CHAPTER XXII.
It was late in the day when I returned to Gourville's lodging, and Ithought he would have gone mad with joy when I told him the success ofmy attempt. He frankly avowed to me also, that, though well accustomedto dangerous enterprises, he had listened during my absence for everysound, expecting each minute to find that I had been arrested, andthat a lettre de cachet had been sent for his own apprehension.
"And did you really think, Monsieur Gourville," I demanded, "that,even had I been stopped myself, I would have implicated you?"
"There is no knowing, Monsieur,--there is no knowing," replied he:"the question is not a pleasant thing, and I have never been able totell how I should myself behave under its infliction. I acknowledgethat it is just as likely that I should yield all sorts of secrets toits potent influence, as that I should conceal them."
"Of course, then, I can neither be surprised nor offended," I replied,"at your attributing to me the same feelings. But to speak of othermatters: to-morrow early I shall go out to St. Maur, to see if afriend, whom I expect there, has returned; but I shall be back in theevening, and you will find me at my auberge by five o'clock." Thusended our conversation, and we parted.
It is wonderful what changes a few hours produce in this life. Onleaving Gourville that night, we were both as fully persuaded asmortal men could be, that our scheme was going on better and bettereach hour. Nor did we entertain a doubt that we should be able tocarry it forward successfully to the close. Ere I had risen from mybed, however, the next morning, I was surprised by some one knockingsharply at my chamber door; and on opening it, the first thing I sawwas the face of Gourville, apparently many shades paler than it hadbeen when I left him the night before. "We are lost!" he said; "someunfortunate accident has discovered our whole design."
"Unfortunate, indeed," I answered; "but let me hear, my good friend,what is it that has filled you with such sad tidings this morning,when I left you last night borne up upon the very pinions of hope?"
"I have just discovered," he replied, "that after a long consultationbefore day-light this morning between the Duke de Beaufort, theArchbishop coadjutor, the Cardinal, and the Duke of Orleans, Monsieurde Beaufort himself, with three troops of cavalry, set out forVincennes a little before the dawn; and, after searching every villagein the neighbourhood, proceeded to the ch?teau, and there remains."
This information was certainly alarming enough; but still it seemed tome necessary to obtain some more correct intelligence in regard to thecauses of these movements on the part of the Court than Gourville hadyet obtained, ere we decided upon abandoning an attempt, which, as faras it had proceeded, had been conducted with great success. Gourvillecoincided with me in opinion; but the difficulty was, where and how toobtain the information that we required.
"At all events," he said, "it is my duty to communicate immediatelywhat has occurred to the poor fellow, Franc-c[oe]ur, through whom Ihave carried on my correspondence with the soldiers at Vincennes. Hebelongs to another company of the guards, who are now in Paris; and asthe matter may touch his life, should we be actually betrayed, I mustgive him instant notice, that he may betake himself to a place ofsecurity. As I go, I will endeavour to obtain all the information Ican, and will return in less than an hour, and let you know mydiscoveries."
He was as good as his word, and returning even paler than before,seemed somewhat surprised to find me quietly eating my breakfast, asif nothing had occurred to derange my ordinary habits, or affect myappetite. He now told me that he had found the serjeant not onlyinformed of all the particulars with which he himself was acquainted,but also possessed of a knowledge of their cause. This he hadcommunicated to Gourville, who now related it to me, and it appearedthat one of the soldiers, who had been trusted with the scheme fordelivering the Princes, had taken fright the day before, and,pretending to confess himself at the church of N?tre Dame, had giventhe penitentiary a billet, informing him that, on the followingSunday, at three o'clock, the Princes were to be set at liberty, bymeans of an understanding between their friends and some personswithin the castle of Vincennes.
"Now," continued Gourville, "although Franc-c[oe]ur declares that,notwithstanding this piece of treachery, he is sure his comrade willnot betray us any farther, yet, as it is clear that our scheme is nowhopeless, and as I never put great faith in any man's resolution underthe influence of the question, I think it will be a great deal betterboth for you and me to leave Paris as fast as possible."
"Certainly, as the scheme is hopeless," I replied, "I see nothing thatshould detain us; and therefore I shall return with all speed toBrittany; where, perhaps, it may be advisable," I added, with a laugh,"to tell Monsieur de Villardin by no means to put any trust in allthose fine petitions and remonstrances of the Princess Dowager, ofwhich you boasted so much when first I saw you."
"No, no," replied Gourville, smiling in turn; "let him not rely uponthem for the liberation of his princely friend. Tell him rather, forme, that I now look upon it as absolutely impossible to obtain thefreedom of the Princes by any means but the sword. The Parliament andthe Queen are alike resolved not to give them their liberty; and it isto the efforts of their friends alone that we must look for theirdeliverance."
After a few more words to the same effect, we parted; and mounting thesturdy little horse which I had bought to carry me to Vincennes, Irode away as hard as I could, on the side of Brittany. When I hadcompletely tired out my beast I again took the post, and pursued myway towards Dumont, with very little rest or cessation. It is true,when I arrived I was desperately fatigued, for nine days had taken meto Paris and back, a distance of more than seven hundred miles; andduring the period of my absence, I had spent two whole days and partof another in the capital. Nor had I any very consolatory remembrancesto make me bear up with spirit under my corporeal weariness, havingbeen foiled in my endeavours to serve the Prince, at the moment thatsuccess seemed within my grasp; but, at all events, I felt that I hadsome reason to be satisfied with my journey, inasmuch as I hadobtained every information that Monsieur de Villardin could require,and had found an opportunity of personally seeing and attempting toaid his friend, though our scheme had ultimately proved ineffectual.The chief mortification, indeed, which I experienced, arose from afear that the Prince de Cond?--who would, of course, remain ignorantof the events which had taken place without the walls of hisprison--might imagine that I had deceived him; and I could onlyconsole myself by remembering that one day he must learn the truth.
On arriving at Dumont, everything I saw announced that Monsieur deVillardin had not waited for the information which he had sent me toseek, ere he formed his determination. The desire of a change of sceneand thought, and the wish to deliver his friend, had overcome everyother feeling, and he was, in fact, actually in arms when I arrived.At first he would scarcely believe that I had performed the journey,but when he learned all that I had done besides, he loaded me withthanks and praises.
He then told me his own plans, and informed me that he could but allowme one day for repose, as on the Thursday morning following he wasabout to march, with all the forces he had been able to collect, forBordeaux.
"I sent off Gaspard de Belleville to Bordeaux," he added, "the morningafter your departure for Paris, charging him with a letter for thePrincess, and another for Monsieur de Bouillon. In each of these Isaid, that unless the Princes were liberated within three weeks, theirfriends might expect to see me in Guyenne. As Gaspard is now of age,too," he added, in that sort of peculiar discursive tone which a manassumes when he wishes to communicate a matter of particular interest,as if it were one of no interest at all--"as Gaspard is now of age,too, to enter the service, I have requested Monsieur de Bouillon togive him a commission in one of the regiments at Bordeaux; but I havenot forgotten you, and as I wish you always to be near me, I proposeto give you a troop in the regiment of cavalry I am now raising.Monsieur de Turenne had a company of infantry at your age, and I seeno reason why I should not do the same
for you, especially as I have agreat lack of officers who have stood fire."
Although, to tell the truth, I would much rather have entered theservice on the part of the King and the Court, than on the part oftheir adversaries, yet the idea of activity and enterprise seldom cameamiss; and I thanked Monsieur de Villardin sincerely for his kindness,but added, that I trusted he would find the means of keeping me nearhim.
"I will make you my aide-de-camp," he replied; "but we have a numberof other arrangements to attend to. Go, therefore, and lie down fortwo or three hours, and then join me in the esplanade at the end ofthe park."
I did as he bade me, as far as the lying down went; but, though tiredto death, I could not sleep. I was much refreshed, however, even bythe sort of repose I obtained, and as soon as I thought the time wasexpired, I got up and walked out to the esplanade, where I found thatMonsieur de Villardin was occupied in reviewing, or rather drilling,the regiment he had been employed in raising during my absence. Fourhundred men made the extent of his force, and amongst them only two,who had served in the wars of Paris, could give any assistance inmatters of discipline, if we except half a dozen wild young nobles ofthe neighbourhood, who had joined the corps of the Duke, but who werenot present on this occasion. I may say, then, that I was of no slightassistance to Monsieur de Villardin on that and the following day; forthough he was undoubtedly an excellent officer, yet, of course, hecould not drill four hundred men without help from some one. Thecavaliers whom we had to deal with were in general tall, powerful men,from the upper districts of Brittany; and though they looked stupidenough at first, yet, when what they were to do was explained to them,they proved neither dull of comprehension, nor slow in execution.
That which pleased me more than anything else in the whole scene was,to observe that, while in actual exertion and activity, the deep heavygloom which had overshadowed the countenance of the Duke ever sincethe death of his wife, passed away, and for the time he was himselfagain. This change only lasted for the time, it is true, and themoment he turned from the esplanade, the cloud was as dark and sternas ever. Indeed, this observation may apply to the whole of the restof his life. In the field I have often seen him cheerful, and evengay; but the moment that the temporary stimulus was withdrawn, hewould fall back into a deep and bitter melancholy, which I never sawenlivened even by a smile. Generally after supper he retired to asolitary chamber, and there remained alone for several hours. Atfirst, I fancied that he occupied himself in reading, for which healways had a strong taste; but being obliged, on more than oneoccasion, in the course of the civil strife that ensued, to break inupon his retirement, I almost always found him immersed in deepthought, with his cheek resting on his hand; and never saw a book nearhim during those hours of the night that he thus passed alone.
On our return from the esplanade, which did not take place till a latehour of the evening, we found Father Ferdinand walking in theflower-garden with Mademoiselle de Villardin, and smiling upon all heryoung and graceful sports with that bland expression of reflectedenjoyment which sits so well upon the lip of age. As soon as thelittle Laura beheld me, she sprang up as usual to my neck, and, makinga sort of seat of my arm, scolded me with childish vehemence for mylong absence.
"He will be absent from you still longer, my sweet child," saidMonsieur de Villardin, kissing her cheek; "and therefore you mustremember to keep far from the water, as there will be no one there tosave you. Do you know, my good father," he added, turning to thePriest, "that child would soon make me a very coward? The only thing Ifear, in going to do what I conceive my duty, is, that I may never seeher again."
He waited for no reply, but turned into the house, and we followed.After supper, Father Ferdinand and myself were left alone, and I nowlearned more of the arrangements which Monsieur de Villardin had foundit necessary to make, than he had himself communicated. As Brittanywas in general loyal, and the governor most decidedly attached to theCourt, against which the Duke was now in arms, he had determined uponsending his whole household with Mademoiselle de Villardin, andeverything easily moveable, both from the Pr?s Vall?e and from Dumont,to the estates of his late wife at Virmont in the Orleanois, where hisdaughter, being in the immediate neighbourhood of her grand-uncle,Monsieur de Loris, would, he fancied, be much more safe than inBrittany.
"They have already arrested the wife and sister of the Duke deBouillon," said the Confessor; "and Monsieur de Villardin thinks thatif they imprison women as a sort of surety for their relatives, theymay equally well imprison children. He has prevailed upon me," addedthe good Priest, "to go to Virmont also, and to superintend theeducation of his daughter, though God knows I have every inducement tostay in this province, and no worldly motive has ever been able tomake me quit it hitherto. Here I was born," he continued, musing:"here are all the associations of my infancy and of my age; nor did Ithink to leave it, though the Duke has frequently asked me. But I havenow yielded to another voice more persuasive than his."
"Indeed!" I said, in some surprise; and he instantly added, more inanswer to my look than to the exclamation,--"The voice of my ownheart, my son."
The conversation then rambled on in a desultory manner; and the worthyFather, ere we parted, gave me an infinity of good advice, which, ofcourse, I was the more willing to take, because he put it less in thedogmatical form of directions in regard to my own conduct, than underthe semblance of the results of his own experience and generalobservations upon man and the world. He exacted from me a promise,also, that I would write to him continually, giving him not only anaccount of the general events in which I was about to mingle, but alsodetailing my own actions, thoughts, and feelings, as far as it waswise and prudent to do so by the insecure conveyance of the post.
"In your letters to me, my son," he added, "you cannot be too minute;for, believe me, everything that concerns you, your health, yourwelfare, the progress of your mind, and the success of your fortunes,are all a matter of interest to me in no slight degree."
He has acknowledged to me since, that his chief motive, in exactingfrom me this promise, was not so much the desire of watching over myconduct himself, as the wish to add a sort of safeguard to all thegood principles he had endeavoured to instil into my mind; wellknowing that the sense of moral responsibility is seldom so vivid inyouth as greatly to affect our actions, unless some co-operatingrestraint compels us continually to examine our own hearts minutely.He did not choose to suffer his motive to appear at the moment,however laudable he knew it to be, fully understanding that mydisposition was not one to submit to any checks but those I chose toimpose upon myself. I notice this fact, indeed, more as a slight traitof that petty policy, which the good Father suffered to mingle withhis other more estimable qualities, than from any effect that wasproduced upon myself; as my absence at Bordeaux was too short, and thecircumstances in which we were placed were too difficult, to admit ofany extended correspondence between us at that time.
On the Thursday morning we began our march, and advanced rapidlytowards Bordeaux, crossing an immense extent of country, which was atthat time in a state of disorganization and confusion, which nobodywho did not see it at that period can possibly conceive. Indeed, Iwill not attempt to describe it: for no one living under an orderlyand well-conducted form of government would believe that such acomplete state of anarchy and misrule could be produced, throughout awhole country, by the follies and dissensions of half a dozen unrulyand ambitious men. Although a single regiment would at any time havestopped us on our march, it not only seemed that no regiment was to befound in the whole tract which we traversed; but such was the state ofapathy and confusion that reigned in every part of the kingdom, thatno town or village through which we passed appeared to have had theslightest intimation of our approach till we showed ourselves in itsstreets. Monsieur de Villardin himself, quite accustomed to the sortof warfare which we were pursuing, advanced direct upon Bordeaux withvery little caution, taking care, indeed, to avoid those towns whichhe knew to be garrisoned for the Court; but heedless
altogether,--atleast, so it seemed to me,--in regard to the movements of our enemies,who were certainly marching in considerable force towards the samepoint with ourselves. The whole business, indeed, was conducted in sodifferent a manner from that which I had seen in our civil wars inEngland, that I could not but come to the conclusion that the Frenchwere decidedly a better-tempered people than my own countrymen; and,without being braver, that they bore every sort of misfortune,fatigue, and danger, with a degree of light carelessness that noEnglishman could have affected, much less felt, under similarcircumstances.
How it happened that we did not encounter the army of Monsieur deMeilleraie I cannot at all explain, as we certainly must have passedwithin five miles of his camp. So, however, it did happen; and, aftera march of rather more than ten days, we entered the city of Bordeaux,amidst the acclamations of the people, and the rejoicings of ourfriends and partisans. We found the town, indeed, in a veryunpromising condition for undergoing a siege. Provisions and stores,it is true, were most abundant, the people were zealous in the causeof the Princes, a considerable force of veteran troops were within theplace, and the generals were experienced and determined; but thefortifications of the city itself were, to all appearance, incompetentto resist for a single day the attack of a regular army. Theinhabitants would not hear of the suburbs being destroyed, for thedefence of the rest of the city; and it became necessary to protectthem also against the enemy, who was now approaching rapidly.
Diligence and activity, however, remedied many defects. Severalredoubts were thrown up on the upper side of the Garonne; the oldcastle of Blancfort, which had seen the days of the Black Prince, wasdestined once more to receive a garrison; and numbers of the citizensworked day and night at the wall and trenches, in order to put them ina state for resistance before the approach of the royal army. By thistime the Duke of Epernon was within a few miles of the city, and thefirst active operations were undertaken on the side of Blancfort, fromwhich place Monsieur de Chambon, our mar?chal de camp, was forced tomake a precipitate retreat. An effort was made on the part of theBordelais to support him, in which our regiment took a share: but thenature of the ground which the enemy now occupied, was so strong, thatall we could accomplish was to cover the retreat of the mar?chal decamp, which was now effected without difficulty and in good order. Onthat side the Duke was held at bay; but the King and Court were bythis time at Libourne, while Monsieur de Meilleraie was advancingtowards the faubourg St. Surin, which seemed quite untenable; and itwas evident that he intended, if possible, to take advantage of itstotal want of defences, in order to storm the city by the PorteDigeaux.
It so happened, however, that in advance of the gate was a dunghill,on which had been thrown a considerable quantity of rubbish, left bysome improvements which had been carried on about two years before inthat quarter of the town, the whole forming an elevation of a fewfeet, at a short distance from the Porte Digeaux. On visiting thespot, to see what might best be done for the defence of the gate, theDukes of Bouillon and Rochefoucault, together with Monsieur deVillardin and several others, advanced to the top of this littlemound, in order to gain a better view of the surrounding objects, whenit suddenly struck some one, I do not know whom, that the very heap onwhich they were standing might be converted into a half-moon, for thedefence of the gate. No sooner was this plan proposed than it wasexecuted. What little additions the time permitted were immediatelymade; and, though it was utterly impossible either to erect a parapetor to dig a fosse, a dunghill and a pile of rubbish thus became theprincipal defence of the city of Bordeaux.
Scarcely were these preparations complete, when the attack upon thefaubourg commenced; and, while the Mar?chal de Meilleraie himselfproceeded to force the barricades which had been erected in thestreets, and were defended vigorously by the Duke de Rochefoucault, adetachment was sent round by the vineyards and corn-fields, in orderto turn the faubourg, and attack the half-moon from the west. Thispart of the plan, however, had been foreseen by Monsieur de Bouillonand Monsieur de Villardin; and although the mar?chal succeeded inforcing the barricades in the faubourg, the detachment which I havementioned got entangled amongst the hedges and walls of the vineyards,which had been previously garnished with several corps of infantry,and was glad to effect its retreat with the loss of nearly sevenhundred men.
The events of the day gave great encouragement to the people ofBordeaux; and, though we found it very difficult to prevail upon themen to defend the half-moon with any degree of regularity, yet,whenever it was attacked by the enemy, a sudden sortie from the PorteDigeaux and one of the neighbouring posterns succeeded, in allinstances, in repelling the assailants, and sweeping their trenches asfar as they had been conducted.
I do not propose to give any minute account of this well-known siege.The part I took in it was little more than that of a common soldier,though, by volunteering my services upon all occasions and in everysort of occupation, I was continually in the midst of the fire. By aspecies of stupidity, or perhaps, from early initiation into suchscenes of peril, I have never been able to remember, when actuallyengaged in battle, that there was any sort of danger to beapprehended; and though, when Monsieur de Villardin and the Duke deBouillon,--who about this time took a good deal of notice ofme--reprehended me for exposing myself madly, as they called it, Iused to make very strong and sincere resolutions of prudence andcircumspection; yet, whenever the next day came, and I found myself inthe sally, or on the half-moon, I quite forgot to look out for thedanger, and never remembered my resolutions till I was once morewithin the walls.
Little occurred to me of a personal nature, during the whole of myresidence at Bordeaux, that is at all worth relating. In the defence Iendeavoured to do my duty; and under such circumstances it is verydifficult to do more. I was fortunate enough, however, to please thosewho commanded, and received more praise for my conduct than I at alldeserved. As I was scarcely ever absent from the point of attack, mymore peaceful operations consisted principally in eating, drinking,and sleeping; and, as I knew nobody in the whole town, besides thepersonal attendants of Monsieur de Villardin,--with the exception ofGaspard de Belleville, who had now obtained a commission in theregiment of the Duke de Bouillon,--very little occurred to divert mythoughts even for a moment from the operations of the siege. Gaspard Isaw but seldom; but when I did so, we met upon, perhaps, better termsthan we had done in the house of Monsieur de Villardin. He hadacquired a great deal of strut and swagger, it is true, upon thestrength of his new situation; but, by this time, he knew me too wellto provoke me deliberately, and, therefore, always maintained a degreeof civility with which I was quite satisfied. I fancied, indeed, nowhe had left Monsieur de Villardin, and had embarked in an entirely newcourse of life, that the jealousy with which he had regarded me, onaccount of the Duke's preference for myself, had become extinct, andthat his hatred was consequently at an end; but in this I afterwardsfound that I was mistaken. I had but little opportunity of observinghis general conduct, but, from that which I did see of it, I shouldsay, that, though not wanting in courage, he was at this time anythingbut enterprising; and that the great favour which he obtained with hiscommander was principally acquired by those somewhat servile andinsinuating manners, which he knew well how to put on towards hissuperiors, though he was insufferably insolent and domineering toevery one below him.
One little adventure I certainly did meet with, which, though itproduced no results at the time, I could not help connecting in my ownmind with the presence of Gaspard de Belleville in Bordeaux. Havingreturned to my own lodging, in the evening of the sixth day of thesiege, in order to get something to eat, as I had not tasted foodsince the night before, I was suddenly disturbed at my supper, by acry of "Alerte! Alerte!--to the walls! to the walls!" and, hurryingout as fast as possible, I was proceeding towards the Porte Digeaux,when, at the corner of one of the narrow streets, I ran accidentallyagainst a lady handsomely dressed, and, nearly knocking her down,struck out of her hand the black velvet mask, called a _loup_, whichwas then
very generally used by women in the higher classes, under thepretext of defending their complexions from the sun or from the sharpair. Stooping hurriedly down, I picked up the mask, and returned it tothe lady, raising my eyes to her face, for the first time, as I didso. My surprise was not a little, I confess, to see in such gayhabiliments Madame Suzette, the suivante of the late unhappy Duchessde Villardin. She had recognised me sooner, and was gazing on me withan expression of countenance which I shall not easily forget,--such astrange mixture of coquetry, and hatred, and self-satisfied vanity didit display. Taking back her mask, she continued to gaze at me till shesaw me about to speak; and then applying it to her face, she turnedupon her heel with an air of insolent scorn, and, tripping down thestreet, left me to pursue my way to the walls. Nor, during the rest ofthe siege, did I see her again, although I think I should haverecognised her in despite of her _loup_.
For thirteen days the siege was continued with great activity; thehalf-moon remained in the hands of the Bordelais, provisions wereplenty, and the determination of the populace was but little shaken.However, the Mar?chal de Meilleraie, finding his attack upon the PorteDigeaux unavailing, entered upon a new plan of operations, and pushedhis trenches on the other side of the town, in the gardens between theArchbishop's palace and the convent called the Chartron. Our properquarters in the town lay in that very neighbourhood; Monsieur deVillardin having been assigned a house by the side of the cathedral ofSt. Andrew, and his men being billeted in the streets round about him.We could do nothing, however, to stay the progress of the besiegers;the trenches were carried on rapidly, and, notwithstanding salliesinnumerable, a battery of six pieces of cannon opened upon thecurtain, and very soon effected a practicable breach.
Of course, all was now anxiety in the city; and, though the generalsdid everything in their power to keep up the spirits of the Bordelais,assuring them that the breach was not practicable, that internal worksshould be thrown up during the night to remedy the evil, and that theythemselves, with their own followers, and the volunteers from thetown, would undertake to make good their defence against all thetroops which could be brought to act upon that point,--the peopleevidently lost heart; tumultuous meetings were held in different partsof the city; and I acknowledge that the only choice left for usappeared to me, either to be given up by the inhabitants as a sort ofpeace-offering to the Court, or, at least, to die in the breach,defending a town that was no longer defensible.
Such, I believe, was the general opinion also of the principalofficers and gentlemen engaged in the cause of the Princes; and itbecame a very difficult question how to act. Nor were the Bordelaisthemselves more decided. A number of generous voices were raisedagainst the very idea of delivering up the noblemen, who had trustedthem, to their bitter enemies; but the great multitude, which neverknows any mean between rashness and timidity, called loudly upon theirrulers to make peace with the Court at every sacrifice.
From this unpleasant situation both parties were suddenly andunexpectedly relieved. While the magistrates were in debate in oneplace, and the generals were in debate in another, and while thepeople, collected in every street and market-place, were murmuring attheir fate, and shouting against those who had brought it upon them,the news suddenly reached us, that a deputation from the Parliament ofParis had arrived at the gates, offering to negotiate a treaty betweenthe defenders of Bordeaux and the besieging force. Every one caughtgladly at the idea; a suspension of hostilities was immediatelygranted, and deputies both from the city and the generals returnedwith the Parisians to the town of Bourg, at which place the wholeCourt was assembled. The Queen, timid and vacillating, did notunderstand or believe how completely the city was in her power.Mazarin, unwilling to bring upon himself the overwhelming odium ofdestroying such a number of the noblest families in France as werethen cooped up in the city, did not press for any hard conditions; andI rather suspect that the Mar?chal de Meilleraie, having a greatnumber of friends amongst the besieged, rested satisfied with feelingthat he had the city in his power, if he were forced to proceed,without making known the full advantage of his situation to those whomight have been inclined to use it ungenerously.
The result, however, was, that the truce was extended to six days, andthat during that time negotiations were carried on, which terminatedin a treaty of peace, infinitely more favourable than the defenders ofBordeaux could have hoped or expected. It was agreed that full andfree pardon should be given to all the inhabitants of the town, intowhich the Court should enter, unaccompanied by any other troops thanan ordinary guard; that the Princess de Cond? and her son might retirein safety to Montrond, and that a general pardon should be given toall the other persons concerned directly or indirectly in theresistance offered by the city to the royal forces, upon the solecondition that the leaders should solemnly pledge themselves never tobear arms against the King again.
The Little Ball O' Fire; or, the Life and Adventures of John Marston Hall Page 22
