The vicomte de bragelonne

Project Gutenberg The Vicomte de Bragelonne, by Alexandre Dumas, Pere #7 in our series by Alexandre Dumas, Pere Copyright laws are changing all over the world, be sure to check the copyright laws for your country before posting these files!! Please take a look at the important information in this header We encourage you to keep this file on your own disk, keeping an electronic path open for the next readers Do not remove this **Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts** **Etexts Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971** These Etexts Prepared By Hundreds of Volunteers and Donations Information on contacting Project Gutenberg to get Etexts, and further information is included below We need your donations Title: The Vicomte de Bragelonne Author: Alexandre Dumas, Pere April, 2001 [Etext #2609] Project Gutenberg The Vicomte de Bragelonne, by Alexandre Dumas, Pere *******This file should be named vicom10.txt or vicom10.zip****** Corrected EDITIONS of our etexts get a new NUMBER, vicom11.txt VERSIONS based on separate sources get new LETTER, vicom10a.txt Project Gutenberg Etexts are usually created from multiple editions, all of which are in the Public Domain in the United States, unless a copyright notice is included Therefore, we usually do NOT keep any of these books in compliance with any particular paper edition We are now trying to release all our books one month in advance of the official release dates, leaving time for better editing Please note: neither this list nor its contents are final till midnight of the last day of the month of any such announcement The official release date of all Project Gutenberg Etexts is at Midnight, Central Time, of the last day of the stated month A preliminary version may often be posted for suggestion, comment and editing by those who wish to do so To be sure you have an up to date first edition [xxxxx10x.xxx] please check file sizes in the first week of the next month Since our ftp program has a bug in it that scrambles the date [tried to fix and failed] a look at the file size will have to do, but we will try to see a new copy has at least one byte more or less Information about Project Gutenberg (one page) We produce about two million dollars for each hour we work The time it takes us, a rather conservative estimate, is fifty hours to get any etext selected, entered, proofread, edited, copyright searched and analyzed, the copyright letters written, etc This projected audience is one hundred million readers If our value per text is nominally estimated at one dollar then we produce $2 million dollars per hour this year as we release thirty-six text files per month, or 432 more Etexts in 1999 for a total of 2000+ If these reach just 10% of the computerized population, then the total should reach over 200 billion Etexts given away this year The Goal of Project Gutenberg is to Give Away One Trillion Etext Files by December 31, 2001 [10,000 x 100,000,000 = 1 Trillion] This is ten thousand titles each to one hundred million readers, which is only ~5% of the present number of computer users At our revised rates of production, we will reach only one-third of that goal by the end of 2001, or about 3,333 Etexts unless we manage to get some real funding; currently our funding is mostly from Michael Hart’s salary at CarnegieMellon University, and an assortment of sporadic gifts; this salary is only good for a few more years, so we are looking for something to replace it, as we don’t want Project Gutenberg to be so dependent on one person We need your donations more than ever! All donations should be made to “Project Gutenberg/CMU”: and are tax deductible to the extent allowable by law (CMU = Carnegie-Mellon University) For these and other matters, please mail to: Project Gutenberg P O Box 2782 Champaign, IL 61825 When all other email fails…try our Executive Director: Michael S Hart hart@pobox.com forwards to hart@prairienet.org and archive.org if your mail bounces from archive.org, I will still see it, if it bounces from prairienet.org, better resend later on… We would prefer to send you this information by email ****** To access Project Gutenberg etexts, use any Web browser to view http://promo.net/pg This site lists Etexts by author and by title, and includes information about how to get involved with Project Gutenberg You could also download our past Newsletters, or subscribe here This is one of our major sites, please email hart@pobox.com, for a more complete list of our various sites To go directly to the etext collections, use FTP or any Web browser to visit a Project Gutenberg mirror (mirror sites are available on 7 continents; mirrors are listed at http://promo.net/pg) Mac users, do NOT point and click, typing works better Example FTP session: ftp metalab.unc.edu login: anonymous password: your@login cd pub/docs/books/gutenberg cd etext90 through etext99 or etext00 through etext01, etc dir [to see files] get or mget [to get files…set bin for zip files] GET GUTINDEX.?? [to get a year’s listing of books, e.g., GUTINDEX.99] GET GUTINDEX.ALL [to get a listing of ALL books] *** **Information prepared by the Project Gutenberg legal advisor** (Three Pages) ***START**THE SMALL PRINT!**FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTS**START*** Why is this “Small Print!” statement here? You know: lawyers They tell us you might sue us if there is something wrong with your copy of this etext, even if you got it for free from someone other than us, and even if what’s wrong is not our fault So, among other things, this “Small Print!” statement disclaims most of our liability to you It also tells you how you can distribute copies of this etext if you want to BEFORE! YOU USE OR READ THIS ETEXT By using or reading any part of this PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm etext, you indicate that you understand, agree to and accept this “Small Print!” statement If you do not, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for this etext by sending a request within 30 days of receiving it to the person you got it from If you received this etext on a physical medium (such as a disk), you must return it with your request ABOUT PROJECT GUTENBERG-TM ETEXTS This PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm etext, like most PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm etexts, is a “public domain” work distributed by Professor Michael S Hart through the Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie-Mellon University (the “Project”) Among other things, this means that no one owns a United States copyright on or for this work, so the Project (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties Special rules, set forth below, apply if you wish to copy and distribute this etext under the Project’s “PROJECT GUTENBERG” trademark To create these etexts, the Project expends considerable efforts to identify, transcribe and proofread public domain works Despite these efforts, the Project’s etexts and any medium they may be on may contain “Defects” Among other things, Defects may take the form of incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other etext medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment LIMITED WARRANTY; DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES But for the “Right of Replacement or Refund” described below, [1] the Project (and any other party you may receive this etext from as a PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm etext) disclaims all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees, and [2] YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE OR UNDER STRICT LIABILITY, OR FOR BREACH OF WARRANTY OR CONTRACT, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES If you discover a Defect in this etext within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending an explanatory note within that time to the person you received it from If you received it on a physical medium, you must return it with your note, and such person may choose to alternatively give you a replacement copy If you received it electronically, such person may choose to alternatively give you a second opportunity to receive it electronically THIS ETEXT IS OTHERWISE PROVIDED TO YOU “AS-IS” NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, ARE MADE TO YOU AS TO THE ETEXT OR ANY MEDIUM IT MAY BE ON, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE Some states do not allow disclaimers of implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of consequential damages, so the above disclaimers and exclusions may not apply to you, and you may have other legal rights INDEMNITY You will indemnify and hold the Project, its directors, officers, members and agents harmless from all liability, cost and expense, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following that you do or cause: [1] distribution of this etext, [2] alteration, modification, or addition to the etext, or [3] any Defect DISTRIBUTION UNDER “PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm” You may distribute copies of this etext electronically, or by disk, book or any other medium if you either delete this “Small Print!” and all other references to Project Gutenberg, or: [1] Only give exact copies of it Among other things, this requires that you do not remove, alter or modify the etext or this “small print!” statement You may however, if you wish, distribute this etext in machine readable binary, compressed, mark-up, or proprietary form, including any form resulting from conversion by word processing or hypertext software, but only so long as EITHER: [*] The etext, when displayed, is clearly readable, and does not contain characters other than those intended by the author of the work, although tilde (~), asterisk (*) and underline (_) characters may be used to convey punctuation intended by the author, and additional characters may be used to indicate hypertext links; OR [*] The etext may be readily converted by the reader at no expense into plain ASCII, EBCDIC or equivalent form by the program that displays the etext (as is the case, for instance, with most word processors); OR [*] You provide, or agree to also provide on request at no additional cost, fee or