ThejoyofthewholecompanyappearedsogreatthatFredericTHE
GREATwasoffended!
Othercircumstanceswhichcontributedtopromotethisaffair,thereaderwillcollectfrommyhistory。ThattherewerepersonsinViennawhodesiredtodetainmeinprisonisindubitable,fromtheirproceedingsaftermyreturn。MyfriendsinBerlinandmymoneyweremydeliverers。
WalkingroundVienna,havingrecoveredfrommysickness,thebroadexpanseofheaveninspiredaconsciousnessoffreedomandpleasureindescribable。Iheardthesongofthelark。Myheartpalpitated,mypulsequickened,forIrecollectedIwasnotinchains。
"Happen,"saidI,"whatmay,mywillandheartarefree。"
AnincidenthappenedwhichfurtheredmyprojectofgettingawayfromAustria。MarshalLaudohnwasgoingtoAix—la—Chapelletotakethewaters。HewenttotakehisleaveoftheCountessParr;IwaspresenttheEmpressenteredthechamber,andtheconversationturninguponLaudohn’sjourney,shesaidtome,"Thebathsarenecessarytothere—establishmentofyourhealth,Trenck。"Iwasready,andfollowedhimintwodays,whereweremainedaboutthreemonths。
ThemodeoflifeatAix—la—ChapelleandSpapleasedme,wheremenofallnationsmeet,andwhereprincesminglewithpersonsofallranks。OnedayhereprocuredmemorepleasurethanawholelifeinVienna。
IhadscarcelyremainedamonthbeforetheCountessParrwrotetomethattheEmpresshadprovidedforme,andwouldmakemyfortuneassoonasIreturnedtoVienna。Itriedtodiscoverinwhatitconsisted,butinvain。ThedeathoftheEmperorFrancisatInnsbruckoccasionedthereturnofGeneralLaudohn,andIfollowedhim,onfoot,toVienna。
BymeansoftheCountessParrIobtainedanaudience。TheEmpresssaidtome,"Iwillprovetoyou,Trenck,thatIkeepmyword。I
haveinsuredyourfortune;Iwillgiveyouarichandprudentwife。"
Ireplied,"MostgraciousSovereign,Icannotdeterminetomarry,and,ifIcould,mychoiceisalreadymadeatAix—la—Chapelle。"——
"How!areyoumarried,then?"——"Notyet,pleaseyourMajesty。"——"Areyoupromised?"
"Yes。"——"Well,well,nomatterforthat;Iwilltakecareofthataffair;IamdeterminedonmarryingyoutotherichwidowofM—,andsheapprovesmychoice。Sheisagood,kindwoman,andhasfiftythousandflorinsayear。Youareinwantofsuchawife。"
Iwasthunderstruck。Thisbridewasacantinghypocriteofsixty—
three,covetous,andatermagant。Ianswered,"ImustspeakthetruthtoyourMajesty;Icouldnotconsentdidshepossessthetreasuresofthewholeearth。Ihavemademychoice,which,asanhonestman,Imustnotbreak。"TheEmpresssaid,"Yourunhappinessisyourownwork。Actasyouthinkproper;Ihavedone。"Heremyaudienceended。Iwasnotactuallyaffiancedatthattimetomypresentwife,butlovehaddeterminedmychoice。
MarshalLaudohnpromotedthematch。Hewasacquaintedwithmyheartandthewarmthofmypassion,andperceivedthatIcouldnotconquerthedesireofvengeanceonmenbywhomIhadbeensocruellytreated。HeandProfessorGellertadvisedmetotakethismodeofcalmingpassionsthatofteninspiredprojectstoovast,andthatI
shouldflythecompanyofthegreat。Thiscounselwassecondedbymyownwishes。IreturnedtoAix—la—ChapelleinDecember,1766,andmarriedtheyoungestdaughteroftheformerBurgomasterDeBroe。Hewasdead;hehadlivedonhisownestateinBrussels,wheremywifewasbornandeducated。Mywife’smotherwassistertotheVice—
ChancellorofDusseldorf,BaronRobert,LordofRoland。MywifewaswithmeinmostpartsofEurope。Shewasthenyoung,handsome,worthy,andvirtuous,hasbornemeelevenchildren,allofwhomshehasnursedherself;eightofthemarestilllivingandhavebeenproperlyeducated。Twenty—twoyearsshehasborneapartofallmysufferings,andwelldeservesreward。
