The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-03-17

visit to the Bishop OF Nantes, and was
informed by that prelate Of certain hide
Gus rumors which prevailed concerning
the secrets of the Marshal's castle. The
Duke listened to the recital in horrilied
surprise, and promised the Bishop all the
assistance in his power to bring De LA.
val to trial. Accordingly q strong party
was sen. to summon the nobeman to an
swer the charges made against him ln-
stead of seeking safety in flight the
Marshal quietly suffered himself to be
taken, relying, no doubt, upon his wealth
and power to defy his accuscrs. But his
minions deserted him at the moment Of
arrest, and gave evidence against him OF
the most frightful kind, De Retz, seeing
all was lost, burst into tears (strange that
such monster could shed tears), and
made a confession, at which, according to
the chronicler, all present "crossed them
selves for fear" 1t appeared that the
wretched creature was victim of some
horrible superstitions-among others that
power and wealth might be acquired by
sacrificing human beings to the devil;
and he acknowledged having for this pur-
pose burned alive or tortured to death no
fewer than 140 children. One of his
myrmidons confessed to have himself en.
ticed forty victims to the castle. A tun
full of calcned bones was found in one Of
the monsters dens, and a much greater
number hidden away IN his other residcn-
ces. He had employed astrologcrs to
counsel and aid him in his designs, and
to invent various novel methods Of tor
turing his helpless victims. For these
and many other sckening crimes he was
sentenced to be burned alive at Nantes.
But he belonged to a rich and powerful
family, who were not ashamed to inter-
cede for him; and they succeeded in OBJ
.ainipg orders that the criminal should
first be strargled and iheu burnt. The
body was not consumed, however, and
"damscs Of high degree removed the
remains by night and gave them honorable
burial De Retz is said to have been
very handsome and learned man. The
strangest part Of his superstition consist
ed in the belief that he could propitiatc
the good aud evil powers at the same
time and Just before his execution he
expressed his firm conviction that be was
going to heaven.
"PooR BIT SOBER. ."-"Sir," said the
unfortunate Tom Marshall, Of Kentucky,
ip his great temperance speech, 81 would
not exchange the physical sensations, tho
mere sense Of animal being, which be-
Longs 10 man who totally leirains from
all that can utoxicate his brain or de-
range his nervous structure--the elasticity
with which he bounds from his couch in
the mo, ning--ihe sweet repose 1t yields
him at nght--the feeling with which he
drinks 10, through his clear eyes, the
beauty and the grandeur Of surrounding
nature | say, sir, [ would not exchange
my conscious being as a strictly temper
ate man-the sense Of renovated youth
the glad play with which my pulses now
beat healthful music-the bounding viva
city with which the life blood courses its
exutipg way through every fibre Of my
frame-the communion high which my
healthful car and eye now hold with all
the gorgeous universe of God-the splcn-
dor of the morning, the sottnoss Of the
evening sky-the bloom, the beauty, the
verdure Of earth, the music Of the air ard
the waters with all the grand associa-
tions of external nature reopened to the
ine avenues Of sense; no, sir, though
poverty dogged me-though scorn point
ed its slow finger at me as | passed
though want aud destitution, aud every
element of earthly misery, save only
+ crime. met my waking eyes from day tc
day; not for the brightest and the mobiles
wreath that ever encirced q statesman.
brow-not if some angel commissioned by
heaven, or some demon rather sent iresl
, from hell to test the resisting strength oI
virtuous resolution, should tempt me back
with all the wealth and all the honors
which world can bestow not for all that
, time and earth can give, would L cast
, from me this precious pledge of liber
ated mind this talisman against tempta'
, ton, and plunge again into the danger.
and horrors which once beset my path
so help me heaven, as | would spurn be.
meath my very feet all the gifts the uni
: verse could offer, and live and die as
am, poor but SOBER"
, Alas poor Tom This speech made
noiso in the world at the time it wa
f delivered, but, alas before its echoc.
had died away, the pledge was broken
the "talisman" cast off, and the noyitat,
, teetotaller once more houndering amiJ
those dangers and horrors" his deliver
ance from which he had so fondly deome,
f lasting, and had SO rapturously cclebrat
? ed. Doubtless he clung resolutely t,
3 to what he felt to be the rock Of his sal
walton, but the waves of appetite, lashe,
| by the winds Of sensibility, overwhelmc,
him, and swept him away.
=, THE SECRET OF BUTTER MAKING.-A
correspondent of the Springfield Repnllf
. . can gives some interesting details Of th'
dairying at a model farm, "Longvlew,