magic and real detectives-第17节

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Colbert　therefore　proposes　to　ask　Charles　to　surrender　the　valet；

and　probably　Charles　descended　to　the　meanness。　　By　July　19；　at　all

events；　Louvois；　the　War　Minister　of　Louis　XIV。；　was　bidding　Saint…

Mars；　at　Pignerol　in　Piedmont；　expect　from　Dunkirk　a　prisoner　of

the　very　highest　importancea　valet！　　This　valet；　now　called

〃Eustache　Dauger；〃　can　only　have　been　Marsilly's　valet；　Martin；

who；　by　one　means　or　another；　had　been　brought　from　England　to

Dunkirk。　　It　is　hardly　conceivable；　at　least；　that　when　a　valet；　in

England；　is　〃wanted〃　by　the　French　police　on　July　1；　for　political

reasons；　and　when　by　July　19　they　have　caught　a　valet　of　extreme

political　importance；　the　two　valets　should　be　two　different　men。

Martin　must　be　Dauger。



Here；　then；　by　July　19；　1669；　we　find　our　unhappy　serving　man　in

the　toils。　　Why　was　he　to　be　handled　with　such　mysterious　rigor？

It　is　true　that　State　prisoners　of　very　little　account　were　kept

with　great　secrecy。　　But　it　cannot　well　be　argued　that　they　were

all　treated　with　the　extraordinary　precautions　which；　in　the　case

of　Dauger；　were　not　relaxed　for　twenty…five　or　thirty　years。　　The

King　says；　according　to　Louvois；　that　the　safe　keeping　of　Dauger　is

〃of　the　last　importance　to　his　service。〃　　He　must　have　intercourse

with　nobody。　　His　windows　must　be　where　nobody　can　pass；　several

bolted　doors　must　cut　him　off　from　the　sound　of　human　voices。

Saint…Mars　himself；　the　commandant；　must　feed　the　valet　daily。

〃You　must　never；　under　any　pretenses　listen　to　what　he　may　wish　to

tell　you。　　You　must　threaten　him　with　death　if　he　speaks　one　word

except　about　his　actual　needs。　　He　is　only　a　valet；　and　does　not

need　much　furniture。〃＇1＇





＇1＇　The　letters　are　printed　by　Roux　Fazaillac；　Jung；　Lair；　and

others。





Saint…Mars　replied　that；　in　presence　of　M。　de　Vauroy；　the　chief

officer　of　Dunkirk　（who　carried　Dauger　thence　to　Pignerol）；　he　had

threatened　to　run　Dauger　through　the　body　if　he　ever　dared　to

speak；　even　to　him；　Saint…Mars。　　He　has　mentioned　this　prisoner；　he

says；　to　no　mortal。　　People　believe　that　Dauger　is　a　Marshal　of

France；　so　strange　and　unusual　are　the　precautions　taken　for　his

security。



A　Marshal　of　France！　　The　legend　has　begun。　　At　this　time　（1669）

Saint…Mars　had　in　charge　Fouquet；　the　great　fallen　Minister；　the

richest　and　most　dangerous　subject　of　Louis　XIV。　　By…and…by　he　also

held　Lauzun；　the　adventurous　wooer　of　la　Grande　Mademoiselle。　　But

it　was　not　they；　it　was　the　valet；　Dauger；　who　caused　〃sensation。〃



On　February　20；　1672；　Saint…Mars；　for　the　sake　of　economy；　wished

to　use　Dauger　as　valet　to　Lauzun。　　This　proves　that　Saint…Mars　did

not；　after　all；　see　the　necessity　of　secluding　Dauger　or　thought

the　King's　fears　groundless。　　In　the　opinion　of　Saint…Mars；　Dauger

did　not　want　to　be　released；　〃would　never　ask　to　be　set　free。〃

Then　why　was　he　so　anxiously　guarded？　　Louvois　refused　to　let