DuringmyabodeinViennaImadeoneeffortmore。IsoughtanaudiencewiththepresentEmperorJoseph,relatedallthathadhappenedtome,andremarkedsuchdefectsasIhadobservedintheregulationsofthecountry。Heheardme,andcommandedmetocommitmythoughtstowriting。Mymemorialwasgraciouslyreceived。I
alsogaveafullaccountofwhathadhappenedtomeinvariouscountries,whichprudencehasoccasionedmetoexpressmorecautiouslyinthesepages。Mymemorialproducednoeffect,andI
hastenedbacktoAix—la—Chapelle。
CHAPTERVII。
ForsomeyearsIlivedinpeace;myhousewastherendezvousofthefirstpeople,whocametotakethewaters。Ibegantobemoreknownamongtheveryfirstandbestpeople。IvisitedProfessorGellertatLeipzig,andaskedhisadviceconcerningwhatbranchofliteraturehethoughtitwasprobableImightsucceedin。Hemostapprovedmyfablesandtales,andblamedtheexcessivefreedomwithwhichIspokeinpoliticalwritings。Ineglectedhisadvice,andmanyoftheensuingcalamitiesweretheconsequence。
IreceivedorderstocorrespondwithHisMajesty’sprivatesecretary,BaronRoder;sufficeittosay,myattemptstoservemycountrywerefrustrated;Isawdefectstooclearly,spokemythoughtstoofrankly,andwantedsufficienthumilityevertoobtainfavour。
Intheyear1767Iwrote"TheMacedonianHero,"whichbecamefamousthroughoutallGermany。Thepoemdidmehonour,butentailednewpersecutions;yetInevercouldrepent:Ihavehadthehonourofpresentingittofivereigningprinces,bynoneofwhomithasbeenburnt。TheEmpressalonewashighlyenraged。IhadspokenasNathandidtoDavid,andtheJesuitsnowopenlybecamemyenemies。
Thefollowingtrickwasplayedmein1768。AfriendinBrusselswascommissionedtoreceivemypay,fromwhomIlearntaninterdicthadbeenlaiduponitbythecourtcalledHofkriegsrath,inVienna,inwhichIwascondemnedtopaysevenhundredflorinstooneBussy,withfourteenyears’interest。
Bussywasaknownswindler。Ithereforejourneyed,post—haste,toVienna。Nohearing;nosatisfactoryaccountwastobeobtained。
Theanswerwas,"Sentenceispassed,thereforeallattemptsaretoolate。"
IappliedtotheEmperorJoseph,pledgedmyheadtoprovethefalsificationofthisnote;andentreatedarevisionofthecause。
Myrequestwasgrantedandmyattorney,Weyhrauch,wasanuprightman。Whenherequestedadayofrevisiontobeappointed,hewasthreatenedtobecommittedbythereferendary。Zetto,shouldheinterfereanddefendtheaffairsofTrenck。Heansweredfirmly,"Hisdefenceismybusiness:Iknowmycausetobegood。"
FourmonthsdidIcontinueinViennabeforethedaywasappointedtorevisethiscause。Itnowappearedtherewereerasuresandholesthroughthepaperinthreeplaces;allincourtwereconvincedtheclaimoughttobeannulled,andtheclaimantpunished。Zettoorderedthepartiestowithdraw,andthensomanagedthatthejudgesresolvedthatthecasemustbelaidbeforethecourtwithformalandwrittenproofs。
Thisgavetimefornewknavery;IwasobligedtoreturntoAix—la—
Chapelle,andfouryearselapsedbeforethisaffairwasdecided。
