It was now 1633: Richelieu was at the height of his power, carrying out his work of destruction, making castles fall before him where he could not make heads fall, in the spirit of John Knox’s words, “Destroy the nests and the crows will disappear.” Now one of these nests was the crenellated castle of Loudun, and Richelieu had therefore ordered its demolition13.
The person appointed to carry out this order was a man such as those whom Louis XI. had employed fifty years earlier to destroy the feudal14 system, and Robespierre one hundred and fifty years later to destroy the aristocracy. Every woodman needs an axe15, every reaper16 a sickle17, and Richelieu found the instrument he required in de Laubardemont, Councillor of State.
But he was an instrument full of intelligence, detecting by the manner in which he was wielded18 the moving passion of the wielder19, and adapting his whole nature with marvellous dexterity20 to gratify that passion according to the character of him whom it possessed21; now by a rough and ready impetuosity, now by a deliberate and hidden advance; equally willing to strike with the sword or to poison by calumny22, as the man who moved him lusted23 for the blood or sought to accomplish the dishonour24 of his victim.
M de Laubardemont arrived at Loudun during the month of August 1633, and in order to carry out his mission addressed himself to Sieur Memin de Silly, prefect of the town, that old friend of the cardinal25’s whom Mignon and Barre, as we have said, had impressed so favourably26. Memin saw in the arrival of Laubardemont a special intimation that it was the will of Heaven that the seemingly lost cause of those in whom he took such a warm interest should ultimately triumph. He presented Mignon and all his friends to M. Laubardemont, who received them with much cordiality. They talked of the mother superior, who was a relation, as we have seen, of M. de Laubardemont, and exaggerated the insult offered her by the decree of the archbishop, saying it was an affront27 to the whole family; and before long the one thing alone which occupied the thoughts of the conspirators28 and the councillor was how best to draw down upon Grandier the anger of the cardinal-duke. A way soon opened.
The Queen mother, Marie de Medici, had among her attendants a woman called Hammon, to whom, having once had occasion to speak, she had taken a fancy, and given a post near her person. In consequence of this whim29, Hammon came to be regarded as a person of some importance in the queen’s household. Hammon was a native of Loudun, and had passed the greater part of her youth there with her own people, who belonged to the lower classes. Grandier had been her confessor, and she attended his church, and as she was lively and clever he enjoyed talking to her, so that at length an intimacy30 sprang up between them. It so happened at a time when he and the other ministers were in momentary31 disgrace, that a satire32 full of biting wit and raillery appeared, directed especially against the cardinal, and this satire had been attributed to Hammon, who was known to share, as was natural, her mistress’s hatred33 of Richelieu. Protected as she was by the queen’s favour, the cardinal had found it impossible to punish Hammon, but he still cherished a deep resentment34 against her.
It now occurred to the conspirators to accuse Grandier of being the real author of the satire; and it was asserted that he had learned from Hammon all the details of the cardinal’s private life, the knowledge of which gave so much point to the attack on him; if they could once succeed in making Richelieu believe this, Grandier was lost.
This plan being decided35 on, M. de Laubardemont was asked to visit the convent, and the devils knowing what an important personage he was, flocked thither36 to give him a worthy37 welcome. Accordingly, the nuns had attacks of the most indescribably violent convulsions, and M. de Laubardemont returned to Paris convinced as to the reality of their possession.
The first word the councillor of state said to the cardinal about Urbain Grandier showed him that he had taken useless trouble in inventing the story about the satire, for by the bare mention of his name he was able to arouse the cardinal’s anger to any height he wished. The fact was, that when Richelieu had been Prior of Coussay he and Grandier had had a quarrel on a question of etiquette38, the latter as priest of Loudun having claimed precedence over the prior, and carried his point. The cardinal had noted39 the affront in his bloodstained tablets, and at the first hint de Laubardemont found him as eager to bring about Grandier’s ruin as was the councillor himself.
