Answer the questions according to readings
Fidan Denizci
Justine_2B-_2BMarquis_2Bde_2BSade.pdf
! MARQUIS
DESADE Justin�1 Philosophy in th� B�Jroom/& Oth�r Writings
rJhe Ul(arquis
decJade
Justine
Philosophy in the Bedroom
and other • •
wrtttngs
Works by the Marquis de Sade Published by Grove Press
Justine, Philosophy in the Bedroom, and Other Writings
The 120 Days of Sodom and Other Writings
Juliette
CJhe Ut[arquis
decSade Justine,
Philosophy in the Bedroom, and other writings
compiled and translated by Richarri Seaver & Austryn Wainhouse
with introductions by Jean Paulhan of l'Acadimie Francoise
& Maurice Blanchot
� Grove Press New York
Copyright © 1965 by Richard Seaver and Austryn Wainhouse
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Any members of educational institutions wishing to photocopy part or all of the work for classroom use, or publishers who would like to obtain permission to include the work in an anthology, should send their inquiries to Grove/Atlantic, Inc., 841 Broadway, New York, NY 10003.
Printed in the United Slates of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sade, marquis de, 1740-1814. [Selections. English. 1990] The complete Justine, Philosophy in the bedroom, and other
writings / the Marquis de Sade : compiled and translated by Richard Seaver & Austryn Wainhouse, with an introduction by Jean Paulhan & Maurice Blanchot.
p. cm. Translated from the French. ISBN 0-8021-3218-9 I. Sade, marquis de, 1740-1814-Translations, English.
2. Erotic literature, French-Translations into English. 3. Erotic literature, English--Translations from French. I. Seaver, Richard. II. Wainhouse, Austryn. III. Title. PQ2063.S3A275 1990 843'.6-nc20 90-3153
Grove Press 841 Broadway New York, NY 10003
00 01 02 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12
Ackn(JlO)ledgments The essay by Jean Paulhan, "The Marquis de Sade and His Accom plice," was originally published as a preface to the second edition of Les Infortunes de la Vertu published in 1946 by Les Editions du Point du Jour, copyright 1946 by Jean Paulhan. The essay was later reprinted, under the title "La Douteuse Justine ou Ies R£wnches de la Vertu," as an introduction to the 1959 edition of Les Infortunes de la Vertu published by Jean-Jacques Pauvert. It is here reprinted by permission of the author. The essay "Sade" by Maurice Blanchot forms part of that author's volume entitled Lautmamont et Sade, copyright 1949 by Les Editions de Minuit, and is here reprinted by permission of the publisher. The editors wish to thank Grove Press, Inc. for permission to include certain in formation in the Chronology in the form of both entries and notes, taken from TIte Marquis de Sade, a Difinitive Biograplry, by Gilbert Lely, copyright © 1961 by Elek Books Limited. This work is a one-volume abridgment of the two-volume La Vie du Marquis de Sade by the same author, to which the editors have referred in their Foreword , wherein further acknowledgments have also been made. Finally, the editors wish especially to thank Miss Marilynn Meeker for the meticulous job of editing, and for the number and diversity of her suggestions.
Contents
Foreword
Publisher's Preface
Part One Critical & Biographical
The Marquis de Sade and His Accomp lice
Xl
XVll
by Jean Paulhan, of l'Academie Fran�aise 3 Sade by Maurice Blanchot 37
Chronology 73 Seven Letters (1763-1790) 121
Note Concerni ng My Detention (1803) 151 Last Will and Testament (1806) 155
Part Two Two Philosophical Dialogues
Dialogue between a Priest and a Dying Man (1782) 161 Phi losophy in the Bedroom (1795) 177
Part T hre e Two Moral Tales
Eugenie de Franval (1788) 371 Justi ne, or Good Conduct Well Chastised (1791) 447
Bibliography 745
My manner 0/ thinking, so you say, cannot be approved. Do you suppose I care? A poor /001 indeed is he who adopts a manner 0/ thinking lor others! My manner 0/
thinking stems straight from my considered reflections;
it holds with my existence, with the way I am made. It is not in my power to alter it; and were it, 1'd not do so.
This manner 0/ thinking you find fault with is my sole
consolation in life; it alleviates all my sufferings in
prison, it composes all my pleasures in the world out
side, it is dearer to me than life itself. Not my manner
0/ thinking but the manner of thinking of others has
been the source 0/ my unhappiness. The reasoning man
who scorns the prejudices of simpletons necessarily be
comes the enemy of simpletons; he must expect as much,
and laugh at the inevitable. A traveler journeys along a fine road. It has been strewn with traps. He falls into one. Do you say it is the traveler's fault, or that of the s c o u ndrel who lays the traps? If then, as y o u tell me, they
are willing to restore my liberty if I am willing to pay for it by the sacrifice of my principles or my tastes, we
may bid one another an eternal adieu, for rather than part with those, I would sacrifice a thousand lives and a thousand liberties, if I had them. These principles
and these tastes, I am their fanatic adherent; a"nd fanati
cism in me is the product of the persecutions I have en
dured from my tyrants. The longer they continue their
vexations, the deeper they root my principles in my
heart, and I openly declare that no one need ever talk
to me of liberty if it is offered to me only in return for
their destruction.
-THE MARQUIS DE SADE, IN A LETTER TO HIS WIFE
Foreword
That the M a rquis de Sade also wrote books is a fact now known to almost everyone who reads. And knowledge of Sade as a writer ordinarily ends there . For o f his immense and incomp arable literary achievement, and o f his capital importance in the hi story of ideas, hardly a suspicion has been conveyed by occasional collections of anodyne fragments culled from his writings or by more frequent and flagrantly spurious " a daptations. " ( Of the two, che ap-paperback pa stiche and more tastefully contrived anthology of excerpts, the latter, e qually meretricious, i s h a rdly the less dishonest. ) To date, this is Sade bibliography in the United States. To date, Sade re mains an unknown author.
For this, censo rship, Pu ritan morality, hypocrisy, and lack of cultivation may b e blamed, al though no t very usefully, since Sade sought condemnation. Ultimately, the fault for i t i s all his own, and th e fate o f his books is his triumph. Strange ? To be and to stay an unknown author, tha t has always been his status and his destiny, that was the status he cove ted, that was the destiny he created for himself, not by accident or unwittingly, but delibera tely and out of an uncommon perversity. To write, but to go unread-this has h ap pened to many write rs. To write endlessly and under the most un favorable conditions and as though nothing mattered more than to write, but to write in-such a way, at such length, upon such subjects, in such a manner and using such language as to render oneself un approachable, "unpublishable , " "unknown, " and yet upon succeed ing generations to exert the most intense and enduring influence this , it will be admitted, is rare indeed.
Xl
XII .. THE MARQUIS DE SADE
Secrets cannot survive the i r disclosure j to b a re Sade to the public would seem to be rendering him a disservice. Against this "betrayal"-a graver one by far than any accomplished by the obscure tradesmen who from time to time get out a chil d ' s version o f fustin e-Sade has a defense : it consists in maintaining the reader at a di stance, not me rely a t a rm' s length but a t a remove one is tempted to call absolute. Or, to put i t more simply, in forcing every reader-every so-calle d rea sonable reader-to reject him.
Thus, the present attempt-which i s the first to be made in the United States-to provide the basis for a serious unde rstanding of Sade is in a certain sense bound to fail. In this sense : the " re a son abl e " man ( we repe at) can come to no understan ding with this exceptional man who rejects everyth ing by which and fo r which the former lives-laws, beliefs, duti es, fears, God, country, family, fellows-everything and the human condition itself, and p roposes inste ad a way o f life which is the undoing of common sense and all its works, and which from the point o f view o f common sense re sembles nothing so much a s death j and which is, o f course, impos sible. Such must be the judgment of the "rea sonable " man-o f him who builds, saves, increases, continue s , and thanks to whom the world goes round.
Even so, however fi rmly h e b e establ i shed in the normality that makes everyday l i fe possible, still more firmly established in him and infinitely more d e eply-in the farther reaches o f his i n ali enable self, in his instincts, his dreams, his incoercible desires the impossibl e dwells, a sovereign in hiding. What Sade h a s to say to us-and what we as normal social beings cannot h e e d or even h e a r-al ready exists within us, like a resonance, a forgotten truth, or like the divine promise whose fulfillment is finally the most sol emn concern o f our human existence.
Whethe r or not i t i s dangerous to read Sade is a question tha t e asily becomes l o s t in a multitude of o thers a n d h a s never been s e ttl e d except by those whose a rguments are rooted in the convic tion that reading leads to trouble. So i t does j so it must, for reading leads nowhere but to questions. I f books are to be burned, Sade's ce rta inly must be bu rned along with the rest. But i f, ultima tely, freedom has any meani ng, any me aning p ro founder than the facile utterances that fill our speeches and l i tter the columns o f our peri-
Foreword .. Xlll
odicals, then, we submit, they should not. At any rate, it is not our intention to e n t e r a n y s p e c i a l p l e a fo r S a d e . Nor to apologi z e fo r o n e of o u r civil i z a t i o n ' s t r e a su r e s. D i s i n t e r r e d or left u n d e rground, Sade n e i t h e r gain s nor l os e s . While fo r u s . . . the worst p o v e r ty m a y be s a i d to c o n s i s t in t h e i gn o r an c e of o ne ' s r i c h e s .
* * *
Gre a t w r i ting n e e d s no j u s t i fi c ation, no complex exege si s : i t is its own defense. S till, t h e special n a tu r e o f Sad e ' s work, the legend a t t a c h e d t o his name, and the unusual l ength of time i n t e rvening b e tween the w r iting and the present publication s e e m e d to call for some introduction, both critical and biogr a p h i c a l . Thus, Part One o f t h e p re s e n t volume aims at s i t u a ting S a d e i n his times a n d among his familiars. For the brief biograp h y i n the form of a C h ronol ogy, the e d i t o r s have r e l i e d p r i m a rily upon, and a r e indebted to, M aurice H e i ne ' s ou tline for a p r o j e c t e d Life contain e d i n Volume I of his (Euvres c h o is ies et Pages Magis trales du Marquis de Sade. W e also o w e a p a rticu l a r debt to Gilbert Lely, H e in e ' s clo s e f r i e n d a n d h e i r to t h e gre a t schol a r ' s p ap e r s . The e x t e n t o f b o th thei r contributions to t h e e stablishment of a v a l i d S a d e biograp hy, a n d to a ful l e r understanding of both the m a n and h i s w ork, is de t a i l e d elsewh e r e .
S a d e ' s l e tters a r e p a rticul a rly revealing. W e h a v e included seven, r a nging o v e r a n almo s t t h i r ty-ye a r p e r i o d from t h e ye a r of h i s m a rri age when h e was twenty-th r e e to the time of his r e l e a s e f r o m t h e M o n a rchy' s dungeo n s by the R evolution a ry government, w h e n he w a s over fi fty. Letter I i s from an unpubl i s h e d manuscript, a n d is c i t e d in Volume I of Lely' s biography ; Letters I I , I I I , IV, and V a r e from L'Aigle Made m ois elle . • . ;1 Le t t e r s VI and VII are f r o m Paul Bou r d i n ' s Corresp o n da nce.
W e have inclu ded two exploratory e s s ays on S a d e . The fi r s t, by J e a n Paulhan, w a s wri tten in 1946 as t h e Preface for a second e dition of L es Infor tunes de la r erlu publis h e d that year. T h e s e c o n d , by M aurice Bl a nchot, fo rms part o f t h a t autho r ' s volume
1 F o r full details of publication, s e e t h e Bibliography.
XlV .. THE MARQUIS DE SADE
entitled Lau trea m o n t el Sade which w a s publish ed by Les Editions de Min u i t in 1 949 . They form p art o f a growing body of p erceptive Sade cri ticism which has developed over the past two or three decades.
The " Note Concerning My Detention" was first published in Cahiers pers o n n els (1803-1804) . Sade's "Last Will and Testa ment" has only recently been published in i ts entirety in French,2 and is here offered in English for the fil-st time.
I f, through the ma terial in Par t One, we have tried to situ a te Sade, we have not a ttempted to conceal the singularity of his tastes or i n any wise to depict him o ther than he was. H e was a volup tuary, a libertine-l e t it not be forgotten that the latter term derives from the Latin li ber: " free"-an exceptional man of ex ceptional p enchants, p a s sions, and ideas. But a monste r ? In his famous grande lettre to M adarp.e de Sade, dated February 2 0 , 1 7 8 1 , and written while h e w a s a prisoner in the B a s tille, Sade declares:
I a m a libertine, but I a m neither a criminal nor a murderer [italics Sade's], and since I am compelled to set my apology next to my vindica tion, I shall therefore say that it might well be possible that those who condemn me as unjustly as I have been might themselves be unable to offset their infamies by good works as clearly established as those I can contrast to my errors. I am a libertine, but three families residing in your area have for five yean lived off my charity, and I have saved them from the farthest depths of poverty. I am a libertine, but I have saved a de serter from death, a deserter abandoned by his entire regiment and by his colonel. I am a libertine, but at Evry, with your whole family looking on, I saved a child-at the risk of my life-who was on the verge of being crushed beneath the wheels of a runaway horse-drawn cart, by snatching the child from beneath it. I am a libertine, but I have never compromised my wife's health. Nor :lave I been guilty of the other kinds of libertinage so often fatal to children's fortunes: have I ruined them by gambling or by other expenses that might have deprived them of, or even by one day foreshortened, their inheritance? Have I managed my own fortune badly, as long as I had a say in the matter? In a word, did I in my youth herald a heart capable of the atrocities of which I today stand accused? ... How therefore do you presume that, from so innocent a childhood and youth, I have suddenly arrived at the ultimate of premeditated horror? no, you do not believe it. And you who today tyrannize me so cruelly, you do not
2 In Volume II of Lely's biog,aphy.
Foreword + xv
believe it either: your vengeance has beguiled your mind, you have pro ceded blindly to ty rannize, but your heart knows mine, it judges it more fairly, and it knows f u l l well it is innocent.s
I t was as a libertine that Sade first ran a foul of the authorities. I t was society-a society S a d e termed, not unj ustly, a s " thoroughly corrupted"-tha t feared a man so free i t condemned him for half his a dult life, and in so doing made o f him a writer. If there i s a disp a r i ty between the life and the writings, the society that immured him i s to blame. With his usual p e rception about himself, S a de once noted in a letter to his wife that, had the authorities any insight, they would not have locked him up to plot and daydream and m ake philosophical disqu i s i tions as wild and venge ful and absolute as any ever fo rmulate d ; they would have set him free and surrounded him wi th a harem on whom to feast. But societies do not cater to strange tastes ; they condemn them. Thus Sade became a writer.
I n p resenting S a de the writer, in Parts Two and Three o f the present volume , we made a number of fundamental decisions at the outset. We first decided to include nothing but complete works. Otherwise, in our opinion, the endeavor was pointless. Further, as S a d e was a writer both o f works he acknowledged and works he disclaimed ( and who i s to say which o f the two typ es most fairly rep resents him ? ) i t seemed essential to offer examples o f both sorts. Wi thout which, again, the endeavor was pointless-and hyp ocriti cal. Finally, i n making our selections we have obviously chosen works we beli eve represent him fairly and are among his b est.
Part Two consists of two of his philosophical dialogues. The fi rst, Dialogue b e tween a Pries t and a Dying Man, written in 1 7 8 2 and until recently thought to b e S a d e ' s e a rliest literary effort, w a s n o t published until 1 9 2 6 . T h e present transl ation i s f r o m the origi nal edition. The second, Philo s o p hy i n the Bedro o m, was first pub lished i n 1 7 9 5 , not under Sa de's name, o r only by inference : it appeared simply a s "by the Author of Ius tin e." It i s a major work, represents a not unfair example of the clandestine writings, and contains the justly famous philosophical-political tract, "Yet An other Effort, Frenchmen, If You Would Become R epublicans," which i s a s good, a s rea sonably concise a summ a tion o f his view-
3 Marquis de Sade: L' Aigl�, Mademoiselle ...
XVI + T H E MARQ UIS DE SADE
point as we h ave. It is a work of amazing vigor, imbue d throu ghou t with Sa de's d ark-b u t not b i tter-humor, and creates a memorable c a s t of Sa dean characters. Although Lely deems it the "le a s t cruel" of h i s clandestine writings, Philo s ophy will reve al wha t all the clamor is about. The tran sla tion is from the 1 9 5 2 edition publi shed by Jean-Jacques Pauvert.
Two of Sade's moral tales make up P a r t Three. Eugenie d e Franval, w h i c h dates from 1 788, is generally judged t o be one o f t h e two o r three b e s t novella-length works which S a d e wrote and i s , i n t h e op inion o f many, a mi nor masterpiece o f eighteenth-century French l itera ture. The transl ation is from the 1 9 5 9 edition of Les Crimes de l'Amo u r published by Jean-Jacques Pauver t. Fin ally, the i n clusion o f Jus tine, h ere presented for the fi r s t time i n its complete form, w a s mandatory. It i s Sa de's most famous novel, although there are several more infamous. I t is the work, too, which bridges the gap between the avowed and the clan destine, a n d is thus of special i ntere s t. For if it is true t h a t , con sciously or unconsciously , S ade was seeking condemnation, with Justine he w a s seeing t o wh a t lengths h e could go and remain r e a d. The translation is from the 1 95 0 edi tion published by L e So leil Noir, which contains a preface by Georges Bataille.
Each o f the four works presented i s di rectly p receded by a historical-bibliographical note which will, we trust, help s i tuate i t.
It i s o u r hop e that this volum e will contribute to a be tter understa n ding o f a man who has too long been steeped in s h a dow. I f i t does, i t will be blt slight retribu tion for the countless ig nominies to which Sade was subjected during his long, tormented, a nd incredibly p a tient life, a n d during the centu ry and a half since his d e a th.
In h i s will, Sa de ordered t h a t acorns be s trewn over h i s grave, "in order that, t h e spot become green aga in, and the cop s e grown back thick over i t , the traces of my grave may di sapp e a r from the face of the earth, a s I trJ s t the m emory of me shall fade out of the minds of men .... " O f all S a d e ' s p rophecies small or splendid, thi s one , about himself, seems the least likely t o come true.
R.S . , A.W.
Publisher's Preface
Donatien-Alphonse-Franc;ois de Sade, better known to history a s t h e M a rquis de S a d e , h a s rarely, i f ever, h a d a fair hearing. A good portion o f his adult l i fe was spent in the prisons and dungeons and asylums of the sundry French governments under which he lived Mona rchy, Republic, Consul ate, and Empire. During his li fetime , o r sho rtly a fter h i s death, most o f h i s wri tings were destroyed either by acts of God or by acts of willful malice, not only by Sade' s enemies but also b y h i s friends and even h i s family-which w a s chiefly concerned w i t h erasing his d a rk s t a i n f r o m its honored e scutcheon. As recently a s World War I I , some of Sade ' s p ersonal notebooks and correspondence, which had miraculously been pre served for over a century and a quarter, fell into the h ands of the pillaging Germans and were lost, rendered unintelligible by ex posure to the elements, or simply destroyed. Of Sade's creative wo rk-excepting his letters and diaries-less than one fourth o f wh a t he wrote h a s come down t o u s .
" Come down t o u s " i s hardly a n apt description, f o r though this qu a rter has indeed survived, only a small fraction has ever been made public, at least until very recently. The aura o f infamy about the author's name has been such that even the most innocent meaning "relatively non-scandalous , " for in Sade nothing is wholly innocent-o f his works has o ften been proscribed by the censors o r b y a c t s o f self-censorship on t h e p a rt o f scholars a n d publishers. Although he was far from forgotten throughout the nineteenth century-as Jean Paul han notes in his now classic essay on Justine, Sade was read and consulted by many o f the most significant writers
XVII
XVlll + THE t-lARQlJIS DE SADE
of the preceding century-he was relegate d and confined to a nether region , to a clandestinity from which, it seemed tacitly to b e agreed, h e s hould never emerge. If, a s many, inclu ding the editors of the p r e sent volume , tend to believe, this scandalous negle ct-or n eglect due to scandal-was the fate to which Sade truly aspired, then the nineteenth century represents the z enith of his triumph , for it was the nadir of his influerce. Dominated as it was in spirit by the plump , prim figure of Victoria Regina, this age woul d doubtless have echoed the lofty sentiments exp ressed by Charles Villiers, who i s sued the following exemp l a ry challenge to his comp atriots:
Let all decent and resp(�ctable people conspire together to destroy as many copies of Justine as they can lay their hands upon. For myself, I am going to purchase the three copies which are still at my booksellers and consign them to the fire. i\1ay my action serve as a general alarm.1
As the century waned, however , a few influential voices were raised in dis sent, not only refusing to share the prevailing opinion but da ring to take issue with it. "It is necess a ry," wrote B audelaire, "to keep coming b ack to Sa de, again and again." Swinburne pub licly acknowl edged his debt to Sade :
I deplore with all my heart this incurable blindness, this reiterated, philis tine stubbornness whid yet holds you in the chains of the goddess Virtue and prevents you from appreciating the true worth of this Great Man to whom I am indebted (and what, indeed, do I not owe to him?) for whatever I have inadequately been able to express with regard to my sentiments toward God and man. I am compelled to believe that God has hardened your heart; I can find no other explanation for your indifference to the singular but surprising merits of the Marquis.
He then went on to p rophesy ecstatically:
The day and the century will come when statues will be erected to him in the walls of every city, and when at the base of every statue, sacrifices will be offered up unto him.2
While that day, and that century, are not yet at hand, ou r own e r a has witn essed an evolution , if not a revolution , in the attitude of at l east the more enlightened, r egarding both the life and writ-
1 Maurice Nadeau: "Exploration de Sade," in Marquis de Sade: (Euvrcs, Textcs chaisies p a r l'vIaurice Nadeau, La Jeune Parque, Paris, 19-+7.
2 Gilbert Lely: Marceaux ch"isis de Dana tie n -A lphanse-Fran(ais At arquis de Sad" Pierre Segher., Paris, 19+8.
Publisher's Preface .. xix
ings of the M a rqu i s de S a d e ( fo r b o th have b e e n condemned, and a s the name o f the a u tho r a ff ects o n e ' s a t t i tu d e toward the wo rk, s o t h e wo rk a ff e c t s and c o l o r s the l e g e n d of the l i fe) .
In 1909, t h e a m a z ingly eclectic Guillaume Apollina i r e , as a result of h i s r e s e a rc h in the Enfer o f the B i b l i o th e q u e N ationale in Pa r i s , publ i s h e d a s e l e c t i o n of S a d e ' s work a n d , in hi s I n t r o duction, p ro c l a i m e d h i m to b e " th e f r e e s t spirit that ever l i ve d . " In the ensuing h a l f-century, a n i n c r e a s i n g numb e r of voice s w e r e r a i s e d in Sade ' s b e h a l f ; writers a n d c r i t i c s n o t only extoll e d him v a guely, but were reading him, examining h i s work a s i t had never been examined before. Among them were Andre B re t o n , Jean Paulhan, M au r i c e B l a n c h o t , P i e r r e Kl o s s owski , S i m o n e de B e auvo i r , a n d M a u r i c e N a de a u , all o f w h o m a p p l i e d themselves diligently to d i scovering t h e secret o f thi s e x t r a o r d i n a ry m a n , the l i k e s of whdm the world had never s e e n e i ther b e f o r e or since. However much these critics m ay d i ff e r a s to t h e i r c onclu s i o n s , they a re all agreed on one funda mental p o i n t : Sade i s a w r i t e r of t h e first imp o r t a n c e , a n d one who m u s t b e taken s e r i o u sly. A s M au r i c e Blanchot ap tly n o t e s : It i s not incredible to think that, i n Sade, we have the most absolute writer who h a s ever lived, a n d , y e t , f o r a c e n tu ry a n d a half, w e have chosen t o ignore him? And is not t h i s choice volu n t a rily to ign o r e h i m , o n t h e g r o u n d s t h a t h i s work a n d doctrine a r e t o o somber, too a n a r ch i s t i c , too b l a s p h e m o u s , too e r o t i c-the c h a r g e s v a ry w i th the c e n s o r-bo th doubtful a n d dangerou s , a c h o i c e on t h e side of d a rk n e s s ?
N o n e o f t h i s s e r i o u s c r i t i c i sm a n d intellectual s p e cul ation would h a v e been possible, however, w i t h o u t t h e work, during t h e thi r d a n d fourth d e c a d e s o f t h i s c e n t u r y , o f tha t exempl a ry S a d e schol a r , M a u r i c e H e i n e . F o r fi ft e e n y e a r s , w i t h p a i n s taking c a r e , h e s i f t e d th rough the mountain o f m a n u s c r i p t s entombe d in the B ib l i o theque N a t i o n a l e i n P a r i s a n d i n a d o z e n oth e r libraries and museums throughout France, constantly r e v e a l i n g n e w m a t e r i al that had b e e n believed l o s t , m e ti culou sly comp a r i n g v a r i o u s manuscripts and publ i s h e d v e r s i o n s a n d thus r e s t o r i n g t o t h e i r p r i s tine s tate works tha t h a d been trunc a t e d o r e m a s c u l a t e d . Thanks to h i m , d u r i n g t h e te n-ye a r s p a n from 1926 t o 1935, the following w o r k s o f S a d e w e r e p u b l i s h e d :
xx 4- THE MARQUIS DE SADE
His t o ri e t tes, C o n tt·s et fabliaux, i n 1 9 26 j Dialogu e e n tre un pretre et un moribo n d, also in 1 926; L es Info r t u n es de La Vertu, being the original d r a ft of Jus tine,
in 1930 ; Lcs 120 JOllrnces de S o dome, o u I'Ecole du Libertinage, the
"lost manu scrip t o f the Bastille" m i raculously recovered and finally publ ished, i n three volumes, f rom 1 93 1 to 1 935.
Since Heine's death in 1 94 0 ,3 his work has been carried on with equal devotion and unflagging enthus i a sm by Gilb e r t Lely, who had first met the elder scholar in 1933, and from almos t the momen t o f t h a t fi r s t encounter took u p t h e torch which h e still bears today.4 Lely's defin i tive, two-volume biography, La Vie du Marquis de Sade, was publ i s h e d by Libr a i r i e Gallim a r d in 195 2 and 195 7, and offer s a more complete and detailed vi ew of Sade than has ever b e fore been available. Moreove r, Lely's resea rch led him to dis cover, i n the Con de-en-B ri e ch ateau of Count Xavier de Sade, an unhope d-for collection of previou sly unknown Sade materi al, in cluding more than a hundred and fifty letters-most of which are a ddressed to the M a rqris' w i fe-wh ich the au thor w rote between 1 777 a n d 1 786, whi l e he was a p r i son e r i n Vincennes and the Bas tille. To date, Lely has publi shed nine ty-one o f these lette rs, i n t h r e e differ e n t volumes ;Ii they form a rem a rkable record o f Sade's exis tence during this crucial and yet so p roductive p e riod of h i s l i fe and, tog e th e r w i t h t h e e a rl i e r correspondence, offer a formi-
3 M au r ice H eine, 1884-1 940. A poet as well a. a sch olar, Heine h as often been de scrib e d as "the inventor of Sade." Andre B reton, in his eulogy to Heine, published in 1 948, m a k es mention of him as a man .prung "from the d epths of the eighteenth cen t ury, with his e ncycl opedic culture . . . a m a n . 0 l ost among us." (Cahirrs de la Pliiade, Summer, 1948 ) .
4 Much, o n e might add, a s Heine took u p the torch from Apol l i n a i r e. Heine, in his Preface to HisloriellC!, Conies et tabliaux, rel ates th at, shortly before Apolli naire's d e ath, the two men met and d edd ed th at together they would "search out and publish t he disjecta membra of Sade. " Apo.lli n a ir e's premature death p"t an end to the joint p roject, but Heine, in spite of roor and failing health, d e voted himself for the next twenty years to the task.
5 Th e three volumes a re: L'Aig!e, Madrmoiulle . . . , George Artigu es, Paris, 1 949; Le Carillon de Pincennes, Arcanes, P a r is, 1 953; Monsieur Ie 6, Juillard, P a ris, 1 954.
Publisher's Preface + XXI
dable record o f , and cast new light upon, thi s much maligned and m i sunderstood man.
To this constantly increasing store o f newly discovered ma terial has been added new editions, based on sound documentation, o f S a d e ' s major writings. I n France, over the past fifteen years, a courageous young publisher, Jean-Jacques Pauvert, h a s systema ti cally brought out the complete works of Sade, in twenty-seven vol umes, prefaced by the most cogent of contemporary essays. More recently, in Scandinavi a , integral editions o f the majo r Sa de writ ings have begun to appear, and in tiny Denmark a p roject simila r to Pauvert' s pioneering effort is underway.
I n English, however, there is still precious little m a terial avail able, and, a s the editors h ave indicated, even that, at best, i s in the form of l argely innocuous fragments carefully cull e d s o as not to offend ; at wo rst, and this is a more recent development, totally spurious editions of Sade have a ppeared-wha t the editors have referred to as the "cheap-paperback pastiche"-baldly p roclaiming to b e complete. One can only lament tha t these gross misrepresenta tions may yet accomplish what all the censors and calumniato r s have t h u s f a r f a i l e d t o do o v e r the past two hundred years : these shoddy, and indeed execrable rehashes of his work may yet bury Sa de.
We boast that we have shrugged off the hypocriti c coils o f Victorianism, tha t t h e l a st ba stions o f censorship a r e on the verge of falling, and yet Sade still remains locked in the library keeps of the world. "I address myself only to those persons capable of hear ing m e , " Sade once rem a rked. To d a te we have never allowed h i s works t o seek that audience o f hardy "capable s , " preferring to judge and sentence them without a public h e a ring. Thus today we only know him by the words h e contributed to the language: sadism, sadistic, sadi st. But to know him and ju dge him by these epithets alone i s to i gnore wh at S a de i s and means. H e is, for exampl e , much more than that shunned and restricted pill a r o f pornography on which his reputation rests, for i t h a s been adequately demonstrated tha t nothing date s more quickly tha n real obscenity, in whatever sphere, and Sade has steadfastly r e fu s e d to date or die. To endure, a writer cannot rely or b a s e h i s work upon tha t dubious foundation,
XXll .. THE MARQUIS DE SADE
and those writers over the span of the past century who have been attacked as too coarse or too candid for public consumption and who have survived-B audelaire, Flaubert, Zola among the late nineteenth-century Frerch notables; Joyce, D. H. Lawrence, and Henry Miller more recently and in our own language-have sur vived precisely because of other qualities. So is it with Sa de.
What is strange, and worth investigating, is how, given the neglect, the quasi-total condemnation of his writings-how has Sade survived? What is there in his work that has caused it so to endure? Its eroticism? To be sure. Its shock qualities, based on a philosophy of negation which, as the editors note, no "reasonable man can understand, much less accept? No doubt. Its imaginative power, which is of such scope and magnitude as to create an entire uni verse, a self-contained world not of human comedy but of human (and super-human) tra gedy, surreal rather than real, a writhing,
insensate universe at the pole opposite Gethsemane and Golgotha? Yes, that too. And yet, to date, we have preferred to immure the man and ignore his writings, fearing his absolute vision.
To profit from that extraordinary vision, however, we do not have to subscribe to it. But if we ignore it, we do so at our own risk. For to ignore Sade is to choose not to know part of ourselves, that inviolable part which lurks within each of us and which, eluding the light of reason, can, we have learned in this century, establish absolute evil as a rule of conduct and threaten to destroy the world.
Now, twenty years after the end of the world's worst holo caust, after the burial of that master of applied evil, Adolph Hitler, we believe there is added reason to disinter Sade. For though his works speak for themselves and need no apology, they will also serve to remind us, in an age which legislates billions to construct bigger and better doomsday machines, bombs that can wipe out entire populations and missiles to deliver them with incredible swiftness and unerring aim, of the absolute evil of which man is capable. Surely, if we can accept to live with the daily specter of the absolute bomb, we can accept as well to live with the works of this possessed and exceptional man, who may be able to teach us a trifle more about ourselves.
THE PUBLISHER
CJhe UY(arquis
der:Jade
Part (9ne Critical
6fJ Biographical
The Marquis de Sade and His Accomplice
by Jean Paulhan, of l'Academie Fran�aise
I. T H E S ECRET
Ov�r the p a s t few years we have come to understand what has made for the greatest best seller o f all tim e , the success o f the New Testament. I t is because this book has its secret. On every page, in every line, this book implies some thing never fl a tly stated, but which intrigues and involves us all the more on that account. And since in this piece we shall not have anything fu rth e r to say about the Gospel, nothing need p revent us from disclo sing its secret.
It is that Jesus C h rist is light o f heart. As shown us by the New Testament, h e is solemn and rather pensive , ir ritated some times, at other times in tears, and always very serious. But we detect some thing else, something the New Testament does not tell u s : that Jesus is n o t against an occasional j oke. That he is full o f humo r . That h e now and again talks without rhyme o r reason, j u s t to see what will happen ( when he addresses the fig trees, for instance) . In short, th a t he enj oys himself.
I would not like to hurt anyon e ' s feelings by comp aring the Gospel o f Good with the most ingenious, and also the most extensive, o f all Gospels of Evil which a clea r-minded and eminently sane rebel once composed. But I still must say it: if Jus ti n e deserved to be favorite reading-at least du rin g a certain pe rio d o f their lives-with Lama rtine ,
3
4 .. THE MARQUIS DE SADE
B au d e l a i r e , and Swinbu r n e , with B a rbey d ' Au revilly and L a u tr eamon t, with N i e tz sche , Dostoevsk i , a n d K a fk a (o r , o n a sli ghtly d i ff e re n t p l a n e , w i t h Ewe rz, S acher-M asoch , and M i rb e a u ) it is because this strange a l though app a r e n tly s i mp l e book, whi ch the w r i t e rs of the n i n e teenth centu ry hardly e v e r d e s i gn a ti n g i t by n a me-sp ent the i r time pla gia r i z i ng, u t i l i zing, applying, r e fu t i n g , this book which pose d a qu est i o n so grave t h a t to answe r i t and to fall short o f answ e ring i t comp l e tely w a s a s much a s a n entire century coul d a c h i e v e , this b o o k con t a i ns i ts secret too. I shall come back to i t. But first l e t ' s settle the question o f immorality .
I I . CONCERNING CERTAIN DANGEROUS BOOKS
Is t h e r e a ny t h i n g to be a d d e d to what has a l r e a dy b e e n sa i d a b o u t t h e a dv a n t a g e and n e e d o f punishment f o r t h e wrongdo e r ? T h e r e a r e a th ousand o p i n i ons on the subj ect, a n d a hun d r e d thousand t r e a tises have b e e n w r i tten ; and yet it seems to m e that the crux o f the m a t ter has been n e glecte d , p o ssibly b e c ause i t i s too obvi ous, b ecause it goes without sayin g . Well, saying it will make it better still.
The first poi n t is only too e v i d e nt: that c r imin als are a m e n a c e , th a t they i m p e r i l society a n d are a threat to the h u m a n race i tself , from whose stan dpoint, fo r examp l e , i t would b e b e tter i f t h e r e w e r e no m u r d erers. If the l a w l e ft each o f us at l i b e rty to k i l l h i s n e i ghbors (as o ften we woul d l i k e to d o ) a n d h i s p a rents (wh i ch t h e psychoanalysts cl a i m i s what we b a sically desi r e ) , t h e r e wou l d n o t b e many p e o p l e l e f t a l i v e o n e a r t h . Only fri ends would b e l e ft. No t even friends woul d be l e f t, for fin a lly-though this i s a d e tail we usu a l ly forge t to consi d e r-ou r fri ends are themselves the f a t h e r s , sons, or n e i gh b o r s of somebody. I move on to the second p o i n t , whi c h is e qu ally obvious once one gives it a l i t t l e thought.
T h i s s econd point i s t h a t criminals are i n gene r a l cur i o u s p e o p l e , m o r e cu r i o u s t h a n l aw- a b i d i n g p e op l e: I m e a n unusu al, giving m o r e food f o r thought. And though
Jean Paulhan + 5
i t may happen that they u tter nothing but banaliti e s , they are more surpri sing to l i sten· to-owing preci sely to this contra s t between the dangerous content within and the i noffensive appe arance wi thou t. Of all t h i s the authors of detective s tori e s are very aware: no soone r do we begin to suspect the honest country l awye r or the worthy pharmacist o f having once upon a time poisoned a whol e family, than the slightest thing h e s ays warr ants our m o s t a v i d a ttenti o n , a n d h e n e e d s but p r e d i c t a change in the wea ther for u s t o sense h e i s meditating s o m e n ew crime. M oralists declare that it suffices to have brought an end, even through n e gli- gence, to a single human l i fe i n order to feel on eself u tterly changed. And moralists are i mprudent i n saying so, for all of u s desire to feel such a change i n ourselves. It's a wish a s old a s the world; i t's more or less the s tory of the Tree of Good and Evil. And i f discretion ordinarily restrains us from changing ourselves to this extent, we neverth e l e s s h a v e the keen desire t o frequent those w h o have undergone the experi ence, to befriend them, to e spous e their remorse (and the Knowledge that com e s thereof). Th e only point to remember h ere is the conviction I referred to earl i e r t h a t a n a s s a ssin is n o t someone to encourage; a n d t h a t through a dm i ring h i m we p articip ate i n s o m e v a s t plot agai n s t m an and soc i ety. And here i s where even those among u s who are not overly scrupulou s find themselves all of a sudden b e twixt and b e tween, torn by conflicting feeli ngs, de- prived alike of the advantages of a good consci ence and of a bad. Here is where punishment intervenes.
I may s a fely a s s ert that it s tr aigh tens out everything. As of the moment the thi e f i s robbed in h i s turn-if not always of h i s money, at l e a s t of some ye ars of h i s l i fe , which a r e worth money and a good deal more b e s i des-and the a s s as s i n a s s a s s ina ted, we may without h e s i t a tion a s soci ate with them, and for examp l e , while they are still alive, bring
Shortcomings and merits of criminals
them oranges in prison; we may b ecome fond of them, Advantages o f en amored of them, we can even feast upon their words : pun ishmen t they are paying, they have paid. T h i s we know; i t was yet better known by the kings and queens and saints who in
6 .. THE MARQUIS DE SADE
olden days u s e d to accomp any c r i m i n a l s up to the scaffold, a n d who w o u l d even, l i k e Saint C a th e r i n e , c a tc h a few drops of thei r blood t o s a v e . (An d who today is n o t s t i r r e d by g r a t i tu d e tow a r d the h a n dful of men who t e a c h us, a s they pay the extreme p e n a l ty, the d a n g e r and the v e ry m e a n i n g , which h a d b e c o m e l o s t to m., o f t r e a s o n ? 1)
T h i s i s w h a t I have been driving a t : for one hundred and fi fty years i t h a s b een the custom to frequent S a d e through the i n te rm e d i a ry of o t h e r a u t h o rs. We do n o t r e a d Les Crimes de I ' A m o ur, i n s te a d we r e a d L' Auberge d e I ' ange gardien; n o r do we r e a d Philos o p hy in the Bedr o o m b u t Bey o nd G o o d a n d Evil; n o r L e s In/ortunes de la f/ ertu, b u t The Cas tle or The Trial; n o r Juli e t te, b u t Weird Women; n o r L a Nouvelle Jus tine, b u t Le Jardin des sup plices; n o r L e Porte/euill.:' d'u n h o m m e de leures (wh i c h h a s , m o r e o v e r , b e e n l o s t ) but Les Mem o ires d'o u tre- t o m b e. And in such t i m i d i ty one <:an fi n d l i ttle e l s e t h a n the effect o f the scrup l e s I m e n t i o n e d e a rl i e r . Yes, it i s tru e t h a t S a d e w a s a d a n g e r o u s m a n : sens u a l , v i o l e n t-temp e r e d , a knave upon occa s i o n , a n d (in h i s d r e a m s if not elsewhere ) a t ro c i o u sl y cruel. Fo r not only does h e invi te us to slay o u r neighb o r s a n d o u r p a r en ts, h e would h a v e u s kill o u r own wives. H e would g o even fu rthe r : he would with p l e a s u r e s e e t h e whol e o f m a n k i n d d o n e away w i t h , to make room fo r s o m e new invention of N a tu r e . He w a s n o t p a rticul a rly soci a b l e ; n o r s o c i a l e i th e r. He c a r e d about l i b e r ti e s . H e h a d l i b e r t i e s on t h e b r a i n . B u t t h e s e a r e scrupl e s we c a n s e t a t r e s t .
F o r S a d e p a i d , a n d p a i d d e a rly. H e s p e n t t h i r ty y e a r s o f h i s l i fe i n v a r i o u s b a s t i l l e s , fortre s s e s , o r k e e p s o f t h e M o n a rchy, then o f the Republi c , o f the T e r r o r , o f the Con s u l a t e and of the E mp i re . "The f r e e s t s p i r i t," s a i d Apol l i n a i r e , "th a t has e v e r l i v e d." T h e most i m p r i s o n e d b o dy , a t a n y r a t e . I t h a s s o m e t i m e s b e e n m a i n t a i n e d t h a t to all h i s novels t h e r e i s a s i n g l e key, a n d t h a t i t i s cruelty (and t h a t , I would m a i n t a i n , i s to take a simple v i e w o f them ) . B u t f a r
1 This es s ay dates from 1946.-Tr.
Jean Paulhan *' 7
more surely, to all h i s adventures and to all his books there is a single end, and tha: i s pri son. The r e i s even a myste ry i n so m any a rrests and i llternmen ts.
Let us s e e how 'veil the crime corresponds to the puni shment. I t seems e;tabl i sh e d that Sade gave a spank ing to a whore in Pari�, : doe s that fit with a y e a r in ja il? Some a p h rod i s i a c sweets to some girls in Ma rseill e s : do es that ju sti fy ten years i n the Bastille? He seduces h i s si ster in-law : does that justi f;' a mon th in the Conci e rge rie? He causes no end o f bothe r to h i s powe r ful, h i s redoubtable in laws, the President and the Presidente de :'v1ontreuil: does that justi fy two years in a fortress? He enables seve ral moderates to e s c a p e (we are i n the midst of the Terror ) : doe s t h a t jus t i fy a ye aI' in M a delonnettes? It i s a cknowl e dged that he published some obscene books, th a t he a t tacked Bon a p a rte's entomage; and i t is not impossible that he feigned m a dne ss. Does tla t ju sti fy fou rteen years in Cha ren ton, three in Bi cetre, and one in Sain te-PeIagie ? \Vould it not strongly appea r as i f, for a whole string of French govern ments, any and every excus e sufficed for clapping him behind b a r s? and, who knows, is if Sade d i d about all h e could to get himself impri soned? Perhaps; one thing however i s certain : we know t h a t � a d e r a n h i s ri sks; t h a t he accepted them-t h a t he multiplied them. We also know that i n r e a d i n g h i m we a r e possibly runni n g risks of our own. Here am I, free to think what thoughts I will about that descendant of the chaste Laure de :�oves ,2 to wond e r what there may have been tha t was gooe i n him, a n d a t any rate deli ghtful; to muse u p on tha t extreme distinction, upon those blue eyes i n to which, when he waf a child, ladi es liked to look; upon tha t faint h i n t o f effem inacy abou t his figu r e , upon those s p a rkling t e eth;3 upon those wartime triumphs; upon tha t
2 Wife o f P a u l d e S ade, w 10m she m a rried i n 1325. Famous for her beauty, she was the "Lau r a" of Petra rch's Sonnets. \Vheth er she w a s actu ally Petra rch's m i s t r e s s o r .lOt h a s n e v e r b e e n proved.-Tr.
3 Of S a d e not a single port",it from l i f e h a s come down to us. I borrow these details from letter s, frOID pol ice descriptions, also from the im age S a d e gives of himself i n A line et F aleaur.
Sade paid, and paid more than his share
8 + T H E MARQ UIS DE SADE
violent bent for p l e a sure ; upon those repartees, impetuous but subtle and p erhaps tinged with something o f cockines s and vainglory ; u p o n t h e young Provenc;al nobleman whose vassals come to do him homage, and who i s accomp anied wherever he goes by the too faithful love, the love-in-spi te o f-everything o f that tall and somewha t equine and rather boisterous Renee-h i s w i fe-at bottom a good and gentle woman.
I I I . THE DIVINE MARQUIS
I shall l e ave aside the special e fficacity Duclos had in mind when he spoke of " those books you read with only one hand." Not that it isn't interesting, and to a certain extent sensational: more than one very serious and even abstruse writer h a s dreamed that his writings might exert a similar i nfluence, generate similar repercussions ( on other levels, o f course ) . But touching all thi s there i s not much to be said, since such r esults a r e Ilsually unpredictable. Then, too, it i s u su ally agreed t h a t veil e d l anguage and allusion ( or i f you p refer, teasing and smuttiness) a r e more apt to produce them than forthright and unadorned obscenity. Now, veiled l a nguage and allusion a r e rare in Sade, and s muttiness non existent. Indeed, that may b e what i s held against him. Nothing i s fu rther from him than that kind o f smug smile, o f m a licious innuendo which Brantome di splays i n h i s tales of thoroughbred distractions, which Voltaire o r Diderot show in their spicy p a ssages, and that mincing deviousness which Crebillon, in his stories o f alcoves and sofas, brings to discouraging p erfection . There is in literatu r e a free ma sonry o f pleasure, whose winks and nods and half-spoken enticements and ellip ses are known to all i ts members. B u t Sade breaks with t h e s e conventi ons. He i s a s unhampered by the laws and rule s o f the erotic novel a s was ever a n E dgar Allan Poe b y t h o s e o f t h e detective story, a Victor Hugo by those o f the seriali z e d novel. H e i s unceasingly direct, explicit-tragic too. If at all costs he had to be
Jean Paulhan + 9
c l a s s i fi e d , i t would b,! among those a u t h o r s who, as M o n t a i gn e once s a i d , cas t r a te you . Surely n o t among t h o s e who titill a te you . A n d t h e r e i s anoth e r sort o f de v i c e h e spu r n s .
I t i s t h e one we rru s t t e r m the l i t e rary devi c e . M a ny a famous w o rk owes i t� valu e-and in any case i t s r e n own -to the i n c o r p o ration of an i n tr i cate sy s t e m o f l i t e rary a l l u s i o n s . Volt a i r e in lli s tragedies, D el i l l e in his poems evoke i n every li n e , and tak e c r edit in evoking, Racine o r C o rn e i l l e , o r Vi r gil, or Hom e r . To c i t e only the n e a r e s t r i v a l o f Sade ( and, as i 1 w e r e , h i s comp e t i t o r i n t h e domain of Evil) i t i s fai rly obvious that Laclos is s t e e p e d to satu ra tion in a l i t e rature-wh e r e o f , mo r e o v e r , h e makes t h e cleve r e s t , t h e mos t i nter i gent u s e . Les Liaisons danqereuses i s the j o u s t o f cou rtly l o v e ( fo r e v e rything c o n s i s t s in find i n g o u t w h e t h e r Val mollt w i l l succ e e d in meriting M a d a m e de M e r t e u i l ) , w a g e d by R a c i n i a n h e r o i n e s ( n e i t h e r P h a edra n o r Androma c h e i s lackin g ) w i t h i n the l i sts of t h e facile s o c i e ty p ai n t e d by C r ebi l l o n , by N e r c i a t , by Vivant-Denon ( fo r e v e rything p ro c e e,jg s t rai g h t and b r i skly to t h e b ed c h a m b e r-everythi n g at l e a s t is en v i s a g e d with t h i s denoue m e n t i n vi ew). Such i s t h e key to i ts mystery : discre e tly w r a p p e d u p i n s ide Les Liais o n s i s a l i ttle cou r s e on t h e h i s tory o f l i te r a t u r e fo r grownup s . F o r t h e m o s t myste r i o u s a u t h o r s a r e gen e rally th e m o s t l i t e r a ry, a n d t h e strangen e s s i n t h e i r w r i tings i s owing p r edsely t o the d i s p a r a t e elements they con t a i n , to t h i s yoki 19 to g e t h e r of c h a r a c t e r s come from t h e remotest m i l i eux-nd wo rks-who a r e qu i t e asto n i s h e d to e n cou n t e r one a n o t h e r . Laclos, moreover, w a s n e v e r able to rep r o d u c e his p rodi g i o u s f e a t a g a i n .
B u t S a d e , with h . s gl a c i e r s a n d h i s gulfs a n d h i s t e r r i fying c a s t l e s , w i t h the u n r e m i t t i n g onslaught h e d e l i v e r s a g a i n s t God-ard a g a i n s t m a n h i m s e l f-wi t h h i s drumm i n g insi stence and h i s r e p e t i t i o n s and h i s dreadful p l a t i tu d e s , w i t h his s tubhorn pursuit of a sensati onal but ex h a u s tively r a ti o n al i z e d a c t i o n , w i t h t h i s constantly main t a i n e d p r e s en c e of all the p a r t s of t h e b o dy ( no t a one o f them b u t s o m e h o w s e rves ) , of all the mind' s i d e a s ( S a d e
Neither a p o rn o qrap h er n o r a li t tera teur
O n e of those dreams whose s o urce IS In ins tinct
1 0 .. THE MARQ U I S D E SADE
h a d r e a d as wi dely as M a rx ) , with t h i s singu l a r disdain for l i t e r a ry a r t i fi c e s but with t h i s unfaltering demand for the truth, with t h i s look of a man forever a n i m a ted and en tranced by one of those undefinable dreams that sometimes take rise in the instinct, with these tremendous squande rings o f ene rgy and these expen ditures of l i fe which evoke re doubtable p r i m i tive festivals-o r great modern wars, festi vals of a n o t h e r sort pe rl: aps-wi th these v a s t r a idings o f the world or, better still , this looting h e i s the first to perpetrate on man, Sade h a �; no need o f analyses or o f alter natives, of images o r of d r a m a ti c turns o f events, of elegance o r o f a mp l i fi c a tions. He neither distingu i shes nor s e p a r a t e s . He repeats himself ove r a g a i n . H i s b o o k s remind one of t h e sacred b o o k s o f the g r e a t r e l i g i o n s . F r o m them eman a t e s , fo r b r i e f instants caught in s om e maxim-
D angerous moments there are when the physical s e lf is fi red by the min d ' s extravagances . . . . There i s no better way to familiarize onese l f with death than through the m e d i u m o f a libertine i d e a .
They d e c l a i m against the passions w i t h o u t bothering to t h i n k t h a t i t i s from thei r flame p h i l osophy l i gh ts i t s to rch . . . .
- ( an d w h a t m axims they are ! ) t h a t m i g h ty a n d obsessing murmur which sometimes a ri s e s from l i terature, and is perhaps i ts j u s t i fi c a tion : A:l1 i e l ,4 M o n t a i gn e , the Kal eva l a , t h e Ramayana . I f i t be obj ected t h a t t h e s e I include among sacred books h ave never h a d their religion nor their f a i th ful , I s h a l l begin my reply by saying t h a t it is a ve ry goo d t h i n g and t h a t we should b e gl a d ( th e reby b e i n g i n a freer p o s i ti o n to j udge the books on the i r own m e r i t s i n s t e a d o f by t h e i r effects ) . U p o n fu rther thought , I shall a d d t h a t I am n o t so sure a fter a l l , a n d t h a t the religion in question w a s by i ts ve ry n a tu r e condemned to clandestinity-but a bl e , from h i d i n g , to a ddress an a p p e a l to u s n o w a n d then : three lines out o f B a u d e l a i r e :
Who h i d e a whip u n d e r thei r trailing robes And m i ngle, i n the d i sm a l wood and lonely n i ght, The foam o f pleasu re with the flow o f tears.
-----
• Of a l l Arnie! w r ote only a twentieth h a s so f a r been published.
I can Pau lhan .. 1 1
Joseph de M aistre's remark : "Woe unto the nation that were to ban torture" ;5 Swinburne ' s phrase "the ma rtyred M a rquis" ; Lautreamon :'s " C ruelty ' s delights ! They a r e delights that endure " ; P ushki n ' s observation u p o n " the j oy we a r e hurled into by whatever heralds death." As for C h a teaubri and-I am way of the somewhat murky pleasure that C hateaubriand, among others, derives from the death of women who once love i him, o f regimes he fought for, o f t h e religion he beli eves t h e t r u e o n e . And t h e r e are reasons, Sade divine though they are no t e a �ily eluci dated rea sons, why Sade i f n o t a has so o ften been des ignated as the Divine M a rqu is. marquis \Vhether or not he actudly was a m a rquis is open to ques- tion ; but there is no que:;tion that a certain number o f p e r- sons, and appa rently re:;pectable pe rsons, held him to be divine-or properly diaholical, which i s something akin.
Still, o n this score 1 doubt does assail me. I wonder, when today I behold so m any writers struggling so hard and so consciously to avoid I i :erary a rtifice in the i r treatment o f an indescribable event o f whose e rotic and a t t h e s a m e time frightful character we a re given every assurance, mindful in all ci rcumstances to mi sconstrue C r e a tion, and busy look ing for the sublime in the infamous, the gre at in the sub versive, demanding furti lermore that every work commit and comp romise i ts author forever i n keeping with a kind o f efficaci ty ( which i s n,>t without its r e semblance to the wholly physiological an d local e ffi cacity I referred to earlier ) , I wonder if Oll( i s not comp elled to recognize, in a terror so extreme, less an invention than a remembrance , less an ideal than a nosta 19i a , and in short i f our contempo r a ry literature, in that a r e a where i t seems to us most alive -most aggressive , in a ly case-i s not ori ente d enti rely towa rd the past and, to )e precise, domin ated, determined by Sade as eighteenth-cen tury tragedy was by Racine.
B u t my aim was only to talk about Iu s ti n e .
5 Cf. "The submission of t h e reople is never d u e t o a nything other th an viol ence and the frequent use of t orture . . . . " ( L a Nouvelle Jus tine, Book IV. )
The riddle of the G o thic n ovel
1 2 + THE MARQ UIS DE SADE
IV. THE S URPRI SES O F LOVE
Well, Justine p o s s e s:;es e v e ry v i r tu e , a n d f o r each o f them s h e fi n d s h e r s e l f p u n i s h e d . C om p a s s i o n a t e Justine i s r o b b e d b y a b e gga r . P i o u s , s h e i s r a p e d b y a monk. H o n e s t , s h e i s fl e e c e d by a u s u r e r . S h e r e fu s e s t o become the a ccom plice i n a l a rceny, a p o i soning, a n a rm e d a s s a u l t ( fo r ill luck a n d p o v e rty cast h e r into s t r a n g e company ) , a n d it is s h e , t h e clumsy o n e , who is charged w i t h t h e f t , with b r i g a n d a g e , w i th m u r de r . And so it g o e s w i t h h e r throughout. And y e t , against vill a i n i e s of every d e s c r i p t i o n the only w e a p o n s Ju s t i n e knows how t o u s e are a p u r e h e a r t a n d a sensitive s o u l . They p r o v ,:: i n a d e qu a te : to whomever a b u s e s h e r s h e b r i n g s g o o d f o r tu 1 e , a n d the m o n s t e r s who torment h e r b e c o m e a m i n i s t e r , sll fgeon t o H i s M a j e s ty , a milli on a i r e . H e r e ' s a novel w h i c h b e a r s e v e ry r e s emblance to t h o s e e d i fying w o rks i n w h i c h v i c e i s s e e n p u n i s h e d e v e r y t i m e , a n d vi r t u e r e w a r d e d . Excep t t h a t i n Ius ti n e i t ' s the o th e r way a r ound ; b u t t h i s n o v el ' s f a i l i n g, stri ctly from the vi ew p o i n t of the novel ( wh i c h is our v i ewpo i n t ) , r e m a i n s the s a m e : the r e a d e r always knows how things are going t o en d . N o w I u s tine' s e n d i n i� f a i l s even of the tri te n e s s which finally m a d e an unduly v i r t u o u s conclusion o n e o f the con ventions of the n o v e l , a convention h a rdly less t r i e d a n d true t h a n a novel ' s d i v i s i o n i n t o c h a p t e r s o r e p i s o d e s . S a d e , from a l l e v i d e n c e , t a k e s h i s u n h a p p y denouements extrem ely s e r i ou sl y , and s h o w s h i m s e l f taken u n a w a r e by them every time. And the s t r a n g e s t t h i ng of all i s that they take us una ware t o o .
T h i s sllfp r i s e e n d i n g p o s e s a s i n gu l a r p r oblem. S ingu l a r , for S a d e will have n o n e of the faci l i t i e s t h a t were com m o nly b e i n g employed at a b o u t t h e s a m e p e r i o d by h i s rivals, t h e Gothic novel i s t s . Am a z i n g t h e reader i s t o o e a sy when, l i k e M rs . R a dc l i ff e o r M a tthew Lew i s , you enl i s t the help of p h an t o m s , sup e r n a t u r a l events, infernal m a chine r i e s , all i n h e rently s t a r tling. However, it is with m a n alone S a d e
Jean Paulhan .. 1 3
wi s h e s t o deal ; and, h e speci fi e s , with n a tu r a l m a n such a s he h a d been p a inted by, for examp l e , Rich a r dson o r Fielding.' The r e fo r e no ogres or wi z a rd s , n o angels or demons above all no gods ! -b u t r a t h e r t h e human faculty which forges t h e s e gods, angels, or demo n s , r a t h e r t h e vices o r v i r t u e s which, when they l e a d u s into s t a r tling s i tuations, set t h i s faculty t o work. T h e riddle thus p o s e d has two or three words, the first o f them b e ing a v e ry plain a n d eve ry day one : m o d e s ty.
I t i s a curious thing that the eighteenth century, to which we owe the m o s t cynical descriptions of manne r s in our l i t e r a t u r e , a l s o gave us two gre a t p o r t r a i tists of m o d e s ty : one of them, as everybody knows, w a s M a rivaux. The other, and i t is b eyond m e why e v e rybody p e rsists i n n o t knowing i t , w a s S a d e . I t i s curiou s , o r r a th e r i t i s n o t cur i o u s a t a l l . S o much f e a r a n d trembling i n the face o f l o v e a n d s o much defi ance o f f e a r , so m a ny self-respects t o p r e s e rv e a n d s o m a n y withdrawals i n t o t h e sel f, a n d this r e fu s a l t o use one ' s eyes a n d e a r s which reveals a n d at the same time p r o tects e v e rything that w a s fi n ally t o go u n d e r the title o f m arivaudage-fo r- M a ri v a u x s h a r e s with S a d e the dubi o u s distinction o f having l e f t h i s n a m e to a c e r ta i n form o f a m o ro u s b e h a v i o r : a n d I a m n o t s u r e , i n d e e d , t h a t the a ttribution i s any m o r e correct o r b e t t e r u n d e r s t o o d in the case of Sade t h a n i n th a t o f M a ri v a u x ; that shyness and that dread of b e i n g hurt are only explicabl e , only u n d e r standable if t h e r e a r e chances of b e i n g h u r t a n d i f , i n sum, love i s a p e rilous a ff a i r . M a ri v a u x ' h e r o i n e s a r e m o d e s t to s u c h a degree o n e would t h i n k they h a d r e a d Jus tine. While Justine h e r s e l f . . .
Whatever be falls h e r , Justine i s u n p r e p a r e d for i t . E xp e r i ence t e a c h e s h e r n o t h i n g . H e r soul r e m a i n s i gnorant, h e r bo dy more i gn o r a n t still. One c a n n o t even allow h e r an occa sional fl u t t e r o f t h e eyel a s h e s , a h i n t o f a smile. N e v e r will s h e take the fi r s t s t e p . E v e n when i n l o v e , i t ' does n o t occur to h e r to ki s s B re s s a c . "Although my i m a gi-
6 Cf. "Idee sur I e . romans," S ade's preface to Les Crimes de l'Am o ur.
Sade, pain ter of m o des ty
1 4 '*' T H E M A R Q U I S DE S A D E
n a t i on , " s h e �ays, "may sometimes have strayed to these p l e a su r e s , I bel i ev e d them to b e chaste a s the G o d who in spired them, given by N a tu r e to s e rve a s consolation to h u m a n s , engend e r e d of love and o f s e n s i b i l i ty ; v e ry far was I from b e l i e v i n g that m a n , a f ter the example of b e a s t s . . . " E a c h time s h e i s a m a z e d when upon h e r a r e p e r fo r m e d o p e r a ti o n s w h o se m e a n i n g s h e sca rcely suspects, and whose inte rest s h e fails totally t o comp r e h e n d . She i s the i m a g e o f t h e m o s t h e a rt-r ending v i r tu e-and, a l a s , o f v i r t u e m o s t h e a rtl essly ren t. " M o d e s ty , " t h e y u s e d to s a y i n t h o s e d a y s , " i s a q u a l i ty you p u t o n w i t h pins . . . . " B u t a s w o r n by J u s t i n e , the pi n s go through i n t o h e r fl e sh a n d b r i n g forth blood when il e r dress is removed. Shall it b e said t h a t i t re q u i r e s consi de rable good grace o n the p a r t of the r e a d e r to l e t h i m s e l f be surp r i s e d a n d h u r t along w i t h h e r ? N o ; for t h a t r e a d e r i s free t o i n t e r p r e t a s moral a n d sentimental a n gu i s h e s all the v e ry p hy s i c a l a n gu i sh e s d i splayed b e fo r e h i m . I n i t s movement Jus t i n e i s k i n to those f a i ry t a l e s w h e r e w e a r e told C i nd e r e l l a i s shod i n gl a s s slippe rs-an d w e u n d e r s t a n d i m m e d i a tely ( un l e s s w e a re a l i ttl e dull ) t h a t C i nderella walks w i t h i n fi n i t e c a u t i o n . And then too we l i v e o n t h e v e r g e o f t h e s t r a n g e . W h a t , when you come d o w n to i t , is m o r e s t r :mge t h a n a t the end o f one's a rm s to h ave these q u e e r p r eh e n s i l e organs, reddish a n d w r i nkl e d , o n e ' s h a n d s , a n d l i t}le t r a n s p a r e n t g e m s a t t h e divergent ex trem i t i e s o f th �s e h a n d s ? S o m e t i m e s w e c a tc h ourselves in the act o f e a ting, wholly absorbed in grinding fragments of d e a d a n i m a l s between the o t h e r gems t h a t stud our mouth. So i t is w i t h the r e s t ; a n d among all the things w e do there i s p e rh a p s n o t a single one w h i c h will brook prolonged a t tention. How e v e r , there exists a domain w h e r e i n s t r a nge n e s s enters n e i t h e r by chance nor excep tionally, but where it i s constant and the rul e .
F o r , w h e n a l l i s s a i d a n d done , w e a r e n o t gre a tly b e w i l d e r e d by e a ti n g : w e h a v e ( va guely ) the i m p r e s s i o n t h a t o u r p r e s en t m e a l i s t h e s e q u e l to a tho u s a n d p a s t m e a l s , w h i c h i t strongly resembles a n d which se rve a s i t s gu a ra n t e e . W h e r e a s e a c h time w e f a l l i n love a g a i n , i t s e e m s to u s-so
Je a n Paulh a n .. 1 5
incomparable and so indescribable i s every feature o f our beloved-that we have never loved b e fore. Poets speak o f cool fountains, o f bowers o f bliss, of hyacinths and roses ; they speak in vain, for they evoke h a rdly more than a faint reflection o f the gre a test surprise life reserves for us.
On another plane, the same surprise stamps the exp res sions and p roverbs used when in common speech the secret organs are referred to a s "li ttle brother," "li ttle man," "little frien d , " " the li ttle crea ture that lives under a bush and lives on seed." What in the world can they have done to u s , these organs, that we are thus unable to talk about them simply ? Ah, they do a t least this : they refuse to be treated with familiarity. In such sort that the prose writer, regarding them, can only record surprise and bewilder ment ?
Yes, doubtless. Or else he may each time vary and renew the rea sons for this surprise, so tha t it i s ever fresh for the reader and never, instead of suggesting the wonder ful to him, imposes bewilderment upon him. Thus does Sade proceed, i n h i s own manner. For what finally do such a multitude of approaches to pleasure and so many different and curious ways o f m aking love signi fy if not that the ways of love and pleasure p erpetually amaze u s , are per petually unpredictable ? Ju s ti n e, I h ave said, reads-or should be read-like a fairy tale. We m ay add that it is a tale solely concerned with that p a rticula r feature of love, paradoxical and in i tself nigh unto incredibl e , which driv6s lovers, as Lucre tia put i t , to ravage the bodies of those they love.
However, there is one final word to the ri ddle.
V. JUSTINE, OR THE NEW OEDIPUS
Sade did not wait until he reached pri son before be ginning to read. He devoured the favorite books of h i s a g e . He knew t h e Encyclopedia b y hea rt. Fo r Voltaire and Rousseau his feelings were a mixture o f sympa thy and
Love and pleasure are u npredictable
Sade, disciple of the Encyclopedia
1 6 .. T H E MARQUIS D E SADE
aversion. The aversion was on grounds of logic : Sade con sidered those two thinkers incoherent. Inconsequent, that was the word for i t then. But he accepted thei r exactingness, thei r principles--and thei r prejudices. Of which this i s the gist.
The eighte enth centu ry h a d just made a di scovery, and was not a l ittle proud o f it, that a mystery is not an explana tion. No, and that a myth isn't an expl anation either. On the contrary, i t was noticed that no sooner i s a myth forged than, i n order to stand, it needs another myth to support it. The Indians hold that i t i s upon the back of a tortoise that the world is carried. So be i t ; but upon whose back i s the tortoise borne ? It i s God that created the world. All right ; but who create d God ? To be su re, this di scovery ( i f i t deserves the name o f one ) h a d been made earlier ; b u t the Encyclopedists now excel in giving i t this popul a r and, a t the s a m e t i m e , fashionable form. Henceforth, all t a l k o f God will be fo r memory's sake ; and it w i l l be of a G o d a g a i n s t w h o m Voltai re-and later S a de-range man alone, man ( they go o n to say ) who i s nothing other than man. Man ( Voltaire adds ) who i s not noble. N atu ral man, man minus the Fabl e .
Thi s w a s to reject straight off all t h e current cha rm all the perenni a l facilities-o f l i t e r a tu r e . This was also to l a y oneself open to a new d i ffi culty. Fo r, you know, this lonely m a n d i d a fter all have to go and invent God, and the spi r i ts, and the satyrs, and the M inotaur. Now you'll not b e very far advanced toward acquai ntance w i t h him u n t i l you have managed--by consulting nothing outside the bounds of human n a tu r e-to account for not just our real societies and the passions th a t agitate them, but also for those vast fantastic societies which accompany them like their shadow. Such i s the weight with which , all o f a sudden, the death o f God falls upon Lette rs. Vol taire i s human, I know. H e even belongs among the better specimens o f common everyday man. However, there is no getting away from the fact that there have been wars and great religi ons, migrations and
Jean Paulhan .. 1 7
Empires, the Inquisition and human s acrifice-and that, in fine, men have not very often resembled Voltaire.
"N ever mind," replies the Ency clo p e d i a . "We are not p resump tuous . We shall have the necessary p atience. We already have man for a start : he is right here, we have him b e fore our eyes. We are comp anions i n exile ( if it b e a question of exil e ) . We have but to observe man obj e ctively, to submit him to our investigations. Soon e r or later he'll come cl ean. S houl d he contrive to hide ( for he i s crafty ) some one or other o f h i s p enchants from u s , ou r grand children will get a t them. Time is on our s ide. For the p resent, let us compile our notes and a ssemble our collec tions. "
Sade belongs to h i s age. He too begins with analyz ing and p a tient collecting. That gigantic c a talogue of perver sions, The 1 20 D ay s of S o d o m , w a s for a long time taken to be the summ i t and conclusion of his work. Not a t all ; i t i s the foundation o f his work, and the breaking o f ground for it. Such a b eginning would have won app roval from the E n cy clopedia. Indeed, for rigorousness Sade outdoes any of the Encyclop edists, who ( thought h e ) all fall more or l e s s rapidly into dishonesty : som e , like Rousseau, because they are we ak-na tured and p rone to tears, forever being embarrassed by things as they a r e , always r e a dy to shrink from the sight, from the touch, from the sound of man such a s thei r senses p e rceive him to b e , and to chase instead after some sort of kindly s avage ( whose exis tence the h i s tory of peoples den i e s a thousand times ove r ) . Others, like Vol taire, because of their hardhea dedness and unemotional character, b e ing quite incapable of believing in the truth of p a ssions they themselves do not experi ence. O r still others, like Diderot, brilliant but frivolou s, skipping from one idea to the n ext. Voltaire's ve rsion of man may expla in how humankind came to invent the spade ; J ean-Jacques' , the h ayloft ; Diderot' s, conversation. B u t ogres and inquisitions and wars ? "E h , " replies Voltaire, " those poor people were m a d. \Ve shall correct all that." "Tha t is exactly wha t I call chea ting, " rejoins Sade ; " w e set out to understand man, and
Where Vol taire a n d Jean-Jacques c h e a t
1 8 .. T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
before we have even begun you are a l r e a dy trying to c h ange h i m . "
T h i s r i gor-I a m m u c h tempted to s a y , t h i s h e roi sm m i ght, it cannot b e den i e d , h a ve played S a d e f a l s e a n d l e d him a s tray ( a s i t d i d , a t a b o u t the s a m e p e r i o d , t h a t h o t bl o o d e d l i ttle fool a n d very able w r i t e r , R e s t i f de la Bre tonne ) . Such w a s n o t t h e case. R e i t e r a ti n g them through ten volu m e s a n d s u p p o r t i n g t h e m w i t h a thousand exampl e s , a Krafft-Ebing w a s to consecrate the c a t e go r i e s a n d di stinc tions t h e Divine M a r qu i s t r a c e d . Late r , a Freud was to a d o p t S a d e ' s v e ry method a n d principle. There has n o t , I t h i nk , been any o t h e r examp l e , in o u r Lette r s , of a few novels p r ovi d i n g t h e b a s i s , fi fty years a f ter t h e i r p u bl i c a t i o n , f o r a whole sci ence o f m a n . I t must surely be a g r e e d t h a t , before h e w a s d e p r i v e d o f h i s l i b e rty, S a d e m u s t have b e e n a n even keener observer t h a n h e w a s a t i r e l e s s r e a d e r . O r e l s e t h a t a c e r t a i n fi r e i n h i m c a u s e d h i m t o fe el-a nd also enabled him to intu i t-the b r o a d e s t ran ge o f p a s s i o n s . And t o m e it s e e m s strange that this has not e a rn e d him more g r a t i t u d e . Th a t s a i d , i t i s a l l too obv i o u s that scientific r i g o r , i n such m a t t e r s , e n t a i l s i ts danger : i t u s u a lly l e a d s to a w a rd ing overmuch a n d too exclusive i m p o r t a n c e , in the study o f t h e p a s s i o n s , to t h e physical a s p e c t o f love ( a s , i n social economy, i t l e a cls to overemp h a s i s u p o n individual i n t e r e s t ) . For the existence o f the soul , even the exis tence o f t h e m i n d , m a y be e a s i ly d e n i e d ; bu t n o t copul a t i o n .
Anot h e r f a c i l i ty ; a n d S a d e r e f u s e s i t no l e s s seve rely. That which is common t o most e r o ti c books, a n d which i s absent from h i s , i s , a s w e have n o t e d , a c e r t a i n s u p e r i o r tone ( an d it could j u s t a s well be called a n i n f e r i o r tone ) , a c e r t a i n a i r of s u ffi c i ency ( or i n s u ffi c i ency, if you p r e f e r to c a l l i t t h a t ) . M o r e p r e c i sely, a c e r t a i n stiltedness, an a l o o f n e s s of s tyl e , a c e r t a i n a b r u p t d i v e r gence of s tyle from content. For l i t e r a tu r e halts, a n d s o almost does l a n gu a g e , b e fo r e a n event ( which i s s o m e t i m e s c a l l e d a n i m a l , o r bes ti a l ) wherewith t h e m i n d seems to have n o t h i n g to do ; and w h i c h one t h e r e f o r e c o n fi n e s onesel f to ascertaining a n d r e c o r d i n g , e i t h e r-l ike B o ccaccio o r C rebillon-w i th an
Jean Paulhan + 1 9
amused s a ti s faction, o r with a few reservations, like M a r garet o f N avarre or Godart d 'Aucou rt. But this divorce they establish, this di stance they preserve i s unacceptable to Sade. " M an is all o f a p i e ce , " says he, "and lucid. There is nothing h e does but h e does it a s a reasoning being." Whence it i s his heroes accept themselves for what they are, con stantly, down to their last aberrations, and keep themselves under the i r mind's survey. "We bugger s , " one o f them decl ares ( but all the others speak in the same vein ) , "pride ourselves upon our frankness and upon exactitude i n our principles." Speeches and refl ections are what s e t them in action.
Therein resides thei r weakness. For reflections and speeches could then also appease them. N o a r gument, how ever wise, does not accept in a dvance to bow before a re buttal i f in the l a tter i t recognizes wisdom superior to i t s own. Thus d o e s t h e Leonore o f A lin e e t J7 alcour m o r e t h a n o n c e elude r a p e b y m e a n s o f t h e excellent pre texts s h e invents on the s p u r o f the moment. Justine herself i s again and again invited to refute h e r persecutors. There i s never any deviation from the rule : " N o transports , " she i s told. "Give m e a rguments. I 'll cede to them i f they a r e goo d . " N o w , Justine h a s a head on h e r shoul ders. T h e problem presented to her i s so honestly p resented-so detailed, so explicit-that we expect her to find the solution to i t a t any moment. One word and the riddle would be solved. Justine , o r the n e w Oedipus.
VI . T H R E E RIDDLES
Most o f these riddles have provi ded no end of dive r sion since Sade's time. The danger i s that we today tend to consider them separa tely whe reas Sade poses them simul taneously and in combined form ; the danger i s also that, detached from one another, they are too familiar to us, and the answer to them-or the difficulty o f answering them too evident. But let's have a close look at the texts.
Man u n der takes n o thing th a t is n o t s u bject t o the scru tiny of his reas o n
The u n ique and its property
20 + THE MARQUIS DE SADE
"First o f all , " says S a d e , " th e exact details. Who are you , and what are you a ft e r in this world ? Only too o ften I behold you asleep, inert, or j u s t ba rely alive, coming and going like some organic statu e . This statue-is i t you ? N o , y o u would h a v e yourself a conscious being, as conscious a s possibl e , a n d rat ional. You seek h appiness, which incre ases consciousness te n fold. Wha t happiness ? Ordina rily i t is located in pleasure and i n love . All well and good. But one thing : avo i d con fusing the two. To love and to taste pleas u r e a r e essenti all y different ; proof thereof i s that one loves eve ry day wi thout tasting pleasure, and th a t one still more frequently tastes pleasure wi thout loving. Now, wh i l e an indisputable pleasure go e s with the gratification of the senses, love, you will admit, i s accomp anied by nuisances and troubles o f every sort. ' But moral ple asures , ' do you say ? Indeed. Do you know of a single one that originates any where but in the imagination ? Only grant me that freedom i s t h i s imagi n a ti o n ' s sole sustenance ; and the j oys it dis penses to you a r e keen to the extent the imagination i s unhampered b y r e ins o r laws. Wh:l t ? F i x some a priori rule upon the imagina tion ? Why, is i t not imprudent me rely to spe a k o f rules ? Leave the imagination free to follow its own bent.
"Pleasure, th at was wha t we were discussing. Here we still have to distinguish the p l e a sure you sense from that which you think you bestow. Now, from N a ture we obtain abundant inforrr ation about ourselves, and precious li ttle about others. About the woman you clasp in your a rms, can you say wi th ce-tainty that she does not feign p l e a su r e ? About the woman you mistreat, are you qu ite su re that from abuse she does not derive some obscu re and l a scivious satis faction ? Let us confine ou rselves to simple evidence : through thoughtfulness, g entleness, concern for the feeli ngs of o thers w e sa ddle our o,,'n pleasure w i th restrictions, and make this sacrifice to obtain a doubtful r e sult. R a ther, i s i t not normal for a man to p refer wh at h e feels to wh at he does not feel ? And h ave we eve r felt a single impulse from N a tur e bidding us to give others a p r e ference over ourselves ? "
Jean Paulhan .. 2 1
" S till i n all , " Justine replies, "the moral Impera tive . . . "
"Ah, morals," Sade goes on, " a word or two about morals, i f you like. Are you then unaware that murder was honored in China, rape in N ew Zealand, theft in Sparta ? That man you wa tch being d rawn and qu artered in the market place, wha t has he done ? He ventu red to acqu i t h im self in Paris of some Japanese virtu e . That other whom we have left to rot in a dank dungeon, what was his crime ? He read C onfucius. No, Justine, the vice and virtue they shout about are words which, when you scan them for their mean ing, never yield anything but local ideas. At best, and i f you consider them rightly, they tell you in which country you should have been born. Moral science is simply geography misconstrued. "
"But we who were born i n France," says Justine. " I was coming to that. I t i s indeed true that, from
earliest childhood, we hear nothing but lectures on charity and goodness. These virtues, a s you know, were invented by Christians . Do you know why ? The answer i s , that being themselves slave s, powerless and destitute, for their pleas ures-for their very survival-they could look nowhere but to their m a sters' bounty. Their whole interest lay in per suading those masters to behave charitably. To that end they employed all their p a r ables, their legends, their s ay ings, all their seductive wiles. Those masters, great fools that they were, let themselves b e taken in. So much the worse for them. But we philosophers, with more experience b e hind us, we shall, by pursuing pleasure in the manner we wish and pursuing it with all our might, do exactly what your beloved slaves p racticed, Justine, and not what they preached."
"And remors e ?" Justine timidly a sks. "Wha t s hall you do about remorse ?"
"Haven ' t you already notice d ? The only deeds man is given to repent are those h e is not accu stomed to perfo rm ing. Get into the habit, and there's an end to qualms and regrets ; whereas one crime may perhaps leave us uneasy, ten, twenty crimes do not."
A slaves' morality
2 2 .. T H E MARQUIS DE SADE
"I h ave never tri e d . " "Why n o t try i t and find out ? Fu rthermo re, i t i s
vouched for by t h e innumerable examples o ff e r e d t o us day in, day out by those thieves and brigands who, most appro p ri ately, are call e d h a rdened criminals. The fu rther one sinks into stupid i ty, the better disposed one becomes for faith ; simila rly, o ft-repeated crime renders one callous. There you have the very best proof that virtue i s but a superficial principle in man."
" Howeve r," Justine insinu ates, "had there formerly been some agreement entered into by men, some understand i n g binding man to man, which our honor o r our well being might enj oin u s to uphold-"
"Ah, h a , " says Sade, "you raise there the entire ques tion of the social contract."
"Perhaps I do." "And I fear you misunderstand it. But let us see. You
claim tha t in the e a rliest stage o f their societies men con cluded a pact along these lines : 'I shall do you no ill so long as you do me non e . ' "
" I t could have been a tacit a rrangement," Justine re m a rks. "Anyho w , I fail t o see how, without some such thing, any society could be founded o r last one day."
"All right. A pact, and one which must constantly re ceive fresh a dhert:nts, one which must b e reindorsed by each o f us."
"Why not ?" "I would simply draw your attention to one thing, that
a pact o f thi s kind p resupposes the equality o f the contract ing parties. I renounced doing you h a rm ; which means I was free to h a rm you up until then. I renounce h a rming you now ; this means I have been free to h a rm you up until now."
"Well ?" " I m a gine however that you are delivered utte rly into
Th e s o cial my power the way a slave is into his master's, the way a man c o n tract condemned to die i s h anded over to his e.xecutioner. How
could i t possibly occu r to me to s trike a bargain with you whe reby you acqu i r e illusory ri ghts through my foregoing
Jean Paulhan .. 2 3
real rights ? I f you a r e unable t o hurt m e , why in the world should I fear you and dep rive myself for your sake ? But l e t us go still furth e r . Y o u w i l l grant me t h a t eve rybody draws h i s pleasure from the exercise o f h i s p articul a r facult i e s and a ttribute s : like the a thlete from wrestling, and the generous man from his benevolent actions ; thus also the violent m a n from h i s very violence. I f y o u a r e completely in m y power, i t i s from oppressing you that I am going to r e a p my grea test j oy s . "
" I s i t possibl e ?" wonders Justine. " I s it hum an ?" "Th a t man be human i s n o t something I'd stake my
l i fe on. Howeve r, observe thi s also : a s the mi ghty man takes pleasure from the exercise of his strength, so does the gentle or the weak man p rofit from his comp assion. He too has a goo d time. It i s his own way of having a goo d time ; a n d t h a t i s h i s business. W h y t h e d e v i l m u s t I fu rther reward him for the enj oyment h e gives himsel f ?"
"Thus you see , " says Justine, " th a t there a r e a thou sand varieties o f weakness and stren gth. "
"I don' t doubt that. C ivil i z a tion h a s changed the as pect o f N a ture ; civi l i z ation nonetheless respects her laws. The rich of today a r e just a s ferocious i n their exploitati o n of the poor a s the violent used to be i n their vexation o f t h e helpless. A l l t h e s e financiers, all these important p e rsonages you see would bleed the entire popula tion dry i f they fanci e d i t s blood might yield a few grains of gol d . "
" I t is indeed dreadful, " Justine admits , "and I must own I have seen some examples o f i t . "
VI I . THREE M ORE R IDDLES
That religion, conventional morality, society itself a r e among thos e malignant inventions which enable certain in divi dua l s , they being none other than the most powerful individuals, to victimi ze the lower cla s se s-this is a proposi tion contradicted by no eighteenth-century writer concerned with ideas. The wise, the modest Vauvenargues himself ap-
Primitive m e n tality
24 .. T H E MARQUIS DE SADE
peals in the name o f N a tu r e . Voltaire simply finds religion to blame for the state o f a ff a i rs, Rousseau blames soci e ty, Diderot the going morality. And Sa de blames them all at the same time. Aye , the l aws are ha rsh, their enforcement is imp l acabl e , the autho rities are despotic. ( We are rushing, s ays S a de-and Sa de i s the only one saying i t-toward Revolution.7 ) Ve ry well. What i s left for him to do who h a s g r a s p e d thi s truth, and who i s nevertheless powerless to put a sp e e dy end to so m any opp ressions ?
I f nothing else he can at least free himself o f them, inwa rdly defeat their influence upon him. Grimm, Diderot, Rousseau, M a demoiselle de Lespinasse or M a dame d'Epi nay cleave, a s regards morality, to a single tenet which they sometimes p roclaim openly, sometimes conceal : that one mu st in every case discover and then heed the heart's first and most sponta neous prompting ; by dint o f patience and o f weeding out obstructions, restore the primi tive man in onesel f ; and in oneself restore-they add-n a tural good ness.
O f the various Savages of Tahi ti, B o ug ainville' s Voy ages, His to ire des Severam b es, Supplemen ts to the Voy ages and Supplemen tJ to the Supplem e n ts, which toward 1 7 6 0 w e r e t h e f a r e o f sensitive souls, modern sociology h a s left nothing intact. N othing excep t the yarns. I t could have been expected.
For I see v e ry well that Tahitian savages know nothing o f our laws and o f our moral codes. But wh at i f they know others, no less severe or, who can tell, crueler still ? Shall we go a li ttle furthe r ? I can see very well th at they do not have our coaches o r ou r cannons. And i f this were deliber ate ? What i f trey h a d known our civili z ation, and then given i t up ( a s you are temp ted to do ) ? I t i s said, a fter all, that the Chinese invented gunp owder long ago, and the Romans the elevator. The Tahitians you behold are p e rhaps the last vestiges o f a glorious and p rosperous soci ety, which h a d its p alaces a n d i ts p omp-an d then came to know the vanity o f riches and of di splay. Rega rding languages, Meillet
7 I n A lint! e t IT alc o u r.
Jean Paulhan + 2 5
p o i n t s o u t t h a t t h e r e i s n o p a r ticul a r o n e abou t w h i c h w e c a n s a y w i t h c e r t a i n ty t h a t i t i s clo s e r t o i t s o r i g i n s t h a n o t h e r s . Likewi s e , n o t a s i n g l e p e o p l e exi s t s t h a t we c a n w i t h compl e t e h o n e s ty c a l l primitive.