Dauger　be　put　with　Lauzun　as　valet。　　In　1675；　however；　he　allowed

Dauger　to　act　as　valet　to　Fouquet；　but　with　Lauzun；　said　Louvois；

Dauger　must　have　no　intercourse。　　Fouquet　had　then　another　prisoner

valet；　La　Riviere。　　This　man　had　apparently　been　accused　of　no

crime。　　He　was　of　a　melancholy　character；　and　a　dropsical　habit　of

body：　Fouquet　had　amused　himself　by　doctoring　him　and　teaching　him

to　read。



In　the　month　of　December；　1678；　Saint…Mars；　the　commandant　of　the

prison；　brought　to　Fouquet　a　sealed　letter　from　Louvois；　the　seal

unbroken。　　His　own　reply　was　also　to　be　sealed；　and　not　to　be　seen

by　Saint…Mars。　　Louvois　wrote　that　the　King　wished　to　know　one

thing；　before　giving　Fouquet　ampler　liberty。　　Had　his　valet；

Eustache　Dauger；　told　his　other　valet；　La　Riviere；　what　he　had　done

before　coming　to　Pignerol？　（de　ce　a　quoi　il　a　ete　employe　aupravant

que　d'etre　a　Pignerol）。　　〃His　Majesty　bids　me　ask　you　＇Fouquet＇

this　question；　and　expects　that　you　will　answer　without　considering

anything　but　the　truth；　that　he　may　know　what　measures　to　take；〃

these　depending　on　whether　Dauger　has；　or　has　not；　told　La　Riviere

the　story　of　his　past　life。＇1＇　　Moreover；　Lauzun　was　never；　said

Louvois；　to　be　allowed　to　enter　Fouquet's　room　when　Dauger　was

present。　　The　humorous　point　is　that；　thanks　to　a　hole　dug　in　the

wall　between　his　room　and　Fouquet's；　Lauzun　saw　Dauger　whenever　he

pleased。





＇1＇　Lair；　Nicholas　Foucquet；　ii。　pp。　463；　464。





From　the　letter　of　Louvois　to　Fouquet；　about　Dauger　（December　23；

1678）；　it　is　plain　that　Louis　XIV。　had　no　more　pressing　anxiety；

nine　years　after　Dauger's　arrest；　than　to　conceal　what　it　was　that

Dauger　had　done。　　It　is　apparent　that　Saint…Mars　himself　either　was

unacquainted　with　this　secret；　or　was　supposed　by　Louvois　and　the

King　to　be　unaware　of　it。　　He　had　been　ordered　never　to　allow

Dauger　to　tell　him；　he　was　not　allowed　to　see　the　letters　on　the

subject　between　Lauzun　and　Fouquet。　　We　still　do　not　know；　and

never　shall　know；　whether　Dauger　himself　knew　his　own　secret；　or

whether　（as　he　had　anticipated）　he　was　locked　up　for　not　divulging

what　he　did　not　know。



The　answer　of　Fouquet　to　Louvois　must　have　satisfied　Louis　that

Dauger　had　not　imparted　his　secret　to　the　other　valet；　La　Riviere；

for　Fouquet　was　now　allowed　a　great　deal　of　liberty。　　In　1679；　he

might　see　his　family；　the　officers　of　the　garrison；　and　Lauzunit

being　provided　that　Lauzun　and　Dauger　should　never　meet。　　In　March；

1680；　Fouquet　died；　and　henceforth　the　two　valets　were　most

rigorously　guarded；　Dauger；　because　he　was　supposed　to　know

something；　La　Riviere；　because　Dauger　might　have　imparted　the　real

or　fancied　secret　to　him。　　We　shall　return　to　these　poor　serving

men；　but　here　it　is　necessary　to　state　that；　ten　months　before　the

death　of　their　master；　Fouquet；　an　important　new　captive　had　been

brought　to　the　prison　of　Pignerol。



This　captive　was　the　other　candidate　for　the　honors　of　the　Mask；

