登陆注册
5256400000178

第178章 CHAPTER V(4)

"For having made a great cage of wood of solid beams, timbers and wall-plates, measuring nine feet in length by eight in breadth, and of the height of seven feet between the partitions, smoothed and clamped with great bolts of iron, which has been placed in a chamber situated in one of the towers of the Bastille Saint-Antoine, in which cage is placed and detained, by command of the king our lord, a prisoner who formerly inhabited an old, decrepit, and ruined cage.

There have been employed in making the said new cage, ninety-six horizontal beams, and fifty-two upright joists, ten wall plates three toises long; there have been occupied nineteen carpenters to hew, work, and fit all the said wood in the courtyard of the Bastille during twenty days.""Very fine heart of oak," said the king, striking the woodwork with his fist.

"There have been used in this cage," continued the other, "two hundred and twenty great bolts of iron, of nine feet, and of eight, the rest of medium length, with the rowels, caps and counterbands appertaining to the said bolts;weighing, the said iron in all, three thousand, seven hundred and thirty-five pounds; beside eight great squares of iron, serving to attach the said cage in place with clamps and nails weighing in all two hundred and eighteen pounds, not reckoning the iron of the trellises for the windows of the chamber wherein the cage hath been placed, the bars of iron for the door of the cage and other things.""'Tis a great deal of iron," said the king, "to contain the light of a spirit.""The whole amounts to three hundred and seventeen livres, five sols, seven deniers.""~Pasque-Dieu~!" exclaimed the king.

At this oath, which was the favorite of Louis XI., some one seemed to awaken in the interior of the cage; the sound of chains was heard, grating on the floor, and a feeble voice, which seemed to issue from the tomb was uplifted. "Sire! sire! mercy!" The one who spoke thus could not be seen.

"Three hundred and seventeen livres, five sols, seven deniers,"repeated Louis XI.

The lamentable voice which had proceeded from the cage had frozen all present, even Master Olivier himself. The king alone wore the air of not having heard. At his order, Master Olivier resumed his reading, and his majesty coldly continued his inspection of the cage.

"In addition to this there hath been paid to a mason who hath made the holes wherein to place the gratings of the windows, and the floor of the chamber where the cage is, because that floor could not support this cage by reason of its weight, twenty-seven livres fourteen sols parisis."The voice began to moan again.

"Mercy, sire! I swear to you that 'twas Monsieur the Cardinal d'Angers and not I, who was guilty of treason.""The mason is bold!" said the king. "Continue, Olivier."Olivier continued,--

"To a joiner for window frames, bedstead, hollow stool, and other things, twenty livres, two sols parisis."The voice also continued.

"Alas, sire! will you not listen to me? I protest to you that 'twas not I who wrote the matter to Monseigneur do Guyenne, but Monsieur le Cardinal Balue.""The joiner is dear," quoth the king. "Is that all?""No, sire. To a glazier, for the windows of the said chamber, forty-six sols, eight deniers parisis.""Have mercy, sire! Is it not enough to have given all my goods to my judges, my plate to Monsieur de Torcy, my library to Master Pierre Doriolle, my tapestry to the governor of the Roussillon? I am innocent. I have been shivering in an iron cage for fourteen years. Have mercy, sire!

You will find your reward in heaven."

"Master Olivier," said the king, "the total?""Three hundred sixty-seven livres, eight sols, three deniers parisis.

"Notre-Dame!" cried the king. "This is an outrageous cage!"He tore the book from Master Olivier's hands, and set to reckoning it himself upon his fingers, examining the paper and the cage alternately. Meanwhile, the prisoner could be heard sobbing. This was lugubrious in the darkness, and their faces turned pale as they looked at each other.

"Fourteen years, sire! Fourteen years now! since the month of April, 1469. In the name of the Holy Mother of God, sire, listen to me! During all this time you have enjoyed the heat of the sun. Shall I, frail creature, never more behold the day? Mercy, sire! Be pitiful! Clemency is a fine, royal virtue, which turns aside the currents of wrath.

Does your majesty believe that in the hour of death it will be a great cause of content for a king never to have left any offence unpunished? Besides, sire, I did not betray your majesty, 'twas Monsieur d'Angers; and I have on my foot a very heavy chain, and a great ball of iron at the end, much heavier than it should be in reason. Eh! sire! Have pity on me!""Olivier," cried the king, throwing back his head, "I observe that they charge me twenty sols a hogshead for plaster, while it is worth but twelve. You will refer back this account."He turned his back on the cage, and set out to leave the room. The miserable prisoner divined from the removal of the torches and the noise, that the king was taking his departure.

"Sire! sire!" be cried in despair.

The door closed again. He no longer saw anything, and heard only the hoarse voice of the turnkey, singing in his ears this ditty,--"~Ma?tre Jean Balue, A perdu la vue De ses évêchés.

Monsieur de Verdun.

N'en a plus pas un;

Tous sont dépêchés~."*

* Master Jean Balue has lost sight of his bishoprics.

Monsieur of Verdun has no longer one; all have been killed off.

The king reascended in silence to his retreat, and his suite followed him, terrified by the last groans of the condemned man. All at once his majesty turned to the Governor of the Bastille,--"By the way," said he, "was there not some one in that cage?""Pardieu, yes sire!" replied the governor, astounded by the question.

"And who was it?"

"Monsieur the Bishop of Verdun."

The king knew this better than any one else. But it was a mania of his.

同类推荐
  • 歇浦潮

    歇浦潮

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 太上说十炼生神救护经

    太上说十炼生神救护经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 赋四相诗 礼部尚书

    赋四相诗 礼部尚书

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 庄列十论

    庄列十论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 月季花谱

    月季花谱

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 司命

    司命

    古风仙侠类又一经典口碑之作!神龙遗子与司命星君荡气回肠的逆天绝恋!三界外,上有万天之墟,下有无极荒城。皆是无日月、无生灵的死寂之地。有进无出。而这万天之墟乃是囚龙之地。囚了这世间最后一条龙。九重天上的司命星君表白被拒,酒后入梦,无意中入了万天之墟,遇到了神龙长渊。从此,这世间少了一个司命星君,多了一个孤儿尔笙。“美人芳名?”“吾名长渊。”“长渊家住何方?家中可有妻室?”“你待如何?”尔笙从衣袖里掏出一把做工拙劣的短剑,递给长渊,郑重道:“自剑。”应该是自荐吧……长渊默了默,没敢接过那柄剑。尔笙忽悠道:“此乃我祖上留下来的传家之宝,我自愿献上此剑,呃……那啥来着,嗯,与你共组一个家庭,共生一堆小屁孩。”
  • 续原教论

    续原教论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 请时间等等她

    请时间等等她

    【推荐迷糊君新书《摄政王家有个偷心贼》】《请时间等等她》:情不知所起,一往而深。——傅瑶vs靳哲《从校服到婚纱》:如果说人类的平均寿命是六十岁,我们九岁时就认识了,那么我们生命的百分之八十五都是在一起的。——陆一帆vs苏沫《黎明前的黑夜》:无论黑夜怎么漫长,黎明总会到来。——江溪vs唐楠《霸总他结婚了》:对于世界,你是一个人,对于我,你却是整个世界。——顾霖vs邓夏《一世长安》:人这一辈子,遇到一个心动的人不容易,前世的回眸,换来今生的相守。——裴卓南vs虞欢《两袖清风明月》:两袖清风,唯有明月放心头。——花影vs白久九《待卿如初珍宝》:红颜未老恩先断,斜倚熏笼坐到明。——苏禧妹《愿君心似我心》:只愿君心似我心,定不负相思意;更盼来生与今生,永不悔比翼情。——君殊vs云杉《徒弟又黑化了》:他问她,愿不愿意和他在一起,一起去天涯海角,四海八荒,就他们两个人。——昊月vs无忧迷糊君的群:741925554【谨慎订阅,挖坑不负责:详情请见评论区置顶公告】
  • 穿越复仇公主

