HOW WE OBEYED IT.
I found her pale and in tears, with a face that too plainly told of
present suffering and of past sorrow. She was dressed in a dark
robe, having wide loose sleeves trimmed with silver braid and black
wolf's fur, which contrasted finely with the whiteness of her
delicate skin. She came hurriedly towards me, and putting both her
soft hands in mine permitted me to kiss them and place myself beside
her. After a sad pause,--'Viscount Dundrennan has just left me,'
said she.
'Then you know all?'
'All that Richelieu and King Louis have in store for me--yes.
Imprisonment in the Bastille until I shall consent, perhaps, to wed
one of their creatures, or until my father, to procure my release,
consents to a written surrender of that dukedom which has already
been rent from him by force of arms.'
Her tears flowed fast; and I pressed her hand to my heart, saying,--
'Alas! Marie Louise, that you should weep thus--you who have been
born to rank and splendour.'
'Nay--I have been born to unhappiness--born of a race that is fated
to fall.'
'Louise, listen to me,' said I, trembling for the success of what I
was about to propose; but yielding to the dangerous predicament in
which we stood; trusting to her love for me, and borne away by my
passion for her, heaven lent me eloquence, and the little I said when
urging her to marry, and with me to seek safely in flight, was said
well and delicately; but all that interview seemed like a dream to me
an hour after.
She grew pale as snow, and trembled in her turn; but my words had not
been heard unheeded.
'Much as I love you, Arthur, and that I do love you, you believe and
know, there is a something in all this proceeding at which my pride
revolts.'
She paused, and my heart sunk; but suddenly she kissed me; her eyes
beamed with a beautiful expression, and taking my hands in hers, site
said,--
'You would have married me when you believed me to be but a poor
soubrette, dear Arthnr--you, a gentleman of family; a cuirassier of
the proud Garde du Corps Ecossais; I have not forgotten that, or that
to be ungenerous would be unlike the daughter of Duke Charles. A
pure passion, a true love, should ever be ready to make every
temporal sacrifice for the object of its regard; but this is no
sacrifice that you ask me--to fly with you to your country--this
Scotland of which we hear so much in song and war. I ask you to give
me a protector; to save me from the Bastille, from Richelieu, and
from Louis--from becoming again the wedded victim of a sinking state.'
'Heaven bless you, beloved Louise! This, then, casts the die and
decides me. No man can serve two masters.'
'What mean you, Arthur?'
'I cannot obey love and Louis XIII. at the same time.'
'What will the world say, on hearing that after being but three weeks
a widow I wedded again?'
'It will say that your so-called husband was but a child; that you
were made the sport of circumstances and the tool of calculating
politicians, who snared you into so preposterous an espousal.'
'Perhaps so,' she sobbed upon my breast; 'but my father----' 'Is a
fugitive.'
'My poor father! so brave, so true, and tender! I shall never see
his kind face again; but surely, to be the wife of a well-tried
soldier----'
'Will be no disgrace in the eyes of Charles of Lorraine,' I added.
'Neither Louis nor my father shall have it in their power to make me
the wife of a man I cannot love. My family are exiled; Lorraine is
now but a name--a French province; its dukedom is a shadow. We are
equal; and your country and home, dear Arthur, shall henceforth be
mine!'
After this I need scarcely add more; but we had De Brissac and his
three companions to baffle, the Rhine to cross, Flanders to traverse,
and the sea to pass before we saw my father's tower amid the wilds of
Glenkens; and many a bold and daring adventure we had on the
journey--adventures sufficient to fill ten such volumes as this.
--------------------
Marie Louise was a true woman; thus, when I appealed to her love and
her generosity cold reason gave way, and she agreed to unite her
fortunes with me.
Love on one hand, with the Bastille on the other, were powerful
arguments; and if any more were required Father Colville of the
Scottish College of Pontamoussin supplied them; for he had great
influence with her, and was warmly disposed towards me. The priest
knew that he owed perhaps too much to Duke Charles to free him from
some blame in wedding his daughter to me without a special
permission; but considering that by doing so he advanced, as he said
in his own quaint way, 'the honour, comfort, and commoditie of a
Scottish gentleman,' he had no qualms in the matter, spiritual or
temporal, and at once agreed to bless the indissoluble knot.
Brevity is necessary now, for my volume is already full.
We were married that evening in the little oratory of Lutzelstein, at
the door of which stood Frank Ruthven, with his sword drawn, to
prevent espionage or interruption; and the sole witnesses were
Richard Maxwell Viscount of Dundrennan, and the attendant of Marie
Louise, a young lady of the province, named Anna Mulhausen, daughter
of the Grand Bailiff of Alsace, a flaxen-haired little beauty who
loved her mistress well, and whom we easily bound to solemn secresy.
Our next achievement was to baffle the acuteness of M. de Brissac,
who proposed to leave with his prisoner when the moon rose, that he
might travel as far as possible unseen. It was resolved, that as we
could not leave this solitary tower unknown to him, we should by a
ruse elude his vigilance. Thus: he was to be permitted to hand Marie
Louise into the coach on one side of the dark and narrow archway of
the outworks, when she would leave it in a moment and unseen, by the
_other_. My heart beat quickly and painfully as the sunset deepened
on the mountains; as the moon arose, the night drew on and the moment
of escape approached when Marie Louise and I would be
together--together and cast upon the world never in life to be
separated more! I carefully examined the two horses Dundrennan kept
for us at the back postern of the tower; I inspected every buckle of
their bridles and girths; I armed myself carefully, like one about to
engage in a deadly struggle, and double-charged my girdle and holster
pistols.
The rumble of wheels in the court-yard, announced that the
old-fashioned coach in which we had captured Marie Louise was being
prepared for her again; and the glare of torches on the walls and
grated windows of the tower, with the clatter of hoofs, informed me
that the horses of De Brissac, of the Chevalier of Notre Dame de Mont
Carmel, and of the two grey mousquetaires were ready.
Ah, what a breathless and exciting time it was! Luckily the moon
became veiled in clouds, and Dundrennan ordered all the torches to be
extinguished, saying, with a wink to me, that 'the vaults were full
of live bombs and gunpowder.'
I felt almost suffocated with excitement and apprehension, as Marie
Louise, in her travelling dress, came forth; and instinctively I
stepped towards her.
'Keep back, Blane,' whispered Dundrennan; 'your excitement will spoil
all--leave me to officiate.'
Drawn by four horses, the large old-fashioned coach stood in the dark
and narrow archway of the tower; and De Brissac, an old hand in all
manner of business connected with arrestments and the Bastille, said,
with the greatest suavity of tone and manner,
'Pardon me, madame!' and lifted her veil to assure himself that this
lady was indeed his prisoner. The blue eyes, the pale face, and
golden hair were seen for a moment, and a cry almost escaped me as
with one hand he assisted her into the coach, and while carefully
closing the door, with the other gave to Dundrennan, as captain of
Lutzelstein, a full receipt for 'the person of Marie Louise of
Lorraine;' and I heard the Viscount laugh as he placed it in his
girdle, and walked round to the other door of the carriage, which he
had purposely left open; and then my heart stood still, for one false
or unanticipated movement would spoil all! M. De Brissac said--
'Adieu, for to-night, madame! after this we shall disturb you no more
until morning.'
Placing a foot in his stirrup he mounted, and ordered the coach to be
driven off. At the same moment I lifted Marie Louise out by the
opposite door, which Dundrennan closed as I led her away in the
darkness, which enabled this manoeuvre to be as skilfully executed as
it was wisely prepared; and then the enormous vehicle went lumbering
empty along the bridge of the cascade and down the valley, carefully
guarded by De Brissac, the Chevalier of Mont Carmel, and the two
mousquetaires.
'I have the quittance of M. de Brissac; I am safe--the fool! the
egregious fool!' said Dundrennan, while, laughing, he ordered the
gates to be shut and the bridge wound up. 'Now, Blane, my dear
friend, to horse, and away for the Rhine.'
We reached the sallyport and mounted. Dundrennan lifted Marie Louise
to her saddle, and kissed her white and trembling hands, which could
scarcely grasp the reins.
'Adieu, madame!' said he; 'in Scotland we may meet again.'
'Farewell, Viscount!' said I; and tears started to my eyes when I saw
his tall and noble figure for the last time: 'give my kindest wishes
to all our comrades of the Garde du Corps Ecossais. God's blessing!
a long, good night to them and you! As the song says--
'What I hae tint through lack o' wit,
I never, never, can recall;
I trust you'll be my friends as yet;
Gude night, and joy be wi' you all!'
He waved his plumed hat to us as we spurred round the margin of the
lake, and in a direction opposite to that pursued by the deluded
messengers of Cardinal Richelieu, galloped in safety down the
moonlighted path that led towards the far-famed Rhine.
--------------------
If any of my readers are curious to see in stone and lime a
corroboration of the foregoing narrative, let them come with me to
the Grampians of Galloway--to that sequestered district so celebrated
for the savage grandeur of its scenery, and the feudal exploits of
the loyal house of Kenmure. If my inquiring friend is a sportsman,
let him not forget his rod and gun (with sandwiches and a well-filled
pocket-pistol), for there the spotted trout, the scaly salmon, the
wild duck, the dusky coot and heron, enjoy a lonely world of their
own; and if our wanderer be (as I would prefer) one of the fairer
portion of our creation, let her not forget her sketch-book and the
language of the flowers.
There, amid the wilds of Glenkens, we will find the ruined tower of
Blanerne, above the arched door of which is a carved scutcheon of red
stone, bearing the arms of the Scottish Blanes; to wit, in the
half-obsolete slang of heraldry, _argent_, a fesse _gules_, with a
mullet between two crescents of the first; in base, a rose of the
second, quartered with the _three winglets of Lorraine_, the whole
being collared by the order of St. Lazare, crested by a sword, and
encircled by a motto, which the venerable 'muffs' of the Lyon Court
have declared to be
'HE YAT GIVES QUICKLIE, GIVES TWYSE.'
From the quartering of this escutcheon, as well as from various
entries in the parochial register of births, we may be assured that
Arthur Blane and his bride lived here long in honour and happiness;
but the reader may wish to know something more of those who have
borne a prominent place in these pages.
A few lines will tell their story.
The Marquis of Gordon succeeded to the title of Huntly, and after a
long career of brilliant service, returned to Scotland; where in 1649
he was cruelly executed for his loyalty to the house of Stuart--the
common fate of loyalty and love of country in those days.
Patrick Gordon and Viscount Dundrennan both died for the King at
Marston Moor; while Clara D'Ische ended her days in a convent, and
was, we believe, the last favourite of Louis XIII.
Duke Charles closed his days in 1665, after maintaining a futile
struggle for possession of his dukedom, every acre of which was
finally ceded to France by treaty in 1662. Vaudemont also died in
exile, and after this the ancient house of Lorraine was heard of no
more.
Unlike the villains of narratives in general, the fate of De Bitche
is involved in obscurity: but it is more than probable that he
perished in the desperate war which preceded the treaty of peace that
was happily signed at Munster--thus closing a protracted struggle,
the dark shadow of which lingers yet in Germany.
NOTES.
1. Of the Scottish Guard of the French kings a short account has
already been given in the body of this work. Those who wish to see a
more particular narrative of their exploits will find it in the
'History of the First Foot,' and _L'Escosse Française_ of A. Houston.
In 1717 the Guard had dwindled down to four-and-twenty Scottish
gentlemen, who were commanded by the Comte de Maillé. The following
letter or bond of service, given in 1625 by the heir of Ardlogie to
'my Lord Gordon,' styled Marquis of Gordon in France, will best
explain the constitution of the _Garde du Corps Ecossais_ at the time
of our story.
'Be it kenned to all men by these present letters, I Adam Gordon,
apparent of Ardlogie, forsomuch as it has pleased the right noble
lord, George Lord Gordon, son to the right noble marquis, George
Marquis of Huntlie and Captain-in chief of the companie of Scottish
Gensdarmes, under the most Christian king Lotus XIII. of France and
Navarre, to admit me one of the said companie, therefore I, the said
Adam Gordon, heir of Ardlogie, and also John Gordon of Ardlogie and
Patrick Gordon of Boigheidis, cautioners and suretis for me, &c.,
&c., bind and oblige us, and ilk one of us, conjunctlie and
severallie, &c., that I, the said Adam Gordon, shall _duly observe
and keep the whole musters, duly prepared with one man and two
horses, armed at all points, with one case of pistols_, at such
places and time as the said captain or commissary shall give warrant
and direction to that effect, and also, that I shall be ready and
prepared to go to France or elsewhere, to attend my service, at all
occasions whensoever I shall be required by my captain, &c., upon
forty days' advertisement so to do, and in case I fail in performance
of this present bond, or any part thereof, in that case, I and my
cautioners oblige ourselves conjunctlie and severallie to content and
pay to the said captain or his assignees the sum of _one thousand and
fiftie French crowns_, &c., &c.--This promise written by Alex.
Litster in Auld Aberdeen, and subscribed by us at Aberdeen, the 8th
day of June, 1625, before these witnesses Sir Alexr. Gordon of Cluny,
knight, Patrick Hamiltoun, servitor to my Lord Gordon, and John
Gordon, filler up of the premises.'--_See_ 'Spalding Club
Miscellany,' vol. iv. 'The Gordon Papers,' etc.
The following commanders of the Scottish Guard appear in the old
lists of the French army, during the monarchy:--
'24 March 1422.--JEAN STUART, Seigneur d'Arrelay et d'Aubigné.
" JEAN STUART, Seigneur d'Aubigné, fils du précédent,
Chevalier de l'Ordre.
" ROBERT STUART, cousin du précédent, Seigneur
d'Aubigné, fait Maréchal de France en 1515.
" JACQUES HAMILTON, Comte d'Arran.
" JEAN STUART, Seigneur d'Aubigné (brother of
Mathew, Earl of Lennox).
" HENRI, Prince d'Ecosse.
" CHARLES, Prince d'Ecosse.
" GEORGE GOURDON, Marquis d'Hunteley, l'an
1625.
" JACQUES, Duc d'York, frère de Charles II.
After this, the Guard was commanded by captain-lieutenants, whose
names were as follows:--
ANDREW LORD GRAY, High Sheriff of Forfar.
The MARÉCHAL SCHOMBERG (by request of Charles II.)
1667.--LE CHEVALIER DE HAUTEFEUILLE.
" LE MARQUIS DE PIANEZZI, appellé ordinairement le
Marquis de Livourne.
1682.--LE MARQUIS DE MOUCY.
" LE MARQUIS DE ROUCY.
1707.--LE MARQUIS DE NESLE.
" LE COMTE DE MAILLÉ.'--(_Vide Père Daniel's Histoire_.)
2. The privileges of the Scots in France were most ample, and were
every way similar to those enjoyed by French subjects. These
privileges were fully defined and confirmed by Henry, King of France
in 1558, by a letter of naturalisation registered in the Parliament
of Paris, in the Great Council and Chamber of Accompts; and in the
same year the same privileges were conferred on the French by the
Parliament of Scotland. The French document is as follows, briefly
translated:--
'HENRI PAR LA GRACE DE DIEU ROY DE FRANCE, to all present and to
come, health. As, since the marriage before spoken of, between our
very dear and beloved son, the royal dauphin, and our very dear and
beloved daughter, the dauphiness and queen of Scotland, his spouse,
the deputies of the estates of her kingdom have made the oath of
fidelity to my son as their true and natural lord; by means of this,
the subjects of the two realms (which have now long been allied in
mutual friendship, favouring and succouring each other) will have
permission to approach the royal families of Scotland and France, as
if they were one, and desiring, for the better establishment of this
league, and to fortify this friendship between our dear subjects, and
those of the kingdom of Scotland, and to afford the inhabitants of
that loyal country greater facility for visiting the king and queen,
when they wish to do so, or of residing near them, or of seeing them,
as good and loyal subjects, we give them the same favours, graces,
and privileges which are enjoyed by our own people.
'We, having considered these things, and for several other great and
reasonable causes, give all the inhabitants of the kingdom of
Scotland, subjects of our son, the royal dauphin, and our dear
daughter, his wife, permission, by this our authority, to reside and
remain in this our kingdom, to have, hold, and possess, any benefice,
dignity, or ecclesiastical office, which they can justly and
canonically attain, _les bons titres_, which are not contrary to the
privileges of the church in France, and to keep and enjoy, and to
receive and uplift, the fruits and revenues thereof.
'They may also acquire in this kingdom lands or seigneuries under us,
all and each of these goods, moveable and immoveable, together with
all they may gain by gift or succession, _we give them permission to
dispose of by last will or otherwise, as they wish_, and that their
heirs, or others, to whom they may dispose of them, can succeed,
take, and keep possession of their gifts, like other natives of our
kingdom, without our Procureur General, or any other officer
hereafter acquiring any right of interference; and that the subjects
of the kingdom of Scotland may enjoy their benefits without
molestation. And to all those who wish it, we ordain that they may
possess in our kingdom lands and seigneuries, as in the kingdom of
Scotland; but subject to our obedience, without being questioned or
paying to our successors any indemnity, the sum or value of which we
have, in consideration, discharged in favour of our dear son and
daughter, by this present act, signed under our hand. We announce to
all judges, and others whom it may concern, &c., to the courts of
Parliament, Grand Council, and Accompts of Paris, to all our
bailiffs, seneschals, prevosts, and others, our justiciars and
officers, or their lieutenants, present and to come, that of our
kindness, we give licence and permission to all the inhabitants of
the kingdom of Scotland to enjoy these benefits peaceably and without
molestation, for such is our will and pleasure, &c., &c.
'_Donné à Villiers-cousterez, au mois de Juin, l'an de grace mil cinq
cents cinquante et huict. Et de nostre regne le douziésme._'
Until the Revolution, the effects of all strangers, _Scots excepted_,
dying in France were liable to seizure by the law of the land, though
the heir was upon the spot; and the reader may remember Sterne's
indignant outburst on this subject in the introduction to his
'Sentimental Journey.' Many traces of the ancient Scoto-French
alliance may be found in Scotland, and the memory of it lingers yet
in the hearts and traditions of the peasantry in the south of France,
who still remember the achievements of the Garde du Corps Ecossais.
3. The following is the letter referred to in the note to chapter
LX.:--
Toul, le 6 Xbre, 1852.
'MONSIEUR,
'J'ai répondu à votre honoré du 28 Avril, 1851, qu'il n'y a plus de
traces, dans la Cathédrale du Toul, du monument qui a été élevé à la
mémoire de Sir John Hepburn, ou que du moins je n'en ai aucune
connaissance.
Depuis ce temps, le Gouvernement a fait faire une grande restoration,
qui a fait connaître exactement le lieu où votre compatriote a été
inhumé.
Mais le cercucil a été scrupuleusement respecté, et le caveau
exactement refermé, et le lieu reste dans l'état ancien, jusqu'à ce
que le ministère aura pris une détermination sur la restoration de la
partie de l'édifice où se trouve le tombeau; le monument a
probablement été détruit par la tourmente révolutionnaire de '93:
l'année prochaine, je pourrai vous communiquer la description exacte
du cercueil et de la pierre qui a été cachée, en grande partie, par
d'énormes bois d'échafaudage.
'Aujourd'hui, je puis vous faire connaîre l'inscription, qui est sur
une plaque de plomb, placée sur le cercueil, vous la trouverez
ci-dessous.
Daignez agréer, Monsieur, l'homnage de votre serviteur,
'GEORGES.
'_Curé de la Cathédrale_.'
'DOM . OSSA . JOHANNIS . HEBVRNISCOTI . EQVITISAVRATI . EXERCITVS .
GALLICI . CAMPI . MARESCALLI . QVAID-TABERNAS . SCLOPETO . TRAIECTVS
. OCCVBVIT . VIII. IDVS . IVLII . MDCXXXVI. REQVIESCAT IN . PACE.
'J'ai l'honneur de vous faire observer que l'inscription ci-dessus
est tout-à-fait conforme à l'original, et qu'en 1836 ce n'est point
Louis XIV., mais bien Louis XIII., qui occupait le trône de France.'
'G.
'_M. James Grant, &c., Edinburgh._'
THE END.
PRINTED BY W. CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET.