The aegis & intelligencer., 1898-12-30
TIE tGISANnI\IELLIG
aEL AIR. MO-, DECEMBER 80, 1898.
RASTlLI.E lUXURIES.
Ti4G KING WAS A GENEROUS HOST
TO HIS PRISONERS.


TO HIS PRISONERS.
II2 Even Granted These Inmates of
His fail WIZ" Were poor Il rcnsion,
3"4nt They Might Live HcE-NIar-
rionteI and HIS L:lcI.e3's Dinner.
An enforced stay in the most splendid
palace would prove an inliction to any
freebcrn, ambitious child Of m&n. Com
pulsory well being jars as acutely upon
our senses as helpless misery. To be here
today and gone tomorrow is Tor the ad-
ycnturous the true secret of happiness
and "a genuine suffering is inflicted ny the
assurance that you could not ii you would
leave comfortable library for the doubt
iul pleasures of the town.
There was, then, IA definite hardship i'm
posed upon those who sojourncd III the
BastillC--a restricted movement an omi-
nous certainty of lnaction, for which not
even the best society and the oldest wine
could wholly atone But apart from tho
necessary restriction y stay in the famous
prison of Paris was little moro than an
agreeable diversion. 1t seemed indeed as
though the king were on mis- mcttle. His
greatest anxiety was for the comfort Of
my prisoners" us he curiously styles
them. Again and again you will find
notes. signed by the royal hand, insisting
that the tastes of the gentlemen whose
liberty was for awhile curtailcd should be
gratifcd without stint or complaint.
In the first place, not every one was free
of the Bastille. The crimes punished by
imprisonment in this august dungeon
We're not, III the golden age at least, the
common crimes of robbery and murder.
No man was deserving a lcttro do cnchut
who had not proved a danger to the state
or who had not sufCriUuusiy insultCd tie
monarch of his court. 1t was indeed u
form of os,racisin, this removal TGr awhile
from the dan gers and anXiCtiCs Of common
life, and honor dictated that the victims
of "a courtly system should be well fed and
kindly treated Richelieu, to whom
Franco owes, among other digniticS, her
famous academy, first devoted the BastilIc
to the reception of iEc0nveniCnt opponents,
and from the reign OF Louis NH the celc-
braeed fortress became the luxurious pris-
on of Il powerful ariStocracy.
When Dassompierro passed across the
draw bridge in 1851, he complains that he
was permitted 10 othcr attendants than
two Wallets and cook, and hCnccforth no
IltIl IbJlt IIkNtl !Ni4Nt 4'i 44A7 S'ii4i'i .
either upon his own cxcrtion 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 imponetrable walls tho
king was so eager to prove his hospitality
that he instantly allowed him reasonable
pension.
Not u Few prisoners were able to feed
nln tbn,,,SalN-pS like lRn1pI1 and
then to save u comfortable sum out of tho
money allowed them by their sovereign.
The rooms in which they were confined
were lofty and we'll aired. The furniture
was arranged according to the taste OF the
occupant-Mme. de Stacl, for instance
| hung her walls with rich tapestries and
! many q distinguished culprit carried with
| him to tho FauboUrg 1t. Antoine his fam
| ily portraits or Il sumpUuOus library. Nor
| is it least significant that the prison bar
| Der visited his clients every morning with
| "A silver basin. perfumed soap and EN-
! broidercd towel.
But it was the kitchen that was the
| peculiar glory of the place. Tho best res
taurant in Paris coUld hardly supply such
! dinners wUTo laYiShCu upon the cap
| tives, whom the popular imagination load-
| ed with irons and surrendered to ruNonl2g
| rats in dark cells. One Instance out CI
| many is enough.
Soon after Marmontcl arrived in the
| dungeon, accompanied by mis- servants, be
was disturbed by the drawing of bolts and
the turning Of keys. Two jailcrs, silent
| ard discreet, entered to serve the dinner.
! The plates We're of common cruckery, and
the linen, though white, was coarse and
rough. Nor WAS the cutlery such as be-
! came an eminent man OF letters. The
| food, however, was excellent, though it
was Friday, and meat was piously with
held.
a soup of white beans, with the freshest
b".tor, was followed by u dish Of the same
l....i perfectly cooked. Then came a cod
! lsh CxQuisiteiy seasoned with garlic, SO
fine IN taste and odor, says the captive,
| that it would have 1lattercl the palate Of
the grecdiest Gascon. The wine was not
of the lest, but il was p&ss1ble, and the
| absence of dessert seemed the one and Caly
| fault At any rate, MarInontcl seemed in
good spirits and reflected that after all
! prison fare was not d1spicablc.
But no sooner WAS the repast finished
than again the bolts were drawn, and the
two jailCrs entered again, this time carry
| ingsa pyramid of plates At the sight OF
| the lDc pOfCGldtNi JLo QCilGitS II-ltii, t+ie
| silver knives and forks, MarIuontcl recog'
nized his mistake. He had eaten his
lackcy's dinner, and there was nothing tc
| be done but for the lackCy to take his re-
venge upon what was prepared for his
master And it was feast that might bC
served at London club or at the high
tablo of q learned foundation.
This time there was 10 thought of Fri
day-an excellent soup, IA suoculent slice
of beef, the thigh OF boiled capon, fried
artichol,cs and spinach, fine pear, fresh
| grapcs, bottle Of old burgundy and the
finest mocha! And to cap all the govern
or called within an hour to ask the pris-
oner If he had dincd well 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 exchanged
visits and received their friends. They
| played cards or devoted themselves to the
translation of the classics. One captive
desired violin. 1t was given him in
stantly. Another was an amateur of the
flute, and he was permitted ut reasonable
hours to gratify 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 amiablC
censorship was exercised by the lieutenant
of police, and so hear thar poem upon
the greatness of God was struck out OF the
catalogue on tho ground that it might
| prove too melancholy for the prisoners
| Exchange
MI II