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THE THREE MUSKETEERS

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Title: The Three Musketeers

Author: Alexandre Dumas, Pere

Release Date: March 01, 1998 [EBook #1257]
Reposted: November 27, 2016 [corrections made]

Language: English

Character set encoding: UTF-8

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE THREE MUSKETEERS, BY ALEXANDRE DUMAS, PERE ***

Produced by John P. Roberts III, Roger Labbe, Scott David Gray, Sue Asscher, Anita Martin, David Muller and David Widger.

THE THREE MUSKETEERS
 
By
 
Alexandre Dumas, Pere
 
First Volume of the d’Artagnan Series
 
 
CONTENTS

AUTHOR’S PREFACE

1 THE THREE PRESENTS OF D’ARTAGNAN THE ELDER

2 THE ANTECHAMBER OF M. DE TREVILLE

3 THE AUDIENCE

4 THE SHOULDER OF ATHOS, THE BALDRIC OF PORTHOS AND THE HANDKERCHIEF OF ARAMIS

5 THE KING’S MUSKETEERS AND THE CARDINAL’S GUARDS

6 HIS MAJESTY KING LOUIS XIII

7 THE INTERIOR* OF THE MUSKETEERS

8 CONCERNING A COURT INTRIGUE

9 D’ARTAGNAN SHOWS HIMSELF

10 A MOUSETRAP IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY

11 IN WHICH THE PLOT THICKENS

12 GEORGE VILLIERS, DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM

13 MONSIEUR BONACIEUX

14 THE MAN OF MEUNG

15 MEN OF THE ROBE AND MEN OF THE SWORD

16 IN WHICH M. SEGUIER, KEEPER OF THE SEALS, LOOKS MORE THAN ONCE FOR THE BELL

17 BONACIEUX AT HOME

18 LOVER AND HUSBAND

19 PLAN OF CAMPAIGN

20 THE JOURNEY

21 THE COUNTESS DE WINTER

22 THE BALLET OF LA MERLAISON

23 THE RENDEZVOUS

24 THE PAVILION

25 PORTHOS

26 ARAMIS AND HIS THESIS

27 THE WIFE OF ATHOS

28 THE RETURN

29 HUNTING FOR THE EQUIPMENTS

30 D’ARTAGNAN AND THE ENGLISHMAN

31 ENGLISH AND FRENCH

32 A PROCURATOR’S DINNER

33 SOUBRETTE AND MISTRESS

34 IN WHICH THE EQUIPMENT OF ARAMIS AND PORTHOS IS TREATED OF

35 A GASCON A MATCH FOR CUPID

36 DREAM OF VENGEANCE

37 MILADY’S SECRET

38 HOW, WITHOUT INCOMMDING HIMSELF, ATHOS PROCURES HIS EQUIPMENT

39 A VISION

40 A TERRIBLE VISION

41 THE SEIGE OF LA ROCHELLE

42 THE ANJOU WINE

43 THE SIGN OF THE RED DOVECOT

44 THE UTILITY OF STOVEPIPES

45 A CONJUGAL SCENE

46 THE BASTION SAINT-GERVAIS

47 THE COUNCIL OF THE MUSKETEERS

48 A FAMILY AFFAIR

49 FATALITY

50 CHAT BETWEEN BROTHER AND SISTER

51 OFFICER

52 CAPTIVITY: THE FIRST DAY

53 CAPTIVITY: THE SECOND DAY

54 CAPTIVITY: THE THIRD DAY

55 CAPTIVITY: THE FOURTH DAY

56 CAPTIVITY: THE FIFTH DAY

57 MEANS FOR CLASSICAL TRAGEDY

58 ESCAPE

59 WHAT TOOK PLACE AT PORTSMOUTH AUGUST 23, 1628

60 IN FRANCE

61 THE CARMELITE CONVENT AT BETHUNE

62 TWO VARIETIES OF DEMONS

63 THE DROP OF WATER

64 THE MAN IN THE RED CLOAK

65 TRIAL

66 EXECUTION

67 CONCLUSION

EPILOGUE

AUTHOR’S PREFACE

In which it is proved that, notwithstanding their names’ ending in OS and IS, the heroes of the story which we are about to have the honor to relate to our readers have nothing mythological about them.

A short time ago, while making researches in the Royal Library for my History of Louis XIV, I stumbled by chance upon the Memoirs of M. d’Artagnan, printed--as were most of the works of that period, in which authors could not tell the truth without the risk of a residence, more or less long, in the Bastille--at Amsterdam, by Pierre Rouge. The title attracted me; I took them home with me, with the permission of the guardian, and devoured them.

It is not my intention here to enter into an analysis of this curious work; and I shall satisfy myself with referring such of my readers as appreciate the pictures of the period to its pages. They will therein find portraits penciled by the hand of a master; and although these squibs may be, for the most part, traced upon the doors of barracks and the walls of cabarets, they will not find the likenesses of Louis XIII, Anne of Austria, Richelieu, Mazarin, and the courtiers of the period, less faithful than in the history of M. Anquetil.

But, it is well known, what strikes the capricious mind of the poet is not always what affects the mass of readers. Now, while admiring, as others doubtless will admire, the details we have to relate, our main preoccupation concerned a matter to which no one before ourselves had given a thought.

D’Artagnan relates that on his first visit to M. de Treville, captain of the king’s Musketeers, he met in the antechamber three young men, serving in the illustrious corps into which he was soliciting the honor of being received, bearing the names of Athos, Porthos, and Aramis.

We must confess these three strange names struck us; and it immediately occurred to us that they were but pseudonyms, under which d’Artagnan had disguised names perhaps illustrious, or else that the bearers of these borrowed names had themselves chosen them on the day in which, from caprice, discontent, or want of fortune, they had donned the simple Musketeer’s uniform.

From that moment we had no rest till we could find some trace in contemporary works of these extraordinary names which had so strongly awakened our curiosity.

The catalogue alone of the books we read with this object would fill a whole chapter, which, although it might be very instructive, would certainly afford our readers but little amusement. It will suffice, then, to tell them that at the moment at which, discouraged by so many fruitless investigations, we were about to abandon our search, we at length found, guided by the counsels of our illustrious friend Paulin Paris, a manuscript in folio, endorsed 4772 or 4773, we do not recollect which, having for title, “Memoirs of the Comte de la Fere, Touching Some Events Which Passed in France Toward the End of the Reign of King Louis XIII and the Commencement of the Reign of King Louis XIV.”

It may be easily imagined how great was our joy when, in turning over this manuscript, our last hope, we found at the twentieth page the name of Athos, at the twenty-seventh the name of Porthos, and at the thirty-first the name of Aramis.

The discovery of a completely unknown manuscript at a period in which historical science is carried to such a high degree appeared almost miraculous. We hastened, therefore, to obtain permission to print it, with the view of presenting ourselves someday with the pack of others at the doors of the Academie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres, if we should not succeed--a very probable thing, by the by--in gaining admission to the Academie Francaise with our own proper pack. This permission, we feel bound to say, was graciously granted; which compels us here to give a public contradiction to the slanderers who pretend that we live under a government but moderately indulgent to men of letters.

Now, this is the first part of this precious manuscript which we offer to our readers, restoring it to the title which belongs to it, and entering into an engagement that if (of which we have no doubt) this first part should obtain the success it merits, we will publish the second immediately.

In the meanwhile, as the godfather is a second father, we beg the reader to lay to our account, and not to that of the Comte de la Fere, the pleasure or the ENNUI he may experience.

This being understood, let us proceed with our history.

1 THE THREE PRESENTS OF D’ARTAGNAN THE ELDER

On the first Monday of the month of April, 1625, the market town of Meung, in which the author of ROMANCE OF THE ROSE was born, appeared to be in as perfect a state of revolution as if the Huguenots had just made a second La Rochelle of it. Many citizens, seeing the women flying toward the High Street, leaving their children crying at the open doors, hastened to don the cuirass, and supporting their somewhat uncertain courage with a musket or a partisan, directed their steps toward the hostelry of the Jolly Miller, before which was gathered, increasing every minute, a compact group, vociferous and full of curiosity.

In those times panics were common, and few days passed without

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