expense, a copy of the etext in its original plain ASCII form (or in EBCDIC or other equivalent proprietary form) [2] Honor the etext refund and replacement provisions of this “Small Print!” statement [3] Pay a trademark license fee to the Project of 20% of the net profits you derive calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes If you don’t derive profits, no royalty is due Royalties are payable to “Project Gutenberg Association/Carnegie-Mellon University” within the 60 days following each date you prepare (or were legally required to prepare) your annual (or equivalent periodic) tax return WHAT IF YOU WANT TO SEND MONEY EVEN IF YOU DON’T HAVE TO? The Project gratefully accepts contributions in money, time, scanning machines, OCR software, public domain etexts, royalty free copyright licenses, and every other sort of contribution you can think of Money should be paid to “Project Gutenberg Association / Carnegie-Mellon University” We are planning on making some changes in our donation structure in 2000, so you might want to email me, hart@pobox.com beforehand END THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTSVer.04.29.93*END* As you may be aware, Project Gutenberg has been involved with the writings of both the Alexandre Dumases for some time now, and since we get a few questions about the order in which the books should be read, and in which they were published, these following comments should hopefully help most of our readers *** The Vicomte de Bragelonne is the final volume of D’Artagnan Romances: it is usually split into three or four parts, and the final portion is entitled The Man in the Iron Mask The Man in the Iron Mask we’re familiar with today is the last volume of the four-volume edition [Not all the editions split them in the same manner, hence some of the confusion…but wait…there’s yet more reason for confusion.] We intend to do ALL of The Vicomte de Bragelonne, split into four the texts entitled The Vicomte de Bragelonne, Ten Years Later, Louise de la Valliere, and The Man in the Iron Mask; you WILL be getting The Man in the Iron Mask One thing that may be causing confusion is that the etext we have now, entitled Ten Years Later, says it’s the sequel to The Three Musketeers While this is technically true, there’s another book, Twenty Years After, that comes between The confusion is generated by the two facts that we published Ten Years Later BEFORE we published Twenty Years After, and that many people see those titles as meaning Ten and Twenty Years “After” the original story…however, this is why the different words “After” and “Later”…the Ten Years “After” is ten years after the Twenty Years later…as per history Also, the third book of the D’Artagnan Romances, while entitled The Vicomte de Bragelonne, has the subtitle Ten Years Later These two titles are also given to different volumes: The Vicomte de Bragelonne can refer to the whole book, or the first volume of the three or four-volume editions Ten Years Later can, similarly, refer to the whole book, or the second volume of the four-volume edition To add to the confusion, in the case of our etexts, it refers to the first 104 chapters of the whole book, covering material in the first and second etexts in the new series Here is a guide to the series which may prove helpful: The Three Musketeers: Etext 1257 - First book of the D’Artagnan Romances Covers the years 1625-1628 Twenty Years After: Etext 1259 - Second book of the D’Artagnan Romances Covers the years 1648-1649 [Third in the order that we published, but second in time sequence!!!] Ten Years Later: Etext 1258 - First 104 chapters of the third book of the D’Artagnan Romances Covers the years 1660-1661 The Vicomte de Bragelonne: Etext 2609 (our new etext) - First 75 chapters of the third book of the D’Artagnan Romances Covers the year 1660 Ten Years Later: forthcoming (our next etext) - Chapters 76-140 of that third book of the D’Artagnan Romances Covers the years 1660-1661 [In this particular editing of it] Louise de la Valliere: forthcoming (following) - Chapters 141-208 of the third book of the D’Artagnan Romances Covers the year 1661 The Man in the Iron Mask: forthcoming (completing) - Chapters 209-269 of the third book of the D’Artagnan Romances Covers the years 1661-1673 If we’ve calculated correctly, that fourth text SHOULD correspond to the modern editions of The Man in the Iron Mask, which is still widely circulated, and comprises about the last 1/4 of The Vicomte de Bragelonne Here is a list of the other Dumas Etexts we have published so far: Sep 1999 La Tulipe Noire, by Alexandre Dumas[Pere#6/French] [tlpnrxxx.xxx]1910 This is an abridged edition in French, also see our full length English Etext Jul 1997 The Black Tulip, by Alexandre Dumas[Pere][Dumas#1] [tbtlpxxx.xxx] 965 Jan 1998 The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas[Pere][crstoxxx.xxx]1184 Many thanks to Dr David Coward, whose editions of the D’Artagnan Romances have proved an invaluable source of information Introduction: In the months of March-July in 1844, in the magazine Le Siecle, the first portion of a story appeared, penned