Milady's execution in The Three Musketeers: Around midnight on a stormy
night in Armentières, Milady is trapped. She's confronted with her
murders by the Count de Winter, Athos, and D'Artagnan. Porthos and Aramis
are her judges. The executioner from nearby Lille (and relative of another
victim) rows her across a river; she runs away from him, and slips on the
riverbank. He cuts off her head and throws her body in the river. At one
point, D'Artagnan takes pity on her, moves to interfere, and is restrained
by Athos. The four Musketeers separate for twenty years, shortly after this
night. Aramis enters a religious order which is undisclosed.
Mémoires de M. d'Artagnan (published in Cologne in 1700):
pseudo-memoirs, written by Gatien de Courtilz de Sandas (there are other
versions of his name). Dumas checked the book out of a Marseilles library
and never returned it. A primary source for the Musketeers books, though
Dumas deviated from it greatly. Gives the names of the three and how they
met d'Artagnan; also refers to a mysterious English woman named
"Meladi."
The Musketeers from the Mémoires:
D'Artagnan: Charles de Batz-Castelmore d'Artagnan
(1610/20?-1673)
Porthos: Isaac de Portau (1617-?) or possibly his brother (?), Jean
de Portau
Athos: Armand de Sillèque d'Athos d'Autevielle (1615?-1643);
related to M. de Tréville, captain of the Musketeers; died of a wound,
possibly from a duel, shortly after joining the Musketeers.
Historically, there is also a Comte de la Fère, the title used
by Dumas for his Athos.
Aramis: Henri d'Aramitz (?-1674); nephew of Captain de Tréville;
a protestant, later an abbé laique
Auguste Maquet (1813-1888): A dramatist who became Dumas's chief
collaborator; contributed to the Musketeers books, The Count of Monte Cristo,
and many others. Sued Dumas for payment and recognition in 1857-58 in highly
publicized case (won the case, but never received either); buried in
Père-LaChaise cemetery in a tomb engraved with titles of the novels
he co-authored.
Charles-Alfred Mercier (1816-1894): A doctor and writer who lived
primarily in New Orleans; traveled frequently, avoiding wars; briefly, a
friend of Dumas and the racy Adah Menken. Remembered for the saying: "What
we learn with pleasure we never forget."
Dates: The historical Musketeers were together as a group sometime
around 1640; Dumas sets his action in the mid-1620s. I’m sticking to
1640, since there's no need to bring Richelieu into it; Duncan was in France
that year, anyway.
Misc. French: pisseur de copie = a hack, someone who pisses
pages; pécheur (sinner) sounds like
pêcheur (fisher)...same for sinning & fishing; an old
pun
Anything I left out? Tell me
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