writes things upon his pewter vessels, and upon his linen, in order to make known that he is imprisoned unjustly, on account of the purity of his faith.

DE SAINT-MARS.*

No. 128.

Extract from the Register of the Bastille, published in the Work entitled "La Bastille Dévoilée."

Names and qualities of the Prisoners.

An old prisoner from Pignerol, obliged always to wear a mask of black velvet, whose name and quality have never been known.

Dates of their Entries.

September 18th, 1698. At three o'clock in the afternoon.

Reference to the Journal.

Dujonca, Volume 37.

Reasons for their detention.

It was never known.

* Extracted from the work of M. Roux (Fazillac).

OBSERVATIONS.

This is the famous Man in the Mask, whom no one has ever seen or known.

This prisoner was brought to the Bastille by M. de Saint-Mars in his litter, when he took possession of the Government of the Bastille, coming from his Government of the Islands of Saint Margaret and Saint Honorat, and whom he had before had with him at Pignerol.

This prisoner was treated with great distinction by the Governor, and was only seen by him and M. de Rosarges, Major of the Fortress, who alone had the care of him.

No. 129.

Second Extract from the Register of the Bastille, published in the Work entitled "La Bastille Dévoilée."

Dates of the Deaths.

November 19th, 1703.

Reference to the Journal.

Dujonca, Volume 8th.

OBSERVATIONS.

Died November 19th, 1703, aged 45, or there

abouts; buried at St. Paul's the next day at four in the afternoon, under the name of Marchiali, in the presence of M. de Rosarges, Major of the Fortress, and of M. Reilh, Surgeon-Major of the Bastille, who signed their names to the extract of the Burial Register of St. Paul's. His burial cost forty livres.

This prisoner remained at the Bastille five years and sixty-two days, the day of his burial not included.

He was only ill for some hours, and died almost suddenly; he was buried in a winding-sheet of new linen; and for the most part every thing that was found in his chamber was burnt, such as every part of his bed, including the mattresses, his tables, chairs, and other utensils, which were all reduced to powder and to cinders, and thrown into the drains. The rest of the things, such as the silver, copper, and pewter, were melted. This prisoner was lodged in the third chamber of the tower Bertaudière, which room was scraped and filed quite to the stone, and fresh white-washed from the top to the bottom. The doors and windows were burnt like the rest.

It is remarkable that, in the name of Marchi

ali, which was given him in the Burial Register of St. Paul's, are to be found the exact letters of these two words, the one Latin, the other French, Hic Amiral, here is the Admiral.*

No. 130.

Extract from the Register of Burials of the Church of Saint Paul, at Paris.

The year one thousand seven hundred and three, on the nineteenth of November, died at the Bastille, Marchiali, aged forty-five years or thereabouts; whose body was interred in the burialground of this parish, the twentieth of the aforesaid month, in the presence of M. Rosarges, Major of the Bastille, and of M. Reilh, Surgeon-Major of the Bastille, who have affixed their signatures.

Collated exactly with the original, and delivered by us, the undersigned, Bachelor in Theology, and Vicar of Saint Paul, at Paris, this Tuesday the ninth of February, 1790.

Signed, POITEVIN.

* The discovery of this ridiculous and strained anagram was one of the causes which led to the false supposition,

No. 131.

Extract from the Work entitled "La Correspondance Interceptée," by M. Lewis Dutens, published in 1789.

In order to treat this subject (that of the Iron Mask) methodically, I will begin with what the Duke de Choiseul has often related to me. Lewis the Fifteenth one day told him, that he was acquainted with the history of the prisoner with the Mask. The Duke begged the King to tell him who he was, but he could get no other answer from him, except, that all the conjectures which had been hitherto made with regard to the prisoner, were false. Some time afterwards, Madame de Pompadour, at the request of the Duke, pressed the King to explain himself upon this subject. Lewis the Fifteenth upon this told her, that he believed he was the Minister of an Italian Prince.

that the Iron Mask was either the Duke de Beaufort, or the Count de Vermandois, both of whom were great Admirals of France.