Twopriests,intheinterim,tookfalseoathsthattheyhadseenmereceivemoney。Atlength,however,IprovedthatthenotewasdatedayearafterIhadbeenimprisonedatMagdeburg。Further,myattorneyprovedthewritsofthecourthadbeenfalsified。Zetto,referendary,andBussy,weretheforgers;butIhappenedtobetooactive,andmyattorneytoohonest,tolosethiscase。IwasobligedtomakethreeveryexpensivejourneysfromAix—la—ChapelletoVienna,lestjudgementshouldgobydefault。Sentenceatlastwaspronounced。Igainedmycause,andthenotewasdeclaredaforgery,butthecosts,amountingtothreethousandfivehundredflorins,Iwasobligedtopay,forBussycouldnot:norwashepunished,thoughdrivenfromViennaforhisvillainousacts。Zetto,however,stillcontinuedforelevenyearsmypersecutor,tillhewasdeprivedofhisoffice,andcondemnedtotheHouseofCorrection。
MyknowledgeoftheworldincreasedatAix—la—Chapelle,wheremenofallcharactersmet。InthemorningIconversedwithalordinopposition,intheafternoonwithanoratoroftheKing’sparty,andintheeveningwithanhonestmanofnoparty。IsentHungarianwineintoEngland,France,Holland,andtheEmpire。Thisoccasionedmetoundertakelongjourneys,andasmyincreasedacquaintancegavemeopportunitiesofreceivingforeignerswithpolitenessanmyownhouse,IwasalsowellreceivedwhereverIwent。
TheincomeIshouldhavehadfromViennawasengulfedbylaw—suits,attorneys,andthejourneysIundertook;havingbeenthricecitedtoappear,inperson,beforetheHofkriegsrath。Nohoperemained。I
wasdescribedasadangerousmalcontent,whohaddesertedhisnativeland。Ineverthelessremainedanhonestman;onewhocouldprovideforhisnecessitieswithoutthefavourofcourts;onewhoseacquaintancewasesteemed。InViennaalonewasIunsought,unemployed,andobscure。
Onedayanaccidenthappenedwhichmademerenownedasamagician,asonewhohadpoweroverfogsandclouds。
IhadaquarrelwiththePalatinePresident,BaronBlankart,concerningahuntingdistrict。Iwrotetohimthatheshouldrepairtothespotindispute,whitherIwouldattendwithswordandpistol,hopinghewouldtheregivemesatisfactionfortheaffrontI
hadreceived。ThitherIwent,withtwohuntsmenandtwofriends,butinsteadofthebaronIfoundtwohundredarmedpeasantsassembled。
Isentoneofmyhuntsmentothearmyoftheenemy,informingthemthat,iftheydidnotretreat,Ishouldfire。Thedaywasfine,butathickandimpenetrablefogarose。Myhuntsmanreturned,withintelligencethat,havingdeliveredhismessagejustasthefogcameon,theseheroeshadallrunawaywithfright。
Iadvanced,firedmypiece,asdidmyfollowers,andmarchedtothemansionofmyadversary,wheremyhunting—hornwasblownintriumphinhiscourtyard。Therunawaypeasantsfired,butthefogpreventedtheirtakingaim。
Ireturnedhome,wheremanyfalsereportshadprecededme。MywifeexpectedIshouldbebroughthomedead;however,nottheleastmischiefhadhappened。
ItsoonwaspropagatedthroughthecountrythatIhadraisedafogtorendermyselfinvisible,andthatthetruthofthiscouldbejustifiedbytwohundredwitnesses。AllthemonksofAix—la—
Chapelle,Juliers,andCologne,preachedconcerningme,reviledme,andwarnedthepeopletobewareofthearch—magicianandLutheran,Trenck。
Onafutureoccasion,thisbeliefIturnedtomerriment。IwenttohuntthewolfintheforestsofMontjoie,andinvitedthetownsmentothechase。TowardseveningI,andsomefortyofmyfollowers,retiredtorestinthecharcoalhuts,providedwithwineandbrandy。
"Mylads,"saidI,"itisnecessaryyoushoulddischargeyourpieces,andloadthemanew;thatto—morrownowolfmayescape,andthatnoneofyouexcuseyourselvesonyourpiecesmissingfire。"
Thegunswerereloaded,andplacedinaseparatechamber。Whiletheyweremerry—making,myhuntsmandrewtheballs,andchargedthepieceswithpowder,severalofwhichheloadedwithdoublecharges。
