, 1869-05-07

But OF the defense Of Candle, 10 1859 the
Turks took this King Of the Halles. eut of
bis head and sent 1t 10 Constautnople. The
Duke OF Monmouth vas another. But we'll
authenticated state records provo that the
blessed King James had him publicly e1ecu.
ted 10 tho city Of London, in 1855.
Msthioli, Secretary Of the Duke Of Man.
tua, was another. Aud 40 old physician Of
Cannes, who was called tn visit him profes.
sioually, 10 his prison at St. Marguerite, de.
clared that the man 10 the iron mask was
a womanj that he knew It BY the feeling Of
his pulse"
Whoever be was, il is quite evident that
the old fox, Cardinal Richelieu, and The
powers he served himself with, did not wish
to have his face seen. Nor did be deem il
expedient to conceal it at once and forever
in the grave it served him best to keep it
as menace for his enemies.
In an addition Of the editor to the works
Of Voltaire, published in I'LL, and eonse,
quently, while Votsire was still living, and
which addition the learned photographer,
Beucbot, ascribes TO Voltaire himself, it is
written The man in the iron mask
was, without doubt, the son of Anne of
Austria. aud consequently the brother of
Louis XIV, but not the son of Louis XIII,
her husband"
Whoever would know the whole argument
may consult the taid addition oi the editor
In the published works of Voltaire, or BY a
shorter cut may read iu the letter Of Benja-
min Franklin, written while he was ambas.
sador at the Court Of Versailles, to John
Jay, as follows:
q Yesterday l had a conversation with
the Duke de Ricbelieu. He seems favoraby
disposed toward our cause. l fattered him
very much in speaking of the administration
Of, his glorious relative, the Cardinal de
Richelieu. l took advantage of this occa-
sion to ask him if he was ignorant as to who
the man in the iron mask was, since it was
quite evident that he must have been born
during the administration Of the Cardinal.
My interlocutor first took an air of great
mystery; then, telling me that the matter in
question was secret Of state, he revealed
to me what follows, and which, without fear,
l con6de to you:
"The man in the iron mask was q child
of Anne of Austria, and probably the Duke
OF buckingham was MS latueT. lue queen
having no one in whom she dared con6de,
threw herself into the arms Of her enemy,
the Cardinal, who arranged everything so as
to hide the affair from the king. ItWns this
event which determined Richelieu to bring
the king and queen togcther-the latter, up
to this time, having been considered barren /;
thence the birth of Monsieur. The ilipgit>
innate child, al first cor6ded to Madame
Motteville, was after the death OF Richelieu,
taken away from her by Mazarin, who, from
the age of sixteen years until bis death, kept
him shut up in prison. The resemblance of
the captive to Louis XIV was astonishing; ;
and hence the mask they made him wear.
They wished to avoid political complications
as we'll as to hide the weakness of Anne OF
Austria"
The story runs that Louis XIV only knew
of the existence Of this elder brother from
Cardinal Mazarin at the hour of his death,
and that when near his own end he condded
the secret to the Regent d'Orleans, from
whose daughter. Mile. de YalIois, afterwards
Duchess Of Modena, the Duke de Richelieu
obtaine ed at period when he was her lover.