The exposure of the plot was most prejudicial to the prosperity of the
Ursuline community: spurious possession, far from bringing to their
convent an increase of subscriptions and enhancing their reputation, as
Mignon had promised, had ended for them in open shame, while in private
they suffered from straitened circumstances, for the parents of their
boarders hastened to withdraw their daughters from the convent, and the
nuns in losing their pupils lost their sole source of income. Their,
fall in the estimation of the public filled them with despair, and it
leaked out that they had had several altercations with their director,
during which they reproached him for having, by making them commit such
a great sin, overwhelmed them with infamy and reduced them to misery,
instead of securing for them the great spiritual and temporal advantages
he had promised them. Mignon, although devoured by hate, was obliged to
remain quiet, but he was none the less as determined as ever to have
revenge, and as he was one of those men who never give up while a gleam
of hope remains, and whom no waiting can tire, he bided his time,
avoiding notice, apparently resigned to circumstances, but keeping his
eyes fixed on Grandier, ready to seize on the first chance of recovering
possession of the prey that had escaped his hands. And unluckily the
chance soon presented itself.
It was now 1633: Richelieu was at the height of his power, carrying out
his work of destruction, making castles fall before him where he could
not make heads fall, in the spirit of John Knox's words, "Destroy the
nests and the crows will disappear." Now one of these nests was the
crenellated castle of Loudun, and Richelieu had therefore ordered its
demolition.
The person appointed to carry out this order was a man such as those
whom Louis XI. had employed fifty years earlier to destroy the feudal
system, and Robespierre one hundred and fifty years later to destroy the
aristocracy. Every woodman needs an axe, every reaper a sickle, and
Richelieu found the instrument he required in de Laubardemont,
Councillor of State.
But he was an instrument full of intelligence, detecting by the manner
in which he was wielded the moving passion of the wielder, and adapting
his whole nature with marvellous dexterity to gratify that passion
according to the character of him whom it possessed; now by a rough and
ready impetuosity, now by a deliberate and hidden advance; equally
willing to strike with the sword or to poison by calumny, as the man who
moved him lusted for the blood or sought to accomplish the dishonour of
his victim.
M de Laubardemont arrived at Loudun during the month of August 1633, and
in order to carry out his mission addressed himself to Sieur Memin de
Silly, prefect of the town, that old friend of the cardinal's whom
Mignon and Barre, as we have said, had impressed so favourably. Memin
saw in the arrival of Laubardemont a special intimation that it was the
will of Heaven that the seemingly lost cause of those in whom he took
such a warm interest should ultimately triumph. He presented Mignon and
all his friends to M. Laubardemont, who received them with much
cordiality. They talked of the mother superior, who was a relation, as
we have seen, of M. de Laubardemont, and exaggerated the insult offered
her by the decree of the archbishop, saying it was an affront to the
whole family; and before long the one thing alone which occupied the
thoughts of the conspirators and the councillor was how best to draw
down upon Grandier the anger of the cardinal-duke. A way soon opened.
The Queen mother, Marie de Medici, had among her attendants a woman
called Hammon, to whom, having once had occasion to speak, she had taken
a fancy, and given a post near her person. In consequence of this whim,
Hammon came to be regarded as a person of some importance in the queen's
household. Hammon was a native of Loudun, and had passed the greater
part of her youth there with her own people, who belonged to the lower
classes. Grandier had been her confessor, and she attended his church,
and as she was lively and clever he enjoyed talking to her, so that at
length an intimacy sprang up between them. It so happened at a time when
he and the other ministers were in momentary disgrace, that a satire
full of biting wit and raillery appeared, directed especially against
the cardinal, and this satire had been attributed to Hammon, who was
known to share, as was natural, her mistress's hatred of Richelieu.
Protected as she was by the queen's favour, the cardinal had found it
impossible to punish Hammon, but he still cherished a deep resentment
against her.
It now occurred to the conspirators to accuse Grandier of being the real
author of the satire; and it was asserted that he had learned from
Hammon all the details of the cardinal's private life, the knowledge of
which gave so much point to the attack on him; if they could once
succeed in making Richelieu believe this, Grandier was lost.
This plan being decided on, M. de Laubardemont was asked to visit the
convent, and the devils knowing what an important personage he was,
flocked thither to give him a worthy welcome. Accordingly, the nuns had
attacks of the most indescribably violent convulsions, and M. de
Laubardemont returned to Paris convinced as to the reality of their
possession.
The first word the councillor of state said to the cardinal about Urbain
Grandier showed him that he had taken useless trouble in inventing the
story about the satire, for by the bare mention of his name he was able
to arouse the cardinal's anger to any height he wished. The fact was,
that when Richelieu had been Prior of Coussay he and Grandier had had a
quarrel on a question of etiquette, the latter as priest of Loudun
having claimed precedence over the prior, and carried his point. The
cardinal had noted the affront in his bloodstained tablets, and at the
first hint de Laubardemont found him as eager to bring about Grandier's
ruin as was the councillor himself.
De Laubardemont was at once granted the following commission:
"Sieur de Laubardemont, Councillor of State and Privy Councillor, will
betake himself to Loudun, and to whatever other places may be necessary,
to institute proceedings against Grandier on all the charges formerly
preferred against him, and on other facts which have since come to
light, touching the possession by evil spirits of the Ursuline nuns of
Loudun, and of other persons, who are said like wise to be tormented of
devils through the evil practices of the said Grandier; he will
diligently investigate everything from the beginning that has any
bearing either on the said possession or on the exorcisms, and will
forward to us his report thereon, and the reports and other documents
sent in by former commissioners and delegates, and will be present at
all future exorcisms, and take proper steps to obtain evidence of the
said facts, that they may be clearly established; and, above all, will
direct, institute, and carry through the said proceedings against
Grandier and all others who have been involved with him in the said
case, until definitive sentence be passed; and in spite of any appeal or
countercharge this cause will not be delayed (but without prejudice to
the right of appeal in other causes), on account of the nature of the
crimes, and no regard will be paid to any request for postponement made
by the said Grandier. His majesty commands all governors, provincial
lieutenant-generals, bailiffs, seneschals, and other municipal
authorities, and all subjects whom it may concern, to give every
assistance in arresting and imprisoning all persons whom it may be
necessary to put under constraint, if they shall be required so to do."
Furnished with this order, which was equivalent to a condemnation, de
Laubardemont arrived at Laudun, the 5th of December, 1633, at nine
o'clock in the evening; and to avoid being seen he alighted in a suburb
at the house of one maitre Paul Aubin, king's usher, and son-in-law of
Memin de Silly. His arrival was kept so secret that neither Grandier nor
his friends knew of it, but Memin, Herve Menuau, and Mignon were
notified, and immediately called on him. De Laubardemont received them,
commission in hand, but broad as it was, it did not seem to them
sufficient, for it contained no order for Grandier's arrest, and
Grandier might fly. De Laubardemont, smiling at the idea that he could
be so much in fault, drew from his pocket an order in duplicate, in case
one copy should be lost, dated like the commission, November 30th,
signed LOUIS, and countersigned PHILIPPEAUX. It was conceived in the
following terms:
LOUIS, etc. etc. "We have entrusted these presents to Sieur de
Laubardemont, Privy Councillor, to empower the said Sieur de
Laubardemont to arrest Grandier and his accomplices and imprison them in
a secure place, with orders to all provosts, marshals, and other
officers, and to all our subjects in general, to lend whatever
assistance is necessary to carry out above order; and they are commanded
by these presents to obey all orders given by the said Sieur; and all
governors and lieutenants-general are also hereby commanded to furnish
the said Sieur with whatever aid he may require at their hands."
This document being the completion of the other, it was immediately
resolved, in order to show that they had the royal authority at their
back, and as a preventive measure, to arrest Grandier at once, without
any preliminary investigation. They hoped by this step to intimidate any
official who might still be inclined to take Grandier's part, and any
witness who might be disposed to testify in his favour. Accordingly,
they immediately sent for Guillaume Aubin, Sieur de Lagrange and
provost's lieutenant. De Laubardemont communicated to him the commission
of the cardinal and the order of the king, and requested him to arrest
Grandier early next morning. M. de Lagrange could not deny the two
signatures, and answered that he would obey; but as he foresaw from
their manner of going to work that the proceedings about to be
instituted would be an assassination and not a fair trial, he sent, in
spite of being a distant connection of Memin, whose daughter was married
to his (Lagrange's) brother, to warn Grandier of the orders he had
received. But Grandier with his usual intrepidity, while thanking
Lagrange for his generous message, sent back word that, secure in his
innocence and relying on the justice of God, he was determined to stand
his ground.
So Grandier remained, and his brother, who slept beside him, declared
that his sleep that night was as quiet as usual. The next morning he
rose, as was his habit, at six o'clock, took his breviary in his hand,
and went out with the intention of attending matins at the church of
Sainte-Croix. He had hardly put his foot over the threshold before
Lagrange, in the presence of Memin, Mignon, and the other conspirators,
who had come out to gloat over the sight, arrested him in the name of
the king. He was at once placed in the custody of Jean Pouguet, an
archer in His Majesty's guards, and of the archers of the provosts of
Loudun and Chinon, to be taken to the castle at Angers. Meanwhile a
search was instituted, and the royal seal affixed to the doors of his
apartments, to his presses, his other articles of furniture-in fact, to
every thing and place in the house; but nothing was found that tended to
compromise him, except an essay against the celibacy of priests, and two
sheets of paper whereon were written in another hand than his, some
love-poems in the taste of that time.