Part 1 (1/2)
Ten Years Later
by Alexandre Dumas, Pere
Introduction:
In the azine Le Siecle, the first portion of a story appeared, penned by the celebrated playwright Alexandre Dumas It was based, he claimed, on some manuscripts he had found a year earlier in the Bibliotheque Nationale while researching a history he planned to write on Louis XIV They chronicled the adventures of a youngParis, becaues, international politics, and ill-fated affairs between royal lovers Over the next six years, readers would enjoy the adventures of this youth and his three famous friends, Porthos, Athos, and Aramis, as their exploits unraveled behind the scenes of solish history
Eventually these serialized adventures were published in novel fornan Romances known today Here is a brief summary of the first two novels: The Three Musketeers (serialized March-July, 1844): The year is 1625 The young D'Artagnan arrives in Paris at the tender age of 18, and almost immediately offends three , the four are attacked by five of the Cardinal's guards, and the courage of the youth isthe battle The four beconan's landlord to find hiswife, embark upon an adventure that takes theland in order to thwart the plans of the Cardinal Richelieu Along the way, they encounter a beautiful young spy, narace Queen Anne of Austria before her husband, Louis XIII, and take her revenge upon the four friends
Twenty Years After (serialized January-August, 1845): The year is now 1648, twenty years since the close of the last story Louis XIII has died, as has Cardinal Richelieu, and while the crown of France ent for the young Louis XIV, the real power resides with the Cardinal Mazarin, her secret husband D'Artagnan is now a lieutenant of musketeers, and his three friends have retired to private life Athos turned out to be a nobleman, the Comte de la Fere, and has retired to his hoelonne Aramis, whose real na the musketeer's cassock for the priest's robes, and Porthos has married a wealthy woman, who left hi in both France and England Cromwell ainst Charles I, and at honan brings his friends out of retirelish e his mother's death at the musketeers' hands, thwarts their valiant efforts Undaunted, our heroes return to France just in ti Louis XIV, quiet the Fronde, and tweak the nose of Cardinal Mazarin
The third novel, The Vicoelonne (serialized October, 1847 -January, 1850), has enjoyed a strange history in its English translation It has been split into three, four, or five volumes at various points in its history The five-voluive titles to the smaller portions, but the others do In the three-voluelonne, Louise de la Valliere, and The Man in the Iron Mask For the purposes of this etext, I have chosen to split the novel as the four-voluelonne, Ten Years Later, Louise de la Valliere, and The Man in the Iron Mask In the last etext: The Vicoelonne (Etext 2609): It is the year 1660, and D'Artagnan, after thirty-five years of loyal service, has beco Louis XIV while the real power resides with the Cardinal Mazarin, and has tendered his resignation He e Charles II to the throne of England, and, with the help of Athos, succeeds, earning hinan returns to Paris to live the life of a rich citizen, and Athos, after negotiating the 's brother, to Princess Henrietta of England, likewise retires to his own estate, La Fere Meanwhile, Mazarin has finally died, and left Louis to assuns of poith the assistance of M Colbert, formerly Mazarin's trusted clerk Colbert has an intense hatred for M Fouquet, the king's superintendent of finances, and has resolved to use anyabout his fall With the new rank of intendant bestowed on hi two of Fouquet's loyal friends tried and executed He then brings to the king's attention that Fouquet is fortifying the island of Belle-Ile-en-Mer, and could possibly be planning to use it as a base for sonan out of retire hi-promised promotion to captain of the nan discovers that the engineer of the fortifications is, in fact, Porthos, now the Baron du Vallon, and that's not all The blueprints for the island, although in Porthos's handwriting, show evidence of another script that has been erased, that of Aranan later discovers that Aramis has become the bishop of Vannes, which is, coincidentally, a parish belonging to M Fouquet Suspecting that D'Artagnan has arrived on the king's behalf to investigate, Ara around Vannes in search of Porthos, and sends Porthos on an heroic ride back to Paris to warn Fouquet of the danger Fouquet rushes to the king, and gives hi any suspicion, and at the sa Colbert, justan audience with the king
And now, the second etext of The Vicoelonne Enjoy!
