The chateau of Vaux-le-Vicomte, situated2 about a league from Melun, had been built by Fouquet in 1655, at a time when there was a scarcity3 of money in France; Mazarin had taken all that there was, and Fouquet expended4 the remainder. However, as certain men have fertile, false, and useful vices5, Fouquet, in scattering6 broadcast millions of money in the construction of this palace, had found a means of gathering7, as the result of his generous profusion8, three illustrious men together: Levau, the architect of the building; Lenotre, the designer of the gardens; and Lebrun, the decorator of the apartments. If the Chateau de Vaux possessed9 a single fault with which it could be reproached, it was its grand, pretentious10 character. It is even at the present day proverbial to calculate the number of acres of roofing, the restoration of which would, in our age, be the ruin of fortunes cramped11 and narrowed as the epoch12 itself. Vaux-le-Vicomte, when its magnificent gates, supported by caryatides, have been passed through, has the principal front of the main building opening upon a vast, so-called, court of honor, inclosed by deep ditches, bordered by a magnificent stone balustrade. Nothing could be more noble in appearance than the central forecourt raised upon the flight of steps, like a king upon his throne, having around it four pavilions at the angles, the immense Ionic columns of which rose majestically13 to the whole height of the building. The friezes14 ornamented15 with arabesques17, and the pediments which crowned the pilasters, conferred richness and grace on every part of the building, while the domes18 which surmounted19 the whole added proportion and majesty20. This mansion21, built by a subject, bore a far greater resemblance to those royal residences which Wolsey fancied he was called upon to construct, in order to present them to his master form the fear of rendering22 him jealous. But if magnificence and splendor23 were displayed in any one particular part of this palace more than another — if anything could be preferred to the wonderful arrangement of the interior, to the sumptuousness24 of the gilding25, and to the profusion of the paintings and statues, it would be the park and gardens of Vaux. The jets d’eau, which were regarded as wonderful in 1653, are still so, even at the present time; the cascades26 awakened27 the admiration28 of kings and princes; and as for the famous grotto29, the theme of so many poetical30 effusions, the residence of that illustrious nymph of Vaux, whom Pelisson made converse31 with La Fontaine, we must be spared the description of all its beauties. We will do as Despreaux did — we will enter the park, the trees of which are of eight years’ growth only — that is to say, in their present position — and whose summits even yet, as they proudly tower aloft, blushingly unfold their leaves to the earliest rays of the rising sun. Lenotre had hastened the pleasure of the Maecenas of his period; all the nursery-grounds had furnished trees whose growth had been accelerated by careful culture and the richest plant-food. Every tree in the neighborhood which presented a fair appearance of beauty or stature32 had been taken up by its roots and transplanted to the park. Fouquet could well afford to purchase trees to ornament16 his park, since he had bought up three villages and their appurtenances (to use a legal word) to increase its extent. M. de Scudery said of this palace, that, for the purpose of keeping the grounds and gardens well watered, M. Fouquet had divided a river into a thousand fountains, and gathered the waters of a thousand fountains into torrents33. This same Monsieur de Scudery said a great many other things in his “Clelie,” about this palace of Valterre, the charms of which he describes most minutely. We should be far wiser to send our curious readers to Vaux to judge for themselves, than to refer them to “Clelie;” and yet there are as many leagues from Paris to Vaux, as there are volumes of the “Clelie.”
This magnificent palace had been got ready for the reception of the greatest reigning34 sovereign of the time. M. Fouquet’s friends had transported thither35, some their actors and their dresses, others their troops of sculptors36 and artists; not forgetting others with their ready-mended pens — floods of impromptus37 were contemplated38. The cascades, somewhat rebellious39 nymphs though they were, poured forth40 their waters brighter and clearer than crystal: they scattered41 over the bronze triton and nereids their waves of foam42, which glistened43 like fire in the rays of the sun. An army of servants were hurrying to and fro in squadrons in the courtyard and corridors; while Fouquet, who had only that morning arrived, walked all through the palace with a calm, observant glance, in order to give his last orders, after his intendants had inspected everything.
It was, as we have said, the 15th of August. The sun poured down its burning rays upon the heathen deities44 of marble and bronze: it raised the temperature of the water in the conch shells, and ripened45, on the walls, those magnificent peaches, of which the king, fifty years later, spoke46 so regretfully, when, at Marly, on an occasion of a scarcity of the finer sorts of peaches being complained of, in the beautiful gardens there — gardens which had cost France double the amount that had been expended on Vaux — the great king observed to some one: “You are far too young to have eaten any of M. Fouquet’s peaches.”
