The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Volume 15: With Voltaire

In Short

Giacomo Casanova’s XV volume captures the famous Venetian memoirist at a dynamic crossroads between high intellectual discourse and low scandalous intrigue. Navigating the courts and gaming houses of Europe, Casanova journeys to Ferney to match wits with Voltaire over poetry, philosophy, and religion. Shortly thereafter, he retreats to the watering hole of Aix-en-Savoie, where he plunges into high-stakes faro games, evasion of disgruntled suitors, and a passionate, secret affair with a young French nun. Preserved for its sharp social observation and uninhibited candor, it remains a vivid, entertaining portrait of Enlightenment-era aristocratic life.

The Story

Volume XV traces Giacomo Casanova through two contrasting social arenas: the refined salon of France’s greatest living philosopher and the chaotic, pleasure-seeking environment of a Savoyard thermal resort.

The narrative opens with Casanova’s long-anticipated visit to Voltaire at his estate. Expressing lifelong admiration, Casanova enters into energetic debates with the aging philosopher. Their conversations range across classical and contemporary literature—analyzing the poetic merits of Ariosto, Tassoni, Goldoni, and Petrarch—before turning to sensitive debates on religion and societal superstition. Casanova recites passages of Italian verse with such emotional intensity that he moves Voltaire and his household to tears, establishing himself as a formidable intellectual equal rather than a mere fawning admirer.

Departing Ferney, Casanova travels to Aix-en-Savoie, where the tone shifts abruptly from literary discourse to bohemian self-indulgence. At the local baths, Casanova immerses himself in a world populated by sharpers, aristocrats, and women of fortune. He becomes entangled in high-stakes faro games, clashing with figures like the Marquis de Prie and the Chevalier Zeroli. Winning and losing large sums of gold with equal indifference, he relies on his quick wits and unflappable nerves to outmaneuver professional gamblers and bitter rivals.

Amidst these public exploits, Casanova discovers a hidden personal adventure. At a nearby peasant cottage, he encounters a distressed young French nun who bears a striking resemblance to a former Venetian lover, M---- M----. Unaware at first of her true identity, Casanova learns that she has secretly given birth and is hiding from her convent authorities following the sudden death of her accompanying lay-sister. Moved by both genuine sympathy and intense physical attraction, Casanova resolves to protect her. He finances her stay, bribing the peasant woman, settling debts, and arranging for religious masses to cover up the scandal.

Over the course of several days, Casanova balances his public life at the gaming tables—where he entertains prominent travelers like Mr. Fox—with night visits to the cottage. He gradually overcomes the young nun’s spiritual guilt and moral hesitations, initiating a passionate affair that lasts until her scheduled return to the convent. When her departure arrives, Casanova finds himself emotionally spent and facing rising hostility from spurned lovers and sore gamblers. Narrowing escaping revenge plots and financial traps set by Madame Zeroli and local companions, he abruptly orders his carriage, settles his affairs, and flees Aix for his next destination.

How It Unfolds

Disputing with Voltaire Casanova arrives at Ferney to pay homage to Voltaire, launching into spirited debates over Italian literature, versification, and the utility of religious superstition in maintaining social order.

Reciting Ariosto To demonstrate the musical power of Italian poetry, Casanova recites stanzas from Ariosto's Orlando Furioso with such genuine passion that Voltaire and Madame Denis are moved to tears.

Arriving at Aix-en-Savoie Seeking pleasure and excitement, Casanova travels to the thermal baths at Aix, where he quickly becomes involved with local high society, dinner bets, and professional faro tables.

A Midnight Mistake Climbing through a cottage window to meet a woman he assumes to be his former lover, Casanova discovers a hidden French nun in desperate need of protection after an unsanctioned childbirth.

High Stakes at the Faro Table Casanova manages large banks of gold against English travelers and French marquises, using his winnings to fund his extravagant lifestyle and protect his new companion.

Seduction in the Cottage Visiting the recovering nun each evening, Casanova gradually dismantles her fears of excommunication, replacing her convent guilt with romantic devotion before her inevitable return to the cloister.

Flight from Aix Faced with threats from a vengeful Madame Zeroli and persistent traps set by fellow gamblers, Casanova settles his accounts and hurriedly departs the town.

The People

• Giacomo Casanova: A witty, quick-tempered Venetian traveler, gambler, and libertine who seeks intellectual recognition from famous scholars while pursuing romantic conquests and financial triumphs.
• Voltaire: The world-renowned French philosopher and author, sharp-tongued and immense in his correspondence, who engages Casanova in rigorous literary arguments while defending his crusade against superstition.
• The French Nun: A vulnerable twenty-one-year-old woman hiding in a peasant cottage after an illicit birth; initially tormented by religious dread and fear of excommunication, she ultimately yields to Casanova's protection and charm.
• Madame Zeroli: A quick-witted, coquettish noblewoman at Aix who uses Casanova to excite envy in others, growing fiercely vengeful when he fails to give her his undivided devotion.
• Marquis de Prie: A nobleman and avid gambler at the Aix baths who runs faro banks, engaging Casanova in continuous contests of financial chance.

In Its Own Voice

"The secret of drawing tears is to weep one's self, but they must be real tears, and to shed them the heart must be stirred to its depths."

Voltaire offers this warm praise after watching Casanova brought to genuine tears while reciting Italian poetry aloud in the salon.

"I have always delighted in referring all the actions of my life to God, and yet people have charged me with Atheism!"

Casanova reflects on his own paradoxical morality while rationalizing his decision to use his gambling gains to fund a hidden affair with a refuge-seeking nun.

"Love must have invented these little sheaths, but it must first have listened to the voice of prudence, and I do not like to see love and prudence allied."

The young French nun naively comments on eighteenth-century contraceptives during a private moment with Casanova in her cottage retreat.

What It's Really About

Beneath its lively accounts of chance encounters and romantic liaisons, the book explores the tension between Enlightenment rationalism and human passion. Casanova’s debate with Voltaire highlights a core eighteenth-century question: whether reason should strip away religious traditions, or whether ordinary human nature requires emotion and illusion to survive. In his personal conduct, Casanova continuously attempts to reconcile his libertine urges with a flexible, highly individualized morality. He frames his gambles, bribes, and seductions not as vices, but as generous acts aligned with divine providence. Ultimately, the narrative examines how self-preservation, social performance, and acute worldly intelligence allow an outsider to navigate a rigid, aristocratic European order.

Why Read It Today

This volume offers a remarkably direct window into the social mechanics of eighteenth-century Europe. Readers who enjoy historical memoirs will appreciate Casanova's unvarnished style; he presents human behavior without moralizing or glossing over his own contradictions. His dialogue with Voltaire provides a rare, immediate look at the philosopher in domestic life, while his adventures in Savoy read like a fast-paced comedy of manners.

The text is not without its historical difficulties. Modern readers must navigate period attitudes toward women, casual gambling culture, and strict religious hierarchies that shape the characters' choices. Casanova's uninhibited perspective on consent, monastic vows, and aristocratic privilege reflects the world he inhabited rather than modern sensibilities. Nevertheless, what stays with the reader is Casanova’s sharp observational eye and boundless appetite for life. He records every detail—from the exact mechanics of faro deals to the literary nuances of Italian dialects—with a vibrant precision that makes the distant eighteenth century feel intimately present.