by the celebrated playwright Alexandre Dumas It was based, he claimed, on some manuscripts he had found a year earlier in the Bibliotheque Nationale while researching a history he planned to write on Louis XIV They chronicled the adventures of a young man named D’Artagnan who, upon entering Paris, became almost immediately embroiled in court intrigues, international politics, and illfated affairs between royal lovers Over the next six years, readers would enjoy the adventures of this youth and his three famous friends, Porthos, Athos, and Aramis, as their exploits unraveled behind the scenes of some of the most momentous events in French and even English history Eventually these serialized adventures were published in novel form, and became the three D’Artagnan Romances known today Here is a brief summary of the first two novels: The Three Musketeers (serialized March � July, 1844): The year is 1625 The young D’Artagnan arrives in Paris at the tender age of 18, and almost immediately offends three musketeers, Porthos, Aramis, and Athos Instead of dueling, the four are attacked by five of the Cardinal’s guards, and the courage of the youth is made apparent during the battle The four become fast friends, and, when asked by D’Artagnan’s landlord to find his missing wife, embark upon an adventure that takes them across both France and England in order to thwart the plans of the Cardinal Richelieu Along the way, they encounter a beautiful young spy, named simply Milady, who will stop at nothing to disgrace Queen Anne of Austria before her husband, Louis XIII, and take her revenge upon the four friends Twenty Years After (serialized January � August, 1845): The year is now 1648, twenty years since the close of the last story Louis XIII has died, as has Cardinal Richelieu, and while the crown of France may sit upon the head of Anne of Austria as Regent for the young Louis XIV, the real power resides with the Cardinal Mazarin, her secret husband D’Artagnan is now a lieutenant of musketeers, and his three friends have retired to private life Athos turned out to be a nobleman, the Comte de la Fere, and has retired to his home with his son, Raoul de Bragelonne Aramis, whose real name is D’Herblay, has followed his intention of shedding the musketeer’s cassock for the priest’s robes, and Porthos has married a wealthy woman, who left him her fortune upon her death But trouble is stirring in both France and England Cromwell menaces the institution of royalty itself while marching against Charles I, and at home the Fronde is threatening to tear France apart D’Artagnan brings his friends out of retirement to save the threatened English monarch, but Mordaunt, the son of Milady, who seeks to avenge his mother’s death at the musketeers’ hands, thwarts their valiant efforts Undaunted, our heroes return to France just in time to help save the “What do you conclude, then?” said Fouquet, with great inquietude “At present, the principal thing is to parry a dangerous blow.” “And how is it to be parried?” “Listen.” “But D’Artagnan will come and render an account to the king of his mission.” “Oh, we have time enough to think about that.” “How so? You are much in advance of him, I presume?” “Nearly ten hours.” “Well, in ten hours - “ Aramis shook his pale head “Look at these clouds which flit across the heavens; at these swallows which cut the air D’Artagnan moves more quickly than the clouds or the birds; D’Artagnan is the wind which carries them.” “A strange man!” “I tell you, he is superhuman, monsieur He is of my own age, and I have known him these five-and-thirty years.” “Well?” “Well, listen to my calculation, monsieur I send M du Vallon off to you two hours after midnight M du Vallon was eight hours in advance of me; when did M du Vallon arrive?” “About four hours ago.” “You see, then, that I gained four upon him; and yet Porthos is a staunch horseman, and he has left on the road eight dead horses, whose bodies I came to successively I rode post fifty leagues; but I have the gout, the gravel, and what else I know not; so that fatigue kills me I was obliged to dismount at Tours; since that, rolling along in a carriage, half dead, sometimes overturned, drawn upon the sides, and sometimes on the back of the carriage, always with four spirited horses at full gallop, I have arrived � arrived, gaining four hours upon Porthos; but, see you, D’Artagnan does not weigh three hundred-weight, as Porthos does; D’Artagnan has not the gout and gravel, as I have; he is not a horseman, he is a centaur D’Artagnan, look you, set out for Belle-Isle when I set out for Paris; and D’Artagnan, notwithstanding my ten hours’ advance, D’Artagnan will arrive within two hours after me.” “But, then, accidents?” “He never meets with accidents.” “Horses may fail him.” “He will run as fast as a horse.” “Good God! what a man!” “Yes, he is a man whom I love and admire I love him because he is good, great, and loyal; I admire him because he represents in my eyes the culminating point of human power; but, whilst loving and admiring him, I fear him, and am on my guard against him Now then, I resume, monsieur; in two