"Why, " J e a n-J acques repl i e s , "as for this p r i m i t ive man, i t ' s enough f o r me to exp e r i ence h i m i n myself. And I kRow he is g o o d . "
" I ' m n o t s o s u r e o f i t , " s ay s S a d e . E v e rybody h a s comp l a in e d , a n d r i ghtly enough, t h a t
t h e r e a r e t o o m a ny t o r t u r e s i n Ju s tin e-a n d i n L a Nouvelle Jus tin e a h u n d r e d t i m e s too m any. T o o m a ny s t r a p p a d o e s a n d n e e d l e s , gibbets and p u l l e y s , w h i p s a n d i ro n s . A l l the same, let's n o t b e hyp o c r i t e s . O u r European l i te r a tu r e i n clu d e s a n o t h e r work, a g r e a tly e s t e e m e d o n e , which contains ( to g e t h e r w i t h i l l u s t r a t i o n s ) m o r e t o r t u r e s by far t h a n a l l o f S a d e ' s w r i t i n g s , and i n i t s t o r t u r e s m o r e refinements, a n d i n i t s r e fi n e m e n t s m o r e ingenu i ty : n o t t h i r ty o r fo r ty, b u t o n e hundr e d t h o u s a n d women b u n d l e d i n d r y s t r a w a n d then slowly burned a l i v e ( a ft e r h aving first been gagged, to re duce t h e level of t h e i r s c r e a m i n g ) ; a n d o t h e r women spre a d e a gl e d on n a i l-studded b e d s , a n d r a p e d in front o f the i r i mp a l e d h u s b a n d s ; a n d p r i n c e s a n d p ri n c e s s e s g r i l l e d ove r l i v e c o a l s ; a n d p e a s a n t women in c h a i n s ( th o s e swe e t , l a mb l i k e c r e a tu r e s , says the a u t h o r ) l a s h e d and clubb e d while dyi n g o f system a t i c starvation. A t t h e e n d o f w h i c h it i s n ' t by the d o z e n ( a s in La Nouvelle Jus tin e ) t h e victims a r e counted, b u t b y the m i l l i o n . Twen ty m i l l i o n , a ccording t o the a u t h o r . H e i s a r e s p e c t a b l e a u t h o r , a n d r e l i able h i s t o r i a n s ( su c h as Go m a r a a n d F r a y Lu i s B e rt r a m ) a r e t h e r e to c o n fi r m h i s a l l e g a t i o n s t o w i t h i n a r o u n d m i l l i o n ; f o r t h i s w e a r e r e f e r r i n g to i s n o n o v e l b u t a p i ece o f p u r e a n d simple r e p o r t a ge : t h e Brief R e latio n of the Des truction of the Indies o f F a t h e r B a r to l o m e d e L a s C a s a s , whom n o one i s l i kely to accuse o f d e s i gn i n g t o fl a tt e r o u r wicked instincts. N o r w e r e t h e Spanish soldiers w h o s e t o u t for t h e N e w W o r l d s e l e c t e d f o r t h e i r cruelty. Who w e r e they ? S i ght s e e r s , o r d i n a ry a dventu r e r s , like you and me. What h ap p e n e d ? Why, n a t i ve popul a ti on s were turned over to t h e m .
A b o u t the pleasures of cru elty
26 ,,� T H E MARQ U I S DE S A D E
Th a t m a n i s able to derive the l i v el i e s t p l e a su r e from cutting m a n ( a nd woman ) t o p i e c e ll , and fi r s t-and p e r h ap s e s p e c i ally-from the i d e a o f cutting them t o p i e c e s , th i s i s a fact, a n obviou� fact which w e customa rily h i d e from our selves o u t of I don ' t know w h a t sort o f cowa r d i c e . I do not know b e c a u s e , s o far a s I c a n see, there is nothing i n all th i s t h a t coul d fo r o n e minute c o n fl i c t wi th C h r i s t i a n be l i e f-no r m o reover w i t h M o sl e m o r T a o i s t-wh i c h m a i n t a i n s t h a t m a n once upon a time p a rted w a y s with G o d . A n d a s for t h e unbe l i e v e r , by w h a t r i gh t could h e r e f u s e to o b s e rve t h a t man with unbi a s e d eyes ?
Y e t refuse he d o e s once he i s in a h u r ry to b u i l d , to slap t o ge t h e r , a n a tu r a l p h i l o s o p hy-th e n i n e t e e n t h century ' s t e r m f o r i t w i l l be " a l ay e t h i c"-untrammeled by l a w s a n d by autho r i ty , untrammeled b y G o d . A n d a s o f n o w i n t e g r i ty is of s l i gh t i m p o r ta n c e to h i m . Well ! h o w p r eci ous S a d e t h u s b e c o m e s to u s i n h i s r e f u s a l o f l i e s , i n h i s r e f u s a l t o s e e k s h o r t c u t s , i n h i s r e fu s a l to c h e a t ! H i s r e fu s a l i s a l i ttle t o o vehement ? A h , S a d e i s n o t a p a t i e n t m a n . A n d do y o u supp o s e he i s n o t exa s p e r a t e d b y the o t h e r s , w i th the i r e c s t a s i e s b e f o r e N a tu r e , the i r weepings o v e r w a t e r f a l l s , th e i r q u i v e r i n g s u p o n t h e s o f t greenswa r d ? To s o much s o t t i shness a n a n t i d o t e was n e e d e d .
" A q u e e r a n t i d o te , " J u s t i n e mu rmu r s . " S o p r ay tell m e : what life s h a l l b e mine to l e a d ? "
" A n a b s u r d l i f e , " a n s w e r s S a d e . " B u t l e t ' s h a v e a l o o k a t i t . "
T h e scene i s u s u a l ly l a i d i n s o m e awesome a n d a l m o s t The absurd i n a cc e s s i b l e c a s tl e , O r i n s o m e m o n a s t e ry l o s t i n the d e p t h s w o rld of a f o r e s t . J u s t i n e is t h e r e , a c a p t i v e , and l o cked i n the
towe r with her are t h r e e gi rl s , the s o b e r Omp h a l e , the a d dl e b r a i n e d F l o r e tte , C o rn e \ i e t h e i n c o n s o l a bl e , all s l a v e s o f the p e rv e r s e monks. Are they a l o n e ? No, everything would i n d i c a te tha t w i t h i n the w a l l s o f the cl o i s t e r there a r e o th e r tower s , o t h e r women. S o m e t i m e s t h i s o r t h a t slave vani s h e s . Wh a t b e c o m e s o f h e r ? Everything l e a d s t o the susp i c i o n t h a t i n l e a ving the m o n a s t e ry she takes l e a v e o f l i f e . Fo r
I can Pauth a n + 2 7
w h a t r e a son i s s h e taken away ? I t i s i m p o s s ible t o kn o w . H e r age h a s n o b e a ri n g u p o n i t : " I have s e e n a seventy-ye a r old woman h e r e , " Omp h a l e t e l l s Ju s t i n e , " a n d du r i n g t h e time they r e t a i n e d h e r i n service I s a w m o r e t h a n a d o z e n g i r l s d i s m i s s e d w h o w e r e u n d e r sixtee n . " N o r i s h e r b e h a v i o r a f a c t o r . " I h a v e s e e n some who fl e w to d o the i r e v e ry d e s i r e , a n d who w e r e gone w i t h i n s i x weeks ; o th e r s , sullen a n d temp e r a m e n t a l , w h o m t h e y kep t a g o o d m a ny y e a r s . " Well-cl o t h e d g i r l s , well-fed. I f they b u t knew w h e r e t h e y s t o o d , a n d w h a t c o n d u c t . . . b u t n o . " H e r e , i gn o r ance o f the l a w i s n o excu s e . You a r e f o r e w a r n e d o f n o t h i n g , a n d you a r e puni s h e d f o r e v e r y t h i n g . . . . Y e s t e r d a y , though y o u m a d e no m i s t a k e s , you w e r e given the w h i p . You s h a l l s o o n receive i t a g a i n for h a v i n g comm i tted s o m e . Above a l l , don' t eve r g e t the i d e a th a t you a r e innocen t . " ( T hus a r e t h e t h e m e s o f the c a stle a n d o f the t r i a l i n t e rwoven throughout Ius tin e . ) "The e s s e nti a l t h i n g , " O mp h a l e g o e s o n to say, " i s neve r t o r e fu s e anything . . . t o b e r e a dy f o r everything, and even s o , though this b e the best c o u r s e t o follow, i t d o e s not much i n s u r e y o u r s a f e ty . . . . " 8
W h a t r e m e d i e s f o r so m a ny ills ? T h e r e i s b u t o n e . T h e m i s e rable � � n t a k e consol a tion i n the fact t h e y a r e sur rounded by o th e r s who are equally m i s e r a b l e , tormented by the s a m e e n i gm a s , v i c t i m s of the s a m e a b s u r d i ty .
B u t i t w o u l d b e n a i v e t o s u p p o s e t h a t i n t h i s a dventure S a d e ' s s o l e concern is the f a t e o f f o u r l i ttle lambs.
VI I I . SAD E ' S DI SAPPOINTMENT
I n 179 1 S a d e was t o have his h o u r , a n d his months, o f triu m p h .
F o r t h e R e vol u t i o n , which recogn i z e d i n h i m o n e o f i ts F a t h e r s , m a de h i m a f r e e and h o n o r e d m a n . At the Theatre M o l i e r e h i s L e C o m le Ox tiern is being p l a y e d ; i n t h e s t r e e t s th e p e o p l e hum a Can t a t a to the Divi n e M a r a t wh o s e a u t h o r i s t h e D i v i n e M a r qui s . The b r i l l i a n c e o f h i s
X L I's In/ort u n t·s d e f a I' ertu.
Th e Pres i de n t of Piques
2 8 + T H E MARQUIS DE SADE
conversation, the breadth of his lea rning, the force of his h a tr e d , everythi ng about Sa de spells a shining and safe career a h e a d . 'W ith his new friends he differs upon not more than one or two points : for example , like Marat, h e favors a communist State ,9 but he would also like to retain a Prince to ove rsee the application of the new laws . Graver however is this : th e s e new laws are to be mild and moderate. C apital punishment is ruled out of them. Though the heat of his passions may sometime s j ustify an indivi dual' s crime, noth ing can excuse crime' s presence in the legal codes "which are by their very definition rational and of a dispassionate na ture. But here we have one of those delicate distinctions which escape a gre a t many people, who are manife stly un able eith er to th ink cl e a rly or to cou n t . You put a man to the gallows, my good friends, for having killed anoth e r m a n : and 10 ! thc.t m a k e s two m e n the l e s s instead o f on e . " 10
Thus, and not without insolence, sp eaks Citizen-Secre tary B rutus Sade b efore a meeting of the Section of Pique s. How doe s h e sound ? how does he look ? H e stands not so straight as he used to, after his years in the tyrant' s dun geons ; and he h a s put on weight, too. But ever the grand style , and the gr:lcious air, the same wa rmth of personality. A hint of obseqt: iousness. An engaging smile.
He smiles , a s all d i sappointed p eople do. He is dis appointed. To be free, to be in the midst of life again, that's not everything. Troubles, p roblems are beginning to beset him from all side s. There's his notary, that insect Gaufridy, demanding money ; his sons, beh aving a s though their father did not exist ; his castle s in Provence, threatened with demo lition, and being pillaged in the me antime. Right here in the Section he sees h i m self closely watched by his fellow citi z ens. They exp ectc d >omething else from the fe rocious Sa de. Som ething else chan this l evel-hea dedness, these cantatas, this politeness ( at a time when the enemy besets us from
9 T h e theories put forward by Zame in A line et J7 alcour seem fairly exactly t o represent Sade'. own political views.
1 0 Cf. Philosophy in the B edro o m , " Yet Another E ffort, Frenchmen, If You Would Become Republicans."
Jean Paulh a n + 29
without while from within the fi fth column saps our finances and seeks to starve us into submission ) . Secretary-and even, a little l a ter, President-of Piques : very nice, but one must s till e a rn one ' s living. H e files a request for a h e a d librarian's p o s t . N o reply. T h e the aters turn down his new plays which, i t would app e a r , are l acking in civism. "So they want civism, do they ? I ' ll give them all they can swallow, " S a de mutters, s e a te d behind h i s President's desk. I t ' s a t that point that a little old gentleman sn,eaks into his office on tip toe, somebody with an a ristocratic past who ' d like, thinks the Secretary, to become one of the boys ; who sits down off in a corner. Who posi tively looks, thinks the Secretary , as i f he were pissing in his pants. Who sits there fiddling stupidly with h i s cane ; who plai nly deserves nothing b e tter than to be purged, with h i s face of a weasel. Why, good h eavens, if i t isn't the President de Montreuil ! The Enemy, the Persecutor to whom S ade i s indebted for some thi rteen years in j ai l .
Well , S a d e simply g o e s o v e r and shakes hands with him. And cheers him up a bit. N o need to worry, they'l l a dmit h i m into t h e S ection. And, you know, i t ' s n o t a l l fun and frolic at the S e ction . Poor M on treu i l puts on a big grin all the s a m e . Three days l a te r an officer in the Army o f the Somm e , one M a j o r R amand, i s br ought before Sade. "You have a i d e d em igres to escap e ?" E,ade demands. "I have." "Tha t means death , you realiz e . " "I r e a l i z e i t , " s ays the good Major. " B ah , " says Sade. "Here's three hundred iivres and some i dentity papers. Off with you. " n Another three days l a ter, Ramand i s s a f e somewhere i n the country side a n d Sade is behind bars in Les M adelonnettes. If he misses being executed it's by a hairsbreadth and because Robespierre i s sent to the guillotine. S a d e i s released from pri son ; but he'll b e back there shortly. This time it i s for having p rinted a p amphl et against Josephine. Why a p am phlet, why against Josephin e ? Probably for the same rea son he treated Montreuil as a friend and released the M a j o r .
1 1 "They w anted m e to commit a n inhumane act. I h ave never wanted to," S ad e will l ater write in a l etter to Gaufridy.
Wherein Sade re turns to pris o n
3 0 .. T H E MARQUIS DE SADE
The simpl e s t explanation is the first one th a t comes to mind. I n prisor. S a de had become a writer. To be su re , h e ' d already scribbl � d a l i ttl e , p r i o r to then, h e r e a n d there. In deed, he'd sho1Vn himself able to wield a pre tty pen, a s they say ; in the Troubadour manner (of cou rse ; for h e is Pro venc;al ) . B u t ir pri son writing h a d been accompanied by a sort of revel ati on.
I t i s impo ,sible to m e a sure, even to glimp se, the whole extent o f an achievement o f which a bare fourth h a s sur vived the effect; o f p e rsecution ; the rest h aving been burned, pulped, l ost. R a ther, i f you wish to obtain a n idea o f the fu ry-o f the r;J ge-with which Sade proceeds, consider how for Les I nfo rt;mes de fa Vertu he works out a meticulous outline, then writes the novel a first time, then writes it again, then wr tes i t yet again, each time expanding upon each detail, cor recting the least phrase or, better still, rein venting i t ; and the second version i s twice the length o f the fi rst ; the thi rd-fi fteen hundred p a ges long-three times the l ength o f the second. W i th Sade, writing is worse than a vice or a drug. I t has simultaneou sly to do with p a ssion and wi th duty. Now, di rectly he is s e t a t large, everything conspires agaillst continuing-politics, children, business. How i s one to keep afloat while writing ? Parasite, pimp, blackmailer-a , we know only too well, for him who has the need to write, • t's write by hook or by crook. And the un lucky individu<l l who has acquired-for the sake o f h i s independence , s ays he-some " second t r a d e " ( but w h a t then was his fi rst ? ) has h a r dly-j ournalist, civil servant, insu r ance salesman--any other resource : he h a s himself put down as sick. F< J r h i s part, Sade puts himself down as guilty. They're j ailing rebels th i s year ? H e ' s a rebel. The indul gent are in trou Jle ? " I am free to let off fools i f I so please." Plotters ? Why not b e a plotter ? The impious and the liber tine ? There' s a cate gory I fi t into perfectly. When all else fails, the r e ' s always madness. You could read, nothing stood i n the way o f :four writing-and your fury a t being held cap tive didn't hurt-in the madhouses and pri sons of the e i ghteenth century, fai rly mild places, fu rthermore, for a
Jean P a u lh a n 1- 3 1
nobleman up on nobody knew exactly what count. "What's th at one in here for ?" Sade's j ailers used to wonder. "S eems like they got him for conspiracy against God." "Ever heard the like o f i t ?"
Yes, the a rgument i s plausibl e . But shall we look a li ttle farther ? Sometimes a man will pursue fame, love, in dependence with such fervor that h e overshoots the m a rk, with such p assion that his p assion will sometimes come to scorn wha t at first i t sought, to de ri.de the meager products of such efforts. The glo ry you strove so hard a fter, was it thi s tattle in the press, these silly interviews, this being elected to Aca demies, and this popula r tune whose author nobody knows ? Liberty, was it this ( scanty ) applause from the front rows ; these defiant approbations ; these votes which tomorrow will swing against you ? No, i n order to be satisfied with a p i ttance, pride is not enough, you need vanity o f the most stupi d sort. Vani ty, and also a fondness for being shortchanged, a desire t o be cuckolded. At this point the driving forces within a man unde rgo a myste rious change in di rection ; and the victor senses he has been van quished by his victory ; and the lover flees his mistress, and for the spirit that lusted a fter riches, pove rty i s now the mark o f well-being. Our h e ro delights i n and a t the same time i s exasperate d by the silence his extravagant preten sions create a round him ; the lover of liberty turns around and goes back to p ri s on. Totally di sgusted.
Yes, the explanation is plausible. However, I cannot say tha t i t gre a tly pleases me. Let u s return to our ill-starred lambs.
IX. SADE HIMSELF, OR T H E SOL UTION TO T H E RIDDLE
S a dism did n o t used to be much talked about. Nowa days it is, in the newspapers and in serious books. The change is for the better. For this is an entirely natural and immediate trait in man, a trait he has possessed since the very beginning and which, when you come down to it, may
Causes of ti disapp o i n t m e n t
Mas o chism 1 S tncom preh e nsible
32 + THE MAR Q U I S D E SADE
be summed up in a few words: we demand to be happy ; we also demand tha t others be rather l e s s happy than we. That thi s trait. m ay, under the pressure of circumstances, degener ate into fri ghtful manias-this i s a matter upon which psychiatrists are qu alified to speak, not I. Whether S a de was a sadist or not I don't know : the trial records shed l i ttle light upon the question . In t h e case we are best acquainted wi th-the M a rseilles affair-Sade figures a s a masochist, which i s the very opposite. I see tha t a t least once he fl a tly refused to be sadistic in spite of all sorts o f encourage ment : his p a s t grievances, h i s feelings o f the moment, and the chorus o f th e Section of Piques . But it could be a rgued that the true sadist i s the one who declines to practice s a dism on e a sy terms, who will not stand to be told when and where to give expression to his i diosyncrasy. Each o f u s is proud in his own way.
Over the l ast fi fty years o r so we h ave got into the habit o f talking about m as o chism ( which i s what I have just don e ) a s we do about sadism. With the same natu ral ness, in the same ma tter-o f-fact way. As if it were a human characteristic no less simple, no l e s s necessary than sadism ; and no less susceptible of becoming a mani a e i ther. I have no obj ection to that. But if i t is a natural characteristic, you'll admit i t is a very queer one ; queer almost to the point of being incredibl e ; and that to call i t n a tural requires considerable forjea rance on our p a rt.
If I take th e eye, for example , I note that i t i s subj ect to a wide range o f anom alies. I t can be farsighted, o r my opic. I t can present yet rarer and ( like sadism ) yet more distinguished de fects : amaurosis or diplop i a . It is sometimes able to put its faul tiness to profi t : it can be nyctalopic, and content to be so. ( Just a s a sadist turns his sadism to a dvan tage ; a fter all, a well-o rdered society can ha rdly do without public executioners ; a t any rate, without judges and nurses and surgeons. ) So far so good. But never, never has there been found an eye that was afflicted by buz zings, hypera cusia o r colored audition. Well, that, all else being equal, is what some claim in behalf of masochism.
Jean Paulh a n + 3 3
When p a i n experienced b y others gives me pleasure, this pleasure I feel i s obviously an unusu a l feeling ; and doubtless a reprehensible one. In any case i t i s a cle a r and comp rehensible feeling, and an a rticle upon it c a n be in clu ded i n the Encyclopedia. B u t that my o w n p a i n be pleasure to me, that my humiliation b e to m e a dignification -thi s is no longer reprehensible or unusu al, it is simply obscure, and it is only too e a sy for me to reply that if it i s pain, i t i s n ' t pleasure, if it's dignification, then it's not humili ation. If it's . . . And so on and so forth. Yet, however that may be, there does indeed exist, nobody will deny i t , some thing which can be rightly term e d m a sochism. To be more precise, there do indeed exi st men, and women also, whom we must call m a sochists.
For there are some who seek nothing so eagerly a s mockery a n d ridicule , a n d w h o thrive better o n shame than on bread and wine : Philip of N eri, who used to cap e r in the streets and shave only one side of his face, p refe rred to p a s s for a m a dman t h a n f o r a sa int ; t h e s h e i k Abu Yazid al B i sthami wou l d give urchins a couple of walnuts in exch ange for a slap. There is no lack of p ersons who to their friends -and to those foremost among all the i r friends, themselves -fondly wish " su ff e ring, abandon, infirmity, ill-tre a tment and dishonor and p rofoun d self-contempt and the martyr dom of self-distrust . " 12 And othe r s too who say with th e Portuguese nun : "Incre a s e the numb e r of my affiiction s . " To Maso chism is anyone contending that behind whatever it may appear to be a universal this amounts to a clever a ttempt to assure oneself of the trait weal which follows after woe, and the honor which follows dishonor, an d the triumph of esteem which follows after the ordeal of disdain, i n keeping with some n a tural law of com- pensation, the reply would have to be that he h a d not very well grasp e d the question. But l e t me continue.
We see othe r pe rsons who stee r a ste a dy course toward vexations and abuse , who, no m atte r where they happen to b e , are extraordinarily alert and, through the workings of some unerring instinct, a s if sensi tized to the presence of a
12 N i etzsch e : T h e Will to Power.
T h e riddles find their s o lu ti o n
3 4 .. T H E MARQUIS DE SADE
p ossible source of mistreatment and as if fascinated in a d vance, attracted, summoned by the cruel potenti alities they have somehow detected in a man eve rybody else sees a s a decent a n d unexceptional chap. ( Thus Justine . . . ) Or else, o f their own accord, with pecul i a r willfulness march straight to where pri son, trials, and death await them. ( Thus Sade . . . )
Let there be no mistake : I do not pretend to be cle a r ing up the mystery, I do not in the least claim to be explain ing a difficult fact, a truly mysterious fact, which defies analysis now and h a s neve r yielded to i t in the past. No. Instructed by experience, my inclination would instead be to acknowledge th at in m a sochism we are deal ing with some thing veritable but incomprehensible ; with, to put it more vaguely, an o CCllrren ce-a frequent occurrence , perhaps, but a t a ny rate an obscure one, and one which remains impene trable to my in telligence . ( After all, why these people a r e the w a y t h e y a re i s more t h a n I c a n fathom. ) In short, I concede to myst e ry its share in all th i s-and, doing so, I am at once rewarded fo r my modesty. I venture no comments about proud sp i ri ts who seek silence o r greedy spi rits who seek poverty ( for I must own that the explanati on I offered a li ttle while ago w a s , while banal, r a t h e r farfetched : t h a t t h e p roud spiri t , the greedy o r t h e libertarian spirit, having been acquainted beforehand with the signs of glory, wealth, liberty, were in a poor posi tion to complain a fterward ) .
For i f it h appens that man sometimes expe riences that which i s not al toge ther human, and to which no famili a r habits or everyday usages apply-but n a tu ral man i s n o t o t her t h a n civi l i z e d m a n , n o r I o ther than o t h e r human beings, nor kindliness o th er than perfidy, nor pain o ther than pleasu re--sadism, i n the final analysis, i s probably nothing else than the approach to and, as it were the ( p er haps maladroit and certainly odious ) testing of a truth so difficult and so mysterious that once it is acknowledged a s such, t h e p roblems we have b e e n helpless to resolve-and the very riddles Sade puts to Justine-become instantly and miraculously transp arent. I t is a s though i t were enough for
Jean Paulh an .. 3 5
m e , i n o r d e r t o be able t o s e e c l e a rly ( to s e e my way cl e a rly through que s t i o n s and a world both mightily c o n fu s e d a n d absurd ) , to have once a n d f o r a l l t a k e n obscurity into a c count.
Here it will b e s a i d t o me, and v e ry j u s tly s a i d , that the truth w e a r e seeking is too i n a c c e s s i bl e , and is a s fo r e i gn to our l anguage a s to o u r understanding. S o i n d e e d it is, and i t should b e p l a i n tha t, rather than exp r e s s it, I am s i m p ly endeavoring, once having s e t a s i d e a space f o r i t to o ccupy, to enci rcle i t, t o surround it. Though h e f a i l s to formulate it i n thought or speech, the man who has s u ff e r e d it o n e t i m e a n d a thous a n d t i m e s , who h a s exp e r ie n c e d i t , still r e t a i n s the r e s ou rc e o f living i t, o f being i t . And I fi n ally understand i n w h a t s e n s e Sade, like P a s c a l , N i e t z s c h e , o r R i mb a u d , paid,. i n w h a t s e n s e also h e w a s a b l e to m e r i t the t i tl e o f divine a s i t w a s conferred upon h i m by a popul a r i d i o m which s o m e t i m e s i s o f g r e a t e r j u stness than the j u dgments o f c r i t i c s , sometimes rings tru e r than the lines of p o e t s .
There i s another resource, however.
X . THE ACCOMPLICE
I n a curious book by C rebillo n , The Letters of the Marquise de M., tender a ff e c t i o n a n d j e a l ou sy , the n e e d f o r love and ensuing regrets, d e s i r e a n d coque try a r e r e n d e r e d with gre a t subtl e ty, wi th s u c h subtl e ty t h a t a t n o stage i n the s t o ry d o e s the r e a d e r ever k n o w for sure whether o r n o t the M a rqu i s e and the C ount have been to b e d together. B u t i n Jus tine i t ' s qu i t e t h e r e v e r s e . A n d J u s ti n e ' s a m o r o u s a d ventu res-ve ry dive r s e , v e ry involu n t a ry-a re s h own us i n t h e greatest d e t a i l without o u r e v e r having an i nkl i n g o f what i t m i ght b e o u r h e r o i n e i s feeling-des i r e , love, l o a th ing, i n d i ff e r e n c e . Truly, i t is d i ffi cu l t to say. And S a d e knows it only too well. H e knows it only too well b e c a u s e Justine i s S a d e h i m s e l f .
T h a t i s Justine ' s secret. A strange s e c r e t . A h a r d s e c r e t to get a t , but not because i t i s n a m e l e s s o r unnamabl e . H a r d
3 6 .. T H E l\IAR Q U I S DE SADE
to get a t becau s e , on the contrary, it already has its name because i t has, if anyth ing, been i denti fi e d a littl e too often, under the name of that good Austrian novelist who came into the world a hundred years afte r Sade, and who gave his cruel h e roines a ri ding crop to wield and sometimes a mink coa t to wear. \Yell I know that Nature encomp asses every taste, every mania. This p a r ticul a r one is no more ha rmful or more unple as ant than any other. Nor is it any less. But fo r mysteriousn ess it is not to be surp assed. It i s the sole p a ssion that cannot be thw a rted without encou raging it, punished without rewarding i t. Perfectly incomprehensible : absurd. What remains to be said ? Only that the cri tic can tu rn this absurdity into a rationale.
I t i s now h e r turn to speak, the discreet, modest, s ati. ated Justine S a d e chose for his a ccomplice.
Sade
by Mau rice B l anchot
/F" hundred and fi fty years ago there appeared in Holland La UJ. N a uvelle Jus ti n e, au les M alheurs de la J7 ertu, suivie de I'His taire de Julie tte, sa s a eur. This monumental work, which h a d b e e n p receded b y several shorter versions, ha d grown longer with each successive revi sion until it reached the gigantic proportions of four thousand p a ges i n this final form. This almost endless, over whelming work immediately horrified the worl d .
