"Alexandre Dumas. Twenty Years After." - читать интересную книгу автора

property. They deputed ten of their number to wait upon the Duke of
Orleans, who, according to his custom, affected popularity. The duke
received them and they informed him that they were resolved not to pay this
tax, even if they were obliged to defend themselves against its collectors
by force of arms. They were listened to with great politeness by the duke,
who held out hopes of easier measures, promised to speak in their behalf to
the queen, and dismissed them with the ordinary expression of royalty, "We
will see what we can do."
Two days afterward these same magistrates appeared before the cardinal
and their spokesman addressed Mazarin with so much fearlessness and
determination that the minister was astounded and sent the deputation away
with the same answer as it had received from the Duke of Orleans-that he
would see what could be done; and in accordance with that intention a
council of state was assembled and the superintendent of finance was
summoned.
This man, named Emery, was the object of popular detestation, in the
first place because he was superintendent of finance, and every
superintendent of finance deserved to be hated; in the second place,
because he rather deserved the odium which he had incurred.
He was the son of a banker at Lyons named Particelli, who, after
becoming a bankrupt, chose to change his name to Emery; and Cardinal
Richelieu having discovered in him great financial aptitude, had introduced
him with a strong recommendation to Louis XIII. under his assumed name, in
order that he might be appointed to the post he subsequently held.
"You surprise me!" exclaimed the monarch. "I am rejoiced to hear you
speak of Monsieur d'Emery as calculated for a post which requires a man of
probity. I was really afraid that you were going to force that villain
Particelli upon me."
"Sire," replied Richelieu, "rest assured that Particelli, the man to
whom your majesty refers, has been hanged."
"Ah; so much the better!" exclaimed the king. "It is not for nothing
that I am styled Louis the Just." and he signed Emery's appointment.
This was the same Emery who became eventually superintendent of
finance.
He was sent for by the ministers and he came before them pale and
trembling, declaring that his son had very nearly been assassinated the day
before, near the palace. The mob had insulted him on account of the
ostentatious luxury of his wife, whose house was hung with red velvet edged
with gold fringe. This lady was the daughter of Nicholas de Camus, who
arrived in Paris with twenty francs in his pocket, became secretary of
state, and accumulated wealth enough to divide nine millions of francs
among his children and to keep an income of forty thousand for himself.
The fact was that Emery's son had run a great chance of being
suffocated, one of the rioters having proposed to squeeze him until he gave
up all the gold he had swallowed. Nothing, therefore, was settled that day,
as Emery's head was not steady enough for business after such an
occurrence.
On the next day Mathieu Mole, the chief president, whose courage at
this crisis, says the Cardinal de Retz, was equal to that of the Duc de
Beaufort and the Prince de Conde-in other words, of the two men who were