\"ButImeanJeanCavalier,theCamisardgeneral,hewhohasassumedthetitleofDukeoftheCevennes。\"
\"Ihavenotassumedthattitle,monseigneur,onlysomepeoplecallmesoinjoke:thekingalonehastherighttoconfertitles,andI
rejoiceexceedingly,monseigneur,thathehasgivenyouthatofgovernorofLanguedoc。\"
\"Whenyouarespeakingoftheking,whydoyounotsay\'HisMajesty\'？\"saidM。deBaville。\"Uponmysoul,thekingistoogoodtotreatthuswitharebel。\"
ThebloodrushedtoCavalier\'shead,hisfaceflamed,andafteramoment\'spause,fixinghiseyeboldlyuponM。deBaville,andspeakinginavoicewhichwasnowasfirmasithadbeentremulousamomentbefore,hesaid,\"Ifyouhaveonlybroughtmehere,sir,tospeaktomeinsuchamanner,youmightbetterhaveleftmeinmymountains,andcomethereyourselftotakealessoninhospitality。
IfIamarebel,itisnotIwhoamanswerable,foritwasthetyrannyandcrueltyofM。deBavillewhichforcedustohaverecoursetoarms;andifhistorytakesexceptiontoanythingconnectedwiththegreatmonarchforwhosepardonIsueto—day,itwillbe,Ihope,notthathehadfoeslikeme,butfriendslikehim。\"
M。deBavillegrewpalewithanger;forwhetherCavalierknewtowhomhewasspeakingornot,hiswordshadtheeffectofaviolentblowfullinhisface;butbeforehecouldreplyM。deVillarsinterposed。
\"Yourbusinessisonlywithme,sir,\"hesaid;\"attendtomealone,Ibeg:Ispeakinthenameoftheking;andtheking,ofhisclemency,wishestosparehissubjectsbytreatingthemwithtenderness。\"
Cavalieropenedhismouthtoreply,buttheintendantcuthimshort。
\"Ishouldhopethatthatsuffices,\"hesaidcontemptuously:\"aspardonismorethanyoucouldhavehopedfor,Isupposeyouarenotgoingtoinsistontheotherconditionsyoulaiddown？\"
\"Butitispreciselythoseotherconditions,\"saidCavalier,addressinghimselftoM。deVillars,andnotseemingtoseethatanyoneelsewaspresent,\"forwhichwehavefought。IfIwerealone,sir,Ishouldgivemyselfup,boundhandandfoot,withentireconfidenceinyourgoodfaith,demandingnoassurancesandexactingnoconditions;butIstandheretodefendtheinterestsofmybrethrenandfriendswhotrustme;andwhatismore,thingshavegonesofarthatwemusteitherdieweaponinhand,orobtainourrights。\"
Theintendantwasabouttospeak,butthemarechalstoppedhimwithsuchanimperativegesturethathesteppedbackasiftoshowthathewashedhishandsofthewholematter。
\"Whatarethoserights？AretheythosewhichM。Lalandehastransmittedtomebywordofmouth？\"
\"Yes,sir。\"
\"Itwouldbewelltocommitthemtowriting。\"
\"Ihavedoneso,monseigneur,andsentacopytoM。d\'Aygaliers。\"
\"Ihavenotseenit,sir;makemeanothercopyandplaceitinmyhands,Ibeg。\"
\"Ishallgoandsetaboutitdirectly,monseigneur,\"steppingbackasifabouttowithdraw。
\"Onemoment！\"saidthemarechal,detaininghimbyasmile。\"Isittruethatyouarewillingtoentertheking\'sarmy？\"
\"Iammorethanwilling,Idesireitwithallmyheart,\"exclaimedCavalier,withthefrankenthusiasmnaturaltohisage,\"butIcannotdosotillourjustdemandsaregranted。\"
\"Butiftheyweregranted——？\"
\"Then,sir,\"repliedCavalier,\"thekinghasneverhadmoreloyalsubjectsthanweshallbe。\"
\"Well,havealittlepatienceandeverythingwillbearranged,I
hope。\"
\"MayGodgrantit！\"saidCavalier。\"Heismywitnessthatwedesirepeacebeyondeverything。\"Andhetookanotherstepbackwards。
\"Youwillnotgotoofaraway,Ihope,\"saidthemarechal。
\"Weshallremainwhereveryourexcellencymayappoint,\"saidCavalier。
Verywell,\"continuedM。deVillars;\"haltatCalvisson,andtryallyoucantoinducetheotherleaderstofollowyourexample。\"
\"Ishalldomybest,monseigneur;butwhileweawaitHisMajesty\'sreplyshallwebeallowedtofulfilourreligiousdutiesunimpeded？\"
