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Casanova De Seingalt
By Bro Steve Grant

Casanova De Seingalt
By Don Lavender

In the history of Masonry, many types of men have been members. We look with favor on Benjamin Franklin for all he accomplished, but it is a well established fact that he was a ladies man - very active in affairs of the heart. No other name, except perhaps that of Errol Flynn, is more closely associated with amorous adventure than that of Casanova. In fact, we frequently refer to those of similar bent as Casanovas. It appears that Casanova had a better reputation at the time he became a Mason than was the case in later life.

Giacomo Casanova was born April 2, 1725 in Venice. He was sent to Padua as a boy of 9 to be tutored by a priest -Antonio Gozzi and he proved to be a good scholar. He attended the University from age 13 to 16 when he graduated. He might have pursued a career in the church, but during his study with Gozzi, the priest's younger sister, Bettina, engaged Casanova in the first of many amorous adventures. That, along with a prank which resulted in his dismissal for scandalous conduct, precluded any religious pursuit.

Despite his being expelled from ecclesiastical studies, in 1744, he made an acquaintance of the Pope and entered the service of Cardinal Acquaviva in Rome. This was short lived and upon leaving the Cardinal's service, he traveled to Constantinople. At the age of 20, he was back in Venice playing the violin at the San Samuele Theatre. He subsequently went to Lyon where in 1750 at the age of 25, he became a Freemason - a feet that is stated in all accounts including the Encyclopedia.

From Lyon, he went to Paris where he lived for two years and associated with writers and actors. During this time, he engaged in writing plays. In 1755, he returned to Venice. As a result of one of his escapades, he was summoned to appear before the tribunal which judged offenses against religion and morals. The result was a conviction for practicing "magic", a practice resulting from his study of the occult, and he was sent to Leads Prison for a period of 5 years. Only one year later, he made an escape and proceeded to Paris where he established the first lottery, he gained a reputation in the world of finance and was accepted by high society.

In 1759, he was sent by the French government on a finance mission to Holland where he was awarded the tide of "Chevalier de Seingalt." From that time on he was known as Casanova de Seingalt. He stayed only a short time and in 1760 went to Geneva. While there, he made an acquaintance with Voltaire. In London, three years later, he was presented at court and in 1764, Frederick the Great of Germany, offered him a post as a tutor at the Pomeranian Cadet Corps - an offer which he refused. At about this time his travels took him again to Rome where the Pope bestowed upon him the Order of the Golden Spur.

He then went to Russia where he was presented to Catherine the Great. In Warsaw, a year later, he was drawn into a duel with a nobleman which resulted in his banishment by the King of Poland, he again visited Paris, but wore out his welcome and went from there to Spain where he wrote HISTORY OF VENICE.

At 43 years of age, he devoted increasing amounts of time to his writing and avoided the questionable practices that had plagued him up to that time. His works included a translation of the ILIAD and THE HISTORY OF POLAND. In 1774, he received a Venetian pardon from his previous conviction and imprisonment. He subsequently served as a spy for the Venetian Inquisitors for 8 years.

In 1783, he became secretary to the Venetian Ambassador Marco Foscarini. Upon the ambassador's death, Casanova became librarian for Count Waldstein in Bohemia. During this time, he began writing his now famous memoirs HISTORY OF MY LIFE. They were first written in French. Authorities are not agreed upon the complete accuracy of the translation which was done by professor Jean Laforgue of Dresden. The original manuscript was almost lost in World War II but survived in a bunker in Leipzig.

The memoirs devote considerable space to his amorous exploits with somewhat less detail on his intellectual pursuits. In the preface to his memoirs, we gain more insight regarding his thinking and a personal assessment of his life, he says "I leave it to others to decide if my character is good or bad. - I have concluded that my conduct has depended more on my character than on my mind, after a long struggle between them to which I have alternately found myself with too little intelligence for my character and too little character for my intelligence." Few men in history present such a contrast of character. Casanova, though considered by some as a rogue, was presented to royalty in at least four countries, honored by Holland and the Pope and respected for his writing. His memoirs contain over four thousand pages and provide a most interesting commentary of the times and his travels.

REFERENCES
HISTORY OF MY LIFE VOL 1 &II Giacoma
Casanova, Harcourt, Brace &World, Inc.

Enclopaedia Britannica VOL. 4

From 10,000 Free Masons regarding to Casanova: "The Craft must have had a mighty appeal to him . for scattered throughout his memoirs are numerous references to Freemasonry. He advised all young men to become Freemasons 'even though it would only be to know superficially what it is." He also wrote: "Choose well the Lodge, for although bad company cannot work in the Lodge, it may however be found there and the candidate ought to guard himself against dangerous associations." "He asserted that the real secrets of the fraternity were not in its symbols and words, but were to be found only in reflection, reason, comparison and deduction. He averred that the secret of Freemasonry, discovered by the individual, cannot be imparted to another."