The Rebellion in the Cevennes, an Historical Novel. Vol. I. Read online

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  THE

  REBELLION IN THE CEVENNES,

  AN HISTORICAL NOVEL

  IN TWO VOLUMES.

  BY LUDWIG TIECK.

  TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN BY MADAME BURETTE.

  VOL. I.

  LONDON: D. NUTT, FLEET STREET. DUBLIN: J. CUMMING.--EDINBURGH: BELL AND BRADFUTE. 1845.

  PREFACE.

  A predilection for the productions of TIECK and a desire to introducethis remarkable work of the great German Poet to a larger circle of thereading world: were the chief inducements, on the part of thetranslator, for causing it to appear in an English form. As far asregards the manner in which the translation itself has been executed,the writer will be allowed to affirm, that the original has been, inevery sense, as closely adhered to, as the idiom of the Englishlanguage would admit of; to say, however, whether those efforts havebeen attended with any corresponding success, must be humbly left tothe judgment of the discerning critic.

  HISTORICAL NOTICE

  OF THE

  "REBELLION IN THE CEVENNES."

  From the German of the CONVERSATIONS LEXICON, 9th edit. Brockhaus.

  As far back as the twelfth century, religions sects were formed in thisdistrict (the Cevennes) under the names of "The Poor of Lyons," "TheAlbigenses," "Waldenses," &c. Notwithstanding the crusades andinquisitions raised against them by the popes for centuries, numerousremnants had preserved themselves, who, when the Reformation found afooting, obtained a signal increase, and finally, through the edict ofNantes, were protected from further persecutions. But when Louis XIV.,1685, revoked the edict and purposed to reconduct all his subjects byforce into the bosom of the Catholic Church, then began a series of themost cruel persecutions against the Protestant inhabitants of thedistricts bordering on the Cevennes, especially after the peace ofRyswick, 1697. Missionaries were accompanied by dragoons in order tosupport by force of arms the preachings of the monks, (hence theseconversions called _dragoonings_) and the tax collectors were directedto require all, especially those, suspected of protestantism, to pay uptheir taxes. The most savage cruelties, in which children were tornfrom their parents, in order to bring them up in the Catholic faith,men, who were gone to their houses of prayer, sent to the galleys, andwomen thrown into prisons, their priests hanged, the churchesdestroyed, at length produced despair. Those, who did not emigrate,fled into the retired mountain districts.

