At this very Time the Baron de Montbel came to Bayonne, and hearing that I was a Prisoner in the Citadel, he desir’d to see me. This Baron, who was by Birth a Frenchman, went to Berlin at the Time of the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes: He had an Employment given him at that Court, and had been a Captain in the Regiment which was my late Father’s. He was going at this Time to Spain. Dadoncourt refus’d point-blank to let him come and see me. Then the Baron desir’d Leave to send me his Compliments by my Valet de Chambre, which Dadoncourt granted, but ’twas only to affront me the more grosly; for my Valet de Chambre was no sooner enter’d into the Citadel, but he was search’d, in order to know if he had not Letters for me; and none being found upon him, Dadoncourt said he was sure that the Baron had given him Letters to deliver to me, and that he must and should produce them. My Man still denying that he had receiv’d any Letter, was thrown into a Dungeon, where he was threatened he should lie till he rotted, if he did not confess that Letters had been given or offer’d to him for me.
This, Madame, was my melancholy Situation at Bayonne, having been arrested on sham Pretences, pining with Hunger and Cold, depriv’d of all Help, abandon’d by a Princess on whose Protection I had great Dependance, and having nothing to comfort me: I had a good Conscience indeed, which did not reproach me with any thing laid to my Charge; but this is a weak Support, when a Man is to cope with such Enemies as make no more to destroy the Innocent than the Guilty! A Persecution so unjust plung’d me sometimes into Melancholy, and at
other times made me raving mad; so that when I came to myself, I was afraid I should lose all my Reason. At last this Disturbance of my Mind, all these Passions subsided happily in a Philosophical Calm, which restor’d me to myself. When I was composed, I reason’d justly enough: I consider’d, that to fret and vex myself to Death, would be the greatest Folly I could be guilty of; and that there was no other Remedy but Time and Patience: I resolv’d therefore to acquiesce like a true Philosopher; and I said to myself, that I had nothing more to do but to be as easy as I could in the Citadel, till Lewis XV. was declar’d of Age.
I had just begun to be reconcil’d to my Chamber and to Silence, when News was brought me of my Liberty: ’Twas on the 31st of January that Dadoncourt’s Valet de Chambre came and told me, that his Master had received Orders from Court to let me out of the Citadel; but that, as it was late, he desir’d me to stay there that Night, and that next Day I might go where I pleas’d: I consented to lye one Night more in the Citadel; but next Day Dadoncourt, without Regard to the Assurance he had sent me that I should have my full Liberty, and, by Consequence, either stay or set out that Instant, as I pleas’d; sent to ask me what time I intended to go for Spain; adding, that he had received Orders to send me thither, and not to suffer me to stay any longer in Bayonne: I return’d him a short Answer, but said enough to him to give him to understand, that I was not in a Condition to set out, because, as my whole Substance consisted in Bank Bills, which were at that time worth little or nothing, I was under a Necessity of staying till I had discounted them, and that in the mean time I was
content to remain in the Citadel, till I could raise Money, unless he himself would be so kind as to assist me: I added, that if I must not discount my Bills, I desir’d Leave at least to go to Holland, where I should find Relations or Friends who would serve me: Dadoncourt return’d me an Answer with all the Sauciness and Impertinence of a Man of his Kidney: He sent to tell me, that he was neither a Money-Changer, nor a Banker, to discount my Bills; that I could not stay in the Citadel, because he had Orders to turn me out of it; and lastly, that he would not suffer me to go to Holland, because he was by the same Order injoin’d to send me to Spain: I thought this a blunt Sort of an Answer; for, in short, as he knew who I was, he might, and even ought, to have us’d me more politely; and even supposing that his Orders were as urgent as he pretended, yet a Gentleman would have known better than to notify them in that manner: I therefore saw myself under a Necessity of travelling to Spain, with nothing but my Staff to support me; which would certainly have been the Case, had it not been for Father Thomas, who helped me to 40 Pistoles, upon Two thousand Livres worth of Bank Bills; which Money I made use of to bear my Travelling-Expences: The Luggage I had to carry was not very cumbersome; for I have had the Honour to acquaint you, that Dadoncourt had taken Care of that by selling off what I had. My Journey to Spain being reckon’d an Affair of the utmost Importance, I had a Guard put upon me to conduct me to the Frontiers, where they were so civil, as to shew me the Orders from Court, which were executed with the utmost Strictness: They were contain’d in a Letter directed to Dadoncourt from
M. le Blanc the Secretary at War, in Substance as follows: His Royal Highness is willing, Sir, that you should release the Baron de Pollnitz, who is a Prisoner in the Citadel of Bayonne, on Condition that he depart the Kingdom; and for this Reason I desire you to cause him to be conducted to the Frontier of Spain.
My Guard took Leave of me on the Frontiers and I continued my Journey to Pampeluna: By the Way I saw the famous Pyrenean Mountains, the Passage of which is very different from that of the Alps, there being not an Inn to be met with but what looks much more like a Den of Thieves: The Inhabitants of these Mountains have something mischievous in their very Physiognomy, which makes Travellers afraid of ’em. I was forc’d to spend one Night with my Valet de Chambre in a Cabaret, where there being a Score of these Fellows, we resolv’d to sit up all Night without going to Bed; and I fancy, that in so doing, we acted very wisely, for those Mountaineers look’d like a Parcel of Cut-throats: I set out as early as possible in the Morning from this horrible Place for Pampeluna, where I arriv’d towards the Evening: I alighted at an Inn, which was recommended to me as the best in Town, but I found it every whit as bad as those that I had met with in my Passage from Bayonne: The Bread, the Wine, their Meat, Bedding and every thing was detestably bad: However, as I thought I had a better Chance for my Life there, than in the Houses of Entertainment among the Mountains; I made myself amends for sitting up all the last Night, and slept soundly till next Day.
I went and paid a Visit to the Prince of Castillone Viceroy of Navarre, who was prodigiously
civil to me: I let him into the true State of my Affairs, and what I had suffer’d from the King’s Lieutenant at Bayonne: This Nobleman seem’d to be concern’d at my present Condition, and was so kind as to make me an Offer of whatever I wanted; but as to the Treatment I had met with from the King’s Lieutenant, it surpriz’d him not at all: He told me too, that I was not the first Man who had been so treated, and that he could not imagine how it happen’d, that the Regent was not informed of all the Acts of Injustice committed at Bayonne: He advis’d me to write to his Royal Highness, and to give him an exact Account of all my Treatment: If this, said he, does not procure you some Amends, I am certain, at least, that ’twill get him a Reprimand: I did as M. de Castillone advis’d me; I wrote both to the Regent and to M. le Blanc, but ’twas all to no Purpose; for my Enemies had made such a Devil of me to the Prince and the Minister, that not content with returning me no Answer, they wrote to M. de M——, who had the Care of the French Affairs at Madrid, to thwart me in every thing he could: And he, for his Part, punctually observ’d his Instructions, not so much in pure Obedience to his Prince, as for the Pleasure he took in doing me Mischief.
M. de Castillone was so good-natur’d as to shew me what was most remarkable at Pampeluna: We took a Walk together without the Town, the Situation of which I thought very fine: ’Tis encompass’d with Walls, and fortify’d with Bastions and Half-Moons: Yet all this Fortification would be of little Defence, were it not for the Citadel, which was repair’d, and considerably augmented, during the Ministry of the Cardinal Alberoni.