio le andal* cose.'

'
Let no remembrances
disagreeable be recalled ; and letemj-
"
thingpast be buried in obliviun.'

M. Diderot, who understood Italian sufficiently

seemed to subscribe with a good grace to the advice
of the Italian poet; we finished our conversation with

reciprocal
expressions and
of friendship, both M, Duni
and myself partedfrom him very well satisfiedwith
what had taken place.
I have all my life endeavored to make up (o thoss
who had either good or had reasons for
avoidingme ;
and whenever I have succeeded in gainingthe esteem
of a man prfiposseseedagainst me, I have conudered
that day as a day of triumph.
 CARLO GOLDONI. 361

partingfrom M. Diderot,I also took leave of M.

On
Duni, and repairedto a literaryassembly, of which I
was an and where
aeeuciate, I was that day to dine.
This societywas not numerous, as there were but nine
of us : M. de la Place,who edited the " Mercnre de
"
France ; M. de la Garde, who departmentof had the
theatrical criticism in the same work ; M. Saurin,of the
French Academy ; M. Louis,perpetual secretaryof the
Ki"yalChirurgical Academy ; the Abb6 de la Porte,
author of several Uteraryworks; M. Crebilluu, the
younger; M. Pavart,and M. Jouen. The last-mea-
tioned was not distinguished for his talents,
but famous
fur the delicacies of his table. Each member of the
societyreceived in turn the whole of the others in his
hoase, aud gave a dinner to them; and as the sittings
were held on Sundays,they were called Dominical
and we were
ineetjugs, called Dominicals. We had no

other reguhitions
among us than those of goodcompany ;
but itwas agreedthat no women should enter our ings.
meet-
We were aware of their charms,and we dreaded
the soft enticements of the fairsex. Our Dominical
meeting was held one day at the hotel of the Marchion-
ess
de Pompadour, of whom M. de la Garde was the
secretary. We were down
justsitting lo when
dinner,
B carriageentered the court, in which we perceiveda
female. We in
recognized her an actress of the upcrH,
in for her talents,
high estimation and distinguished
for
her wit and amiable behavior in company.
Two of the members went down stairs and escorted
her up to us. On she asked, in
entering, a jocular
manner, to be permittedto dine with us. Could we

refuse her a platef Each of us would have givennp

his own, and I should not have been the hM to do

engaging. In the
this. This lady was- irresistibly
 362 UEMOIBS OF

eouree of the dinner she demanded to be admitted inhi

tbe society
; and she arrangedher peroration
in eo vew

and singular a manner that she was received with

acclamation. During the dessert we looked at the
clock ; it was half past fonr. Our new Bssooiat did
not act that
day, hut she was desirous of going to the
opera ; and the sopietywere almost all disposed to
?

accompany her. The only one who displayedno

eagemesB to go was myself.
"
Ah, M. Italian,"said the lady, laughing,"
yon ate
not fond of French music then V "I possess no great
knowledgeof it,"said I; "
I have never been at the

opera; but I hear a deal of sin^ng wherever I go,

and all the airs only serve to disgustme." "Let
ns see,"said she, "if I can overcome any of your
prejudicesagainstour music." She immediately began
tu sing,and I felt myself delighted and enchanted.
What a charming voice 1 It was not powerful, hut

just,touching,and delightful. I was in ecstasy.

" "
Come," stud she, embrace me, and follow me to

the opera." I embraced her, and went to the opera

accordingly.I was at lengthpresent at this enter-
tainment,

which several persons could bare wished

me to see before everything and
else, which I sbonld

not, perhaps,have seen so soon, if it had not been for

this circumstance. The actresswhom vre had received
into societytook three of our brethren with her
our

into her box, and I seated myselfwith two otheis in

the amphitheatre.This part, which takes up a part
of the theatres in France, is in front of the stage, in
the form of a semicircle,and the seats,which are well
furnished and commodious, are rtuaed in gradations
above one another. This ia the best place in the house
for seeingand
hearing. I was Antented with my situ-
 CARLO GOLDOSI. 363

ation, and I pitiedthe audience in the pit,

who were
?

on thdr feet,itnd cloeiel;

crowded, and who were not

to blame fur their impatience.The orchestra began,

and I fonnd the hannoiiyof the iostniracDts of a su-
perior

kind, and verj accurate in point of execution.

But the overture appearedto me cold and languid: I
was sure it wrs Ramean'a; for I had heard his
not
overtures and ballet mrs in Italy. The action com-
menced;

and, notwithstanding my favorable situation,

I conld ;iotbear a woiil. However, I patiently
waited
for the airs,in the expectationthat I should at least
be amuaed with the music. The dancers made their
appearance, and I imaginedthe act but heard
finished,
not single
aair. I spoke of this to my neighbor,
who
laughedat me, and assured me that we had had six in
the different scenes which 1 had heard. "
What !"
Biud I, '? I deaf; the inslrumenta never
am not ceased

accompanyingthe voices,sometimes more loudly, and

sometimes more slowlythan usual,but I took the whole
for recitative." " Look, look,there is Vestris,"s^d
he, "the most elegant, able,and accomplisheddancer
in Europe." I saw in reality,in a country -dance, this
shepherd of the Arno triumphingover the shepherds
of the Seine ; hut two minutes afterwards three charac-
ters
sang all at the smne time. This was a trio,which
I confounded,perhaps,in the same manner with the
recitative. The firstact then closed.
As nothingtakes place between the acta of the
French opera, they soon began the second act. I
heard the same music, and felt the same weariness.
I gave up altogether the drama and its accompani-
ments, and began Ut examine the entertainment i-aken
as a whole,which 1 thoughtsurprising. The pal
princi-
male and female dancers had arrived at an astonish-
 364 HEMOUiS OF

? and their suite was very noinermis

ingpitchof perfection,
and very elegant.The music of the choruses appeared
to me more Hgreeabletha,n that t"fthe drama. I recog-
nized
the
psalms of Corelli,Biffi,and Cbri. TJie
decorations were superb,the Machines well contrived,
and admirablyexecuted. The dresBea were very rifh,
and the stage was always well filled with people.
Everything
was grand,and magnificent,
beautiful, ei-

cept the muxic. At the end of the drama there was a

sort of chacone sung by an actress who did not appear

among the characters of the drama, and seconded by
the music of the choruses and by dancing- This
mighthave enliveued the piece; but
agreeable eurprise
it was a hymn rather than an air. When the curtain
I was
fell, asked by all my how
ac"|aaintances I liked
the opera. My answer flew from my lipslike light-
ning,
for the eyes, and a hell for the
It is a paradise
"

ears." This insolent and inconsiderate replymade

some laugh,and others torn up their noses. Two

gentlemen belongingto the king'schapelthoughtit

excellent. The author of the musie was not far from

me, and perhapsoverheard what 1 said. I was very

much concerned,for he was a worthyman. Beqniesoot
in pace ! 1 was present some days afterwards at the
of" Castitrand
representation PoUix " ; and the drama,
which was perfectlywell written,and acted with snpc-
rior decorations,
I'oconciled me a littlewith the French
opera. 1 soon perceivedthe difference between the
musicof liaineau and that which had givenmesomnch
displeasure.
I was very intimate with that celebrated
composer, for whose talents and science I had the
highest consideration;but we must be sincere. Ba-
meau distinguishedhimself,and produced* greatrevo-
lution
in France in instrumental music ; but he made
^o essential changes in vocal music.
366 HEMOISS OF

mHintained and proteoted

me ; bat he daogerottBly
was

ill : he took his leave of the court, sinkingnnder ^e

preaenre of his illness,
and went to Geneva to consult
the Tronchin, where he finished hia days,to
famous
the great regret of the lepahlicand the French court,
by both of whom he held in the
highestestimatiun.
was

During this state of indecision a lucky star flew tu

my assistance. 1 became acquainted with Mademoiselle

Sylveatre, reader to the late dauphiness, mother of
Louis XVI. This lady,the daughterof the prindpal
painterof Augustus,King of Poland and Elector of
Saxony,had been employed at Dresden in the educa- tion
of her august mistress,and enjoyedin PVance all
the credit to which her talents and good conduct so
properly entitled her. Mademoiselle Sylvestre,who
knew ItaUan thoroughly,
was well with my
acquainted
works,and being of a kind and obligingdisposition,
took interest in my welfare.
an I had spoken to her
of my attai-hment to Paris, and the regret with which
I should abandon it ; and she engagedto mention me
at court, where my name was not unknown. Eight
days afterwards she sent for me to Versailles,whither
I repaired without delay. I alightedat the king's
small stables (petitesJewries),where Mademoiselle
Sylvestre
lived familywith her relations,
in who were
all in the service cf the royal family. After a moM

gracious, kind,and heartyreception, our first conver-

satiou tenninated followingresult ; and in thU
in the

way an affair of great importance for me was begun

and ended on this fortunate day. The dauphiness
was

acquaintedwith me ; she had seen my pieces repre-

sented
at Dresden ; she caused them to be read to her,
and her reader did not fail to emt"eUish them, and In
throw in and then
now
somethingor other in (a.vatof
 CARLO QOLDONL 367

the author. She tracceedeil so well with her mistresB,

that this princesspromiBedto honor me with her pro-
tection,
and to attach me to the court.
Thedauphiness conlii have wished to employ me in
the instmetion of her children,but they were too yonng

to attempt a foreignlanguage. Thedaughtcrs of Louis

XV. had been taughtthe principles
of the Italian lan-

guagn hy M. Hardion,the king's

librarian at VerNiilles.
They had a relish for Italian literature, and the dan-
phinets,availing herself of this fortunate circumstance,
Bent me to the Duchess of Narbonne, whom she had
prepossessed in my favor,that 1 might he introduced
to Madame Adelaido of France. The Duchess of Nar-
bonne
then attended on her,and is at present a lady
of honor. I had the honor of beingacquaintedwith
the Duchess of Narhonne at the conrt of Panna. She
received hindly,and presented
me me the same day to
her august mistress ; and I was instantlyreceived into
the service of the French princesses. No salarywas
mentioned, and I asked none. I was proud of so hon-
orable
an employment,and sure of the kindness of my

august scholars. I took my departure,therefore,very

well wifh
pleased what had taken place,
and communi-
cated
the adventure to my wife,who knew the value*
of it as well as myself I bade adieu to the Italian
theatre,which waa not, perhaps,sorry at getting rid
of me, and I received with sincere pleasurethe com-
pliments

of all thime who took

interest in my welfare.
an

The Chevalier Gradenigo,

who succeeded M. Tiepolo
as Venetian amhassador, knew better than any other
person the conseqnence lo which such a fortunate event

mightlead. This illnstriouB patrician

was the intimate
friend of the Duke de Choiseul : he recommended me

the head of two of I'

to that minister,who was at
 ~3b8 MEMOIBS OF

most considerable departments, foreignaSairig tmd war,

and who enjoyed,with great justice,
the highestcredit
at the rourt of France, and the utmost cnnsidemiioti
thronghoatthe rest of Eorope. With such an honor-
able
einplojmeutand euch powerful protection,I
ought to have made a brilliant fortune in France. If
I have onlyacquired a very moderate fortune,it has
been my own "ult. I was at court, bnt I was not a

Madame Adelaide was the firstwho took lessons in

the Italian language. I had not yet lodgingsat Ver-sailles
; she Bent a post-chaise fur me ; and it was in
one of those vehicles that I nearlylost my sight, I
was fitolish enough to read ia"tliechaise ; the book I
was then engagedwith was Jean Jacques Btiusseau's
letters from Mountain, and I felt consideraldyin-
the terested
in it. One day I lost all at once the use ";fmy

eyes ; the hook fell out of my hands, and I could not

even see to pickit up. I gave myself up for lost I
still possessed, however, enough of the visual fitcnlty
to enable ine to distinguish the light;I gut out of my
chaise,and proceededto the apartments of Madame
Adelaide,which t entered quite discon"*rted and in
the nlinost agitation. The princessperceivedmy dis-
tress,
and enough to inquirethe cause
was kind of it.
I durst not tell her of my situation ; I hoped I should

.
be able tn discharge my duty in some way or other. I
found my seat in its place,and I seated myselfas usual.
Having discovered the book I was to read,I openedit,

when, 0 heavens ! everything appearedwhite to me.