Oh, fame! Oh, blazon47 of renown48! Oh, glory of this earth! That very man whose judgment49 was so sound and accurate where merit was concerned — he who had swept into his coffers the inheritance of Nicholas Fouquet, who had robbed him of Lenotre and Lebrun, and had sent him to rot for the remainder of his life in one of the state prisons — merely remembered the peaches of that vanquished50, crushed, forgotten enemy! It was to little purpose that Fouquet had squandered51 thirty millions of francs in the fountains of his gardens, in the crucibles52 of his sculptors, in the writing-desks of his literary friends, in the portfolios53 of his painters; vainly had he fancied that thereby54 he might be remembered. A peach — a blushing, rich-flavored fruit, nestling in the trellis work on the garden-wall, hidden beneath its long, green leaves — this little vegetable production, that a dormouse would nibble55 up without a thought, was sufficient to recall to the memory of this great monarch56 the mournful shade of the last surintendant of France.
With a perfect reliance that Aramis had made arrangements fairly to distribute the vast number of guests throughout the palace, and that he had not omitted to attend to any of the internal regulations for their comfort, Fouquet devoted57 his entire attention to the ensemble58 alone. In one direction Gourville showed him the preparations which had been made for the fireworks; in another, Moliere led him over the theater; at last, after he had visited the chapel59, the salons60, and the galleries, and was again going downstairs, exhausted61 with fatigue62, Fouquet saw Aramis on the staircase. The prelate beckoned63 to him. The surintendant joined his friend, and, with him, paused before a large picture scarcely finished. Applying himself, heart and soul, to his work, the painter Lebrun, covered with perspiration64, stained with paint, pale from fatigue and the inspiration of genius, was putting the last finishing touches with his rapid brush. It was the portrait of the king, whom they were expecting, dressed in the court suit which Percerin had condescended65 to show beforehand to the bishop66 of Vannes. Fouquet placed himself before this portrait, which seemed to live, as one might say, in the cool freshness of its flesh, and in its warmth of color. He gazed upon it long and fixedly67, estimated the prodigious68 labor69 that had been bestowed70 upon it, and, not being able to find any recompense sufficiently71 great for this Herculean effort, he passed his arm round the painter’s neck and embraced him. The surintendant, by this action, had utterly72 ruined a suit of clothes worth a thousand pistoles, but he had satisfied, more than satisfied, Lebrun. It was a happy moment for the artist; it was an unhappy moment for M. Percerin, who was walking behind Fouquet, and was engaged in admiring, in Lebrun’s painting, the suit that he had made for his majesty, a perfect objet d’art, as he called it, which was not to be matched except in the wardrobe of the surintendant. His distress73 and his exclamations74 were interrupted by a signal which had been given from the summit of the mansion. In the direction of Melun, in the still empty, open plain, the sentinels of Vaux had just perceived the advancing procession of the king and the queens. His majesty was entering Melun with his long train of carriages and cavaliers.
“In an hour —” said Aramis to Fouquet.
“In an hour!” replied the latter, sighing.
“And the people who ask one another what is the good of these royal fetes!” continued the bishop of Vannes, laughing, with his false smile.
“Alas! I, too, who am not the people, ask myself the same thing.”
“I will answer you in four and twenty hours, monseigneur. Assume a cheerful countenance75, for it should be a day of true rejoicing.”
“Well, believe me or not, as you like, D’Herblay,” said the surintendant, with a swelling76 heart, pointing at the cortege of Louis, visible in the horizon, “he certainly loves me but very little, and I do not care much more for him; but I cannot tell you how it is, that since he is approaching my house —”
“Well, what?”
“Well, since I know he is on his way here, as my guest, he is more sacred than ever for me; he is my acknowledged sovereign, and as such is very dear to me.”
“Dear? yes,” said Aramis, playing upon the word, as the Abbe Terray did, at a later period, with Louis XV.
“Do not laugh, D’Herblay; I feel that, if he really seemed to wish it, I could love that young man.”
“You should not say that to me,” returned Aramis, “but rather to M. Colbert.”
“To M. Colbert!” exclaimed Fouquet. “Why so?”
“Because he would allow you a pension out of the king’s privy77 purse, as soon as he becomes surintendant,” said Aramis, preparing to leave as soon as he had dealt this last blow.
“Where are you going?” returned Fouquet, with a gloomy look.
“To my own apartment, in order to change my costume, monseigneur.”
“Whereabouts are you lodging78, D’Herblay?”
“In the blue room on the second story.”
“The room immediately over the king’s room?”
“Precisely.”
“You will be subject to very great restraint there. What an idea to condemn79 yourself to a room where you cannot stir or move about!”
“During the night, monseigneur, I sleep or read in my bed.”
“And your servants?”
“I have but one attendant with me. I find my reader quite sufficient. Adieu, monseigneur; do not overfatigue yourself; keep yourself fresh for the arrival of the king.”
“We shall see you by and by, I suppose, and shall see your friend Du Vallon also?”
