Martin Guerre : A Romance of Real Life

THERE has recently come into my hands a little eighteenth-century volume which gives in concise form some of the celebrated trials which aroused popular excitement in France during the sixteenth and seven- teenth centuries. First among these strange processes is the romantic and nearly incredible story of ".The False Martin Guerre."

Four hundred years ago, in the south of France, two children of eleven years of age, Martin Guerre and Ber- trande de Rols, were married. It was a happy marriage resulting, when they were nearly twenty, in the birth of a boy. The young husband was a small landed proprietor with a farm here and there ; his father was a man of like estate.

The infant son was scarcely a year old when Martin was accused by his father of the theft of a small quantity of corn, and in umbrage left his wife, baby son, farms and home, and went voyaging in strange lands.. fight years passed, during which the young wife, as witnesses afterwards testified, remained true to her absent husband, though receiving no word of his where- abouts, and brought up her little son in peace and quietness. Suddenly, as he had gone, Martin Guerre, now twenty-eight years of age, returned to his• wife, child, farms and estate. His four sisters, his uncle, the parents of his wife, and Bertrande de Rols herself recog- nized him, acclaimed him, and took back the wanderer to the circle which had known him so long. One can imagine the rejoicings, the tales of the traveller, and the joy of the mother and child.

Three more years passed. Bertrande de Rols and her husband lived as they had before, but not quite so happily. Absence had changed the man. lie was less careful of money, spent too freely, and sold a little property here and there.

In these years two more children were born, one of whom died in infancy, and at no time did Bertrande sus- pect that her husband was other than the lover of her childhood and the father of her first boy.

At the end of three years Pierre Guerre, the uncle of Martin, whose suspicions had been aroused by the changed character of the returned traveller, became convinced that he was actually not Martin Guerre, but Arnaud du Tilh, a man of a neighbouring district, who, like Martin, had been absent for some years. Bertrande, we may take it, was not easily persuaded of the stupendous imposture ; but once convinced she raised a mighty clamour. She went to the Judge of Rieux and laid an information which secured the arrest of her " husband," made her corn plaint, and demanded that the following sentence should be passed on the man who had deceived her :- " That he be condemned to pay a fine to the King and to ask pardon of God, the King, and herself with head bare, feet naked, clad in a single shirt, with a burning torch in his hand ; saying that falsely, hardily and traitorously he had abused her in taking the name and representing the person of Martin Guerre, of which he should repent, and for which he should ask pardon ; and that he should be further condemned to pay her an amend of two thousand pounds and all expenses of the trial."

Now began an amazing series of trials, confrontations, and swearing of witnesses for and against the alleged " Martin Guerre."

Arnaud du Tilh was no coward. He faced the position like a man of resource and energy. Appearing before the Judge of Rieux, he declared that no man's misfortune could equal his own, for his wife's relations were so wicked of heart and so desirous of obtaining his wealth, which he estimated at from seven to eight thousand pounds, that they had suborned Bertrande de Rols to invent this calumny, unspeakable and horrible in the mouth of his lawful wife. He asserted that animosity, originating in cupidity, was the cause of this attack upon him. Further, he demanded to be confronted with his wife, persuaded that under such circumstances she could no longer stifle the truth, she not being so blinded by the passion which imbued his persecutors. He asked that his enemies should be condemned to the same penalties they had wished to inflict upon him, and that his wife should be shielded from subornation and the influence of his uncle, Pierre Guerre, and her own relations.

The Judge of Rieux listened to this not unreasonable tale and began a long series of questions, all of which were answered with assurance. The accused told his story again in detail, and named a number of persons who could be called to witness the truth of all lie said.

It was now the turn of Bertrande de Rols to be questioned. Her replies to the Judge, in so far as the questions related to the history of her husband and her marriage, were identical with those of the accused, who renewed his demand that she should be placed apart from the influence of his accusers. This was done, and having so far succeeded the accused attacked the witnesses, making them parties to the subornation of his wife, and demanded the calling of still more witnesses from the whole district to substantiate his case.

Wholesale depositions were now taken. The inquiry extended to the conduct of Bertrande during her husband's absence, whereby her goodness and virtue were abun- dantly proved.

In all 150 witnesses were sworn and examined, with con- flicting results. From 30 to 40 swore that the accused was Martin Guerre ; they had known him from infancy and recognized certain marks and even scars. Some 50 to 60, on the contrary, swore that he was Arnaud de Tilh, whom they too had known from his cradle. There re- mained 60 or so who said the resemblance was so striking that they could not say whether he was Martin Guerre or Arnaud du Tilh.

With an. acumen which did him credit the Judge of Rieux gave his verdict for Bertrande de Rols and against Arnaud du Tilh, declaring the latter to be an impostor and condemning him to lose his head, his body after- , wards to be cut into four quarters. The sentence left Arnaud du Tilh unmoved. He had the right of appeal, and from the Judge of Rieux he went to the Parliament at Toulouse. This higher court took the view that the matter required closer examination. It first ordered the confrontation of the accused with Bertrande de Rols and the uncle, Pierre Guerre, one after the other. In each case the accused presented such an assured front and took matters so calmly that the judges thought he must be the true Martin Guerre. The poor wife and uncle on the other hand were confused and troubled and appeared in the light of slanderers.

For a time the scales of justice wavered, but the judges of Toulouse were not entirely satisfied to reverse judgment on the behaviour of the principal witnesses, and deter- mined to call cthers who had not previously given evidence. Again 30 fresh witnesses were called and - sworn. -Nine or ten swore that the accused was the real Martin Guerre, seven or eight that he was Arnaud du Tilh ; the rest remained in doubt. The hopes of the accused were raised. The majority favoured his plea..

And then, at the true dramatic moment of this amazing trial, the climax came. A new witness appeared like a bolt from the blue.

Our author tells nothing of the way in which he came except that he arrived from Spain and, presenting a request to the Court, demanded to he sworn and examined, declaring that he, and no other, was the true Martin Guerre. Promptly the Court clapped this new and all- important witness into jail, for his safe custody and to determine whether he lied or not.

First, said the . Court, lie must be questioned ; then he must be confronted with the accused, with all who had sworn that the accused was the true Martin Guerre, and finally with Bertrande de Rols. At his own ques- tioning by the Court the witness replied as the accused had done, and exhibited the same marks. But his replies were neither so full nor did the proofs he brought forward appear.to be so numerous as those given by the accused.

Obviously a confrontation of the men was desirable. Here was a strange scene. Arnaud du Tilh was assurance itself. He treated the newcomer as an impostor, a miser- able wretch, brought in by Pierre Guerre, supplied by him with " evidence," and suborned by him to give false testimony. He. took upon himself the duty of cross- examiner, demanding certain facts about the house and the family. The witness answered, but with nothing like the assurance of the accused or . with the same firmness. In actual fact the impostor made a truer picture of life in Martin Guerre's home than Martin Guerre himself. Troubled exceedingly by this situation the judges sent the accused out of court and asked the. witness certain extremely intimate and private-questions which had not previously been part of the interrogatory. He. made his answers accurately, according to the information the judges had acquired. Arnaud du Tilh was recalled, questioned, and gave the same answers with equal accuracy.

Now it was the turn of the four sisters of Martin Guerre to be confronted with the newcomer. At once events marched rapidly to a definite end.

The eldest sister came first. Slowly she entered the court. She stopped an instant. She looked earnestly at the traveller from Spain, and recognized him. Then she embraced him and burst into tears. Martin Guerre clasped his sister in his arms and mingled his tears with hers.

One by one the other sisters entered and the witnesses who had before been most obstinate in declaring the accused man was Martin Guerre. All greeted him with affection and certainty as the true Martin Guerre. Finally, in the presence of all these witnesses, came Bertrande de Rols.

No sooner had the wife set eyes upon her true husband than, trembling with joy and sorrow, bursting with profuse tears, she ran to embrace him. With tears and protestations of affection she implored his pardon for having allowed herself to be seduced and abused by the artifices of a miserable impostor.

" L'imposture, alors," says our chronicler, " est entUre- ment demasquee, et. la verite se 'eve sur l'horizon de la justice avec grand éclat."

This story of love lost, abused, and restored ends fit- tingly with the sentence of the Court, in itself a picture of a time now so remote :- " Arnaud du Tilh was condemned to make an -amends honorable before the Church of Artigues and to make the round of the streets and squares of that place, and afterwards to be hung before the house of Martin Guerre, and his body to be burned."

So that, even as Bertrande de Rols had demanded, we may picture the false Martin Guerre in his shirt, with -bare head and -feet, carrying a burning torch' in both hands, making his apology to God, the King, and herself, and afterwards swinging in front of her house as an example to all evil-doers.

The judgment was delivered on September 12th, 1560, and executed four days later. To the Judge of Rieux, in prison, Arnaud du Tilh confessed his guilt, telling ,how on his travels he had met Martin Guerre, received the young man's confidences, and returning, had used the information so gained and his own personal resemblance to the young man -to deceive his 'family. He begged pardon of Martin Guerre and his wife, repenting bitterly and grievously and imploring the pity of God until the moment of his execution.

GEORGE C. CURNOCK.