Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1858-04-08

III Shall oe SO, COuSlu, sdlu Ne, 'Uul Will
one stipulation: you mus: answer to me
with your honor for the safety of the heaC
of the Marquis dc Giac."
81 answer for his life, sire" said the con-
stable. Then turning to the marquis:
"My lord marquis" said he, you are my
prisoner"
A few hours after the visit of the con-
sta de to King Charles, the Marquis de
Giac was prisoner in Bourges on the
charge of having squandere! the money be-
longing TO the royal treasury. This, at
least, was the form under which the con-
stable had proposed to himself to retaliate
upon the marquis for long list Of offerces
he had for some time committing with i'm
punity, feeling himself safe under the es-
pecial protection of the king. The pris-
oner was fully aware of the danger of the
position in which he was placed, although
the word Of the king, as well as that of the
constable, was undoubtedly security for his
life. But are there no punishments infinite
" more pain full than death. Are there not
tor,ures insufficient to destroy the thread
of life, vet, in comparison with which, death
itself would be boon! And what was
there to hope from the protection of aweak
and frivolous king. at the time when the
will of the constable was Of greater weight
than that of his master!
Giving himself up to these reflections, his
head resting on his TWO hands, the marquis
sat in corner of his dark and dismal prison,
awaiting the arrival of the messenger who
vas to make known to him his fate: for in
those days no heightened process was neces-
sary for the condemnation of one who bad
fallen under the diSpeasure Of the constable.
1t was, therefore, that same evening that
the door of the prison opened, and the mayor
of Bourges, attended by two sheriffs, ap-
peared before the marquis. A long roll of
paper in the hand of the former announced
to him that his fate was decided.
"My Lord Marquis &c Giac,'' said the
mayor, after clearing his throat, and unrol-
ling the paper "draw near, and hear the
sentence which the good city OF Bourges, ac-
cordng to right and conscience, passes upon
you"
The prisoner. by nature not timd, and en-
dowed with certain strength of soul which
enabled him 10 meet with fortitude inevi-
table evils, arose coura geously, and walking
up to the mayor almost with an air OF pride:
"Let me hear it!'' SAID he. rBut, pray, use
not many words"
GAS you command" replied the mayor.
bowling low as he spoke; and then he pro-
Ill OF his
office, as follows:-"The supreme admins
traitor of the laws of the good and true city
of Bourges DEGREES, according to right and
conscience, that Arthur Phebus Charles,
Marquis de Giac. be held guilty of having
Improperly and fraudulently squandered the
royal treasure, and that he be accordingly
attanted of high treason and condemned to
suffer death by the sword"
"Ho&! Death!" cried the prisoner, more
in anger than in terror.
"Allow me to proceed, my lord marquis;
I have not vet done," said the mayor; and
he read on: "In consideration, however, OF
its having pleased his majesty, our most gra
cious king and master, TO pardon with his
royal word the said Marquis de Giac, and to
grant him his life, so shall the sentence
pronounced upon him be commuted and
changed to penance, which commu.ati ion,
however, can only be obtained by the con-
demned declaring in his own handwriting
that he is willing to undergo the sentence
of death, and to renounce the favor of the
royal pardon offered him."
"And what is the penance which | am 10
prefer to death-in what does it coIsist!''
asked the prisoner, turning pale:
81. is as follows" said the mayor, reading
further:-"That Arthus Phebus Charles,
Marquis de Giac, shall bind himself to put
to death with the sword tomorrow morn
ing. before sunrise, in the open market
place of BOurges, one of the criminals at
present convicted OF murder"
U;tering cry of rage and horror, the
prisoner sank on the bench of his cell, and
the door Immediately closed upon the reti-
ring mayor and his attendants.
When we consider the degradation at
tached to the office OF public executioner in
the middle ages, the contempt in which the
man who filled it was hell, and his low po-
sition in a civil community, we shall be able
to form some idea of the refined cruelty con.
tanned in the so-caled penance inflicted on
the Marquis de Giac, To come in contact
even in the remotest degree, with that ad,
ministrator of criminal justice, was held tc
be disgrace which not even the royal au.
rhority was sufficient entirely to obliterate
and the meanest citizen would have prefer.
red death to that act which the authorities
of Bourges had imposed, under the name o.
penance, upon man OF ancient and hon.
orabe race, and one who had long SO I'd nigh
in the favor of crowned head.
Al the dawn of day, on the 5h Of June
I456, an agitation began on the market
place Of Bourges, which announced tha
: something, as unusual as it was important
was about to take place. Out of all the
houses, streets and alleys streamed men ant
women of all ages, who assembled around 8
circle marked out with pests in the middle
OF The market place, the entrance to which
, was strongly guarded Sy well-armed sol
diers. Although the morning twilight di'
not afford clear spot, still there was gen
eral idea OF what was to follow; and thos
who stoo1 nearest could discern a lightly
, erected stage, the sight of which left nj
l doubt as to It's object. 1t was a scafiold
5 which awaited its victim.
The expectation and the interest depict
< ed on the countenances of the constantl
increasing mass, was very decidedly differ
. ent from that which was usually observe
e on like occasions. The difference had it
e rise in the circumstance that the presen
: occasion was Lol one of a common eXecu
e ton, but, as was already known to the in
babitsnts of Bourges, an example of the ad
Q ninis,ration of justice, hitherto altogethe
o withou, precedent. Besides this, the unu
:; sual time of day, as well as the place, Con
| contributed much to lend solemnitv to tn
whole: for gullows had never before bee
lnnun tn ha e-ertpd within the Drec inrts r