Ten Years Later by Dumas, Alexandre. Part one

forty men, I am very much afraid —- ”

“Therefore I shall fight no pitched battles, my dear

Planchet,” said the Gascon, laughing. “We have very fine

examples in antiquity of skillful retreats and marches,

which consisted in avoiding the enemy instead of attacking

them. You should know that, Planchet, you who commanded the

Parisians the day on which they ought to have fought against

the musketeers, and who so well calculated marches and

countermarches, that you never left the Palais Royal.”

Planchet could not help laughing. “It is plain,” replied he,

“that if your forty men conceal themselves, and are not

unskillful, they may hope not to be beaten: but you propose

obtaining some result, do you not?”

“No doubt. This, then, in my opinion, is the plan to be

proceeded upon in order quickly to replace his majesty

Charles II. on his throne.”

“Good!” said Planchet, increasing his attention; “let us see

your plan. But in the first place it seems to me we are

forgetting something.”

“What is that?”

“We have set aside the nation, which prefers singing merry

songs to psalms, and the army, which we will not fight: but

the parliament remains, and that seldom sings.”

“Nor does it fight. How is it, Planchet, that an intelligent

man like you should take any heed of a set of brawlers who

call themselves Rumps and Barebones. The parliament does not

trouble me at all, Planchet.”

“As soon as it ceases to trouble you, monsieur, let us pass

on.”

“Yes, and arrive at the result. You remember Cromwell,

Planchet?”

“I have heard a great deal of talk about him.”

“He was a rough soldier.”

“And a terrible eater, moreover.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Why, at one gulp he swallowed all England.”

“Well, Planchet, the evening before the day on which he

swallowed England, if any one had swallowed M. Cromwell?”

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Dumas, Alexandre – Ten Years Later

“Oh, monsieur, it is one of the axioms of mathematics that

the container must be greater than the contained.”

“Very well! That is our affair, Planchet.”

“But M. Cromwell is dead, and his container is now the

tomb.”

“My dear Planchet, I see with pleasure that you have not

only become a mathematician, but a philosopher.”

“Monsieur, in my grocery business I use much printed paper,

and that instructs me.”

“Bravo! You know then, in that case — for you have not

learnt mathematics and philosophy without a little history

— that after this Cromwell so great, there came one who was

very little.”

“Yes; he was named Richard, and he has done as you have, M.

d’Artagnan — he has tendered his resignation.”

“Very well said — very well! After the great man who is

dead, after the little one who tendered his resignation,

there came a third. This one is named Monk; he is an able

general, considering he has never fought a battle; he is a

skillful diplomatist, considering that he never speaks in

public, and that having to say `good-day’ to a man, he

meditates twelve hours, and ends by saying `good-night;’

which makes people exclaim `miracle!’ seeing that it falls

out correctly.”

“That is rather strong,” said Planchet; “but I know another

political man who resembles him very much.”

“M. Mazarin you mean?”

“Himself.”

“You are right, Planchet; only M. Mazarin does not aspire to

the throne of France; and that changes everything. Do you

see? Well, this M. Monk, who has England ready-roasted in

his plate, and who is already opening his mouth to swallow

it — this M. Monk, who says to the people of Charles II.,

and to Charles II. himself, `Nescio vos’ —- ”

“I don’t understand English,” said Planchet.

“Yes, but I understand it,” said D’Artagnan. “`Nescio vos’

means `I do not know you.’ This M. Monk, the most important

man in England, when he shall have swallowed it —- ”

“Well?” asked Planchet.

“Well, my friend, I shall go over yonder, and with my forty

men, I shall carry him off, pack him up, and bring him into

France, where two modes of proceeding present themselves to

my dazzled eyes.”

“Oh! and to mine too,” cried Planchet, transported with

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