    穿越复仇公主

    我穿越到了复仇公主的这本书里,会发生什么样的事情呢,敬请期待
  • 国际间谍

    国际间谍

    大雪之夜。哈尔滨这座城市在20世纪初,就是一座流亡者的城市,冒险家的乐园。在这座城市里,你很少看到中国风格的建筑。无论你采取俯拍或者是地面跟进的手段,所看到的有70%甚至到80%,都是洋建筑,再加上在街上行走的,至少有2/3是形形色色的外国人,而且街道两旁所有的商店,各种事务所,甚至街的路牌,都是俄文的。恍惚之间,你会觉得这是一座外国人的城市——这就是上个世纪初哈尔滨的基本形态。当然,它显得还小了一些,简单了一点。但重要的是,它是中东铁路一个重要的站点。
  • 聪明的人会说智慧的人会听

    聪明的人会说智慧的人会听

    听懂别人,说出自己——听与说,每天需要却可能忽略的沟通智慧与才能说话要到位——“语言可以伤人,甚至杀人。”
  • 绝代佳人:西施

    绝代佳人:西施

    《中国文化知识读本·绝代佳人:西施》是由吉林文史出版社和吉林出版集团有限责任公司组织国内知名专家学者编写的一套旨在传播中华五千年优秀传统文化,提高全民文化修养的大型知识读本。《中国文化知识读本·绝代佳人:西施》在深入挖掘和整理绝代佳人西施的同时,结合社会发展,注入了时代精神。书中优美生动的文字、简明通俗的语言、图文并茂的形式,把中国文化中的物态文化、制度文化、行为文化、精神文化等知识要点全面展示给读者。点点滴滴的文化知识仿佛颗颗繁星,组成了灿烂辉煌的中国文化的天穹。
  • 穿越之王妃有任务

    穿越之王妃有任务

    穿越醒来,人家是娉婷少女,我却是襁褓婴儿,好不容易活到了十八岁,却被卷入了一场阴谋当中,其实我只想过坐吃等死,嫁人生子的平凡日子,再不济斗斗家中姨娘,庶子庶女,仅此而已,真没想过完成什么任务!哎,吃人嘴短,拿人手软,十八年的养育之恩还是得报的,完成任务就完成任务呗……临行前,额……皇上赐婚,我有老公了,咦,慢着!怎么会是他,腹黑就算了,还丑……怎么办?能退婚吗?
  • 夜光青柠

    夜光青柠

    在这之前,沈泽齐真的和中途转学过来的崔夏天没有交集。仔细想想,对于崔夏天仅有的印象大概就是她的沉默寡言和那张扑克脸。除了转学过来的第一天在讲台上做了个简短到只有名字和来自哪个城市的自我介绍外,在平日的学习生活里她沉默得像是一个哑巴。平时,大家只有在上课她被点到回答问题的时候才能听到她的声音。另外,在班里发生什么事情大家或惊讶或大笑或愤怒的时候,她总是面无表情地在座位上正襟危坐,大有一副不食人间烟火的高冷样儿。
  • 只为红颜不做妃

    只为红颜不做妃

    是宿命的悲,轮回的痛,还是被注定的没有结果的爱情。燕王朱棣,一个野心勃勃的男人,战功赫赫,杀人无数。他妻妾成群,身边从来不缺女人,然而一生执念的守护,却是那个一瞥惊鸿的女子,初见时她身披嫁纱匆匆逃亡。徐童潇,一个满腹心计的女子,武功高强,害人不浅。她烂桃不断,身边从来不缺男人,然而一场情感的赌注,却是那个一见倾心的男子,初见时他身骑白马凛凛威风。一个人,一座城,一生心疼,那么死,是解脱,还是更深的伤痛?险死还生,七年磨剑,义女之身,翩然还家,熊熊复仇之火一点点湮灭,却涉及当年阴谋的人一个个找上门来,任务一次次触及她的底线。原本以为离开蓝家就自由自在,原本以为嫁进王府就尘埃落定,原本以为移居北平就远离喧嚣,却奈何,每一个平静的结束,都是另一个风波的开始……她说:这辈子,夫妻情分已尽,只为红颜不做妃。他说:承蒙苍天不弃,你在身边便好。