Les Quarante-cinq. English

by Alexandre Dumas

  CHAPTER LXII.

  PREPARATIONS FOR BATTLE.

  The camp of the new Duke of Brabant was situated on the banks of theScheldt, and the army, although well disciplined, was agitated by aspirit easy to understand.

  Indeed, many Calvinists assisted the duke, not from sympathy for him,but in order to be as disagreeable as possible to Spain and to theCatholics of France and England; they fought rather from self-love thanfrom conviction or devotion, and it was certain that, the campaign onceover, they would abandon their leader or impose conditions on him. Withregard to these conditions, the duke always gave them to understand thatwhen the time came he should be ready, and was constantly saying, "Henriof Navarre made himself a Catholic, why should not I become a Huguenot?"On the opposite side, on the contrary, there existed a perfect unity offeeling. Antwerp had intended to give entrance to him, at her own timeand on her own conditions.

  All at once they saw a fleet appear at the mouth of the Scheldt, andthey learned that this fleet was brought by the high admiral of France,to aid the Duc d'Anjou, whom they now began to look upon as their enemy.The Calvinists of the duke were little better pleased than the Flemingsat the sight. They were very brave, but very jealous: and they did notwish others to come and clip their laurels, particularly swords whichhad slain so many Huguenots on the day of the St. Bartholomew. From thisproceeded many quarrels, which began on the very evening of theirarrival, and continued all the next day.

  From their ramparts, the Antwerpians had every day the spectacle of adozen duels between Catholics and Protestants; and they threw into theriver as many dead as a combat might have cost the French. If the siegeof Antwerp, like that of Troy, had lasted nine years, the besieged needhave done nothing but look at the assailants, who would certainly havedestroyed themselves. Francois acted the part of mediator, but notwithout great difficulty; he had made promises to the Huguenots, andcould not offend them without offending at the same time all Flanders.On the other hand, to offend the Catholics sent by the king to aid himwould be most impolitic. The arrival of this re-enforcement, on whichthe duke himself had not reckoned, filled the Spaniards and the Guiseswith rage. However, all these different opinions interfered sadly withthe discipline of the duke's army. Joyeuse, who we know had never likedthe mission, was annoyed to find among these men such antagonisticopinions, and felt instinctively that the time for success was past, andboth as an idle courtier and as a captain, grumbled at having come sofar only to meet with defeat. He declared loudly that the Duc d'Anjouhad been wrong in laying siege to Antwerp, and argued that to possess agreat city with its own consent was a real advantage; but that to takeby assault the second capital of his future states was to expose himselfto the dislike of the Flemings; and Joyeuse knew the Flemings too wellnot to feel sure that if the duke did take Antwerp, sooner or later theywould revenge themselves with usury. This opinion Joyeuse did nothesitate to declare in the duke's tent.

  While the council was held among his captains, the duke was lying on acouch and listening, not to the advice of the admiral, but to thewhispers of Aurilly. This man, by his cowardly compliances, his baseflatteries, and his continual assiduities, had secured the favor of theprince. With his lute, his love messages, and his exact informationabout all the persons and all the intrigues of the court--with hisskillful maneuvers for drawing into the prince's net whatever prey hemight wish for, he had made a large fortune, while he remained to allappearance the poor luteplayer. His influence was immense, because itwas secret.

  Joyeuse, seeing the duke talking to Aurilly, stopped short. The duke,who had, after all, been paying more attention than he seemed to do,asked him what was the matter. "Nothing, monseigneur; I am only waitinguntil your highness is at liberty to listen to me."

  "Oh! but I do listen, M. de Joyeuse. Do you think I cannot listen totwo people at once, when Caesar dictated seven letters at a time?"

  "Monseigneur," said Joyeuse, with a glance at the musician, "I am nosinger to need an accompaniment when I speak."

  "Very good, duke; be quiet, Aurilly. Then you disapprove of a coup demain on Antwerp?"--"Yes, monseigneur."

  "I adopted this plan in council, however."

  "Therefore, monseigneur, I speak with much hesitation, after so manydistinguished captains."

  And Joyeuse, courtier-like, bowed to all. Many voices were instantlyraised to agree with the admiral.

  "Comte de St. Aignan," said the prince to one of his bravest colonels,"you are not of the opinion of M. de Joyeuse?"

  "Yes, monseigneur, I am."

  "Oh! I thought as you made a grimace--"

  Every one laughed but Joyeuse, who said, "If M. de St. Aignan generallygives his advice in that manner, it is not very polite, that is all."

  "M. de Joyeuse," replied St. Aignan, "his highness is wrong to reproachme with an infirmity contracted in his service. At the taking ofCateau-Cambresis I received a blow on the head, and since that time myface is subject to nervous contractions, which occasion those grimacesof which his highness complains. This is not an excuse that I give you,M. de Joyeuse; it is an explanation," said the count, proudly.

  "No, monsieur," said Joyeuse, "it is a reproach that you make, and youare right."

  The blood mounted to the face of Duc Francois.

  "And to whom is this reproach addressed?" said he.

  "To me, probably, monseigneur."

  "Why should St. Aignan reproach you, whom he does not know?"

  "Because I believed for a moment that M. de St. Aignan cared so littlefor your highness as to counsel you to assault Antwerp."

  "But," cried the prince, "I must settle my position in the country. Iam Duke of Brabant and Count of Flanders, in name, and I must be so inreality. This William, who is gone I know not where, spoke to me of akingdom. Where is this kingdom?--in Antwerp. Where is he?--probably inAntwerp also; therefore we must take Antwerp, and we shall know how westand."

  "Oh! monseigneur, you know it now, or you are, in truth, a worsepolitician than I thought you. Who counseled you to take Antwerp?--thePrince of Orange. Who disappeared at the moment of taking thefield?--the Prince of Orange. Who, while he made your highness Duke ofBrabant, reserved for himself the lieutenant-generalship of theduchy?--the Prince of Orange. Whose interest is it to ruin the Spaniardsby you, and you by the Spaniards?--the Prince of Orange. Who willreplace you, who will succeed, if he does not do so already?--the Princeof Orange? Oh! monseigneur, in following his counsels you have butannoyed the Flemings. Let a reverse come, and all those who do not dareto look you now in the face will run after you like those timid dogs whorun after those who fly."

  "What! you imagine that I can be beaten by wool-merchants andbeer-drinkers?"

  "These wool-merchants and these beer-drinkers have given plenty to do toPhilippe de Valois, the Emperor Charles V., and Philippe II., who werethree princes placed sufficiently high, monseigneur, for the comparisonnot to be disagreeable to you."

  "Then you fear a repulse?"

  "Yes, monseigneur, I do."

  "You will not be there, M. de Joyeuse."

  "Why not?"

  "Because you can hardly have such doubts of your own bravery as alreadyto see yourself flying before the Flemings. In any case, reassureyourself, these prudent merchants have the habit, when they march tobattle, of cumbering themselves with such heavy armor that they wouldnever catch you if you did run."

  "Monseigneur, I do not doubt my own courage. I shall be in the front,but I shall be beaten there, as the others who are behind will be."

  "But your reasoning is not logical, M. de Joyeuse; you approve of mytaking the lesser places."

  "I approve of your taking those that do not defend themselves."

  "And then I am to draw back from the great city because she talks ofdefending herself?"

  "Better than to march on to destruction."

  "Well, I will not retreat."

  "Your highness must do as you like; and we are here to obey."

  "Prove to me that I am wrong."
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br />   "Monseigneur, see the army of the Prince of Orange. It was yours, was itnot? Well, instead of sitting down before Antwerp with you, it is inAntwerp, which is very different. William, you say, was your friend andcounselor; and now you not only do not know where he is, but you believehim to be changed into an enemy. See the Flemings--when you arrived theywere pleased to see you; now they shut their gates at your sight, andprepare their cannon at your approach, not less than if you were the Ducd'Alva. Well! I tell you, Flemings and Dutch, Antwerp and Orange, onlywait for an opportunity to unite against you, and that opportunity willbe when you order your artillery to fire."

  "Well, we will fight at once Flemings and Dutch, Antwerp and Orange."

  "No, monseigneur, we have but just men enough to attack Antwerp,supposing we have only the inhabitants to deal with; and while we areengaged in the assault, William will fall on us with his eternal eightor ten thousand men, always destroyed and always reappearing by the aidof which be has kept in check during ten or twelve years the Duc d'Alva,Requesens, and the Duc de Parma."

  "Then you persist in thinking that we shall be beaten?"

  "I do."

  "Well, it is easy for you to avoid it, M. de Joyeuse," said the princeangrily; "my brother sent you here to aid me, but I may dismiss you,saying that I do not need aid."

  "Your highness may say so, but I would not retire on the eve of abattle."

  "Well, my dear admiral," said the duke, trying to conciliate, "I mayhave been too jealous of the honor of my name, and wished too much toprove the superiority of the French army, and I may have been wrong. Butthe evil is done; we are before armed men--before men who now refusewhat they themselves offered. Am I to yield to them? To-morrow theywould begin to retake, bit by bit, what I have already conquered. No!the sword is drawn; let us strike, or they will strike first. That is myopinion."

  "When your highness speaks thus," said Joyeuse, "I will say no more. Iam here to obey you, and will do so with all my heart, whether you leadme to death or victory; and yet--but I will say no more."--"Speak."

  "No, I have said enough."

  "No, I wish to hear."

  "In private then, if it please your highness."

  All rose and retired to the other end of the spacious tent.

  "Speak," said Francois.

  "Monseigneur may care little for a check from Spain, a check which willrender triumphant those drinkers of Flemish beer, or this double-facedPrince of Orange; but will you bear so patiently the laughter of M. deGuise?"

  Francois frowned.

  "What has M. de Guise to do with it?" said he.

  "M. de Guise tried to have you assassinated, monseigneur; Salcedeconfessed it at the torture, and, if I mistake not, he plays a greatpart in all this, and he will be delighted to see you receive a checkbefore Antwerp, or even perhaps to obtain, for nothing, that death of ason of France, for which he had promised to pay so dearly to Salcede.Read the history of Flanders, monseigneur, and you will see that theFlemings are in the habit of enriching their soil with the blood ofprinces, and of the best French warriors."

  The duke shook his head.

  "Well, Joyeuse," said he, "I will give, if it must be, the cursed joy tothe Lorraines of seeing me dead, but not that of seeing me flying. Ithirst for glory, Joyeuse; for alone of all my name, I have still mybattles to win."

  "You forget Cateau Cambresis, monseigneur."

  "Compare that with Jarnac and Montcontour, Joyeuse." Then, turning tothe others, who were standing far off, he said, "Gentlemen, the assaultis still resolved on; the rain has ceased, the ground is good, we willmake the attack this night." Joyeuse bowed.

  "Will your highness give full directions? we wait for them," said he.

  "You have eight vessels, without counting the admiral's ship, have younot, M. de Joyeuse?"

  "Yes, monseigneur."

  "You will force the line; the thing will be easy, the Antwerpians haveonly merchant vessels in the port; then you will bring them to bear uponthe fort. Then, if the quay is defended, you will attempt a landing withyour 1,500 men. Of the rest of the army I will make two columns: onecommanded by M. de St. Aignan, the other by myself. Both will attempt anescalade by surprise, at the moment when the first cannon-shot is fired.

  "The cavalry will remain in position, in case of a repulse, to protectthe retreating columns. Of these three attacks, one must surely succeed.The first column which gains the ramparts will fire a rocket to let theothers know."

  "But one must think of everything, monseigneur," said Joyeuse; "andsupposing all three attacks should fail?"

  "Then we must gain the vessels under the protection of our batteries."

  All bowed.

  "Now, gentlemen, silence," said the duke; "wake the sleeping troops, andembark; but let not a shot reveal our design. You will be in the port,admiral, before the Antwerpians suspect your intention. We shall goalong the left bank, and shall arrive at the same time as yourself. Go,gentlemen, and good courage; our former good luck will not fail tofollow us over the Scheldt."

  The captains quitted the prince's tent, and gave their orders with theindicated precautions.