pose of his statue in the Mercer's Hall.
"Sire," he said, "I have listened today to more than a man of honour should hear in the whole course of his life. I possess what I do only from the benefits that the King, your father, lavished upon me for the services I rendered as his lieutenant for sixteen years. I have now been accused in your presence of embezzlement, of commerce with the enemies of the kingdom; nor has; any voice been raised in my defence, not even yours, Sire. I demand that a commission be appointed to look into the accounts for which I am responsible to you and to you alone."
Anger is contagious. Louis X suddenly grew irritated with the attit ude Marigny had displayed since the opening of the Council, the manner with which he had thwarted his proposals, treated him like a small boy, and made him feel all too clearly how inferior he was to his father.
"Very well, Messire, the commission will be appointed," he replied, "since you demand it yourself. "
By these words he separated himself from the only minister capable of commanding in his stead and of directing the policy of his reign. Mediocrities can tolerate being surrounded only by flatterers who conceal their mediocrity. France was to pay through long years for this momentary resentment.
Marigny picked up his file, filled it with his documents, and went to the door. This action increased The Hutin's irritation.
"From now on," he added, "you will have no further concern with our Treasury'."
"I shall take the greatest care not to, Sire," said Marigny, leaving the room.
And his feet could be heard fading down the length of the corridor.
Valois was triumphant, surprised almost at the speed with which his enemy's fall had, been brought about.
"You are wrong, Brother," said the Count of Evreux; "you cannot browbeat a man of that sort."'
"I had good reason," `replied Valois; "and you will soon be grateful to me for it. Marigny is a blot upon the face, of the kingdom. He had to be squashed as soon as possible."
"Well, Uncle," asked The Hutin, reverting to his one anxiety, "when will you send the embassy. to
Madame Clemence? "
As soon as Valois had promised that Bouville would set out within the week, he closed the meeting. He wanted to stretch his legs.
2. Marigny: Remains Rector-General
As he went home, preceded as usual by three sergeant mace-bearers, and followed by two secretaries and an equerry, Monseigneur de Marigny did not as yet comprehend what had occurred, how destiny had turned so abruptly against him. He was blinded by anger. "That impudent rascal accuses me of having taken bribes over the treatie s," he said to himself. "He's a fine one to talk! And as for this little King, who has, got the brains of a fl ea and the surliness of a wasp, who, says not one single word in my defence, but instead takes the Treasury out of my control! "
He rode on, unaware of the streets and the people he passed, unobservant of the hostile faces of those forced to make way for him. He was not loved. He had governed men from so high a position and for so long that he had lost the knack of looking at them.
Having reached his house in the Rue des Fosses-Saint-Germa in, he leapt from his h orse without awaiting the help of his equerry, walked quickly across the courtyard, threw his cloak over the arm of the first servant he met and, still holding his file of documents, mounted the stairs leading to the first floor.
His house wa s less like a private residence than, a government office: heavy furniture,, huge chandeliers, thick carpets, lav ish hangings, nothing but solid furnishings designed to last. An army of servants were at his beck and call.
Enguerrand de Ma rigny opened the door of the room in which he knew he would find his wife. She was playing by the hearth with a miniature Italian dog, a dog with a grey clipped coat, resembling a tiny horse. Her sister, Dame de Chanteloup, a talkative widow, sat beside her.
From her husband's appearance, Madame de
"Sire," he said, "I have listened today to more than a man of honour should hear in the whole course of his life. I possess what I do only from the benefits that the King, your father, lavished upon me for the services I rendered as his lieutenant for sixteen years. I have now been accused in your presence of embezzlement, of commerce with the enemies of the kingdom; nor has; any voice been raised in my defence, not even yours, Sire. I demand that a commission be appointed to look into the accounts for which I am responsible to you and to you alone."
Anger is contagious. Louis X suddenly grew irritated with the attit ude Marigny had displayed since the opening of the Council, the manner with which he had thwarted his proposals, treated him like a small boy, and made him feel all too clearly how inferior he was to his father.
"Very well, Messire, the commission will be appointed," he replied, "since you demand it yourself. "
By these words he separated himself from the only minister capable of commanding in his stead and of directing the policy of his reign. Mediocrities can tolerate being surrounded only by flatterers who conceal their mediocrity. France was to pay through long years for this momentary resentment.
Marigny picked up his file, filled it with his documents, and went to the door. This action increased The Hutin's irritation.
"From now on," he added, "you will have no further concern with our Treasury'."
"I shall take the greatest care not to, Sire," said Marigny, leaving the room.
And his feet could be heard fading down the length of the corridor.
Valois was triumphant, surprised almost at the speed with which his enemy's fall had, been brought about.
"You are wrong, Brother," said the Count of Evreux; "you cannot browbeat a man of that sort."'
"I had good reason," `replied Valois; "and you will soon be grateful to me for it. Marigny is a blot upon the face, of the kingdom. He had to be squashed as soon as possible."
"Well, Uncle," asked The Hutin, reverting to his one anxiety, "when will you send the embassy. to
Madame Clemence? "
As soon as Valois had promised that Bouville would set out within the week, he closed the meeting. He wanted to stretch his legs.
2. Marigny: Remains Rector-General
As he went home, preceded as usual by three sergeant mace-bearers, and followed by two secretaries and an equerry, Monseigneur de Marigny did not as yet comprehend what had occurred, how destiny had turned so abruptly against him. He was blinded by anger. "That impudent rascal accuses me of having taken bribes over the treatie s," he said to himself. "He's a fine one to talk! And as for this little King, who has, got the brains of a fl ea and the surliness of a wasp, who, says not one single word in my defence, but instead takes the Treasury out of my control! "
He rode on, unaware of the streets and the people he passed, unobservant of the hostile faces of those forced to make way for him. He was not loved. He had governed men from so high a position and for so long that he had lost the knack of looking at them.
Having reached his house in the Rue des Fosses-Saint-Germa in, he leapt from his h orse without awaiting the help of his equerry, walked quickly across the courtyard, threw his cloak over the arm of the first servant he met and, still holding his file of documents, mounted the stairs leading to the first floor.
His house wa s less like a private residence than, a government office: heavy furniture,, huge chandeliers, thick carpets, lav ish hangings, nothing but solid furnishings designed to last. An army of servants were at his beck and call.
Enguerrand de Ma rigny opened the door of the room in which he knew he would find his wife. She was playing by the hearth with a miniature Italian dog, a dog with a grey clipped coat, resembling a tiny horse. Her sister, Dame de Chanteloup, a talkative widow, sat beside her.
From her husband's appearance, Madame de
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