to deliver a decisive battle against King Charles. I shall
gain it, for the hope of the nation and the Spirit of the
Lord are with me. This battle won by me, the king will have
no further resources in England or in Scotland; and if he is
not captured or killed, he will endeavor to pass over into
France to recruit soldiers and to refurnish himself with
arms and money. France has already received Queen Henrietta,
and, unintentionally, doubtless, has maintained a centre of
inextinguishable civil war in my country. But Madame
Henrietta is a daughter of France and was entitled to the
hospitality of France. As to King Charles, the question must
be viewed differently; in receiving and aiding him, France
will censure the acts of the English nation, and thus so
essentially harm England, and especially the well-being of
the government, that such a proceeding will be equivalent to
pronounced hostilities.”
At this moment Mazarin became very uneasy at the turn which
the letter was taking and paused to glance under his eyes at
the young man. The latter continued in thought. Mazarin
resumed his reading:
Page 256
Dumas, Alexandre – Twenty Years After
“It is important, therefore, monseigneur, that I should be
informed as to the intentions of France. The interests of
that kingdom and those of England, though taking now diverse
directions, are very nearly the same. England needs
tranquillity at home, in order to consummate the expulsion
of her king; France needs tranquillity to establish on solid
foundations the throne of her young monarch. You need, as
much as we do, that interior condition of repose which,
thanks to the energy of our government, we are about to
attain.
“Your quarrels with the parliament, your noisy dissensions
with the princes, who fight for you to-day and to-morrow
will fight against you, the popular following directed by
the coadjutor, President Blancmesnil, and Councillor
Broussel — all that disorder, in short, which pervades the
several departments of the state, must lead you to view with
uneasiness the possibility of a foreign war; for in that
event England, exalted by the enthusiasm of new ideas, will
ally herself with Spain, already seeking that alliance. I
have therefore believed, monseigneur, knowing your prudence
and your personal relation to the events of the present
time, that you will choose to hold your forces concentrated
in the interior of the French kingdom and leave to her own
the new government of England. That neutrality consists
simply in excluding King Charles from the territory of
France and in refraining from helping him — a stranger to
your country — with arms, with money or with troops.
“My letter is private and confidential, and for that reason
I send it to you by a man who shares my most intimate
counsels. It anticipates, through a sentiment which your
eminence will appreciate, measures to be taken after the
events. Oliver Cromwell considered it more expedient to
declare himself to a mind as intelligent as Mazarin’s than
to a queen admirable for firmness, without doubt, but too
much guided by vain prejudices of birth and of divine right.
“Farewell, monseigneur; should I not receive a reply in the
space of fifteen days, I shall presume my letter will have
miscarried.
“Oliver Cromwell.”
“Mr. Mordaunt,” said the cardinal, raising his voice, as if
to arouse the dreamer, “my reply to this letter will be more
satisfactory to General Cromwell if I am convinced that all
are ignorant of my having given one; go, therefore, and
await it at Boulogne-sur-Mer, and promise me to set out
to-morrow morning.”
“I promise, my lord,” replied Mordaunt; “but how many days
does your eminence expect me to await your reply?”
“If you do not receive it in ten days you can leave.”
Mordaunt bowed.
“That is not all, sir,” continued Mazarin; “your private
adventures have touched me to the quick; besides, the letter
Page 257
Dumas, Alexandre – Twenty Years After
from Mr. Cromwell makes you an important person as
ambassador; come, tell me, what can I do for you?”
Mordaunt reflected a moment and, after some hesitation, was
about to speak, when Bernouin entered hastily and bending
down to the ear of the cardinal, whispered: