The record-union., 1898-11-18
In THE BAsTILE.
Luxuries Enjoyed by It's Inmates
The King as a Host.

Luxuries Enjoyed by It's Inmates
The King as a Host.
An enforced stay in the most splen-
did palace would prove an infiction to
any free-born, ambitious child of man;
compulsory we1l-being jars as acutely
upon our senses as helpless misery To
be here to-day and gone tomorrow Is
for the adventurous the true secret Of
happiness, and a genuine suffering is
inflicted by the assurance that you
could not If you would leave a. comfort
of the town. There was, then, a def
mite hardship imposed upon those who
sojourned in the Bastile-a restricted
movement, an ominous certainty of in
action, for which not even the best So
clety and the oldest Wipe could wholly
atone. But, apart from the necessary
restriction, a stay in the famous pris-
on Of Paris was little more than an
agreeable diversion It seemed, in
deed, as though the King were on his
mettle. His greatest anxiety was for
the comfort Of my prisoners" as he
curiously styles them Again and
again you will find notes, signed by the
the gentlemen whose liberty was for
while curtai1ed should be gratifed
without stint or complaint.
In the first place, not every one was
free of the Bastile. The crimes pun
ished by Imprisonment in this august
dungeon were not, in the golden age at
least, the common crimes of robbery
and murder. No man was deserving
a. la ahAf uI of
a danger to the State, or who had not
superfuously insulted the monarch or
his court. 1t was indeed, a. form of
ostracism, this removal for a while
from the dangers and anxieties of COM
mon life; and honor dictated that the
victims of a courtly system should be
Well fed and kindly treated Richelieu,
to whom France owes, among other
dignities, her famous Academy, first de-
voted the Bastile to the reception of in
convenient opponents, and from the
reign of Louis XIII. the celebrated
fortress became the luxurious prison of
a powerful aristocracy When Bas-
sompierre passed across the drawbridge
in 1851, he complains that he was per-
mitted no other attendants than two
Wallets and cook, and henceforth no
either upon his own exertion or the
faulty attention of unwilling jailers
Money could buy within all the luxury
that it bought without and should a.
poor man stray within the impenetrable
wallis. the King was so eager to prove
his hospitality that he instantly allowed
him a reasonable pension.
Not few prisoners were able to feed
Ln
and then to save a comfortable sum
out of the money allowed them by their
sovereign. The rooms in which they
were confined were lofty and well aired;
the furniture was arranged according
to the taste of the occupant-Mme. de
Stael, for instance, hung her walls with
rich tapestries, and many a distin-
guished culprit carried with him to the
Faubourg st. Antoine his family por-
traits or sumptuous library. Nor Is
it least significant that the prison bar
Der visited his clients every morning
with silver basin, perfumed soap and
embroidered towel
But it was the kitchen that was the
peculiar glory Of the place The best
restaurant in Paris could hardly sup
ply such dinners as were lavished upon
the captives, whom the popular imagi-
nation loaded with irons and surren-
dered to ravening rats in dark cells.
One instance, out Of many, is enough.
Soon after Marmontel arrived in the
dungeon, accompanied by his servants,
he was disturbed by the drawing of
bolts and the turning of keys Two
jailers, silent and discreet entered to
serve the dinner. The plates were of
common crockery, and the linen, though
white, was coarse and rough; nor was
the cutlery such as became an eminent
man of letters. The food, however,
was excellent, though it was Friday
and meat was piously withheld
A soup of white beans. with the
freshest butter. was followed by dish
Of the same beans perfectly cooked.
Then came a Goldfish exquisitely sea-
soned with garlic, SO fine in taste and
odor, says the captive that it would
have fiattered the palate of the greedi-
est Gascon. The wine was not of the
best, but it was passable, and the alb
sence of dessert seemed the one and
only fault; at any rate. Marmontel
seemed in good spirits, and reflected
& that after all prison fare was not des-
picable. But no sooner was the repast
finished then again the bolts were
drawn, and the two jailers entered
again, this time carrying a pyramid of
plates. AT the sight of the fine porce-
lain, the delicate linen, the silver knives
and forks, Marnontel recognized his
mistake. He had eaten his lackey's
dinner, and there was nothing to be
done but for the lackey to take his re-
venge upon what was prepared for his
master. And it was a feast that might
be served at a London club or at the
high table Of a learned foundation
This time there was no thought of
Friday. An excellent soup, a succu-
lent slice Of beef, the thigh of boiled
capon, fried artichockes and spinach, a
fine pear, fresh grapes, a bottle of old
Burgundy and the finest Mocha. And
20 cap ALL the Governor called within
an hour to ask the prisoner If he had
dined we'll, and to assure him that every
dish was served from his own table
| and carved with his own hand
Their dinner finished, the prisoners
did not lack distraction. They ex-
changed visits, and received their
friends; they played cards or devoted
| themselves to the translation of the
classics. One captive desired a violin;
1t was given him instantly. Another
was an amateur of the flute, and he
was permitted at reasonable hours to
crafty his taste. The library was
large and well chosen; no gentleman
who professed an interest in science
was disappointed, and the collection of
novels was celebrated. Moreover, an
amfable censorship was exercised by
the Lieutenant of Police, and we hear
that poem upon the Greatness of God
was struck out of the catalogue, on the