Abigail's Cousin

by Ron Pearse

  "C'est bocage, monsieur. C'est semblable de la campagne de l'Angleterre."

  Mesnager agreed: "Yes, the English countryside has similar little woods which everywhere are dotted around on gentle uplands. Perhaps you do have more hedges, monsieur. But they are man-made."

  From the corner came a gentle snore as the Abbe Gaultier unphased by the increasing bumpiness in the roads settled into a deep sleep. Mesnager asked Prior: "Pray monsieur, what is your official title?"

  "Ministre extraordinaire is the title on the letter appointing me."

  Mesnager smiled not understanding the politicking of the title which sounded imposing to him but which reflected Queen Anne's extraordinary view that a 'person of mean extraction' should not be allowed to represent their country despite his eminent qualifications having been present at the Anglo-French negotiations leading to the Barrier Treaty and being under-secretary to the former envoy, the earl of Jersey. The queen had even objected to Jersey though not upon his nobility but that for various reasons she disliked him. He was otherwise a skilled diplomatist, spoke French and grasped international affairs.

  To the great good fortune of the English, Mathew Prior was skilled in trade matters having been a one-time Commissioner of Excise leaving that post to become Under-secretary to the Earl of Jersey. Mesnager would not have understood at that time the complexities of English business being himself connected to French banking circles, in particular the Rothschilds, which though present in England, had little to do with actual trading.

  English trade was burgeoning and to protect which it needed to strengthen the Royal Navy. In Parliament this had led to tension between two political parties the Whigs who stood for trade, industry and banking, and the Tories who represented the landed gentry and the Church. Parodoxically Prior's mission was a Tory initiative but engineered for personal ambition rather than the welfare of England.

  Mesnager wondered what was monsieur Prior's brief concerning the Pretender. The Earl of Jersey confessed to him that he envisaged a Jacobite restoration in England and Mesnager had reported as such to his chief, the marquis de Torcy, yet false promises had been raised before without a positive outcome and he wondered whether, after all, the shrewd English politicians were using the possibility, for bargaining purposes.

  The carriage began to pass soldiers, and groups of uniformed men then columns of them who shook their fists at him as the carriage forced them on to the verges. The number of men seemed to indicate a military camp in the vicinity and spotting a cluster of houses in the distance he guessed he was nearing a village or small town and was on the alert as the team slowed down as it passed outlying cottages and houses.

  Mesnager’s attention was diverted by the increased rattling of the carriage sounding louder as he realised they were passing along a road with occasional houses on both sides and soon they were passing across a village square and could not fail to notice men in uniform, some of ragged appearance standing around. He sensed their hostility by their staring eyes. He heard a shout then more and saw men running at the carriage, but it was going too fast and he heard Maurice shouting, heard the crack of his whip urging them yet faster. All three men stared at each other as bangs were heard and the acrid whiff of burnt gunpowder assailed their nostrils. Then a ball must have struck the door of the coach for there was a splintering of glass followed by the whistle of the wind blowing in the gap, but they were now free of the village.

  "Is anyone hurt?" It was Mesnager and Prior indicated he needed to stand and did so hanging on the side as glass splinters fell from his lap onto the floor. Relieved each sat back in their seat, the Abbe once again resuming his doze. Prior suddenly felt the urge to laugh and did so; Mesnager laughed and soon nervous tension caused them both to laugh. It relieved the fear which had reared up in each of them.

  The horses after that mad, headlong dash now slowed and Mesnager spoke: "As you saw monsieur, the situation in France is desperate in places and Prior asked helpfully: “Monsieur St John explained about your gendarmerie. We had heard about some unrest in France and he wanted to reassure me."

  Mesnager sighed: "Usually the gendarmerie would be expected to prevent any unrest. Alas, many are former soldiers themselves and sympathise with the insurgents." Prior clucked sympathetically and changed the subject by speculating where they could be and finally said: "Where are we monsieur? When and where do you plan to stop for the night?

