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the ambassador of your native country."
"Alas, my lord, my country has forsaken me. An act of legal though
unconstitutional violence has deprived me of my rights as a citizen. My
name is Casanova, and my country is Venice."
The prince looked astonished and turned to the Venetian ambassador,
who smiled, and whispered to him for ten minutes.
"It's a pity," said the prince, kindly, "that you cannot claim the
protection of any ambassador."
At these words a nobleman of colossal stature stepped forward and said
I could claim his protection, as my whole family, myself included, had
served the prince his master. He spoke the truth, for he was the
ambassador of Saxony.
"That is Count Vitzthum," said the prince. "Write to the empress, and I
will forward your petition immediately. If there is any delay in the
answer, go to the count; you will be safe with him, until you like to
leave Vienna."

In the meanwhile the prince ordered writing materials to be brought me,
and he and his guests passed into the dining-hall.
I give here a copy of the petition, which I composed in less than ten
minutes. I made a fair copy for the Venetian ambassador to send home
to the Senate:
"MADAM,--I am sure that if, as your royal and imperial highness were
walking in your garden, an insect appealed plaintively to you not to
crush it, you would turn aside, and so avoid doing the poor creature any
hurt.
"I, madam, am an insect, and I beg of you that you will order M.
Statthalter Schrotembach to delay crushing me with your majesty's
slipper for a week. Possibly, after that time has elapsed, your majesty
will not only prevent his crushing me, but will deprive him of that
slipper, which was only meant to be the terror of rogues, and not of an
humble Venetian, who is an honest man, though he escaped from The
Leads.
"In profound submission to your majesty's will, "I remain,
"CASANOVA.
"Given at Vienna, January 21st, 1769."
When I had finished the petition, I made a fair draft of it, and sent it in
to the prince, who sent it back to me telling me that he would place it in
the empress's hands immediately, but that he would be much obliged by
my making a copy for his own use.
I did so, and gave both copies to the valet de chambre, and went my
way. I trembled like a paralytic, and was afraid that my anger might get
me into difficulty. By way of calming myself, I wrote out in the style of
a manifesto the narrative I had given to the vile Schrotembach, and
which that unworthy magistrate had refused to return to me.
At seven o'clock Count Vitzthum came into my room. He greeted me in
a friendly manner and begged me to tell him the story of the girl I had

gone to see, on the promise of the Latin quatrain referring to her
accommodating disposition. I gave him the address and copied out the
verses, and he said that was enough to convince an enlightened judge
that I had been slandered; but he, nevertheless, was very doubtful
whether justice would be done me.
"What! shall I be obliged to leave Vienna to-morrow?"
"No, no, the empress cannot possibly refuse you the week's delay."
"Why not?"
"Oh! no one could refuse such an appeal as that. Even the prince could
not help smiling as he was reading it in his cold way. After reading it
he passed it on to me, and then to the Venetian ambassador, who asked
him if he meant to give it to the empress as it stood. 'This petition,'
replied the prince, 'might be sent to God, if one knew the way;' and
forthwith he ordered one of his secretaries to fold it up and see that it
was delivered. We talked of you for the rest of dinner, and I had the
pleasure of hearing the Venetian ambassador say that no one could
discover any reason for your imprisonment under the Leads. Your duel
was also discussed, but on that point we only knew what has appeared
in the newspapers. Oblige me by giving me a copy of your petition; that
phrase of Schrotembach and the slipper pleased me vastly."
I copied out the document, and gave it him with a copy of my
manifesto. Before he left me the count renewed the invitation to take
refuge with him, if I did not hear from the empress before the
expiration of the twenty-four hours.
At ten o'clock I had a visit from the Comte de la Perouse, the Marquis
de las Casas, and Signor Uccelli, the secretary of the Venetian embassy.
The latter came to ask for a