Part 1 (1/2)
TWENTY YEARS AFTER
by Alexandre Dumas, Pere
1 The Shade of Cardinal Richelieu
In a splendid chamber of the Palais Royal, for in deep reverie, his head supported on his hands, leaning over a gilt and inlaid table which was covered with letters and papers Behind this figure glowed a vast fireplace alive with leaping flas of oak blazed and crackled on the polished brass andirons whose flicker shone upon the superb habilirandly by twin candelabra rich ax-lights
Any one who happened at that eous robe of office--and the rich lace, or who gazed on that pale brow, bent in anxious ht, in the solitude of that apartment, combined with the silence of the ante-cha-place, have fancied that the shade of Cardinal Richelieu lingered still in his accustoreatness France enfeebled, the authority of her sovereign conte to their former turbulence and insolence, her enereat Richelieu no longer in existence
In truth, that the red sier, was still ly obvious from the isolation which seemed, as we have observed,creature--from the corridors deserted by courtiers, and courts croith guards--fro froh the very casements of the rooainst the minister; as well as fro--let off, happily, without other end or aiuards, the Swiss troops and the military who surrounded the Palais Royal, that the people were possessed of arms
The shade of Richelieu was Mazarin Now Mazarin was alone and defenceless, as he well knew
”Foreigner!” he ejaculated, ”Italian! that is their hty byword of reproach--the ith which they assassinated, hanged, and ave the, and h they have nothing to conorant of their real enemies, they do not perceive that it is not the Italian who speaks French badly, but those who can say fine things to them in the purest Parisian accent, who are their real foes
”Yes, yes,” Mazarin continued, whilst his wonted se expression to his pale lips; ”yes, these noises prove to me, indeed, that the destiny of favorites is precarious; but ye shall know I am no ordinary favorite No! The Earl of Essex, 'tis true, wore a splendid ring, set with diaiven hi but a siold, with a cipher on it and a date; but that ring has been blessed in the chapel of the Palais Royal,so they will never ruinto do, and whilst they shout, 'Doith Mazarin!' I, unknown, and unperceived by the live the Duke de Beaufort' one day; another, 'Long live the Prince de Conde;' and again, 'Long live the parliament!'” And at this word the smile on the cardinal's lips assumed an expression of hatred, of which his mild countenance seemed incapable ”The parliament! We shall soon see how to dispose,” he continued, ”of the parliais are ours It will be a work of ti out: Doith Mazarin! will finish by shouting out, Doith all the people I have mentioned, each in his turn
It is said that Mazarin, who, though a cardinal, had not taken such vows as to prevent it, was secretly married to Anne of Austria--La Porte's Me his lifetime and whom they now praise after his death, was even less popular than I am Often he was driven away, oftener still had he a dread of being sent away The queen will never banish ed to yield to the populace she would yield with me; if I fly, she will fly; and then we shall see how the rebels will get on without either king or queen
”Oh, were I not a foreigner! were I but a Frenchentle birth!”
The position of the cardinal was indeed critical, and recent events had added to his difficulties Discontent had long pervaded the lower ranks of society in France Crushed and impoverished by taxation--irind them down to the very dust--the people, as the Advocate-General Talon described it, had nothing left to them except their souls; and as those could not be sold by auction, they began to murmur Patience had in vain been recoained by France; laurels, however, were not meat and drink, and the people had for some time been in a state of discontent
Had this been all, it nified; for when the lower classes alone complained, the court of France, separated as it was froentry and the bourgeoisie, seldom listened to their voice; but unluckily, Mazarin had had the iistrates and had sold no less than twelve appointh price; and as the officers of that court paid very dearly for their places, and as the addition of twelve new colleagues would necessarily lower the value of each place, the old functionaries fored, swore on the Bible not to allow of this addition to their nuht ensue; and should any one of them chance to forfeit his post by this resistance, to co occurrences had taken place between the two contending parties
On the seventh of January between seven and eight hundred tradesmen had assembled in Paris to discuss a new tax which was to be levied on house property They deputed ten of their nu to his custom, affected popularity The duke received them and they informed him that they were resolved not to pay this tax, even if they were obliged to defend theainst its collectors by force of arreat politeness by the duke, who held out hopes of easier measures, promised to speak in their behalf to the queen, and dismissed them with the ordinary expression of royalty, ”We will see e can do”
Two days afterward these saistrates appeared before the cardinal and their spokesman addressed Mazarin with so much fearlessness and determination that the minister was astounded and sent the deputation aith the same answer as it had received from the Duke of Orleans--that he would see what could be done; and in accordance with that intention a council of state was assembled and the superintendent of finance was summoned
This man, named Emery, was the object of popular detestation, in the first place because he was superintendent of finance, and every superintendent of finance deserved to be hated; in the second place, because he rather deserved the odium which he had incurred
He was the son of a banker at Lyons nae his nareat financial aptitude, had introduced hi recommendation to Louis XIII under his assuht be appointed to the post he subsequently held
”You surprise me!” exclaimed the monarch ”I am rejoiced to hear you speak of Monsieur d'Emery as calculated for a post which requires ato force that villain Particelli upon me”
”Sire,” replied Richelieu, ”rest assured that Particelli, the ed”
”Ah; sothat I aned Emery's appointment
This was the same Emery who became eventually superintendent of finance
He was sent for by the , declaring that his son had very nearly been assassinated the day before, near the palace The mob had insulted him on account of the ostentatious luxury of his wife, whose house was hung with red velvet edged with gold fringe This lady was the daughter of Nicholas de Camus, who arrived in Paris with twenty francs in his pocket, becah to divide ninehis children and to keep an income of forty thousand for hireat chance of being suffocated, one of the rioters having proposed to squeeze hi, therefore, was settled that day, as Eh for business after such an occurrence
On the next day Mathieu Mole, the chief president, whose courage at this crisis, says the Cardinal de Retz, was equal to that of the Duc de Beaufort and the Prince de Conde--in other words, of the two men ere considered the bravest in France--had been attacked in his turn The people threatened to hold hi over them But the chief president had replied with his habitual coolness, without betraying either disturbance or surprise, that should the agitators refuse obedience to the king's wishes he would have gallows erected in the public squares and proceed at once to hang thethelad to see the gallows erected; they would serve for the hanging of those detestable judges who purchased favor at court at the price of the people's oing to mass at Notre Dame, as she always did on Saturdays, was followed byjustice These poor creatures had no bad intentions They wished only to be allowed to fall on their knees before their sovereign, and that they ht move her to couard and the queen proceeded on her way, haughtily disdainful of their entreaties
At length parlia was to beof the day e, went in state, under pretext of returning thanks for his recovery from the s out his guard, the Swiss troops and the musketeers, and he had planted them round the Palais Royal, on the quays, and on the Pont Neuf Aftermonarch drove to the Parliament House, where, upon the throne, he hastily confirmed not only such edicts as he had already passed, but issued new ones, each one, according to Cardinal de Retz,which drew forth a strong remonstrance from the chief president, Mole--whilst President Blancnation against fresh taxes
The king returned amidst the silence of a vast multitude to the Palais Royal All , e
At first, indeed, they were doubtful whether the king's visit to the parliahten or increase their burdens; but scarcely was it known that the taxes were to be still further increased, when cries of ”Doith Mazarin!” ”Long live Broussel!” ”Long live Blanch the city For the people had learned that Broussel and Blanch the eloquence of these deputies had been without avail, it had none the less won for theroups collected in the streets, or silence their exclaiven to the royal guards and the Swiss guards, not only to stand firm, but to send out patrols to the streets of Saint Denis and Saint Martin, where the people thronged and where they were the most vociferous, when the mayor of Paris was announced at the Palais Royal
He was shown in directly; he came to say that if these offensive precautions were not discontinued, in two hours Paris would be under ar held when a lieutenant in the guards, naes, made his appearance, with his clothes all torn, his face strea hi on
As the uards had exasperated the es had arrested one of the ringleaders and had ordered hi to execute this command the soldiery were attacked in the market-place with stones and halberds; the delinquent had escaped to the Rue des Lombards and rushed into a house They broke open the doors and searched the dwelling, but in vain Coes, wounded by a stone which had struck him on the forehead, had left a picket in the street and returned to the Palais Royal, followed by acrowd, to tell his story
This account confirmed that of the mayor The authorities were not in a condition to cope with serious revolt Mazarin endeavored to circulate a the people a report that troops had only been stationed on the quays and on the Pont Neuf, on account of the ceremonial of the day, and that they would soon withdraw In fact, about four o'clock they were all concentrated about the Palais Royal, the courts and ground floors of which were filled with uards, and there awaited the outcome of all this disturbance
Such was the state of affairs at the very moment we introduced our readers to the study of Cardinal Mazarin--once that of Cardinal Richelieu We have seen in what state of mind he listened to the murmurs frouns, the firing of which resounded through that roohtly contracted like that of a man who has formed a resolution; he fixed his eyes upon an enor up a whistle of silver gilt that stood upon the table near him, he shrilled it twice
A door hidden in the tapestry opened noiselessly and a man in black silently advanced and stood behind the chair on which Mazarin sat
”Bernouin,” said the cardinal, not turning round, for having whistled, he knew that it was his valet-de-chambre as behind him; ”what musketeers are noithin the palace?”
”The Black Musketeers, my lord”
”What company?”
”Treville's co to this conan”
”A man on e can depend, I hope”
”Yes, my lord”