  Mesnager replied: "Amiens should not be too far. I expect Maurice will stop at the same inn as on the previous occasion. Judging from the countryside, it should not be far."

  To their right an expanse of water appeared and shimmered in the evening sun and Mesnager speculated it was the River Somme. He said: "You will like the proprietress of the Veau en Gros, the inn. Her name is Madame Poulin and she was recently widowed but she is still very gay.

  Prior gave Mesnager a quick look" "She seems to have made a hit with you, monsieur. My only hope is that she can cook."

  "Her savoury pies are delicious, I assure you monsieur."

  "Alors! C'est magnifique." Answered Prior and Mesnager chuckled. Both men had to hold on as the coach was making a tight turn as Maurice was turning into the yard of an inn.

  "It looks as though you will be trying those pies sooner than I thought, monsieur."

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  Having ascertained the hour of sunrise and having notified all concerned of his wish for an early start, Mesnager was surprised to discover Maurice coming out of Madame Poulin's apartment though he reasoned, Madame was a widow and Maurice a strong, virile young man so there was no reason for raised eyebrows especially as the coachman had already shown his worth as together they manhandled the horses into the shafts of the carriage in preparation for the onward journey. He discussed the encounter the previous day and whether any trouble might be expected anywhere along the route to Paris, as, for example, at the bridge where they were due to cross the fast-flowing river Somme; Maurice assured him there would be none at that time of the day and so it proved.

  The great limestone plateau that formed much of Artois and Picardy was crossed by rivers though only three were of concern namely the Therain which could be skirted, the Oise which was bridged and later on having reached Paris, the Seine, which must be crossed in order to arrive at the Quai d'Orsay on the left bank. So anxious was Mesnager about aspects of the journey that he failed to point out to monsieur Prior the magnificence of the gothic cathedral at Amiens.

  After traversing interminable stretches of countryside boasting wave after wave of market gardens producing vegetables, fruit and flowers necessary for the provisioning of a great city, Prior began to notice huge tracts of unbroken swathes of grassland with the occasional paddock and the presence of horses, at first in dozens, then hundreds, many with riders exercising them, taking them through disciplined routines or perhaps just allowing their mounts to gallop either in pairs or together in the company of others. Mesnager was keen to point out that the area they were travelling through was Chantilly, home to the largest concentration of horses in France for the training and supply of bloodstock to many royal houses as well as to many aristocratic families throughout Europe.

  On the outskirts of the city of Paris Mesnager had arranged for the carriage to stop with a view to watering and feeding the horses. It was situated at St Denis and seemed to Prior to resemble a small fort consisting of a round tower above which a flagpole flew a pennant emblazoned with the fleur-de-lys, an emblem of the royal house. Inside the tower was an office to which Mesnager went showing his credentials to a smartly dressed clerk who stamped it allowing Mesnager to obtain the victuals for their four horses.

  To Prior's enquiry about the sign outside which read COURRIER, Mesnager told him this post at St Denis was part of a nationwide network visited by king's messengers. Sadly the place had a rundown look arising out of shortages occasioned by the war. When Maurice had arranged for the horses to be fed and watered, he let down the rea
r flap and prepared a picnic such as they had enjoyed at Wissant though the bread bought at their overnight inn was stale, the butter running away and the cheese stank somewhat. Even so with the exception of the Abbe Gaultier, the three proved the maxim that hunger is the best appetiser. The wine though no longer cool was also thirst quenching.

  As they ate Mesnager told Prior the legend of St Denis who, it seemed, had refused to abandon his faith when the Roman garrison had been commanded to re-affirm their beliefs in the ancient gods of Rome, by swearing an oath and upon a refusal, the army imprisoned the centurion, Denis, and when he still refused to deny Jesus Christ, he was publicly beheaded. At this point fact blurs into legend as Denis is alleged to have picked up his head and walked, to the astonishment of the army, the citizens and fellow Christians, who, inspired by Denis' act, solemnly marked the spot where he ultimately succumbed to having no head, and caused a church to be erected. He was later canonised.

