Dumas, Alexandre – The Black Tulip

Gabii, and the Great Conde, who watered his carnations at

the dungeon of Vincennes at the very moment when the former

meditated his return to Rome, and the latter his escape from

prison.

The judge summed up with the following dilemma: —

“Either Cornelius van Baerle is a great lover of tulips, or

a great lover of politics; in either case, he has told us a

falsehood; first, because his having occupied himself with

politics is proved by the letters which were found at his

house; and secondly, because his having occupied himself

with tulips is proved by the bulbs which leave no doubt of

the fact. And herein lies the enormity of the case. As

Cornelius van Baerle was concerned in the growing of tulips

and in the pursuit of politics at one and the same time, the

prisoner is of hybrid character, of an amphibious

organisation, working with equal ardour at politics and at

tulips, which proves him to belong to the class of men most

dangerous to public tranquillity, and shows a certain, or

rather a complete, analogy between his character and that of

those master minds of which Tarquin the Elder and the Great

Conde have been felicitously quoted as examples.”

The upshot of all these reasonings was, that his Highness

the Prince Stadtholder of Holland would feel infinitely

obliged to the magistracy of the Hague if they simplified

for him the government of the Seven Provinces by destroying

even the least germ of conspiracy against his authority.

This argument capped all the others, and, in order so much

the more effectually to destroy the germ of conspiracy,

sentence of death was unanimously pronounced against

Cornelius van Baerle, as being arraigned, and convicted, for

having, under the innocent appearance of a tulip-fancier,

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Dumas, Alexandre – The Black Tulip

participated in the detestable intrigues and abominable

plots of the brothers De Witt against Dutch nationality and

in their secret relations with their French enemy.

A supplementary clause was tacked to the sentence, to the

effect that “the aforesaid Cornelius van Baerle should be

led from the prison of the Buytenhof to the scaffold in the

yard of the same name, where the public executioner would

cut off his head.”

As this deliberation was a most serious affair, it lasted a

full half-hour, during which the prisoner was remanded to

his cell.

There the Recorder of the States came to read the sentence

to him.

Master Gryphus was detained in bed by the fever caused by

the fracture of his arm. His keys passed into the hands of

one of his assistants. Behind this turnkey, who introduced

the Recorder, Rosa, the fair Frisian maid, had slipped into

the recess of the door, with a handkerchief to her mouth to

stifle her sobs.

Cornelius listened to the sentence with an expression rather

of surprise than sadness.

After the sentence was read, the Recorder asked him whether

he had anything to answer.

“Indeed, I have not,” he replied. “Only I confess that,

among all the causes of death against which a cautious man

may guard, I should never have supposed this to be

comprised.”

On this answer, the Recorder saluted Van Baerle with all

that consideration which such functionaries generally bestow

upon great criminals of every sort.

But whilst he was about to withdraw, Cornelius asked, “By

the bye, Mr. Recorder, what day is the thing — you know

what I mean — to take place?”

“Why, to-day,” answered the Recorder, a little surprised by

the self-possession of the condemned man.

A sob was heard behind the door, and Cornelius turned round

to look from whom it came; but Rosa, who had foreseen this

movement, had fallen back.

“And,” continued Cornelius, “what hour is appointed?”

“Twelve o’clock, sir.”

“Indeed,” said Cornelius, “I think I heard the clock strike

ten about twenty minutes ago; I have not much time to

spare.”

“Indeed you have not, if you wish to make your peace with

God,” said the Recorder, bowing to the ground. “You may ask

for any clergyman you please.”

Saying these words he went out backwards, and the assistant

turnkey was going to follow him, and to lock the door of