SomeoftheirnotchedballsIputintomypocket。
InthemorningawaywentIandmyfellowstothechase。Theirconversationturnedonmynecromancy,andthemannerinwhichI
couldenvelopemyselfinacloud,ormakemyselfbullet—proof。
"Whatisthatyouaretalkingabout?"saidI。——"Someoftheseunbelievingfolks,"answeredmyhuntsman,"affirmyourhonourisunabletowardoffballs。"——"Well,then,"saidI,"fireaway,andtry。"Myhuntsmanfired。Ipretendedtoparrywithmyhand,andcalled,"Letanymanthatissoinclinedfire,butonlyoneatatime。"Accordinglytheybegan,and,pretendingtotwistandturnabout,Isufferedthemalltodischargetheirpieces。Mypeoplehadcarefullynoticedthatnomanhadreloadedhisgun。Someofthemreceivedsuchblowsfromthegunsthatweredoublychargedthattheyfell,terrifiedatthepowersofmagic。Iadvanced,holdinginmyhandsomeofthemarkedballs。"Leteveryonechoosehisown,"
calledI。Allstoodmotionless,andmanyofthemslunkhomewiththeirgunsontheirshoulders;someremained,andoursportwasexcellent。
OnSundaythemonksofAix—la—Chapelleagainbegantopreach。Myblackartbecamethethemeofthewholecountry,andtothisdaymanyofthepeoplemakeoaththattheyfireduponme,andthat,aftercatchingthem,Ireturnedtheballs。
MyinvulnerablequalitieswerepublishedthroughoutJuliers,Aix—la—
Chapelle,Maestricht,andCologne,andperhapsthisbeliefsavedmylife;thepriestshavingpropagateditfromtheirpulpits,inacountrywhichswarmswithhighwayrobbers,andwhere,forasingleducat,anymanmayhireanassassin。
ItisnosmallsurprisethatIshouldhavepreservedmylife,inatownwheretherearetwenty—threemonasteriesandchurches,andwherethemonksareadoredasdeities。TheCatholicclergyhadbeenenragedagainstmebymypoemof"TheMacedonianHero;"andin1772
IpublishedanewspaperatAix—la—Chapelle,andanotherworkentitled,"TheFriendofMen,"inwhichIunmaskedhypocrisy。A
majoroftheapostolicMariaTheresa,writingthusinatownswarmingwithfriars,andinatonesoundaunted,wasunexampled。
Atpresent,nowthatfreedomofopinionisencouragedbytheEmperor,manyessayistsencounterbigotryanddeceitwithridicule;
or,wantinginventionthemselves,publishextractsfromwritingsoftheageofLuther。ButIhavethehonourofhavingattackedthepillarsoftheRomishhierarchyindaysmoredangerous。ImayboastofbeingthefirstGermanwhoraisedafermentationontheUpperRhineandinAustria,soadvantageoustotruth,theprogressoftheunderstanding,andthehappinessoffuturity。
MywritingscontainnothinginimicaltothemoralitytaughtbyChrist。Iattackedthesaleofindulgences,theavariceofRome,thelaziness,deceit,gluttony,robbery,andblood—suckingofthemonksofAix—la—Chapelle。Thearch—priest,andnineofhiscoadjutors,declaredeverySundaythatIwasafreethinker,awizard,onewhomeveryman,wishingwelltoGodandtheChurch,oughttoassassinate。FatherZunderdeclaredmeanoutlaw,andadaywasappointedonwhichmywritingsweretobeburntbeforemyhouse,anditsinhabitantsmassacred。Mywifereceivedletterswarninghertoflyforsafety,whichwarningsheobeyed。Iandtwoofmyhuntsmenremained,providedwitheighty—fourloadedmuskets。
TheseIdisplayedbeforethewindow,thatallmightbeconvincedthatIwouldmakeadefence。Theappointeddaycame,andFatherZunder,withmywritingsinhishand,appearedreadyfortheattack;
theothermonkshadincitedthetownspeopletoastorm。Thuspassedthedayandnightinsuspense。