John Bursey Mordaunt There is one French custom that may cause confusion The Duc d'Orleans is traditionally called ”Monsieur” and his wife ”Mada's uncle, currently holds that title Upon the event of his death, it will be conferred upon the king's brother, Philip, who is currently the Duc d'Anjou The custoo to hiland, that of ”Madaer Madanan finishes by at Length placing his Hand upon his Captain's Couesses beforehand whone This nan, his clothes dusty, his face inflas stiff; he lifted his feet painfully at every step, on which resounded the clink of his blood-stained spurs He perceived in the doorway he was passing through, the superintendent co out Fouquet boith a s hioodness of heart, and in his inexhaustible vigor of body, enough presence of mind to remember the kind reception of this man; he bowed then, also, much more from benevolence and compassion, than from respect He felt upon his lips the hich had so many times been repeated to the Duc de Guise: ”Fly” But to pronounce that ould have been to betray his cause; to speak that word in the cabinet of the king, and before an usher, would have been to ruin hinan then, contented hi to Fouquet and entered At thisfloated between the joy the last words of Fouquet had given hi a courtier, D'Artagnan had a glance as sure and as rapid as if he had been one He read, on his entrance, devouring humiliation on the countenance of Colbert He even heard the king say these words to him:- ”Ah! Monsieur Colbert; you have then nine hundred thousand livres at the intendance?” Colbert, suffocated, bowed but nan, by the eyes and ears, at once
The first word of Louis to his musketeer, as if he wished it to contrast hat he was saying at the ood day” His second was to send away Colbert The latter left the king's cabinet, pallid and tottering, whilst D'Artagnan twisted up the ends of his mustache
”I love to see one ofthe ht, sire, ent to excuse reat news, then,is this, in tords: Belle-Isle is fortified, admirably fortified; Belle-Isle has a double enceinte, a citadel, two detached forts; its ports contain three corsairs; and the side batteries only await their cannon”
”I know all that,
”What! your majesty knows all that?” replied the musketeer, stupefied
”I have the plan of the fortifications of Belle-Isle,” said the king
”Your majesty has the plan?”
”Here it is”
”It is really correct, sire: I saw a sinan's brow became clouded
”Ah! I understand all Your majesty did not trust to me alone, but sent some other person,” said he in a reproachful tone
”Of what importance is the manner, monsieur, in which I have learnt what I know, so that I know it?”
”Sire, sire,” said theeven to conceal his dissatisfaction; ”but I must be permitted to say to your majesty, that it is not worth while toof ence Sire, when people are not trusted, or are deemed insufficient, they should scarcely be enan, with a movement perfectly military, stamped with his foot, and left upon the floor dust stained with blood The king looked at hi his first triumph
”Monsieur,” said he, at the expiration of a minute, ”not only is Belle-Isle known to me, but, still further, Belle-Isle is mine”
”That is well! that is well, sire, I ask but one thing e”
”What! your discharge?”
”Without doubt I a it, or rather by gaining it badly-My discharge, sire!”
”Oh, oh!”
”I ask for ry, monsieur?”
”I have reason, ht, I perfories of speed, I arrive stiff as the corpse of a -and another arrives before e, sire!”
”Monsieur d'Artagnan,” said Louis, leaning his white hand upon the dusty arm of the musketeer, ”what I tell you will not at all affect that which I prooing straight to his table, opened a drawer, and took out a folded paper ”Here is your commission of captain of nan”
D'Artagnan opened the paper eagerly, and scanned it twice He could scarcely believe his eyes
”And this co, ”not only on account of your journey to Belle-Isle but, moreover, for your brave intervention at the Place de Greve There, likewise, you served nan, without his self-co to his eyes-”you know that also, sire?”
”Yes, I know it”
The king possessed a piercing glance and an infallible judgment when it was his object to readto say,” said he to theto say which you do not say Come, speak freely, monsieur; you know that I told you, once and for all, that you are to be always quite frank with me”
”Well, sire! what I have to say is this, that I would prefer being ed a battery at the head oftretches to be hung”
”Is this quite true you tell me?”