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After the search began; the master of the house in which he might be
found would be hung at his own door; his family thrown into prison;
his goods confiscated; his house razed to the ground; without any
form of trial whatever。
This proclamation had the effect expected by the duke: whether the
man in whose house Catinat was concealed grew frightened and asked
him to leave; or whether Catinat thought his best course would be to
try and get away from the town; instead of remaining shut up in it;
he dressed himself one morning in suitable clothes; and went to a
barber's; who shaved him; cut his hair; and made up his face so as to
give him as much the appearance of a nobleman as possible; and then
with wonderful assurance he went out into the streets; and pulling
his hat over his eyes and holding a paper in his hand as if reading
it; he crossed the town to the gate of St。 Antoine。 He was almost
through when Charreau; the captain of the guard; having his attention
directed to Catinat by a comrade to whom he was talking; stopped him;
suspecting he was trying to escape。 Catinat asked what he wanted
with him; and Charreau replied that if he would enter the guard…house
he would learn; as under such circumstances any examination was to be
avoided; Catinat tried to force his way out; whereupon he was seized
by Charreau and his brother…officer; and Catinat seeing that
resistance would be not only useless but harmful; allowed himself to
be taken to the guard…room。
He had been there about an hour without being recognised by any of
those who; drawn by curiosity; came to look at him; when one of the
visitors in going out said he bore a strong resemblance to Catinat;
some children hearing these words; began to shout; 〃Catinat is taken!
Catinat is taken! 〃This cry drew a large crowd to the guard…house;
among others a man whose name was Anglejas; who; looking closely at
the prisoner; recognised him and called him by name。
Instantly the guard was doubled; and Catinat searched: a psalm…book
with a silver clasp and a letter addressed to 〃M。 Maurel; called
Catinat;〃 were found on him; leaving no doubt as to his identity;
while he himself; growing impatient; and desiring to end all these
investigations; acknowledged that he was Catinat and no other。
He was at once taken to the palace; where the Presidial Court was
sitting; M。 de Baville and the president being occupied in trying
Ravanel; Villas; and Jonquet。 On hearing the news of this important
capture; the intendant; hardly daring to believe his ears; rose and
went out to meet the prisoner; in order to convince himself that it
was really Catinat。
》From the Presidial Court he was brought before the Duke of Berwick;
who addressed several questions to him; which Catinat answered; he
then told the duke he had something of importance to impart to him
and to him alone。 The duke was not very anxious for a tete…a…tete
with Catinat; however; having ordered his hands to be securely bound;
and telling Sandricourt not to go away; he consented to hear what the
prisoner had to say。
Catinat then; in the presence of the duke and Sandricourt; proposed
that an exchange of prisoners should be made; the Marechal de
Tallard; who was a prisoner of war in England; being accepted in his
place。 Catinat added that if this offer was not accepted; the
marechal would meet the same treatment from the English as might be
meted out to him; Catinat; in France。 The duke; full of the
aristocratic ideas to which he was born; found the proposal insolent;
and said; 〃If that is all you have to propose; I can assure you that
your hours are numbered。〃
Thereupon Catinat was promptly sent back to the palace; where truly
his trial did not occupy much time。 That of the three others was
already finished; and soon his was also at an end; and it only
remained to pronounce sentence on all four。 Catinat and Ravanel; as
the most guilty; were condemned to be burnt at the stake。 Some of
the councillors thought Catinat should have been torn apart by four
horses; but the majority were for the stake; the agony lasting
longer; being more violent and more exquisite than in the of other
case。
Villars and Jonquet were sentenced to be broken on the wheel alive …
…the only difference between them being that Jonquet was to be to
taken while still living and thrown into the fire lit round Catinat
and Ravael。 It was also ordered that the four condemned men before
their execution should be put to the torture ordinary and
extraordinary。 Catinat; whose temper was fierce; suffered with
