During the progress of the translation M. Topin’s text has been carefully revised, and a few errors have been corrected. Additional notes, too, have been given whenever the subject-matter seemed to require elucidation, or where individuals little known to English readers make their appearance on the scene.
H. V.
Paris, April, 1870.
AUTHOR’S PREFACE.
If this book had been intended merely to satisfy a vulgar and commonplace curiosity, it would only have consisted of a few pages. My aim has been a loftier one. I have endeavoured, while concerning myself with the most famous and romantic of State-prisoners, to write the history of the principal individuals in whom people have beheld the Man with the Iron Mask. As regards some of these I have been compelled to lay bare the private life of Louis XIII. and Anne of Austria, and in order to refute the accusations with which the memory of this princess has been sullied, I have not hesitated to touch upon certain delicate points, and to follow her accusers on to the ground on which they have carried the discussion. But I have imposed upon myself the obligation of always respecting my readers, and of influencing their judgment without offending their taste. I have traced the others throughout their adventurous careers and agitated existences, and some of them even through their captivity, spent, sometimes in the monotonous inaction of solitude, sometimes with the resignation of the sage, or animated more frequently still by daring attempts at flight which the incessant vigilance of the most scrupulous of gaolers always foiled. Thus there will be found grouped together in this work Louis XIII. and Anne of Austria, the seductive Buckingham and the affecting Vermandois, the versatile Monmouth and the adventurous Beaufort, Lauzun the rash, and Fouquet, rendered admirable by his resignation and Christian virtues, the unfortunate Matthioly, and Saint-Mars, whose memory, and even existence, is inseparable from that of his prisoners.
The sole and firm ground-work of this book are the materials, for the most part unpublished, to be found in our Archives. For the space of two years I have been collecting them in the different depositories of manuscripts; and at the Ministries as at the Archives of the Empire, at the Imperial Library as well as at the Arsenal, at the Institute as at the Hôtel de Ville, I have everywhere met with the most cordial reception, the most unreserved liberality, and the most invaluable courtesy. It is my duty, and at the same time my pleasure, to testify my gratitude to MM. Camille Rousset, Gallet de Kulture, Margry, de Beauchesne, Lacroix, Ravaisson, Sage, Aude, and Read. The treasures of our Archives are not only rendered accessible by the goodwill of their Keepers, but are also made easy of consultation by the order which these gentlemen have introduced among the profusion of documents by means of classifications as clear as they are ingenious.
I have given in the text the more important documents of which I have made use, and in the notes those which are of less consequence, whilst I have contented myself with indicating the collections where those materials are to be found which are altogether of a secondary character. By this means the reader will have a complete check upon me. Without sacrificing anything of the strictest exactitude I have endeavoured to introduce into my account the spirit and the action proper to the individuals brought on to the scene, and, in a subject at once legendary and historical, to represent the faithful drawing of history under the seductive colouring of fiction.
Paris, November 8, 1869.
CONTENTS.
| Page | |
|---|---|
| [INTRODUCTION.] | |
| Arrival of the Man with the Iron Mask at the Bastille—His Death—General Reflections on this celebrated Prisoner—Motives which determined the present Writer to make fresh Researches concerning him—Plan and Object of the Work | [1] |
| [CHAPTER I.] | |
| Theory which supposes the Man with the Iron Mask to have been a Brother of Louis XIV.—Voltaire the first to support this Theory in his Siècle de Louis XIV., and in the Dictionnaire Philosophique—Certain Improbabilities in his Story—Account of the Man with the Iron Mask introduced by Soulavie into the Mémoires Apocryphes du Maréchal de Richelieu—The three different Hypotheses of the Theory which makes the Man with the Iron Mask a Brother of Louis XIV. | [9] |
| [CHAPTER II.] | |
| First Hypothesis—Portrait of Buckingham—Causes of his Visit to France—Ardour with which he was received—His Passion for Anne of Austria—Character of this Princess—Journey to Amiens—Scene in the Garden—The Remembrance that Anne of Austria preserved of it | [20] |
| [CHAPTER III.] | |
| Second Hypothesis—First Feelings of Anne of Austria towards Louis XIII.—Joy which she experienced on arriving in France—First Impressions of Louis XIII.—His Aversion to Spain—His Dislike to Marriage—Austerity of his Manners—His persistent Coldness—Means adopted to induce him to consummate the Marriage—Political Position of Anne of Austria—Louis XIII. and Richelieu—Watch kept by the Minister over the Queen—The King’s Illness at Lyons | [31] |
| [CHAPTER IV.] | |
| Third Hypothesis—Reconciliation of Louis XIII. and Anne of Austria—The Queen enceinte for the Fourth Time—Suspicions with which Royal Births have sometimes been received—Precautions adopted in France for the Purpose of avoiding these Suspicions—Story of Louis XIV.’s Birth—Impossibility of admitting the Birth of a Twin-brother—Richelieu’s Absence—Uselessness of abducting and concealing this pretended Twin-brother | [50] |
| [CHAPTER V.] | |
| Motives which hinder one from admitting the Existence, the Arrest, and the Imprisonment of a mysterious Son of Anne of Austria—The Period at which he is said to have been handed over to Saint-Mars, according to the Authors of this Theory, cannot be reconciled with any of the Dates at which Prisoners were sent to this Gaoler—Other Considerations which formally oppose even the Probability of the Theory that makes the Man with the Iron Mask a Brother of Louis XIV. | [58] |
| [CHAPTER VI.] | |
| The Count de Vermandois—His Portrait—Mademoiselle de la Vallière, his Mother—Anecdote from the Mémoires Secrets pour servir à l’Histoire de Perse—Father Griffet adopts its Conclusions—Arguments that he advances—Motives which render certain of Mademoiselle de Montpensier’s Appreciations suspicious—Improbability of the Story in the Mémoires de Perse—Illness of the Count de Vermandois—Reality of his Death attested by the most authentic Despatches—Magnificence of his Obsequies—Pious Endowments at Arras | [65] |
| [CHAPTER VII.] | |
| Causes which render the Theory probable that makes Monmouth the Man with the Iron Mask—Political Position of Monmouth—His Portrait—He is persuaded to revolt against his Uncle James II.—He lands near Lyme Regis—His first Successes—Enthusiasm with which he is received—His premature Discouragement—His Defeat at Sedgemoor—His shameful Flight—He is captured and taken to London—Cowardly Terrors of the Prisoner—His Interview with James II. | [85] |
| [CHAPTER VIII.] | |
| Bases on which Saint-Foix has founded his Theory—Disputes of Saint-Foix and Father Griffet—The Recollection of Monmouth becomes Legendary in England—Ballads announcing his Return—Indisputable Proofs of Monmouth’s Death in 1685—Interview of Monmouth with his Wife and Children—He is conducted to the Scaffold—His Firmness—The Last Words which he utters—Awkwardness of the Executioner | [92] |
| [CHAPTER IX.] | |
| François de Vendôme, Duke de Beaufort—His Portrait—His Conduct during the War of the Fronde—Unimportance of this Individual—Motives cited by Lagrange-Chancel in support of his Theory—Their Improbability—Reasons which determined the Search for Proofs that leave no doubt of Beaufort’s Death at Candia | [103] |
| [CHAPTER X.] | |
| Causes of the Expedition to Candia—Court Intrigue—Turenne and the Duke d’Albret—Preparations for the Expedition—Beaufort Commands it—Departure of the Fleet—Its Arrival before Candia—State of this Island—Description of the Place besieged—Last Council of War—Plan of Attack, which is fixed for the Middle of the Night of June 24, 1669—The First Movements are successful—Terrible Explosion of the Magazine of a Battery—Fearful Panic—Rout of the French—Re-embarkation of the Troops—Certainty of Beaufort’s Death | [113] |