hours D’Artagnan will be here; be beforehand with him Go to the Louvre, and see the king, before he sees D’Artagnan.” “What shall I say to the king?” “Nothing; give him Belle-Isle.” “Oh! Monsieur d’Herblay! Monsieur d’Herblay,” cried Fouquet, “what projects crushed all at once!” “After one project that has failed, there is always another project that may lead to fortune; we should never despair Go, monsieur, and go at once.” “But that garrison, so carefully chosen, the king will change it directly.” “That garrison, monsieur, was the king’s when it entered Belle-Isle; it is yours now; it is the same with all garrisons after a fortnight’s occupation Let things go on, monsieur Do you see any inconvenience in having an army at the end of a year, instead of two regiments? Do you not see that your garrison of to-day will make you partisans at La Rochelle, Nantes, Bordeaux, Toulouse - in short, wherever they may be sent to? Go to the king, monsieur; go; time flies, and D’Artagnan, while we are losing time, is flying, like an arrow, along the highroad.” “Monsieur d’Herblay, you know that each word from you is a germ which fructifies in my thoughts I will go to the Louvre.” “Instantly, will you not?” “I only ask time to change my dress.” “Remember that D’Artagnan has no need to pass through Saint-Mande; but will go straight to the Louvre; that is cutting off an hour from the advantage that yet remains to us.” “D’Artagnan may have everything except my English horses I shall be at the Louvre in twenty-five minutes.” And, without losing a second, Fouquet gave orders for his departure Aramis had only time to say to him, “Return as quickly as you go; for I shall await you impatiently.” Five minutes after, the superintendent was flying along the road to Paris During this time, Aramis desired to be shown the chamber in which Porthos was sleeping At the door of Fouquet’s cabinet he was folded in the arms of Pelisson, who had just heard of his arrival, and had left his office to see him Aramis received, with that friendly dignity which he knew so well how to assume, these caresses, respectful as earnest; but all at once stopping on the landing-place, “What is that I hear up yonder?” There was, in fact, a hoarse, growling kind of noise, like the roar of a hungry tiger, or an impatient lion “Oh, that is nothing,” said Pelisson, smiling “Well; but - “ “It is M du Vallon snoring.” “Ah! true,” said Aramis: “I had forgotten No one but he is capable of making such a noise Allow me, Pelisson, to inquire if he wants anything.” “And you will permit me to accompany you?” “Oh, certainly;” and both entered the chamber Porthos was stretched upon the bed; his face was violet rather than red; his eyes were swelled; his mouth was wide open The roaring which escaped from the deep cavities of his chest made the glass of the windows vibrate To those developed and clearly defined muscles starting from his face, to his hair matted with sweat, to the energetic heaving of his chin and shoulders, it was impossible to refuse a certain degree of admiration Strength carried to this point is semi-divine The Herculean legs and feet of Porthos had, by swelling, burst his stockings; all the strength of his huge body was converted into the rigidity of stone Porthos moved no more than does the giant of granite which reclines upon the plains of Agrigentum According to Pelisson’s orders, his boots had been cut off, for no human power could have pulled them off Four lackeys had tried in vain, pulling at them as they would have pulled capstans; and yet all this did not awaken him They had hacked off his boots in fragments, and his legs had fallen back upon the bed They then cut off the rest of his clothes, carried him to a bath, in which they let him soak a considerable time They then put on him clean linen, and placed him in a wellwarmed bed - the whole with efforts and pains which might have roused a dead man, but which did not make Porthos open an eye, or interrupt for a second the formidable diapason of his snoring Aramis wished on his part, with his nervous nature, armed with extraordinary courage, to outbrave fatigue, and employ himself with Gourville and Pelisson, but he fainted in the chair in which he had persisted sitting He was carried into the adjoining room, where the repose of bed soon soothed his failing brain Chapter LXXV: In which Monsieur Fouquet Acts In the meantime Fouquet was hastening to the Louvre, at the best speed of his English horses The king was at work with Colbert All at once the king became thoughtful The two sentences of death he had signed on mounting his throne sometimes recurred to his memory; they were two black spots which he saw with his eyes open; two spots of blood which he saw when his eyes were closed “Monsieur,” said he rather sharply, to the intendant; “it sometimes seems to me that those two men you made me condemn were not very great culprits.” “Sire, they were picked out from the herd of the farmers of the financiers, which wanted decimating.” “Picked out by whom?” “By necessity, sire,” replied Colbert, coldly “Necessity! - a great word,” murmured the young king “A great