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Article: Yesterday a conman, today a guru?
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- September 4, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1995 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Two hundred years ago, in August 1795, a notorious Italian
conman died a lonely death in San Leo castle, near Rimini. In an
ignominious career spanning more than 20 years, Count Cagliostro
had blackmailed aristocrats over their sexual indiscretions and
sold phoney potions and gemstones to half the Continent's royal
courts. He had played a shady role in the pre-revolutionary
intrigue at Versailles, and infuriated the Popes by setting up
chapters of a strange, quasi-Masonic order all the way from the
Atlantic coast to the Urals.
Cagliostro may be largely forgotten in Britain, but in Italy the
colourful tale of his rise and fall has always exerted a special
fascination, and his blend of charm, ...