De Laubardemont was at once granted the following commission:
“Sieur de Laubardemont, Councillor of State and Privy40 Councillor, will betake himself to Loudun, and to whatever other places may be necessary, to institute proceedings41 against Grandier on all the charges formerly42 preferred against him, and on other facts which have since come to light, touching43 the possession by evil spirits of the Ursuline nuns of Loudun, and of other persons, who are said like wise to be tormented44 of devils through the evil practices of the said Grandier; he will diligently45 investigate everything from the beginning that has any bearing either on the said possession or on the exorcisms, and will forward to us his report thereon, and the reports and other documents sent in by former commissioners46 and delegates, and will be present at all future exorcisms, and take proper steps to obtain evidence of the said facts, that they may be clearly established; and, above all, will direct, institute, and carry through the said proceedings against Grandier and all others who have been involved with him in the said case, until definitive47 sentence be passed; and in spite of any appeal or countercharge this cause will not be delayed (but without prejudice to the right of appeal in other causes), on account of the nature of the crimes, and no regard will be paid to any request for postponement48 made by the said Grandier. His majesty49 commands all governors, provincial50 lieutenant51-generals, bailiffs, seneschals, and other municipal authorities, and all subjects whom it may concern, to give every assistance in arresting and imprisoning53 all persons whom it may be necessary to put under constraint54, if they shall be required so to do.”
Furnished with this order, which was equivalent to a condemnation55, de Laubardemont arrived at Laudun, the 5th of December, 1633, at nine o’clock in the evening; and to avoid being seen he alighted in a suburb at the house of one maitre Paul Aubin, king’s usher56, and son-in-law of Memin de Silly. His arrival was kept so secret that neither Grandier nor his friends knew of it, but Memin, Herve Menuau, and Mignon were notified, and immediately called on him. De Laubardemont received them, commission in hand, but broad as it was, it did not seem to them sufficient, for it contained no order for Grandier’s arrest, and Grandier might fly. De Laubardemont, smiling at the idea that he could be so much in fault, drew from his pocket an order in duplicate, in case one copy should be lost, dated like the commission, November 30th, signed LOUIS, and countersigned57 PHILIPPEAUX. It was conceived in the following terms:
LOUIS, etc. etc. “We have entrusted58 these presents to Sieur de Laubardemont, Privy Councillor, to empower the said Sieur de Laubardemont to arrest Grandier and his accomplices59 and imprison52 them in a secure place, with orders to all provosts, marshals, and other officers, and to all our subjects in general, to lend whatever assistance is necessary to carry out above order; and they are commanded by these presents to obey all orders given by the said Sieur; and all governors and lieutenants-general are also hereby commanded to furnish the said Sieur with whatever aid he may require at their hands.”
This document being the completion of the other, it was immediately resolved, in order to show that they had the royal authority at their back, and as a preventive measure, to arrest Grandier at once, without any preliminary investigation60. They hoped by this step to intimidate61 any official who might still be inclined to take Grandier’s part, and any witness who might be disposed to testify in his favour. Accordingly, they immediately sent for Guillaume Aubin, Sieur de Lagrange and provost’s lieutenant. De Laubardemont communicated to him the commission of the cardinal and the order of the king, and requested him to arrest Grandier early next morning. M. de Lagrange could not deny the two signatures, and answered that he would obey; but as he foresaw from their manner of going to work that the proceedings about to be instituted would be an assassination62 and not a fair trial, he sent, in spite of being a distant connection of Memin, whose daughter was married to his (Lagrange’s) brother, to warn Grandier of the orders he had received. But Grandier with his usual intrepidity63, while thanking Lagrange for his generous message, sent back word that, secure in his innocence64 and relying on the justice of God, he was determined to stand his ground.
So Grandier remained, and his brother, who slept beside him, declared that his sleep that night was as quiet as usual. The next morning he rose, as was his habit, at six o’clock, took his breviary in his hand, and went out with the intention of attending matins at the church of Sainte-Croix. He had hardly put his foot over the threshold before Lagrange, in the presence of Memin, Mignon, and the other conspirators, who had come out to gloat over the sight, arrested him in the name of the king. He was at once placed in the custody65 of Jean Pouguet, an archer66 in His Majesty’s guards, and of the archers67 of the provosts of Loudun and Chinon, to be taken to the castle at Angers. Meanwhile a search was instituted, and the royal seal affixed68 to the doors of his apartments, to his presses, his other articles of furniture-in fact, to every thing and place in the house; but nothing was found that tended to compromise him, except an essay against the celibacy69 of priests, and two sheets of paper whereon were written in another hand than his, some love-poems in the taste of that time.