  Prophets and prophetesses arose, promising victory to the peasantry,and esteeming him a martyr, who fell into the hands of the dragoons. Aremarkable fanaticism took possession of the Protestant people, which,in many, even in children, shewed itself in the most fantastic trancesof a really epidemic nature. See Bruyes "Histoire du fanatisme de notretemps" (Utrecht, 1757). The struggle began first with the murder of thetax-gatherers; the assassination of the Abbe du Chaila, 1703, who wasat the head of those dragoonings, at length gave the signal for ageneral rising. The revolted peasants were called "Camisards," eitherfrom the provincial word Camise (shirt) in derision of their poverty,or, because they wore a shirt in their surprises by which they mightrecognise one another, or from the word "Camisade" (nightly surprise).Their numbers and their fanaticism continued to increase, Louis's powerwas rendered the less effective in putting an end to this insurrection,as the chain of mountains presented sufficient places of refuge, andhis troops were every moment in danger of being cut off and surprised,or of being destroyed by cold and hunger. The boldness of the Camisardsincreased daily, especially as they placed at their head intrepidleaders, among whom Cavalier[1] particularly distinguished himself. Thestate of affairs became most critical, for Louis XIV., when the Spanishwar of succession required him to extend his forces on all sides, andMarlborough and the Duke of Savoy, through promises and small succours,fired still more the Camisards. On the other hand, Pope Clement XI.in 1703, proclaimed a plenary summons to a crusade against them, whichwas put in execution. Notwithstanding this, they almost totallydefeated the troops of the Marshal Montrevel sent against them with20,000 men, in 1703, and the horrible cruelty of the latter onlyexcited still more their fanaticism. Recompensing evil with evil, theystrangled eighty-four priests in the diocese of Nismes and burned twohundred churches, after 40,000 of their own party had been put to thewheel, burnt, and hanged. At length, in order to give to the perilousstate of affairs another turn, Louis recalled Marshal Montrevel, 1704,and sent Marshal Villars. One of the chiefs of the Camisards meditatedan alliance with the Duke of Savoy in Dauphine. The whole country fromthe coast to the highest crest of the mountains was more or less intheir hands and with the inhabitants of Nismes, Montpellier, Orange,Uzes, &c., &c., they maintained communications, which secured to thembread, arms, and other necessaries. A quantity of bells had been melteddown by them to serve for cannons, and Cavalier acquitted himself likea skilful general. The Catholic peasantry ventured neither to cultivatethe land, nor to carry necessaries of life into the towns. Thus stoodaffairs, when Villars on the 21st of April, arrived in Nismes. He toowas incapable, of subduing the insurgents by force of arms. Hetherefore decided on trying the effect of milder measures, andproclaimed a general amnesty for all, who would lay down their arms,and set at liberty himself such prisoners as swore fealty. In fact hedisarmed in this manner several communities. On the other side hemenaced with the harshest punishment, and to give weight to it,moveable columns were formed, which marched from a given point in everydirection, upon which again detachments were ordered to remain as areserve, to succour those who might make head against the enemy in theopen field. Those, who were made prisoners with arms in their hands,were either killed on the spot, or hanged, or broken on the wheel inAlais, Nismes, and St. Hippolyte. Villars succeeded so far, thatalready on the 10th of May, Cavalier gave up the cause of the Camisardsas lost, and concluded a treaty, wherein he promised to surrender withhis party on condition that they should obtain liberty of conscienceand the right to assemble privately without the towns for the serviceof God, that the prisoners should be set free, the emigrated recalled,and the confiscated estates and privileges restored. On the 22nd theconfirmation of the treaty arrived from Paris, and at the same timepermission for Cavalier to form a regiment in the King's pay. In themean while, however, the affair rapidly took another turn, particularlyin consequence of the activity of Dutch emissaries, who, brought moneyand weapons, and promised the support of their republic. Cavalier hadgone to Anglade to superintend the organization of his regiment, whenthe wild peasantry, excited by his lieutenant and inspired by theirprophets, set out and marched into the neighbouring woods, declaringfirmly, the King should restore the edict of Nantes, without whichthere was no security for them. At length, however, Villars succeededby his personal influence and by cutting off from them all means ofsubsistence, to bring them under subjection. Many of them fled andentered into the Piedmontese service, where they formed a regiment thattook part in the Spanish war, and later under Cavalier's command, wasdestroyed at the battle of Almanza, which Berwick gave to the Count ofStahremberg on the 25th of April, 1707. The whole insurrection,however, was not, quelled by that subjugation. There were stillmu
ltitudes, among which one particularly distinguished itself, led onby a certain Roland; but Villars sought only to become possessed of theleaders. Roland, when taken prisoner, was shot by a dragoon, whereuponthe remaining leaders surrendered, and cards of security were given tothem, and their adherents by the Marshal, which secured them from everypersecution. Yet, before Villars had fully stilled the rebellion, hewas replaced by the Marshal of Berwick, who fell upon the chief leadersof the Camisards in Montpellier, caused them to be burnt and broken onthe wheel, and the country cruelly laid waste. Driven to extremity bythis, the Camisards rose once again with more enthusiastic inspiration.They were, however, too weak to finish this warfare successfully. Thusthey died, some with arms in their hands, some as emigrants, otherssubmitted in order to preserve their faith, even under the greatestoppression, or were forcibly constrained to become Catholics. Thusended this insurrection with the total devastation of the province andthe annihilation, or exile of a large portion of its inhabitants. Sincethen, in the South of France, merely a war of opinion, lay smouldering,which after the restoration of the Bourbons in the year 1815, gave riseto frightful scenes in Nismes, and at other places. Only when in March1819, a great number of the inhabitants of the Cevennes threatened thetown of Nismes--"Thirty thousand men are ready to descend from theirmountains, with the weapons of despair, if the salvation of theirbrethren demand it,"--the persecutions of the Protestants were put astop to. See "Histoire des Camisards," (2 vols, London, 1744) Court deGebelin, "Le Patriote francais et impartial," (2 vols, Villefranche1753) by the same "Histoire des troubles des Cevennes, ou de la guerredes Camisards," (3 vols, Villefranche, 1760, new edition 1820) Schulz,"Geschichte der Camisarden" (Weimar 1790), and Tieck's novel, "DerAufruhr in den Cevennen" (Berlin 1826).

  [Footnote 1: Jean Cavalier, principal leader of the Camisards in thewar of the Cevennes, born 1679 in the village of Rebaute, near Anduse,vas the son of a peasant, he lived at Geneva, and was employed inagriculture, when the persecutions of the reformed inhabitants of theCevennes under Louis XIV. reached their highest pitch, and caused thebreaking out of the troubles, enflaming his enthusiasm for his faith,and inducing him to return home. He was twenty-four years old, when heplaced himself at the head of armed multitudes, whom he knew how todiscipline with great art, and to rule over with transcendent talent,leading them, with courage, circumspection and success against theroyal army. The confirmation of the treaty, which he, despairing of theultimate success of his cause, had concluded with Marshal Villars,Louis XIV. sent to him accompanied with the commission of colonel, andthe grant of an annual pension of 1200 livres, permitting him at thesame time to raise a regiment of his own in the king's pay. Called toVersailles by the Minister Chamillard, he saw that he was watched therewith distrust, and he fled secretly to England by way of Holland,entering there into military service. In the Spanish war then raging,he commanded a regiment formed of refugee Camisards in the service ofPiedmont and distinguished himself particularly in the battle ofAlmanza, in New Castile, on the 25th of April, 1707, where he wasseverely wounded. At a later period he became Major-general andGovernor of Jersey; and died, 1740, at Chelsea.]

  THE REBELLION IN THE CEVENNES.