A Gallant of Lorraine; vol. 1 of 2: François, Seigneur de Bassompierre, Marquis d'Haronel, Maréchal de France, 1579-1646Williams, H. Noel (Hugh Noel)
History
A Gallant of Lorraine; vol. 1 of 2: François, Seigneur de Bassompierre, Marquis d'Haronel, Maréchal de France, 1579-1646
Williams, H. Noel (Hugh Noel)
Bassompierre, François de, 1579-1646; France -- Court and courtiers; France -- History -- Bourbons, 1589-1789
On the occasion of the marriage of the Emperor’s Grand Equerry, which
took place during the Carnival, and the festivities in connection with
which lasted several days, Bassompierre arranged with Rossworm and six
other nobles to parade the town on horseback, masked and splendidly
dressed. As they were passing the Town Hall, some constables came up to
Bassompierre and Rossworm, who, preceded by their pages bearing their
swords aloft, were riding at the head of the party, and informed them
that the Emperor had forbidden anyone to pass through the town masked.
They, however, pretended that they did not understand Sclavonic, and
rode on. No attempt was made to stop them, but, on their return, they
found chains stretched across all the streets leading to the square in
which the Town Hall stood, except the one by which they entered, and, so
soon as they had passed, chains were stretched across that also. Then a
whole company of constables appeared upon the scene, and, beginning with
the hindmost of the party, seized their companions, who, not having
brought their swords with them, were unable to offer any resistance, and
haled them off to prison. Meanwhile, Bassompierre and Rossworm had taken
their swords from their pages, but they did not draw them. However, when
one of the constables attempted to seize the bridle of Bassompierre’s
horse, Rossworm struck him on the hand with his sheathed sword, and, the
blade, breaking through the scabbard, wounded the man somewhat severely.
They were immediately surrounded by more than two hundred police, but,
drawing their swords, they contrived to prevent them from closing with
them and dragging them off their horses, though not without receiving a
volley of blows on their backs and arms.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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