Chapter I: Front Matter

Transcriber’s Note: This book uses the spelling “Bastile” throughout (rather than “Bastille” as is more common in modern times).

THE HISTORY OF THE BASTILE.

THE
HISTORY OF THE BASTILE,
AND OF ITS
PRINCIPAL CAPTIVES.

BY
R. A. DAVENPORT.
AUTHOR OF THE “NEW BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY,” ETC. ETC.

Then shame to manhood, and opprobrious more
To France than all her losses and defeats,
Old or of later date, by sea or land,
Her house of bondage, worse than that of old
Which God avenged on Pharaoh—the Bastile.—COWPER.

LONDON:
PUBLISHED BY THOMAS TEGG AND SON,
73, CHEAPSIDE.
1838.

LONDON:
BRADBURY AND EVANS, PRINTERS, WHITEFRIARS.

ADVERTISEMENT.

The execution of a plan so frequently falls immeasurably short of the author’s original conception, that some wit, of whom I have forgotten the name, has likened them to the cry of an oriental fruit-hawker: “In the name of the Prophet—figs!” I can bear witness how much what is purposed goes beyond what is accomplished. I began loftily, and perhaps the reader will say, that I have ended with—figs. At the outset I designed to link, in some measure, the history of the Bastile with that of France, and to trace the rise and progress of those parties, factions, and sects, which furnished inmates to the prisons of state. But I soon discovered that the contracted limits of a single volume would not admit of my plan being carried into execution. By much enlarging the page, and by making, at no small cost, a very considerable addition to the number of pages, the publisher has liberally endeavoured to give me the means of rendering the work less imperfect than it would otherwise have been; but I have, nevertheless, been exceedingly cramped by the want of adequate space.

But, though I have not done all that I wished to do, I am by no means disposed to disparage my labours. I have consulted every document that was accessible, and have conscientiously tried to be strictly just, and to combine information with amusement. I indulge a hope that the volume will tend not only to keep up an abhorrence of arbitrary power, but also to inspire affection for governments which hold it to be a duty to promote the happiness of the people. Whatever may be its defects, it is the only work in the English language that has even the slightest pretension to be denominated a History of the Bastile.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

CHAPTER I.

Original meaning of the word Bastile—Various
Bastiles—Description of “The Bastile”—Officers of the
fortress—Interior of it—The Garden—The Court where
the prisoners took exercise—The Towers, Dungeons,
Apartments, Furniture, Food, of the prisoners—The
Library—The Chapel—Lettres de Cachet described—Advocate
of them—Change in the treatment of prisoners—Narrative
of a prisoner—Strict search of prisoners—Harshness to
them—Artifices employed against them—Silence enjoined
to the Guards, &c., of the prison—Mode of receiving
visitors—Suppression of letters—Secrecy and mystery—Medical
attendance—Wills—Insanity—Clandestine burial of the dead. 1

CHAPTER II.

Reign of John II.—Stephen Marcel, Provost of the
Merchants—Reign of Charles V.—Hugh Aubriot—Reign of
Charles VI.—Noviant—La Rivière—Peter des Essarts—John de
Montaigu—Contests of the factions at Paris—The Count of
Armagnac—The Burgundians obtain possession of Paris—Massacre
of the Armagnacs—Assassination of the Duke of Burgundy—Reign
of Charles VII.—Paris in the hands of the English—Villiers
de l’Isle Adam—The English expelled from Paris—Reign of
Louis XI.—Anthony de Chabannes—The Count de Melun—Cardinal
de Balue—William d’Haraucour—Charles d’Armagnac—Louis de
Luxembourg—The Duke of Nemours and his children. 33

CHAPTER III.

Reign of Francis I.—Semblançai—The Chancellor Duprat—The
Chancellor Poyet—Admiral de Chabot—Fall of Poyet—Reign of Henry
II.—Anne du Bourg—Louis du Faur—Reign of Francis II.—Execution
of Du Bourg—Francis de Vendôme—Reign of Charles IX.—The Duke of
Lunebourg—Henry of Navarre and the Prince of Condé in danger of
the Bastile—Faction of the Politicians—La Mole—Coconas—Marshal
de Montmorenci—Marshal de Cossé—Reign of Henry III.—Bussi
d’Amboise. 74

CHAPTER IV.

Reign of Henry III. continued—Conspiracy of Salcede—Francis
de Rosières—Peter de Belloy—Francis le Breton—Bernard
Palissy—Daring plots of the League—Henry III. expelled from
Paris—The Bastile surrenders to Guise—Bussi le Clerc appointed
governor—Damours—James de la Guesle—Reign of Henry IV.—Members
of the parliament arrested—President de Harlay—Potier de
Blancmesnil—The family of Seguier—Speeches of Henry IV.—Louis
Seguier—James Gillot—Outrage committed by the Council of
Sixteen—It is punished by the Duke of Mayenne—Henry IV. enters
Paris—Surrender of the Bastile—Du Bourg—Treasure deposited in
the Bastile by Henry. 102

CHAPTER V.

Reign of Henry IV. continued—Viscount de Tavannes—The marshal
duke of Biron—Faults of Biron—Friendship of Henry IV. for
Biron—La Fin, and his influence over Biron—The Duke of
Savoy—Biron’s first treason pardoned—Embassies of Biron—Speech
of Queen Elizabeth to Biron—Discontent among the nobles—Art of
La Fin—Imprisonment of Renazé—La Fin betrays Biron—Artifices
employed to lull Biron into security—Arrest of Biron, and
the Count of Auvergne—Conduct of Biron in the Bastile—His
trial—His execution—Respect paid to his remains—Monbarot
sent to the Bastile—The Count of Auvergne—He is sent to the
Bastile but soon released—He plots again—Cause and intent of
the conspiracy—He is again arrested—Sentence of death passed
on him, but commuted for imprisonment—He spends twelve years
in the Bastile—Mary of Medicis releases him—Conspiracy of
Merargues—He is executed—Death of Henry IV. 133

CHAPTER VI.

Reign of Louis XIII.—The treasure of Henry IV.
dissipated—Prevalent belief in magic—Cesar and Ruggieri—Henry,
prince of Condé—The Marchioness d’Ancre—Marshal
Ornano—Prevalence of duelling—The Count de Bouteville—The Day
of the Dupes—Vautier, the physician of Mary of Medicis—The
Marshal de Bassompierre—The Chevalier de Jars—Infamy of
Laffemas—Three citizens of Paris sent to the Bastile—Despotic
language of Louis XIII.—The Count de Cramail—The Marquis of
Vitry—Peter de la Porte—Noel Pigard Dubois, an alchemical
impostor—The Count de Grancé and the Marquis de Praslin—The
prince Palatine—Count Philip d’Aglie—Charles de Beys—Letter
from an unknown prisoner to Richelieu. 172

CHAPTER VII.

Reign of Louis XIV.—Regency of Anne of Austria—Inauspicious
circumstances under which she assumed the regency—George
de Casselny—The Count de Montresor—The Marquis de
Fontrailles—Marshal de Rantzau—The Count de Rieux—Bernard
Guyard—Broussel, governor of the Bastile—The Duchess of
Montpensier orders the cannon of the Bastile to be fired on
the king’s army—Conclusion of the war of the Fronde—Surrender
of the Bastile—Despotism of Louis XIV.—Slavishness of the
nobles—John Herauld Gourville—The Count de Guiche—Nicholas
Fouquet—Paul Pellisson-Fontainier—Charles St. Evremond—Simon
Morin—The Marquis de Vardes—Count Bussy Rabutin—Saci le
Maistre—The Duke of Lauzun—Marquis of Cavoie—The Chevalier
de Rohan—A nameless prisoner—Charles D’Assoucy—Miscellaneous
prisoners. 217

CHAPTER VIII.

The Poisoners—The Marchioness of Brinvilliers—Penautier—La
Voisin and her accomplices and dupes—The “Chambre Ardente”—The
Countess of Soissons—The Duchess of Bouillon—The Duke of
Luxembourg—Stephen de Bray—The Abbé Primi—Andrew Morell—Madame
Guyon—Courtils de Sandraz—Constantine de Renneville—The
Man with the Iron Mask—Jansenists—Tiron, Veillant,
and Lebrun Desmarets—The Count de Bucquoy—The Duke de
Richelieu—Miscellaneous prisoners. 273

CHAPTER IX.

Reign of Louis XV.—Regency of the Duke of Orleans—Oppressive
measures against all persons connected with the Finances—Their
failure—Prisoners in the Bastile—Freret—Voltaire—The
Cellamare conspiracy—The Duchess of Maine—Madame de
Staal—Malezieu—Bargeton—Mahudel—The Mississippi scheme—Count
de Horn—Death of the Regent—Administration of the Duke of
Bourbon—La Blanc—Paris Duverney—The Count de Belleisle—The
Chevalier de Belleisle—Madame de Tencin. 314

CHAPTER X.

Reign of Louis XV. continued—The Bull Unigenitus—A Notary
Public—G. N. Nivelle—G. C. Buffard—Death of Deacon Paris—Rise,
progress, and acts, of the Convulsionaries—Persecution
of them, and artifices employed by them to foil their
persecutors—Lenglet Dufresnoy—La Beaumelle—F. de
Marsy—Marmontel—The Abbé Morellet—Mirabeau the elder—The
Chevalier Resseguier—Groubendal and Dulaurens—Robbé
de Beauveset—Mahé de la Bourdonnais—Count Lally—La
Chalotais—Marin—Durosoi—Prévost de Beaumont—Barletti St.
Paul—Dumouriez. 346