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The Three Musketeers
Twenty Years Later
The Vicomte De Bragelonne
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The Vicomte De Bragelonne 799 at Prostate Health
a little the bitter draught he
had given him.
During this time, Colbert was talking with the Duc dAlméda.
"Monsieur," said Colbert to Aramis, "this is the moment for us to come
to an understanding. I have made your peace with the king, and I owed
that clearly to a man of your merit; but as you have often expressed
friendship for me, an opportunity presents itself for giving me a proof
of it. You are, besides, more a Frenchman than Spaniard. Shall we have,
answer me frankly, the neutrality of Spain, if we undertake anything
against the United Provinces?"
"Monsieur," replied Aramis, "the interest of Spain is very clear. To
embroil Europe with the United Provinces, against which subsists the
ancient malice of their conquered liberty, is our policy, but the king
of France is allied with the United Provinces. You are not ignorant,
besides, that it would be a maritime war, and that France is not in a
state to make such a one with advantage."
Colbert, turning round at this moment, saw DArtagnan, who was seeking
an interlocutor, during the "aside" of the king and Monsieur. He called
him, at the same time saying in a low voice to Aramis. "We may talk with
M. dArtagnan. I suppose?"
"Oh! certainly," replied the ambassador.
"We were saying, M. dAlméda and I," said Colbert, "that war with the
United Provinces would be a maritime war."
"Thats evident enough," replied the musketeer.
"And what do you think of it, Monsieur dArtagnan?"
"I think that to carry that war on successfully, you must have a very
large land army."
"What did you say?" said Colbert, thinking he had ill-understood him.
"Why such a land army?" said Aramis.
"Because the king will be beaten by sea if he has not the English with
him, and that when beaten by sea, he will be soon invaded, either by the
Dutch in his ports, or by the Spaniards by land."
"And Spain neutral?" asked Aramis.
"Neutral as long as the king shall be the stronger," rejoined
DArtagnan.
Colbert admired that sagacity which never touched a question without
enlightening it thoroughly. Aramis smiled, as he had long known that in
diplomacy DArtagnan acknowledged no master. Colbert, who, like all
proud men, dwelt upon his fantasy with a certainty of success, resumed
the subject, "Who told you, M. dArtagnan, that the king had no navy?"
"Oh! I have taken no heed of these details," replied the captain. "I am
but a middling sailor. Like all nervous people, I hate the sea; and yet
I have an idea that with ships, France being a seaport with two hundred
heads, we might have sailors."
Colbert drew from his pocket a little oblong book, divided into two
columns. On the first were the names of vessels, on the other the
figures recapitulating the number of cannon and men requisite to equip
these ships. "I have had the same idea as you," said he to DArtagnan,
"and I have had an account drawn up of the vessels we have
altogether--thirty-five ships."
"Thirty-five ships! that is impossible!" cried DArtagnan.
"Something like two thousand pieces of cannon," said Colbert. "That is
what the king possesses at this moment. With thirty-five vessels we can
make three squadrons, but I must have five."
"Five!" cried Aramis.
"They will be afloat before the end of the year, gentlemen; the king
will have fifty ships of the line. We may venture on a contest with
them, may we not?"
"To build vessels," said DArtagnan, "is difficult, but possible. As to
arming them, how is that to be done? In France there are neither
foundries nor military docks."
"Bah!" replied Colbert, with a gay tone, "I have instituted all that
this year and a half past, did you not know it? Dont you know M.
dImfreville?"
"DImfreville!" replied DArtagnan; "no."
"He is a man I have discovered; he has a specialty; he is a man of
genius--he knows how to set men to work. It is he who has founded cannon
and cut the woods of Bourgogne. And then, Monsieur lAmbassadeur, you
may not believe what I am going to tell you, but I have a further idea."
"Oh, monsieur!" said Aramis, civilly, "I always believe you."
"Figure to yourself that, calculating upon the character of the Dutch,
our allies, I said to myself, They are merchants, they are friends with
the king; they will be happy to sell to the king what they fabricate for
themselves; then the more we buy--Ah! I must add this: I have Forant--do
you know Forant, DArtagnan?"
Colbert, in his warmth, forgot himself; he called the
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