goddess, sire.” “They were devoted friends of the superintendent, were they not?” “Yes, sire; friends who would have given up their lives for Monsieur Fouquet.” “They have given them, monsieur,” said the king “That is true; - but uselessly, by good luck, - which was not their intention.” “How much money had these men fraudulently obtained?” “Ten millions, perhaps; of which six have been confiscated.” “And is that money in my coffers?” said the king with a certain air of repugnance “It is there, sire; but this confiscation, whilst threatening M Fouquet, has not touched him.” “You conclude, then, M Colbert - “ “That if M Fouquet has raised against your majesty a troop of factious rioters to extricate his friends from punishment, he will raise an army when he has in turn to extricate himself from punishment.” The king darted at his confidant one of those looks which resemble the livid fire of a flash of lightning, one of those looks which illuminate the darkness of the basest consciences “I am astonished,” said he, “that, thinking such things of M Fouquet, you did not come to give me your counsels thereupon.” “Counsels upon what, sire?” “Tell me, in the first place, clearly and precisely, what you think, M Colbert.” “Upon what subject, sire?” “Upon the conduct of M Fouquet.” “I think, sire, that M Fouquet, not satisfied with attracting all the money to himself, as M Mazarin did, and by that means depriving your majesty of one part of your power, still wishes to attract to himself all the friends of easy life and pleasure - of what idlers call poetry, and politicians, corruption I think that, by holding the subjects of your majesty in pay, he trespasses upon the royal prerogative, and cannot, if this continues so, be long in placing your majesty among the weak and the obscure.” “How would you qualify all these projects, M Colbert?” “The projects of M Fouquet, sire?” “Yes.” “They are called crimes of lese majeste.” “And what is done to criminals guilty of lese majeste?” “They are arrested, tried, and punished.” “You are quite certain that M Fouquet has conceived the idea of the crime you impute to him?” “I can say more, sire; there is even a commencement of the execution of it.” “Well, then, I return to that which I was saying, M Colbert.” “And you were saying, sire?” “Give me counsel.” “Pardon me, sire; but in the first place, I have something to add.” “Say - what?” “An evident, palpable, material proof of treason.” “And what is that?” “I have just learnt that M Fouquet is fortifying Belle-Isle.” “Ah, indeed!” “Yes, sire.” “Are you sure?” “Perfectly Do you know, sire, what soldiers there are in Belle-Isle?” “No, ma foi! Do you?” “I am ignorant, likewise, sire; I should therefore propose to your majesty to send somebody to Belle-Isle?” “Who?” “Me, for instance.” “And what would you do at Belle-Isle?” “Inform myself whether, after the example of the ancient feudal lords, M Fouquet was battlementing his walls.” “And with what purpose could he do that?” “With the purpose of defending himself someday against his king.” “But, if it be thus, M Colbert,” said Louis, “we must immediately do as you say; M Fouquet must be arrested.” “That is impossible.” “I thought I had already told you, monsieur, that I suppressed that word in my service.” “The service of your majesty cannot prevent M Fouquet from being surintendant-general.” “Well?” “That, in consequence of holding that post, he has for him all the parliament, as he has all the army by his largesses, literature by his favors, and the noblesse by his presents.” “That is to say, then, that I can do nothing against M Fouquet?” “Absolutely nothing, - at least at present, sire.” “You are a sterile counselor, M Colbert.” “Oh, no, sire; for I will not confine myself to pointing out the peril to your majesty.” “Come, then, where shall we begin to undermine this Colossus; let us see;” and his majesty began to laugh bitterly “He has grown great by money; kill him by money, sire.” “If I were to deprive him of his charge?” “A bad means, sire.” “The good - the good, then?” “Ruin him, sire, that is the way.” “But how?” “Occasions will not be wanting; take advantage of all occasions.” “Point them out to me.” “Here is one at once His royal highness Monsieur is about to be married; his nuptials must be magnificent That is a good occasion for your majesty to demand a million of M Fouquet M Fouquet, who pays twenty thousand livres down when he need not pay more than five thousand, will easily find that million when your majesty demands it.” “That is all very well; I will demand it,” said Louis “If your majesty will sign the ordonnance I will have the money got together myself.” And Colbert pushed a paper before the king, and presented a pen to him At that moment the usher opened the door and announced monsieur le surintendant Louis turned pale Colbert let the pen fall, and drew back from the king, over whom he extended his black wings like an evil spirit The superintendent made his entrance like a man of the court, to whom a single glance was sufficient to make him appreciate the situation That situation was not very encouraging for