\"Yes,Ishallgiveordersthatyouaretohavefulllibertyinthatrespect。\"
\"Thanks,monseigneur。\"
Cavalierbowedoncemore,andwasabouttogo;butM。deVillarsaccompaniedhimandLalande,whohadnowjoinedthem,andwhostoodwithhishandonCavalier\'sshoulder,afewstepsfarther。Catinatseeingthattheconferencewasatanend,enteredthegardenwithhismen。ThereuponM。deVillarstookleave,sayingdistinctly,\"Adieu,SeigneurCavalier,\"andwithdrew,leavingtheyoungchiefsurroundedbyadozenpersonsallwantingtospeaktohimatonce。Forhalfanhourhewasdetainedbyquestions,toallofwhichherepliedpleasantly。OnonefingerwasanemeraldtakenfromanavalofficernamedDidier,whomhehadkilledwithhisownhandintheactionatDevoisdeMartignargues;hekepttimebyasuperbwatchwhichhadbelongedtoM。d\'Acqueville,thesecondincommandofthemarines;
andheofferedhisquestionersfromtimetotimeperfumedsnufffromamagnificentsnuffbox,whichhehadfoundintheholsterswhenhetookpossessionofM。deLaJonquiere\'shorse。Hetoldeveryonewhowishedtolistenthathehadneverintendedtorevoltagainsttheking;andthathewasnowreadytoshedthelastdropofhisbloodinhisservice;thathehadseveraltimesofferedtosurrenderonconditionthatlibertyofconsciencewasgrantedtothoseofthenewfaith,butthatM。deMontrevelhadalwaysrejectedhisoffers,sothathehadbeenobligedtoremainunderarms,inordertodeliverthosewhowereinprison,andtogainpermissionforthosewhowerefreetoworshipGodintheirownway。
Hesaidthesethingsinanunembarrassedandgracefulmanner,hatinhand;thenpassingthroughthecrowdwhichhadgatheredoutsidethegardenoftheRecollets,herepairedtotheHoteldelaPosteforlunch,andafterwardswalkedalongtheEsplanadetothehouseofoneGuyBillard,agardener,whowashisheadprophet\'sfather。AshethusmovedabouthewasprecededbytwoCamisardswithdrawnswords,whomadewayforhim;andseveralladieswerepresentedtohimwhowerehappytotouchhisdoublet。Thevisitover,heonceagainpassedalongtheEsplanade,stillprecededbyhistwoCamisards,andjustashepassedtheLittleConventheandthosewithhimstruckupapsalmtune,andcontinuedsingingtilltheyreachedSaint—Cesaire,wherethehostageswere。Theseheatoncesentback。
FivehundredpersonsfromNimeswereawaitinghim;refreshmentswereofferedtohim,whichheacceptedgratefully,thankingallthosewhohadgatheredtogethertomeethim。AtlasthewentofftoSt。
Denoise,wherehewastosupandsleep;butbeforegoingtobedheofferedupsupplicationsinaloudvoicefortheking,forM。deVillars,forM。deLalande,andevenforM。deBaville。
Thenextmorning,Cavalier,accordingtopromise,sentacopyofhisdemandstoM。deVillars,whocausedittobelaidbeforetheking,alongwithafullreportofallthathadpassedattheinterviewatNimes。Assoonastheyoungchiefhadsentoffhismissive,herejoinedhistroopsatTarnac,andrelatedallthathadpassedtoRoland,urginghimtofollowhisexample。ThatnighthesleptatSauves,havingpassedthroughDurfortattheheadofhismen;acaptainofdragoonsnamedMontgros,withtwenty—fivesoldiers,accompanyinghimeverywhere,byM。deVillars\'orders,andseeingthatthevillagesthroughwhichtheypassedfurnishedhimwithallthatwasneeded。TheyleftSauvesonMay16thveryearlyinthemorning,inordertogettoCalvisson,which,asourreadersmayremember,wastheplaceappointedfortheresidenceofCavalierduringthetruce。InpassingthroughQuissac,wheretheystoppedforrefreshments,theywerejoinedbyCastanetwhodeliveredalongsermon,atwhichalltheProtestantsoftheneighbourhoodwerepresent。
ThetwobattalionsoftheCharolaisregimentwhichwerequarteredatCalvissonhadreceivedordersontheeveningofthe17thtomarchoutnextmorning,soastomakeroomfortheCamisards。
Onthe18ththeheadofthecommissarydepartment,Vincel,orderedsuitableaccommodationtobeprovidedforCavalierandhistroops;
themusterrollbeinginthehandsofM。d\'Aygaliers,itwouldbesentbyhimorbroughtinthecourseoftheday。Inthemeantime,vanswerearrivingfilledwithallsortsofprovisions,followedbydrovesofcattle,whileacommissaryandseveralclerks,chargedwiththedistributionofrations,broughtuptherear。
Onthe19th,Catinat,accompaniedbytwelveCamisards,rodeintothetown,andwasmetatthebarrierbythecommandantandeightytownspeople。Assoonasthelittlebandcameinsightthecommandantreiteratedhisordersthatnothingshouldbesaidordoneinthetown,onpainofcorporalpunishment,thatcouldoffendtheCamisards。
Atoneo\'clockP。M。Barond\'Aygaliersarrived,followedinhisturnbythechiefofthecommissariat,Vincel,byCaptainCappon,twootherofficersnamedVialaandDespuech,andsixdragoons。ThesewerethehostagesCavalierhadgiven。
Atsixo\'clocktherewasheardagreatnoise;andshoutsof\"Cavalier！Cavalier！\"resoundedonallsides。TheyoungCevenolwasinsight,andthewholepopulationhastenedtomeethim。Herodeattheheadofhiscavalry,theinfantryfollowing,andthewholenumber——aboutsixhundredmen——sangpsalmsinaloudvoice。
Whentheyreachedthechurch,Cavalierdrewupbeforeitwithallhismeninrevieworder,andforsometimethesingingwenton。Whenitstopped,alongprayerwasofferedup,whichwasmostedifyingtoallthebystanders;andthisbeingover,Cavalierwenttothequartersassignedhim,whichwereinthebesthouseinCalvisson。Arrivedthere,hesentoutforadozenloavesthathemightjudgehowhismenweregoingtobefed;notfindingthemwhiteenough,hecomplainedtoM。Vincel,whomhesentfor,andwhopromisedthatinfuturethebreadshouldbeofabetterquality。Havingreceivedthisassurance,Cavaliergaveordersthattheloavesinhandshouldbedistributedforthatday,butprobablyfearingpoison,hefirstmadeM。deVincelandhisclerkstastetheminhispresence。Thesedutiesaccomplished,hevisitedinpersonallthegatesofthetown,placedguardsandpostedsentinelsatalltheentrancesandalongalltheavenues,themostadvancedbeingthree—quartersofaleaguefromthetown。Besidesthis,heplacedguardsinthestreets,andasentinelateachdoorofthehouseheoccupied;inaddition,thirtyguardsalwayssleptoutsidethedoorofhisbedroom,andtheseaccompaniedhimasanescortwhenhewentout;notthathewasafraid,forhewasnotofamistrustfulcharacter,butthathethoughtitpolitictogivepeopleanexaltedideaofhisimportance。Astohissoldiers,theywerebilletedontheinhabitants,andreceivedeachasdailyrationsapoundofmeat,aquartofwine,andtwoandahalfpoundsofbread。
Thesamedayaconvocationwasheldonthesiteoftheoldmeeting—housewhichhadbeendestroyedbytheCatholics。Itwasaverynumerousassembly,towhichcrowdsofpeoplecamefromallparts;butonthefollowingdaysitwasstillmorenumerous;for,asthenewsspread,peopleranwithgreateagernesstohearthepreachingofthewordofwhichtheyhadbeensolongdeprived。
D\'AygalierstellsusinhisMemoirsthat——\"Noonecouldhelpbeingtouchedtoseeawholepeoplejustescapedfromfireandsword,comingtogetherinmultitudestomingletheirtearsandsighs。Sofamishedweretheyforthemannadivine,thattheywerelikepeoplecomingoutofabesiegedcity,afteralongandcruelfamine,towhompeacehasbroughtfoodinabundance,andwho,firstdevouringitwiththeireyes,thenthrowthemselvesonit,devouringitbodily——meat,bread,andfruit——asitcomestohand。SoitwaswiththeunfortunateinhabitantsofLaVannage,andevenofplacesmoredistantstill。TheysawtheirbrethrenassemblinginthemeadowsandatthegatesofCalvisson,gatheringincrowdsandpressingroundanyonewhostartedsingingapsalm,untilatlastfourorfivethousandpersons,singing,weeping,andpraying,weregatheredtogether,andremainedthereallday,supplicatingGodwithadevotionthatwenttoeveryheartandmadeadeepimpression。Allnightthesamethingswenton;nothingwastobeheardbutpreaching,singing,praying,andprophesying。\"
ButifitwasatimeofjoyfortheProtestants,itwasatimeofhumiliationfortheCatholics。\"Certainly,\"saysacontemporaryhistorian,\"itwasaverysurprisingthing,andquiteanovelty,toseeinaprovincelikeLanguedoc,wheresomanytroopswerequartered,suchalargenumberofvillains——allmurderers,incendiaries,andguiltyofsacrilege——gatheredtogetherinoneplacebypermissionofthoseincommandofthetroops;toleratedintheireccentricities,fedatthepublicexpense,flatteredbyeveryone,andcourteously,receivedbypeoplesentspeciallytomeetthem。\"
OneofthosewhowasmostindignantatthisstateofthingswasM。deBaville。Hewassoeagertoputanendtoitthathewenttoseethegovernor,andtoldhimthescandalwasbecomingtoogreatinhisopinion:theassembliesoughttobeputanendtobyallowingthetroopstofalluponthemanddispersethem;butthegovernorthoughtquiteotherwise,andtoldBavillethattoactaccordingtohisadvicewouldbetosetfiretotheprovinceagainandtoscatterforeverpeoplewhomtheyhadgottogetherwithsuchdifficulty。Inanycase,heremindedBavillethatwhatheobjectedtowouldbeoverinafewdays。HisopinionwasthatdeBavillemightstifletheexpressionofhisdissatisfactionforalittle,tobringaboutagreatgood。\"Morethanthat,\"addedthemarechal,\"theimpatienceofthepriestsismostridiculous。Besidesyourremonstrances,ofwhichIhopeIhavenowheardthelast,IhavereceivednumberlesslettersfullofsuchcomplaintsthatitwouldseemasiftheprayersoftheCamisardsnotonlygratedontheearsoftheclergybutflayedthemalive。I
shouldlikeaboveeverythingtofindoutthewritersoftheseletters,inordertohavethemflogged;buttheyhavetakengoodcaretoputnosignatures。Iregarditasaverygreatimpertinenceforthosewhocausedthesedisturbancestogrumbleandexpresstheirdisapprovalatmyeffortstobringthemtoanend。\"Afterthisspeech,M,deBavillesawtherewasnothingforhimtodobuttoletthingstaketheircourse。
ThecoursethattheytookturnedCavalier\'sheadmoreandmore;forthankstotheinjunctionsofM。deVillars,alltheordersthatCavaliergavewereobeyedasiftheyhadbeenissuedbythegovernorhimself。Hehadacourtlikeaprince,lieutenantslikeageneral,andsecretarieslikeastatesman。ItwasthedutyofonesecretarytogiveleaveofabsencetothoseCamisardswhohadbusinesstoattendtoorwhodesiredtovisittheirrelations。Thefollowingisacopyoftheformusedforthesepassports:
\"We,theundersigned,secretarytoBrotherCavalier,generalissimooftheHuguenots,permitbythisordergivenbyhimtoabsenthimselfonbusinessforthreedays。
\"（SignedDUPONT。
\"Calvisson,this————\"
Andthesesafe—conductswereasmuchrespectedasiftheyhadbeensigned\"MarechaldeVillars。\"
Onthe22ndM。deSaint—Pierrearrivedfromthecourt,bringingthereplyofthekingtotheproposalswhichCavalierhadsubmittedtoM。deLalande。Whatthisreplywasdidnottranspire;probablyitwasnotinharmonywiththepacificintentionsofthemarechal。Atlast,onthe25th,theanswertothedemandswhichCavalierhadmadetoM。deVillarshimselfarrived。TheoriginalpaperwrittenbytheCamisardchiefhimselfhadbeensenttoLouisXIV,andhereturneditwithnotesinhisownwriting;thusthesetwohands,tooneofwhichbelongedtheshepherd\'scrookandtotheotherthesceptre,hadrestedonthesamesheetofpaper。ThefollowingisthetextoftheagreementasgivenbyCavalierinhisMemoirs:
\"THEHUMBLEPETITIONOFTHEREFORMERSOF
LANGUEDOCTOTHEKING
\"1。Thatitmaypleasethekingtograntuslibertyofconsciencethroughouttheprovince,andtopermitustoholdreligiousmeetingsineverysuitableplace,exceptfortifiedplacesandwalledcities。
\'Granted,onconditionthatnochurchesbebuilt。
\"2。ThatallthoseinprisonoratthegalleyswhohavebeensenttheresincetherevocationoftheEdictofNantes,becauseoftheirreligion,besetatlibertywithinsixweeksfromthedateofthispetition。
\'Granted。
\"3。Thatallthosewhohaveleftthekingdombecauseoftheirreligionbeallowedtoreturninfreedomandsafety,andthattheirgoodsandprivilegesberestoredtothem。
\'Grantedonconditionthattheytaketheoathoffidelitytotheking。
\"4。ThattheParliamentofLanguedocbereestablishedonitsancientfooting,andwithallitsformerprivileges。
\'Thekingreservesdecisiononthispoint。
\"5。ThattheprovinceofLanguedocbeexemptedfromthepolltaxfortenyears,thistoapply,toCatholicsandProtestantsalike,bothsideshavingequallysuffered。
\'Refused。
\"6。ThatthecitiesofPerpignan,Montpellier,Cette,andAiguemortesbeassignedusascitiesofrefuge。
\'Refused。
\"7。ThattheinhabitantsoftheCevenneswhosehouseswereburntorotherwisedestroyedduringthewarbeexemptfromtaxesforsevenyears。
\'Granted。
\"8。ThatitmaypleaseHisMajestytopermitCavaliertochoose2000
men,bothfromamonghisowntroopsandfromamongthosewhomaybedeliveredfromtheprisonsandgalleys,toformaregimentofdragoonsfortheserviceofHisMajesty,andthatthisregimentwhenformedmayatoncebeorderedtoserveHisMajestyinPortugal。
\'Granted:andonconditionthatalltheHuguenotseverywherelaydowntheirarms,thekingwillpermitthemtolivequietlyinthefreeexerciseoftheirreligion。\'\"
\"IhadbeenaweekatCalvisson,\"saysCavalierinhisMemoirs,\"whenIreceivedaletterfromM。leMarechaldeVillarsorderingmetorepairtoNimes,ashewishedtoseeme,theanswertomydemands。
havingarrived。Iobeyedatonce,andwasverymuchdispleasedtofindthatseveralofmydemands,andinparticulartheonerelatingtothecitiesofrefuge,hadbeenrefused;butM。lemarechalassuredmethattheking\'swordwasbetterthantwentycitiesofrefuge,andthatafterallthetroublewehadgivenhimweshouldregarditasshowinggreatclemencyonhispartthathehadgrantedusthegreaterpartofwhatwehadasked。Thisreasoningwasnotentirelyconvincing,butastherewasnomoretimefordeliberation,andasI
wasasanxiousforpeaceasthekinghimself,Idecidedtoacceptgracefullywhatwasoffered。\"
AllthefurtheradvantagethatCavaliercouldobtainfromM。deVillarswasthatthetreatyshouldbearthedateofthedayonwhichithadbeendrawnup;inthismannertheprisonerswhoweretobesetatlibertyinsixweeksgainedoneweek。
M。deVillarswroteatthebottomofthetreaty,whichwassignedthesamedaybyhimandM。deBavilleonthepartoftheking,andbyCavalierandDanielBillardonthepartoftheProtestants,thefollowingratification:
\"Invirtueoftheplenarypowerswhichwehavereceivedfromtheking,wehavegrantedtotheReformersofLanguedocthearticlesabovemadeknown。
\"MARECHALDEVILLARSJ。CAVALIER
\"LAMOIGNONDEBAVILLEDANIELBILLARD
\"GivenatNimes,the17thofMay1704\"
Thesetwosignatures,allunworthyastheyweretostandbesidetheirown,gavesuchgreatdelighttoMM。deVillarsanddeBaville,thattheyatoncesentofffreshorderstoCalvissonthatthewantsoftheCamisardsshouldbeabundantlysupplieduntilthearticlesofthetreatywereexecuted——thatistosay,untiltheprisonersandthegalleyslavesweresetatliberty,which,accordingtoarticle2ofthetreaty,wouldbewithinthenextsixweeks。AstoCavalier,themarechalgavehimonthespotacommissionascolonel,withapensionof1200livresattached,andthepowerofnominatingthesubordinateofficersinhisregiment,andatthesametimehehandedhimacaptain\'scommissionforhisyoungbrother。
Cavalierdrewupthemuster—rolloftheregimentthesameday,andgaveittothemarechal。Itwastoconsistofsevenhundredandtwelvemen,formingfifteencompanies,withsixteencaptains,sixteenlieutenants,asergeant—major,andasurgeon—major。
Whileallthiswashappening,Roland,takingadvantageofthesuspensionofhostilities,wasridingupanddowntheprovinceasifhewereviceroyoftheCevennes,andwhereverheappearedhehadamagnificentreception。LikeCavalier,hegaveleaveofabsenceandfurnishedescorts,andheldhimselfhaughtily,surethathetoowouldsoonbenegotiatingtreatiesontermsofequalitywithmarshalsofFranceandgovernorsofprovinces。ButRolandwasmuchmistaken:M。
deVillarshadmadegreatconcessionstothepopularityofCavalier,buttheywerethelastheintendedtomake。So,insteadofbeinginhisturnsummonedtoNimes,orUzes,toconferwithM。deVillars,RolandmerelyreceivedanintimationfromCavalierthathedesiredtospeakwithhimonimportantbusiness。
TheymetnearAnduze,andCavalier,faithfultothepromisegiventoM。deVillars,neglectednoargumentthathecouldthinkoftoinduceRolandtofollowhisexample;butRolandwouldlistentonothing。
Then,whenCavaliersawthatargumentsandpromiseswereofnoavail,heraisedhisvoiceinanger;butRoland,layinghishandonhisshoulder,toldhimthathisheadwasturned,thatheshouldrememberthathe,Roland,washisseniorincommand,andthereforeboundbynothingthathadbeenpromisedinhisnamebyhisjunior,andthathehadregisteredavowinHeaventhatnothingwouldpersuadehimtomakepeaceunlesscompletelibertyofconscienceweregrantedtoall。
TheyoungCevenol,whowasunaccustomedtosuchlanguage,laidhishandonthehiltofhissword,Roland,steppingback,drewhis,andtheconsultationwouldhaveendedinadueliftheprophetshadnotthrownthemselvesbetweenthem,andsucceededingettingRolandtoconsenttooneoftheirnumber,amanmuchesteemedamongtheHuguenots,namedSalomon,goingbacktoNimeswithCavaliertolearnfromM。deVillars\'ownmouthwhattheexacttermswerewhichCavalierhadacceptedandnowofferedtoRoland。
InacoupleofhoursCavalierandSalomonsetouttogether,andarrivedatNimesonthe27thMay,escortedbytwenty—fivemen;theyhaltedatthetowerofMagne,andtheProtestantsofthecitycameouttomeetthem,bringingrefreshments;then,afterprayersandahastymeal,theyadvancedtothebarracksandcrossedthecourtyards。
TheconcourseofpeopleandtheenthusiasmwasnowhitlessthanonCavalier\'sfirstentry,morethanthreehundredpersonskissinghishandsandknees。Cavalierwasdressedonthisoccasioninadoubletofgreycloth,andabeaverhat,lacedwithgold,andadornedwithawhitefeather。
Cavalierandhistravelling—companionwentdirecttothegardenoftheRecollets,andhardlyhadtheygottherethanMM。deVillarsanddeBaville,accompaniedbyLalandeandSandricourt,cameouttomeetthem:theconferencelastedthreehours,butallthatcouldbelearnedoftheresultwasthatSalomonhaddeclaredthathisbrethrenwouldneverlaydowntheirarmstillfulllibertyofconsciencehadbeensecuredtothem。Inconsequenceofthisdeclaration,itwasdecidedthatCavalierandhisregimentshouldbedespatchedtoSpainwithoutdelay,inordertoweakentheCalvinistforcestothatextent;meantimeSalomonwassentbacktoRolandwithapositivepromisethatifhewouldsurrender,asCavalierhaddone,hewouldbegrantedthesameconditions——thatistosay,receiveacommissionascolonel,havetherighttonametheofficersofhisregiment,andreceiveapensionof1200livres。OnquittingthegardenoftheRecollets,Cavalierfoundasgreatacrowdaseverwaitingforhim,andsocloselydidtheypressonhimthattwoofhismenwereobligedtoridebeforehimwithdrawnsabrestoclearawayforhimtilltheMontpellierroadwasreached。HelaythatnightatLanglade,inordertorejoinhistroopsearlynextmorning。
Butduringhisabsencethingshadhappenedamongthesemen,whohadhithertoobeyedhimblindly,whichhelittleexpected。Hehadleft,asusual,Ravanelincommand;buthardlyhadheriddenawaywhenRavanelbegantotakeallkindsofprecautions,orderingthemennottolayasidetheirarms。ThenegotiationswithM。deVillarshadmadehimmostanxious;helookeduponallthepromisesgivenassnares,andheregardedthecompromisefavouredbyhischiefasadefectiononCavalier\'spart。Hethereforecalledalltheofficersandmentogether,toldthemofhisfears,andendedbyimbuingthemwithhissuspicions。Thiswasallthemoreeasilydone,asitwasverywellknownthatCavalierhadjoinedtheHuguenotslessfromdevotiontothecausethantoavengeaprivatewrong,andonmanyoccasionshadgivenrisetotheremarkthathehadmoregeniusthanreligion。
So,ongettingbacktoCalvisson,theyoungchieffoundhisprincipalofficers,Ravanelattheirhead,drawnupinthemarket—place,waitingforhim。Assoonashedrewneartheytoldhimthattheyweredeterminedtoknowatoncewhatweretheconditionsofthetreatyhehadsignedwiththemarechal;theyhadmadeuptheirmindstohaveaplainanswerwithoutdelay。Suchawayofspeakingtohimwassostrangeandunexpected,thatCavaliershruggedhisshouldersandrepliedthatsuchmatterswerenobusinessoftheirs,beingtoohighfortheirintelligence;thatitwashisbusinesstodecidewhatcoursetotakeandtheirstotakeit;ithadalwaysbeensointhepast,andwiththehelpofGodandhisown,Cavalier\'s,goodwill,itshouldstillbesoinfuture;andhavingsospoken,hetoldthemtodisperse。Ravaneluponthiscameforward,andinthenameofalltheotherssaidtheywouldnotgoawayuntiltheyknewwhatordersCavalierwasabouttogivethetroops,thattheymightconsultamongthemselveswhethertheyshouldobeythemornot。ThisinsubordinationwastoomuchforCavalier\'spatience。
\"Theordersare,\"hesaid,\"toputontheuniformsthatarebeingmadeforyou,andtofollowmetoPortugal。\"
Theeffectofsuchwordsonmenwhowereexpectingnothinglessthanthere—enactmentoftheEdictofNantes,canbeeasilyimagined;thewords\"coward\"and\"traitor\"couldbedistinguishedabovethemurmurs,asCavaliernoticedwithincreasingastonishment。Raisinghimselfinhisstirrups,andglancingroundwiththatlookbeforewhichtheyhadbeenusedtotremble,heaskedinavoiceascalmasifallthedemonsofangerwerenotraginginhisheart,\"WhocalledJeanCavaliertraitorandcoward？\"
\"I,\"saidRavanel,crossinghisarmsonhisbreast。
Cavalierdrewapistolfromhisholsters,andstrikingthosenearhimwiththebuttend,openedawaytowardshislieutenant,whodrewhissword;butatthismomentthecommissary—general,Vincel,andCaptainCapponthrewthemselvesbetweenthetwoandaskedthecauseofthequarrel。
\"Thecause,\"saidRavanel,\"isthattheCadetsoftheCross,ledbythe\'Hermit,\'havejustknockedoutthebrainsoftwoofourbrethren,whowerecomingtojoinus,andarehinderingothersfrontattendingourmeetingstoworshipGod:theconditionsofthetrucehavingbeenthusbroken,isitlikelytheywillkeepthoseofthetreaty？Werefusetoacceptthetreaty。\"
\"Sir,\"saidVincel,\"ifthe\'Hermit\'hasdonewhatyousay,itisagainsttheordersofthemarachal,andthemisdoerwillbepunished;