I f there i s a n Enter in libraries-a speci a l section f o r works deemed unfit for human consump tion-it is for such a book. No l i t e r a ture o f any period h a s s e en a work s o scandalous, one which has s o p r o foundly wounded the thoughts a n d feelings o f men. Today, when the writings of Henry M iller cause u s to quake and quail, who would dare to compete with Sade's licentiousness ? Yes, the cl aim can be made : w e h ave here the most scandalous work ever wri tten. I s th i s n o t r e a son enough for us to turn our attention to i t ? What ! You mean to say w e have here the opportunity to acquaint ourselves with a work beyond which no other writer, a t any time, h a s ever managed to ventu r e ; w e have, s o t o speak, a veri table absolute in o u r hands, in this relative world of letters, and w e make no attempt to question o r consult i t ? You mean to say it does not occur to u s to ask why i t i s unique, why i t cannot be exceeded, what there is about it which is so outrageous, so eternally too strong for man to stomach ? Curious neglect. But can i t be that the purity o f the scandal i s solely dependent upon this neglect ? When one considers the precautions that h i s tory h a s taken to make
37
3 8 + T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
a p rodigious enigma out of S a d e , when one thinks o f those twenty seven years behind bars , of that fe tte red and forbidden existence, when the sequestration a ff ects not only a man's l i fe but h i s a fterl i fe -so much so th at the condemna tion of h i s wo rk to seclusion seems to condemn him as well , still alive, to some eternal pri son-then one is led to wonder whether the censors and j u dges who claim to immure Sade are not actu ally s e rving him instead, a re not fulfill ing the most fervent wishes o f his li bertinage, h e who always aspired to the solitude of the earth ' s entrails, to the mystery of a subte rranean and reclusive exi stence. In a dozen different ways, Sade formulated the idea that man's wildest excesses call for secrecy, for the obscu ri ty o f the farthest depths, the inviolable solitude o f a cell. Now, the strange thing i s that i t i s the gu ardians o f morality who, by condemning Sade to solitary confinement, h ave the reby made themselves the most fai thful accomplices o f his im morality. It was Sade's mother-in-l aw, the p rudish M adame de M ontreuil, who, by turning his life into a prison, at the same time made o f i t a masterpiece o f in famy and debauche ry. And, simila rly, if today, a hundred and fi fty years later, Jus ti n e and Juliette still seems to us the most scandalous, the most subversive o f books, it is because it i s almost impossible to read it : every possible m e a sure h a s been taken-by the author, the publishers, and with the added help o f universal Moral i ty-to make certain this book remains a secret, a wholly unreadable work, as much fo r i ts length, the way it was written, and i ts endless repetitions, as fo r the force o f i ts description s and its ferocious indecency, all of which could not help but secure i ts damnation. A scandalou s , sca rcely approachable book, which no one can render publi c . But a book which also shows that there is no scandal where there i s first no respect, and that wherever the scandal i s extraordi n a ry the respect i s extreme. Who, indeed, is more respected than S a de ? How many people, still today, p ro foun dly believe that all chey h ave to do i s hold th i s accu rsed book in their hands for a few moments for Rousseau ' s a rrogant w a rning to come true : Any girl w ho reads but a single p age of this book will be lost ? Such respect i s indeed a great treasure for a literature and a civil i z a tion. One can therefore not refrain from making this one discreet request, addressed to all Sade's publishers present and fu tu re : when dealing with Sa d e , at least respect the scandalous aspect.
Maurice Blanch o t .. 3 9
Luckily, S a d e defends himself rather well. N o t only his work but his thinking remains impene trable-and this in spite o f the fact tha t both abound in detailed theorie s , which he expounds and repeats over and over again with disconcerting pa tience, and in spite o f the fact tha t h e reasons with impeccable clarity and not inconsiderab l e logic. He has a penchant-and even a p a ssion-for systems. He expounds and a ffi rms and offers proof ; he comes back to the same p roblem a hundred times over ( an d a hundred is a conserva tive figure ) , he studies i t from every angl e , he considers every possible obj ection and answers them all, then manages to come up with some further obj ections and replies to them a s well. And since what h e says i s usually simple enough, since his l anguage i s rich but precise and fi rm, it would seem th a t nothing should be more simple in dealing with S a d e than to elucidate the ideology which, in h i s case, is inseparable from p assion. And yet, what is the gist o f Sa d e ' s thought ? What in fact did h e say ? What is the scheme, the order o f this system ? Where does i t begin and where does i t end ? I s there, indeed, more than the shadow o f a system in the probing o f thi s mind, so obsessed a s i t is with reason ? And why i s it that so many well co-o rdinated principles fail to form the solid whole which they ought to and which, a t l e a s t on the surface, they in fact seem to ? That too remains uncl e a r . Such is the first pecul i a r characteristic of Sade : h i s theories and ideas are con stantly generating a n d unlea shing i rrational forces to which they are bound. These forces simultaneously animate and thwart the theories, in such a way that the theori e s resist at first bu t then eventually yiel d ; they seek to dominate the insurgent force, fi nally do, but only a fter they have unleashed other obscure forces, which bear the theori es fu rther along, defl ect them from thei r course, and distort them. The result is that everything which is said i s cle a r, but seems to be at the mercy o f something left unsaid, and a l i ttle later on what h a s not been explici tly stated does indeed a pp e a r and is reintegrated by logic ; but then thi s in its turn succumbs to the in fl u ence of some other, still h idden force, until finally everything is exp ressed, i s reve aled, but also everything i s plunged back again into the obscurity of unformul ated and i nexpressible thoughts.
The reader is o ften ill a t ease when faced with this thought which is made cle a r only by a furth e r thought which, for the present,
40 .. T H E M A R Q U I S D E S .'\ D E
cannot be clarified ; and he becomes even more uncomfortable as he realizes that Sade's sta t e d p rinciples-wha t we may term his basic p hilosophy-appears to be simplicity itself. This philosophy i s one of self-interest, o f absolute egoism : Each o f u s must do exactly a s h e p l e a s e s , each o f us i s bound b y o n e law alone, t h a t of his own pleasure. This morality is based upon the primary fact of absolute solitude. Sade has state d it, and repeated it, in every conceivable form : N a ture wills th at we be born alone, there is no real contact o r relationship possible between one person and another. The only rule of conduct for me to follow, therefore, is to prefer whatever affects me pleasurably a nd, conversely, to hold as naught anything which, a s a result of my pre ferences, may cause harm to others. The grea test pain inHicted on others i s of less account than my own pleasure. Little do I care if the p rice I have to p ay for my least de ligh t i s an awesome accumulation of a trocious crimes, for pleasure H a tters me, i t i s within, while the effects o f crime, being outside me, do not affect me.
These p rinciples a re clear. We find them reiterated and de veloped in a thousand ways through some twenty volumes. Sa de never tires o f them. "'Th a t he infini tely enj oys is to square them against the prevailing theories o f the time, the theories of man's equality b e fore N a ture and the law. He then proposes this kind o f rea soning : Since all m e n a r e e qual in t h e eyes of N a ture , I there fo re have the right, because of this i dentity, not to sacrifice mys elf for the preservation o f others, the i r ruin being indispensable to my happiness. O r else he will p ropound a kind of Declaration o f the R i ghts o f E roticism, w;.th this axiom-e qu ally valid for men and women ali ke-a s a fund amental precep t : Give yourself to whomso ever desires you , take from whomever you please. "What evil do I do, what crime do I :ommi t when, upon meeting some lovely creature, I say : 'Avail Me of that part of you which can give me a moment' s satisfaction and, i f you wish, make full use of tha t part of mine which may p rove agree able to you' ?" To Sade, such proposi tions seem irrefutabl e . For p a ges on end he invoke s the equality of individuals and the reciprocity o f rights, wi thout ever realizing that his a rguments, far from being buttressed by these lo fty principles, are becom ing meaninglt:ss because o f them. "Never can an act of possession be exercised on a free person , " he declares. But what
Maurice Blanch o t + 4 1
conclusion does h e draw from this ? Not that he has lost the right to perpetrate violence on anyone or to abuse such a person for his own pleasure, against that pe rson ' s will, but rather that no one , in order to refuse himself to Sad e , may invoke exclusive attach ments, a right of "possession . " For Sade, the equality of all human beings is the right to equal use of them all , freedom is the power to bend oth ers to his own will.
To see formulas of this sort piling up on top of each othe r l e a d s one t o conclud e that t h e r e is something missing i n Sad e ' s reasoning p roce ss, som e lacuna or madness. O n e h a s t h e feeling of grappling with the p roduct of a p rofoundly disturbed mind, s trangely suspended ove r the void. But suddenly logi c reasse rts itself, the obj ections vanish, and little by little the system takes shape. Justin e , who, we recal l , represents Virtue in Sad e ' s world Virtue which is tenaciou s , humbl e, continually wretch e d and op pressed but never convinced of its e rrors-suddenly declares in a most r easonable manner: Your p rinciples presuppose power. If my happiness consists in never taking into account the interests of others, in exploiting every opportunity to hurt o r inj u r e them, there will p e rforce come a day when the interests of others will likewise consist in doing me harm j in the name o f what shall I then p rotest ? " Can t h e pe rson who isolates himself do battle with the whole worl d ?" To this cl assic obj eCtion , Sade's p rotagonist replie s, both explicitly and implicitly, in a numbe r of ways, and these replies grad ually lead us into the heart of his universe. Y e s , he starts off by say ing, my right is the right of pow e r . A n d indeed Sade' s cast of characters is compos ed p rima rily of a tiny number of omnipotent men who have had the energy and initiative to raise themselves above the law and place themselves outside the pale of prejudice , men who feel that N a ture h a s singl e d them ou t and, feeling them selves worthy of this distinction , strive to assuage their passions by any and all means.
These p e e rl e s s men gene rally belong to a p rivil eged cla ss: they are dukes and kings, the Pop e , himself issued from the nobility j they benefit from the advantages of their rank and fortun e , and from the impunity which their high s tation confers upon them. To their birth they owe the inequality which they are content to exploit and p e rfect by the exercise of an impl acable despotism. They are
42 +- T H E M A R Q U I S DE S A D E
the most powerful because they belong to a powe r ful class. "I call p eople , " says one of them, " that vile and reprehensible class which manages to survive only by dint o f swe at and toi l ; all who breath e m u s t j o i n togeth e r a g a i n s t t h i s abj ect class . "
Nonetheless, there c a n b e n o doubt that, although these sovereigns of debauchc:oy generally concentrate i n themselves and to their own advantage the full inequality o f classes, this is but a h istorical ci rcum stance to which Sade, in his value j udgments, pays n o t the slightest heed. Sade di scerned clea rly that, at the time he was wri ting, power w a s a social c a tegory, that i t was part and p a rcel of the organi z a t i o n o f society such as i t existed both before and a fter the Revolution. B u t h e also believes that power ( like solitude, moreove r ) i s not me rely a state but a choice and a con quest, a n d that only he i s powerful who by h i s own will and ene rgy knows how to make himself so. Actually, S a d e ' s heroes are recruited from two opposing m i l i e u x : from among the hi ghest and the lowest, from among the mighty of the world and, at the opposite pole, fi sh e d up from the sewers and cesspools o f the lower depths. At the outset, both these groups have something extreme working for them, for the extreme of pove rty i s a s powerful a stimulus a s are the d a zzling possibilities tha t fortune offers. When one is a Duboi s o r a Durand, one revolts aga inst the law because one i s too far beneath it to be able to conform to the law without perishing. And when one i s a Saint-Fond or the Duc de Bl angi s , one i s too far above the law to be able to submi t: to it wi thout deba sement. Th is is why, in Sade's works, the apology for crime derives from two contradicto ry p rinciples : for some men, inequ a l i ty i s a fact of Na ture ; certain p e rsons are necessarily sla ves and victims, they have no rights, they are nothing, against the:n any act, any crime i s p e rmitted. Whence those fren z i e d eulogi es to tyranny, those political constitutions bent on making i t fo rever i m p ossible for the weak to seek vengeance o r the p o o r t o grow rich. "Let i t be clea rly understo o d , " says Verneui l ,
that ' t i s among K atu rr� ' s i n tentions that there necessarily be a c l ass o f i n di v i d u a l s w h o by the! r bi rth and i n h e rent weakness shall remain essen tially subj ect to the other class.
The l aws are not made for the people . . . . The basic precept of any wise gove rnment i s to m ake certain th at the people shall not encroach u pon th e authority o f th masters.
Maurice Blanch o t + 43
And S a int-Fond :
The people shall be kept in a state of slavery which will make it quite impossible fo r them ever to attempt to dominate the wealthy o r d ebase the i r p roperties and possessions.
Or again :
All that goes u n d e r the name of crimes of libertinage shall never be punished, save in the s l ave castes.
Here, it would seem, we have the most bla tant, the wildest theo retical apology for absolute despotism ever formulated. But sud denly the p erspective shi fts. And what does Dubois say ?
Nature has caused us all to be equals born ; if fate is pleased to i n te rvene and upset the p r i m a ry scheme o f things, i t i s up to u s to correct its caprices and , through o u r own ski l l , to repai r the usurpations of the strongest . . . . S o long as our good faith and patience serve only to double the weight o f our chains, o u r crimes will be as Vi rtues, and we woul d be fools i n d eed to abstain from them when they can lessen t h e yoke where with the i r cruelty bears us down.
And she a dds : for the poor, crime alone can open the doors to l i fe ; villainy i s the recompense for inj ustice, just as theft is the revenge of the dispossessed. Thus the lines are clearly drawn : equality, in e qual i ty ; free dom to oppre s s , revol t aga i n s t the oppre s sor ; th e s e a r e merely provisional a rguments by which Sadean man, de pending on his position in the social hierarchy, a sserts h i s right to power. Actually, the di stinction b e tween those who require crime in order to survive and those fo r whom crime i s the sole source o f pleasure, w i l l s o o n vanish. M a dame Dubo i s becomes a b a roness. M adame Durand, a fourth-rate poi soner, a scends to a higher sta tion th an that occupied by the selfsame princesses whom Juli e tte unhesita tingly sacrifices to her. Counts become bandit chieftains, the head of a group of h i ghwaymen ( as i n Faxelange ) , or else inn keepers, the better to despoil and murder fools. Most of the victims or libertinage , howeve r, are selected from among the aristocracy ; they must be o f noble birth. It i s to his mother, the Countess, that the M arquis d e B ressac decl a re s with superb contempt : "Thy days belong to me, and mine are sacred."
Now, wha t happens ? A few men h ave become powerful. Some were bequeathed power by birth, but they have also demonstrated
44 + T H E M A R Q U I S DE S A D E
that they deserve it by the way in which they have accrued it and enj oyed it. Others hav e risen to power, and the s i gn of th e i r success i s that, once having resorted to crime to acquire power, they use it to acquire the freedom to comm i t any crime whatsoever. Such then i s S a d e ' s world : a fe\\ p eople who have reached the pinnacl e , and a round them an infinite, nameless dust, an anonymous m a s s o f creatures w h i c h h a s n e i ther ri ghts n o r p o w e r . L e t u s see w h a t now happens to the rule o f absolute egoism. I do whatever I please, says S a d e ' s hero, all I know, all I recogn i z e is my own pleasu r e , and to make certain I get it I torture and kill. You threa ten me with a like fate the day I shall h appen to meet someone whose happiness is dep endent on torturing and killing m e . But I have acqu i r e d power p reci sely i n order to raise myself above this threat. Whenever S a d e c o m e s up with a n s w e n s u c h as t h e s e , we can f e e l ourselves slipping toward an area of hi s thought which is susta ined sol ely by the obscure forces which l u rk therein. What is this power which fears n e i ther chance nor l a w, which exposes i tself disdainfully to the terrible risks o f a rule conceived in these terms : I shall do you all the h a rm I please, you may do m e all the h a rm you can-under the assumption that such a rule will invariably operate to i ts advantage ? N ow, the point is that all i t takes i s a s ingle excep tion for these p rinciple s to d i sintegrate and collapse : if the Powe rful One, whose sole purpose i s pleasu re , ever once encounters m i s fo r tu n e , if i n the exercise o f his tyranny he once becomes a victim, he will be lost, the law of pl easure will appear a sham, a l i e , and man, instead of wish ing to triumph through excess, will once again revert to tha t medioc r i ty t h a t ever casts a worried eye in fear of the slightest evil which may befall him.
Sade knows this. "And what i f luck should turn against you ?" Justine asks him. S a d e ' s reply i s to delve deeper into his system and demonstrate that to him who casts his lot wholehea rtedly with evil, nothing evil can e ve r happen. This i s the basic tenet, the very cornerstone of h i s wor k. : to Virtue, nothing but m i s fo rtune ; to Vice, the reward o f constant p rosperity. There are times, especially in the ea rly versions o f Jus tine, when this a ssertion seems to be a simple meretricious hypothesis which the author, always adroitly maneuvering the tale to suit his own needs, a dvances a s proof. One has the impression th a t S a de is spinning fables and being taken in by
Maurice Blanch o t .. 45
them when h e entrusts m a tt e r s to a black Provi dence whose function it i s to shower blessings on all those who h ave opted f o r evil. But in La Nouvelle Jus tine a n d i n Julie t te everything c h a nge s . There can b e no doubt th a t S a d e i s p r o foun dly convi nced o f a t least t h i s : t h a t the man o f a b s o l u t e e g o i s m c a n never fall upon evil days ; b e t t e r , th a t h e w i l l , w i t h o u t excep t i o n , be forever h a p py , an d happy to the h i g h e s t degree. A mad i d e a ? Pe r h a p s . But wi th Sade the idea is al lied to forces s o violent that they fin ally render i rr e fu t a b l e , i n h i s ey e s , the i d e a s t h e y sup p o r t . I n a c t u a l f a c t , t h e t r a n s l a t i o n o f t h i s conviction i n t o doctrine i s n o t a t all t h a t s i mp l e . S a d e r e s o r ts t o s e v e r a l solu t i o n s , h e t r i e s them endl e s sly, a l though none c a n r eally ever s a t i s fy h i m . The fi r s t is s t r i c tly verbal : it consists in r e p u d i a ting t h e social contract w h i c h , according to Sade, i s the s a fegu a r d o f the weak and, theoretic ally, constitutes a grave menace fo r the powe r ful . In p r a c t i c e , however , the Powe r ful One knows full well how to u t i l i z e t h e l a w to consol i d a t e h i s a dvantages. B u t i f he d o e s t h i s , then h e i s p o w e r ful o n l y through t h e l a w , a n d i t i s the l a w which, i n p r in c i p l e , i n c a rn a t e s p o w e r . Except in time of w a r , or during a p e r i o d o f a n a rchy, the Sove r e i gn i s m e rely t h e sove r e i gn , for even if the law helps him to crush the weak, it is neverthel e s s throu gh an a u t h o r i ty c r e a t e d in the n a m e of the w e a k t h a t he become s m a s ter, substituting the false bond of a p a c t f o r the naked s t rength o f m a n . " My n e i ghbors' p a s s i o n s frighten m e i n fi n i t e ly l e s s t h a n do the l a w ' s i nj us t i c e s , fo r my n e i gh b o r s ' p a s s i o n s are conta i n e d by m i n e , w h i l s t n o t h i n g c o n s t r a i n s , nothing checks the i nj u s t i c e s of the l a w . " N o th i n g checks t h e i n e q u i t i e s o f t h e l a w f o r t h e simple reason that t h e r e is n o t h i n g a b ove i t , hence it i s always sup e r i o r to me. This is why, even if it serves m e , i t a l s o oppresses m e . T h i s is also why Sade, w h a tever a ffi n i ty h e m a y have had for t h e R evolu tion and however much he w a s able to i de n t i fy himself w i t h i t , w a s d r awn to it only to t h e extent tha t i t constituted for a s h o r t time the p o s s i b i l i ty of a regime w i th o u t l a w , since i t rep r e s e n t e d a t r a n s i t i o n p e r i o d f r o m o n e s e t o f l aws t o the o t h e r . S a d e g a v e v o i c e to t h i s i d e a i n t h e following curi o u s observa tions :
The rule of law is inferior to that of anarchy : the most obvious proof of what I assert is the fact that any government is obliged to plunge itself into anarchy whenever i t aspires to remake its constitution. In order to
46 + THE MARQVIS DE SADE
abrogate its former l aws, it is compelled to establish a revolu tionary re gime in which there is no l aw : this regime fi n ally gives birth to new l aws, but this second state is necessarily less pure than the first, since it derives from it . . . .
Actually, Power a dapts itself to, and refuses to acknowledge the authority of, any regime ; in the mi dst of a world denatured by l aw, i t c r e ates for itsdf an enclave in which all law i s silenced , a close d place wherein all legal sovereignty is ignored rather than contested. I n the statute s of the S o ciete des A m is du Crime, there is one a rticle which p rohibits all political activity.
The Society respect s the government under which it lives, and i f i t places i tsel f above the l aw it i s because one of its principles specifies that man does not have the power to make laws in conflict with the laws of N ature; but the disorders of the Society's members, being always in terior, must never scandalize ei ther the governed or the governments.
And if in Sade's wri tings it sometimes doe s come to pass tha t the Power undertakes some political action or becom e s involve d in a revolution-a s i s the case with Borch amps who conspires with the Loge du Nord to ove rth row the Swedish mon a rchy-the rea sons which lead him to do so a re quite unrelated to any desire to emancipate the law. " Why do you so loathe Swe dish d espoti sm ?" one of the conspi rators i s a sked. "] ealousy, ambition , pride, desp a i r at the though t o f being dominated, m y o w n d e s i r e t o tyranniz e others." " B ut d o e s t h h appiness o f t h e people have no bearing upon your opinions ? " " All I am interested in is my own . "
If pressed, Power c a n always mainta in that i t h a s nothing to fea r from the ordinary man, who i s weak, and likewise nothing to f e a r f rom the law, which i t refuses to recogn i z e a s being legiti mate. The real p roble:n is the rel ationship of the powerful among themselves . These peerless men, who come from the highest a s well a s the lowest echelons of society, necessa rily me et: the simila rity of their tastes brings them together ; the fact that they a re exception s , by setting them both ap a rt, also brings t h e m togethe r . B u t what relation can there be hetween exceptions ? Sade certainly pondered thi s question at great length. As always, h e moves from one pos sible solution to anothe r until fi nally, at the end of h i s chain of logic, he brings forth from this enigma the only word that matter s t o h i m . When h e dev .ses a secret society gove rned by strict con-
Afaurice Blanch o t + 47
ventions , the pu rpose of which i s to curb exce sses, he can cite the precedent of numerou s similar societies then much i n vogue . F�r Sade lived at a time when the freemasonry of libertinage and free masonry itself led to the emergence, in the midst of a soci e ty in ruins, of a great number of secret societi es, clandestine "coll eges " founded o n t h e complicity of p assions and o n a mutual respect for dangerous ideas. The S o cieti des A m is du Cri m e i s a n e ffort of this kind. I ts sta tu tes, studied and analyzed a t great l ength , forbid its members from i ndulging i n any displays of ferocious passion among themselves , stipulating that these passions can only be sati ated in two seraglios which are to be peopled by members of the virtuou s classes. When they are in e a ch other' s company, the mem bers must "give · themselves ove r to their freest fantas i e s , and do everything" ; but, says Sade, "no cruel p a s sions allowed." VYe can easily s e e why : it i s a question of avoi ding a t all costs the encounter, on a terrain where evil woul d become th e i r undoing, o f those who expect only ple a sure from evil. Superior libertines are allies, but never meet.
Such a comp romise cannot s a tisfy S a d e . I t must the refore be pointed ou t that, although the heroes of his books a r e constantly drawn into close alli ance with one another by the conventions which determine the limits of their power and superimpose order on chaos, the possibility of betrayal is forever present : between ac complices there is a constantly mounting tension, so much so that they ul timately feel themselves less bound by the oath that unites them than by the mutu al need to viol a te this oath. This situ ation makes the final p a rt of Juli e t te extremely dram atic. Juliette is a woman of principle. She respects libertinage, and when she meets an a ccomplished criminal, the p e rfection of the crime for which he is responsible and the power of destruction which he represents not only induce her to join forces with him but, what is mor e , l e a d her t o sp a r e h i s life i f she can, e v e n w h e n thi s alli ance b ecomes dangerous for her. Thus, even though she i s i n danger of being killed by the monster M i nski , she refuses to h ave him murdered. "This man i s too gre a t a scourge to hum anity for m e to deprive the worl d of him, " she says. And then there is anothe r character, the author o f veritable masterpieces of lubrici ty : yes, him she finally does d e stroy, but only because she h a s noticed that, upon
48 + T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
emerging from these orgies of blood, he has developed the habit o f retiring to a chapel to purify h i s soul. I s the pe rfect criminal the refore presumed to be exempt from the passions in which he indulge s ? C an i t be that there i s a principle, an ultimate principle, which gua r antees th a t t h e libertine can never be e i ther the obj ect or the victim o f his own libertinage ? "You have told me a hundred times, " M a dame de Donis says to Juliette, "that libertines never h a rm one another. D o you care to refute this maxim ?" The reply i s clear : Juli ette does i n deed refute i t ; Ma dame de Donis i s sacri ficed. And gra dually the most beloved confederates in crime, the most respected companions o f debauchery perish, victims either o f their own fi deli ty or the i r p e rj ury, o r of the lassitude or the ardor o f the i r feelings. N o thing can save them, nothing excuses them. S c a rcely has Jul i e tte sent her best friends to their death than she turns toward new allies and exchanges with them vows of eternal confi dence. Vows they �hemselves find risible, since they know full well that the only rea�on they assign any limita tions to their ex cesses is in order to be i n a position to h a rvest the pleasure which comes from exceeding them.
The following exchange o f conversation among several mas ters of crime f a i rly describes this s i tu a tion. One of the criminals, Gernand, s ays o f his cousin B ressac : "You know, h e i s my heir. And yet I dare say h e i s not i n any hurry for my l i fe : we have the same tastes, we think in the same way, he knows that he has a sure friend i n m e . " T h a t ' s al l very tru e , says Bressac, I shall never harm a h a i r on your head. And yet this B ressac points out that another o f the i r rel a tives, d ' E st e rval, who makes a specialty o f slitting the throats of p a ssing travelers, h a d come close to murdering him. "Yes, " says d ' E s te rval , "but as a relative, never a s a companion in debauchery." But B :-essac remains skeptical, and, indeed, they concur that thi s consi deration almost failed to stop Dorothee, d ' E s terva l ' s wife. Ane what does this Dorothee reply ? "Your praise i s in your d e a th wa rrant. The terrible habit I have o f im molating the men who please me means that your sentence i s passed and inscribed right next to my decl a r a ti on of love. " All o f which i s quite clear. But undt:r these conditions what becomes of S a d e ' s proposi tion concerning happiness through Evil ? W h a t h appens t o that certainty that the man o f all v i c e s w i l l always be happy, a s h e
Maurice Blanch o t * 49
who h a s b u t a s i n gl e v i rtue will p e r f o rce be p l a gu e d by m i s fo r tune ? Actu ally, S a d e ' s work i s s t rewn wi th t h e c o rp s e s o f l i b e r t i n e s s t ruck down a t t h e v e ry p i n n a c l e o f the i r g l o r y . J u s t i n e i s n o t a l o n e i n h e r w r e t c h e dn e s s ; m i s fo r tu n e s t r i k e s the s t r o n ge s t a n d m o s t e n e r g e t i c o f S a d e ' s h e r o i n e s a s well , t h e s u p e r b C l a i r wi l l , a s i t s t r i k e s S a i n t- F o n d , mu r d e r e d by l'\ o i rc eu i l , a n d t h e l i c e n t i o u s B o r gh e s e , wh o i s hurled h e a dlong i n to t h e c r a t e r o f a volcano ; a s , i n d e e d , i t s t r i k e s l i t e r ally h u n d r e d s o f p e r fe c t c r i m i n al s . S t range denouements, s i ngula r t r i u mp h s f o r these p e rv e r s e m e n I How c a n S a d e ' s m a d r e a son r e m a i n blind t o all t h e s e m a ny c o n t r a d i c t i o n s i t c o n t a i n s ? B u t i t i s p r eci sely th e s e c o n t r a d i c t i o n s w h i c h , f o r S a d e , p ro v i d e h i m w i t h h i s p r o o f , a n d t h i s i s why :
A cu r s o ry r e a d i n g o f Jus tine c a n be d e c e i v i n g ; one may er roneously think it n o m o r e t h a n a r a th e r c o a r s e a n d vul g a r p i e c e of fi c t i o n . vVe s e e this v i rtuous g i rl who is fo r e v e r being r a p e d , b e a te n , t o r tu r e d , the v i c t i m o f a f a t e b e n t on h e r d e s t r u c t i o n . And when w e read Juli e t t e w e follow a d e p r a v e d girl as she fl i e s from p l e a s u r e t o p l e a s u r e . It i s h a rdly l ikely that we s h a l l b e convin c e d b y s u c h a p l o t . B u t t h e p o i n t i s t h a t we h a v e ove rlooke d t h e b o ok' s m o s t i m p o r t a n t a sp e c t : t h e r e a d e r who i s m e rely a t tentive t o t h e s a dn e s s o f o n e a n d t h e s a t i s f a c t i o n o f t h e o t h e r h a s n e gl e c t e d to r em a rk t h a t th e two s i s t e r s ' s t o r i e s a r e b a s i c a lly i d e n t i c a l , th a t everything w h i c h h a p p ens t o J u s t i n e a l s o h ap p e n s t o Jul i e tt e , t h a t b o t h go through t h e s a m e g a n tl e t o f exp e r i ences a n d a r e p u t to t h e s a m e p a i n ful t e s t s . Jul i e t te i s a l s o c a s t i n to p r i s o n , roundly fl o g g e d , s entence d to t h e r a ck , endl e s sly t o r tu r e d . H e r s i s a h i d e o u s ex i s tenc e , b u t h e r e i s t h e rub : f r o m th e s e i l l s , t h e s e a g oni e s , s h e de rives p l e a s u r e ; th e s e t o r tu r e s delight her. "How d e l i c i o u s are t h e i r ons wrought by t h e crime one a d o r e s . " K o t to m e n t i o n t h o s e un common t o r tu r e s w h i c h are so te rrible f o r Ju s t i n e a n d which , for Jul i e t t e , are a source o f p u r e delight. I n o n e scene s e t i n t h e c h a t e a u o f a w i c k e d m a g i s t r a te , p o o r J u s t i n e i s subj e c t e d t o t o r tu r e s w h i c h a r e t r u l y execrabl e . H e r p a i n i s i n d e s c r i b a b l e . T h e r e a d e r i s taken compl etely a b a ck by such inj u s t i c e . And t h e n what h a p p e n s ? A thoroughly d e p r a v e d g i r l who h a s w i t n e s s e d t h e s c e n e a n d become i n fl a m e d b y t h e spectacle d e m a n d s th a t t h e s a m e torture b e i n fl i c t e d o n h e r , r i g h t t h e r e on the s p o t . A n d from i t s h e d e r i v e s t h e m o s t exqu i s i te p l e a s u r e . T h u s i t i s true t h a t V i rtue i s t h e s o u r c e o f m a n ' s
5 0 + T H E MARQ U I S D E SAD E
u n h a p p i n e s s , n o t b e c a u s e i t exp o s e s h i m to p a i n ful or u n fo r tun a t e ci rcumstanc e s b u t beca u s e , i f V i r t u e w e r e elimin a t e d , w h a t w a s o n c e p a i n ful then becomes p l e a s u r a b l e , a n d torments become volup tuou s .
F o r S a d e , sovereign m a n i s i m p e rvious to e v i l b e c a u s e n o one c a n do h i m any h a r m . He i s a man p o s s e s s e d o f e v e ry p a s s i o n , a n d h i s p a s s i o n s a r e s l a k e d b y a n y and e v e r y t h i n g . We h a v e h a d a tendency to take J e a n Paul h a n ' s conclusions t h a t S a d e ' s s a d i sm con c e a l s a contr a ry p ro p e n s i ty as a p a r a dox t o o wi tty and too clever to b e t ru e . 1 B u t we can s e e that t h i s idea i s the very heart o f S a d e ' s system . The absolute e g o i s t i s h e who i s a b l e to t r a n s fo rm eve ry t h i n g d i s a g r e e able into something likable , eve rything repugnant into s o m e t h i n g attractive. Like t h e b e d ro o m p h i losoph e r , he decl a re s : "I love eve ryth i n g , I e n j oy everything, my d e s i re is to commingle all kinds and c o n t r a ri e s . " And this i s why Sade, i n his L es 1 20 J o llrnees, h a s s e t h i m s e l f t h e gigantic task of drawing up t h e complete inventory o f a n o m a l i e s and a b e r r a tions, li sting e v e r y k i n d o f human p o s s i b i l i ty . In o r d e r to be a t t h e me rcy o f n o t h i n g , i t w a s n e c e s s a ry for h i m t o exp e r i ence e v e rything.
You s h a l l k n o w noth i n g i f y o u have not known everything, a n d i f you are timid enough to s top with what is natural, Nature w i l l elude your grasp forever.
One u n d e r s t a n d s why the s o rrowful Justine ' s objection : "And w h a t if l u ck s h ou l d tu rn a g a i n s t you ? " cannot u p s e t the criminal sou\ . F o r i f i n d e e d luck d o e s reverse i ts e l f and turn i n to m i s fo rtun e , t h e l a tt e r w i l l a c tu a lly b e no m o r e t h a n another f a c e t o f fortune i ts e l f , a s much to b e desired and a s s a t i s fying a s the form e r . But you a r e r i sking t h e gall ows ! You may end in t h e m o s t i gnominious o f deaths. "Tha t , " repl i e s t h e l i b e r t i n e , " i s my most c h e r i s h e d de s i r e . " "Ah , Jul i e tt e , " B o r g h e s e says,
i f o n l y my transgressions c a n lead me like the l a s t o f c reatures to t h e fate to which the i r wild abandon conducts them. The gallows itself woul d be f o r m e a voluptuous throne, a n d there wou ld I face death by relishing the pleasure o f expiring a victim o f my crimes.
And a n o t he r :
1 M. B l a nchot is r e f e r r i ng, of cou r s e , to P a u l h a n ' s "The M a r q u i s de S a d e and H i s Accom p l ice" w h ic h a p p e a r e d t h r e e y e a r s b e f o r e h i s o w n s t u d y o n S a d e .
Maurice Blancho t + 5 1
The true libertine loves even the rep roaches h e receives fo r the un speakable deeds h e has done. H ave we not seen some who loved the very to rtu res h u m an vengeance was readying for the m , who submitted to them j oyfully, who beheld the scaffold as a throne of glory upon which they would have been most grieved not to perish with the same courage they had d i spl ayed in the loathsome exercise of thei r heinous crimes ? There is the m an at the u l timate degree o f medi tated corruption.
Aga i n s t a Power such as t h i s , w h a t can the law d o ? It b e l i e v e s it i s pun i s h i n g h i m , a n d a c t ually i t i s r e w a r d i n g h i m ; i t exalts h i m by d e b a s i n g h i m . S i m i l a rly, wh a t c a n t h e l i b e r t i n e d o , wh a t i nj u ry i n fl i c t u p o n h i s p e e r ? He may o n e d a y b e t r a y and destroy h i m , b u t t h i s b e t r a y a l i s t h e s o u rc e o f s a v a ge p l e a su r e t o h i m who i s the victim of it a n d who v i ew s such a betrayal a s the c o n fi rm a ti on of all h i s s u s p i c i o n s a n d can d i e reveling i n t h e thought th a t h e has been t h e o c c a s i on f o r y e t a n e w c r i m e ( no t t o mention o th e r j o ys ) .
One of S a d e ' s m o s t cu r i o u s h e r o i n e s is n a m e d Amel i e . S h e l i v e s i n S w e d e n , a n d one day s h e s e eks o u t B o rc h a m p s , the consp i r a t o r w h o m w e h a v e a l r e a dy m e n t i o n e d . B o rc h a m p s , h o p i n g fo r a gigantic m a s s a c r e , h a s j u s t b e t r a y e d all h i s fellow p l o t t e r s a n d de l i v e r e d them into the hands of t h e king. This b e t r a y a l has fi r e d Amel i e ' s enthu s i a sm . " I l o v e y o u r f e r o c i ty, " s h e t e l l s h i m .
Swear t o m e t h a t I s h a l l one d ay b e your victim . S i nce t h e age o f fifteen, my mind h as been ablaze, obsessed with the idea o f perishing a victim of l i b e rtinage's most cruel passions. I d o not wish to d i e tomorrow, no doubt ; my extrav agance does not go that far. B u t in no other m anner do I wish to d i e : to become, in expi ring, the occasion of a crime is an idea th at m akes my head spin.
Strange h e a d , full wo rthy of t h i s reply : "I l ove your mind t o the p o i n t of m a d n e s s , a n d I beli eve that you a n d I will do splendid things t o ge t h e r . " Then : "The r e ' s n o denying i t : she's r o t t e n , putri fi e d . "
Thu s , eve ryth i n g begins to g r o w cle a r : t o the integral man, who i s a t his full e s t , there i s no p o s s i b l e e v i l . If h e i nj u re s o t h e r s , the r e s u l t i s voluptuou s ; i nj u ry endu r e d a t t h e i r h a n d s i s s h e e r d e l i g h t . V i r tu e p l e a s e s h i m b e c a u s e V i r tu e i s w e a k a n d h e c r u s h e s i t ; Vice ple a s e s h i m b e c a u s e h e finds p l e a s u r e i n t h e c h a o s t h a t r e s u l t s from i t , e v e n t h o u g h i t b e a t h i s exp e n s e . I f h e l i v e s , t h e r e i s n o c i rcum s t a n c e , no e v e n t th a t h e c a n n o t t u r n i n t o h a p p i n e s s .
5 2 -+ T H E MARQ UIS DE SADE
And i f he dies, he finds an even greater happiness in h i s death, and in the knowledge of his destruction he sees the crowning achi evement o f a l i fe whose sole j u stification lay in the need to destroy. He is therefore inaccessible to others. He is impervious to all attacks, nothing can rob him of his power to be himself and to enj oy himself. T 1 at i s the primary meaning o f his solitude. Even i f he i n his turn se emingly becomes a victim and a thrall, the violence o f th e passions he knows how to slake in any situation assures him o f h i s sovl�rei gnty and makes him feel that i n any ci rcumstance, in l i fe a s in death, he remains omnipotent. It i s for this reason tha t, despitt the analogy of the descriptions, it seems only fair to leave to Sacher- M asoch the p a te rni ty o f masochism, and the p a ternity o f sa iism to Sade. The pleasure S a d e ' s heroes find i n degradati o n neve � lessens the i r self-possession, and abj ection a dds to thei r stature. Shame, remorse, a penchant fo r puni shment all such feelings are fo reign to them. vVhen Saint-Fond says to Julie tte : " My p ride i s such th at I should like to be served by per sons kneeling, and never speak to that vile scum called people save through an interpreter," she replies, without a trace o f i rony, by asking : " But don't the caprices o f libertinage compel you to come down from such h e i gh ts ?" To which S a int-Fond repli e s : " Fo r minds a s o rganized a s ours, t h a t hum iliation serves as a n exqui site fl a ttery to our p r i d e . " And Sade adds in a note : "Th i s i s readily understood ; one does what no one else does ; one i s therefore uniqu e . " On the moral :evel , the same prideful sati sfaction in the feeling that one i s an exil e from humanity :
The world must tremble upon learning of the crimes we shall h ave com m i tted . Men must be made to b l u sh and feel ashamed at belonging to the same species a s we d o . I demand that a monument be raised to com memo rate this crime and signal it to the whole wo rld, and that our names b e graven upon i t b y ou r own hands.
To be unique, u n i q u e among one ' s own speci es, i s indeed the sign of true sovereignty , and we shall see to what absolute limits S a d e h a s taken thi s c a t � gory, a n d what absolute me aning he has given it.
The whole scheme i s beginning to be even cl e a r e r . And yet a t t h e stage to w h i c h w e have p rogressed we a l s o feel t h a t i t i s also becoming very dark indeed. This d e ft movement by which the
Maurice Blancho t .. 5 3
Unique Being eludes the influence and control o f o t h e r s i s f a r from c rystal cle a r . I n certain r e s p e c t s , it is a sort of stoic i n s e n s i b i l i ty , w h i c h s e e m s t o a s sume m a n ' s p e rfect au tonomy w i th r e s p e c t to t h e w o r l d . B ut a t the same time i t i s the e x a c t oppos i t e , f o r the Unique B eing, being independent of all the o t h e r s who a r e incapable o f h a rming h i m , imm e d i a tely decl a r e s complete dominion ove r them. And it is n o t because others a r e powerless against h i m that torture, the stab o f the dagge r , and debasing maneuvers they devi se a ga i n s t him l e a v e h i m intact, but because h e can do wha tever h e w i s h e s to others that even the p a i n o t h e r s cause h i m a ff o r d s him the pleasure o f p o w e r a n d h e l p s h i m exerci s e h i s sove r e i gnty. N o w , t h i s s i tu a tion becomes v e ry e mb a rr a s s i n g . For the moment t h a t "to b e master of myself" m e a n s " to b e master o f others, " the moment my independence d o e s not derive from my autonomy b u t from the de pendence of o t h e r s u p o n me, it becomes obvious th a t I r e m a i n b o u n d to the others a n d have n e e d o f th e m , i f o n l y t o r e du c e them to nothing. S a de ' s commentators h ave o ften p o i n t e d out this d i ffi culty. I t i s f a r from c e r t a i n whether S a de himself w a s a w a r e o f i t , a n d one o f the o r i g i n a l a s p e c t s o f t h i s " excep tional" p h i l osophy p e r h a p s comes from this f a c t : when one is not S a d e there is a crucial p roblem c r e a t e d , through which the relations of mutual soli d a r i ty between m a s t e r a n d slave are reintroduc e d ; but i f one is S a d e , t h e r e is no p roblem a n d , fu rthermore, i t is impossible even t o imagine o n e i n this connection.
It i s i mp o ssible f o r u s t o examine, a s w e should , the l a rg e numbe r o f texts ( wi t h S a d e , everythi n g i s always i n fi n itely nume r o u s ) w h i c h r e l a t e to t h i s s i tu a t i o n . Actually, t h e r e i s a plethora o f contradictions. Sometimes the m o s t ferocious l i b e rtinage seems a s though haunted b y t h e contradiction o f i ts p l e a s u r e s . The l i b e r t i n e derives h i s m o s t exqu i s i te p l e a su r e and j o y from the d e s t ruction o f h i s v i c t i m s , b u t this j oy rui n s i tself, i s sel f-d e structive, s i n c e i t an n i h i l a t e s w h a t c a u s e s i t . "The p l e a su r e one gets from killing a woman , " says one o f them,
is soon past ; once d e a d , s h e feels nothing furthe r ; the pleasure o f making her suffer disappears with her l i fe . • . • B rand her ( with a red-hot iron ) ; sully and soil her ; from this debasement she will suffer to the very last moments of her life and our lust, infinitely prolonged, will as a result be even more delicious.
5 4 .. T H E M A RQ U I S DE S A D E
Simil a rly, Saint-Fond, not content with tortures that are too simpl e , dreams o f a k i n d o f infini tely protracted death fo r everyone j i t i s f o r this r e a son t h a t h e .:onceives of an undeni ably ingenious sys tem whereby he would a,'ail himself of Hell and a rrange to use, in this upper world, Hell's inexhaustible resources for torturing vic tims of h i s choice. Here we can surely discern what inextricable bonds oppression creates between the oppressor and the oppressed. S a d e ' s heroes draw their mstenance from the deaths they cause, and there are times when, dreaming o f everl asting life, he dreams o f a d e a th he can inflict eternally. The result is that the executioner and the victim, set eternally fa ce to face, find themselves endowed equ ally with the s a me power, with the same divine a ttribute of eternity. It would be impossible to claim that such a contradiction does not exi st in S a d e ' s work. But even more o ften h e a ttempts to by-pa s s i t b y t h e u s e o f a rguments t h a t give u s a much clearer a n d m o r e p ro found picture of the wo r l d that is his. C l a i rwill chides Sai nt-Fond for w h a t she terms his unpardonable excesses, and to restore him to the right p a th she advises him thus :
Get r i d of that voluptuous idea which works you up to such a white-hot p itch-the idea o f indefinitely p rolonging the agonies o f the creature you h ave selected to kill-get rid o f it and repl ace i t by a greater abundance of murders .. D o not conce n t rate on k i l l i n g the same pe rson over a long period , which is an impossi b i l i ty, but m u rd e r a whole host of others, which i s enti rely feasible.
Incre ased numbers i s indeed the more correct solution. To consi der human beings from the vi ewpoint o f quantity kills them more com p l e tely than does the physical act of violence which annihilates them. I t may well be th a � the criminal i s inextricably bound to and involved with the p e rson he murders. But the libertine who, a s he immolates his victim, fe d s only the need to sacrifice a thousand others, seems strangely free o f all involvement with him. In his eyes, the victim does not o f itself exist, he i s not a distinct individual but a mere sign, whi c o. is indefinitely replaceable in a vast e rotic equation. \Vhen we r e a d statements such a s this : "Nothing i s so amusing, nothing so stimul ates and exci tes the brain a s do l a rge numb e rs , " we comp rehend more fully why Sade utilizes the concept of equality so o f ten to buttre ss his arguments. To decl are that all men are equal is equivalent to saying that no one i s worth
Maurice Blanch o t .. 5 5
more than any other, all a re inte rch angeabl e , each i s only a unit, a cipher in an infinite p rogression . For the Unique Person, all men are e qual in their nothingn e s s , and the Unique One, by reducing them to nothing, simply cl arifies and demonstrates this nothingness.
That i s what m akes Sade's world so strange. Scen e s of sav agery a r e followed by more scenes of savagery. The repetition is as extraordin a ry as it is endless. I t is not unusual for a libertine to slaughter fou r or five hundred victi ms in a single session ; then he starts in again the following day ; then again that same evening with a new ceremony. The a r r angements and positions may vary sli ghtly, but once again things work up to a feve r pitch and heca tomb succeeds hecatomb. But i s it not eminently cl e a r that those who p e rish in these gigantic butcheries no longer possess the slight est re ality, and if they disapp e a r with such ludicrous e a s e it i s because they have p r eviously been annihilated by a total, absolute act of destruction, b ecause they are present and die only to b e a r witness to this kind of original ca taclysm , this destruction applicable not only to themselves but to eve ryone else as well ? Wha t is especi ally striking is the fact that the world in which the Unique One lives and moves and has his being i s a desert ; the creatures he encounters there are less than things, less than shades. And when h e torments and destroys them he is not wresting away the i r lives but verifying the i r nothingness, establishing his authority ove r the i r non-exi st ence, and from this he derives h i s greatest satisfaction. What in fact does the Duc de Blangis say to the women who, at the dawn of the first of the hundred and twenty days, h ave been gathered to gether as the pleasure p awns for the four libertines ?
Consi d e r you r ci rcumstances, remember who you are and who we are, and let these reflections cause you to tremble and shu d d e r with horror. You are outside the borders o f France, i n the heart of an uninhabited forest, far beyond the steep mountains whose paths and passages h ave been oblite rated behind you the minute you crossed over them ; you are sealed i n an imp regnable citadel, no one in the world has the slightest idea where are you, you are beyond the reach o f both your friends and you r family : so far as the world is concerned, y o u are already dead.
This l a st should be taken quite literally. The s e women are already dead, suppressed, enclosed in the a bsolute voi d of a bastille into which existence no longer dares to enter , a bastill e where the i r
5 6 + T H E MARQ UIS DE SADE
lives serve only to m ake manifest thi s quality of "already dead" with which they are commingled.
We shall leave aside the tales of necrophili a which, while there i s no dea rth of them in Sa d e ' s writings, seem at some remove from the "normal" inclinations of his heroes. We should, moreover, point out tha t whenever Sade's he roes exclaim : "Ah, the lovely corpse I" and wax ecsta tic at the insensibility of death, they have generally begun their ca reers as mu rderers, and it is the effects of this capacity for aggress on tha t they are striving to prolong beyond the grave. It i s undeniable that what characterizes Sade's world is not the desire to become one with the cadaver's immobilized and petrified exi stence, nor is it the attemp t to slip into the passivity of a form representing the absence of forms, of a wholly real reality, shielded and protected f rom life's unce rtainties and yet incarnating the very essence o f irreality. Quite the contrary : the center of S a d e ' s world i s the urgtnt need for sove reignty to assert i tself by an enormous negation. This negation, which cannot be satisfied or ade qua tely demonstrate d on the plane o f the p a r ticul a r , requires l a rge qu antities, for i t is basically intended to transcend the plane of human existence. I t i, in vain that S a dean man imposes himsel f on others by his power to destroy them : i f he gives the impression of never being dependent on them, even in the situ a tion where he finds himself obliged to annihilate them-i f he invariably seems cap able of doing witholl t them, it i s because he has placed himself on a plane where he and they no longer have anything in common, and he has done this by se tting himself such goals and lending h i s proj ects a scope which infini tely transcends man and his puny ex i s tence. In other words, insofar as Sa dean man seems surp risingly free with respect to his victims-upon whom, however, his pleas ures depend-it i s because violence, as it applies to and i s used upon them, is not aimec a t them but at something else, something far beyond them, and a I Sade's viol ence does i s to authentica te frenziedly, and endlessly in e ach pa rticula r ca se-the general act o f destruction b y which h e h a s reduced G o d a n d t h e worl d t o nothing.
Cle arly, with Sade the criminal ins tinct stems from a nostalgic, transcendental vision which the miserable practical possibilities are forever debasing and di shonoring. The most glorious crime which this poor world i s capab: e of providing is a wretche d nothing which
Maurice Blanch o t + 5 7
makes the libertine blush with shame. Like the monk }tSrome , there is n o t one among them who i s not overwhelmed with shame at the thought o f how mediocre his crimes are, and all seek a crime su p e ri o r to any of which man is capable in this world. "And un happily, " says Jerom e , "I cannot find it. All we do is but the pale image of what w e dream o f doing." And C l a i rwill says ;
What I shoul d like to find is a crime the effects of which wou l d be per petu a l , even when I mysel f do not act, so that there woul d not be a single moment o f my l i fe , even when I were asleep, when I was not the cause of some chaos, a chaos of such p roportions that i t wou l d p rovoke a general corruption o r a d istu rb ance so formal that even after my d eath its effects woul d still be felt.
To which Juliette offers this reply, calcul ated to please the author of the La Nouvelle Jus tine : "Try your hand a t a moral crime, the kind one commits in writing." Although Sade, i n his doctrine, re duced to a strict minimum the part played by intellectual pleasures, although h e eliminated almost enti rely intellectual eroticism ( be cause his own erotic dream consists i n p roj ecting, onto characters who do not dream but re ally act, the unreal movement o f hill pleasures ; S a d e ' s e roticism i s a dream eroticism, since it expresses i tsel f almost exclusively in fiction ; but the more this eroticism i s imagined, the m o r e i t requires a fiction from which d r e a m i s ex cluded, a fiction wherein debauchery can be enacted and lived ) , and al though S a de does howeve r , and in a n exceptional sense, exalt the imaginary, it is because he is wonderfully well aware o f the fact tha t the basis for many an imperfect crime i s some impossible crime that only the imagination c a n comp rehend. And that i s why he allows Belmore to say :
Ah, Jul iette, how delightful are the pleasures of the i m agination ! I n these delectable moments, t h e whole world i s o u rs ; not a single creature resists us, we devastate the world , we repopul ate i t with new obj ects which, i n turn, w e immolate. T h e means to every crime i s ours, a n d w e employ them a l l , w e multiply t h e horror a hund redfold.
I n h i s volume of essays Sade m a n proch ain, wherein the bold est ideas are a dvanced on Sade and also on the problems Sade's existence can help to clarify , Pierre Klossowski explains the ex tremely complex character of the relations the Sadean consciousness entertains with God and with its fellow men. He s hows that these
5 8 .. THE MARQ U I S DE SADE
a re n e g a t i v e , but t h a t , i n a smuch as t h i s nega tion is r e a l , it re i n troduces the concept it rej e cts : the concept o f God and of o n e ' s fellow m a n a r e , Klo s sowski s a y s , i n d i s p e n s a b l e to t h e l i b e r tine con s c i o u s n e s s . T h i s is a p o i n t we could discuss endlessly, f o r S a d e ' s wo rk i s a w e l t e r o f cl e a r i d e a s w h e r e i n eve rything i s s t a t e d but wherein everything i s a l s o conc e a l e d . N e v e r t h e l e s s , S a d e ' s original i ty s e em s to u s to r e s i d e i n h i s extremely fi rm c l a i m to found m a n ' s s o v e r e i gnty u p o n a transcendent powe r of n e g a t i o n , a power which i n n o wise depends u p o n :he obj e c t s i t d e s troys and which, i n o r d e r t o d e s t r o y them , d o e s n o t e v e n p resuppose the i r p re v i o u s exi stence b e c a u s e , a t the instant it d e s t roys t h e m , i t has alr e a dy p r e v i o u s l y , a n d w i t h o u t excep t i o n , c o n s i d e r e d them a s nothing. A d i a l e c t i c such as th i s fi n d s both i t s b e s t example a n d , p e r h a p s , i t s j u s t i fi c a t i o n , i n t h e s t a n c e S a d e ' s Omni p o tent One assumes with respect to d i v i n e o m n i p o t e n c e .
M au r i c e H e i n e h a s emph a s i z e d S a d e ' s ext r a o rd i n a ry s t e a d f a s t n e s s o f p u r p o s e w h e n i t c o m e s to a t h e i sm. 2 B u t how right KIo s sowski i s to remind u s t h a t S a d e ' s i s n o t a cold-b l o o d e d a t h e i sm. The moment the n a m e of G o d is i n t e rj ected i n t o even the m i l d e s t di s cu s s i on o r plot , the l angu age i s i n s t a n tly ign i t e d , the tone be c o m e s h a r a n gu i n g a n d t h e wo rds are i n f u s e d with a n d ove rwh e l m e d by h a t e . I t i s s u r ely n o t i n the scenes o f l u x u r y a n d l u s t t h a t S a d e ' s p a ss i o n i s r e v e a l e d ; b u t w he n e v e r t h e Uni q u e One fi n d s t h e s l i gh t e s t v e s t i g e o f G o d i n h i s p a t h , then a r e the v i o l ence a n d scorn and h e a t o f p r i d e and the ve rtigo o f p o w e r and d e s i r e immedi a tely awak e n e d . In a way, the n o t i o n of God is m a n ' s inexp i able fault, h i s o ri g i n a l s i n , t h e p r o o f o f h i s n o t h i n g n e s s , t h e t h i n g which j u s t i fi e s a n d a u t h o r i z e s c r i m e , fo r w h e n one i s d e a l i n g with a p e rson w h o h a s a c c e p t e d to p ro s trate himsel f b e f o r e God and decl a r e h i m s e l f a s worthl e s s i n G o d ' s eye s , one c a n n o t r e s o r t to too e x t r e m e o r t o o e n e rgetic m e a su r e s a g a i n s t him. " T h e notion o f G o d i s t h e one f a u l t I c a n n o t forgive i n man," w r i t e s S a de. A d e c i s i v e though t , a n d o n e o f the k e y s o f h i s system. T h e b e l i e f i n an o m n i p o tent God who only grants to m a n the r e a l i ty o f a w i s p o f straw, an atom of n o t h i n gn e s s , m a k e s i t incumbent u p o n the i n tegral m a n to r e t r i e v e t h i s superhuman power and e x e r c i s e h i m s e l f , on b e h a l f o f
2 S a d e : Dia l o g u e e n t r e u n p r e t r e e t u n moribond, avec u n a v a n t -prop o s e t des n o t es p a r Maurice H ei n e . P a ris, Stend h a l et C i e . , 1926.
Maurice Bla n ch o t + 5 9
m a n a n d a t the exp e n s e o f m e n , t h e s o v e r e i gn r i g h t w h i c h they h a v e granted to G o d . W h e n the c r i m i n a l k i l l s , h e i s G od-on - e a r t h , be c a u s e he e ff e c t s between his victim a n d himself a relationship o f subo r d i n a t i o n w h e r e i n the l a tter s e e s the c o n c r e t e d e fi n i t i o n o f di vine sovere i gn ty. The moment a true l i b e r ti n e detects, b e it i n the m i n d o f the m o s t corrupt debauchee, t h e s l i ghtest t r a c e o f r e l i gi o u s f a i th , h e i mm e d i a tely decrees h i m d e a d : for the m i s c r e a n t debauchee h a s d e s troyed h i m s e l f , by h a v i n g abdicated i n t o the h a n d s o f God. To do s o means th a t h e considers himself a s n o t h i ng, so t h a t he who k i l l s h i m is s imply recti fyi n g a s i tu a t i o n which i s only thinly v e i l e d by a pp e ar a n c e s .
S a d e a n m a n d e n i e s m a n , a n d t h i s n e g a t i o n i s a c h i ev e d through the i n t e rm e di a ry o f t h e n o t i o n o f G o d . He temp o r a rily m a k e s h i m s e l f G o d , so tha t there b e f o r e h i m m e n a r e reduced to n o t h i n g a n d d i scover t h e n o th ingness o f a b e i n g before G o d . " I t i s t ru e , i s i t n o t , p r i n c e , t h a t you d o n o t love men ? " Jul i e tte a sk s . " I l o a th e them. N o t a moment g o e s b y th a t m y m i n d i s n o t bu sy plotting v i o l ently to d o them h a rm . I n d e e d , t h e r e i s n o r a c e m o r e h o r r i b l e , more fri ghtful . . . . H o w l o w a n d scurvy, how v i l e a n d di sgusting a r a c e i t i s I" " B u t , " Juli e tte bre aks i n , " y o u do n o t r e a lly b e l i e v e th a t you are to b e included among m e n ? . . . Oh, no, no, when one dom i n a t e s them with s u c h e n e rgy, i t i s impossible to belOlig to th e s am e r a c e . " To w h i c h S a i n t-Fon d : " Y e s , s h e i s r i g h t , w e a r e g o d s . "
S t i l l , t h e d i al e c t i c e v o l v e s to fu r t h e r l e v e l s : S a d e ' s m a n , who has taken unto h i m s e l f the p o w e r to s e t h i m s e l f above m e n-the power which men m a dly yield to G o d-n e v e r f o r a moment forgets that thi s power is comple tely n e g a t i v e . To b e G o d can have only o n e m e a n i n g : to crush m a n , to r e duce c r e a t i o n to nothing. " I should like t o b e Pando r a ' s box , " S a i n t-Fond s ays a t another p o i n t , " s o t h a t all the evils w h i c h e s c a p e d from my breast might d e s troy a l l mankind i n d i v i du a lly. " And Verneuil : "And if i t were true a G o d existed, would we n o t b e h i s rivals, since w e d e stroy thus w h a t h e h a s m a de ? " This is t h e way a n a m b i guous conception o f the Omn i p o t e n t i s g r a du ally f a s h i o n e d , a n d y e t there c a n sca rcely b e any doubt about the u l t i m a t e m e aning. Klo ssowski r e fe r s o ften to the theo r i e s of th i s s a m e S a i n t-Fond, some of whose views w e h a v e c i t e d a n d w h o , among a l l S a d e ' s h e r o e s , i s the o n l y one t o b e l i e v e i n a S u p r e m e B e ing. B u t the G o d i n whom h e b e l i e v e s i s
60 + THE MARQ UIS DE SADE
not terribly benign, but " extremely vindictive, very b a rbaric, very wicke d, most unjust, an d very cru e l . " He is the Supreme Being of wickedness, the God of malfeasance. From this idea Sade deduced all kinds o f brilliant theori e s . H e imagines a Last Judgment which h e describes with all the resources o f savage humor which he pos sesses. We hear God upbraiding the good in these terms :
When you saw that everything was vicious and criminal on earth, why did yo u stray into the paths of virtue ? Did not the perpetual misery with which I covered the universe suffice to convince you that I love only disorder and chaos, and that to please me you must irri tate m e ? Did I not daily provide you with the example o f dest ruction ? Seeing which, Fool, why did you not destroy, why did you not do as I did ?
But h aving recalled thi s , it is obvious that the conception of an infernal God is but a way station o f the di alectic according to which S a d e ' s sup erman, after baving deni e d man in the guise of God, next a dvances to meet God and will i n turn deny him in the name of N a tu r e , in order fin ally to deny N a ture by identifying i t with the spi r i t o f negation. I n the evil God, the negation which has j u s t exterminated the n o t i o n o f man rests a s i t were for a few moments b e fore launching a new attack, this time against i tself. In becoming God, Saint-Fond by the same stroke compels God to become Saint Fond, and the Suprem e B eing, into whose hands the weak have commi tted themselves in order to force the strong to commi t them selves as well, no longer asserts Himself except as the gigantic constraint o f a rocklikt: transcendence which crushes each in p ro portion to his frailty. This is hatred o f mankind hypostasized, r a i s e d to its highest degre e . But no sooner h a s the spirit of negation attained the pinnacle o f absolute existence than i t i s compelled to become aware o f its own infinitude and can only turn against the a ffi rm a tion o f this absolute exi stence, which now i s the sole obj ect worthy o f a negation g rown infinite. I t i s the h a tred of men that was embodi e d i n God. Now i t i s the hatred o f God which liberates from God hatred itself-a hatred so violent that i t seems to be constantly, moment by moment, proj ecting the reality o f what i t i s denying, t h e b e t t e r to a s s e r t and j u s t i fy itself. " I f t h a t existence i f God's existenc e , " says Dubo i s ,
should p rove t o be t ru e , the mere pleasure o f b aiting and annoyi n g the person so designated would become the most precious com pensation for
Maurice Blancho t .. 6 1
the necessity I would then find myself in to acknowledge some belief in him.
But doe s a hate s o intense and s e a ring a s this not i n d i c a t e , as Klos sowski would s e em t o believe, a f a i t h which h a d fo rgotten i t s n a m e and r e s o r t e d to bla sphemy a s a m e a n s o f f o r c i n g G o d to b r e a k h i s silence ? That s e em s qu i t e unlikely to u s . On the contrary , every thing sugge sts t h a t the only r e a s o n this powerful h a t r e d h a s shown such a p r e d i l e c t i o n for the d e i ty is b e c a u s e it has found i n him b o th a p r e te n s e and a privileged sustenance. For S a d e , God i s clearly n o th i n g m o r e than a prop f o r h i s h a t e . T h a t h a t r e d i s too g r e a t t o b e concerned about any p a rticu l a r obj e c t ; b e i n g infi n i t e , a n d a s i t i s constantly t r a n s c e n d i n g any limi t s , i t tends to delight i n itself a n d t o wax ecstatic over that i n fi n i tu d e to which i t lends the n a m e of G o d ( "The s o l e source of your system , " C l a i rwill s ays to S a int-Fond , "is your p r o found h a t r e d f o r G o d . " ) . But it is h a t e and h a te alone which i s r e a l , and i n the end i t will t u r n i t s e l f wi th the same intensity and f e a r l e s s n e s s a g a i n s t N a tu r e as a g a i n s t the non-exi stent God it l o a t h e s .
Actu ally, i f S a d e ' s m o s t temp e s tuous p a s s i o n s are unleashed b y t h i n g s relig i ou s , b y the n a m e o f G o d a n d by h i s p r i e s t s , w h o m S a d e t e r m s " God-m a k e r s , " i t i s b e c a u s e the t e r m s G o d a n d religio n embody v i r tually every form o f h i s h a t r e d . I n G o d , h e h a t e s the n o thingn e s s of m a n , who has fashioned such a master for h i m s e l f , a n d the thought o f t h i s nothingn e s s i rr i t a t e s an d inflames him to such a n extent t h a t a l l h e c a n do i s join forces with G o d to sanction this nothingn e s s . And h e also hates God' s omnipotence, i n which h e recogn i z e s what should p rope rly b el o n g to him, a n d G o d becomes the fi g u r e a n d embo diment o f h i s i n fi n i t e h a t e . A n d fi n a l l y , w h a t h e h a t e s i n G o d i s G o d ' s poverty, the nulli ty o f an existence which, however much i t may p o s i t i ts e l f a s existence a n d c r e a t i o n , i s nothing, f o r what i s g r e a t , w h a t i s eve rythi n g , i s t h e spi r i t o f destruction.
T h i s spirit of d e s truction, i n Sade's system, is identified with N a tu r e . This p o i n t p roved to b e a tho rny o n e f o r Sade, a n d h e f o u n d himsel f forc e d to grop e h i s way a l o n g , a n d i n f a c t h a d to r e pudi a t e the then fashion able a t h e i s t i c philosophie s f o r w h i c h h e c o u l d n o t help but feel a certain sympa thy a n d f r o m w h i c h his
62 *' T H E M A R Q U I S DE S A D E
r e a son, always eager fo r supporting OpInIOnS, could draw an inexhau s t i bl e supply. But to the extent th a t he was able to p a s s beyond naturalistic i deol ogy and that he w a s not taken in by exte rnal analogies, h e p roves to us th at in him logic h a s proceeded to its ultima te limits wi thou t ever abandoning the field to the obscure forces which supported i t. "N ature" i s one o f those words Sade, like so m any e i ghteenth-century authors, delighted i n writing. I t is in the name o f � a ture that he wages h i s ba ttle against God and against everyth ing that: God stands for, especially morality. There i s n o n e e d to emph a s i z e this point : Sade emph a s i z e s i t over and over aga i n ; his material on the subj ect i s truly staggering. Accord ing to him, this N a ture i s first of all universal li fe, and for hundreds and hundreds of pages his whole philosophy consists in reiterating tha t immoral i n s tincts a r e good, since they a r e the facts o f N a ture, and the fi r s t and l a s t lppeal must b e to N a tu r e . In other words, no morality : the fact r e i gn s . But subsequently, bothered by the equal value he sees himself obliged to accord both to good and evil i nstincts and impulses, he attempts to establish a new scale of values with crime a t th e summi t . H i s p rincipal a r gument consists i n m a i ntaining t h a t crime conforms m o r e closely to the spirit o f N a tur e , because i t i s mo\ ement, that i s l i fe ; � ature, he says, which wishes to create, n e ed�, crime, which destroys : all this i s set forth i n the greatest detail and a t incredible l ength , and sometimes with rather s t riking proof. N evertheless, by dint o f talking about N a tur e , by being constantl y faced with this frame of reference, ubiqui tous and commanding, the S a dean p rotagonist becomes gradually annoyed, his anger mO llnts, and before long his h a tred for N a tu r e i s s u c h that N a tu r e , u nbea rable in his eye s , is the t a r g e t fo r h i s anathemas and negations. " Y e s , my friend, y e s indeed, I l o a th e Nature." T h e r e are two deep-s e a ted re a sons f o r t h i s revolt. On the one hand, h e finds it q lite intolerable that the incredible power of destruction which h e represents has no other purpose than to au tho rize N a ture to cre a te . And on the other hand, inso far a s he himself belongs to N a ture h e feels th at N a ture eludes his negation, and that the more h e insults and defiles i t the better he serves it, the more h e annihi l a tes i t the more he i s submi tting to i t s l aw. Whence those cries o f hatred, that truly insane revol t :
Maurice Blanch o t + 63
Oh thou , blind a n d insensate force, w h e n I s h a l l h ave exterminated a l l t h e c reatures on t h e face o f t h e earth I s h a l l sti l l b e f a r ind eed f rom my goal , fo r I shall h ave served thee, cruel maste r , whereas all I asp i re to i s to revenge myse l f for the stupidity and evil which t h o u m akest men t o experience by refusing t h e m t h e m e a n s to i n d u l ge themselves f reely i n t h e frightful predilections w h i c h t h o u dost i n s p i r e i n them.
Therein l i e s the expression of a primordial and el ementary feeling : to insult and outrage N a ture i s m a n ' s most deep-rooted exi gency, one which is a thou sand times stronger than his need to offend God.
I n everything we do there are nothing b u t idols offended and creatures insulted, but N atu re i s not among them, and i t i s she I should like to outrage. I shoul d like to upset her plans, thwart her p rogress, a rrest the wheeli n g cou rses o f the stars, th row the spheres floating in space into mighty confusion, destroy what serves N ature and p rotect what is h a rm ful to h e r ; in a word, to insult her i n her works--and this I am unable to do.
And once again, in the above p a s s a ge, S ade allows himself to can· fus e N a tu r e with i ts great laws, and this enables h i m to dream o f a cataclysm s u c h that i t could de stroy them ; b u t h i s l o g i c rej ects this comp romise and when, elsewhere, h e envisions a n engineer invent· ing a machine to pulveri z e the universe, he i s forced i n to the fol· lowing a dmission : no one will have been more deserving of N ature than h e . S a de w a s p e r fectly well aware of the fact that to annihilate everything i s n o t to annihilate the world, for the world i s not only universal a ffi rmation but universal destruction as well, and can be rep resented al ike by the totality o f being a n d the totality o f non· being. I t i s for this reason that the struggle with N a ture represents, in man's h i story, a far more a dvanced dialectical stage than his struggle with God. We can sa fely state, without fear o f unduly modernizing S a d e ' s thought, th a t he was one o f the first thinkers of his century to have recogn i z e d and incorp o r a ted into his world view the notion o f transcendence : since the notion of nothingness, of non· being, belongs to the world, one cannot conceive of the worl d ' s non· being except from within a tota l i ty, which is still the world.
If crime is the sp irit o f N a ture, there i s no crime against N a ture and, conse quently, there i s no crime possible. S a de states thi s, a t times with the most p ro found s a ti s faction, and then again with the deepest resentment and rage. For to deny the p o s sibili ty of crim e allows h i m to deny morality and God and all human values ;
64 + T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
but to deny crime is also to r enounce the spirit of negation, to admit that this spirit can suppress itself. This is a conclusion against which he protests most vigorously, and one which leads him li ttle by l i ttle to withdraw all reality from N a tu r e . In the l a s t volumes of La Nouvelle Ju s ti n e, ( e sp ec i ally in Volumes VI I I and IX ) , Juliette repudiates all her prev ious concep tions and makes amends in the following term s:
Fool that I was, before we p a rted I was stil l involved with the notion of Nature, but the new systems which I have since adopted have re moved me from her . . . .
N a tu r e , she says, h a s no more reality, no more truth or meaning than God :
Ah, bitch, p e rhaps thou dost deceive me too, as in times pll$t I was deceived by the vile deific chimera to which thou art, we were told , submissive ; we are no more dependent upon thee than upon him ; perhaps the causes are not essential to the eff(�cts. . . .
Thus N a ture d i s appears, although the philosophe r h a d placed all h i s trust in her and al thou gh he would greatly have loved to make a formi dable death machine of universal li fe. But mere nothingness is not h i s goal. 'What h:: h a s s triven for i s sovereignty, through the spirit of negation, carried to i ts extreme. Putting thi s negation to the test, h e has alterna tely employed i t on men, God, and N a ture. M en , God, and N a tu re : the moment each o f these notions comes i n contact with negation i t seems to be endowe d with a certain valu e , but if one considers the exp e riment a s a whole , the s e moments no longer have the slightest reality , for the characteristic of the ex p e riment consists precisely in ruining a n d nullifying them one after the other .. What are men, i f before God they are nothing ? Wha t i s G o d w h e n comp ared t o N a ture ? A n d wha t i n fact i s N a ture, which is compelled to vanish, driven to disapp e a r by man' s need to ou t rage i t ? Thus the circle i s closed. With man we started, we now end up with man. Except th a t he now bears a new name: he i s called the Uni qu e One, the man who i s unique of his kind.
Sade, having di scovered that in man negation was power, claimed to b a s e man's future on negation carried to the extreme. To reach this ultimate limit, h e dreamed up-borrowing from the vocabula ry o f his time-a principle which, by i ts very ambiguity,
Maurice Blancho t + 6 5
represents a most ingenious choice. Thi s p rinciple i s : Energy. Energy i s , actually, a completely e quivocal notion. It is both a reserve o f forces and an expenditure of forces, both p o tential and kinetic, an a ffi rmation which can only b e wrought by means o f negation, a n d i t i s t h e p o w e r w h i c h i s destruction. Furthermore, i t i s both fact a n d l a w , axiom a n d valu e .
One thing quite s triking i s t h a t S a d e , i n a universe full of e f fervescence and p a ssion, suppresses desire and deems i t suspect rather than emphasizing it and r a i sing it to the highest level o f im portance. Th e r e a son h e does so is that desire denies solitude and leads to a dangerous acknowledgment o f the world of others. But when Saint-Fond decl a re s :
My p a ssions, concentrated on a single point, resemble the rays of a sun assembled by a m agni fyin g glass : they i mmediately set fire to whatever object they find in their way,
we can s e e very cle a rly why "destruction" and "power" may app e a r synonymou s , without the destroyed obj ect deriving the slightest value from this ope ration. This p rinciple h a s another a dvantage : it assigns m a n a futu r e without sa ddling him with any feeling o f in debtedness to any transcendental concept. For this all honor i s due S a d e . He h a s claimed to overthrow the morality of Good, but despite a few p rovoca tive a ffi rm a tions he has been very careful not to replace it with a Gospel of Evil. When he writes : "All is good when it is excessive, " he can be reproached fo r the uncertainty of his p rincip l e , but he cannot be charged with wanting to e s tablish the supremacy of man over the sup r emacy o f i d e a s to which man would be subordinated. In this do(trine, no condu c t i s granted any special privileges : one can choose to do whatever one likes ; the important thing i s th at, in doing them, one should b e able to render coincident the maximum o f destruction and the m aximum o f a ffi rm a tion. Prac tically spe aking, that i s exactly w h a t h appens in Sa d e ' s novels. It i s n o t t h e degree o f Vice or Virtue t h a t makes p eople happy o r un happy, but the energy they put to u s e , for, in S a d e ' s words :
H appiness is p roportion ate to the energy of p rinciples ; no one who dri fts endlessly would ever be capable o f expe riencing it.
Juliette, to whom Saint-Fond proposes a plan by which two-th i rds o f France would be decimated by starvation, has a moment' s hesi ta-
66 .. THE MARQUIS DE SADE
tion and is overawed at the p rospect : imme diately she is th reatened. Why ? B ecause she h a s shown signs o f weakness, h e r vital temper is slackene d , and the greater ene rgy o f Saint-Fond prepares to make her its p r ey. This i s even cle a r e r in the case of Durand. Durand is a p o i soner completely incapable of the slightest virtue ; her corruption i s total. But one day the government of Venice asks her to dissemi nate the plagu e . The p roj ect frightens her, not because of its im moral character but because of the dangers she would expose h e r self to. Straightway she is condemned. Her ene rgy failed h e r and s h e found h e r maste r ; and that master i s death. In leading a dan gerous life, says Sade, what really m a tters i s never " to lack the strength necessary to forge beyond the fu rthermost limits." One might say that this strange world i s not made up o f indivi du als, but o f systems o f vectors, of greater or lesser tensions. Wherever or whenever the tension falls, ca tastrophe inevitably ensue s . Fu the r more, there is no reason to distinguish between N a tu re's ene rgy and the ene rgy o f man : luxury and lust are a kind of lightning flash, as lightning i s the lubricity of Na tu re ; the weak will be the victim of both and the mighty will emerge triumphant. Justine is struck by lightning ; Juliette is not. There is nothing p rovi dential about this denouement. Justine's weakness attracts the same lightning which Juli ette's ene rgy defl ec:s away from h e r . Simil a rly, eve rything that happens to Justine makes her unhappy, because everything that a ffects h e r diminishes her ; we a r e told of Justine that her inclina tions are "vi rtuous but b a s e , " and this must be taken in the strict sense of the phrase. On the contra ry, everything that be falls Juliette reveals h e r own power to her, and she enj oys i t as she would some increment of herself. This i s why, were she to die, h e r death would c arry h e r to the very a pogee o f power and exaltation, for it would enable her to experience total destruction as the total release of her enormous energy.
Sade was clea rly aware of the fact that the supremacy o f energetic man, i n s o f a r a s he achieves t h i s supremacy b y identifying himself with the spi r i t of negation, is a p a radoxical situation. The integral man, who a s s e rts himself completely, i s also completely destroyed. H e i s the man of all p assions, and he is without feeling. First h e destroyed himself as man, th en a s God, and then as N a tur e ; thus did h e become the Unique Being. Now he i s all-powerful,
M allrice Blanch o t 1- 6 7
f o r t h e n e g a tion in h i m h a s v a n qu i s h e d everything. T o describe his f o rm a t i o n , Sade r e s o r t s to an extremely curious concept to which he gives the cla s s i c a l name : apa thy .
Ap a thy i s the s p i r i t of negation a p p l i e d to the m a n who has cho sen to make himsel f sup r e m e . I n a way, it i s both the cause and the p rinciple of energy . Sade, it would seem, r e a s o n s about as follows : the individual of today represents a c e r t a i n quantum of force ; gen e r ally h e squanders a n d d i s p e r s e s his forces, by estrang i n g them, to t h e benefit of tho s e simul a c r a which p a r a d e u n d e r the names of "other p e o pl e , " "God, " o r " i d e a l s . " Through t h i s dis p e r s a l , h e makes the mi stake o f exh austing his p o s s i b i l i t i e s , by wa sting them, b u t what i s worse, o f basing h i s conduct on weakness, for if h e exp ends h i m s e l f on behalf of o the r s i t i s because he believes h e n e e d s t h e m a s a crutch to l e a n upon. T h i s i s a f a t a l l a p s e : he weakens himsel f by spending h i s s t rength in v a i n , a n d h e exp ends his energi e s because h e deems himself weak. B u t the true man knows that h e is a l o n e , a n d he accepts i t ; eve rythi ng i n him which r e l a t e s to o t h e r s-to h i s whole s e v e n t e e n centu r i e s ' h e r i t a ge o f cow a r d i c e -he repu d i a t e s a n d rej ects : fo r exampl e , p i ty , g r a t i tu d e , a n d l o v e a r e all s e n t i m e n t s h e crushes and d e s troys ; by destroying them, h e recuperates all the s trength th a t h e would have h a d t o ded icate to these deb i l i t a ti n g impulses and, w h a t i s even m o r e important, from t h i s l a b o r o f d e s truction he d r a w s the beginning o f a true e n e r gy.
I t m u s t be well u n d e r s t o o d t h a t a p a thy d o e s not only consi s t in ruining " p a r a s i t i c a l " a ff e c t i o n s , but a l s o i n o p p o s i n g the spontaneity o f any p a s s i o n a t all . The vicious p e r s o n who imme d i a tely abandons himself to his vice betrays a fl aw that will b e h i s undoing. Even debauch e e s o f geniu s , p e r fectly endowed to become monsters if they s i mply content themsdves w i th following t h e i r bent, will end in d i s a s te r . S a d e is a d a m a n t : in o r d e r to conv e r t p a ssion into ene rgy, i t m u s t b e c o m p r e s s e d and medi a t i z e d by p a ssing through a necessary moment o f insensibi l i ty , a fter which it will a t t a i n i t s apogee. During the e a rly s t a g e s o f her c a r e e r , Jul i e t t e is constantly reprimanded by C l a i rwill, who rep ro aches her f o r committing c r i m e s only o u t of enthu s i a s m , o f l i ghting the to rch o f crime only from the torch o f p a s s i o n , a n d who a l so accuse s her o f valuing l u s t and the e ff e r-
68 .. T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
vescence of p l e a s u r e above e v e ryth i n g e l s e . The s e are d a n g e r o u s a n d f a c i l e t e n d e nc i e s . C r i m e m a t t e r s m o r e t h a n l u s t , a n d t h e col d b l o o d e d , the p r e m e d i t a t e d c r i m e is g r e a t e r t h a n the c r i m e com m i t t e d in t h e h e a t of p a s s i o n . B u t m o s t i m p o r t a n t is the s o m b e r , s e c r e t c r i m e " commi t t e d by a c o n s c i o u s h a r d e n i n g o f s e n s i t i v i ty , " b e c a u s e i t i s the a c t o f a s o u l w h i c h , h a v i n g d e s troyed e v e r y t h i n g wi t h i n i ts e l f , h a s a ccumul a t e d a n i m m e n s e s t r e n gt h w h i c h w i l l comp l e tely i d e n t i fy i t s e l f with t h e a c t o f total d e s t r u c t i o n which it p r e p a r e s . All these m i g h ty l i b e r t i n e s who live solely f o r p l e a su r e a r e m i ghty only b e c a u s e they have e l i m i n a t e d i n t h e m s e l v e s a l l c a p a c i ty for p l e a s u r e . T h i s i s w h y t h e y r e s o r t to terri fy i n g a n d h i de o u s a n o m a l i e s , f o r o t h e rw i s e t h e m e d i o c r i ty o f n o r m a l p l e a s u r e s would s u ffi c e f o r t h e m . B u t they h a v e m a d e t h e m s e l v e s i n s e n s i tive : t h e y c l a i m to enj o y their i n s e ns i b i l i ty, t h e i r r e j e c t e d a n d anni h i l a t e d sen s i b i l i ty , a n d t h e y become f e r o c i o u s . C ru e l ty i s n o t h i n g m o r e t h a n t h e n e g a t i o n o f s e l f , c a r r i e d s o f a r th a t i t i s t r a n s f o r m e d into a d e s t ru c t i v e exp l o s i o n ; i n s e n s i b i l i ty m a k e s a t r e m o r o f the ,v h o l e b e i n g , s a y s Sade, a n d a d d s :
The soul assumes a kind of apathy which is soon metamorphosed into pleasu res a thousand t i mes more exquisite than those which weakness and self-i n d u lgence wo uld procu re fo r them.
It is u n d e r s t a n d a b l e t h a t , i n t h i s w o r l d , p ri n c i p l e s p l ay a m a j o r r o l e . T h e l i b e r t i n e i s " p e n s i v e , d e e pl y i n t r o s p e c t i v e , i n c a p a b l e o f b e i n g m o v e d by a n y t h i n g w h a t s o e ve r . " H e k e e p s t o h i m s e l f , c a n n o t tol e r a t e e i th e r n o i s e o r l a u g h t e r ; n o t h i n g must d i v e r t h i s a t t e n t i o n ; " a p a thy, unconcern, sto i ci s m , sol i tu d e w i t h i n o n e s e l f-th e s e a r e the c o n d i t i o n s h e r e q u i r e s i n order to a t t a i n a p r o p e r state o f the soul . " A t r a n s fo r m a t i o n such a �, t h i s , involving a l a b o r o f s e l f- d e s t r u c t i o n , i s n o t a c c o m p l i s h e d w i � h o u t t h e m o s t e x t r e m e d i ffi cu l ty . Julie t t e i s a k i n d o f B i ldu ngsro m a n , a n a p p r e n t i c e ' s m a n u a l i n ,,, h i c h w e g r a d u a lly l e a r n to r e c o gn i z e the s l o w t r a n s f o rm a t i o n o f a n e n e r g e t i c s o u l . On t h e s u r f a c e , Jul i e tte i s t h o r o u ghly d e p r a v e d from t h e ve ry s t a r t . But in r e a l i ty , at t h a t s t a g e , she is only e q u i p p e d with a few p e n c h a n t s , and her m i n d is yet i n t a c t ; she has a t r e m e n d o u s e ff o r t yet to m a k e , f o r , a s B a l z a c o n c e r e m a rke d : n ' e s t p a s de tru i t q u i v e u t . S a d e n o t e s t h a t t h e r e a r e e x t r e m e ly d a n g e r o u s m o m e n t s i n t h i s e ff o r t t o a c h i e v '� a p a thy. I t m a y h a p p e n , fo r e x a m p l e , t h a t i n s e n s i b i l i ty c a n
Maurice Blanc h o t .. 6 9
p u t the libertine into such a state o f prostration that he may at any moment revert to morality : he believes himself h a rdened, while actu ally h e i s only weakened, a pe rfect p rey for remo rse. Now, a single gesture o f virtu e , by revalorizing the universe of man and God, i s enough to bring down his entire power structure ; however l ofty he may be, that universe crumbles a nd, generally, this fall is h i s death. If, howeve r, while in this state o f p rostration wherein he feels nothing more than a tasteless repugnance for the worst excesses, he finds one final increment o f strength with which to augment this in sensibility by dreaming u p new excesses which repel him even more, then he will evolve from a state of prostration and derelic tion to one of omnipotence, from induration and indifference to the most extreme voluptuousness and, "shaken to the very fiber of his being," the supreme enj oyment o f the self will transport him a sovereign , beyond all imaginable limits.
One o f the most surp rising aspects of Sade and h i s fate i s that, although scandal has no better symbol than h e , all that i s da ring and scandalous in his thinking has for so long remained unknown. There is no need to list and cl assify the themes he discovered themes which the most a dventurous minds of future centuries will apply themselves to developing and r e a ffi rming. W e have touched upon them i n p assing, and even so w e have limited ourselves to depicting the main elements of his thought by s tressing the basic doctrine. We could j u s t a s easily have discussed his concept of dreams, which he views a s the work o f the mind restored to in s tinct and thus delivered from the influences o f waking morality. Or we might h ave dwelled upon all that p a rt of h i s thinking i n which h e p roves himself the p re cursor o f Freud, a s for example when he wri tes :
It is in th e mother's womb that are fashioned the organs which must render us susceptible of this or that fantasy ; the fi rst objects which we encounter, the fi rst conversations we overhear, determine the pattern ; do what it will, education is incapable of altering the pattern.
