“Athos—Porthos, farewell till we meet again! Aramis, adieu forever!”
Of the four valiant men whose history we have related, there now remained but one. Heaven had taken to itself three noble souls.32
Endnotes
-
This is quite untranslatable—it being a play upon the words pécheur (with a grave over the first e), a sinner, and pêcheur (with an accent circumflex over the first e), a fisherman. It is in very bad taste. —Trans. ↩
-
In most other editions, this chapter and the next are usually combined into one chapter, entitled “D’Artagnan Calls de Wardes to Account.” ↩
-
Dumas is mistaken. The events in the following chapters occurred in 1661. ↩
-
The verses in this chapter have been rewritten to give the flavor of them rather than the meaning. A more literal translation would look like this:
“Guiche is the furnisher
Of the maids of honor.”and—
“He has stocked the birdcage;
Montalais and—”It would be more accurate, though, to say “baited” rather than “stocked” in the second couplet. ↩
-
The Latin translates to “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ↩
-
“Ad majorem Dei gloriam” was the motto of the Jesuits. It translates to “For the greater glory of God.” ↩
-
“In the presence of these men?” ↩
-
“By this sign you shall conquer.” ↩
-
“It rained all night long; the games will be held tomorrow.” ↩
-
“Lord, I am not worthy.” ↩
-
“To err is human.” ↩
-
Potatoes were not grown in France at that time. La Siecle insists that the error is theirs, and that Dumas meant “tomatoes.” ↩
-
“In your house.” ↩
-
This alternate translation of the verse is closer to the original meaning.
“Oh! you who sadly are wandering alone,
Come, come, and laugh with us.” -
Marie de Mancini was a former love of the king’s. He had to abandon her for the political advantages which the marriage to the Spanish Infanta, Maria Theresa, afforded. See Chapter XIII. ↩
-
“A sun not eclipsed by many suns.” Louis’s device was the sun. ↩
-
“To what heights may he not aspire?” Fouquet’s motto. ↩
-
“A creature rare on earth.” ↩
-
“With an eye always to the climax.” ↩
-
“He is patient because he is eternal” is how the Latin translates. It is from St. Augustine. This motto was sometimes applied to the Papacy, but not to the Jesuits. ↩
-
It is possible that the preceding conversation is an obscure allegorical allusion to the Fronde, or perhaps an intimation that the Duc was the father of Mordaunt, from Twenty Years After, but a definite interpretation still eludes modern scholars. ↩
-
The dictates of such a service would require Raoul to spend the rest of his life outside of France, hence Athos’s and Grimaud’s extreme reactions. ↩
-
Dumas here, and later in the chapter, uses the name Roncherat. Roncherolles is the actual name of the man. ↩
-
In some editions, “in spite of Milady” reads “in spite of malady.” ↩
-
“Pie” in this case refers to magpies, the prey for the falcons. ↩
-
Anne of Austria did not die until 1666, and Dumas sets the current year as 1665. ↩
-
Madame de Montespan would oust Louise from the king’s affections by 1667. ↩
-
De Guiche would not return to court until 1671. ↩
-
Madame did die of poison in 1670, shortly after returning from the mission described later. The Chevalier de Lorraine had actually been ordered out of France in 1662. ↩
-
This particular campaign did not actually occur until 1673. ↩
-
Jean-Paul Oliva was the actual general of the Jesuits from 1664–1681. ↩
-
In earlier editions, the last line reads, “Of the four valiant men whose history we have related, there now no longer remained but one single body; God had resumed the souls.” Dumas made the revision in later editions. ↩
Colophon
The Vicomte de Bragelonne
was published between 1847 and 1850 by
Alexandre Dumas.
It was translated from French in 1893 by
George Routledge and Co..
This ebook was produced for
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Vince Rice,
and is based on transcriptions produced for
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The cover page is adapted from
The Night Watch,
a painting completed in 1642 by
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Uncopyright
May you do good and not evil.
May you find forgiveness for yourself and forgive others.
May you