Count　Mattioli；　the　secretary　of　the　Duke　of　Mantua。　　He　was

kidnaped　on　Italian　soil　on　May　2；　1679；　and　hurried　to　the

mountain　fortress　of　Pignerol；　then　on　French　ground。　　His　offense

was　the　betraying　of　the　secret　negotiations　for　the　cession　of　the

town　and　fortress　of　Casal；　by　the　Duke　of　Mantua；　to　Louis　XIV。

The　disappearance　of　Mattioli　was；　of　course；　known　to　the　world。

The　cause　of　his　enlevement；　and　the　place　of　his　captivity；

Pignerol；　were　matters　of　newspaper　comment　at　least　as　early　as

1687。　　Still　earlier；　in　1682；　the　story　of　Mattioli's　arrest　and

seclusion　in　Pignerol　had　been　published　in　a　work　named　〃La

Prudenza　Trionfante　di　Casale。〃＇1＇　　There　was　thus　no　mystery；　at

the　time；　about　Mattioli；　his　crime　and　punishment　were　perfectly

well　known　to　students　of　politics。　　He　has　been　regarded　as　the

mysterious　Man　in　the　Iron　Mask；　but；　for　years　after　his　arrest；

he　was　the　least　mysterious　of　State　prisoners。





＇1＇　Brentano；　op。　cit。；　p。　117。





Here；　then；　is　Mattioli　in　Pignerol　in　May；　1679。　　While　Fouquet

then　enjoyed　relative　freedom；　while　Lauzun　schemed　escapes　or　made

insulting　love　to　Mademoiselle　Fouquet；　Mattioli　lived　on　the　bread

and　water　of　affliction。　　He　was　threatened　with　torture　to　make

him　deliver　up　some　papers　compromising　Louis　XIV。　　It　was

expressly　commanded　that　he　should　have　nothing　beyond　the　barest

necessaries　of　life。　　He　was　to　be　kept　dans　la　dure　prison。　　In

brief；　he　was　used　no　better　than　the　meanest　of　prisoners。　　The

awful　life　of　isolation；　without　employment；　without　books；　without

writing　materials；　without　sight　or　sound　of　man　save　when　Saint…

Mars　or　his　lieutenant　brought　food　for　the　day；　drove　captives

mad。



In　January；　1680；　two　prisoners；　a　monk＇1＇　and　one　Dubreuil；　had

become　insane。　　By　February　14；　1680；　Mattioli　was　daily　conversing

with　God　and　his　angels。　　〃I　believe　his　brain　is　turned；〃　says

Saint…Mars。　　In　March；　1680；　as　we　saw；　Fouquet　died。　　The

prisoners；　not　counting　Lauzun　（released　soon　after）；　were　now

five：　（1）　Mattioli　（mad）；　（2）　Dubreuil　（mad）；　（3）　The　monk　（mad）；

（4）　Dauger；　and　（5）　La　Riviere。　　These　two；　being　employed　as

valets；　kept　their　wits。　　On　the　death　of　Fouquet；　Louvois　wrote　to

Saint…Mars　about　the　two　valets。　　Lauzun　must　be　made　to　believe

that　they　had　been　set　at　liberty；　but；　in　fact；　they　must　be　most

carefully　guarded　IN　A　SINGLE　CHAMBER。　　They　were　shut　up　in　one　of

the　dungeons　of　the　〃Tour　d'en　bas。〃　　Dauger　had　recently　done

something　as　to　which　Louvois　writes：　〃Let　me　know　how　Dauger　can

possibly　have　done　what　you　tell　me；　and　how　he　got　the　necessary

drugs；　as　I　cannot　suppose　that　you　supplied　him　with　them〃　（July

10；　1680）。＇2＇





＇1＇　A　monk；　who　MAY　have　been　this　monk；　appears　in　the　following

essay；　p。　34；　infra。



＇2＇　Lair；　Nicholas　Foucquet；　ii。；　pp。　476；　477。





Here；　then；　by　July；　1680；　are　the　two　valets　locked　in　one　dungeon

of　the　〃Tour　d'en　bas。〃　　By　September　Saint…Mars　had　placed

Mattioli；　wit