Twenty Years After

Alexandre Dumas

• Publisher: Read & Co. Classics
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN: 9781473326804
• eBook ISBN: 9781473376335
• Subtopic: Historical Literature

This antiquarian book contains Alexandre Dumas's historical novel, "Twenty Years After". The sequel to "The Three Musketeers", it is set twenty years after the first episode. The aging musketeers are coaxed out of retirement when a dastardly threat to the monarchy presents itself, but will they be able to succeed this time? Packed with intrigue and daring-do, "Twenty Years After" will not disappoint fans of Duma's work. Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870) was a famous French writer. He is best remembered for his exciting romantic sagas, including "Chicot the Jester" and "The Count of Monte Cristo". Despite making a great deal of money from his writing, Dumas was almost perpetually penniless thanks to his lavish lifestyle. His novels have been translated into nearly a hundred different languages, and have inspired over 200 motion pictures. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are becoming extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing this antiquarian book now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.

1. The Shade of Cardinal Richelieu.

In a splendid chamber of the Palais Royal, formerly styled the Palais Cardinal, a man was sitting in deep reverie, his head supported on his hands, leaning over a gilt and inlaid table which was covered with letters and papers. Behind this figure glowed a vast fireplace alive with leaping flames; great logs of oak blazed and crackled on the polished brass andirons whose flicker shone upon the superb habiliments of the lonely tenant of the room, which was illumined grandly by twin candelabra rich with wax-lights.

Any one who happened at that moment to contemplate that red simar--the gorgeous robe of office--and the rich lace, or who gazed on that pale brow, bent in anxious meditation, might, in the solitude of that apartment, combined with the silence of the ante-chambers and the measured paces of the guards upon the landing-place, have fancied that the shade of Cardinal Richelieu lingered still in his accustomed haunt.

It was, alas! the ghost of former greatness. France enfeebled, the authority of her sovereign contemned, her nobles returning to their former turbulence and insolence, her enemies within her frontiers--all proved the great Richelieu no longer in existence.

In truth, that the red simar which occupied the wonted place was his no longer, was still more strikingly obvious from the isolation which seemed, as we have observed, more appropriate to a phantom than a living creature--from the corridors deserted by courtiers, and courts crowded with guards--from that spirit of bitter ridicule, which, arising from the streets below, penetrated through the very casements of the room, which resounded with the murmurs of a whole city leagued against the minister; as well as from the distant and incessant sounds of guns firing--let off, happily, without other end or aim, except to show to the guards, the Swiss troops and the military who surrounded the Palais Royal, that the people were possessed of arms.

The shade of Richelieu was Mazarin. Now Mazarin was alone and defenceless, as he well knew.

“Foreigner!” he ejaculated, “Italian! that is their mean yet mighty byword of reproach--the watchword with which they assassinated, hanged, and made away with Concini; and if I gave them their way they would assassinate, hang, and make away with me in the same manner, although they have nothing to complain of except a tax or two now and then. Idiots! ignorant of their real enemies, they do not perceive that it is not the Italian who speaks French badly, but those who can say fine things to them in the purest Parisian accent, who are their real foes.

“Yes, yes,” Mazarin continued, whilst his wonted smile, full of subtlety, lent a strange expression to his pale lips; “yes, these noises prove to me, indeed, that the destiny of favorites is precarious; but ye shall know I am no ordinary favorite. No! The Earl of Essex, ‘tis true, wore a splendid ring, set with diamonds, given him by his royal mistress, whilst I--I have nothing but a simple circlet of gold, with a cipher on it and a date; but that ring has been blessed in the chapel of the Palais Royal, * so they will never ruin me, as they long to do, and whilst they shout, ‘Down with Mazarin!’ I, unknown, and unperceived by them, incite them to cry out, ‘Long live the Duke de Beaufort’ one day; another, ‘Long live the Prince de Conde;’ and again, ‘Long live the parliament!’” And at this word the smile on the cardinal’s lips assumed an expression of hatred, of which his mild countenance seemed incapable. “The parliament! We shall soon see how to dispose,” he continued, “of the parliament! Both Orleans and Montargis are ours. It will be a work of time, but those who have begun by crying out: Down with Mazarin! will finish by shouting out, Down with all the people I have mentioned, each in his turn.

_* It is said that Mazarin, who, though a cardinal, had not_ _taken such vows as to prevent it, was secretly married to_ _Anne of Austria.--La Porte’s Memoirs._

“Richelieu, whom they hated during his lifetime and whom they now praise after his death, was even less popular than I am. Often he was driven away, oftener still had he a dread of being sent away. The queen will never banish me, and even were I obliged to yield to the populace she would yield with me; if I fly, she will fly; and then we shall see how the rebels will get on without either king or queen.

“Oh, were I not a foreigner! were I but a Frenchman! were I but of gentle birth!”

The position of the cardinal was indeed critical, and recent events had added to his difficulties. Discontent had long pervaded the lower ranks of society in France. Crushed and impoverished by taxation--imposed by Mazarin, whose avarice impelled him to grind them down to the very dust--the people, as the Advocate-General Talon described it, had nothing left to them except their souls; and as those could not be sold by auction, they began to murmur. Patience had in vain been recommended to them by reports of brilliant victories gained by France; laurels, however, were not meat and drink, and the people had for some time been in a state of discontent.

Had this been all, it might not, perhaps, have greatly signified; for when the lower classes alone complained, the court of France, separated as it was from the poor by the intervening classes of the gentry and the bourgeoisie, seldom listened to their voice; but unluckily, Mazarin had had the imprudence to attack the magistrates and had sold no less than twelve appointments in the Court of Requests, at a high price; and as the officers of that court paid very dearly for their places, and as the addition of twelve new colleagues would necessarily lower the value of each place, the old functionaries formed a union amongst themselves, and, enraged, swore on the Bible not to allow of this addition to their number, but to resist all the persecutions which might ensue; and should any one of them chance to forfeit his post by this resistance, to combine to indemnify him for his loss.

Now the following occurrences had taken place between the two contending parties.

On the seventh of January between seven and eight hundred tradesmen had assembled in Paris to discuss a new tax which was to be levied on house property. They deputed ten of their number to wait upon the Duke of Orleans, who, according to his custom, affected popularity. The duke received them and they informed him that they were resolved not to pay this tax, even if they were obliged to defend themselves against its collectors by force of arms. They were listened to with great politeness by the duke, who held out hopes of easier measures, promised to speak in their behalf to the queen, and dismissed them with the ordinary expression of royalty, “We will see what we can do.”

Two days afterward these same magistrates appeared before the cardinal and their spokesman addressed Mazarin with so much fearlessness and determination that the minister was astounded and sent the deputation away with the same answer as it had received from the Duke of Orleans--that he would see what could be done; and in accordance with that intention a council of state was assembled and the superintendent of finance was summoned.

This man, named Emery, was the object of popular detestation, in the first place because he was superintendent of finance, and every superintendent of finance deserved to be hated; in the second place, because he rather deserved the odium which he had incurred.

He was the son of a banker at Lyons named Particelli, who, after becoming a bankrupt, chose to change his name to Emery; and Cardinal Richelieu having discovered in him great financial aptitude, had introduced him with a strong recommendation to Louis XIII. under his assumed name, in order that he might be appointed to the post he subsequently held.

“You surprise me!” exclaimed the monarch. “I am rejoiced to hear you speak of Monsieur d’Emery as calculated for a post which requires a man of probity. I was really afraid that you were going to force that villain Particelli upon me.”

“Sire,” replied Richelieu, “rest assured that Particelli, the man to whom your majesty refers, has been hanged.”

“Ah; so much the better!” exclaimed the king. “It is not for nothing that I am styled Louis the Just.” and he signed Emery’s appointment.

This was the same Emery who became eventually superintendent of finance.

He was sent for by the ministers and he came before them pale and trembling, declaring that his son had very nearly been assassinated the day before, near the palace. T...

Table of contents

• TWENTY YEARS AFTER
• Alexandre Dumas
• 1. The Shade of Cardinal Richelieu.
• 2. A Nightly Patrol.
• 3. Dead Animosities.
• 4. Anne of Austria at the Age of Forty-six.
• 5. The Gascon and the Italian.
• 6. D’Artagnan in his Fortieth Year.
• 7. Touches upon the Strange Effects a Half-pistole may have.
• 8. D’Artagnan, Going to a Distance to discover Aramis.
• 9. The Abbe D’Herblay.
• 10. Monsieur Porthos du Vallon de Bracieux de Pierrefonds.
• 11. Wealth does not necessarily produce Happiness.
• 12. Porthos was Discontented with his Condition.
• 13. Two Angelic Faces.
• 14. The Castle of Bragelonne.
• 15. Athos as a Diplomatist.
• 16. The Duc de Beaufort.
• 17. Duc de Beaufort amused his Leisure Hours in the Donjon of Vincennes.
• 18. Grimaud begins his Functions.
• 19. Pates made by the Successor of Father Marteau are described.
• 20. One of Marie Michon’s Adventures.
• 21. The Abbe Scarron.
• 22. Saint Denis.
• 23. One of the Forty Methods of Escape of the Duc de Beaufort.
• 24. The timely Arrival of D’Artagnan in Paris.
• 25. An Adventure on the High Road.
• 26. The Rencontre.
• 27. The four old Friends prepare to meet again.
• 28. The Place Royale.
• 29. The Ferry across the Oise.
• 30. Skirmishing.
• 31. The Monk.
• 32. The Absolution.
• 33. Grimaud Speaks.
• 34. On the Eve of Battle.
• 35. A Dinner in the Old Style.
• 36. A Letter from Charles the First.
• 37. Cromwell’s Letter.
• 38. Henrietta Maria and Mazarin.
• 39. How, sometimes, the Unhappy mistake Chance for Providence.
• 40. Uncle and Nephew.
• 41. Paternal Affection.
• 42. Another Queen in Want of Help.
• 43. In which it is proved that first Impulses are oftentimes the best.
• 44. Te Deum for the Victory of Lens.
• 45. The Beggar of St. Eustache.
• 46. The Tower of St. Jacques de la Boucherie.
• 47. The Riot.
• 48. The Riot becomes a Revolution.
• 49. Misfortune refreshes the Memory.
• 50. The Interview.
• 51. The Flight.
• 52. The Carriage of Monsieur le Coadjuteur.
• 53. How D’Artagnan and Porthos earned by selling Straw.
• 54. In which we hear Tidings of Aramis.
• 55. The Scotchman.
• 56. The Avenger.
• 57. Oliver Cromwell.
• 58. Jesus Seigneur.
• 59. Noble Natures never lose Courage, nor good Stomachs their Appetites.
• 60. Respect to Fallen Majesty.
• 61. D’Artagnan hits on a Plan.
• 62. London.
• 63. The Trial.
• 64. Whitehall.
• 65. The Workmen.
• 66. Remember!
• 67. The Man in the Mask.
• 68. Cromwell’s House.
• 69. Conversational.
• 70. The Skiff “Lightning.”
• 71. Port Wine.
• 72. End of the Port Wine Mystery.
• 73. Fatality.
• 74. How Mousqueton had a Narrow Escape of being eaten.
• 75. The Return.
• 76. The Ambassadors.
• 77. The three Lieutenants of the Generalissimo.
• 78. The Battle of Charenton.
• 79. The Road to Picardy.
• 80. The Gratitude of Anne of Austria.
• 81. Cardinal Mazarin as King.
• 82. Precautions.
• 83. Strength and Sagacity.
• 84. Strength and Sagacity--Continued.
• 85. The Oubliettes of Cardinal Mazarin.
• 86. Conferences.
• 87. Thinking that Porthos will be at last a Baron, and D’Artagnan a Captain.
• 88. Shows how with Threat and Pen more is effected than by the Sword.
• 89. Difficult for Kings to return to the Capitals of their Kingdoms.
• 90. Conclusion.