: Alexandre Dumas
: The Forty-Five Guardsmen
: anboco
: 9783736412330
: 1
: CHF 0.90
:
: Erzählende Literatur
: English
: 500
: Wasserzeichen
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB
The Forty-five guards were recruited by the Jean Louis de Nogaret de La Valette, Duke of Épernon to provide Henry III of France with trusted protection in the midst of the War of the Three Henrys. The Forty-five were noblemen of lesser nobility - many from Gascony - with little more than a horse, a sword, and a few acres to live on. In the king's service, they were paid a lavish wage. In return, 15 of them were to be on duty, day or night, ready at the king's call. After the Catholic League revolt in Paris, King Henry III was forced to flee to Blois, there, he staged a coup, regaining control of the Estates-General by employing the Forty-five to kill Henry I, Duke of Guise when he came to meet the king at the Château de Blois on 23 December 1588, and his brother, Louis II, Cardinal of Guise, the following day. After the king was assassinated by Jacques Clément, the crown of France passed to Henry IV of Navarre; the Forty-five also passed to him and served him faithfully until his death, which was also by assassination - ironically in a conspiracy in which Épernon seems to have been involved. The exploits of Henry III and the Forty-five are the subject of The Forty-five Guardsmen by Alexandre Dumas.

CHAPTER II.


WHAT PASSED OUTSIDE THE PORTE ST. ANTOINE.


 

One of the groups was formed of a considerable number of citizens. They surrounded four or five of a martial appearance, whom the closing of the doors annoyed very much, as it seemed, for they cried with all their might,"The door! the door!"

Robert Briquet advanced toward this group, and began to cry also,"The door! the door!"

One of the cavaliers, charmed at this, turned toward him and said,"Is it not shameful, monsieur, that they should close the gates in open day, as though the Spaniards or the English were besieging Paris?"

Robert Briquet looked attentively at the speaker, who seemed to be about forty-five years of age, and the principal personage in the group."Yes, monsieur," replied he,"you are right: but may I venture to ask what you think their motive is for these precautions?"

"Pardieu! the fear they have lest some one should eat their Salcede."

"Diable!" said a voice,"a sad meal."

Robert Briquet turned toward the speaker, whose voice had a strong Gascon accent, and saw a young man from twenty to twenty-five, resting his hand on the crupper of the horse of the first speaker. His head was bare; he had probably lost his hat in the melée.

"But as they say," replied Briquet,"that this Salcede belongs to M. de Guise—"

"Bah! they say that!"

"Then you do not believe it, monsieur?"

"Certainly not," replied the cavalier,"doubtless, if he had, the duke would not have let him be taken, or at all events would not have allowed him to have been carried from Brussels to Paris bound hand and foot, without even trying to rescue him."

"An attempt to rescue him," replied Briquet,"would have been very dangerous, because, whether it failed or succeeded, it would have been an avowal, on the duke's part, that he had conspired against the Duc d'Anjou."

"M. de Guise would not, I am sure, have been restrained by such considerations; therefore, as he has not defended Salcede, it is certain that he is not one of his men."

"Excuse me, monsieur, if I insist, but it is not I who invent, for it appears that Salcede has confessed."

"Where? before the judges?"

"No, monsieur; at the torture."

"They asserted that he did, but they do not repeat what he said."

"Excuse me again, monsieur, but they do."

"And what did he say?" cried the cavalier impatiently."As you seem so well informed, what were his words?"<