Cinq Mars -- Volume 5

o open. The neighbors often came to their windows to complain of the noise made at so late an hour of the night, despite the fear of robbers; and the patrol often stopped in surprise, and passed

irely concealed his feet, which after the fashion of the day he turned very much out. He frequently twisted a small cur

s made us wait long enough for him, the dear Desbarreaux.

osed entirely of men. She took their arm unceremoniously, as she spoke to them, with a freedom which she communicated to them. Her conversation was animated rather than joyous. It often excited laughter around her; but it was by dint of int

now obscure for posterity. Thus, among the latter, he profoundly saluted MM. d'Aubijoux, de Brion, de Montmort, and other very brilliant gentlemen, who were there as judges; tenderly, and with an air of esteem, pressed the hands of MM. Monteruel, de Sirmond, de Malleville, Baro, Gombauld, and other learned men, almost all called great men in the annals of the Academy of which they were the founders-

They spoke to each other with great volubility and animation a language incomprehensible to any one who should suddenly have come amon

ewcomer. "I have read your last sixain. Ah, what

opped at the village of Grand-Esprit, and at that of Jolis-Vers, but you have been no farther. If Monsieur

upon the table a sort of geographical chart tied with blue ribbons,

ld, it is possible that all who see it may not have minds sufficiently well turned to understand it. This is the road which must be followed to go from Nouvelle-Amitie to Tendre; and observe, gentlemen, that as we say Cumae-on-th

x. "See the villages marked out; here is Pet

highest degree!" cried Vaug

pass through Complaisance and Sensibility; and that if we do not take this road, we run th

au supreme!'" cried the audito

rinted under my name, is by my sister-she who translated 'Sappho' so agreeably

st un mal

oeur ne sau

il serait g

plus doux

superior Mademoiselle de Scudery is to her! That idea is wholly hers; she must unquestion

avans; "Horatius, Aruns, and the amia

d in following the windings of the amorous rivers. The young Poquelin vent

s serve? Is it to give

t singularly happy, and

ok of contempt; he consoled himself by

n an illness; he seemed to be ashamed of having thought for a moment upon God at the sig

and confusion. But here is a young Englishman who has just come from Italy, and is on his return to London. They tell me he has composed a poem-I don't know what; but he'll repeat some verses of it. Many of

ry good understanding with Corneille. He at last advanced to an armchair placed near the table; he seemed of feeble health, and fell into, rather than seated himself in, the chair. He rested his elbow on the table, and with his hand covered his large and

, raised to heaven, became sublime as that of the young evangelist, conceived by Raffaello, for the light still shone on it. He narrated in his verses the first dis

arose after the enunciation of the last idea. He heard not; he saw only

rning ocean where the fallen angels float. Then, his voice, now powerful, began the address of the fallen angel. "Art thou," he said, "he who in the happy realms of light, clothed with transcendent brightness, didst

ivate conversations; scarcely anything was heard but expressions of censure, and imputations of bad taste. Even some men of merit, dulled by a particular habit of thinking, cried out that they did not understand it; that it was abo

, that he might not hear the noise either of praise or censure. Three men only ap

e the picture; your hearers

he hand of the Englis

you with a

t him, and saw an intellectual, im

gs. He described their majestic nakedness, the ingenuous command of their looks, their walk among lions and tigers, which gambolled at their feet; he spoke of the pu

d; poetry filled it with grave and religious thoughts, from which the intoxication of pleasure had ever diverted her. The idea of virtuous love

l of a silent admiration which they dared not express,

Desbarreaux. "It is of an

race, gallantry, and t

ry, c

our immortal D'Urfe!" sa

the 'Astrea?'" cried, with a

to be heard by the poet as a murmur of uncertain import. He understood, however, tha

saluting the company, glided silently behind the author near Corn

ce, who recounted to man the history of heaven, the revolt of Lucifer, clothed in an armor of diamonds, raised on a car brilliant as the sun, guarded by glittering cherubim, and march

to rise also, and endeavor to conceal them from the author. This was not difficult, for he was entirely absorbed in the elevation of his thoughts. His genius at this moment had nothin

le said

or the common run of men, it must be closely allied with the almost physical interest of the drama. I had been tempted to

ause I feel myself a poet. I go whither inspiration leads me. Its path is ever the right one. If t

d the young officer. "I see in them the God

thus kindly to m

tes," replied the

you so happy as to be related

r of that work,

are you not a military man?" stamme

sacrifice of life; yet it does not occupy the whole man. He can not always apply his thoughts to it. Peace lulls them. Moreover, one has also to fear seeing them suddenly interrupted by an obscure blow or an absurd and untimely ac

pressed the hand of the young sage of Touraine, and drew him into an adjoining cabinet with Corneille, Milton, and Moliere, and with

n had brought into fashion, the continual passing of groups of young ladies and their joyous laughter, all announced that the ball had commenced. A very young and beautiful person, holding a large

u. "I make way for Mademoiselle

id the youthful Ninon,

? You have all the a

than these gentlemen,

ntraigues,

and abandoning her remaining arm to a third, the other gallants seeking to place themselves in the way of her fl

cending the great staircase, when he met the little Abbe de Gondi, red,

. You are one of us. I am somewhat late; but our beautiful

en the dancing begins

t the oaths?" said th

hs?" aske

nsieur le

ut I suppose he has not c

said the bare-brained

possible to do wi

followed De Gondi, who passed through two cabinets, and descended a small private staircase. At each step he took, he

elf a perfection then unknown, and everywhere multiplied their glittering faces. No sound from without could penetrate this throne of delight; but the persons assembled there seemed far remote from the thoughts which it was calculated to give rise to. A number of men, whom he recognized as courtiers, or soldiers of rank, crowded the entrance of this chamber and an adjoining apartment of larger dimensions. All were intent upon that which was passing in the centre of th

the door, casting a terrible glance at Gondi, and seiz

e?" he said, in

hat would you with me? Y

lf here? What do I

u wot of. Go; this air is po

would they say if I were to withdraw? I s

last word, De Thou, pushing aside his friend, entered, a

collected himself, and soon raising a more calm countenance, conti

ces. Your courage will have a wider field than that of a court intrigue. Thank me; instead of a conspiracy, I give you a war. Monsieur de Bouillon has departed to plac

l who surrounded him. Before allowing his own heart to be possessed by the contagious emotion which prec

The man we combat will be surrounded, vanquished, crushed. The parliaments will march in our rear, bearing their petitions to the King, a weapon as powerful as our swords; and after th

saw increasing confidence in the loo

ed the powers you have vested in me? I have carried matters very far; but there are times when kings would be served, as it were in spite of themselves. All is arranged, as you know. Sedan will open its gates to us

long live the Union!

cried the

ecution, under a chief of twenty-two, the most vast, the most just, the most beneficial of enterprises? My friends, what is a great life but a thought of youth executed by mature age? Youth looks fixedly into the future with its eagle glance, traces there a broad p

hese words, when an old man with a whi

e, "here's the old Chevalier de

e hand of Cinq-Mars, said slowly and with

nt for youth, all ardent as it is, to listen to those who have seen much. I have witnessed the League, my children, and I tell you that you can not now, as then, take the title of the Holy League, the Holy Union, th

two," interrupte

n, "to take a name to which the people may attach themselves; that of War for the Public

of the King,"

King!" cried Gondi a

bonne, which heretofore sanctioned even the 'hautgourdiers' and the 'sorgueurs',-[Names of the leaguers.]-and to pu

. Let Monsieur le Grand speak; we are thinking no more of t

augh, and Cin

ot detailed our strength, for there is not one of you but knows the secret of it. Is it to you, Messieurs de Montresor and de Saint-Thibal, I need tell the treasures that Monsieur places at our disposal? Is it to you, Monsieur d'Aignou, Monsieur de Mouy, that I need

Olivares at the news of our intentions, and the letters of the Cardinal-Infanta to the Duke de Bouillon? Shall I speak of Paris to the Abbe de Gondi, to D'Entraigues, and to you, gentlemen, who are daily witnesses of her misery, of her indignation, and her desire to break forth? While all foreign nati

then silence for a moment; and they heard the sound of

diversion and a smile in the y

leisure hours? Why are not you our sole ambition? What resentment may we not justly feel that we have to make our cries of indignation hear

ed them out. The other troubles of youth give it despair and not consternation. Watch those sad and mournful students pass day after day with pale foreheads, s

inations are known to you. Princes, peers, marechals-all have been crushed by him. There is not a family in France but can show some sad trace of his passage. If he regar

ent has no longer any v

lievre have revealed to

o the condemnation to

let

risoned, banished, suspended-a thing before unheard of-because

cts ruined and laid waste by the soldiers and other agents of the Cardinal; the peasants reduced to feed on animals killed by the plague or famine, or saving themselves b

oubloons whereon Richelieu was represented. A fresh mur

hop. Men of the lowest condition have been elevated to the cardinalate. The minister himself, devouring the most sacred things, has had himself elected general of the orders of Citeaux, Cluny, and Premontre, throwing into prison the monks who refused him thei

c! a monster!" cr

e King in the strongest towns of France-seized the mouths of the principal rivers, the best ports of the ocean, the salt-pits, and all the securities of

ed the greatest indifference on the subject, even in the eyes of those whom he was molding to his projects, merely manifesting a virtuous indignation at the violence of the minister, but affecting not to put forward any of his own ideas, in order not to suggest personal ambition as the aim of his

the hand of the young party leader, th

Then, addressing Marion de Lorme, "Parbleu! Mademoiselle, I will wear your co

ns que pour bru

ine things we shall do if we are f

Thou-a mortification which always exasperated the little Abbe, who abruptly

he feet of Cinq-Mars. He picked it up and unrolled it, after having looked eagerly around him. He sought in vain to

wrongly written

INQ

DE NOST

ouge passera p

onces on co

ut fi

ion was made public t

pira

, throwing away the paper. "But no matter. We are

t, and throw him through the

arion de Lorme repeated to every one that she would dismiss her servants, who alone could be suspected. Despite her efforts a coldness reigned throughout the apartment. The first se

d this out t

ch it is necessary to adopt. Follow my advice here; I know a good deal of this sort of thing. They want something more. Give them a little contradic

ion, and advancing toward those whom he

n, I do not wish to for

it us at Perpignan, and

ecure himself a retreat

of placing himself

the movement it occasioned produced a renewa

whom he showed much judgment; for he ended with Montresor, who cried that he would pass his sword through his bo

shopric of Paris and L'Ile Notre-Dame. I'll make it

?" he said

his eyes, unwilling to give importance to h

ars; "and my sacrifice herein, dear friend, is gre

y will crumble with us. The court will reign alone, in the place of the parliaments, the old barriers, and at the same time the powerful supports of the royal authority. Let us be conquerors, and France will owe

ll pay the fiddle

all reascended to the ballroom as lightly