Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 8.djvu/365

 9*s. vm. NOV. 2, 1901.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

357

LONDON, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1901.

CONTENTS. No. 201.

NOTES : -Casanoviana, 357 James the Deacon and Ays- garth Ancient British Cities, 359-Chopin MSS., 360- ' Christ Church, Woburn Square Acervation Forage Caps Ibsen's Mascottes, 361 Parliament Square, Falkland- Curious Epitaph A Grave Charge Pronunciation of Nietzsche Manorial Custom at Hunmanby, 362-" Con- quering kings " " Piache " : " Peaiman," 363.

QUERIES : New Jacobite Papers Charles II.: Rebecca Wallace-Quiney of Chalcot, 363 Marks Family-Dry- den's Brother Duels Song Wanted, 364 Dissington Family Noye Tapestries of Henry VII. Forlong, 365 Ancient Boats Crowning of Dramatic Authors, 366.

REPLIES : Jones, Lord Mayor of London, 366 Place- names in Fox's 'Journal,' 367 University Degrees Columbaria Shares in Merchant Ships Wearing the Hat before Royalty Frank Foster, 368 Family Likeness- Hindu Calendar and Festivals Troubadour and Daisy, 369 -"Yorker "="Tice " Lord Donore Napoleon's Library,

370 Mr. George F Hesketh of Cheshire ' Lost

Pleiad 'Frederick. Prince of Wales Cann Office, 371 Crouch Family Greek Pronunciation Larks Field : Barons Down 'Marseillaise,' 372 Jews as "Scientists" and Physicians Sir Nicholas Smith, 373 Ancient Beacons "Kell": "Keld" Shoddy Cloth Bindings, 374.

NOTES ON BOOKS : ' Dictionary of National Biography,' Supplement, Vol. III. Henley and Henderson's ' Poetry of Kobert Burns.'

Notices to Correspondents.

CASANOVIANA. (See 8 th S. xii. 361.)

WHEN, in 1790, Casanova published his leading a monotonous existence at Dux, in the capacity of librarian to Count Joseph Waldstein. It was in that year that Casa- nova made a bargain with his host, the ful- filment of which he ever after regarded as binding both on his honour and conscience. He agreed to write a full and complete history of his life and adventures. That Casanova did not enter upon this work without qualms of conscience is evident from the narrative itself. Often during its pro- gress the author says that he was being driven, against his better judgment, to con- tinue those memoirs, and that more than once he had serious thoughts of burning the entire manuscript. Thus :
 * Solution du Problems Dialique ' he was

"It is partly in the hope of dissipating sad reflections, and partly to point a moral, that I wr ite ray memoirs, which are perhaps a too faithful picture of my life. They that survive me will do ubtless publish them : it matters little to me ; I h ve no illusions."*


 * Edition Rozez (1863), vol. vi. p. 354.

Speaking of his papers at Dux, Casanova says :

" I will burn nothing, not even these memoirs, though I have often been tempted to do so."*

When recording a cpnversationt which he held with the Marquis d'Argens, who en- deavoured to dissuade him from writing absolutely truthful memoirs, Casanova says :

"Convinced of the justice of his observations, I vowed that I would never commit such a folly. And yet I have committed it every day during the past seven years. Nay, more, I have convinced myself that I have contracted a solemn obligation to continue to the end, heedless of whatever qualms of conscience I may suffer. Thus do I continue to write, but always with a secret hope that this narrative of my life may never see the light, and that, in a fit of remorse, I shall burn all this scribble. If, however, this sort of auto-da-fe does not take place, I implore the reader to forgive me. My hand has been forced by the crowd of profligates who frequent the Chateau of Count Waldstein at Dux, where I am now residing (1797)."

We do not know, we shall never know, what moral pressure was brought to bear upon Casanova. It is certain that he thought he was bound by a promise rashly made, and the result is before the world. He at first designed to divide his narrative into three parts the first part to end in London in 1763, the second part to end with his de- parture from Venice in 1783, and the third part to end at Dux. But as the work proceeded he had ample time for reflection, and changed his plans. The Venice period and the Dux period involved, in the first instance, the suppression of facts which could not be glossed over without breaking the conditions imposed upon him by Count Waldstein, and, in the second instance, an unpardonable breach of confidence. Casa- nova tells us that he chose the French language because it is more generally known than the Italian, and because he believed it to be the most suitable language for memoirs an opinion, by the way, which he uncon- sciously shared with Horace Walpole.

Internal evidence proves that the volumes were written at the rate of about one volume per annum. Between 1790 and April, 1797, Casanova wrote the six volumes with which we are familiar. The exact periods when the several chapters were written can often be ascertained by dates affixed to special para- graphs. Thus :

Vol. I. The preface was written in 1797, the first chapter in 1798 (see edition Rozez,

f Ibid., vol. vi. p. 273.
 * Ibid., vol. vi. p. 76.