Produced by David Widger
Being the Historic Memoirs of Madam Campan,
First Lady in Waiting to the Queen
During the first few months of his reign Louis XVI. dwelt at La Muette,Marly, and Compiegne. When settled at Versailles he occupied himself witha general examination of his grandfather's papers. He had promised theQueen to communicate to her all that he might discover relative to thehistory of the man with the iron mask, who, he thought, had become soinexhaustible a source of conjecture only in consequence of the interestwhich the pen of a celebrated writer had excited respecting the detentionof a prisoner of State, who was merely a man of whimsical tastes andhabits.
I was with the Queen when the King, having finished his researches,informed her that he had not found anything among the secret paperselucidating the existence of this prisoner; that he had conversed on thematter with M. de Maurepas, whose age made him contemporary with the epochduring which the story must have been known to the ministers; and that M.de Maurepas had assured him he was merely a prisoner of a very dangerouscharacter, in consequence of his disposition for intrigue. He was asubject of the Duke of Mantua, and was enticed to the frontier, arrestedthere, and kept prisoner, first at Pignerol, and afterwards in theBastille. This transfer took place in consequence of the appointment ofthe governor of the former place to the government of the latter. It wasfor fear the prisoner should profit by the inexperience of a new governorthat he was sent with the Governor of Pignerol to the Bastille.
Such was, in fact, the truth about the man on whom people have beenpleased to fix an iron mask. And thus was it related in writing, andpublished by M. ——- twenty years ago. He had searched the archives ofthe Foreign Office, and laid the real story before the public; but thepublic, prepossessed in favour of a marvellous version, would notacknowledge the authenticity of his account. Every man relied upon theauthority of Voltaire; and it was believed that a natural or a twinbrother of Louis XIV. lived many years in prison with a mask over hisface. The story of this mask, perhaps, had its origin in the old custom,among both men and women in Italy, of wearing a velvet mask when theyexposed themselves to the sun. It is possible that the Italian captivemay have sometimes shown himself upon the terrace of his prison with hisface thus covered. As to the silver plate which this celebrated prisoneris said to have thrown from his window, it is known that such acircumstance did happen, but it happened at Valzin, in the time ofCardinal Richelieu. This anecdote has been mixed up with the inventionsrespecting the Piedmontese prisoner.
In this survey of the papers of Louis XV. by his grandson some verycurious particulars relative to his private treasury were found. Sharesin various financial companies afforded him a revenue, and had in courseof time produced him a capital of some amount, which he applied to hissecret expenses. The King collected his vouchers of title to theseshares, and made a present of them to M. Thierry de Ville d'Avray, hischief valet de chambre.
The Queen was desirous to secure the comfort of Mesdames, the daughters ofLouis XV., who were held in the highest respect. About this period shecontributed to furnish them with a revenue sufficient to provide them aneasy, pleasant existence: The King gave them the Chateau of Bell