the black tulip-第1节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





The　Black　Tulip



by　Alexandre　Dumas；　Pere









Chapter　1



A　Grateful　People　





On　the　20th　of　August；　1672；　the　city　of　the　Hague；　always　

so　lively；　so　neat；　and　so　trim　that　one　might　believe　every　

day　to　be　Sunday；　with　its　shady　park；　with　its　tall　trees；　

spreading　over　its　Gothic　houses；　with　its　canals　like　large　

mirrors；　in　which　its　steeples　and　its　almost　Eastern　

cupolas　are　reflected；　　the　city　of　the　Hague；　the　capital　

of　the　Seven　United　Provinces；　was　swelling　in　all　its　

arteries　with　a　black　and　red　stream　of　hurried；　panting；　

and　restless　citizens；　who；　with　their　knives　in　their　

girdles；　muskets　on　their　shoulders；　or　sticks　in　their　

hands；　were　pushing　on　to　the　Buytenhof；　a　terrible　prison；　

the　grated　windows　of　which　are　still　shown；　where；　on　the　

charge　of　attempted　murder　preferred　against　him　by　the　

surgeon　Tyckelaer；　Cornelius　de　Witt；　the　brother　of　the　

Grand　Pensionary　of　Holland　was　confined。　



If　the　history　of　that　time；　and　especially　that　of　the　year　

in　the　middle　of　which　our　narrative　commences；　were　not　

indissolubly　connected　with　the　two　names　just　mentioned；　

the　few　explanatory　pages　which　we　are　about　to　add　might　

appear　quite　supererogatory；　but　we　will；　from　the　very　

first；　apprise　the　reader　　our　old　friend；　to　whom　we　are　

wont　on　the　first　page　to　promise　amusement；　and　with　whom　

we　always　try　to　keep　our　word　as　well　as　is　in　our　power　　

that　this　explanation　is　as　indispensable　to　the　right　

understanding　of　our　story　as　to　that　of　the　great　event　

itself　on　which　it　is　based。　



Cornelius　de　Witt；　Ruart　de　Pulten；　that　is　to　say；　warden　

of　the　dikes；　ex…burgomaster　of　Dort；　his　native　town；　and　

member　of　the　Assembly　of　the　States　of　Holland；　was　

forty…nine　years　of　age；　when　the　Dutch　people；　tired　of　the　

Republic　such　as　John　de　Witt；　the　Grand　Pensionary　of　

Holland；　understood　it；　at　once　conceived　a　most　violent　

affection　for　the　Stadtholderate；　which　had　been　abolished　

for　ever　in　Holland　by　the　〃Perpetual　Edict〃　forced　by　John　

de　Witt　upon　the　United　Provinces。　



As　it　rarely　happens　that　public　opinion；　in　its　whimsical　

flights；　does　not　identify　a　principle　with　a　man；　thus　the　

people　saw　the　personification　of　the　Republic　in　the　two　

stern　figures　of　the　brothers　De　Witt；　those　Romans　of　

Holland；　spurning　to　pander　to　the　fancies　of　the　mob；　and　

wedding　themselves　with　unbending　fidelity　to　liberty　

without　licentiousness；　and　prosperity　without　the　waste　of　

superfluity；　on　the　other　hand；　the　Stadtholderate　recalled　

to　the　popular　mind　the　grave　and　thoughtful　image　of　the　

young　Prince　William　of　Orange。　



The　brothers　De　Witt　humoured　Louis　XIV。；　whose　moral　

influence　was　felt　by　the　whole　of　Europe；　and　the　pressure　

of　whose　material　power　Holland　had　been　made　to　feel　in　

that　marvellous　campaign　on　the　Rhine；　which；　in　the　space　

of　three　months；　had　laid　the　power　of　the　United　Provinces　

prostrate。　



Louis　XIV。　had　long　been　the　enemy　of　the　Dutch；　who　

insulted　or　ridiculed　him　to　their　hearts'　content；　although　

it　must　be　said　that　they　generally　used　French　refugees　for　

the　mouthpiece　of　their　spite。　Their　national　pride　held　him　

up　as　the　Mithridates　of　the　Republic。　The　brothers　De　Witt；　

therefore；　had　to　strive　against　a　double　difficulty；　　

against　the　force　of　national　antipathy；　and；　besides；　

against　the　feeling　of　weariness　which　is　natural　to　all　

vanquished　people；　when　they　hope　that　a　new　chief　will　be　

able　to　save　them　from　ruin　and　shame。　



This　new　chief；　quite　ready　to　appear　on　the　political　

stage；　and　to　measure　himself　against　Louis　XIV。；　however　

gigantic　the　fortunes　of　the　Grand　Monarch　loomed　in　the　

future；　was　William；　Prince　of　Orange；　son　of　William　II。；　

and　grandson；　by　his　mother　Henrietta　Stuart；　of　Charles　I。　

of　England。　We　have　mentioned　him　before　as　the　person　by　

whom　the　people　expected　to　see　the　office　of　Stadtholder　

restored。　



This　young　man　was；　in　1672；　twenty…two　years　of　age。　John　

de　Witt；　who　was　his　tutor；　had　brought　him　up　with　the　view　

of　making　him　a　good　citizen。　Loving　his　country　better　than　

he　did　his　disciple；　the　master　had；　by　the　Perpetual　Edict；　

extinguished　the　hope　which　the　young　Prince　might　have　

entertained　of　one　day　becoming　Stadtholder。　But　God　laughs　

at　the　presumption　of　man；　who　wants　to　raise　and　prostrate　

the　powers　on　earth　without　consulting　the　King　above；　and　

the　fickleness　and　caprice　of　the　Dutch　combined　with　the　

terror　inspired　by　Louis　XIV。；　in　repealing　the　Perpetual　

Edict；　and　re…establishing　the　office　of　Stadtholder　in　

favour　of　William　of　Orange；　for　whom　the　hand　of　Providence　

had　traced　out　ulterior　destinies　on　the　hidden　map　of　the　

future。　



The　Grand　Pensionary　bowed　before　the　will　of　his　fellow　

citizens；　Cornelius　de　Witt；　however；　was　more　obstinate；　

and　notwithstanding　all　the　threats　of　death　from　the　

Orangist　rabble；　who　besieged　him　in　his　house　at　Dort；　he　

stoutly　refused　to　sign　the　act　by　which　the　office　of　

Stadtholder　was　restored。　Moved　by　the　tears　and　entreaties　

of　his　wife；　he　at　last　complied；　only　adding　to　his　

signature　the　two　letters　V。　C。　（Vi　Coactus）；　notifying　

thereby　that　he　only　yielded　to　force。　



It　was　a　real　miracle　that　on　that　day　he　escaped　from　the　

doom　intended　for　him。　



John　de　Witt　derived　no　advantage　from　his　ready　compliance　

with　the　wishes　of　his　fellow　citizens。　Only　a　few　days　

after；　an　attempt　was　made　to　stab　him；　in　which　he　was　

severely　although　not　mortally　wounded。　



This　by　no　means　suited　the　views　of　the　Orange　faction。　The　

life　of　the　two　brothers　being　a　constant　obstacle　to　their　

plans；　they　changed　their　tactics；　and　tried　to　obtain　by　

calumny　what　they　had　not　been　able　to　effect　by　the　aid　of　

the　poniard。　



How　rarely　does　it　happen　that；　in　the　right　moment；　a　great　

man　is　found　to　head　the　execution　of　vast　and　noble　

designs；　and　for　that　reason；　when　such　a　providential　

concurrence　of　circumstances　does　occur；　history　is　prompt　

to　record　the　name　of　the　chosen　one；　and　to　hold　him　up　to　

the　admiration　of　posterity。　But　when　Satan　interposes　in　

human　affairs　to　cast　a　shadow　upon　some　happy　existence；　or　

to　overthrow　a　kingdom；　it　seldom　happens　that　he　does　not　

find　at　his　side　some　miserable　tool；　in　whose　ear　he　has　

but　to　whisper　a　word　to　set　him　at　once　about　his　task。　



The　wretched　tool　who　was　at　hand　to　be　the　agent　of　this　

dastardly　plot　was　one　Tyckelaer　whom　we　have　already　

mentioned；　a　surgeon　by　profession。　



He　lodged　an　information　against　Cornelius　de　Witt；　setting　

forth　that　the　warden　　who；　as　he　had　shown　by　the　letters　

added　to　his　signature；　was　fuming　at　the　repeal　of　the　

Perpetual　Edict　　had；　from　hatred　against　William　of　

Orange；　hired　an　assassin　to　deliver　the　new　Republic　of　its　

new　Stadtholder；　and　he；　Tyckelaer　was　the　person　thus　

chosen；　but　that；　horrified　at　the　bare　idea　of　the　act　

which　he　was　asked　to　perpetrate；　he　had　preferred　rather　to　

reveal　the　crime　than　to　commit　it。　



This　disclosure　was；　indeed；　well　calculated　to　call　forth　a　

furious　outbreak　among　the　Orange　faction。　The　Attorney　

General　caused；　on　the　16th　of　August；　1672；　Cornelius　de　

Witt　to　be　arrested；　and　the　noble　brother　of　John　de　Witt　

had；　like　the　vilest　criminal；　to　undergo；　in　one　of　the　

apartments　of　the　town　prison；　the　preparatory　degrees　of　

torture；　by　means　of　which　his　judges　expected　to　force　from　

him　the　confession　of　his　alleged　plot　against　William　of　

Orange。　



But　Cornelius　was　not　only　possessed　of　a　great　mind；　but　

also　of　a　great　heart。　He　belonged　to　that　race　of　martyrs　

who；　indissolubly　wedded　to　their　political　convictions　as　

their　ancestors　were　to　their　faith；　are　able　to　smile　on　

pain：　while　being　stretched　on　the　rack；　he　recited　with　a　

firm　voice；　and　scanning　the　lines　according　to　measure；　the　

first　strophe　of　the　〃Justum　ac　tenacem〃　of　Horace；　and；　

making　no　confession；　tired　not　only　the　strength；　but　even　

the　fanaticism；　of　his　executioners。　



The　judges；　notwithstanding；　acquitted　Tyckelaer　from　every　

charge；　at　the　same　time　sentencing　Cornelius　to　be　deposed　

from　all　his　offices　and　dignities；　to　pay　all　the　costs　of　

the　trial；　and　to　be　banished　from　the　soil　of　the　Republic　

for　ever。　



This　judgment　against　not　only　an　innocent；　but　also　a　great　

man；　was　indeed　some　gratification　to　the　passions　of　the　

people；　to　whose　interests　Cornelius　de　Witt　had　always　

devoted　himself：　but；　as　we　shall　soon　see；　it　was　not　

enough。　



The　Athenians；　who　indeed　have　left　behind　them　a　pretty　

tolerable　reputation　for　ingratitude；　have　in　this　respect　

to　yield　precedence　to　the　Dutch。　They；　at　least　in　the　case　

of　Aristides；　con