The Ghost of Monsieur Scarron

Twenty

255 Twenty the book trade of lyon and that of rouen were perpetually under suspicion. Both cities had chalked up against them, since the beginning of the reign, a long list of offenses. lyon in especial, being so near the frontier, and rouen, a harbor city and once the home of many huguenots, were also suspect at all times on general principles. in august, following the arrest in rouen of a small bookseller by the name of lebrun, Monsieur de Pontchartrain ordered sent to rouen an investigator from the Paris police, who was to report to the Président de la Berchère, the King’s prison at rouen, and point out to him the booksellers of that city whose activities were dubious. Pontchartrain had occasion a little earlier to write to the King’s representative at lyon a letter containing a long paragraph of reprimand in the name of the King for the laxity of the police of lyon in regard to the publishing trade. the occasion was the seizure and suppression of a book, the book was Les Intrigues Galantes de la Cour de France. it had been printed secretly in Paris, the title page naming as publisher the mythical P. Marteau of Cologne. it had been printed publicly in lyon without the privilege or permission of the King. the letter was calculated to set off a search of all doubtful shops and a check of those artisans of the book trade who had lately removed to Paris. 256 Janet Lewis the search of Jean larcher’s account books, seized after his arrest, yielded nothing of interest, but a letter found in the pocket of the coat he was wearing was sent to leclerc, the investigator at rouen. By the eleventh of September the Commissaire de la Marre had advised la reynie of a number of suspects, in Paris and in the other two cities, and was ready to proceed with their arrest if he should be supplied with the order. la reynie read his report carefully, and then replied, in substance, that what the Commissaire had written him was considerable, but that he had neglected to state precisely what sort of proof he had, written or otherwise, “against the accomplices of the provinces as well as of Paris.” if he considered that the proof was certain, or might become so upon further examination, the King would doubtless agree to have the accomplices arrested where they were and brought to Paris for trial. it seemed to la reynie that the evidence of the Commissaire de la Marre was regrettably vague. however, he could not afford to refuse to co-operate with the officer. Something might come of even such vague suspicions, and the pressure from the King by way of Pontchartrain continued as strong as ever, straight down through Monsieur de la reynie, through Monsieur robert of the Châtelet to the Commissaire de la Marre. the King had his finger on them all. De la Marre made his arrests. on the twenty-third of September the King from Fontainebleau dispatched to Paris a document which listed the names of the suspects and which placed the entire jurisdiction of their trial in the hands of Monsieur de la reynie, forbidding jurisdiction to other courts or judges, and “this notwithstanding all oppositions or appeals, made individually or otherwise, to the contrary.” 257 T H E G H O S T O F M O N S I E U R S C A R R O N “having been informed,” went the order, “that the following named persons, François larcher, compagnon bookbinder, Pierre rambault, compagnon printer, Jean Chavance, apprentice bookseller, Simon vers, compagnon printer, and Charles Charon, peddler, carried on a commerce of all sorts of libels and forbidden books, having printed some such in our good city of Paris, had others printed at lyon, and that they sold and distributed them in the said city of Paris, as well as in the provinces and even outside the kingdom, we have arrested them and hold them prisoners, in our castle of vincennes, and in the prisons of the Great and the little Châtelet, and of For l’evêque.” Monsieur robert, commanded by the same order to assist Monsieur de la reynie in every possible way in his conduct of the trials, on that same September twenty-third wrote a letter to Monsieur le Commissaire...