The treatment accorded to the galley-slaves at Marseilles was identical with that of Dunkirk. But now the case of the Protestants engaged the serious attention of the Northern nations, and strong representations were made to the French king, demanding their release. But now in the vain hope of retaining them, the most pertinacious efforts were made to obtain that abjuration of the faith which had been steadfastly rejected by the sufferers for so many years. Bigoted priests with special powers of persuasion were called in with fresh zeal for proselytising, but being entirely unsuccessful they concentrated their efforts to impede and prolong the negotiations for release. When at last the order came, due to the vigorous interposition of the Queen of England, it was limited to a portion only of the Protestant prisoners. One hundred and thirty-six were released, and among them Jean Marteilhe; but the balance were retained quite another year. Marteilhe, after a short stay at Geneva, travelled northwards, and at length went with some of his comrades to England. They were granted a special audience with Queen Anne, and were permitted to kiss her Majesty’s hand, and were assured from her own mouth of the satisfaction afforded by their deliverance.
A few details may be extracted from Marteilhe’s story as to the dress, diet, occupation and general discipline of one of Louis’ galleys. As to dress he tells us:
“Each slave receives every year linen shirts, somewhat finer than that of which sails are made; two pair of knee trousers, which are made without any division, like a woman’s petticoat,—for they must be put on over the head because of the chain; one pair of stockings made of coarse red stuff, but no shoes. However, when the slaves are employed in the business of the galley by land, as frequently happens in winter, the keeper on that occasion furnishes them with shoes, which he takes back when the slaves return aboard. They are supplied every second year with a cassock of coarse red stuff. The tailor shows no great marks of an artist in making it up; it is only a piece of stuff doubled, one half for the forepart, the other for the back; at the top a hole to put the head through. It is sewed up on each side, and has two little sleeves which descend to the elbow. This cassock has something the shape of what is called in Holland a ‘keil,’ which carters generally wear over the rest of their clothes. The habit of the former is, however, not so long, for it reaches before only down to the knees, and behind it falls half a foot lower. Besides all this, they are allowed every year a red cap, very short, as it must not cover the ears. Lastly they are given every second year a great coat of coarse cloth made of wool and hair. This habit is made in the form of a nightgown and descends to the feet; it is furnished with a hood not unlike the cowl of a Capuchin friar. This is by far the best part of a slave’s scanty wardrobe; for it serves him for mattress and blankets at night, and keeps him warm by day.”
As will have been gathered from the preceding description, the galleys were mainly intended for sea service and occasional combat, but this was only in the summer months. As winter approached, generally about the latter end of October, the galleys were laid up in harbor and disarmed. “The first precaution is to land the gunpowder, for they never bring their powder into port. The galleys are next brought in and ranged along the quay according to the order of precedence, with the stern next the quay. There are then boards laid, called planches, to serve as a passage from the quay to the galley. The masts are taken down and laid in the coursier, and the yards lie all along the seats. After this they take out the cannon, the warlike stores, provisions, sails, cordage, anchors, etc. The sailors and coasting pilots are discharged, and the rest of the crew lodged in places appointed for them in the city of Dunkirk. Here the principal officers have their pavilions, though they lodge in them but seldom, the greatest part spending the winter at Paris or at their own homes. The galley being at last entirely cleared, the slaves find room enough to fix their wretched quarters for the winter. The company belonging to each seat procure pieces of boards, which they lay across the seats and upon these make their beds. The only bed between them and the boards is a cast-off greatcoat; their only covering that which they wear during the day. The first rower of each seat, who has consequently the first choice, is best lodged; the second shares the next best place; the four others are lodged, each, on the cross planks already mentioned, according to his order.
“When the weather grows extremely cold, there are two tents raised over the galley, one above the other. The outermost is generally made of the same stuff of which the slaves’ greatcoats are formed, and keeps the galley sufficiently warm; I mean it seems warm to those who are accustomed to this hard way of living. For those who have been used to their own houses and warm fires would never be able to support the cold without being habituated to it beforehand. A little fire to warm them and a blanket to cover them would make our slaves extremely happy, but this is a happiness never allowed them on board. At break of day the comites, who always sleep on board together with the keepers and halberdiers, blow their whistles, at the sound of which all must rise. This is always done precisely at the same hour; for the commodore every evening gives the signal to the comite by firing a cannon for the slaves to go to sleep, and repeats the same at break of day for their getting up. If in the morning any should be lazy and not rise when they hear the whistle, they may depend on being lashed severely. The crew being risen, their first care is to fold up their beds, to put the seats in order, to sweep between them and wash them when necessary. The sides of the tent are raised up by stanchions provided for that purpose in order to air the galley; though when the wind blows hard, that side to the leeward only is raised. When this is done every slave sits down on his own seat and does something to earn himself a little money.
“It is necessary to be known, that no slave must be idle. The comites, who observe their employments every day, come up to those they see unemployed and ask why they do not work. If it is answered that they understand no trade, he gives them cotton yarn, and bids them knit it into stockings; and if the slave knows not how to knit, the comite appoints one of his companions of the same seat to instruct him. It is a trade easily learnt; but as there are some who are either lazy, stupid or stubborn and will not learn, they are sure to be remarked by the comites who seldom show them any future favor. If they will not work at that for their own advantage, the comite generally gives them some work impossible to perform; and when they have labored in vain to execute his commands, he whips them for laziness; so that in their own defence, they are at last obliged to learn to knit.
“Whenever a slave is missing, there are guns fired one after the other, which advertise his escape to the peasants round the country; upon which they all rise, and with hounds trained for the purpose trace out his footsteps; so that it is almost impossible for him to secure a retreat. I have seen several instances of this at Marseilles. At Dunkirk, indeed, the Flemish detest such practices; but the soldiers, with which the town abounds, will do anything to gain twenty crowns. At Marseilles the peasants are cruel to the last degree. I have been informed for certain that a son brought back his own father, who had been a slave and endeavored to escape. The intendant, as the story goes, was so shocked at his undutifulness, that though he ordered him the twenty crowns for his fee, yet sentenced him to the galleys for life, where he remained chained to the same seat with his unhappy father. So true is it, that the natives of Provence are in general perfidious, cruel and inhuman.
“All along the quay, where the galleys lie, are ranged little stalls, with three or four slaves in each, exercising their trades to gain a trifling subsistence. Their trades are nevertheless frequently little better than gross impositions on the credulity of the vulgar. Some pretend to tell fortunes and take horoscopes; others profess magic and undertake to find stolen goods, though cunning often helps them out when the devil is not so obedient as to come at a call.
“While some of the slaves are thus employed in the stalls along the quay, the major part are chained to their seats aboard, some few excepted who pay a halfpenny a day for being left without a chain. Those can walk about the galley and traffic or do any other business which may procure them a wretched means of subsistence. The greatest part of them are sutlers. They sell tobacco (for in winter the slaves are permitted to smoke on board), brandy, etc. Others make over their seats a little shop, where they expose for sale butter, cheese, vinegar, boiled tripe, all of which are sold to the crew at reasonable rates. A halfpenny worth of these, with the king’s allowance of bread, make no uncomfortable meal. Except these sutlers, all the rest are chained to their seats and employed in knitting stockings. Perhaps it may be asked where the slaves find spun cotton for knitting. I answer thus:
“Many of the Turks, especially those who have money, drive a trade in this commodity with the merchants of Marseilles, who deal largely in stockings. The merchants give the Turks what cotton they think proper, unmanufactured, and the Turks pay them in this commodity manufactured into stockings. These Turks deliver the cotton spun to the slaves, to be knit. They are indifferent as to the size of the stockings, as the slave is paid for knitting at so much a pound. So that the slave who received ten pounds of spun cotton is obliged to return the same weight of knit stockings, for which he is paid at a fixed price. There must be great care taken not to filch any of the cotton nor leave the stockings on a damp place to increase their weight; for if such practices are detected the slave is sure to undergo the bastinado.