| [CHAPTER XI.] | |
| General Considerations on the Abduction of the Armenian Patriarch Avedick—Despatch of the Marquis de Ferriol to Constantinople as Ambassador—Difficulties peculiar to this Post—Incautious Conduct of some of Ferriol’s Predecessors—Quiclet’s Adventures—Portrait of Ferriol—His Pretensions at Constantinople—His Eccentricity of Manner—His Behaviour in Religious Matters—The Armenian Church—Short Account of its History—Ardent Desire of the Catholic Missionaries to make Converts—Their Imprudence—Ferriol at first attempts to repair it—Obstinate Resistance of Father Braconnier, a Jesuit—Encroachments and Requirements of the Jesuits | [128] |
| [CHAPTER XII.] | |
| Avedick—His Origin—His Protector, the Grand Mufti, Feizoulah Effendi—The two Churches, schismatic and catholic, exist in perfect concord—Fall of Mustapha II.—Death of the Mufti—Avedick is deposed and imprisoned—The Armenians ransom him—Ferriol’s persistent Hatred—His stubborn Animosity against Avedick—He succeeds in getting him deposed a second Time—Avedick’s Abduction at Chio—He is imprisoned on board a French Vessel—Incidents of the Voyage—Avedick endeavours to give Tidings of his Fate to the World—Insuccess of his Attempt—His Arrival at Marseilles | [147] |
| [CHAPTER XIII.] | |
| The Chevalier de Taulès—How he was led to believe that Avedick was the Man with the Iron Mask—A clear Proof furnished him of the impossibility of his Theory—Taulès persists and accuses the Jesuit Fathers of Forgery—Examination of Dujonca’s Journal—Its complete Authenticity and the unaffected Sincerity of the Writer cannot be doubted—New Proofs of this Authenticity and of Dujonca’s Exactitude | [158] |
| [CHAPTER XIV.] | |
| Avedick is at first confined in the Prisons of the Arsenal—From Marseilles he is conducted to Mount Saint-Michel—Description of Mount Saint-Michel—Treatment to which Avedick is exposed—His useless Protestations against this Abuse of Force—Universal Emotion excited throughout the East—Complaints of the Divan—Ferriol’s Impudence—Terrible Reprisals practised on the Catholics—False Avedicks—Expedients to which Ferriol is reduced—Inquietude of the Roman Court—Duplicity of Louis XIV.’s Government—Avedick is transferred to the Bastille—Suggestions of which he is the Object—He abjures, and is set at Liberty—He dies at Paris in the Rue Férou—Delusive Document drawn up with Reference to this Death—Share of Responsibility which attaches to each of the Authors of the Abduction | [171] |
| [CHAPTER XV.] | |
| Description of Pignerol—Its Past, its Situation—Portrait of Saint-Mars—His Scruples and his Integrity—Fouquet’s Arrival at Pignerol—Brief Account of the Surintendant’s Career—His Error with regard to Louis XIV., whom he betrays—Causes of Fouquet’s Fall—His Arrest—His Trial—His Condemnation—No kind of Obscurity in this Affair | [189] |
| [CHAPTER XVI.] | |
| Remark of Fouquet’s Mother—The Prisoner’s Piety—Danger which he escapes at Pignerol—Incessant Supervision over him at La Pérouse, near Pignerol—Excessive Scruples of Saint-Mars—Precautions prescribed by Louvois—Espionage exercised over Fouquet by his Servants and his Confessor—Illnesses of the Prisoner—He devotes himself entirely to Study and to religious Meditations—Works to which he gives himself up—His new Motto—Interest which he continues to take in all his Relations and in Louis XIV.—Saint-Mars’ laconic Answers | [208] |
| [CHAPTER XVII.] | |
| Sudden and singular Arrival of Lauzun in Fouquet’s Room—The latter had known him formerly under the Name of the Marquis de Puyguilhem—Lauzun enumerates his Dignities and calls himself the King’s Cousin—Fouquet believes his Visitor mad—Portrait of Lauzun—His Adventures—His Arrival at Pignerol—He continues his Visits to Fouquet—The Stories he tells him—Noble Conduct of Louis XIV. towards Lauzun—Audacious Method employed by the latter to overhear a Conversation between Louis XIV. and Madame de Montespan—Difference between the Conduct of Lauzun and that of Fouquet—Lauzun’s Outbursts against Saint-Mars—Perplexity of the latter—Singular Mode of Surveillance to which he has recourse—Progressive amelioration of the Lot of the two Prisoners—They receive Permission to see each other—Arrival of Fouquet’s Daughter at Pignerol—Misunderstanding between Fouquet and Lauzun—Cause of this Misunderstanding | [219] |
