Love and liberty : $b A thrilling narrative of the French Revolution of 1792Dumas, Alexandre
History
Love and liberty : $b A thrilling narrative of the French Revolution of 1792
Dumas, Alexandre
France -- History -- Revolution, 1789-1799 -- Fiction
But this respite lasted only during a few hours. The King had
appointed the various bed-rooms, but before the Dauphin could be
put to bed in the one set down as his, an order came from the
authorities, ordering that the royal family should be lodged in the
smaller tower.
They waited until after midnight before their new place of
imprisonment was ready, and then themselves carried what was wanting
to the tower. The King’s servant asking where his master was to be
lodged, the municipal officer replied, “Your master has been living
under gilded roofs; he will find none here, and learn at the same
time how we lodge the murderers of the people.”
Madame Elizabeth was lodged in the kitchen, on the ground floor; the
so-called Court on the second; the King, Queen, and children, on the
floors above. The walls and the floors were bare, except for some
obscene pictures on the walls, which the King took down, turning them
to the wall.
The King went to bed, and fell asleep. Not so the Queen, who remained
awake the whole night.
The next day, adapting himself to even these fallen circumstances,
the King ordered the day’s plans; and pushing about the room, came
upon a small collection of books, chiefly Latin—a discovery which
once more brought a smile of pleasure to his face.
Ten days afterwards, 20th August, and when the royal family had
retired for the night, the noise of many advancing feet awakened
them. The authorities of the prison came armed with orders from
Parliament, to deprive the royal family of every attendant who had
hitherto followed their fortunes. The agony the Queen experienced
upon parting with the Princess de Lamballe was intense.
“From this night,” cried Marie Antoinette, “I do date my captivity.”
Within a fortnight, as I have related, the poor Princess de
Lamballe’s head was raised on a pike to the window of the Queen’s
prison. One Tison’s wife was appointed to look after the Queen; while
Simon, afterwards celebrated for his cruelty to the Dauphin, and
Rocher, a mere brute, were the gaolers-in-chief.
It was Rocher who never passed by the Queen without blowing clouds of
tobacco-smoke in her Majesty’s face.
The walls of the Temple were ablaze with comments upon the royal
family. Here might be read an attack upon Louis’s stoutness, there a
savage comment upon the Queen. Even the children were not spared. For
instance, this sentence was scrawled upon the walls: “What are King’s
children? Whelps who ought to be strangled before they are old enough
to devour the people.”
The unfortunate captives at last dreaded to take the air; the guard
saluted whenever a municipal passed by, but they reversed arms as the
King went by.
At last, they limited the number of steps the royal family might take
when exercising.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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