Inthemorningafirebrokeoutinthetown。Ihastened,withmytwohuntsmen,wellarmed,togiveassistance;wedashedthewaterfromourbuckets,andallobeyedmydirections。FatherZunderandhisstudentsweretherelikewise。Istruckhisanointedearwithmyleathernbucket,whichnomanthoughtpropertonotice。Ipassedundauntedthroughthecrowd;thepeoplesmiled,pulledofftheirhats,andwishedmeagood—morning。ThepeopleofAix—la—Chapellewerebigots,buttoocowardlytomurderamanwhowaspreparedforhisowndefence。
AsIwasridingtoMaestricht,aballwhistledbymyears,which,nodoubt,wasamessengersentaftermebythesepersecutingpriests。
WhenhuntingneartheconventofSchwartzenbruck,threeDominicanslayinambushbehindahedge。Oneoftheircolleaguespointedouttheplace。Iwasonmyguardwithmygun,drewnear,andcalledout,"Shoot,scoundrels!butdonotkillme,forthedevilstandsreadyforyouatyourelbow。"Onefired,andallran:Theballhitmyhat。Ifiredandwoundedonedesperately,whomtheotherscarriedoff。
In1774,journeyingfromSpatoLimbourg,Iwasattackedbyeightbanditti。Theweatherwasrainy,andmymusketwasinitscase;mysabrewasentangledinmybelt,sothatIwasobligedtodefendmyselfaswithaclub。Isprangfromthecarriage,andfoughtindefenceofmylife,strikingdownallbeforeme,whilemyfaithfulhuntsmanprotectedmebehind。Idispersedmyassailants,hastenedtomycarriage,anddroveaway。Oneofthesefellowswassoonafterhanged,andownedthattheconfessorofthebandittihadpromisedabsolutioncouldtheybutdespatchme,butthatnomancouldshootme,becauseLuciferhadrenderedmeinvulnerable。Myagility,fighting,too,forlife,wassuperiortotheirs,andtheyburiedtwooftheirgang,whomwithmyheavysabreIhadkilled。
Tosuchexcessofcrueltymaytheviolenceofpriestsbecarried!I
attackedonlygrossabuses——thedeceitofthemonksofAix—la—
Chapelle,Cologne,andLiege,wheretheyareworsethancannibals。
IwishedtoinculcatetrueChristiandutiesamongmyfellow—
citizens,andtheattemptwassufficienttoirritatetheselfishChurchofRome。
FrommyEmpressIhadnothingtohope。HerconfessorhadpaintedmeasapersecutoroftheblessedMotherChurch。Norwasthisall。
OpinionswerepropagatedthroughoutViennathatIwasadangerousmantothecommunity。
HenceIwasalwayswrongedincourtsofjudicature,wherethereareevertobefoundwickedmen。TheythoughttheywereservingthecauseofGodbyinjuringme。Yettheywereunabletopreventmywritingsfromproducingmemuchmoney,orfrombeingcirculatedthroughallGermany。TheAix—la—ChapelleJournalbecamesofamous,thatinthesecondyearIhadfourthousandsubscribers,byeachofwhomIgainedaducat。
Thepostmasters,whogainedconsiderablybycirculatingnewspapers,wereenvious,becausetheAix—la—ChapelleJournaldestroyedseveraloftheothers,andtheythereforeformedacombination。
PrinceCharlesofSwedenplacedconfidenceinmeduringhisresidenceatAix—la—ChapelleandSpa,andIaccompaniedhimintoHolland。WhenItookmyleaveofhimatMaestricht,hesaidtome,"Whenmyfatherdies,eithermybrothershallbeKing,orwewillloseourheads。"TheKingdied,andPrinceCharlessoonaftersaid,inthepostscriptofoneofhisletters,"WhatwespokeofatMaestrichtwillsoonbefullyaccomplished,andyoumaythencometoStockholm。"
Onthis,IinsertedanarticleinmyjournaldeclaringarevolutionhadtakenplaceinSweden,thatthekinghadmadehimselfabsolute。
