…after escaping from the dreaded Venetian prison, the Leads, I found myself penniless and alone in Paris. At a gathering of friends, I overheard a courtier discussing his ambitions for the state lottery. When I told him that I had an idea for making the event more profitable for the King, he exclaimed, “I have an idea too!” and proceeded to tell me his plan. I said, “Your idea is far superior to mine.” Of course, I had no plan, but I promptly appropriated his, and soon found myself as the director of the state lottery, a lucrative position…
…kneeling down and peering through the keyhole, I was able to view the splendid naked body of a woman lying on her bed in a manner that concealed none of her charms from me. Her face, ravaged by smallpox, was covered by a black lace veil, and with the aid of this device she never lacked for lovers, of whom I soon became one…
…our view from the window in the staircase afforded us a clear view of the plaza in which the execution was to take place, and gave me a splendid opportunity to please myself with the two women who, bending down to rest their elbows on the window sill, presented to me, standing behind them, an even better prospect…
…with the help of a few good fellow soldiers, we carried off the beautiful woman who had the poor fortune to be married to a mere innkeeper, and took her to a room that was well provisioned with food and spirits. She, with the spirit of a lady, at first resisted our efforts to take possession of her charms which were so tempting and manifest, but after noting that we were many and she but one, the door locked and secure, and that no one came to her assistance from without, she resolved to make the best of a situation that was not subject to her will, and she gave herself over to the carnal enjoyments of our assembled group with an enthusiasm that exhausted us…
Freely adapted from my memory of Casanova’s Memoirs. You get a sense of the range of his escapades, from scam, to titillation, to fornication, to rape.
