Louis Philippe: Makers of History Series — John Shaqi
Louis Philippe: Makers of History SeriesAbbott, John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot)
History
Louis Philippe: Makers of History Series
Abbott, John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot)
Louis Philippe, King of the French, 1773-1850
We have not space here to describe the cruel sufferings of the two
younger brothers of Louis Philippe during their captivity. The elder
of the two, the Duke of Montpensier, was but seventeen years of age;
the younger, Count Beaujolais, was but thirteen. The brothers were
confined separately, in dark, fetid dungeons, and were not allowed
any communication with each other. The health of Beaujolais soon
began to suffer, and it was evident that he must die unless he could
have fresh air. The Duke of Montpensier writes, in his touching
autobiography:
"My brother Beaujolais was consequently permitted to spend
two or three hours each day in the open air, and was then
remanded to his dungeon. His cell being above mine, he was
obliged to pass my door on his way out, and he never failed
to call out, 'Good-day, Montpensier; how are you?' It is
impossible to describe the effect his gentle voice had upon
me, or the distress I felt when a day passed without my
hearing it; for he was sometimes actually forbidden to utter
these words, and was always hurried by so quickly that he had
scarce time to hear my answer. Once, however, that he was
permitted to remain until my dinner was brought, he kept so
close to the heels of the basket-bearer that, in spite of the
administrators, who tried to hold him back, he darted into my
cell and embraced me. It was six weeks since I had seen
him--six wretched weeks. The moment was precious, but how
short! He was torn from me forthwith, with threats of being
no more allowed to go out should the same scene be repeated.
I myself was not afterwards permitted, when my cell door was
opened, to go near enough to catch the breeze which passed up
the narrow staircase."
The princes were not allowed to see the public journals, or to
receive from their friends any letters which had not been previously
examined by their jailers. They were left in entire ignorance of
their father's execution until some time after his head had fallen.
When the awful tidings were conveyed to them, both of the young
princes, weakened by imprisonment and misery, fainted away. The
hatred with which they were pursued is evinced by the epithet of
_wolves' cubs_, which was ever applied to them in the clubs of the
Jacobins. Eight francs a day were allowed for their support. Their
mother had sent to them, for their immediate necessities, twelve
thousand francs ($2400); but the magistrates had seized the whole
sum. As the weary months rolled on, there were variations in the
treatment of the illustrious prisoners--it sometimes being more and
sometimes less brutal, but ever marked with almost savage ferocity.
After the fall of Robespierre, a decree was passed--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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