“He is lodging next to me, and is at this moment dressing80.”
And Fouquet, bowing, with a smile, passed on like a commander-inchief who pays the different outposts a visit after the enemy has been signaled in sight. 2
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
chateau
|
|
| n.城堡，别墅 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
situated
|
|
| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
scarcity
|
|
| n.缺乏，不足，萧条 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
expended
|
|
| v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
vices
|
|
| 缺陷( vice的名词复数 )； 恶习； 不道德行为； 台钳 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
scattering
|
|
| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
gathering
|
|
| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
profusion
|
|
| n.挥霍；丰富 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
possessed
|
|
| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
pretentious
|
|
| adj.自命不凡的，自负的，炫耀的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
cramped
|
|
| a.狭窄的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
epoch
|
|
| n.(新)时代；历元 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
majestically
|
|
| 雄伟地； 庄重地； 威严地； 崇高地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
friezes
|
|
| n.（柱顶过梁和挑檐间的）雕带，（墙顶的）饰带( frieze的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
ornamented
|
|
| adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
ornament
|
|
| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
arabesques
|
|
| n.阿拉伯式花饰( arabesque的名词复数 )；错综图饰；阿拉伯图案；阿拉贝斯克芭蕾舞姿（独脚站立，手前伸，另一脚一手向后伸） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
18
domes
|
|
| n.圆屋顶( dome的名词复数 )；像圆屋顶一样的东西；圆顶体育场 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
surmounted
|
|
| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
majesty
|
|
| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
mansion
|
|
| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
rendering
|
|
| n.表现，描写 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
splendor
|
|
| n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
sumptuousness
|
|
| 奢侈，豪华 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
gilding
|
|
| n.贴金箔，镀金 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
cascades
|
|
| 倾泻( cascade的名词复数 )； 小瀑布（尤指一连串瀑布中的一支）； 瀑布状物； 倾泻（或涌出）的东西 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
awakened
|
|
| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
admiration
|
|
| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
grotto
|
|
| n.洞穴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
poetical
|
|
| adj.似诗人的；诗一般的；韵文的；富有诗意的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
converse
|
|
| vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
stature
|
|
| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
torrents
|
|
| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
reigning
|
|
| adj.统治的，起支配作用的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
thither
|
|
| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
sculptors
|
|
| 雕刻家，雕塑家( sculptor的名词复数 )； [天]玉夫座 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
impromptus
|
|
| n.即兴曲( impromptu的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
contemplated
|
|
| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
rebellious
|
|
| adj.造反的，反抗的，难控制的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
forth
|
|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
scattered
|
|
| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
foam
|
|
| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
glistened
|
|
| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
deities
|
|
| n.神，女神( deity的名词复数 )；神祗；神灵；神明 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
ripened
|
|
| v.成熟，使熟( ripen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
spoke
|
|
| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
blazon
|
|
| n.纹章，装饰；精确描绘；v.广布；宣布 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
renown
|
|
| n.声誉，名望 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
judgment
|
|
| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
vanquished
|
|
| v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
squandered
|
|
| v.（指钱，财产等）浪费，乱花( squander的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
crucibles
|
|
| n.坩埚，严酷的考验（ crucible的名词复数 ） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
portfolios
|
|
| n.投资组合( portfolio的名词复数 )；（保险）业务量；（公司或机构提供的）系列产品；纸夹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
thereby
|
|
| adv.因此，从而 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
nibble
|
|
| n.轻咬，啃；v.一点点地咬，慢慢啃，吹毛求疵 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
monarch
|
|
| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
devoted
|
|
| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
ensemble
|
|
| n.合奏(唱)组；全套服装；整体，总效果 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
chapel
|
|
| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
salons
|
|
| n.（营业性质的）店( salon的名词复数 )；厅；沙龙（旧时在上流社会女主人家的例行聚会或聚会场所）；（大宅中的）客厅 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
exhausted
|
|
| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
fatigue
|
|
| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
beckoned
|
|
| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
perspiration
|
|
| n.汗水；出汗 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
condescended
|
|
| 屈尊，俯就( condescend的过去式和过去分词 )； 故意表示和蔼可亲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
bishop
|
|
| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
fixedly
|
|
| adv.固定地；不屈地，坚定不移地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
prodigious
|
|
| adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
labor
|
|
| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
bestowed
|
|
| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
sufficiently
|
|
| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
utterly
|
|
| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
distress
|
|
| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
exclamations
|
|
| n.呼喊( exclamation的名词复数 )；感叹；感叹语；感叹词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
countenance
|
|
| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
swelling
|
|
| n.肿胀 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
privy
|
|
| adj.私用的；隐密的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
lodging
|
|
| n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
condemn
|
|
| vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
dressing
|
|
| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |