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The Vicomte De Bragelonne 91 at Prostate Health
the martyred king. Ireceived, at the same time, the last word of Charles I., itwas to me he said, `Remember! and in saying, `Remember! healluded to the money at your feet, my lord.""I have heard much of you, monsieur," said Monk, "but I amhappy to have, in the first place, appreciated you by my ownobservations, and not by my remembrances. I will give you,then, explanations that I have given to no other, and youwill appreciate what a distinction I make between you andthe persons who have hitherto been sent to me."Athos bowed, and prepared to absorb greedily the words whichfell, one by one, from the mouth of Monk, -- those wordsrare and precious as the dew in the desert."You spoke to me," said Monk, "of Charles II.; but pray,monsieur, of what consequence to me is that phantom of aking? I have grown old in a war and in a policy which arenowadays so closely linked together, that every man of thesword must fight in virtue of his rights or his ambitionwith a personal interest, and not blindly behind an officer,as in ordinary wars. For myself, I perhaps desire nothing,but I fear much. In the war of to-day rests the liberty ofEngland, and, perhaps, that of every Englishman. How can youexpect that I, free in the position I have made for myself,should go willingly and hold out my hands to the shackles ofa stranger? That is all Charles is to me. He has foughtbattles here which he has lost, he is therefore a badcaptain; he has succeeded in no negotiation, he is thereforea bad diplomatist; he has paraded his wants and his miseriesin all the courts of Europe, he has therefore a weak andpusillanimous heart. Nothing noble, nothing great, nothingstrong has hitherto emanated from that genius which aspiresto govern one of the greatest kingdoms of the earth. I knowthis Charles, then, under none but bad aspects, and youwould wish me, a man of good sense, to go and make myselfgratuitously the slave of a creature who is inferior to mein military capacity, in politics, and in dignity! No,monsieur. When some great and noble action shall have taughtme to value Charles, I shall perhaps recognize his rights toa throne from which we have cast the father because hewanted the virtues which his son has hitherto lacked, but,in fact of rights, I only recognize my own; the revolutionmade me a general, my sword will make me protector, if Iwish it. Let Charles show himself, let him present himself,let him enter the competition open to genius, and, aboveall, let him remember that he is of a race from whom morewill be expected than from any other. Therefore, monsieur,say no more about him. I neither refuse nor accept: Ireserve myself -- I wait."Athos knew Monk to be too well informed of all concerningCharles to venture to urge the discussion further; it wasneither the time nor the place. "My lord," then said he, "Ihave nothing to do but to thank you.""And why, monsieur? Because you have formed a correctopinion of me, or because I have acted according to yourjudgment? Is that, in truth, worthy of thanks? This goldwhich you are about to carry to Charles will serve me as atest for him, by seeing the use he will make of it. I shallhave an opinion which now I have not.""And yet does not your honor fear to compromise yourself byallowing such a sum to be carried away for the service ofyour enemy?""My enemy, say you? Eh, monsieur, I have no enemies. I am inthe service of the parliament, which orders me to fightGeneral Lambert and Charles Stuart -- its enemies, and notmine. I fight them. If the parliament, on the contrary,ordered me to unfurl my standards on the port of London, andto assemble my soldiers on the banks to receive Charles II.---- ""You would obey?" cried Athos, joyfully."Pardon me," said Monk, smiling, "I was going -- I, agray-headed man -- in truth, how could I forget myself? wasgoing to speak like a foolish young man.""Then you would not obey?" said Athos."I do not say that either, monsieur. The welfare of mycountry before everything. God, who has given me the power,has, no doubt, willed that I should
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