espect. To be assured that this is so, we need merely peruse Goldoni's
own Memoirs, composed by him in his old age, and which, according to
Gibbon's verdict, are even more amusing to read than his very comedies.

"The immortal Goldoni," as his countrymen love to call him, was born in
Venice in 1707. His family were of Modenese origin. The grandfather,
who held a lucrative and honourable post in the Venetian Chamber of
Commerce, married as his first wife a lady from his native town, who
died, leaving him a son. He then espoused a widow with two daughters,
the elder of whom, in due course, he gave in marriage to this son. The
couple became the parents of the playwright.

This grandfather had a considerable influence over Goldoni's youth, and
also modified his later life. A good-natured, not ill-intentioned man,
he was nevertheless hopelessly extravagant, and inordinately addicted to
material pleasures,--at that time, it must ever in justice be remembered,
the only outlet possible to male energies and ambitions. For a
pleasure-lover, the Venice of that day was an earthly paradise, and the
result in this case was that the elder Goldoni put no restraint upon
himself whatever. It so happened that he had the entire control not only
of his wife's comfortable fortune, but of that of her two daughters.
With this he hired a large villa, six leagues from Venice, where he
lived in so free and open-handed a manner as to rouse the jealousy of
the neighbouring proprietors. A fanatic for the stage and all that
pertained to it, he caused comedies and operas to be performed under
his roof; the best singers and actors were hired to minister to his
amusement; reckless expenditure and joyous living were the watchwords of
the house. It was in this atmosphere that the child Carlo was reared, no
wonder it affected his character. It may be said that he imbibed a love
for the play with his first breath. Unfortunately, ere he was a man, the
pleasure-loving and open-handed grandfather caught cold and died, to
be followed soon after by his wife. At a blow all was changed for the
Goldoni family. Carlo's father, having lacked proper training, was
unable to maintain himself in his father's position, which was offered
him; the property had to be sold, and when all debts were paid there
remained only the mother's dowry for the maintenance of the whole
family. However, there was clearly good stuff in Goldoni's father.
Already a man of some years, he resol