Fouquet, whatever might be his consciousness of strength The small black eye of Colbert, dilated by envy, and the limpid eye of Louis XIV inflamed by anger, signalled some pressing danger Courtiers are, with regard to court rumors, like old soldiers, who distinguish through the blasts of wind and bluster of leaves the sound of the distant steps of an armed troop They can, after having listened, tell pretty nearly how many men are marching, how many arms resound, how many cannons roll Fouquet had then only to interrogate the silence which his arrival had produced; he found it big with menacing revelations The king allowed him time enough to advance as far as the middle of the chamber His adolescent modesty commanded this forbearance of the moment Fouquet boldly seized the opportunity “Sire,” said he, “I was impatient to see your majesty.” “What for?” asked Louis “To announce some good news to you.” Colbert, minus grandeur of person, less largeness of heart, resembled Fouquet in many points He had the same penetration, the same knowledge of men; moreover, that great power of self-compression which gives to hypocrites time to reflect, and gather themselves up to take a spring He guessed that Fouquet was going to meet the blow he was about to deal him His eyes glittered ominously “What news?” asked the king Fouquet placed a roll of papers on the table “Let your majesty have the goodness to cast your eyes over this work,” said he The king slowly unfolded the paper “Plans?” said he “Yes, sire.” “And what are these plans?” “A new fortification, sire.” “Ah, ah!” said the king, “you amuse yourself with tactics and strategies then, M Fouquet?” “I occupy myself with everything that may be useful to the reign of your majesty,” replied Fouquet “Beautiful descriptions!” said the king, looking at the design “Your majesty comprehends, without doubt,” said Fouquet, bending over the paper; “here is the circle of the walls, here are the forts, there the advanced works.” “And what do I see here, monsieur?” “The sea.” “The sea all round?” “Yes, sire.” “And what is, then, the name of this place of which you show me the plan?” “Sire, it is Belle-Ile-en-Mer,” replied Fouquet with simplicity At this word, at this name, Colbert made so marked a movement, that the king turned round to enforce the necessity for reserve Fouquet did not appear to be the least in the world concerned by the movement of Colbert, or the king’s signal “Monsieur,” continued Louis, “you have then fortified Belle-Isle?” “Yes, sire; and I have brought the plan and the accounts to your majesty,” replied Fouquet; “I have expended sixteen hundred livres in this operation.” “What to do?” replied Louis, coldly, having taken the initiative from a malicious look of the intendant “For an aim very easy to seize,” replied Fouquet “Your majesty was on cool terms with Great Britain.” “Yes; but since the restoration of King Charles II I have formed an alliance with him.” “A month since, sire, your majesty has truly said; but it is more than six months since the fortifications of Belle-Isle were begun.” “Then they have become useless.” “Sire, fortifications are never useless I fortified Belle-Isle against MM Monk and Lambert and all those London citizens who were playing at soldiers BelleIsle will be ready fortified against the Dutch, against whom either England or your majesty cannot fail to make war.” The king was again silent, and looked askant at Colbert “Belle-Isle, I believe,” added Louis, “is yours, M Fouquet?” “No, sire.” “Whose then?” “Your majesty’s.” Colbert was seized with as much terror as if a gulf had opened beneath his feet Louis started with admiration, either at the genius or the devotion of Fouquet “Explain yourself, monsieur,” said he “Nothing more easy, sire; Belle-Isle is one of my estates; I have fortified it at my own expense But as nothing in the world can oppose a subject making an humble present to his king, I offer your majesty the proprietorship of the estate, of which you will leave me the usufruct Belle-Isle, as a place of war, ought to be occupied by the king Your majesty will be able, henceforth, to keep a safe garrison there.” Colbert felt almost sinking down upon the floor To keep himself from falling, he was obliged to hold by the columns of the wainscoting “This is a piece of great skill in the art of war that you have exhibited here, monsieur,” said Louis “Sire, the initiative did not come from me,” replied Fouquet; “many officers have inspired me with it The plans themselves have been made by one of the most distinguished engineers.” “His name?” “M du Vallon.” “M du Vallon?” resumed Louis; “I do not know him It is much to be lamented, M Colbert,” continued he, “that I do not know the names of the men of talent who do honor to my reign.” And while saying these words he turned towards Colbert The latter felt himself crushed, the sweat flowed from his brow, no word presented itself to his lips, he suffered an inexpressible martyrdom “You will recollect that name,” added Louis XIV Colbert bowed, but was paler than his ruffles of Flemish lace Fouquet continued: “The masonries are of Roman concrete; the architects amalgamated it for me after the best accounts of antiquity.” “And the cannon?” asked Louis “Oh! sire, that concerns your majesty; it did not become me to place cannon in my own house, unless your majesty had told me it was yours.” Louis began to float, undetermined between the hatred which this so powerful man inspired him with, and the pity he felt for the other, so cast down, who seemed to him the counterfeit of the former But the consciousness of his kingly duty prevailed over the feelings of the man, and he stretched out his finger to the paper “It must have cost you a great deal of money to carry these plans into execution,” said he “I believe I had the honor of telling your majesty the amount.” “Repeat it if you please, I have forgotten it.” “Sixteen hundred thousand livres.” “Sixteen hundred thousand livres! you are enormously rich, monsieur.” “It is your majesty who is rich, since Belle-Isle is yours.” “Yes, thank you; but however rich I may be, M Fouquet - ” The king stopped “Well, sire?” asked the superintendent “I foresee the moment when I shall want money.” “You, sire? And at what moment then?” “To-morrow, for example.” “Will your majesty do me the honor to explain yourself?” “My brother is going to marry the English Princess.” “Well, sire?” “Well, I ought to give the bride a reception worthy of the granddaughter of Henry IV.” “That is but just, sire.” “Then I shall want money.” “No doubt.” “I shall want - ” Louis hesitated The sum he was going to demand was the same that he had been obliged to refuse Charles II He turned towards Colbert, that he might give the blow “I shall want, to-morrow - ” repeated he, looking at Colbert “A million,” said the latter, bluntly; delighted to take his revenge Fouquet turned his back upon the intendant to listen to the king He did not turn round, but waited till the king repeated, or rather murmured, “A million.” “Oh! sire,” replied Fouquet disdainfully, “a million! what will your majesty do with a million?” “It appears to me, nevertheless - ” said Louis XIV “That is not more than is spent at the nuptials of one of the most petty princes of Germany.” “Monsieur!” “Your majesty must have two millions at least The horses alone would run away with five hundred thousand livres I shall have the honor of sending your majesty sixteen hundred thousand livres this evening.” “How,” said the king, “sixteen hundred thousand livres?” “Look, sire,” replied Fouquet, without even turning towards Colbert, “I know that wants four hundred thousand livres of the two millions But this monsieur of l’intendance” (pointing over his shoulder to Colbert, who if possible, became paler, behind him) “has in his coffers nine hundred thousand livres of mine.” The king turned round to look at Colbert “But - ” said the latter “Monsieur,” continued Fouquet, still speaking indirectly to Colbert, “monsieur has received, a week ago, sixteen hundred thousand livres; he has paid a hundred thousand livres to the guards, sixty-four thousand livres to the hospitals, twentyfive thousand to the Swiss, an hundred and thirty thousand for provisions, a thousand for arms, ten thousand for accidental expenses; I do not err, then, in reckoning upon nine hundred thousand livres that are left.” Then turning towards Colbert, like a disdainful head of office towards his inferior, “Take care, monsieur,” said he, “that those nine hundred thousand livres be remitted to his majesty this evening, in gold.” “But,” said the king, “that will make two millions five hundred thousand livres.” “Sire, the five hundred thousand livres over will serve as pocket money for his royal highness You understand, Monsieur Colbert, this evening before eight o’clock.” And with these words, bowing respectfully to the king, the superintendent made his exit backwards, without honoring with a single look the envious man, whose head he had just half shaved Colbert tore his ruffles to pieces in his rage, and bit his lips till they bled Fouquet had not passed the door of the cabinet, when an usher pushing by him, exclaimed: “A courier from Bretagne for his majesty.” “M d’Herblay was right,” murmured Fouquet, pulling out his watch; “an hour and fifty-five minutes It was quite true.” End of Project Gutenberg The Vicomte de Bragelonne, by Alexandre Dumas, Pere The next text in the series is Ten Years Later ... D’Artagnan Romances, while entitled The Vicomte de Bragelonne, has the subtitle Ten Years Later These two titles are also given to different volumes: The Vicomte de Bragelonne can refer to the whole book, or the first volume of... Now begins the first chapter of the last of the D’Artagnan Romances, The Vicomte de Bragelonne Enjoy! John Bursey Mordaunt@aol.com May, 2000 The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas Chapter I: The Letter Towards the middle of the month of May, in the year 1660, at nine o’clock in the. .. “No, monseigneur; his eminence has ordered the Mesdemoiselles de Mancini to set out for Brouage They will follow the left bank of the Loire, while the court will come by the right “What! Mademoiselle Mary de Mancini quit the court in that manner?” asked