courage; but cursed his torturers。 Ravanel bore all the torments
that could be inflicted on him with a fortitude that was more than
human; so that the torturers were exhausted before he was。 Jonquet
spoke little; and the revelations he made were of slight importance。
Villas confessed that the conspirators had the intention of carrying
off the duke and M。 de Baville when they were out walking or driving;
and he added that this plot had been hatched at the house of a
certain Boeton de SaintLaurent…d'Aigozre; at Milhaud; in Rouergue。
Meanwhile all this torturing and questioning had taken so much time
that when the stake and the scaffold were ready it was almost dark;
so that the duke put off the executions until the next day; instead
of carrying them out by torchlight。 Brueys says that this was done
in order that the most disaffected amongst the fanatics should not be
able to say that it was not really Catinat; Ravanel; Villas; and
Jonquet who had been executed but some other unknown men; but it is
more probable that the duke and Baville were afraid of riots; as was
proved by their ordering the scaffold and the stake to be erected at
the end of the Cours and opposite the glacis of the fortress; so that
the garrison might be at hand in case of any disturbance。
Catinat was placed in a cell apart; and could be; heard cursing and
complaining all night through。 Ravanel; Villas; and Jonquet were
confined together; and passed the night singing and praying。
The next day; the 22nd April; 1705; they were taken from the prison
and drawn to the place of execution in two carts; being unable to
walk; on account of the severe torture to which they had been
subjected; and which had crushed the bones of their legs。 A single
pile of wood had been prepared for Catinat and Ravanel; who were to
be burnt together; they were in one cart; and Villas and Jonquet; for
whom two wheels had been prepared; were in the other。
The first operation was to bind Catinat and Ravanel back to back to
the same stake; care being taken to place Catinat with his face to
windward; so that his agony might last longer; and then the pile was
lit under Ravanel。
As had been foreseen; this precaution gave great pleasure to those
people who took delight in witnessing executions。 The wind being
rather high; blew the flames away from Catinat; so that at first the
fire burnt his legs onlya circumstance which; the author of the
History of the Camisards tells us; aroused Catinat's impatience。
Ravanel; however; bore everything to the end with the greatest
heroism; only pausing in his singing to address words of
encouragement to his companion in suffering; whom he could not see;
but whose groans and curses he could hear; he would then return to
his psalms; which he continued to sing until his voice was stifled in
the flames。 Just as he expired; Jonquet was removed from the wheel;
and carried; his broken limbs dangling; to the burning pile; on which
he was thrown。 From the midst of the flames his voice was heard
saying; 〃Courage; Catinat; we shall soon meet in heaven。〃 A few
moments later; the stake; being burnt through at the base; broke; and
Catinat falling into the flames; was quickly suffocated。 That this
accident had not been forseen and prevented by proper precautions
caused great displeasure to spectators who found that the
three…quarter of an hour which the spectacle had lasted was much too
brief a time。
Villas lived three hours longer on his wheel; and expired without
having uttered a single complaint。
Two days later; there was another trial; at which six persons were
condemned to death and one to the galleys; these were the two
Alisons; in whose house Villas; Ravanel; and Jonquet had been found;
Alegre; who was accused of having concealed Catinat; and of having
been the Camisard treasurer; Rougier; an armourer who was found
guilty of having repaired the muskets of the rebels; Jean Lauze; an
innkeeper who had prepared meals for Ravanel; La Jeunesse; a
preacher; convicted of having preached sermons and sung psalms; and
young Delacroix; brother…in…law to one of the Alisons。 The first
three were condemned to be broken on the wheel; their houses
demolished; and their goods confiscated。 The next three were to be
hanged。 Jean Delacroix; partly because of his youth; but more
because of the revelations he made; was only sent to the galleys。
Several years later he was liberated and returned to Arles; and was
carried off by the plague in 1720。
All these sentences were carried out with the utmost rigour。
Thus; as may be seen; the suppression of the revolt proce