Theotherpapersexpressedtheirdoubts,andIofferedtowagerathousandducatsonthetruthofthearticlepublishedinmyjournalunderthetitleof"Aix—la—Chapelle。"ThenewsoftherevolutioninSwedenwasconfirmed。
MyjournalforetoldthePolishpartitionsixweekssoonerthananyother;buthowIobtainedthisnewsmustnotbementioned。IwasactiveinthedefenceofQueenMatildaofDenmark。
TheFrenchMinistrywereoffendedatthefollowingpasquinade:—"ThethreeeagleshaverentthePolishbear,withoutlosingafeatherwithwhichanymanintheCabinetofVersaillescanwrite。SincethedeathofMazarin,theywriteonlywithgoose—quills。"
BydesireoftheKingofPoland,Iwroteanarrativeoftheattemptmadetoassassinatehim,andnamedthenunciowhohadgivenabsolutiontotheconspiratorsinthechapeloftheHolyVirgin。
Thehousewasnowinflames。RomeinsistedIshouldrecallmywords。Hernuncio,atCologne,ventedpoison,daggers,andexcommunication;theEmpress—Queenherselfthoughtpropertointerfere。Iobtained,formyjustification,fromWarsawacopyoftheexaminationoftheconspirators。ThisIthreatenedtopublish,andstoodunmovedinthedefenceoftruth。
TheEmpresswrotetothePostmaster—GeneraloftheEmpire,andcommandedhimtolayaninterdictontheAix—la—ChapelleJournal。
Informedofthis,Iendeditspublicationwiththeyear,butwroteanessayonthepartitionofPoland,whichalsodidbutincreasemyenemies。
ThemagistracyofAix—la—Chapelleiselectedfromthepeople,andtheBurghers’courtconsistsofanignorantrabble。IknownoexceptionsbutBaronLamberteandDeWitte;andthispeopleassumetitlesofdignity,forwhichtheyareamenabletothecourtatVienna。KnowingIshouldfindlittleprotectionatVienna,theyimaginedtheymightdrivemefromtheirtown。Iwasaspyontheirevildeeds,ofwhomtheywouldhaveridthemselves。Iknewthatthetwosheriffs,KlossandFurth,andtherecorder,Geyer,hadrobbedthetown—chamberoffortythousanddollars,anddividedthespoil。
TotheseIwasadangerousman。Forsuchreasonstheysoughtaquarrelwithme,pretendingIhadcommittedatrespassbybreakingdownahedge,andcitedmetoappearatthetown—house。
Thepostmaster,Heinsberg,ofAix—la—Chapelle,althoughhehadtwothousandthreehundredrix—dollarsofmineinhispossession,institutedfalsesuitsagainstme,obtainedverdictsagainstme,seizedonacargoofwineatCologne,andIincurredlossestotheamountofeighteenthousandflorins,whichdevouredthefortuneofmywife,andbywhichshe,withmyselfandmychildren,werereducedtopoverty。
TheGravenitzhimself,in1778,acknowledgedhowmuchhehadinjuredme,affirmedhehadbeendeceived,andpromisedhewouldtrytoobtainrestitution。Iforgavehim,andheattemptedtokeephispromise;buthispowerdeclined;thebribeshehadreceivedbecametoopublic。Hewasdispossessedofhispost,but,alas!toolateforme。TwootherofmyjudgesareatthistimeobligedtosweepthestreetsofVienna,wheretheyarecondemnedtotheHouseofCorrection。Hadthisbeentheiremploymentinsteadofbeingseatedontheseatofjudgmenttwentyyearsago,Imighthavebeenmorefortunate。ItisaremarkablecircumstancethatIshouldsocontinuallyhavebeendespoiledbyunjustjudges。Whowouldhavehadthetemeritytoaffirmthattheirevildeedsshouldbringthemtoattendonthecityscavenger?Iindeedknewthembuttoowell,andfearlesslyspokewhatIknew。ItwasmymisfortunethatIwasacquaintedwiththeirmalpracticessoonerthangraciousSovereign。
LetthescenecloseonmylitigationsatAix—la—ChapelleandVienna。
MayGodpreserveeveryhonestmanfromthelike!Theyhaveswallowedupmyproperty,andthatofmywife。Enough!
CHAPTERVIII。
Fromtheyear1774to1777,IjourneyedthroughEnglandandFrance。
IwasintimatewithDr。Franklin,theAmericanMinister,andwiththeCountsSt。GermainanddeVergennes,whomademeproposalstogotoAmerica;butIwaspreventedbymyaffectionformywifeandchildren。
MyfriendtheLandgraveofHesse—Cassel,whohadbeenGovernorofMagdeburgduringmyimprisonment,offeredmeacommissionamongthetroopsgoingtoAmerica,butIanswered——"Graciousprince,myheartbeatsinthecauseoffreedomonly;Iwillneverassistinenslavingmen。WereIattheheadofyourbravegrenadiers。IshouldrevolttotheAmericans。"
During1775IcontinuedatAix—la—Chapellemyessays,entitled,"TheFriendofMen。"Mywritingshadmadesomeimpression;thepeoplebegantoread;themonkswereridiculed,butmypartisansincreased,andtheirleadergothimselfcudgelled。
Theydidnotnowmentionmynamepublicly,butcatechisedtheirpenitentsatconfession。DuringthisyearpeoplecametomefromCologne,Bonn,andDusseldorf,tospeakwithmeprivately。WhenI
inquiredtheirbusiness,theytoldmetheirclergyhadinformedthemIwaspropagatinganewreligion,inwhicheverymanmustsignhimselftothedevil,whothenwouldsupplythemwithmoney。Theywerewillingtobecomeconvertstomyfaith,wouldBeelzebubbutgivethemmoney,andrevengethemontheirpriests。"Mygoodfriends,"answeredI,"yourteachershavedeceivedyou;Iknowofnodevilsbutthemselves。WereittruethatIwasfoundinganewreligion,theconvertstowhomthedevilwouldsupplymoney,yourpriests,wouldbethefirstofmyapostles,andthemostcatholic。
Iamanhonest,moralman,asaChristianoughttobe。Gohome,inGod’sname,anddoyourduty。"
Iforgottomentionthattherecorderofthesheriff’scourtatAix—
la—Chapelle,whoiscalledBaronGeyer,hadassociatedhimselfin1778withaJewconvert,andthatthisnoblecompanyswindledaDutchmerchantoutofeightythousandflorins,byassumingthearmsofElectorPalatine,andproducingforgedreceiptsandcontracts。
GeyerwastakeninAmsterdam,andwouldhavebeenhanged,but,bytheaidofaservant,heescaped。HereturnedtoAix—la—Chapelle,whereheenjoyshisoffice。Threeyearsagoherobbedthetown—
chamber。Hiswifewas,atthattime,generiscommunis,andprocuredhimfriendsatcourt。TheassertionsofthisgentlemanfoundgreatercreditatViennathanthoseoftheinjuredTrenck!Oh,shame!Oh,world!world!
MywinetradewassosuccessfulthatIhadcorrespondentsandstoresinLondon,Paris,Brussels,Hamburg,andtheHague,andhadgainedfortythousandflorins。Oneunfortunatedaydestroyedallmyhopesinthesuccessofthistraffic。
InLondonIwasdefraudedofeighteenhundredguineasbyaswindler。
Thefaultwasmybrother—in—law’s,whopartedwiththewinebeforehehadreceivedthemoney。WhenIhadbeenwronged,andaskedmyfriends’assistance,Iwasonlylaughedat,asiftheywerehappythatanEnglishmanhadthewittocheataGerman。