| [CHAPTER XVIII.] | |
| Theory which makes Fouquet the Man with the Iron Mask—Arguments advanced by M. Lacroix—Some to be absolutely rejected and some discussed—Fouquet not in possession of a dangerous State Secret—Madame de Maintenon—Her Character—Her Youth—Her Relations with Monsieur and Madame Fouquet—Her honourable Reserve—The Affair of the Poisons—How Fouquet’s Name became mixed up in it—Probability of his Death being caused by an Attack of Apoplexy—Weakness of the other Arguments advanced by M. Lacroix—Oblivion into which the Surintendant had fallen—Two mysterious Arrests | [232] |
| [CHAPTER XIX.] | |
| Intervention of the Kings of France in Italy—Policy of Henri II., Henri IV., and Louis XIII.—Judicious Conduct of Richelieu—Treaty of Cherasco—Menacing Ambition of Louis XIV.—Situation of the Court of Savoy on the Death of Charles-Emmanuel—Portrait of Charles IV., Duke of Mantua—The Marquisate of Montferrat and Casale—The Count Matthioly—His political Career—His Character—The Abbé d’Estrades and Giuliani—Proposal to cede Casale to Louis XIV.—Interview at Venice between Charles IV. and the Abbé d’Estrades—Journey of Matthioly to Versailles—He communicates the Project formed to the Enemies of France—How is his Conduct to be estimated? | [251] |
| [CHAPTER XX.] | |
| The Regent of Savoy’s Perplexity—She discloses Matthioly’s Conduct to Louis XIV.—Arrival of Catinat at Pignerol—Arrest of the Baron d’Asfeld and his Imprisonment at Milan—The Abbé d’Estrades the first to conceive the Project of Matthioly’s Abduction—Despatches of the Abbé d’Estrades detailing the Abduction and the Incarceration of Matthioly—Means adopted in order to recover the official Documents connected with the Negotiation—Mystery surrounding Matthioly’s Disappearance—His family dispersed, and remaining silent and powerless | [267] |
| [CHAPTER XXI.] | |
| Period from which the Theory that makes Matthioly the Man with the Iron Mask dates—Numerous Writers who have concerned themselves with the Abduction of this Individual—Arguments of Reth, Roux-Fazillac, and Delort—M. Jules Loiseleur—His Labours—The Supposition that an obscure Spy was arrested in 1681 by Catinat—It cannot be admitted—Grounds on which M. Loiseleur rejects the Theory that makes Matthioly the Man with the Iron Mask—Soundness of his Reasoning and Justness of his Conclusions | [293] |
| [CHAPTER XXII.] | |
| The Isles Sainte-Marguerite—Their Appearance—Their Past—Various Causes of their Celebrity—How I was led to suppose that Matthioly was not taken to Exiles by Saint-Mars—Documents which prove him to have been left at Pignerol—Obscurity of the two Prisoners transferred to Exiles by Saint-Mars—Neither of them could have been the Man with the Iron Mask—Removal of the Prisoners of Pignerol to the Isles Sainte-Marguerite | [313] |
| [CHAPTER XXIII.] | |
| Behaviour of Charles IV., Duke of Mantua, towards his ex-Minister—His true Sentiments with reference to him—Precautions prescribed to Villebois and Lagrade for the Prisoners left by Saint-Mars at Pignerol—Change in Louis XIV.’s Position in Italy—Transfer of the Pignerol Prisoners to the Isles Sainte-Marguerite—Instructions given to Marshal de Tessé—Increase of Saint-Mars’ Watchfulness—Mystery surrounding the three Prisoners—Great Importance of one of them compared with the others—It is he who was the Man with the Iron Mask | [332] |
| [CHAPTER XXIV.] | |
| The Use of a Mask formerly very general—Frequently adopted for Prisoners in Italy—Its Employment not difficult in the Case of Matthioly—Origin of the Legend of the Man with the Iron Mask—As to the Transmission of the Secret from King to King—Louis XV. and Louis XVIII.—How it is that the Despatches which we have quoted have remained unpublished—Concerning the Silence of Saint-Simon—Dujonca—Taulès’ Objection—Louvois’ harsh Language—Matthioly’s Age—Concerning the name of Marchialy—Order for Matthioly’s Arrest—Arrival of the Duke of Mantua in Paris—Conclusion | [350] |