Princes and Poisoners: Studies of the Court of Louis XIV

eel extreme pain when drinking three mouthfuls of chicory water, given her by the dearest and most intimate of her women, she said at once tha

an expert in medical observation, does not hesitate to diagnose a simple ulceration of the stomach, which Professor Cruveilhier was the first to describe, and which Madame's physicians could not recognise because they knew nothing about it. It is unquestionable that for some time Madame had been suffering from abdominal pains after her meals. The liquid she took on June 29 brought about the perforation of the ulcerated wall, and this caused the terrible pain in her side and the peritonitis which we have mentioned. The physicians who opened the body found, indeed, that the stomach was pierced with a l

is the more easily explained because in that lesion, as it is now known, the edges of the opening are perfectly clean and sharp, very regular, so that the hole seems to have been made artificially. Jaccoud points out 'the very sharp delimitation of the ulcer, the absence of infl

ons of self-interest and the zeal of fear to urge them to explain everything. Now, in their inability to connect with a normal pathological type a lesion unknown to them all, and perhaps suspicious to some, it was much to their advantage to explain this enigmatical wound as an accident during the autopsy. And we can understand their believing what they wished to believe. The English surgeons, as ignorant as they, accepted their conclusion in default of a better.' 'The fact is,' says Littré in conclusion, 'that th

ld be led to the admission that there must have existed, in another part of the wall of the stomach, another small hole which escaped the notice of the physicians and surgeons present at the autopsy. There would have been nothing surprising in this, for their attention was not directed to this point. It might even be supposed that

distinctly indicated by the reports. Such are the conclusions of Littré: Dr. Paul Le Gendre, a most competent authority, unhesitatingly confirms them

ers, we find by an interesting coincidence, in the very case he presents as a type, the closest

but a few minutes afterwards was seized with horrible pains, was attended first at his own house, then carried dying to the hospital of the Faubourg Saint-Denis; his case showed every indication of peritonitis through perforation, and he died three hours after his admission to the hospital, in full consciousness. I was able to get from his own lips the valuable information that he had been suffering from his stomach for several months, and that digesting

f the case. That is no argument: the case may be rare and yet have been that of Madame. And besides, Loiseleur makes too much of its rarity. Brinton estimates

lin, her chief physician, did all he could to prevent her; but in spite of all he said, she bathed on Friday, and on Saturday was so ill that she did not bathe," and further on: "She walked in the moonlight until midnight."' There is only one drawback to Monsieur Loiseleur's theory, but that is a serious one: peritoni

udy of the circumstances surrounding the death of Madame. Monsieur Legué's conclusion is, poisoning by sublimate poured into the famo

ublimate, Madame would have pushed the glass from her after the first sip. Sublimate has

for several days in the evening, an

essary. This dose corresponds to a quantity of solution representing about 200 grammes of liqu

200 grammes of her chicory wa

lesions of the abdominal mucous membrane, which could not hav

ous in stating that the stomach, except for the little

nking of the cup of chicory water, but before. In transcribing the account in question, Monsieur Legué has inadvertently omitted the passage: 'There is indication of the

é's argument is in

II, Madame's brother, died somewhat suddenly, there was more talk of poison; and when the granddaughter of Madame, the young and charming Duchess of Burgundy, was stricken with the disease which carried her off, people believed that she too had been poisoned.

curacy. The great writer concludes with an eloquent page, a hymn of triumph in honour of modern science, 'which might perhaps have kept Madame in that great place she filled so well.' We will end with the same observation that we placed at the end of our study of the

THE POISO

f M. Larroumet, eminently refined and sober-we might call it pearl-grey in tone-with little flaws here and there which, to our mind, enhance its piquancy, is perfectly adapted to the author he is analysing. We get a clear picture of what manner of man Racine was-sensitive and refined, all delicacy and decorum. M. Larroumet, it

rtues of a good father. He became a child again with his Babet, Fanchon, Madelon, Nanette, and Lionval; the two eldest alone, boy and girl, did not

not seen my wife and children for more than a week, and they are looking forward to a treat in eating a very fine carp with me to-day; I cannot give up my dinner with them." And he had the carp brought up, adding: "Decide yourself if

tor, and the author of Athalie, singing with us, carried the cross.' And the inseparable figure of the excellent Boileau, who had then become as deaf as a post, appears close by: 'Monsieur Despréaux,'[15] writes Racine to his son Jean

