DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70303#0384
354 ACCOUNT OF THE MAN WITH THE IRON MASK*
for he felt a strong presentiment, that he should soon be.
the father of two dauphins. He desired the bishop of
Meaux not to leave the queen till she was delivered., and
afterwards turning to us all., said, sufficiently loud to be
heard by the queen, that if another dauphin should be
born, and any of us should divulge the secret, our heads
should answer for it: for, added he, his birth must be a
secret of state, to prevent the misfortunes which would
evidently follow the disclosure; as the salic law has
been silent concerning the inheritance of a kingdom, on
the birth of male twins.
The event, which had been foretold, soon after arrived,
for the queen, whilst the king was at supper, gave birth
to a second son much smaller and handsomer than the
firstand the poor infant, by his incessant cries, seemed
to lament his entrance into a world where so much misery
was in store for him. The chancellor then drew up the
verbal-process of this extraordary event, but the king
not approving of the first, it was burnt in our presence,
and it was not till after he had written a great many that
his majesty was satisfied. The first almoner endea-
voured to persuade the king, that he ought not to conceal
the birth of a prince ; to which his majesty replied, that
a reason of state absolutely required the most inviolable
secrecy.
The king soon after dictated the oath of secrecy 5
which he desired us all to sign; when this important
business was concluded, he sealed the oath to the verbal
process, and took possession of it. The royal infant was
then given into the hands of the midwife; but, to deter
her from revealing the secret of its birth, she was me-
naced with death if she ever gave the least hint of it;
we were all, likewise, strictly charged not even to con-
verse with each other on the subject.
His majesty, dreaded nothing so much as a civil war,
and
for he felt a strong presentiment, that he should soon be.
the father of two dauphins. He desired the bishop of
Meaux not to leave the queen till she was delivered., and
afterwards turning to us all., said, sufficiently loud to be
heard by the queen, that if another dauphin should be
born, and any of us should divulge the secret, our heads
should answer for it: for, added he, his birth must be a
secret of state, to prevent the misfortunes which would
evidently follow the disclosure; as the salic law has
been silent concerning the inheritance of a kingdom, on
the birth of male twins.
The event, which had been foretold, soon after arrived,
for the queen, whilst the king was at supper, gave birth
to a second son much smaller and handsomer than the
firstand the poor infant, by his incessant cries, seemed
to lament his entrance into a world where so much misery
was in store for him. The chancellor then drew up the
verbal-process of this extraordary event, but the king
not approving of the first, it was burnt in our presence,
and it was not till after he had written a great many that
his majesty was satisfied. The first almoner endea-
voured to persuade the king, that he ought not to conceal
the birth of a prince ; to which his majesty replied, that
a reason of state absolutely required the most inviolable
secrecy.
The king soon after dictated the oath of secrecy 5
which he desired us all to sign; when this important
business was concluded, he sealed the oath to the verbal
process, and took possession of it. The royal infant was
then given into the hands of the midwife; but, to deter
her from revealing the secret of its birth, she was me-
naced with death if she ever gave the least hint of it;
we were all, likewise, strictly charged not even to con-
verse with each other on the subject.
His majesty, dreaded nothing so much as a civil war,
and