  Resuming their journey, the travellers passed through thick forests surrounding the city emerging into farmland and settlements. Farms gave way to cottages and cottages to houses and subsequently to rows of houses and Prior remarked the change of terrain under the wheels as the carriage rumbled over paved roads and joined the former, ancient Roman road when Paris was known as Lutece. From there Maurice turned towards Montmartre.

  Mesnager explained to Prior that the road over which they were travelling formerly marked a boundary of Paris upon which were ramparts manned by soldiers. Louis however had changed all that commanding the ramparts to be pulled down and a new kind of road to be built, a boulevard, naming the first after a famous predecessor, Henri IV, who was reported to have declared after re-conversion to the universal faith: "Paris is worth a Mass!"

  "Voila, la Seine!" Mesnager shouted with joy as he sighted the riband of water snaking its way in the distance through Paris before the carriage took a gentle downhill road from Monmartre towards their destination. Prior also enthused with Mesnager though on approaching the Quai d'Orsay he was suddenly conscious of the momentousness of the event for him, and turning to Mesnager nervously exclaimed:

  "How do I recognise the marquis? How do I know it is the marquis?"

  Mesnager looked bewildered though admitted to himself that were he to visit someone in England not having seen him before he might find himself in a similar position. He asked his companion: "How will his excellency recognise you, monsieur Prior?"

  Prior replied instantly: "By my letter of accreditation," and then rummaging in his personal valise, added: "do you recall her majesty’s three line power, signed and sealed by the queen herself."

  Mesnager thought a moment recalling that the earl of Jersey and the marquis de Torcy had been formally introduced, or so he had been led to believe by the earl. He said to Prior almost as a joke, that being a stranger he could not very well lose his head over such a simple question of identity; Prior smiled nervously back at Mesnager then recalling his earlier story said:

  "Your St Denis has set me an example. I wonder how far I shall get."

  It broke the tension and they both enjoyed the joke.

  Chapter 23

  Mathew Prior had been technically correct in raising the issue of credentials with his opposite number, Nicolas Mesnager, though had he been aware of the fevered atmosphere in French diplomatic circles at that time, he might have regarded the matter as superfluous. At the time his excellency, the marquis de Torcy was beset by ill-wishers increasing in numbers over the past six years of military failure which ultimately led back to Louis' Court and in particular the king's minister for foreign affairs. It had come as a bolt from the blue in the midst of a perceived threat to the safety of the state the news that certain people among their enemy, fearful of Le Malbrouk's continuing success and its consequences, were anxious for peace. Yet the marquis was too experienced a courtier on receiving Louis instructions, not to insist that these be put in writing. In essence they were no different to the credentials Mathew Prior held from the queen.

  The marquis learned from the Abbe Gaultier, on his parole to return to England, that it was commercial advantage that was sought by the English who, it seemed, had no interest in humbling France. After subsequent visits and exchanges he also learned of the divisions within the court of Queen Anne though these divisions were being negated by the growing power of Parliament. It astonished him even more to learn that the person pulling the strings, the leading exponent for peace, was not a member of the House of Lords but a member in the lower House of Commons and moreover that this gentleman had no official position in the government. He learned his name was Robert Harley, son of a prosperous merchant, who had fought for Parliament in the Civil War.

  Furthermore the Abbe Gaultier had informed him that Harley had gained access to the Queen Anne through the good offices of his cousin, a certain Mistress Abigail Hill, to the detriment of the Abbe's earlier contact, the earl of Jersey. This last fact was disheartening as one of the arguments used to persuade Louis towards peace was the hope of a Jacobite restoration in England, and one thing the marquis had learned in his long association with his monarch was the latter’s ambition, even obsession, to drive the catholic faith forward. The Sun King thought of himself as the prime champion of the Catholic Church in Christendom having taken up the banner of Spain's Philip II, who had in his age tried to chastise England and bring it back to the true faith.