I was thus at last forced to own misfortune. It ia
my
impossibleto paint the goodness,sensibility, and com-
passion
of this great princess. She sent to her chamhrr
-?
eye-water; she allowed to bathe
me
my eyes ; eho
 CABLO GOLDONt 369

drew the curtjuna in such

way that a a Bnfflpi("nc
of lightto different objectswas
distingnish all thut
remiuned. My eight gradually returned : I Raw but
though I waa enabled to see BiifBcientlj
little, for my

purpose at that time.

the eye-water which It was not

performedthe miracle,hut the kindness of tike princess,

which impartedstrengthto my mind itnd eensee.

I resumed the book, which I found myselfenabled

to read ; but Madame Adelaide would not allow me ti"
do BO. She gave me leave to and
depart, recommended
ine phygidan. In a few days t
to her recovered the
completeuse of my righteye, but I have lost the other
forever. 1 ain thus blind of one eye, a incon-
slight
I'enienre wliich does not give me much uneasiness ;
hut there are caseB in which it heightens
my defects
and adds to my awkwardness. It is at the table
gaming-
that I am most troublesome to others. The
candle placedon my rightside,and if there
mast he
happen to be a ladyin company in the same ment
predica-
with myself, she dares not own it,bnt she con-
eiders my pretensionridiculous, At hrelan, where the
imndles ai-e placedin the middle of the table,I can see
nothing. At whist or tresset, where partners are
changed, I must carry the candle with me. pendently
Inde-
of my defective sight,I possess other sin-
gulariti
; I dread heat in winter,and cold in summer
I must have screens to secure me from the fire, and
an open window in the evening gives me a cold during

the most violent heats, t know not how the ladies

whom I have the honor of knowing can suffer me, and
allow me to draw a card,to be of their party. It is
because they are gooiiand kind,and beeaase 1
play
at all games ; refuse no match ; am not frightenedat
and
deep pliiy, not less amused when I play fi)rsmall
 370 MEMOIRS OF

BQine ; becauBe I am not a bad player,

aud, sotwith-
Btandingmy defects,
am one of the beat-natured men

in company.
After six moDths' service,I got lodgings
in ttiecastle
of Versailleit. I received the apartments destined for
the accoucheur of the dauphiness,whom that princess
could dispensewith, on account of the Ill-health of the
dauphin. In the month of May, of the some year,
1766, the court made a short excursion to Harly. I
accompanied the princesses, and enjoyedthe delightful
situalion of that place. After seeingtliegarden of the
Tuileries and the park of Versailles, I thought thai

nothingwould surpriseme ; but the positionand beau-

ties
of the garden of Marly made such an iinpressiou
on me, that I should have given the to that
preference
enchantingspot, if the remembrance "if the richness
and extent of the others had not regulatedmy parisons.
com-

Those who have seen tliis castle,its gar-

den,
parterre,its compartments, its designs,
itsimmense
and its cascades, will do me
its jets-d'eau, justice;
and the accurate
deecriplionswhich we have of it con-
firm

the judgment of it formed by me.

What adds to the pleasuresand delightsof this rural
abode is the gaming-house. Every pereon whii is
knosvn may enter ; and there are comers for those who

oaunot, or are not disposedto penetrate into the circle.

1 preferred
one of these by-corners,to see for the first
time the arrival of the king and his attendants. It
was a sight. The king entered,accompanied
striking
by the queen, the prinoea,princesses, and the whiile
court, and took his seat at the great table,surrounded
by all that was distinguishedin the kingdom. The
queen made a party that day at cavagnol. The dau-
-'hiness and princesses had different gaming-tables.
 CARLO GOLDONI. 371

They discovered me in my "mer, ftod requested

me to

eome forward, and I saw myself confounded amid the

crowd of
nobtea,ministeni, and magistratea.They
playedlansqueuetat the Ifing's table,where every one
by tiima held the hand. It was said that Louis XV.
was fortunate at play; I waited tillhe held the hank ;
I ventured eix louis-d'ors on my account in favor of the
bank,and I gained. The kingwent out, and the royal
familyfollowed him. The rest of the company remiuned
and played in any way and for any sum they chose. One
ladyremained a day and two nightsat the same table,
orderingchocolate and biscuits,that she might nonrish
at the same time her body and her
passion.
Although pleasurewas the primary object of this
agreeableexcursion,I had my regularhours for labor-
iagwith the One day I was
princesses. met by one of
my august scholars in the passage, as she going
was

to dinner. She looked at me and "

said, By and by"
(d tantdt). Tanioslo, in Italian,means ately";
"immedi-
I
thoughtthe princessmeant to take her les-
8cm on from table ; I remained
rising in wwting with
ns much patience
as my appetite would permit. At
lengththe principal ladyin wailing made me enter at
four o'clock in the afternoon. On opening her hook,
the princessput a question to me, which she was in
the dailyhabit of doing,where I had dined that day-
"
Nowhere, madam," said I. ! you have not "
What
dined t " "
No, madam." "
Are you unwell t" "
No,
" "
madam." Why have yon not dined,thent" cause,
Be-
madam, you did me the honor of sayingA tdntdl
*'
to me." Does not this when
expression, used at two
"
i/ciiick,
mean about four o'clock in the afternoon T
"
Perhaps it may, madam ; but this term in Italian
iuimediately."The princesssmiled,shut her
signifies
 372 MEMOIRS OF

book, and sent me to dinft. There are both French

ntid Italian terms which bear a Tesemblance to one

suothcr, and jet have

quite a different meaning. I
stillfell iut some of these qvi pro quos, nnd T inaj
Bay that the littleFrench I Ininw was acquired by me
duringthe three years I was employed in the service
of the princesses. They read the Italian poets anil
prose writers ; I stammered out a bad translation into
French ; and elegantly,
theyrepeatedit gracefully and
in this exercise the master learned more thiui the
scholar.
On the
to Versailles,
returning health of the dauphin
seemed to be on the recovery. Ho was fond of inuac,
and the dauphinesstooh mre to providesome for bis
amusement. I composed
Italian cantata, which I an

gut set to music by an Italian composer, and I pre- sented

who, in acceptingit,had the
it to that princess,
ftoodness
to invite me to hear it executed in her room

after supper.
I learned on this occasion a pieceof etiquette
of
which I was before ignorant. I entered the apart-
ments
of the
princess nt ten ")'clock at night,and pre-
sented
myselfat the door of the closet of the nobilitj.
The doorkeeperdid not prevent me from entering.
The dauphinand dauphiness were at table,and I look

a convenient station to see them sup. A ladyin wait-

ing
came up to me, and asked if I was entitled to ad-
mission
in the evening. "I do know, madam,"
not

said I, " the difference between admission by day and

in the evening; the princessherself commanded me to

repairto her room after her supper, I have come too

soon, perhaps; I did not know the etiqoette." " Sir,"

repliedthe lady, " there is none for you, yon may main."
re-
I own that iny self-love was not a littlegmli-
374 MEMoma of

trimmed, too uniform,and too remote from the town.

There was a want of society,but everybody was
gloomy like myself. 1 bega,neven to be alarmed foi
uiy health. My melauuholywas gainiDggronnd on me.

rv.
The court had returned
eeareely to Yersailles before
they began to talk of the journey to Fontainebleati.
It was fixed for the 4th of OcioLer ; but the ill-bealtb
of the dauphin rendered it a. matter of uncertainty.
This amiable and
complaisant prince was grievedla
thiuk that the king ehould be deprived of any of his
pleasures,
and that the iuhabitants of Fontainebleao
should lose the which
profits they were in the habit
of the presence of the court and the in-
derivingfrom
fiux of strangers. Whenever Fontainebleau was tioned,
men-

notwithstanding hia illness,he endeavored to

assume a gayety, and to appear in good health. But

1 wus not deceived by this,and there were uumbeis
more who thought as I did. The
jonmey, however,
waa determined on, and c-arriedinto effectaccordingly.
It would unjustand unreasonable to suppose that
be
the king and royalfamily were less interested than
others in the health and tranquilhty of this priuce,iu
whom their happiness was centred; bat it is natural
that those who are most concerned about the tion
preserva-
of any objectshould not see the whole of the dan-
ger,
and they might liave flattered themselves that a

change of air and amusement might contribute to the

health of the patient.
They set out, then,for this castle in the beginning
of October. The situation,aud the pleasures with
which it abounds, rendered this journeydelightfulfor
 CARLO GOLDONI. 375

some dnys. The different theatricftlamuBeinents At

Paris were also exhibited by turns, and the authore
broughtout their new there in preference,
productions
We had theatrical ontertaiiimcntsfour times a week,
and we entered by means of tickets of admission isaued
by the captainof the gnanlaon duty.
In the mldet of our gnyety, our and
pleasnres
amusements, everything changedits appearance before
our visit was half over. The dauphincould no lonf^r
support with indifference the fire which waa nally
inter-

consuming him ; his courage beoaine useless,his

strengthabandoned him ; he was annble to quit his
bed ; there was a generalconsternation ; his disease
made a most alarming progress, anil all the rosuurces

of the facultywere exhausted, They then had course

re-

to prayers, and the Archbishopof Sens,now a

cardinal,went every day in procession, followed by

an immense crowd, to the chapel
of the Virgin, at the
of the
extremity town. They vowed to elevate a ple
tem-

there, if the intercession of the Mother of God

restored the health of the dying prince
; but it was

written in tbe deorees of Providence that he should

now Snish his career; and ho died at Fontainebleau
towards the end of December.
I was in the cnstle at this fatal moment. The loss
was great,and the desolation general. A few minutes
"
after this event took place,I heard The dauphin,
gentlemen!"called out throughout the whole length
of the apartments. 1 was thunderstruck ; I neither
knew what I was nor where I was. This was sioned
occa-

by the Duke de Berry, the eldest sou of the

defunct,who had now become tlie presumptiveheir of
the crown, mating his appearance, bathed in tears, for
the sake of consolingthe afflictedpeople. This viw'
376 MEMOIRS OF

which wae to have ended in the middle of November,

was prolongedto the end of the jrear. All vere eager
to leave the place; I participatedin the general feel-
ing
; hnt I gave way to thoee whose serrice was more

neceeeary, and set out the ket of alt. This year was

in"dement.
eiceedingly A great deal of snow and
fell,
the roads were covered with ice. The horses could
not keep their footing
; and I tooii two days and one

night in performinga joamey which in generaldoes

not occupy more than seven hours.
On arriving I was
at YerBailleB, visited by
instantly
a servant of the keeperof the castle,
who, in the name
of hiBinastiT,demanded key of the my apartments from
me. On the death,the
dauphin's office of accoucheur
to the
dauphineesbecame necessarilysuppressed; that
princss had no longerany right to dispose of the
apartments ; I could therefore enjoy them, and
not

they were apparently

destined for some person of jnore
consequence than myself. I deemed itimproper to
enter into any conversation on the suhjectwith the
man who delivered the message to me, and I sent him

away with an answer that I was in want of tvst I

turned the suhjectover in my miud duringthe night,
I thought,in the present distressing
and, on reflection,
circumstances of the court, it would be indecent in
me prefercnmphiinteor to demand
to protection. 1
therefore took lodgingsat once in the town, and

gave up the key of my apartments. Italian was iio

longerthought of by the princesses: however, I duist

not remove from Versailles ; my finances were in s

wretched state ; I had received an order for a hundred

louis-d'orson the royaltreasury; bnt this was the only
tiung I had ever received. I was in want of every-
thing,
but durst demand nothing.
 CARLO GOLDONI. 377