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1 subscriptions | |
n.(报刊等的)订阅费( subscription的名词复数 );捐款;(俱乐部的)会员费;捐助 | |
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2 nuns | |
n.(通常指基督教的)修女, (佛教的)尼姑( nun的名词复数 ) | |
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3 altercations | |
n.争辩,争吵( altercation的名词复数 ) | |
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4 infamy | |
n.声名狼藉,出丑,恶行 | |
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5 misery | |
n.痛苦,苦恼,苦难;悲惨的境遇,贫苦 | |
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6 devoured | |
吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 ); 耗尽; 津津有味地看; 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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7 determined | |
adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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8 remains | |
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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9 bided | |
v.等待,停留( bide的过去式 );居住;等待;面临 | |
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10 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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11 fixed | |
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 | |
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12 prey | |
n.被掠食者,牺牲者,掠食;v.捕食,掠夺,折磨 | |
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13 demolition | |
n.破坏,毁坏,毁坏之遗迹 | |
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14 feudal | |
adj.封建的,封地的,领地的 | |
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15 axe | |
n.斧子;v.用斧头砍,削减 | |
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16 reaper | |
n.收割者,收割机 | |
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17 sickle | |
n.镰刀 | |
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18 wielded | |
手持着使用(武器、工具等)( wield的过去式和过去分词 ); 具有; 运用(权力); 施加(影响) | |
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19 wielder | |
行使者 | |
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20 dexterity | |
n.(手的)灵巧,灵活 | |
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21 possessed | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
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22 calumny | |
n.诽谤,污蔑,中伤 | |
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23 lusted | |
贪求(lust的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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24 dishonour | |
n./vt.拒付(支票、汇票、票据等);vt.凌辱,使丢脸;n.不名誉,耻辱,不光彩 | |
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25 cardinal | |
n.(天主教的)红衣主教;adj.首要的,基本的 | |
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26 favourably | |
adv. 善意地,赞成地 =favorably | |
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27 affront | |
n./v.侮辱,触怒 | |
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28 conspirators | |
n.共谋者,阴谋家( conspirator的名词复数 ) | |
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29 whim | |
n.一时的兴致,突然的念头;奇想,幻想 | |
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30 intimacy | |
n.熟悉,亲密,密切关系,亲昵的言行 | |
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31 momentary | |
adj.片刻的,瞬息的;短暂的 | |
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32 satire | |
n.讽刺,讽刺文学,讽刺作品 | |
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33 hatred | |
n.憎恶,憎恨,仇恨 | |
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34 resentment | |
n.怨愤,忿恨 | |
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35 decided | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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36 thither | |
adv.向那里;adj.在那边的,对岸的 | |
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37 worthy | |
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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38 etiquette | |
n.礼仪,礼节;规矩 | |
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39 noted | |
adj.著名的,知名的 | |
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40 privy | |
adj.私用的;隐密的 | |
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41 proceedings | |
n.进程,过程,议程;诉讼(程序);公报 | |
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42 formerly | |
adv.从前,以前 | |
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43 touching | |
adj.动人的,使人感伤的 | |
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44 tormented | |
饱受折磨的 | |
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45 diligently | |
ad.industriously;carefully | |
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46 commissioners | |
n.专员( commissioner的名词复数 );长官;委员;政府部门的长官 | |
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47 definitive | |
adj.确切的,权威性的;最后的,决定性的 | |
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48 postponement | |
n.推迟 | |
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49 majesty | |
n.雄伟,壮丽,庄严,威严;最高权威,王权 | |
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50 provincial | |
adj.省的,地方的;n.外省人,乡下人 | |
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51 lieutenant | |
n.陆军中尉,海军上尉;代理官员,副职官员 | |
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52 imprison | |
vt.监禁,关押,限制,束缚 | |
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53 imprisoning | |
v.下狱,监禁( imprison的现在分词 ) | |
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54 constraint | |
n.(on)约束,限制;限制(或约束)性的事物 | |
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55 condemnation | |
n.谴责; 定罪 | |
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56 usher | |
n.带位员,招待员;vt.引导,护送;vi.做招待,担任引座员 | |
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57 countersigned | |
v.连署,副署,会签 (文件)( countersign的过去式 ) | |
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58 entrusted | |
v.委托,托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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59 accomplices | |
从犯,帮凶,同谋( accomplice的名词复数 ) | |
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60 investigation | |
n.调查,调查研究 | |
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61 intimidate | |
vt.恐吓,威胁 | |
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62 assassination | |
n.暗杀;暗杀事件 | |
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63 intrepidity | |
n.大胆,刚勇;大胆的行为 | |
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64 innocence | |
n.无罪;天真;无害 | |
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65 custody | |
n.监护,照看,羁押,拘留 | |
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66 archer | |
n.射手,弓箭手 | |
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67 archers | |
n.弓箭手,射箭运动员( archer的名词复数 ) | |
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68 affixed | |
adj.[医]附着的,附着的v.附加( affix的过去式和过去分词 );粘贴;加以;盖(印章) | |
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69 celibacy | |
n.独身(主义) | |
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