* Presented to the UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO LIBRARY ^.,- by the ONTARIO LEGISLATIVE LIBRARY 1980 ^i> ^;^^ WM. ^r QUEEN^ MARGOT PART 1 . THE GREAT MASSACRE^ netrsueisc-co « SIXPENCE * METHUEN'S SIXPENNY BOOKS Albanesl. E. lYIaria Dante, Alighieri IX)VK AND I.oriSA. THE VISION OF DANTE (CARY). 1 KN(»NN A MAIl).-f.N. Doyle, A. Conan Anstey, F. ROUND THE RED LAMP. A I:aVA111) FKO.M BENGAL. Austen . Jane Duncan, Sara Jeannette I'uIHK ANl I'Ui;.IL DICE. A VOYAGE OF CONSOLATION DELIGHTFUL AMERICANS. Bagrot. Richard THOSE A ROMAN MYSTKHY. Elfot, Ceorg^e CASTING Of NETS. THE MILL ON THE FLOSS. DONNA DIANA. FIndlater, Jane H. Balfour, Andrew THE GREEN GRAVES OF BALGOWRIE BY STROKK OF SWORD. Barlngr-Could, S. Gallon, Tom FLHZE BLOOM. RK KERRY'S FOLLY. CHEAP JACK ZITA. Gaskell, lYIrs. KITTY ALONE. CRANFORD. UFUTH. MARY BARTON. THE BROOM SQUIRE.- NORTH AND SOUTH. IN THE ROAR OF THE SEA. NO EMI. Gerard, Dorothea A BOOK OF FAIRY TALKS. Illustrated. HOLY MATRIMONY. LITTLE TU'PENNY. THE CONQUEST OF LONDON. WI^,^EFRED. MADE OF MONEY'. , T^^ FjJ,<*BreHE^t^ . "the QUEEN* of "kTv^, Gisslngr, Georg:e ARM IN ELL. '* THE TOWN TRAVELLER. Barr. Robert THE CROWN OF LIFE. JENNIE BAXTER, JOURNALIST. IN THE MIDST OF ALARMS. Glanville. Ernest THE COUNTESS TKKLA. THE INCA'S TREASURE. THE MUTABLE MANY. THE KLOOF BRIDE. Benson, E. F. Glelgr* Charles DODO. BUNTER'S CRUISE. THE VINTAGE. Grimm, The Brothers Bloundelle-Burton, J. GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES. Illustrated. ACROSS THE S\LT .SKAS. Hope, Anthony Bronte, Charlotte A MAN OF MARK. SHIRLEY. A CHANGE OF AIR. Brownell. C. L. THE CHRONICLES OF COUNT ANTONIO. THE HEART OF JAPAN. PHKOSO. THE DOLLY DIALOGUES. Caffyn, Mrs. (Iota) ANNE MALLEVKHKR. HornungTf E. W. Capes, Bernard DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES. THE LAKE (jF WINE. Ingraham, J. H. Clifford, Mrs. W. K. 'THE THRONE OF DAVID A FLASH OF SUM.MER. Le Queux, Wm. MIiS,, KEITH'S CRI.ME THE HUNCHBACK OF WESTMINSTER. Corbett, Julian A lilJSINKSS IN GREA'J- WATERS. Lcvett-Ycats, S. K. THE TRAITOR'S WAY. Crockett, S. R. ORRAIN. LOCHLWAR. Linton, E. Lynn Croker, IVIrs. B. M. THE TRUE HISTORY OF JOSHUA DA\II). I'KCC.Y OF THE BARTONS. SON A KTATK SKCKE'l. an»;kl. Lyall, Edna JOHANNA DERRICK vai:(;han, N(»VKLIST HIE NOVELS Oi ALEXANDRE ife)tl>^kas QUEEN MARGOT NEWLY TRANSLATED BY ALFRED ALLINSON 4979 5. PART I THE GREAT MASSACRE METHUEN & CO. 36 ESSEX STREET W.C. LONDON \Copyright : all rights reserved'] : U Allq y LONDON 'IIINTED BY WILLIAM CL'nvBS AND SONS, LIMITED, D©KB Srf^&T, STAMFORD STKEBT, S.E., AND GREAT >YINDMILL STRKS: W. INTRODUCTION DUMAS, who invented so much, claims to have invented the roman-feuilleton. This he did as early in his career as 1836. The occasion was the founding of the journal la Prcsse, his contribution to it being the historical romance La Comtesse de Salisbury. The other papers quickly adopted this plan of publishing novels in instalments, and by 1843, when Sue's Mysteries of Paris was appearing in the Journal des Debats, the popularity of the system had become immense. Then commenced a great struggle among the rival editors, a struggle which resulted in all the leading novelists being pressed into the service of the feuilleton. Dumas wrote The Musketeers^ Monte- CristOy and several other romances simul- taneously. On December 3rd, 1844, la Presse^ which was owned by Kmile de Girardin, published the first chapter of Balzac's novel. The Feasants. To it was prefixed a " dedication, which contained this sentence : During eight years I have a hundred times quitted, a hundred times resumed this book, the most important of those I have resolved to write." " Three days later the following announcement was inserted : La Presse commenced on Tuesday, December 3rd, the publication of The Peasants, scenes of country life by M. de Balzac. In the course of the month, and immediately after the first part of The Peasants^ la Presse will publish la Reine Margot, by M. Alexandre Dumas." The Peasants, in fact, far from being read with interest, had brought to the editor's letter-box expressions of disapproval, nay, even threats to drop subscrip- tions. And Girardin, afraid to face the dreaded December 31st, on which day, it must be observed, subscriptions for the ensuing year fell due, had had to promise a romance by the author of Afonte- Cristo, a.nd not only this, but to publish before the close of the year the first chapter, breaking his contract with Balzac by so doing. The first instalment of la Reine Margot duly appeared on Christmas Day, and the bored readers of The Peasants, which had stopped a few days before, seized the paper with joy and renewed their subscriptions. Emile de Girardin was saved, but Balzac was humiliated, and a crowd of little men immediately attacked him, ridiculing The Peasants and the fifty characters already introduced. Dumas, who possessed a most generous heart, must have been greatly disturbed by all this, but he had sold the serial rights and was powerless to interfere. Balzac was no admirer of Dumas' work, and at times spoke of it contemptuously, the fact being that, in Balzac's eyes, its enormous popularity was its defect. One day, the two authors having met at an evening party given by Madame de Girardin, Balzac, when leaving, said as he passed Dumas, " When I can do nothing else, I shall write some plays." " Begin at once then," promptly said the popular dramatist, and no reply occurring to Balzac, he straightway departed. After Balzac's death Dumas never wrote of him but in the highest terms, though he rather naively confessed that he was unable to appreciate all the Comedie Humaine, as Balzac called his complete works. Was Balzac too angry with Girardin to read la Presse ? No ; we feel that great was his curiosity to see what " the Negro," as he called Dumas, would make of the sixteenth century, of Catherine de Medicis and Charles IX., of Queen Margot and Henri of Navarre. Dumas had been happy in inventing his Count of Monte-Cristo, extraordinarily fortunate in coming across Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D'Artagnan in a forgotten book of memoirs—such luck could not last, the tale of the Massacre of St. Bartholomew was a thrice-told one, his heroine, Margot, was the best-known of any queen, for had not stories innumerable been written of and round about her ? " What would Dumas be able to do ? " Balzac must nave asked himself as he read the announcements. It was soon seen that Dumas had been fortunate once again. He had found - INTRODUCTION yj whose tragic history, alluded to rather than in the Memoirs of the time two men Wizard of the South read all that he or related strangely attracted him. The closing his books, al owed his Maquet could find concerning these, and then, Presently he had ceased to live m the imadnltion to lead him where it pleased. the night of the marriage of Seenth century. It was August i8th, 1572, clock of Samt Germain.l'Auxerrois Marguente de Valois and Henri o( Navarre; the adjacent to the bnlhantly h^ftruck midnight, the crowd is surging about the streets imagines himself movmg. To Dumas Dumas _ lighted Louvre, and with the crowd he takes his pen he immediately communicates it the llusion is perfect, and when are quickly written, and as quickly is the o the reader The opening chapters history he need know to enjoy the breathless reader placed in possession of all the mere witness of what passes; he ''°'presendy°Dumas is not content to be a and henceforward it is not a becomes one or even two of the chief characters, adventures-all the characters are real men story that he is telling, but his own admires execrates, despises, he ests with, quarrels with, loves, and women whom necessary perfectly, he has assimilated all knowledge or kilTs He knows them all scene before he puts it on paper but once for his' purpose, he rehearses every he reaches the word " Finis. hLe he ?hanees nothing, and nothing stops him until Queen ^a.go< was read Emile dlGirardin was not only%aved but enriched the concluding chapter was reached it was, bv every one in la Presse, and before the best of historical romances. It was seen by universal consent, considered one of Three Musketeers, and, on the whole better to be beUer constructed than The possess the irresistible charm of that immortal book. written but t was not found to Margot on a first reading, the gentle reader, when Difficult as i is to lay aside Queen number of Dumas' books on a subsequent occasion S eye falls upon it^among a blood, torture-chambers, poisons fierce hates and may find his recollection of rivers of choose one of the others. The force with wh ch as fierce loves too strong ; he may it, is at once the ; that he never relaxes Dumas grips hs°eader!s in fact tremendous failure to charm. Near y every other cau^e of his success and of his comparative contains a chapter or two which, although of our au hor's most popular books been developed beyond its actual needs. necessary to the story^ s^eem to have Monte-Cnsto to the worker of the Every one remembers the visit of the Count of be made, but much of Saph The exigencies of the plot required the visit to the dormice, and the P^^^-hes is embroide^y^ the leUcious description of the garden, imagination the refreshment of resting in that One feels that Dumas allowed his thankful.