I Baw m; aagast Hcholars "om time to time, and

they stilllooked on me with but
kinduesa, I no longer
labored with thera. I knew nut how to make my
situation known to them, and the princeBBes
were too
diatressed themselves to think of me. My Italian rev-
enues

came but slowlyiu; my triend SciugUagalent

me a hundred sequins,and fur a time
I waited patiently
when trouble should giveplace to serenity.
But the diBtreaa was not yet at an end ; one misfor-
tane aucceeded ajiother. The dauphiucissfells victim
to her and
grief, was buried in the same grave with her
husband. The death of the King of Poland, father to
the Queen of Prance, happened some time afterwards,
and that of his august daughter filled up the measure
of public affliction. Could I
approach the princesses
to speak of my own situation T No; and Ihoogh I
could have done so, my heart would not have allowed
me ; I entertained too much and
respectfor their grief,
I had too high a confidence in their gixidness, not to
bear sufferings
raj in silence. I measured my desires
by my means, and with the exceptionof the hundred
Bei^uinswhich I owed to a friend,I was in debt to
nobody. The dark clouds began at lengthto dissipate.
The mournings were over, and the court gradually
resumed ita former amenity. The princessca had the
goodness to send for me. I received a present of a

hundred louis-d'ors in a box of wrought gold,and a

settled provisionfor me was mentioned. The cesses
prin-
demanded for me the titles and emoluments of
Italian instructor for the royalfamily. The minister
of Paris and of the court objectedto this,which, he
said,would be a new otBce at court, and a new burden
on the state. I could have demanded a thousand

things, but I demanded nothing,and continued tc-

378 MEMOIRS OF

serve, to want, and to hope. Three yean elapeed

before my august protectressesoonM proeon me mi

annual inaitne.
They sent for the miuister. " We do not want,"
said they, " to create a new office for a man who has

yet to serve, but to recompense a man who has already

served." They demanded six thousand livres a year
"
for mo. The minister said It whs too much. I dare
say," said he, " M. Goldoni wiU be contented with four
thousand francs." The took him
princesses at his
word, and the af^tir was concluded.
instantly I was

satisfied. 1 went to return my thanks to the princesses,

who were still more satisfied than myself; and they
had the goodness to assure me,that,in one way or

other,I should have all their nephews and nieces for

scholars,and that the salarywhich I had ohttuned was

but the commencement of the "vora which they hoped

I should one day enjoy. If I have not by this
profited
"vor, it has been my fault ; I was
own ill skilled in

asking; I was at court, but I was not a courtier. The

firsttime my order was paid at the royal treasury,I

only received thirty-ais hundred livres,four hundred
beingretained for the tai of the twentieth. On speak-
ing,
perhaps,I should have obtained an exception
from this doty. I said nothing, however, and things
have always remained on their own footing.
My income was not very considerable, but I must be
just. What had I done to merit it T I had quitted
Italyfor France. The
Italian theatre did not suit rae,
and my return to Venice was open to me. I became
attached,however, to the French nation ; three years
of an easy, honorable,and agreeable service procured
me the pleasure of remainingthere. Had I not rpason
to believe myself fortunate T And had I not reason to
 CARLO GOLDONI. 379

be Batiafiedl Besides,the priacessea

told me I should
have their nephews for scholars; there were three
princesand What
priacesaeH.
two happy prospects!
What well-founded hopes! Was this not ononghto
gatis^?
my ambition T Why should I have solicited
for offices or commissions to which the natives had s,

better rightthan a strangerT I have never demanded

any favors either for myself or my nephew, but nnder
circumsttuices when an Italian was entitled to be pre-
ferred
to a Frenchman. As soon as my income was

fixed,
the princesses
gave over the and
Italian, ployed
em-

in other studies the hours formerly destined to

me. I was now at Uberty1o go where I pleased, and
I had ft wish to return to Paris; but I amused myself
well
tolerably at and I remained there some
Versailles,
time longer. It is generallysaid at Paris that a Ver-
sailles
that peoplegrow weary there,
life is very dull,
and know not what to do with themselves. 1 oau
prove the contrary ; those who are discontented with
their situation will find every placewearisome ; those
'

who take a delight

in their occupation
will find them-
selves
as comfortable at Versailles as anywhere else;
and those who have
nothingto do may employ their
morningsusefullyor a^eeably iu the castle, the pub-
lic
and in the parh,and may everywherefind
offices,
interestingobjectsand varietyof pleflsure.
I returned to settle at Paris,hut I stillkeptone foot
fast at Versailles. It
interest to pay my court
was my
to my august protectresses,and to see whether the
Italian literature and languagecould gain any partisans
among the young princesand princesses.The study
Innguagesis not considered one of the
of foreign sary
neces-

branches of education at the court of France, bnt

as an lunusement conceded to those who are deeiroDS
380 MEMOIRS OF

of it,andcapableof profiling
by it. One of the three
princesonl;seemed duipoaedto lean Italian,and the
AbbS de Landonviller,of the French Academ j, bad the
care of him. The abb^ employed his mode of taeh-

ing languages which he publishedin 1768; he eais-

ceeded admirably,anS the princemade an astonishing
progreee.
''
I endeavored to translate some scenes of wy tre,"
Thea-
bnt I have never been able to relish translations,
and
labor disgusting
seems to me, without the
ever charm
of imagination.Several persons appliedto me for
permission lo translate my comedies under my eyes,
agreeablyto my opinions,and on condiljon of sharing
the profit.Since my arrival in France np to the pres-
ent
day, a singleyear has never passedin which two
or more translators have not made such a proposition
to me. On my arrival in Paris, I even found one son
per-
who bad the exclusive privilege of trauslating
me,
and had
publishedsome of his translations. I endeav-
ored
to disgustall of them with an undertakingof
which they knew not the difScuIties.

On arriving in Paris,1 did not think I should fix

my residence there ; but havingdeddcd on remaning,

it became necessary to endeavor to procure some tion
situa-
for my brother's son, whom I loved as if he were

my own. He was kind and docile ; ho had gone

through his studies at Venice ; he was fit for some

good employment ; I was not rich enough to purchaso

an office for him, and I wished to avoid, if possible,
the unpleasantcircumstance of
enteringinto competi-
tion
for favors with the French. There was a pro-
382 MEMOIRS OF

been th^re twenty-two months "xinderable changes

were tiiadein the MibtarySchool ; the hnmaBityclasses
were transferred to the collegeof La Flfche, and the
Italian class was altogethersuppressed.This was not

owing to the who was

fault of the professor, pensed
recom-

with a peusion of six hundred francs.

I was told thnt the Duke de Choisenl was aware of
these projected changeswhen he gave the placeto my
nephew, and that he conferred on as an employment
which would be suppressed, for the sake of procuring
us this littlefavor. This minister, considering
me He

under the protection of the prinrcsses,manifested great

liiudnesa for me ; he did me the honor to tell me, when
I called on him to return him my thanks : "Your
nephew's aflairs are now good way ; how are your
in a

own VI answered him,I enjoyedan income of thirty-

six hundred livreg per annum. He began to kngh.
" "
This is no income," said he ; we must have thing
some-

else for you ; we must take care of yon." I have

never, however, had anythingfurther;but this is my
own fault ; I must return to the burden of my song :

I was at court, but not a courtier.

My nephew, who was any employnq^nt,
without
labored with me till somethingelse should turn np.
The maxim which I had adopted,and with which I
had him, never
inspired to mix in the herd of tors,
competi-
rendered success more difficult. I was intjinate
at Versailles with M. Genet, the head and director of
the office for to which he gave a new
translation, form
and a solid consiatencj,and which was placedentirely
under his control. This respectable who divided
father,
his time between the duties of his officeand the edo^A-
tion of his children,
recollecting
that I had once done
him a slightservice,took an opportunityof lecom-
 CAELO GOLDOKI. 383

pendingme for it. Since the of Corsica

ttcquieitioD m

ofBoe had been established at Veiaillti for the afiiura

of that island,and an well seqaainred
interpreter with
the two languageswas wanted. The gentlemnnat the
head of this officeappliedto M. Genet to procure oae

for him; my worthy friend,mindful of me, proponed

uy nephew, who was accepted and iutrodueed without

nuy difficulty.This young man seemed destined to

encounter nothingbut reforms and Euppreseions. Th^
office for Corsica was abolished shortlyafterwards ;
the afeirs of finance were given to the comptroller-
and
general, the civiladministration was transferred to
?fliewar department. The interpreter
was transferred
there. This
inspectionwas annexed to the office of

M. secretary for controverted affairs.

Campi, principal
My nephew endeavors to render himself useful ; he is
fortunate pleasehis superiors,
enough to from whom
ho has received various proofsof ItindneBa. If my
journey to France had been productive of no other ad-
vantage
than that of settling
this dear yoD^, I should
stillbe pleased with havingundertaken it.
I was attached to France from and
inelination, I

bec^e stillmore stronglyso throughgratitude. Tho

Chevalier Gradenigo,the Venetian ambassador, not-
withstandin

his anxietyfor my acceptingthe propoei-

tions of hia conntrymen, could not but approve of my
resistance, and undertook to justify
ine with his friends
and my protectors. This minister's commission wae

nearlyat an end ; the embassies of the republiclast

only four years. M. Gradenigowas beloved by the
court and
ministry of France, who were dearous that
he should remain some time longer. The king was
even disposedto apply for his stay, and the minister
for that pnrpoee.
had a courier in readtaess to despatcli
384 MEMOIRS OF

The ambassador feltthe utinost respect and gratitude

for Iheee marks of honor,hut he could not give,his
conBent ; the laws of the republic
are immutahle ; the
successor was on his way ; M. Gradenigo had therefore
no option,and was obligedto set out, and the prepitra-
tions for his audience of leave were far advanced. The
Duke de Choiseal, minister for
deemed
foreignaffairs,
this ceremony troublesome, and entirely
costly, useless,
And the king was of the same opinion. M. Gradenigo
was installed akoight or chevalier by his majestywith-
out
the usual pomp, and he paidhis visits to the royal
familyand the princesof the blood as a privateindi-
vidual.
This is the era of the suppressionof public
audiences for ordinary
ambafsadorB.
This ambassador was succeeded hy the Chevalier
Sebaatian Mocenigo,who Spain, wnilher
came from
he was despatched
on his first embassy by the republic
of Venice. He was of a very illustrious,ancient,and
rich family; he was clever,intelligent,
amiable,a good
musician,and sang charmingly.But he eTperienced
some thingsof an unpleasantnature, which he did not
perhapsdeserve.
I was invited to London, the onlyphw* in Europe
which can dispute precedencywith Paris,and I should
have liked to see it; but I heard great marriages
talked of at
Versailles,and as I had been at all the
funerals of the court,I wished not to be absent in a

time of rejoicing.Besides,I was not asked for by the

King of England,but by the managers of the opera,
who were anxious to attach me to it. I endeavored,
however, to turn the favorable opinionwhich they en-
tertained
of to some I
me account ; asrignedgood rea-
sons

by
way of excuse, and I ofi'eredthem
my services
on condition of remainingin France.
My proposition
 CARLO GOLDONI. 385

was accepted. They aslied mo for ooinic opera,

a new

and employed me to arrange all the old dramas which

the; bad adopted for the current year. They said
nothiDgrespecting
my Tecompense, and I did not tion
men-

it. I appliedmyselfto the English work ; the

were satisfied with me ; I was highlypleasedwith
their return. This coirespondencowas oontinned for
several years, and an end was not put to it tillthe
directors were succeeded by others,on which occasion
I received an unequivocalmark of their satisfaction,
sm

they pwd me for an opera which it was for

imposaible
them then to use. This direction was in the hands
of women, and women are amiable in
every country.
The most agreeableand finished work which I sent
to them was, in my opinion,
a comic opera, entitled
"
"
Victorina ; and 1 received from London compliments
and thanks without end on account of it. M. Piocini,
who set it to music,wrote to me from Naples that he
never read a comic drama from which he derived so

much pleasure.The however, did not cor-

success,
respond

with the preposseaaionof the directors or my

Sometimes I see seeminglydestitute

bagatelles, of
meaning, estolled to the skiea ; and at other times
well-written pieces fail,because the subject is too
melancholy for tears, or not sufficiently
gay to elicit
laughter. What are the precepts of the comic opera f
What are its rules T It has none. All is done by rou-
tine

: I know from experience,and ought to he lieved

be-
: experto crede Boberto. Shall I be told that
the Italian comic operas are mere farces,unworthy of
being put in comparison with the poems which go by
that name in France f Let those who know the Ital-
ian

language give themselves the trouble of goin^

 386 MEMOIHS OF

over the eiz volumes which contain the txtUec"m at

iny works of this nature, and they will see, perhaps,

and the etylcare not so contemptible.
that the Bubjects
They are not, it is true, good dramas, but they are
capableof being made bo. I never thoughtof com-
posing

any from taste or dioice,and I never labored

un them but from motives of complaissnco
or interest.
1/When we possessedof talents,
are we must tun thera
to some account ; a historypsinterwill ,not revise to
draw a baboon,if he be wdl paidfor it. ,

The Italian theatre is as fortunate in actors as

authors, aud all are well treated and well recompensed.

The p*"elsand musicians enjoy the ninth of the ceipts
re-

for a pieceof five or three acts,the twelfth (or

a pieceof two acts, aud the eighteenth for a pieceof
one act; besides,two annual pensions have been es- tablished

at the Italian theatre,one for the author of

the words, and another for the author of the music
of the greatest merit. At this theatre authors enjoy
another considerable
advantagie; they never lose the
right to their pieces; they always enjoy the fixed
share; they givetickets gratis
for every representation
of their works ; and the pieces which have not been
refused by the publicare placedin the repertory of
the week, theynever
so fftlL In consequence
that of
these advantages, I have been more than once tempted
to yieldto the solicitations of several musicians,who

frequently,very frequently, almost every day indeed,

asked me for some work for the comic opera; after
much thinking,revising,and thoroughlyexamining,
I imagined I had fallen upon the routine necessary to
please the French, and I composed a small pieceia
two acts, called the "
Bouillotte." This word is not
to be found in any dictionary,
but it is well known at
 CARLO GOLDONI. 387

Faiia ; it is a game at cards,a brelan at five,tlietrieliB

of which are neither fixed nor marlted. He who loses
his strike goes out and is succeeded by another; in
these parties of bouillotte there are three
geDerally or

four persons, who do

play at first,who
not wait for
the going out of the unfortunate before they begin
playing,and all go out suucessfulty. This perpetual
movement, and the number of peopleinterested in the
saige game, occasion a sort of agitation or boiling
(bouillonnement) which has given rise to the name
" "
bouillotte.
So long Hs notliiagmore than
dialoguewas neces-
sary,

I succeeded tolerablywell ; and I thought I

might venture my pro^ on a tlieatre where the public
are indulgentto strangers. But in a comic opera airs
were necessary, and good music requiredgood poetry.
I knew the mechanism of French versification. 1 had
Bunnouuted all the ditficulties
which a foreign
ear must
and
experience, I had selected good models for imita-
tion.
I set myself to work, and composed couplets,
whole
quatrains, airs ; and after all tliepains taken by

Rie, I saw that my Muse iu a French dress had not

that lire, that grace and which an author ac-
facility, quires

in his youth,and brings to perfectionin his

mature years. I became sensible of my imperfections,
and gave np worli; and 1 renounced forever the
my
channs of French poetry. 1 might have confided my
subjectto some one who would have perhapstaken
the charge of the versification ; but then to whom
could I apply? An author of the first rank would
have changed my plan,and an inferior author would
have spoiled
it. Besides, it was a triflewhich I did
not care much for,and I soon forgotit. I found it in
the lummnging whieli my Memoirs
among, my papers
388 MEMOIRS OF

occaaion inako; and aa I coininnnicate all my

me to

productions
to my readers,I make it a point of con-
edoiice not to conceal this aboition. If any of my
readerB deem this subjectworthy of hie attentiou,I
leave him
full power to do with it what he pleaaee ;
and if he will have the goodnessto consult me, I shall
tellhim Biucerely my opinion,even at the risk of dis-
pleasin
him, which haB happened to me more than
once under similar cjrcumstances.
Beware, my friends,
of those young people,those inferior authors, who
come to consult yoQ. They do not want your advic,
hut compliments and applauses. If yon endeavor to
correct them, you wOl soon see with what ohstinacy
they maintain their opinions, and what a coloringthey
give tu their faults;and if you persist,they at last
conclude you to be a fool.

VI.
I alreadyannounced
HAVE that preparations for
great marriages
were making at court in the year 1770,
a time when the Archduchess of Austria, Marie An-
toinette
Lon'aine,came
of as a dauphiness to fill this

kingdom with joy,glory, and hope. By the qualities

of her head and her heart,she gwned the esteem of the

king,the affection of her husband, the friendship of

the royal family,and by her beneflcenee she merited
the public admiration. This virtue, which in oar
days has become the rulingpassion of Frenchmen,
seems to have excited an emulation in souls possesaed
of from
sensibility the example set by that august
princess.
These nuptialswere celebrated with a pomp worthy
of the grandson of the French monarch and the dangli-
 390 MEMOIRS OT.

" "
l#merity ta not too strong on this occasion ; for miut
it out bo regarded in this light,
that 1, a atmnger, who
had ucver set foot in France tillthe age of fifty-thre,
'with inerelfa confused and superficial
knowledgeof
that luDguege,should ventui'e, ttft^ra lapse of aioe
yean, to ooinpoee " yieee for the principal
theatre of
the nation t Yoti are aware, I suppose, my reader,that
I speaking of "The
am Surly BeDefactor" (Bomru
Benif^sant),a fortunate piece, which crowned my
labors,and set the seal to my reputation.
'
It given for tbo firsttime at Paris on the 4th of
was

November, 1771, and next day at Fonlainebleau ; and

It had the same success at the court and in the city.
1 receive*! of one
grtitification
a hundred and fifty
loula-d'ors from the king,and my rightof anthorshi}"
liruugbt
me in a handsome sum at Paris. My seller
book-
trcjued me with great and I was
liberabty, powered
over-

with and joy. I tell the

honor, pleasure,
truth, iind make no concealment; false modesty is as
odious in my eyes as vanity. I will not attempt any
extracts from a comedy which is everywhereacted,
and everybody's
in hands.
My comedy could not have been more successful.
I bad been fortunate enough to find in nature a acter
char-

every day to be rnet with,which, however, had

of ancient
escapedthe vigilance and modem authors.
They imagined,perhaps,that a rude and surly indi-
vidual,
from the inconvenience which he occasions to

society,would disgustingon the stage ; and, con-

be sidering

the character in this point of view, theyhave

actd wisely in not bringingit forward, I should
have followed their example, had other views not
inspiredme with the hope of turningit to accounL
The beneficence constitutes tiio principal of my
object.
 CiELO GOLDONI. 391

; and t"e vivacity

'pieee of tbo beiicficontmdividual fur-
uishes the comic humor which
inseparable is
from
comedy. Beneficence is a virtue of the soul; rough-
ness
is but a constitutionaldefect ; both are compatible
in the same subject; on thesa principles I fonned my
plan,and the eeneibility of my prota^nist was what
alone rendered him supportable.
On the first representation of my comedy, I con- cealed

myself,as I had alwaysdone in Italy,behind

the curtain ; I nothing,hut I heard my aetors and
saw

the applausesof the public

; I stalked backwards nnd
forwards duringthe whole time "ifthe play,quicken-
ing
my stops in passages of interest and passion,sat'
isfied with the actors, and echoingthe applausesof
the public.At the conclusion of the play I heard
of hands
clapping and shouts of applausewithout end-
M. Dauberval, who was to eouduct me to Funtaine-
bleau,arrived. 1 imaginedhe came to urge my de-
parturo; but he came for a very different purpose.
"Come, sir,"said he, "you must exhibit yourself."
"Exhibit myself! to whom!" "To the puWie,
which calls for you." "No,
friend, let us take
IM), our
"
with all expedition
departure ; I could not support

Here M. le Kain and M. Brizard laid hold of me, and

draggedme on the stage. I had seen authors undergo
a similar ccrcinuny with courage; but I was not accns-
tomed to it. In Italy poets are not called to appear
on the stage fur the purpose of being complimented
by the audience; I winld not conceive how a man
could,as it were, say tacitly to the spectators,
"Hero
I ain, gentlemen, ready for your applaose."
After for
supporting several seconds a situation of
the greatestconstraint and singularity,I at last retired
and crossed the stage, to gain the coach which war
392 MEMonts OF

in waitingfur me.. I met numbers of penple who

were seekingme. I distinguisbed no one; I 80oin'
paniedm; guide,and entered the coach,in which m;
wife and nephew were alreadyseated. At the Buccese
of my piecethej wept for joy, and at the aceount nf

my appearani* on tlie stage theywere readyt die of

laughter.I was fatigued, and required come repoM ;
I wanted sleep; my soul was SHtisfied and my mind
tranquil; I should have paaseda happy nightin bed,
hut in the carriageI closed my eyes and was awaked
again every moment by the joptling. Id short,aAer
a good deal of dozing, talking, and yawning,I anived
at Fontainehleau, where I immediatelywent to bed.
After dining,and a short walk, I repaired tu tbe castle
to witness the representation of my piece,and kept
alwayB behind the curtain.
I have spoken of its success at conrt. It was not

allowable at that time to applaud in presence of the

king; hut it was easy to see, from the movement and
the of the speetatore,the effect which
eountenances
the piece produced on them. Next day the Marshal
de Durafi did me the honor to present me privately to
thekingin his closet. His inajeslyand all tbe myal
familybesU."wed on me fresh proofsof their usual erality.
lib-
I returned to Paris to witness the second
of my
representation piece. That day several symp-
toms
of ill-humor were exhibited in the pit. I was

in my usual place. M. Feuilli came down and told

me not to be uneasy, for it was nothing but a calial.
"
What !" said I, " there was nothingof this kind at
the firstrepresentation." "
Those who are now ous
jeal-
were not then afraid of you," said the actor "
they
;
laughedat the idea of a foreigner
attemptingto write
ft French comedy, and the cabal then organ-
was not
 -
CARLO GOiDONI. 393

l?*d ; but yon have nothing to fear," added he, " the
blow has tHiken effect,
and your success is certain." In
the piece met
reality, with increasingBuccess tillthe
twelAh representation,when it was withdrawn by the
actors and myself,fur the sake of reproducing it in a
mure advantageousscaaon.

ray play,but
Nobody Biud anythingagainst it was
the subjectof mnch conversation. Some siud it was
a piece of my Itiiliuntheatre;others thouglit
I bad
written it in Italian and translated it into French.
The collection of my works may convince the former
of the contrary,and I shall now proceedto undeceive
the latter, if there stJllbe any who retain that opinion.
I not only composed my piece in French, but I
thoughtin the French manner when engaged in it.
It has the stamp of its origin in the thoughts, in the
iinngeiy, in the manner, and in the style.
I wrote then and conceived this piecein French,
but I was not so bold as to produceit without con-

suitingpersons capableof affordingme both correc- tion

and instruction. I even availed myself of their

opinions.
Nearlyabout this time M. Rousseau,of Geneva,re-
turned

t^ Paris. Every person was eager to see him,

but he was not visible to all. I knew him only by
bnt
reputation, I had a strong desire to converse with
him, and would gladlyhave shown my pieceto a man

so well with
acquainted the French literatureand guage.
lan-

It wasnecessary to inform him to insure

beforehand,
a favorable reception ; I therefore adoptedthe resolu-
tion
of
writingto him, and expressingmy desii'eto
form an acquaintance with him. He returned very
a

politeanswer, iufwmingme that ho never lefthis homf

394 MEMOIRS OF*'

or anywhere,but that, if I would give myselfthe

went

trouble to climb four pairof stairs in the Hotel PlatrSire,

in the street PUtriSre, it would be doing him a great
pleasure.I acceptedthe invitation, and called on him
a few days afterwards.
I will here give an account of my conTersatiim
with the citizen of Geneva. The resnU is not, indeed,
very ; iny piecewas
interesting only mentioned dentally,
inci-
and without alludingto any consequences;
but I avail myselfof this opportunity of mentioning
this extraordinaryman, who possessed talents of the

very highestorder,with incredible and

prejudices weak-

I ascended to the fourth story of the house he de-

Bciibcd. On knocking,the door was opened by a

woman who was neither young nor pretty nor pre-

"
I asked if M. Ronssean wa at home. He 19, and
he is not,"said the woman, whom at most I took "r
his housekeeper, and who asked my name. On giving
it,she said, " You were expected, sir ; and I shall
instantlyannounce you to my hucband." On entering a

moment afterwards,I discovered the author of "fimile"'

busied in copying music. This I was previouslyin-
formed
of,and 1 saw it with
indignation.He silent
received me in a frank and firicndlymanner, and aa he
"
rose he held out some sheets to me, and said, See,wr,
if anybody can copy music like me ; I defyany one to
show anything from the press divided as beautifully
and exactlyas I do it ; come, let us warm onreelves,"
he continued, and with one step we were close to the
fire.
The fire was low, and he demanded fresh wood,
which was brought in by Madame Rousseau. I rose
 .
CARLO GOLDONL 395

and" offered my chair to her. "Do not diHfnrh yonr-

eelf,"said the husband," my wife has her concerns tu

attend to."
My heart was grievedto see a man of letters emr
,

plo'yed
as and his wife actingas
a copyist, a servant.
It WH8 a for me,
ptunfulspectacle and I culd neither
conceal my astonishment nor my puio,though I said
nothing. As he
wanting in penetraUon,he was not

perceivedthat something was passingin my mind; he

questionedme, and I was forced to tell him the cause
of my silence and airtouishment.
"
What! he, " you pityme because I am em-
"
said ployed

in copying1 You imaginethat I should be

bcttr employed in composingbooks for peopleIncapa-:
ble of readingthem, and supplying articlesto unprinci--
T Vou
pledjournalists are mistaken ; I am passionately
fond of music; I copy from excellent this
originals;
enables me and
to live, serves lo amuSe me ; and what
more should I have J But what are you yoorself
" "
doing T continued he. You came to France to la-
bor
for the Italian comedians, who are lazy fellows
and do not your pieces. Eetum
want a^in to your
own country ; I know that you are wished for,
that you
"
are expected

"Sir," said I, interrupting

him, "you are in the
right
; I have quittedParis in consequence of
oughtto
the carelessness of the Italian actors, but other views
have detained me. I have been
composinga piece in
"
French." You have composeda piecein French t"
said he, with an air of astonishment,"and what do
you mean to do with itf" "Give it to the theatre."
"To what theatre T" "To the French Theatre."
"
You were reproaching
me just now with losingmy
tame, but you seem to be losingyours without uiy
 396 HEMOIBS 0?

benefit whatever," "My piece is received." "la it

possiblet I rnn not, however, astonished at it ; the
actors are destituteeven of common -sense theyrefieive
;
and rejectinorelfat random; it is received,perhaps,
but it will not be acted ; and so much the worse for

you if it be played.""How can you form any judgment

of a piece with which you are nnacqnaintedf " "I
know the taste of both the Italiane and the French;
theyam too and, with
dissimilar, yourpermisBian,
your
Age is not the time to l"e^uto write and to compose in a
foreign langnage." " Your reflections are just,sir,but
these difficultiesmny be sunnoiinted. I confided my
work to men of abilities and theairical experience,who
appearedsatiBfiedwith They merelyflatter and
it.'' "

deceive you ; yon will be their dupe. Show me your

piece; i am sincere and honest,and will tell you the
tnith."
This precisely
waswhat T was aimingat^ not for the
sake of consulting him, hut t) see whether he would
persist,after readingmy piece,in his want of confidence
ID me. The manuscriptwas iu the hands of the
copyist of the Frpnch Theatre, and I promised to M.
KouRseau that he should have a sightof it as soon

as it was returned to me. My intention was to keep

word with him, and I shall explnjnwhy I did not
my
do HO.

There appeared,about three years ago, a book en-

titled
"
The Confessions of J. J. Gouasean, citizen of
Geneva, containing anecdotes of his life,written by
himself." In this work he does not spare himself; he
even advances singularitieswith respect to bimeelf
which might be injuriousto him if his celebrity
did not
elevate him above criticism. But I am acquaintedwith
which happened to him in the latter
398 MEMOIRS OF

other,but yoa mnet eup with me,'Or the readingthiH

not take place. The only cooceseion I can make,"
he added, ''is to allow jnii to briug a bottle of ;uur
wine, for they give me very had wine where I am
lodged,"
The complaisant Frenobman agreed to eveiTthing',
but be
unfortunately was too kind,Uto polite,having
Bent a basket with six buttles of excellent wino and ax

bottles of Malaga. This surprise

put the Gencvese in
iU-humur. When the Frenchman arrived,he was

not backward in it,and

perceiving asked some nation.
expla-
"Wo two," said Bonsaeau, "cannot drink
twelve bottles of wiue ; I have taken one from
your
baaket, which is
enough for a moderate supper ; send
back the remiuuder instantly,or yon shall not sup with

The threat was not very alarming,but it was the

reading which interested the guest; his servant was

at hand, and he gave him the basket to carry back.

Eousseau was satisfied, and began first to read. The
sendingback the wine was attended with much loss of
time ; they were interrupted
by Madame Bousseau,
who the table for the popper ; they could have
wanted
read without a table,hut the supper was served up in-
stantly
It consisted of a and
pallet a salad,and ing
noth-
more. Whon the supper was over, it was M 'a
turn to read ; he read a chapter,which was applauded
as very good ; he read a second,and M. Bonsseau rose,
and walked backwards and forwards with a disccai'
tented and air.
displeased interrogatedWhen
respect-
ing
the cause of his anger, he said, It is unbecoming
"

to insult respectable people in their own house."

"What," said the other, "do
you complain of!"
?' You have not a fool to deal with,"
repliedthe phi-
 CffllLO GOLDONL 399

loBophei"" this is my portrait,

',
whinli you have been
drawing in eraggeratod ccilore,with satiricaltr^ts,

it is nuworthy !
it is shocking, "

"Gently, my good Bir,"said the Frenchman. "I

love and esleem yon, and you know me ; the person
whom I have been portraying is one of those harsh,
troublcBOme, and bittr individoals who are eo quently
fre-
met with in society." "
M.
Yes, yps,"replied
Bousseau, "
I am aware that I pass fur a character of
this kind in the minds of the ignorant ; I pity and
despisethem, hut I cannot bear that a man like you,
that a friend,real or pretended,should come to laugh
at me."
?
It was in vmn for M speak; he could gain
to

nothing; the head of the other was disordered,thoy

quarrelledseriously,
and at last a very sharp corre-
spondence

took place between them.

I was intimate with the French author. I saw him
the day after his rupture with M. Rousseau in a com-
pany

where we frequently met ; he ooinmunicatcd to

US what had taken place. Some laughed,and othera

made observations on it. It furnished mo also with
food for reflection. Itousseau was blunt ; he had even

owned it in his disputewith

his friend ; he had onlyto
appropriateto himself the beoefleence also,and then
he would have said that I wished to portray him in
my play. I carefully,
therefore,
avoided exposingmy-
self
the effects of iU-humor, and I never
to saw hiin
again. This man had received the most excellent
qualities
from nature, and he gave strikingproofsof it ;
but he was of the Protestant Reformed religion,and
he composed works which were not orthodox. For
this ho was obligedto leave France, which he had
adopted aa his conntry; and this disaster chagrined
400 MEMOIRS OF

him. He 1"c1ieved lie was treated with injuBtice

by
mankind, whom he
ponseiiuentiy was led to deepbe,
and this could not be of any advantageto him.
feeling
What a' number of generous ofieTB and be
protections
refused I His garret became dearer in his eyes than s
palace. Some discovered grandeurof soul in his con-
duct,

while others onlypridein it. At all events

saw

he was much to be pitied ; his weaknesses did injar;

to nobody, and his talents rendered him respectahle.
He died as he lived,like a philosopher ; and the repub-
lic
of lettersis indebted to the generous individual who
honored his ashee.
In them"inth of May, ir71,the marriage
of the Count
de Provence,the grandsonof Louis XV., and brother
of the dauphin, with Maria Louisa of Savoy, eldest
daughterof the
King of Sardinia,was celebrated at
Versailles. This important event redoubled the joyof
the French, for the princein question was beloved by
his uonntry,and rendered himself stillmore interesting
by his virtues and talents ; and the prinucss, from her
abilitiesand her information,became the delight
of
her husband.
In the year 1771,and in the miiist of the court ings,
rejoic-
Madame Lonisa,daughterof Louis XV., quitted
the world,aid shut herself up for lifein a cloister. She
selected the most humble and austere of all the orders.
This pionaprincesstook veil of St. Theresa,
Ihe
among the Carmelites of St, Dents. She had no reason
Ui fear that the royalabode would prevent her from
exercising her pietyand her virtues ; hut the corruption
of our ago requiredan august exampleto bringtimid
souls back to the
way of i)erfeetion, and God made
choice of a princessof the blood of the
Bourbons tot
their encouragement.

ctv.-.ii,Googl
 CARLO GOLDONL

VII.

I RAD nothingsince the Buccees of my " Snrly

done
Benefactor." I gaid jukingly, that I wished to reposo
on injrlaurela ; but it was ttw fear of out succeeding a

second time as well as the fimt,which prevented me

from aatisfyiiig the desires of my friends and myself.

At length I yielded to the aolioitations of others and
"
my own self-love. I cast my eyes on the tious
Ostenta-
Miser,"a character so to he
frequently met with
in nature, that I had onlyto fear the too great ber
num-

of originals,I too^ my protagonist from among

the class of upstarta,to avoid the dangerof coming in
contact with the higlier classes. This piece, which is
very littleknown, and which many peoplewould wish
to know, underwent singular adventures.
The firstperson to whom I showed it when it was
fit to appear, was M. Freville. I had destined the
character of the marqnisfor him, and I was anxious to
luive his opinionof that character,
and of the whole of
my comedy. He eeemed to me satisfied with both. I
observed to him bow dilBcnlt it would be to represent
the
naturally character ho was going to undertake, "
I
am acquainted,"said he, "with this precious sort of
nature." After the encouragement of this valuable ac-
tor,

I road my pieceto the whole of the comedians as- sembled

: it had votes for and agiunst,and was received

subjectto coiret^tion. I was not aceustomed to this sort
of reception. "However," said I to myself, "no pride,
no obstinacy."I retracted one thinghere,added an- other

there,corrected, polished,and embellished my

work. A second readingtook place,and the piece
was received and placedin the repertoryfur the y"
ney to Fontainehleau.
CiOOglc
 402 MEMOIRS 0V"

It was acted among the firstat the Court Tfat-

to be
tre. M. Previile fell sick on arrivingthere: he re-
.
nmiued a month eonfined in bed, but recovered tmrds
the end of the visit,and " The Ostentatioiu Hiscr"
was destined for the king'sdeparture.All
eve of the
the minUteTB, strangers,and peopleiu officehad taken
their departure; the actors were fatigued ; thcjhadno
great desire to study, and stillless to rehearse. I saw
the critical situatioa of my piece,and ver; modcetlj
demanded if it were possibleto suspend the represen-
tation
of it. There were no others on the repertory,
and I was made to believe that it could not be "-
pensedwith.
I went to the first and
representation, took
my or-
dinary

positionin the bottom of the theatre,behind

the curtain. So few peoplewere present,that the ft-
vorablo or unfitvorable imprestuonmade by the piece
could not be perceived,and it finiphed without
any wgn
of either approbation
or T returned home
repr"ibation.
without any one. Everybody packed up for
seeing
and T did the same
their departure, ; and we all took
our depaitureaccordingly.On the road I bad tiue
for reflection: the freezing coldness with which my
work was listened to, inightiproceedfrom the ness
empti-
of the house,and the circumstances of the momenl;
but I saw that some of the actors had mistaken their
characters. I have nothingto say with respect to M.
Previile,as his pai-bwas and
rstremelydifficult, be had
not sufticieut time to "miliarize himself with tbuec
broken phrases which requirea deal of ingenuitylo
make the audience comprehend what the actor does
not pronounce. My great fiiuU was in not remonstrat-
ing
ftad using interest to
preveiitmy piece from being
acted at Fontainebleau.
Thus, in rccapituktiug my
 CJIELO GOLDONI. 403

I,wrot
'mistakes,' to the nctorg on my Brrivalia Puiis,
and I inBtantlf withdrew my piece.
My friends were desirous of
impatiently seeingxnj
"
the stage of PariH
Ostentations Miser ; and they
"
on

I to leam
all displeased that I had withdrawn it.
Thej grumbled,they solicited,theyteased me to allow
it to be and
againrepresented, I was informed,
by way
of encoun^ment, of the number of pieceswhich,

thoughunfortunate at their first representation,

wards
after-
recovered. They were in the perhaps,
right,
:and I should have followed their advice and satisfied
? their wishes,ifthegiven me any reason to
actors had
-think theywere desirous of againappearing in it ; but
.theywere apparentlyas much disgusted with it as
myself: it was bom under an unfurtuna1 planet, the
iallucnce of which 1 dreaded. I condemned it,there-
fore,
to and
oblivion, my rigorwent so fiirthat I refused
it to those persons who demanded a readingof it. I
could not, however, resist the demand of one of the
nobles
principal of the kingdom,whoso prayers are

(H"mmands. I did homage to him with my ome"ly,

thereadingof which was undertaken by a lady. She
herself with the fecility
acquitted and grace which are

natural to her; but on the first entrance of the mar^

quis,she was taken by surpiiseat the of

singularity
the of
character, which she had not received any pre-

M. laid hold of the and

original, read this and
all the other scenes where this character is introduced,
with such ease and that
precision he might have been
taken for the author of the work. I own that I (Miuld
not contain my joy and my aduiiralion. Every person
was satisfied with the reading; I was in a house dis-
tinguishe

for kindness and and

nttc:ition, I could

expect nothingbut compliments.

404 MEMOIRS OF

Thfl m"niBge of the Count d'Artois,the brother rf

Louu XV t.with Maria Theresa of Savoy,the danghtcr
of the King of Sardinitt and
madaine,ww the Bitr of
celebrated in the month of November, 1773, at Ver-
aulles. About this time the Chevalier John Moeeoigo,
the Venetian amhasdor, came to sacceed the Cheva-
lier
Sebastian Moeenigo,his younger brother,whose
embassy was expired. Thia new minister of the public
re-

was one of luy old protectors; he had pven tne

the most proofsof his Yienevulcnce ; he had

undoubted
lodged me and myfcmily a long time in his house;
and with the Balhi, the Quirini,the Berengan, and "e
Barbarigoiamilies, ho protected my firstFlorence edi-
tion,
and facilitatedits entrance into the cityof Venice,
notwithstanding the barbarous war carried on against
me by the bookBellera. I received a fresh mark of his
kindness for me on the of his marringe with
occauun

the niece of the Doge Loredan,when he wrote me the

following
note :

"
The most jeran Doge hns pennitted
me to invite a few of

my Mends to Ihe nnptinls

; jod are of the number; 1 nqntat
yonr presence ; you will find your place."
I did not fail. There was a table for a hundred

gnesta in the -hall,and

banqueting another for twenty-
four,the honors of which were done by the Doge's
nephew; I was of the last party; but at the seeond
courseweall.quitted our placeand repairedto the great
hall,making the tour of that hnmense apartment, nod
seatingonrs*Ivea behind one another. I in particnhiT
enjoyed the kindness which was lavished on an author
who had been bo fortunate as to givepleasure.
I have always felt a kindness for my countrymeD,
and welcomed them to honso. I have more thw
my
once been deceived,it is true, but iudivid-
unprinriplcd
406 MEMOIRS OF

of mankind ; it is his
pprsonal qualities for which he ii
chieflj distinguished; his merits, his correct oondQt,
his zoal for the pahliogood,iid for the peace nnd trail'
quilUtj' of Europe; his religion and moderation, the
probitywhich he exacts, the example which he gives,
these are rare and much
virtues, more essentiallyful
use-

to the state than the spiritof Minquest ; they are

inexhaoetible sonrecs of praiseand immortal glory.
Alas! what vicissitudes in human lifol Here I am

obligedto commemorate a fresh subject of dread and

grief.The three daughtersof Louis XV., who never
quittedtheir iather's bed duringhis illness, began to
disphiythe same symptoms, and incur the same danger.
These princesses were t^io interesting not to escite a

generalalarm respecting their situation. Gud preserved

them to ns; Ood snatched from the arms of death this
heroicexample of filiallove. The princesses passed
the periodof their convalescence at Choia. I partiia-

patedin the generalgriefat this melancholyconjuncture,

and I went in their trun to breathe the salutaryair of

thatdelightful
place.
On returningto Paris, I heard of a projected mar-

riagebetween Madame Clotilde, the sister of the King

of France, and the Prince of Piedmont, the presump-
tive
heir of the crown of Sardinia. This pieceof news
me, and I went to Versailles
was very Interesting
to

for the sake of beingbetter informed respecting it. Tbe

account was but a mysterious
verified, silence was served,
ob-
and it was not tillseven months before the mar-

riagethat I received orders to attend the princess,

on

for the sake of givingbcr some instruction in the Italian

language. I obeyed ; but what could she learn in the
apace of months t I took
seven care not to proceed in
.1
^ ^^y ^.^j^ j^^^ gj^^ ^^^ ^^jj acquwnted
 CARLO GOLDONI. 467

with the French grammar, and I onlytaughtber the

aaxiliaryverbs of the Italiao. I made hn read a great
deal ; the remarks and short digresaions which I inter-
mixed
with this readingwore of more use to her,in my

opinion,than a of
long catalogue rules and scholastio
difficulties.
My readingshad stilla more important and interest-
ing
tendency; I made her acquainted with the classionl
Italian authors by name, related anecdotes respecting
them, an"l mentioned the titles of their works ; and I
endeavored to instruct her in the Italian manners and
customs. This kind and complaisant princesshoA a

wunderM in learning,
facility and a very excellent
memory. I went every day,and she made an ishing
aston-

progress; bnt our conferences were frequently

dealers
interruptedby jewellers, in trinkets,
painters,
and shopkeepers. Sometimes I entered the room to
witness the choice of stuffs,the pricepaid for jeweh
and the resemblance of the portraits.I endeavored t
derive some advantagefrom
these very inconveniences
I made her repeat in Italian the names of what she had
seen, what she had priced,and what she purchasedoi
refused.
We had other drcumetancea to call off our attention,
a journey to Rheims, for the consecration of the
king,and the birth of the Duke d'Angoulgme. This
prince,son to the Count d'Artois,was the firstfmit of
the three marriagesof the French princes,and, as his
birth could not fail to be to the State,
interesting the
rejoicings
were publicjoy. My
proportionateto the
august scholar, notwithstanding all these interruptions,
contrived to turn her IJine to considerable profit. She
pronouncedItalian tolerably well, and read it stillbet-
ter.
She could read and understand theepithalamiatns
 408 HEMOIBS OF

destined for her by the Fiedmontese poeta. The mar-

riage was (M!lebratd b; deputy towards the end of

Augnat, 1775, in the chapelof VersaiUes. The public
rejoidngBwere superb and magnificent The princess
departed,universallyadored and regretted.All who
had ever served,or approachedher presence, received
marks of her goodness. It is not extraordinarythat
in so great a crowd some one should be foi^otten;
but
it was unfortnnat^ that this accident should happen

With respect my services and expenses,

to I de-
manded
and I received nothing,
nothing, but stillI was

persuadedthat I should not be a loser. I keptmyself

quiet,therefore,and said nothing. Persons who inter-
ested
themselves in my affidrs grew impatientat my
dlence,and took steps to know the course I onght to
adopt. They had more penetration than myself,and
their mediation was of great utility
to me. It was lieved
be-
at fourt that my
pension of tbirty-sizhundred
livres obligedme to serve tliewhole royalfamily. Thejr
were not aware that it was given me by way of reoom'
penseforhavingtaught Italian to the prinresses.Those
who were intrusted wilh the outlaysfor the princessrf
Piedmont were convinced that 1 deserved to be pensed
recom-

; but the ailbirB relatingto that princesswere

settled ; the onlyrecnnrse was to wait in patience;I

was to be employedfor Madame Elizabeth and the Nster

of the king, and this was the occasion foe whidi 1
ought-to my demands.
reserve

I waited- long, and stillkept my apartments at Vcr-

Hailles. The day at length came when I received
orders to wtut on the Princess Elizabeth. This yonog,
lively,
gay, and amiable princesswas of an age much
^ore Inclined to than
amusement application. I hftd
 CARLO GOLDONL 409

been present at the Latia Icaeons which given towere

her, and perceived I

that she possesseda great faculty
ia learning anything,but that slie dislilfed to dwell ou
uiinute aod triUing difficulties. I fnUuwed, with very
little variatioD,the mode adopted by me with the
Princess of Piedmont ; I did not tonnent her with
declinationa and conjagationacalculated to her ;
disguet
she wisbed to malie an amusement of her occupation,
and I endeavored to make my lessons agreeablecon-

Tersations. When my comedies were read, in the

scenes of two the princessand
characters, lier maid of
houor read and translated each their part ; and when
there were three charaoteis a lady of the company
took ibe third. I translated the others when there
happened to be more. Tbia esercise was useful and
amusing ; bnt can we flatteroui'selvesthat young peo-
ple
will long be amused with the same thingf Wo
passedfrom prose to verse. Metastasio occupiedmy
august scholw for some time. I endeavored lo satisfy
her,and she was deserving of it; for it was the meet
gentleand agreeableservice in the world.
I was growing old, however ; the air of Versailles
did not agree with me ; the winds which prevailthere,
and which blow almost without attacked
intermission,
my nerves, excited my old hypochondria, and subjecled
me to palpitations.I was furced to quitthe court, and
retnm where the
to Paris, air we breathe is less keen,
and issuitable to my temperament.
more My nephew,
though employed in the war-offlce, could succeed tne;'
he had done so with the princesses,
and I was certain
of the goodness of Madame Elizabeth, This was the
time to settle my affairs,
and I did not forgetmyselfon
the ocoasion. I presenteda hill to the king, which
was patronized
by the The
princesses. queen liad even
410 MEMOIRS OF

thegoodnessto inKtreat hereelf for me, and the ting

grantedme an extraordinarygratifleation of sis thou-
sand
livres,and an annuityof twelve hundred livres
daringthe lifeof myselfand nephew.

viir.

In the year 1777 a. new comic opera was demanded

from me for Veniw. I had resolved not to compose
any more, that the same
but, imagtuitig work might
be of utility
to me at Paris,I consented to satisfy
my
and composed a piece calculated
friends, to pleasein
"
an tiqualdegree the two nations. Its title was I
"
Volpoui (The FoseH). They were courtiers jealous
of a stranger,to whom they showed a vast deal of
politeness,by way of amusing him, while the;plotted
his ruin. This piececontained interest,intrigue, and
gaycty, and inculcated an important moral lesson.
It was then in agitation
to bringlu Paris the actors

of the Italian comic opera, whom we call I Buffi,

and
who are here Buffoons (BonfFons).This eipresiuon
would be conaideri^insultingin Italy,but it is not
as

so in France. It is merely a bad translation. The

music of the good daughterof M. Piccini of the colony
of M. Sacchini,and the progre,9s which the taste for
Italian singingmade every day at Paris,determined
the directors of the opera to introduce this foreign en-
tertainment

which was represented on the great theatre

of this city. I was intimatelyflatteredwith this pro-
ject,
and I had the temerityto believe myselfnecessary
to its execution. Nobody knew more of the Italian
comic opera myself. 1 was
than aware that for several
years nothing had been given in Italybut farces,
of
which the music was excellent and the poetry wretched.
 CAELO GOLDONL 411

I saw what was wantingto render tbia entertainment

agreeable at Paris. New worda were wanting,new
dramas in the French taste. I had perform^this
task more than once for London, and I was secure of

my purpose. Nobodj can be more useful than myself

on a similar occasion. I knew from eEperiencebow
difficultand laborious this work was ; but I should
have applied
to it with infinitepleasure
for the sake of
the thing itself,
and the honor of my nation. Besides,
there was every reason to suppose that,ifthe opera of
Paris sent for foreign actors,theywould not be con-
tented

with theirold music, but would employ M. Pio-

who was here,or M. Sacchini,
cini, who was at London,
in the compositionof new.
I kept my comic opera
thereforein readiness,and I
was almost certain that I should be employedin the
compositionof others ; for I did not think it suitable
to the of
dignity principal the
theatre of this nation to
enlert^n the publicfor a length of time with the music
which had been already sung in the concerts and parties
of Paris. I was in espeetation, therefore, of being
spoken to, consulted,and engaged. Alas ! nobody
ever said a word to me on the subject.The Italian
actors arrived at Paris. I knew some of
them, but I
did not go to see them. I was not presentat their d^-
but. Some of them were good,and some indifierent
;
their music was excellent ; but the entertainment did
not succeed,
as I had foreseen, on ac"!ount of the dramas,

which were of a nature to displease

the French and to
dishonorItaly.
My self-love mighthave been flatteredat seeingmy
verified,
prediction but I was in reality
very much dis-
tressed
at it. I was too great a lover of the comic
opera, and I should have been enchanted to have heai'd

ctv.-.ii,Goog
412 MEMOIRS OF

ItaliMi masic to Italisn words ; bnt then such words

were requisiteas could be resd with pleasure, and
tranelnted into Fron^h without a bluab. Traoshitioiis
of these wretched operas were printedand published.
The best transJation was the most insupportable; for
the more the
ae4!ural1y translators endeavored to render
their text, the more the dulness of the be-
came
originals
evident. I supposed this Italian corapaoj would
leave the placeat the cluse of the year ; but their en-
ffageiiientwas probablyfor two, and they remained all
the followingyear. During this second year they did
me the honor to bringme one of their wretched dramas
to patch up ; but it was too late,the evil was done,
and this species of entertainment was cried down. I
might have supportedit id its beginning, but I did not
believe it was in my power to raise it aflr the cri^
which it had experienced.
I must also own that I was piquedat having been
forgottenat the proper moment. I do not recollect
having for a long time experienced a similar degreeof
mortification. Some said,by way of consolation,that
the directors of the opera thought this employment
beneath me. The directors knew nothingof the mat-
ter

they had in hand ; if they had had the goodnessto

have consulted me, I should have shown them that
theywanted an anther and not a cubblcr. Others told
me (perhaps without any foundation for saying so) that
it was feared Goldcmi would be t""o dear. I should
have laboredlbrthehonorof the thing,had theyknown
how go to worh
to with me ; 1 should have been high-
priced had they haggledwith me but my labors wonM
',

have indemnified them : and I think 1 may venture to

say that this entertainment would have been stillin

414 HEHOIBS OF

There are no in
gredatlnns the atbickB or in the oesea-

lion. It is au inconueivable phenomenoD,which can

be expltuoed
by a comparisou with swooning.
AccuBtomed to Ibig which
infinnit;, is more alann-
iDg than painful,I learned t bear it without dread,
and, by way of drawing my it,I gen-
erallyattnUon from
continued my dinner if it attacked me at table,
or continued my game if tHken by snrprisein com-
pany.

Nobody perceivedthe state 1 was in, and as

at my age we must learn to put up with our enemies,
I made no attempts to get cured,lest in endeavoring
to avoid the Qulf uf I
Scylla, shonld fallinto that of
Charybdis. But I was seized with a palpitation of
hours' continuance about four years ago, and
thirty-six:
this appearingin rather a serious light to me, I had

recourse physician. M, Giiilbert de Preval,the

to my

regent of the College of Physiciansof Paris, shaped

it instantly,and without giving me anythingwhich
could at all derangemy system ; be merely retarded
the attacks in future,and diminished the duration of
them. M. Preval has made himself enemies in the
body to which he belongs. It is said that there is a

law among them that no member of their societyshall

make use of new remedies without communicating
them to his brethren. This M. Preval has not done,
throughfear perhapslest his remedy should become
like so many
useless, others in the hands of everybody.
He distributes it in his house. The poor are there
relieved,
and the rich are not subjected
to extortion.
Happy the man, it is said, whose physician is his
friend. M. Preval is the friend of all his patients,
as
he is the friend of humanity.

D5i,.=.JnGoog[
 CARLO GOLDONL

IX.

On leaviDgVenice I left my niece in a convent

there. On attainingthe age of twenty, an age when
it became necesaajy to decide whether ahe chose the
cloister or to mix in the world, I interrogated hor
from time to time in my letters respecting
her inclina-
tions.
She profeaaed
to have no other will than mine.
Aa I had no wiBh hut to
satisfyher,I thoughtthere
was somethingmysteriongconcealed under this sem-
hlance of modesty,and I requested one of my tectors
pro-
to hare the goodnessto sound her with addresa.
All that he could draw her was, that eo long
from
as she was in chains she would never communicate
her way of thinhing.From this I conjecturedthat she
was not fond of the convent. So much the better: I
onlyentailed property,which may be given
possessed
as a hut the nnns
portion, take nothingbut ready
money.
I wrote a letter to the ladyat the head of the vent;
con-

and the senator to whom I intrusted it went

with his ladyto the convent and broughther away
with them to their house. When there,she did not
express herself in the clearest terms ; but,however,as
much BO as her modestywould permit. She did not
wish to be married,but she disliked the convent.
My niece could not long remain in a patriiMan
family,
and she was boarded in
very pnident and
a

respectableone. M. Chiamzzi, the landlord of Made-

moiaelle Goldoni,took care of my afiairsat the same

time and his wife attended to those of the yonng woman.

In two years his wife died,and the husband demanded
niece in marriage. She seemed and I
satisfied,
my
416 MEMOIRS OF

was completelyBo my nephew and

: myself nseigned
to him all our Italian propcity, and we eet our hands
to the necessary writiogB before M. Lurmeau, a notary
at Paris. The eiguatureof a man of bin probityn-as
a lucky omen to the new couple;and in realitythe
marriage turned out very happy.
This event
necessary for my tranquillity.
was I
bad taken the chargeof the two children of my brother.
I saw
my nephew in a tiilerablesituation under my-
self,and I was glad to see my niece settled. Hy
satisfaction would have been at its heightif I could
have been but I
present at the Tntirriage; was too old '

for a journeyof three hundred leagnea,

I am well, thank God; but I requireprecantions
for my strengthand health. I read every day, and
"
consult attentively the Treatise on Old Age," by M.
Robert, doctor-regentof the faculty of Paris.
Our physicians in generaltak^ care of us when we

are unwell, and endeavor to cure us; bat they do not

embarrass themselves with our r^men when we are

in good health. From this book I derived instruction

and correction. It showed me the degree of vigor
which I might stillpossess, and the necessity of taking
care of it. The work is composed in the form of
letters;when I read it, I imaginedthe author ing
speak-
to me ; in every page, I fall in with and recognize
myself; the advices are salutarywithout being bur-
densome
: he is not so Salerno,
severe as the school of
and does not the regimenof Louis Comaro,
prescribe
who lived years a hundred as a that
valetudinary he
might die in good health.
M. Robert is wise and
a very intolligent
man ; he is
one of those who have studied Nature with the utmost
attention,abd best know her course. I became ac-
 CARLO GOLDONL 417

qoftintedwith him at the house of M. Fagnan,one of

the priDDJpal secretaries of the royal treasury,where
we frequently met one aovther; and Madame Fagnan,
hia widow, who is poaseBsedof talents,graces, and
good sense, stilluentinues to receive the intimate Mends
of her hosband with the same coTdiality.
An interestingdiscoverywas made at this time.
M. Montgoliierwas the first whu darted a globe
de
into the air. The globeruse higherthan the eye ooulJ
reach, at the monsy of the winds, and supporteditself
tillthe extinction of the flame and smoke hy which it
was fed. This first
experiment gave rise to other
speculations. M. learned phyucian,
Charles, a very
employedinHammable air. The glol"e filledwith this

gaa requireno management to preserve them f"^ a

greater length of time, and are secure from catching
fire. There were men posseBHedof sufficient court^^
to confide their lives to the cords which suppoited a sort

of basket,and who allowed themselves to bo fastened

to the frail balloon,siihjcctto evident dimger and
events impossible
ti" be foreseen. The Marquis d'Ar-
landi and M. Pilastre de Hosier made the firstattempt,
accordingto the method of M. de Montgolfier
; and
H. Charles shortlyafterwards took himself,by
flight
means of his infiammable air.
I could not look at them without trembliDg.Bc~
sides,what was the use of all this risk and courage f
If we can the mercy
onlyflyat of the wind, and can-
not

direct the machine, the discovery,

however admi-
rable,will remain of no and
utility, a mere plaything.
The rage of discuvciieB has t"kcn possessionof the
minds of the Parisians to such a violent degree that
they run after everythingmiraonlouB. Some time ago
there was a belief in the existence of somnauibulists,
418 MEMOl"a OF

who gpoke senably,and to tho pnqiose, with persoiw

awoke, and had the faenlty of diviningthe past and
fbresceingthe future. This illusion did not uake any
great pn"gTos8; but there wa another almost at th
eatne time which imposedon all Paris.
A letter dated from Lyons announced a man who
had found out a way to walk on watr dry-footed,and
proposed to make the experiment in the capital.He
demanded subscription
a to indemnifyhim for his ex-
pensee and trouble ; the subscription was instantly
filled up, and the day fixed on for his crossingthe
Seine. This man did not make his ap["carance on the
day fixed for that purpose, and pretests were found for

prolonging the fanx. It was at lengthdiscovered that

a WHg of Lyons had taken this way of amusing himself

with the credulityof the inhabitants of Paris. His
intention was not apparently
to insult a city of eight
hundred thousand inhabitants ; and we may
suppose
he assignedgood reasons, by way of excuse, for the

joke,sa nothingserious happened to him. What duced

in-
the Parisians to believe in this invention was
'
the '
Paris,"which announced it as a truth
Journal de
confirmed by experiments. The authors of thisjour-
nal
were themselves deceived, themselves
and justified
amply in publishingthe letters by which they were
imposed on, with the names of those who wrote and
addressed them to their office. Throe years afterwards
a stranger came to Paris who in reality,
in the sight
of an immense number of people,crossed the river
dry-footed. This man made a mystery of the means.

employed by him in his experiment He carefully con-

cealed

the shoes used by him iu crossing. Probably

he wished to sell his secret at a high price; but the
small advantageswhich could be derived from it did
 CARLO GOLDONI. 419

not Beem to deserve the troable. It ia not unlikely

that he bad beneath his two feet something of the shape
of a boat or canoe. We may find boats at all rivers
where we want to cross them. We seldom require
any
extraordinary aaHistanee for this purpose ; and wben
we do we cannot always carry about with us these
machines, which are neither light not of easy carriage.
This experiment, however,afforded a fresh justification
to the authors of the " Journal de Paris," who had fore-
seen
the possibility of this discovery.

