第 36 节
作者:铲除不公      更新:2021-02-20 18:51      字数:9322
  After the search began; the master of the house in which he might be
  found would be hung at his own door; his family thrown into prison;
  his goods confiscated; his house razed to the ground; without any
  form of trial whatever。
  This proclamation had the effect expected by the duke: whether the
  man in whose house Catinat was concealed grew frightened and asked
  him to leave; or whether Catinat thought his best course would be to
  try and get away from the town; instead of remaining shut up in it;
  he dressed himself one morning in suitable clothes; and went to a
  barber's; who shaved him; cut his hair; and made up his face so as to
  give him as much the appearance of a nobleman as possible; and then
  with wonderful assurance he went out into the streets; and pulling
  his hat over his eyes and holding a paper in his hand as if reading
  it; he crossed the town to the gate of St。 Antoine。  He was almost
  through when Charreau; the captain of the guard; having his attention
  directed to Catinat by a comrade to whom he was talking; stopped him;
  suspecting he was trying to escape。  Catinat asked what he wanted
  with him; and Charreau replied that if he would enter the guard…house
  he would learn; as under such circumstances any examination was to be
  avoided; Catinat tried to force his way out; whereupon he was seized
  by Charreau and his brother…officer; and Catinat seeing that
  resistance would be not only useless but harmful; allowed himself to
  be taken to the guard…room。
  He had been there about an hour without being recognised by any of
  those who; drawn by curiosity; came to look at him; when one of the
  visitors in going out said he bore a strong resemblance to Catinat;
  some children hearing these words; began to shout; 〃Catinat is taken!
  Catinat is taken!  〃This cry drew a large crowd to the guard…house;
  among others a man whose name was Anglejas; who; looking closely at
  the prisoner; recognised him and called him by name。
  Instantly the guard was doubled; and Catinat searched: a psalm…book
  with a silver clasp and a letter addressed to 〃M。 Maurel; called
  Catinat;〃 were found on him; leaving no doubt as to his identity;
  while he himself; growing impatient; and desiring to end all these
  investigations; acknowledged that he was Catinat and no other。
  He was at once taken to the palace; where the Presidial Court was
  sitting; M。 de Baville and the president being occupied in trying
  Ravanel; Villas; and Jonquet。  On hearing the news of this important
  capture; the intendant; hardly daring to believe his ears; rose and
  went out to meet the prisoner; in order to convince himself that it
  was really Catinat。
  》From the Presidial Court he was brought before the Duke of Berwick;
  who addressed several questions to him; which Catinat answered; he
  then told the duke he had something of importance to impart to him
  and to him alone。  The duke was not very anxious for a tete…a…tete
  with Catinat; however; having ordered his hands to be securely bound;
  and telling Sandricourt not to go away; he consented to hear what the
  prisoner had to say。
  Catinat then; in the presence of the duke and Sandricourt; proposed
  that an exchange of prisoners should be made; the Marechal de
  Tallard; who was a prisoner of war in England; being accepted in his
  place。  Catinat added that if this offer was not accepted; the
  marechal would meet the same treatment from the English as might be
  meted out to him; Catinat; in France。  The duke; full of the
  aristocratic ideas to which he was born; found the proposal insolent;
  and said; 〃If that is all you have to propose; I can assure you that
  your hours are numbered。〃
  Thereupon Catinat was promptly sent back to the palace; where truly
  his trial did not occupy much time。  That of the three others was
  already finished; and soon his was also at an end; and it only
  remained to pronounce sentence on all four。  Catinat and Ravanel; as
  the most guilty; were condemned to be burnt at the stake。  Some of
  the councillors thought Catinat should have been torn apart by four
  horses; but the majority were for the stake; the agony lasting
  longer; being more violent and more exquisite than in the of other
  case。
  Villars and Jonquet were sentenced to be broken  on the wheel alive …
  …the only difference between them being that Jonquet was to be to
  taken while still living and thrown into the fire lit round Catinat
  and Ravael。  It was also ordered that the four condemned men before
  their execution should be put to the torture ordinary and
  extraordinary。  Catinat; whose temper was fierce; suffered with
  courage; but cursed his torturers。  Ravanel bore all the torments
  that could be inflicted on him with a fortitude that was more than
  human; so that the torturers were exhausted before he was。  Jonquet
  spoke little; and the revelations he made were of slight importance。
  Villas confessed that the conspirators had the intention of carrying
  off the duke and M。 de Baville when they were out walking or driving;
  and he added that this plot had been hatched at the house of a
  certain Boeton de SaintLaurent…d'Aigozre; at Milhaud; in Rouergue。
  Meanwhile all this torturing and questioning had taken so much time
  that when the stake and the scaffold were ready it was almost dark;
  so that the duke put off the executions until the next day; instead
  of carrying them out by torchlight。  Brueys says that this was done
  in order that the most disaffected amongst the fanatics should not be
  able to say that it was not really Catinat; Ravanel; Villas; and
  Jonquet who had been executed but some other unknown men; but it is
  more probable that the duke and Baville were afraid of riots; as was
  proved by their ordering the scaffold and the stake to be erected at
  the end of the Cours and opposite the glacis of the fortress; so that
  the garrison might be at hand in case of any disturbance。
  Catinat was placed in a cell apart; and could be; heard cursing and
  complaining all night through。  Ravanel; Villas; and Jonquet were
  confined together; and passed the night singing and praying。
  The next day; the 22nd April; 1705; they were taken from the prison
  and drawn to the place of execution in two carts; being unable to
  walk; on account of the severe torture to which they had been
  subjected; and which had crushed the bones of their legs。  A single
  pile of wood had been prepared for Catinat and Ravanel; who were to
  be burnt together; they were in one cart; and Villas and Jonquet; for
  whom two wheels had been prepared; were in the other。
  The first operation was to bind Catinat and Ravanel back to back to
  the same stake; care being taken to place Catinat with his face to
  windward; so that his agony might last longer; and then the pile was
  lit under Ravanel。
  As had been foreseen; this precaution gave great pleasure to those
  people who took delight in witnessing executions。  The wind being
  rather high; blew the flames away from Catinat; so that at first the
  fire burnt his legs onlya circumstance which; the author of the
  History of the Camisards tells us; aroused Catinat's impatience。
  Ravanel; however; bore everything to the end with the greatest
  heroism; only pausing in his singing to address words of
  encouragement to his companion in suffering; whom he could not see;
  but whose groans and curses he could hear; he would then return to
  his psalms; which he continued to sing until his voice was stifled in
  the flames。  Just as he expired; Jonquet was removed from the wheel;
  and carried; his broken limbs dangling; to the burning pile; on which
  he was thrown。  From the midst of the flames his voice was heard
  saying; 〃Courage; Catinat; we shall soon meet in heaven。〃  A few
  moments later; the stake; being burnt through at the base; broke; and
  Catinat falling into the flames; was quickly suffocated。  That this
  accident had not been forseen and prevented by proper precautions
  caused great displeasure to spectators who found that the
  three…quarter of an hour which the spectacle had lasted was much too
  brief a time。
  Villas lived three hours longer on his wheel; and expired without
  having uttered a single complaint。
  Two days later; there was another trial; at which six persons were
  condemned to death and one to the galleys; these were the two
  Alisons; in whose house Villas; Ravanel; and Jonquet had been found;
  Alegre; who was accused of having concealed Catinat; and of having
  been the Camisard treasurer; Rougier; an armourer who was found
  guilty of having repaired the muskets of the rebels; Jean Lauze; an
  innkeeper who had prepared meals for Ravanel; La Jeunesse; a
  preacher; convicted of having preached sermons and sung psalms; and
  young Delacroix; brother…in…law to one of the Alisons。  The first
  three were condemned to be broken on the wheel; their houses
  demolished; and their goods confiscated。  The next three were to be
  hanged。  Jean Delacroix; partly because of his youth; but more
  because of the revelations he made; was only sent to the galleys。
  Several years later he was liberated and returned to Arles; and was
  carried off by the plague in 1720。
  All these sentences were carried out with the utmost rigour。
  Thus; as may be seen; the suppression of the revolt proce