  Louis’ dream had been shattered by the Duke of Marlborough who had been demonised to the extent that his army spoke of him fearfully as 'le Malbrouk', translating as ‘the bad guy’, yet Providence might provide a way out especially in view of the latest information to reach the marquis that political circles in England regarded 'le Malbrouk' with as much fear in their own situation as Louis had come to regard him. Moreover he was doubly pleased to pass onto his master that this solution might only affect Spain's overseas territories and therefore not involve the Fatherland in humiliation.

  In the Courts of both England and France, commercial advantage held no particular kudos so obsessed were they with military and diplomatic one-upmanship, and accordingly, the marquis contacted a banking house patronised in the raising of loans to finance Louis' campaigns. A Monsieur Nicolas Mesnager had duly presented himself to the marquis who, upon the arrival of the Abbe Gaultier in Paris, had introduced the two men. Mesnager's subsequent words were as music to the marquis' ears for, it seemed, Robert Harley, in England, under the queen’s patronage, had promised the French they need never again suffer another military defeat once certain mercantile and commercial advantages could be guaranteed to England. What cared the French nobility about their entrepreneurs, explorers and settlers in the New World often risking death and injury for the glory of France, but who could be surrendered at a stroke of a nobleman's pen to save royal humiliation.

  The fact that Gibraltar and Minorca would also be ceded was Spain's affair which, in French eyes, should not have suffered them to be lost to the English in the first place. The fact that it was French military defeat that caused these cessions was overlooked. Moreover it was an irony and not a little inequitable that the partner which had achieved some military successes at Alamanza and Brihuega should be the one to suffer. In the marquis’ estimation it served them right: Had not Spain precipitated the crisis leading to war? Yet although he confided such thoughts to Mesnager he would not dare express them to his monarch, closely linked as he was to Spain’s royal family.

  Nevertheless the marquis was called upon to concede the loss of territories consoling his master they were overseas and far away. Acadia lost to the New Englanders and already renamed Nova Scotia had been a base for French privateers; also Port Royal, renamed Annapolis after the queen. The loss of Newfoundland would hit French fishermen particularly hard as a lot of private investment had gone into equipping its harbours and inlets to process the cod caught in the icy waters. Yet French fishermen should not have been too surprised at the surrender of Canadian manufacturing capacity as Louis had alre
ady yielded to home manufactories, enjoying a presence at court, by a punitive decree directed at French colonists that 'Anything that competes with manufactories in France must never be made in the Colonies.'

  Mathew Prior's earlier misgivings as confided to Nicolas Mesnager proved superfluous as the opportunity did not arise to meet the marquis who was scarcely ever at his office in the Quai d'Orsay. Having delivered his messages from the queen and the detailed terms from Robert Harley to the Bureau de la Ministere pour Les Affaires Etrangers, Prior was assigned a room in order to study the French proposals in detail by translating them into English and checking out details with Mesnager or clerks at the ministry. Mesnager would make the journey to Versailles in order to confer with Torcy to resolve particular difficulties. This was tedious to Prior as there was a deal of waiting around as Mesnager had already advised him that walking Parisian streets was taboo. This ban also prevented him accompanying Mesnager to Versailles. It seems it was the marquis who had issued instructions to withhold permission from the Englishman; he wanted no incidents.

  Yet Mesnager made his stay as pleasant as possible and having discovered a mutual interest in Greek and Roman poets and dramatists, Prior was extended the freedom to browse the Quai's excellent collection of classics of Horace, Vergil, Aeschylus and many more. Indeed, he saw his own translation of Ovid's Metamorphosis published in 1684, and he and Mesnager spent many happy hours comparing his with Mesnager's own unpublished translation. England had moved ahead in publishing also as Mesnager needed a patron to finance his work while Prior had sought out a publisher from a number in competition.