needs for his life's happiness continuous contact with feminine natures."……
"Whatever I have done in the course of my life," says Casanova,[1] "whether it be good or evil, has been done freely; I am a free agent.…… Man is free, but his freedom ceases when he has no faith in it.……Man is free; yet we must not suppose he is at liberty to do everything he pleases, for he becomes a slave the moment he allows his actions to be ruled by his passions. The man who has sufficient power over himself to wait his nature has recovered its even balance is the truly wise man, but such beings are seldom met with……
"The sanguine temperament rendered me very sensible to the attraction of voluptuousness……The chief business of my life has always been to indulge my senses; I never knew anything of greater importance. I felt myself born for the fair sex, I have ever loved it dearly, and I have been loved by it as often and as much as I could……
"……Should anyone bring against me an accusation of sensuality he would be wrong, for all the fierceness of my senses never caused me to neglect any of my duties…… I have always been fond of highly-seasoned, rich dishes…… As for women, I have always found the odour of my beloved ones exceeding pleasant……
"……It may be that certain love scenes will be considered too explicit, but let no one blame me, unless it be for lack of skill, for I ought not to be scolded because, in my old age, I can no other enjoyment but that which recollections of the past afford to me. After all, virtuous and prudish read-
- ↑ English translations of the Author's Preface.
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