Даниэль Дефо - Roxana

I had him Buried as decently as the Place would permit a Protestant Stranger to be Buried, [74] as decently as the Place would permit a Protestant Stranger to be Buried : Even under the terms of the Edict of Nantes (see note 1) Protestant services were not permitted within five leagues of Paris. and made some of the Scruples and Difficulties on that Account, easie, by the help of Money to a certain Person, who went impudently to the Curate [75] Curate: curé ;, parish priest. of the Parish St. Sulpitius , [76] St Sulpitius : St-Sulpice, an ancient parish on the left bank of the Seine. The large and imposing church was rebuilt in the first half of the eighteenth century. in Paris , and told him, that the Gentleman that was kill’d, was a Catholick; that the Thieves had taken from him a Cross of Gold, set with Diamonds, worth 6000 Livres; that his Widow was a Catholick, and had sent by him 60 Crowns to the Church of —, for Masses to be said for the Repose of his Soul: Upon all which, tho’ not one Word of it was true , he was Buried with all the Ceremonies of the Roman Church.

I think I almost cry’d myself to Death for him; for I abandon’d myself to all the Excesses of Grief; and indeed, I lov’d him to a Degree inexpressible; and considering what Kindness he had shewn me at first, and how tenderly he had us’d me to the last, what cou’d I do less?

Then the Manner of his Death was terrible and frightful to me, and above all, the strange Notices I had of it; I had never pretended to the Second-Sight, [77] the Second-Sight : Defoe was greatly interested in clairvoyance, apparitions, and occult knowledge. His main writings on these subjects are A True Relation of the Apparition of one Mrs Veal (1705), Serious Reflections during the Life and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1720), The Political History of the Devil (1726), A System of Magick (1726), and An Essay on the History and Reality of Apparitions (1727). or any thing of that Kind; but certainly, if any one ever had such a thing, I had it at this time; for I saw him as plainly in all those terrible Shapes, as above, First , as a Skeleton, not Dead only, but rotten and wasted; Secondly , as kill’d, and his Face bloody; and Thirdly , his Cloaths bloody; and all within the Space of one Minute, or indeed, of a very few Moments.

These things amaz’d me, and I was a good-while as one stupid; however, after some time, I began to recover, and look into my Affairs; I had the Satisfaction not to be left in Distress, or in danger of Poverty; on the contrary, besides what he had put into my Hands fairly, in his Life-time, which amounted to a very considerable Value; I found above seven Hundred Pistoles in Gold, in his Scrutore, of which he had given me the Key; and I found Foreign-Bills accepted, for about 12000 Livres; [78] 12000 Livres : about £734 in 1703, the year of the death of the jeweller. so that, in a Word, I found myself possess’d of almost ten Thousand Pounds Sterling, in a very few Days after the Disaster.

The first thing I did upon this Occasion, was, to send a Letter to my Maid, as I still call’d her, Amy ; wherein I gave her an Account of my Disaster; how my Husband, as she call’d him (for I never call’d him so) was murther’d; and as I did not know how his Relations, or his Wife’s Friends, might act upon that Occasion, I order’d her to convey away all the Plate, Linnen, and other things of Value, and to secure them in a Person’s Hands that I directed her to, and then to sell, or dispose the Furniture of the House, if she could; and so, without acquainting any-body with the Reason of her going, withdraw; sending Notice to his Head Manager at London , that the House was quitted by the Tennant, and they might come and take Possession of it for the Executors: Amy was so dextrous, and did her Work so nimbly, that she gutted the House, and sent the Key to the said Manager, almost as soon as he had Notice of the Misfortune that befel their Master.

Upon their receiving the surprizing News of his Death, the Head Manager came over to Paris , and came to the House; I made no Scruple of calling myself Madam —, the Widow of Monsieur —, the English Jeweller; and as I spoke French naturally, I did not let him know but that I was his Wife, married in France , and that I had not heard that he had any Wife in England ; but pretended to be surpriz’d, and exlaim against him for so base an Action; and that I had good Friends in Poictou , where I was Born, who would take Care to have Justice done me in England , out of his Estate.

I should have observ’d, that as soon as the News was publick, of a Man being murther’d, and that he was a Jeweller, Fame did me the Favour as to publish presently, that he was robb’d of his Casket of Jewels, which he always carry’d about him; I confirm’d this, among my daily Lamentations for his Disaster, and added, that he had with him a fine Diamond Ring, which he was known to wear frequently about him, valued at 100 Pistoles, a Gold Watch, and a great Quantity of Diamonds of inestimable Value, in his Casket; which Jewels he was carrying to the Prince of —, to show some of them to him; and the Prince own’d, that he had spoken to him to bring some such Jewels, to let him see them. But I sorely repented this Part afterward, as you shall hear.

This Rumour put an End to all Enquiry after his Jewells, his Ring, or his Watch; and as for the 700 Pistoles, that I secur’d: For the Bills [79] Bills : bills of exchange. which were in hand, I own’d I had them; but that, as I said , I brought my Husband 30000 Livres Portion, I claim’d the said Bills, which came to not above 12000 Livres, for my Amende ; [80] Amende : reparation, compensation. and this, with the Plate, and the Household-Stuff, was the principal of all his Estate which they could come at; as to the Foreign Bill, which he was going to Versailles to get accepted, it was really lost with him; but his Manager, who had remitted the Bill to him, by Way of Amsterdam , bringing over the second Bill, [81] the second Bill : In order to insure against loss of the bill of exchange in the mail, the drawer of the bill provided several copies (known as a ‘set’), payment of any one of which cancelled the others. For bills of exchange see note 42. the Money was sav’d, as they call’d it, which would, otherwise, have been also gone; the Thieves who robb’d and murther’d him, were, to be sure, afraid to send any-body to get the Bill accepted; for that would undoubtedly have discover’d [82] discover’d : exposed. them.

By this time my Maid Amy was arriv’d, and she gave me an Account of her Management, and how she had secur’d every thing, and that she had quitted the House, and sent the Key to the Head-Manager of his Business; and let me know how much she had made of every thing, very punctually and honestly.

I should have observ’d in the Account of his dwelling with me so long at —, that he never pass’d for any thing there, but a Lodger in the House; and tho’ he was Landlord, that did not alter the Case; so that at his Death, Amy coming to quit the House, and give them the Key, there was no affinity between that, and the Case of their Master, who was newly kill’d.

I got good Advice at Paris , from an eminent Lawyer, a Counsellor of the Parliament [83] a Process in Dower : an action at law for the jointure (or dower). See note 52. there, and laying my Case before him, he directed me to make a Process in Dower [84] Parliament : the parlement of Paris, the highest court of judicature under the ancien régime , consisting of a close corporation of hereditary lawyers. upon the Estate, for making good my new Fortune upon Matrimony, which accordingly I did; and, upon the whole, the Manager went back to England , well satisfied, that he had gotten the unaccepted Bills of Exchange, which was for 2500 l . with some other things, which together, amounted to 17000 Livres; and thus I got rid of him.