Evening journal., 1896-08-12
PRISONEROFCHILLON
The REAL MN NOT AS BYRON
PAINTED HIM IN VERSE.
His History an Interesting Romance Con-
tanning the TBasicaI and the Frivolous.
Convivial Habits His Chief weakness.

"h 'ie Apasicai and the Frivolous.
CoAvivial Habits His CHIEF weakness.
Every traveller who visits Geneva. Vevay
or Chamouni makes a pilarimape 70 tho v
castle of Chillon, and, if familiar with
Byron's poem, indulges in much senti-
mental objnrgatiorov the tyranny which \
conslgncu the hero OF the poem a-e his i'll |
fated brother TO the gloomy fortress Aside
from the TACT that Francois Bounivard WAC
conilneu There Tor six years and the marks
left by his footsteps as he paced the gloomy
crypt-confirmed by his one recorded rom
iniscence of his four years of dungeon life
that she had such abundant leisure for
promenading that he wore in the rock
pavement little path as neatly as If it had
been done with Atone hammer''-the
whole poem is, as Byron himself styles it.
"a fable, " and the two brothers. the mar
tyred father, the anguish of the prisoner.
were all the invention of the poet on n
rainy day in the tavern at Auchy, when
and where he wrote the story. Even the
level Of the dungeon below the water of the I
lake turns out TO be a mistake, although
Bonnivard believed it was so. The floor of /
the crypt is eight feet above high water
mark.
The accounts in English about Bonni-
wards life have been heretofore very
meager, though they are voluminous in
French, and Downward himself, after his i
release and return to Geneva, wrote a very
full narrative Of himself and his adven-
lures, though surprisingly reticent about
his prison existence.
Leonard Woolscy Bacon who appears to
have found leisurewhen at Geneva to study
up considerable amount Of recondite cru
dition among the archives there, has un-
earthed the whole history of Downward
and given a readable summary Of it in
little volume entitled "Irenics and Polem-
les, " in which he also uncovers the mcaly
side OF 5,io celebrated st. Francis de Sales,
strips Garrison of much OF his reputation
as an antislavery pioneer and polemically
discusses some interesting church history.
According to his account, Downward,
though q layman, having never taken
Inonastic vows or holy orders, and wild
young fellow at tho time, was by arrange
ment at Rome invested on the decease Of
his uncle the former prior, with the spir-
itual and temporal authority and emolu-
ments, OF no inconsiderable amount, OF the
priory Of St Victor, rich Benedictine
monastery just outside the eastern gate of
Geneva, surrounded with walls and moats
OF its own, independent Of the bishop of
Geneva and Of the city, with a cortege Of
dozen well provided monks
Here the young prior held gay and fes
tive court, imbibed and indulged his ap
petite freely, heard causes, sentenced &C
prison, and otherwise aped royalty and
autccracy. &c had come from the uniyer
sity with theories of republican liberty, and
| St Victor became an outpost in defense OF
the liberties of Geneva and a rendezvous OF
all the young Liberal leaders of that little
republic. Many stories are told of his in
terference to oPreyent injustice by the Duls
/ of Savoy and the bishop Of Geneva, anC
his rescue Of prosecuted persons from theiI
tyrannical measures but thereby he made
/ himself especially obnoxious TO those pow
erful individuals, who eventually workeC
! out his ruin. He was traitorously in
weighed by two of his most trusted friends
compelled to Eenounce his priory in favo
of one of them and turned over TO tho
custody Of the duke, who imprisoned hin
I for two years in one OF his castles, Will
at the same time the bishop and the dulS
sub5ugated the city Of Geneva and bnpris
oned, tortured and hanged the citizens.
Some five years lnteF Downward got pos
session again of his pricry, but the estate
had been wrestcd from it by the duke and
bis minions, and he had TO depend ON tht
bounty Of the city Of Geneva for some
thing to live on, amounting to 81 crown.
monthly-harily suflicient to enable hin
to keep up state worthy Of the dignity q
1 a sovereign. He had again made himself
very obnoxious to the duke by attempting
to regain By force Of arms some of thi
estates Of which he had deprived the priory
! and, having gone TO visit his mother, VIII,
was i'll at her old home at Seyssel, In So
voy, he was seized IN his attempt 70 retuTl
/ - l., :.
the dukes castle OF Chillon, and for 81.
years he was hidden from the world.
The first two years he was kept In th
upper chamber of the castle and treatee
kindly, but at the end OF this time, ON th
duke visiting the castle, he was rcmandel
TO the awful and somber crypt. In 15S
the army of Bern effected his release, ans
he was taken in triumph TO Geneva, wher
he found a revolution, duke and bisho
and all their functionaries having been ex
PEELED and the reformers having taken tn
place Of priests and friars. St. Victor wa
no more; only a heap of ruins He was al
lowed to select a house, given and furnish
ed at the public expense a pension Of 20
crowns year was settled on him, and h
was made a senator Of the republic.
But his old conviv4al habits revived, an
he was in continual difficulties with th
r officials and his wives, OF whom ne nad
succession three, but yet devoted muc
! time TO his literary work. His creates
/ tfcuble was with the church authorities
Calvin at their head, who could not easil
allow for his infrmities, and by them h
was looked upon as a aweakling IN religion
matters He fingered along TO the age &
n, watched with nlial gratitude by the liz
tie state whose liberty he had helped {
= save and whose heroic history he had n
corded. The manuscript Of that work wa
referred to a committee with Calvin at til
head, who declined TO have it printed, br
: after the lapse Of many years "it has bee
the pride of Geneva scholars 10 print
-, elegant arthnic style every page written b
j the prisoper Of Chfllon in prose or verse
q on history, poetry, philosophy and theo
q ogy." The cherished collection of Bonn
wards books, which he bequeathed to th
It city, as he died childless, has grown int
Is the library Of a university, and the lit
walled town for whose ancient liberty
veltured such perils and suffered such in
phsonments is and for the 800 years sinC