Bottarelli--A Letter from Pauline--The Avenging Parrot--Pocchini--Guerra, the Venetian-
-I Meet Sara Again; My Idea of Marrying Her and Settling in Switzerland--The
Hanoverians
Thus ended the first act of the comedy; the second began the next morning. I was just
getting up, when I heard a noise at the street door, and on putting my head out of the
window I saw Pocchini, the scoundrel who had robbed me at Stuttgart trying to get into
my house. I cried out wrathfully that I would have nothing to do with him, and slammed
down my window.
A little later Goudar put in an appearance. He had got a copy of the St. James's Chronicle,
containing a brief report of my arrest, and of my being set a liberty under a bail of eighty
guineas. My name and the lady's were disguised, but Rostaing and Bottarelli were set
down plainly, and the editor praised their conduct. I felt as if I should like to know
Bottarelli, and begged Goudar to take me to him, and Martinelli, happening to call just
then, said he would come with us.
We entered a wretched room on the third floor of a wretched house, and there we beheld
a picture of the greatest misery. A woman and five children clothed in rags formed the
foreground, and in the background was Bottarelli, in an old dressing-gown, writing at a
table worthy of Philemon and Baucis. He rose as we came in, and the sight of him moved
me to compassion. I said,--
"I am Casanova, against whom you bore false witness; whom you tried to cast into
Newgate."
"I am very sorry, but look around you and say what choice have I? I have no bread to
give my children. I will do as much in your favour another time for nothing."
"Are you not afraid of the gallows?"
"No, for perjury is not punished with death; besides it is very difficult to prove."
"I have heard you are a poet."
"Yes. I have lengthened the Didone and abridged the Demetrio."