Racine had spent an eminently brilliant and passionate youth. Everybody knows th

reasons, if not the principal and the determining reason, of the resolution then taken by the poet to a

ger, and had also stolen the jewels and principal effects of Du Parc, which were worth a great deal of money." This is assuredly nothing but the abominable invention of a ruined woman,' adds M. Larroumet, 'one of those calumnies which malice, corruption, and greed give rise to in the entourage of women of gallantry. Racine had been compelled to forbid his mistress to receive La Voisin. From this arose her furious wrath, and, eleven years afterwards, she tried to avenge herself by implicating the poet in a

on, so much the more because it was perhaps the cause of his abandonment, to

Bazin de Bezons, a commissioner of the Chambre Ardente and member of the Academy, determined to spare his colleague the affront of an

den name was Marguerite Thérèse de Gorla, daughter of a surgeon of Ly

celebrated examination of La Voisin on Novemb

quainted with Du

at more especially gave rise to the presumption was that Racine had always prevented her, who was the good friend of Du Parc, from seeing her during the whole course of the illness of which she died, although Du Parc constantly asked for her; but although she went to see her, they

oposed to her to do away

would have bee

t application had been made to

nothing

did not know

whom she had o

had not some spit

t Racine she obtained first

said to her, and st

eady made]; that she (Du Parc) had not even been allowed to speak to Manon, her maid, who is a midwife, though s

which the poisoning had been carried out,

N

efore the judges: 'She had known Mademoiselle Du Parc, the actress; had been a friend of hers for fourteen years; her stepmother, named De Go

of torture, La Voisin ma

cerning what she had said at the tr

th in all that she ha

inst Racine for not having allowed her to reach his sick mistress, to such an extent as to fabricate against him, eleven years later, so monstrous an accusation. This hypothesis is so much the more unlikely in that, if La Voisin had wanted to ruin Racine by he

n which a very large number of people was implicated. There were many confrontations. The declarations of the terrible sorceress were

-a curious piece of professional discretion. And we venture to say that if she had declared before the judges that she had given Racine poison to get rid of Du Parc, we should have unhesitatingly believed her. But she did not say anything of the kind. She d

having poisoned Du Parc was shared by more than one prisoner before the Chambre Ardente. La Voisin was not the only

e to Delagrange (a sorceress and poisoner like herself) f

as we have shown, we have no trace of the examination to which the magis

case in which Racine is mentioned. Is it possi

poet, contrary to the wishes of the sick woman, prevent these women from attending her? Du Parc was his mistress. Dr. Legué quotes the testimony of Boileau, who was closely connected with Du Parc, stating that she died as a result of childbirth. The chronicler Robinet describes Racine as following 'more dead than alive' in the funeral procession. The opinion expressed by Dr. Legué that Du Parc died through an il

the fulness of strength, at the height of his talent, in the heyday of success. It would explain also the austerity and excess of

in which the great poisoning matter came to light, Phèdre appeared. Is it rash to suppose that, through his conversations with Du Parc, La Voisin's confidante, the poet with his keen observation had seen the

ing some Hippolyte. And all these horrors were what he, Racine, had been for ten years toiling to envelop and to disguise, as it were, with the charm of his verse-murder and lust! adultery and incest! the delirium of the senses! the madness of homicide! This was what for ten years he had been endeavouring to win plaudits for, and when a Hermione or a Nero issued from the H?tel de Bourgogne[17] intent on comm

DEVIN

e-the latter is usually called by his contemporaries Corneille de Lis

been brought to light. We have shown how he had drawn up, in collaboration with Colbert, the decree registered in the Parlement on August 31, 1682, by which the magicians were expelled from France, and by which, more especially, th

red is taken advantage of, and they are driven to whatever length the witches please.' As lieutenant of police La Reynie had a general control of the theatres; he revised and censored the manuscripts of the playwrights; he was in constant touch with them. He was the friend of more than one writer of talent, for the magistrate was doubled in him with the refined and delightful man of letters, who had both delicate taste and an excellent library. In this y

Boursault, is a

out, fable, histo

, procès, mort,

rovince et nou

e on the matter, called his piece La Comédie sans titre. Moreover, Visé was in high favour at Court. When Louis XIV saw the success of the Mercure, he hastened to

ou la véritable critique de l'Echole des Femmes et la critique de la critique, in which he has left a portrait of the poet that has become famous, and which is, in our eyes, not a criticism but a splendid eulogy. 'I came down,' says a lace merchant; 'Elomire [an anagram on Molière] did not say a single word. I f

lished in the following February. We have mentioned that Donneau de Visé was one of the pioneers of the modern literary life, and La Devineresse will be a fresh proof of the assertion. Let us note first that Visé was the father of a literary custom which is in these days highly popular, collaboration. One of the masters of dramatic criticism, Edouard Thierry, writes on this subject: 'Collaboration, an unfamiliar term which existed at most as a term in jurisprudence, was nevertheless not absolutely unknown at the theatre. There had been the Psyche at the Palais-Royal, completed by Pierre Corneille on the plan and under the direction of Molière; but this was considered only as work done to order; it belonged in the end to the person who hir

the Chatelet its success to-day. And we shall find, not only that the idea sprang from this, but that the comedy contains scenes and stage business which have come down to us in direct succession through a line of such

ed around a monstrous satanic figure; these of course were the principal tricks in false magic performed by the sorceress and her mate. These pictures are still in existence,[18] and present to our eyes a curious representation, not only of the theatrical scenes of the eighteenth century, but also of the interior of the houses in which the sorceresses received their clients. These circumstances, together with the striking actuality and the wit of th

sorceress before the commissioners of the Chambre Ardente, a fact which indicates the share of La Reynie. The principal ally of La Voisin was called Du Buisson, that of Madame Jobin is called Du Clos. Their practices are the same, but turned to

he second act, Madame Jobin explains t

e belief in us, and magic and devils have nothing to do with it. The fright people get into who are shown this sort of thing blinds them enough to prevent them from seeing they are deceived. As to my meddling with fortune-telling, as you will be told, that is an art in which the thousand folk who put themselves every day in our hands make our information easy to get at. Besides, chance accounts for the greater part of our success in this line. All you want is presence of m

nd so many moving things are concentrated. Nevertheless, the majority of modern extravaganzas would have to yield in many respects to the Devineresse, as regards both construction and literary merit. In the course of the preface to the published edition of their piece, the authors are careful to speak of the famous rules ascribed

vil. The other actors, or at least a part of them, are envoys of one or other of the two interested persons, who, by the reports they give, augment the credulity of the countess or make the marquis believe still more firmly that the sorceress is a knave. Thus these characters cannot be regarded as unnecessa

ltivated mind and even those who never relax their vigilance, is utterly nonplussed by the primitive simple-mindedness of a village girl. The dénouement is brought about by the presence of mind of the marquis, who seeks to undeceive the countess whom he loves. The sorceress has foretold frightful misfortunes to

Magic, however, was a hardy plant. 'You would never believe how desperately silly they are at Paris,' wrote Madame Palatine on October 8, 1701. 'Everybody is anxious to become an adept in the art of invoking spirits and other devilries.' Black masses were again said in the outskirts of Paris, in circum

starry sky with their patient gaze, did they read there that after thirty centuries a grave magistrate and chief of po

N

G, H, J, L, M, N

, Marguer

obert de, al

er of the gua

e Bezon

n?ois, poi

s, 131, 1

aw profess

manie des Sorc

eau,

exander, ph

rceress, 119, 12

, 219, 220,

at, Lou

Duchess de

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dame de Brinvilliers, 1

toine Gobelin de

Madame de, her

, Marie,

Madame,

utin, 173

erre, banke

r, Count of

, Hugh, phy

, 163-180, 275, 279,

Galaup de, alc

Father d

ergeant,

, 50, 2

Madame de

le, Tho

Sergeant, 36

s de, ambassado

other of Madame de Br

father of Madame de

y for Madame de Br

s, politica

of police, 9, 52,

demoiselle, 221,

isé, dramati

adame de

ademoisell

lian poiso

n?oise, sorce

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le, on 'Madam

uis, pois

stophe, chem

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bé, 155, 215

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Jeanne, witc

, Duchess of O

rre, sorcer

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rceress,

e, valet, 142,

let, 17, 18, 19

ame de, 314, 31

ent of High Court

lieutenant of police, 1

, 194, 202, 203-205, 23

1-

ère, 17

uerite, poiso

oisoner,

148, 149, 153, 159, 160

, 2

ath of 'Mada

83-186, 208, 210, 212-

72, 283, 28

05, 210, 255, 284,

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adame de, 22

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Galant,

et, 1-

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Madame de

Marquis d

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1-203, 242-2

erite, 193-195,

C, Marqu

for Madame de Br

Madame,

lement couns

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missary, 36

bbé, 5,

, Madame d

lchemist

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bert, royal fl

olice offi

oisoner,

adame de Brinvilliers, 6

33,

on Pennaut

ntespan, 189, 1

Reynie

Madame de Brinvillier

e de Dre

Reynie

, 188-190, 214, 223, 2

de Maint

n cases,

de Bouill

de, mistress o

sorceress

Louise d

alchemist, 118,

ux, Mad

Duchess

Madame de St. L

on demonol

Constable, (late) P

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E STEPHEN

ee Vol

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dy. Demy 8

rbal turns; and everywhere there is unflagging interest in all things h

e done again with equal thoroughness and appreciation. A permanent addition to Englis

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ilosophy, practised skill in the art of biography, and remarkable

R AB

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OF A B

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the eighteenth century, and few, if any, have a better right to spe

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OF THE B

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S OF EV

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ing them clearly. The reader who is anxious to acquire a certain familiarity with the qualitie

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d to all those who wish to obtain an introduction

NO

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HARLES FR

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Replete with that information which can only be acquired

f the 'Modern

By Henrik Ibsen. Translated by Professo

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of fine idealism, its cynicism is not always untrue, its satire is justified. In itself,

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Gerhart Hauptmann. Translated by Janet Achu

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rs de L'Isle Adam. Translated by Th

s. By Hugh Macnaghten, formerly Fellow of Trinity College, Camb

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aghten and A. B. Ramsay, Assistant Masters

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BOTANIC

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interesting trials, consisting mainly of a reprint, but with the longueurs judiciously abridged, was eminently desirable; and this is what Mr. H. L. Stephen

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ORTH

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g's eldest bro

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7

a sea p

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dye the whole in

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of 'Monsieur,' th

th Jupiter is no w

ame de Mo

ardel, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Paris, and D

ittré's opinion has been disputed by Dr. Legué. 'Littré maintains that the physicians noticed the presence of oil; but that is because he strains an equivocal phrase in the report of the autopsy-"full to its utmost capacity of a sanious, putrid, yellowish, watery subst

of the Bast

[Boil

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