X.
I AM now drawingnear to the conclusion of my
Memoirs, and I support with courage the fiitigue
of a
task which beginsto weary me ; but a fatal event,
which it is now incumbent on me to mention in this
place,makes me feel the
disagreeablenature of the
burden whli^ I have imposed on myself.
In the year 1783 Madame Sophiaof France departed
this life. What a loss for the court ! What an afflic-
tjon for her affectionate sisters! Her ?virtues rendered
her and
respectable, her of disposition
gentleness spired
in-
all who knew her with love and confidence.
Her benevolent heart the
anticipated wants of indi-
gence,
and she made incredible effortsto conceal her
wit under the veil of pietyand modesty. This princess
was lamentjrf and regretted by all who had the honor
of Bppro.achingher,and by myselfnot lessthan others.
I found some consolation with Madame Tacher and the
Marchioness of Chabut, her daughter,who had the
same cause for aifliction
that I had. The conversation
of these ladies renewed the memory of my loss,and
their kindness for me alleviated,my grief.

ctv.-.ii,Goog
420' HEHOIRS OF

It is not, however, nenul with me to be affected in

the keenest manner at the death of my friends or

rehttioDB. I possess a feelingdidpoaitiou; and the

emalleet ^luient, the inconvenience which
slightest
hapjiens to them, affectsand grievesme in the extremei
whereas I look coollyon death as the tribute we ovie
tti nature, and againstwhich we must derive codboIs-
tion in our reason. How happens it then that I sin
stillas much afflictedfor the loss of my august scholar
as the first day afterwards t In the justicewliich I
render to merit,am I to be suspectedof self-love or

vanityf Alas ! my friends do me the tavor t believe

that it proceedsrather from gratitude.
"
In the year 1783 the opera of Dido," written hy
M. MamioDtcl, and setPiccini,
to music
was by M.
Tcpreseuted for the first time. It is, in my opinion,
the masterpiece of the one and the triumph of the
other. No muucal drama approachesnearer to teal

tragedythan this. M.Marmontel has imitated nobody;

he has appropriated the fttbleto himself, and givenit
all the probabilityand regularity of which such a woik
is susceptible. Some Bay that Mannontel tflok his
drama from Metaatasio,but they are mistaken. "Dido"
was the firstwork of the Italian poet ; we discover in
it strong marks of a superiorgenius,but we may re-
mark

at the same time the errors of youth ; and the

French author would not have succeeded had he deavored
en-

to imitate it.
"
Marriage of Figaro" had the greatestsuccess
The
at the French Theatre, because the author put beforr
this titlethat of '? The Frolicsome Day (FolleJour- "

n^e),Nciliodyis better acquaintedwith the defects of

liispiece than M. Beautnarchais himself
; he has given
proof of his talents in this department;and had ho
422 HEHOIBS OF

were eveiywhereto be met with. Those who find

which
themselves in the predicHiiiient is the object(A
the geaeralsatire,have no rightto complain.

oompltkinedloudlyagainst these two worke, which, as

the; said,had a teudency to il^rodethe French theatre ;
the; observed their coautrymen carried away by a aort
of fanatical contagion ; and they dniaded lestthe disease
shuuld become imiversal. Expeiience, however, haa
demonstrated the contrary. There were exhibited at
the same time, on the boards of the French Theatre,
new playsof very different description,
a which met
with all the success that could be expected: for ample,
ex-
"
The Coriolauus" of M. de la Harpe, "
The
" "
Seducer i"fM. Biemre, The Difficult Avowals,"and
"
The False "
Coquette of M. \ig6. This last anthor
waa even encouragedbythe public;these firstdisplays
of his talents were considered as in the very best taste,
tone, and and
style, such as to ^ve every reaaon to

hope that he would prove himself the prop of good

comedy.
Towards
the close of the year 17B4, whilst I was
engagedin the second part of my Memoirs, one of my
friends spoke to me of a business very much connected
with that I employed in.
was

A literarygentleman whom T have not the honor

of knowing sent one of my comedies, translated by
hlio into French, to M. Courcelle of the Italian theatre,
requestingthe actor to present it to me, and to get it
acted if I wae pleased with his
translation,with the
understanding,
as he very kindlychose to state,that
the honor and
profit were to belong to the author.
The piece in question was entitled in Italian "Un
Cunoeo Acfidente "
(A Droll Adventure).The tmna-
 CARLO GOLDONI. 423

lation appeared to tne eiftct ; the style

was not in my
rasnner, but
every one has his own. The translalor
"
changed the titleinto that of The Du]"eof Himself,"
which I do not disapprove. I gave my consent to the
the comedians
representation, received it at the reading
with acelamation ; it was given the following
year,
and completely failed. One part of the piece which
occaaioned the greatestpleasurein Italy shocked the
Fariuaa public;I know the French delicacy,
and I
onght to have foreseen the consequence, but as the
translation was executed by a Frenchman, and it was

applaudedby the actors,I allowed myselfto be guided

by them. Had I been present at the rehearsals, I
should have the danger ;
anticipated hat I was nnwell,
and the comedians eager to produceit. I had
were

distribnted several tickets for Ihe first representation,

and nobodycame to giveme any iuftmnation respect-
ing
it. This did not look welL I went to bed, how-
ever,
withont anythingof
learning the event ; but my
barber,with the tears in his eyes, gave me an account
of the solemn condemnation of the piece. I instantly
withdrew it ; and as I felt myself a good deal better
that day, I dined with a very good appetite.
Long accnstomed both to a fovorable and unfiivor-
able receptionfrom the public,I can do that public
juaticewithout any sacrificeof my The
tranquillity.
most disagreeable part of the business was that body
no-

called on me, or inquired how my recovery was

going on, I wrote to my friends to learn whether my

piece had incensed them againstme. It was, on the
contrary, the excess of their tnendship
and sensibility
which them
prevented from giving vent to their cha-
grin

before me. When wo saw i"ne another again,I

was obligedto assume the office of ctmsoler.
 424 HEMOIRS OP

The pubUo TejoidngBinduwd me to qnit my room,

'
and iDdemnifled me for the ilhicss and the nnpleasant
cirrumstanceB erperienwd by me. The queen was

delivered of another prince; on the 27tb of March,

1785, the Dnke of Normandy was born. The nsoal
illumioatinns took place at Paris,but i^rtain rich indi-
viduals
themselves
distinguished ou this occasion in a

new and noble manner. The fronts of their palaces

were adorned from top to bottom with a number "^
illuminated deeigns,executed with great ekill. It was

impossiblefor decorations to be more strikingor splen-

did.
This new taste will,in all probability,be con-
tinued

at Paris, and every one will wish, in future, to

have such a modish illumination as his circumstances

Fashion has
always been the rage of the French.
They givethe Ion to all Europe in whatever relates to
theatres,decorations,drees,trinkets,and everything
where pleasure is concerned. The French are every-
where
imitated. In the beginningof every season

there is to be seen, in the Mercery Street at Venice, a

dressed figure,which is called the French doll {poupfy
da France). This is the prototype which every
woman follows,and whatever resembles this original
is considered beautiful. The Venetian women are aa

fond of changes as the French ; the tailors,

mantua-

makers, and millinery shops take advantageof this;

and if France does not supply a sufficiency
of modes,
the Venetian tradesmen contrive to make some slight
change on the doll,and to pass off their own ideas for
transalpine. When 1 gave at Venice my comedy en-
titled
"
The CountryMania,"J spoke a great deal of a
female dress,which was called "the marriage." This
wae a dress of a pln
stuff,with a garniture
of two
 CAKLO GOLDONI. 425

ribboiiflof different colore,

the model of which waa

taken irom the dolL Ou my arrival in Fraitce I in-

qairedif sut^ a "Bhion ever exisied. Nobody
had
knew anything of it; there had never been such a
lashioD ; it was pronoancedridiculous, and I was even
laughedat for asking. I experienced the same morti-
flcatinn in speakingof the Polish dresses,which were
adoptedby the women in Italywhen I left it. Twelve

years afterwards,when I saw the Polish dresBes at

Paris,I was quite charmed with tbetn. The mode in
dress,it is true, experienced a long interregnnra in
France ; but it has again resumed its ancient empire.
What a of
changes in a short time I Polish
number
and Jewish dresses,fare,Englishand Turkish dresses,
frocks,pierrots,hats of a hundred shapes,bonnets
without number, and head-dresses ! head -dresses I
This part of the female dress,
so essential for the
settingoff their grace beauty,was some
and time ago
at the highestpointof perfecUon.It is now, .1 heg
pardonof the ladies for sayingso, insupportablein my

eyes. The tousled h^r, and toupees which fall over

their eyebrows, disfigure them sadly. Women are

wrong, in my opiuion, in following any generalmode

of dressingtheir heads; every one ought to consult
her glass,t examine her features,and adapt the ar-
rangement

of her hair to the styleof her countenance,

and make her bur-dressers follow her orders. But
before my Memoirs leave the press, perhaps the female
head-dresses,and many other fashions,will have
changed; the size of the buckles and the brims of the
hats will be diminished,the female dresses will be
more noble and aud the
dignified, breeches of tbe gen-
tlemen
will be made larger.

ctv.-.ii,Goo
 HEHOIBS or

XL
I SETOKN to my regimen, 'jon will say
here also,
perhaps,that I ought to omit it, yon
are in the
right;but all this is in my head, and I roust be de-
livered
of it by degrees; I cannot spare you asingle
comma. After dinner I am not fond of either working
or walking. Sometimes I go to the theatre,but I am

moat till nine o'clock in the

generallyin parties ing.
even-

I always retnm before ten o'clock. I take two

or three small cakes with a glassof wine and water,

and thU is the wholeof my supper. I converse with
my wife till midnight;I very soon fell asleep,and

pass the night tranquilly. It sometimes happens to

me, as well as every other person, to have my head
occupiedwith something capable of retardingmy
sleep. In this case I have a certain remedy to lull
myselfasleep; and it is this: I had long projected
a vocabulary of the Venetian dialect,and I had even
communicated my intention to the public, who are still
in expectation of it. While laboring at this tedious
and disgustingwork, Isoon discovered that it threw me
asleep.Thud itthereforeaside,and I profitedby its nar-
cotic

fteulty.Whenever I feel my mind agitated by any

moral cause, 1 take at randomsome wordof mynatiomd
language, and translate it into Tuscan and French. In
tlie same manner I pass in review all the wwds wbieh
follow in the alphabeticalorder,and I am sure to fall

asleep at the third or fourth version. My recipehas

never once tailed me. It is not difficultto demonstrate
the cause and eifect of this phenomenon. A painful
idea requiresto be replacedby an opposite or indifier-
ent idea; and, the agitation of the wind ooee calmed,
the senses become tranquO, and are deadened by sleep.
 CARLO OOLDONL 427

But this remedf,however might not be

entellent,
neefiilto every one. A man of too keD and feeling
a

diapoaitiun would nut suced. The temperament must

he such as that with which nature has fiicored me.
My moral hear
qualities a resemblance my physical
to ;
I dread neither cold nor heat, and I neither allow my-
self
to he inflamed by ntge uor intoxicated by joy.
I am now arrived at the year 1787,which is the
of my
eightieth age, and that to which I have limited
the course of my Memoirs. I have completedray
eightiethyear ; my work is also -finished. All is over,
and I proceedto send my volumes to the press. This
last chapter tonch on the events of
does not, therefore,
the current year ; but I have stillsome duties to dis-
diarge. I must beginwith returning thanks to those
persons who have reposedso much confidence iu me as
to honor me with their subscriptions.
I do not speak of the kindness and iavors of the hing
and court ; this is not the placeto mention them. I
have named in my work some of my tnends and even

some of my protectors.I beg pardon of them : ifI

have done so without their permission,
itis not through
Tanity; the occasion has suggestedit; their names
have dropped Irom my pen, the heart has seized on
the instant,and the hand has not been nnwilling.
For
example, the followingis one of the fortunate occasions
I allude to. I whs unwell a few daysago ; the Count
Alfleii did me the honor to call on me; I knew his
talents,but his conversation impressed on me the
wrong which I should have He done in omittinghim.
is a very intelligent and learned Utcraryman, who
principallyexcels in the art of Sophocles
and Euripi-
des,
after these great models he has framed his
and
They have gone throughtwo editions in
tragedies.
428 MEMOIRS OF CARLO GOLDONL

Ibilj, and are at present io the of Didot at Paria.

preaa
I shaJl enter iato no details respecting them, as ltij
maj be eeeo and judged of by one.
every
I have undertaken too long and too laborious a (roik
for my age, and I have- employed three on it,
years
always dreading lest I should not have the pleasureof
seeing it finished. However, I am still in life,thanta
to God, and I flatter myself that I shall see toI-
uiy
unjee printed, distributed, and read. If they be not

praised, I hope at least they will not be despised. I

shall not be accused of vanity or presumption b daring
to hope for some share of favor for Memoirs ; for,
my
had I thought that I should absolutely displease,I
woulJ not have taken so much pains ; and if in the good
and ill which I say of myself, the balance inclines to

the favorable side, I owe more to nature than to study.

AU the application employed by me, in the constroc-

tioD of my pieces,has been that of not disfiguring

na-
ture,

and at! the care taken by me in Memoirs has

my
been that of tellingonly the truth. The criticism of my

pieces may have the correction and improvement of

comedy in view but the criticism of Memurs will

; my
be of no advantage to literature. However, if any

writer shouM think to employ hia time on me

proper
for the sole of vexing he would lose his
purpose me,
labor. I am of a pacific disposition ; I have always
preserved my coolness of character ; at my age I read

little,and I read only amusing books.