Nil Desperandum; Or, the Narrative of an Escape from Italian Dungeons. Transl (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1859 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER THE LAST. I have lately heard the Emperor of Austria, the Duke of Modena, and other princes of the like calibre, lauded to the skies, for transmuting the imprisonment of those condemned for political causes, into banishment. To show the value of such clemency to many on whom it has been bestowed, I intend to add to the foregoing narrative of my sufferings as a prisoner, a few paragraphs as to those which as a wanderer I had to bear; affirming from personal knowledge, that the same and even worse, have been and still are the portion of other of my fellow exiles. We disembarked, X and I, at a small port distant a few miles from Bastia. As there was no kind of conveyance to be had there, we hired a donkey to carry our luggage, and driving it before us, slowly wended our way to the town. The Chevalier at first, did nothing but dilate on the charms of the island--pointing out to me mountains, rocks, cascades, caverns, ravines--but presently, be began also to point out all the delights of my future life. No sooner was I nominated Juge de paix or to one of the professorships of the University, than he would find me a rich wife. I was to leave everything to him--he grieved that the rooms assigned to him in the University were not yet in order otherwise he should have been happy to give up two of them to me; the apartments he at present occupied were small, but in a short time, he should be able to make me comfortable in one place or the other. I should have a seat at his table for a very small remuneration, as to suit my purse he would live more simply, particularly in the matter of wines, than had hitherto been his wont. Tor the present he would take me to the house of one of his most intimate friends, who would consider it an honour to have me...