In S a d e there is also something of the traditional moralist, and i t would be a simple matter to make a collection o f h i s maxims which
7 0 .. T H E M A RQ U I S DE S A D E
w o u l d make those o f L a R o c h e fo u c a u l d seem w e a k a n d h e s i t a n t by c o m p a r i s o n . S a de i s o ften a c c u s e d o f h a v i n g wri tten b a dly, a n d , i n f a c t , h e o f ten did write in extreme h a ste and with a prolixi ty t h a t t r i e s t h e p a ti e n c e . B u t h e i s a l s o c a p a b l e o f a strange humo r, his style reve a l s a n icy j ov i a l i ty and, in its extravagance, a k i n d o f c o l d innocence w h i c h o n e m a y fi n d p r e f e r a b l e to the fu l l range o f Vol t a i r e ' s i rony a n d w h i c h , i n f a c t , i s n o t t o b e found in t h e w o rk o f any other French writer All t h e s e a r e excep t i o n a l merits, but they w e r e i n v a i n . Until t h e d a y when Apol l i n a i r e and M a u r i c e Heine -and when An dre B r e t o n , with h i s s i x t h , divina tory s e n s e o f t h e h i d d e n forces o f h i s t o ry-o p e n e d the w a y t o w a r d h i m , and e v e n l a t e r , until the recent s t u d i e s o f G e o r g e s B a t a i l l e , J e a n P a u l h a n , a n d Pi e r r e Klossowski , S a d e-the m a s t e r of t h e gr e a t t h e m e s o f m o d e rn t h o u g h t a n d s e n s i b i l i ty-continued to glitter l ike a n empty n a m e . \Vhy ? B e c a u s e t h i s thought is t h e work o f m a dn e s s , b e c a u s e i t w a s m o l d e d by a d e p r a v i ty w h i c h the world w a s i n c a p a b l e o f f a c i n g s q u a r e l y . Wh a t i � m o r e , S a d e ' s doctrine i s presented a s t h e t h e o ry o f th a t d e p r a v i ty, a b l u e p r i n t o f h i s p e rsonal p e n c h a n t , a doctrine which a t tempts to t r a n s p o s e the m o s t repugn a n t anomaly i n t o a complete IVelt a n .l c h a u u n g . F o r t h e fi r s t t i m e , p h i l o sophy is o p e n l y c o n c e i v e d of a s b e i n g the product o f a n i l l n e s s , 3 a n d it has t h e e ff rontery to p r e s e n t a s a l o g i c a l and u n i v e r s a l t h e o ry a system t h e s o l e gu a r a ntee f o r w h i c h i s the personal p r e ferences of a n a b e r r a n t i n d i v i d u a l .
T h i s a g a i n is one o f S a d e ' s m o s t i m p o r t a n t a n d o r i g i n a l con t r i b u t i o n s . One may s a fely say th a t S a d e p e r fo r m e d his own p sych o a n a l y s i s by wri ting a text wherein h e c o n s i gns everything w h i c h rel a te s to h i s obsessions a n d w h e r e i n , t o o , he seeks to dis c o v e r wh a t l o g i c a n d w h a t c o h e r e n c e h i s rem a rks reve a l . B u t , w h a t i s m o r e , h e w a s the fi r s t to demonstr a t e , a n d demonstrate p r o u dly, th a t f r o m a certain personal and even m o n s t r o u s form o f b e h a v i o r t h e r e c o u l e! r i g h t fully b e d e r i v e d a w o r l d v i e w s i gn i fi c a n t e n o u g h s o t h a t s o m e e m i n e n t thinkers concerned o n l y w i th the hum a n cond i t i o n w e r e t o do n o th i n g m o r c : t h a n t o r e a ffi rm i t s c h i e f p e rspectives a n d p ro v i d e a d d e d p r o o f o f i t s v a l i d i ty . S a d e h a d t h e c o u r a g e t o a s s e r t
3 S a d e d o e s n o t m i n d in t h e l e a s t admitting i t : "The m a n endowed with singu l ar
t a stes is a sick m a n . "
Maurice Bla n ch o t + 7 1
th a t by f e a r l e s sly accepting t h e s i n gul a r t a s t e s t h a t w e r e h i s a n d by taking them a s the po i n t of d e p a r t u r e a n d the very p r inciple of all r e a son , h e provided p h i l o so p hy with the s o l i d e s t fou n d a t i o n it could h o p e t o have, and a dvanced himself a s the means t o a p r o found in t e r p r e t a t i o n of human de stiny taken i n its e n t i r e ty . Such p re te n s i o n i s doubtl e s s no l o n g e r o f a s o r t to t e r r i fy u s , but, in all f a i rn e s s , we are only beginning to take it s e r i o u sly, and f o r a long while t h i s p r e t e n s i o n w a s enough to t u r n a w a y from S a d e ' s t h inking even t h o s e who w e r e i n t e r e s t e d in S a d e .
First o f a l l , w h a t w a s h e exactly ? A monstrous excep tion, a b solu tely o u t s i d e the p a l e o f hum a n i ty. "The u n i q u e thing about Sade," Nodier o n c e remarked, "is h i s having commi tted a crime so monstrous that o n e could n o t c h a r a c t e r i z e it wi t h o u t dange r . " ( I n a s e n s e , t h i s was one o f S a d e ' s a m b i t i o n s : to b e innocent by d i n t of culp a b i l i ty ; to s m a s h w h a t i s normal, once and f o r a l l , and smash the l a w s by which h e could h a ve been j u dged. ) Another con temp o r a ry , P i t o u , w r i t e s i n a r a t h e r t e r r i fying m a n n e r : "Justice h a d relegated him to a corner of t h e p ri s o n a n d o ff e r e d every p r i s o n e r a f r e e h a n d to r i d t h e w o r l d o f t h i s burden . " When, l a t e r , t h e r e w a s recogni z e d i n S a d e an anomaly to be found in c e r t a i n other p eo ple t o o , h e was qu i ckly and c a r e fully s e a l e d up i n s i d e t h i s unnamable a b e r r a t i on t o which, i n d e e d , n o other than t h i s u n i qu e name could be appli e d . Even l a t e r , when this anom aly was held t o r e fl e c t c r e d i t o n S a d e , when h e w a s s e e n a s a m a n f r e e enough to h a v e i n v e n t e d a n e w s c i ence a n d , in any event, as an excep t i o n a l m a n b o th by h i s d e stiny a n d h i s p r e o ccup a t i o n s , a n d when, fi n a lly, s a d i sm w a s seen a s a p o s s i b i l i ty of interest to all h u m a n i ty-even then Sade's own thought continu e d t o b e n e g l e c t e d , as if t h e r e could be no doubt t h a t t h e r e w a s m o r e o r i ginali ty a n d authenticity i n s a d i sm t h a n i n t h e way i n which S a d e h i m s e l f h a d been able to i n t e r p r e t i t . Examining i t m o r e closely, h o w e v e r , we s e e t h a t i t i s n o t negligible a n d that, amidst all i t s teeming contradictions, there emerges, on t h e p ro b l e m which S a d e ' s n a m e illu s t r a t e s , i n s i gh t s more significant than anyth i n g the m o s t l e arned a n d illum i n a t e d m i n d s have come up with on the subj e c t to this day. We do n o t say t h a t this philo sop hy i s v i a b l e . B u t it d o e s s h o w t h a t b e tween t h e normal m a n who imprisons the sadistic m a n in a n i mp a s s e , and the s a d i s t
72 + T H E MARQUIS DE SADE
who turns the i mp a s s e into a way out, it is the l atter who is clos e r to t h e truth, w h o know s m o r e a b o u t t h e l o g i c o f h i s s i tu a ti on a n d h a s the m o r e pro found understanding o f i t , and i t i s he who i s i n a p o s i tion to b e able to h e l p the normal man to s e l f-understanding, by helping him to modi fy the bases o f all comp rehension.
Chron ology
1 7 4 0
Ju n e 2-In the Conde mansion on the rue d e Conde,l in Paris, the Countess de Sade, nee ( 1 7 1 2 ) M a r i e-Eleonore d e M a ille de C a rman, l a dy-in-waiting to the Princess de Conde, gives birth to a son, during the seventh year of her marri age to Jean-Baptiste Joseph-Franc;;ois ( born 1 7 0 2 ) , Count de Sade, l o r d of the manors of Saumane and La Co ste and co-l o r d o f M a z a n , Lieutenant General o f the p rovinces of B resse, Bugey, Val romey, and Gex, then Ambassador from Louis XV to the Elector o f Cologne.2
Jun e 3-I n the absence o f both his godparents ( hi s go dfather being h i s m a ternal grandfather Donatien de M a ille, M a rqui s de C a rmen, and h i s godmother Loui s e-Al donse d'Asto aud de Murs, his p a ternal grandmother ) , the in fant is held out over the baptismal font in the parish church o f S a int-Sulpice by two retainers o f the Sade household. For C hristian names he is given Donatien-AI phonse-Franc;;ois instead of those apparently intended for him, Loui s-Al donse-Donatien, a mishap which i s to plague him with the a utho rities throughout his life, and especially under the Republic.
1 T h e C o n d e m ansion act u ally occupied most of the a r e a t o d a y enclosed by the rue de Conde, the rue d e Vaugirard, the rue Monsieur-Ie-Prince, and the C arrefour d'OMon.
2 Sade's father also subsequently served a s Louis XV's Ambassador to Russia, and then to London. Perh a p s the best portrait of the Count de Sade i s the following description by Paul Bourdin : "H e was a meticulous and r ather grim person, stiff
both in m a nner and l angu age, a s pompous to h i s family a s t o his servants, most j e alous of his rights, rigid to t h e point o f n a r rowness, yet liberal to the point of prodigality." (Paul Bourdi n , ed., Corresp o n dance ined ite du Marquis de Sade, de us proch" et de s es fam iliers, P a ris, Libr airie de F r a nce, 1 9 2 9 . )
73
74 .. T H E MARQ U I S DE S A D E
1 744. Aet. 4
A ugus t 1 6-The municipal council of Saumane sends i ts consuls and secretary to Avignon " to compliment My Lord the M a rquis de S a d e , son o f the Lord Count of this place, on his happy arrival at Avignon and to wish him long and happy years as heir app a r ent . . . . "
1 74 5 . Aet. 5
January 24-A paternal uncle of the M a rquis, J acques-Franc;ois Paul-Aldonse ( born a t the chateau de M a z an on September 2 1 , 1 7 0 5 ) , moves to the B enedictine monastery o f Saint-Leger d'Ebreuil, · to which he has been named abbot. Entrusted with the educa tion o f his nephew, he shares with him two homes, his resi dence a t d' Ebreuil and another a t Saumane, a seigneury o f which he has l i fe-long tenure.
1 7 5 0 . Aet. 1 0
. . . . -The M a rquis returns to Paris to enter Louis Ie Grand College, a Jesu i t school. He i s given a personal tu tor, Abbe Jacques Franc;ois Amblet.3
1 7 5 4. Aet. 1 4
May 24-Young S ade obtains from the genealogi st Clai ram bault a certificate o f nobility in order to be received into the training school attached to the L i ght Horse Regiment o f the Royal Guards.
1 7 5 5 . Aet. 1 5
December 1 4-He i s appointed sub-lieutenant without pay in the King's Own Infantry R e giment.
3 In w h a t h a s gen e r a l ly b e e n t a k e n t o b e a n a u tobiogr a p h ic a l p a s s age i n Aline e t 17 alcour, S a d e d e s c r i b e s h i s t e a c h e r i n t h e f o l l o w i n g t e r m s : "I r e t u r n e d to P a r i s to study u n d e r the g u i d ance o f a m a n who w a s both s e v e r e and inte l l i gent, one w h o w o u l d p r o b a b l y h av e exerted a g o o d i n fl u e nce on m y y o u t h , but u n f o r t u n ately I d i d n ot k e e p h i m l o n g e n o u gh."
Chro n o logy .. 7 5
1 7 5 7 . Aet. 1 7
Janu ary 1 4-Th e M a rquis d e S a de i s granted a commiSSIOn a s C o rnet ( Standard B e a rer ) i n the C a rbine Regiment, S a int-Andre B rigade, and p a rticipates in the war against Prussi a .4
April l -He is transferred, with the same rank, to the M alvoisin B rigade.
1 7 5 9 . Aet. 1 9
April 21-He i s p romoted to the rank o f captain i n the Burgundy Horse.
1 7 6 3 . Aet. 2 3
L a te February-Sade, i t would appear, i s engaged to two young ladies simultaneously : M a demoiselle Renee-Pel a gi e de Montreuil and M a demoiselle Laure de Lauris. O f the two , Sade prefers the latter, with whom he i s wildly i n love, but h i s father i s intent on a rranging an alli ance between his son and the weal thy Montreuil family, doubtless because o f the seemingly delicate financial situa tion in which he then finds himself.5
March 1 5-Sade i s discharged with the rank o f cavalry captain, the Paris Tre a ty h aving to all intents and purposes ended the Seven Years' War.
Late April-Only a scant two weeks before the date set fo r his marriage to Mlle. de Montreu i l , Sade i s still in Avignon, trying to win the hand of Laure de Lauri s, despi te the fact that she app a r ently h a s b roken off the engagement. S a d e ' s father is angry and
4 W r i t i n g o f t h e c a m p a i gn, a g a i n i n A li n e e t Falc o u r, S a d e note s : " I a m s u r e I g a v e a g o o d accou n t o f m y s e l f . T h e n a tu r a l i m p et u o s i ty o f my ch a r acter, t h a t fi e ry S o u l w ith which N at u r e e n d o w e d m e , s e rv e d b u t to e n h a n c e t h a t u n fl i nc h i n g s a v a gery which m e n c a l l c o u r a g e a n d w h ich-q u i t e w r o ngly I a m s u r e-is con s i d e r e d t h e o n e i n d i s p e n s a b l e q u a l ity i n our m ak e - u p .
B I n a l etter d at e d at t h e e n d of 1 7 62, the C o u n t w r o t e h i s brot h e r , A b b e d e S a d e : "Everyth i n g h e r e h a s b e e n s e i z e d " ; in a n o t h e r l etter he c om p l a i n e d t h a t he w a s dying of p o v e r ty-which was, t o s a y the l e a s t, a n e x a gg e r ation. B u t that his fortunes w e r e p r e c a r i o u s t h e r e s e e m s to b e l ittl e d o u b t , a n d t h e r e i s e v e ry i n d i c atio n t h a t t h e C o u n t w a s a p o o r m a n a g e r of h i s o w n a ff a i r s a n d p ro p e r t i e s .
7 6 .. T H E MARQU I S DE SADE
concerned by the M a rquis' conduct, which is comp romising the p ro posed alli ance with the M o n treuil family ; nonetheless, young Sade appears to have been so pe rsuasive or eloquent that the Count a t one p o i n t consents to h i s ma rrying Lady Lau re.6
}l.1 ay I -Th e King, the Queen, and the royal family give thei r consent to the p roposed m a rri age between the M a rqu i s de Sade, allied through the M a ille family to the royal blood of the Condes, and Renee-Pelagie Cordier de Launay de M ontreuil ( born in Paris December 3 , 1 74 1 ) , eldest daughter of the President Claud e-Rene de M ontreuil and of M a ri e - M a deleine M asson de Plissay ( m arried Augu s t 2 2, 1 7 4 0 ) .
May 1 5-The marri age contract is signed by the pa rties in the town house of the President, situated rue Neuve-du-Luxembourg. The future husband signs i t Louis-Al donse-Donatien.
May 1 7-The marriage i s celebrated in the church of S aint-Roch.
O c to ber 29-By oreler o f the King, the M a rqui s de S a d e is com mitted to Vincennes fo rtress for excesses committed in a brothel which h e has been frequenting for a month.
Nov e m b er 1 3-The order to free the M a rqui s is delivered, but the King commands him to wi thdraw to Echauffour M anor, a prop e rty owned by the M ontreuils, and to remain there.
1 7 64. Aet. 24
May 4-The King �,uthorizes Sade to go to Dijon, with the pro vision that h e remain there only long enough to address the Bur gundy Parl iament in his capacity of Lt.-General of the King for the p rovinces of Bresse, B ugey, Val romey, and Gex.
S ep te m b e r 1 1-The King comple tely revokes the order restrict ing Sade's residence to Echauffour Manor.
6 E l s e w h e r e i n t h e p r esen1 vol u m e i s t h e only l etter, d i scovered i n 1 948 i n th e B i bl i o t h e q u e N atio n a l e i n P a i s, f r o m S a d e to L a u r e d e L a u r i s , a l etter r e v e a l i n g m a n y f acets o f t h e a u t h o r ' s c:h a r act e r : p a ssion, i ns t a b i l ity, b r i l l i ance, a n d a t o u c h of t h e scou n d r e l .
Chro n o logy + 7 7
December 7-In a report, Pol i c e Inspector M a r a i s notes that M . d e S a d e i s i n P a r i s a n d adds th a t h e ( M a r a i s ) h a s asked L a B ri s s u a l e " t o r e f r a i n f r o m providing the M a rqu i s with g i r l s to go t o a n y private chambers with him . "
1 7 6 5 . Aet. 2 5
• . . . -Sa de h a s taken a s m i s t r e s s a n actres s-p rostitu t e who i s the t o a s t o f a l l t h e young fops i n P a r i s , M l l e . B e auvo i s i n .
Jun e-July-Sade i s a t La C o s te with M l l e . B e auvois i n , p assing h e r off a s h i s wife's rela tive o r a t times even a s h i s wife. S a d e ' s m o ther-in-l aw, L a dy M ontreuil, h a s h a d w i n d o f the a ff a i r , b u t ap p a rently it has been kept from his w i f e .
Sep te m ber-S a d e i s b a ck i n P a r i s , but spending more t i m e a t La B e auvoisin' s h o u s e than a t his own. His alleged reason f o r remain i n g in P a r i s is tha t he must s ettle h i s debts, which amount to 45 0 0 livres.
1 7 6 6 . Aet. 2 6
Novemb er 4-Sa d e p ays a M . L e s t a rj ette t h e sum o f two hun dred livres a s four and a h a l f months' rent o n a furn i s h e d cottage in the suburb of Arcuei l . This l i ttle retreat i s to b e a s s o c i a te d with imp ortant events i n S a d e ' s l i f e .
1 7 6 7 . A e t . 27
Janu ary 24-Jean-Bapti ste-Franc;oi s-Jos e p h , C o u n t d e S a d e , d i e s a t M o n treuil, n e a r Versa i l l e s , a t the age o f s ixty-five, l eaving h i s s o n the M a rquis d e S a d e a s h i s s o l e h e i r .
April 1 6-Th e M a rqui s d e S a de i s p r o m o t e d t o Capt a i n C om m a n d e r in the du M e s tr e C avalry R e giment, with o r d e r s to a s s e m b l e h i s comp a ny w i t h o u t delay. La dy Montreu i l ' s reaction i s o n e o f d e l i g h t , f o r , a s she n o t e s , " i t m e a n s a t l e a s t a s h o r t p e r i o d o f p e a c e . "
7 The proprietress of a f amous Paris brothel.
7 8 * T H E M A RQ C I S DE S A D E
April 20-S a d e l e a v e s f o r Lyo n s to rej o i n M l l e . d e B e au v o i s i n , l e aving h i s w i f e , who i s five months p r e gn a n t , i n P a r i s .
Ju n e 21-Debate and d e l i b e r a t i o n b y the commu n i ty o f L a C o s t e , w h i c h results in a favorable r e p l y to the d e m a n d s o f the M a r q u i s f o r due r e c o gn i t i o n of h i s rank and for a memorial s e rv i c e f o r h i s d e c e a s e d f a t h e r in the church.
A u gu s t 2 7-1n t h e p a ri s h o f the M a deleine d e la Ville-l ' Eveque i n Paris, Loui s - M a r i e . C ount de S a d e , the M a r qu i s ' first s o n is born.
Octo ber 1 6-1nsp e c t o r M a r a i s r e p o r t s on M . d e S a d e ' s unsuc c e s s fu l a t tempts to in duce Mlle. Riviere o f the O p e r a-where she i s a membe r of the b a l l e t-to live with h i m . He "has o ff e r e d her 25 louis a month on c o n d i t i o n that whenever s h e is n o t p e r fo rming s h e will s p e n d h e r time w i th h i m a t h i s mais o n e t t e i n Arcu e i ! . The young l a dy has refused, b u t M . S a de is s t i l l pursuing h e r . "
1 7 6 8 . A e t . 2 8
January 24-Lo u i s- M a r i e d e S a d e i s b a p t i z e d in t h e private c h a p el o f the C o n d e m a n s i o n , t h e Prince d e C o n d e and the Princess d e C o n t i b e i n g his go d p a re n t s .
April 3-0n E a s te S u n d a y , a t a b o u t n i n e o ' cl o ck in the m o rning o n t h e Pl a c e d e s Victo l r e s , the M a rq u i s de S a d e a c c o s t s Rose Kell e r , t h e widow o f o n e Valentin, a p a s t ry co ok' s a s s i stant. A c o t t o n spin n e r by t r a d e , o u t of w o rk fo r a m o n t h and now reduced to b e gging alms, she a c c e p t s t o al:company Sade i n a cab to Arcuei!. The r e , in his rented cottage, h e orders her to undress, t h r e a tens h e r w i th a kni f e , a n d fl o g s h e r . He then l o ck s h e r in a room from w h i c h , how e v e r , s h e s h o r tly m a n ages to e s c a p e . R e a ching the v i l l a ge-i t now being about f o u r i n t il e a fternoon-R o s e Kell e r encounters three local women to whom s h e recounts her adventure and exh i b i t s her wounds. T h e women :ake h e r to the a u t h o r i ti e s . Her s t a tement is r e c o r d e d8 and s h e is e xamined a t once by the vill a g e docto r , P i e r r e P a u l Le Comte.
8 T h e Arcueil m a gistrate being absent, h e r statement is actu ally taken b y the Constabu l a ry Brigadier of neighbo ring Bourg la Reine, who has been summoned for that purpose.
Chro n o lo gy + 7 9
April 7-M adame de S a d e summons Abbe Amble t and M . Claude Antoine Sohier to h e r residence a t the rue N euve-du-Luxembourg and dispatches them to Arcueil to determine whether Rose Kelle r c a n be p revailed upon t o drop t h e charge s h e h a s m a d e to t h e local m a gistrate. The emissaries obtain her agreement in r e turn for 2 4 0 0 livres, plus a p ayment o f s e v e n g o l d lo u is for dressings and medica tion.
April 1 2-Sade s e ts out for Saumur castle i n the comp any of Abbe Amble t , having been g ranted the p rivilege o f n o t being con ducted there under police escort.
April 1 5-23-Concerned by the rumors ci rcul a ting, the Paris Council orders the case taken out o f the hands o f the local m a gi s trate and transferred to those of the criminal court o f La Tour nelle, which p roceeds to a tho rough examination o f the evidence and decl a r e s the accus e d under arrest.
April 30-Inspector Marais appears a t Saumur castle to transfer the M arqu i s to Pierre-Encise p rison near Lyons, where discipline i s not so lax.
Ju n e 2-The King s i gns two Royal Orders, one authorizing the transfer o f the M a rqui s to the Conciergerie du Pala i s where the High Cou rt i s to rati fy the p r eviously issued Royal Letters o f An nulment, the other ordering h i s transfer back to Pierre-Encis e .
Jun e 1 0-The accused i s interrogated and a d m i t s to the p rinci pal allegations, but insists th a t Rose Keller was fully aware of wh a t woul d be expected o f her at Arcu e i l . He p r esents the Letters o f Annulment granted him by the King. That same day, the High Court o f Paris, m e e ting in ple n o , p ronounces for r a tifica tion of the annulment and di rects the M a rquis " to r e fund the sum o f one hun dred livres relative to the bo ard o f p risoners in the Concierge rie du Palais prison."
Jun e 11 o r 1 2-Th e M a rqu i s i s returned to Pierre-Encise.
A ugus t-At the request o f h e r husband, the M a rqu i s e a rrives i n Lyons, where s h e will remain until the M a rqui s recovers his freedom.
8 0 .. T H E MARQ U [ S DE SADE
November 1 6-Two Royal Orders are i ssued, one instructing the sup ervisor of Pierre-Encise to release Sade, the other enj oining S a de to retire to his e states at La Coste. The M a r quise, perhaps because she i s again p r e gnant, returns to Paris shortly a fter the re lease of her husband, while h e p roceeds to Provence a s o rdered.
1 7 6 9 . Aet. 29
June 27-Bi rth i n Paris o f Donatien-Clau de-Armand, Chevali e r de S a d e , t h e M a rquis' second s o n , w h o i s christened t h e following day a t th e p arish church o f M a deleine de la Ville-l'Evequ e .
1 7 7 0 . A e t . 3 0
A ugus t-Sade repor ts to resume his military duties a s a Captain Commander in the Bu rgundy R egiment. After some difficulties caused by the deputy ccmm ander o f the regiment, who at first places Sade under arrest and forbids the quartermaster to take any orders whatsoever from the n'�wly arrived captain, h e i s fully reinstated in h i s duti es.
1 7 7 1 . Aet. 3 1
March 1 3-Sade applies to the Minister o f War, requesting the rank o f colonel, witho u t stipend, which application i s granted on M a rch 1 9 .
April 1 7-Bi rth in Paris of M a deleine-Laure, daughter of the M arqu i s de Sade.
M a y 2 7-The M a r qu i s , who has recently arrived in Provence, orders the publ i c o fficia l s o f Saumane, o f which h e i s the lord o f the manor, to do him homage.
June I-The Marqu i s i s authorized to draw 1 0 , 0 0 0 livres a s the fee p ayable upon his cession to the C ount d'Osmont o f the regi mental colonelcy.
Chro n o lo gy + 8 1
Sep tember 9-S a d e l e a v e s F o r t l'Eveque p r i s o n , wh e r e h e h a s s p e n t a w e e k f o r d e b t s . To o b t a i n h i s r e l e a s e h e p ay s a sum o f 3 0 0 0 francs i n c a s h a n d t h e r e m a i n d e r i n a p ro m i s s o ry n o t e d a t e d Octo ber 1 5 .
N o'Vember 7 -Sa d e ' s s i s t e r-in-l a w , M a d e m o i s e l l e Ann e-Pro s p e r e d e Launay d e M o n t r e u i l , j oi n s t h e S a d e s a t L a C o ste.
1 7 7 2 . A e t . 3 2
Janu ary 20-In t h e t h e a t e r a t L a C o s t e , S a d e p r e s e n t s a comedy o f w h i c h he i s t h e a u t h o r .
Mid-Ju n e-Wi th h i s m a n s e rvant Armand, known a s Latour, Sade s e t s o u t fo r M a r s e i l l e s f o r the p u rp o s e of collecting s o m e m o n i e s due h i m .
Jun e 25-H aving several days to s p e n d i n M a rs e i l l e s , S a d e sends L a t o u r o u t i n s e a rch of some g i r l s w i th whom t o entertain h i m s e l f .
Ju n e 2 7-La t o u r a rr a n g e s a r e n d e z v o u s w i t h f o u r girls-M a ri a n n e L a v e r n e , M a r i a nnette L a u g i e r , R o s e C o s t e , a n d M a r i e tte B o reHy-a t M a ri e t t e ' s place a t t h e corner o f t h e rue d e s C a p u c i n s . T h e g i r l s r a n g e i n a g e from e i gh t e e n t o twe n ty- t h r e e , l\1a r i a nne being t h e younge s t a n d M a r i e t t e the eldest ( S a d e b a s s e v e r a l times specified to L a to u r that h e i s t o l o o k fo r " v e ry young g i r l s " ) . I n the c o u r s e o f t h e m o rn i n g , du r i n g w h i c h S a d e a n d L a t o u r s e q u e s t e r themselves t o g e t h e r w i t h e a c h o f t h e g i r l s si ngly, then w i th s o m e j o in tly, the M a r qu i s o ff e r s a t l e a s t two o f t h e g i r l s s o m e a n i s e e d s w e e t s , t h e s u g a r o f w h i c h h a d b e e n s o ak e d w i t h S p a n i s h fly e x t r a c t , o r c a n th a ri d e s . The o r gy l a s t s t h r o u g h o u t the morning. T h a t s a m e evening, S a d e ' s l a s t i n M a r s e i l l e s , L a t o u r p r o c u r e s h i m a n o t h e r p r o s t i tu t e , M a rgu e r i t e C o s te , to w h o m h e a l s o gives a numb e r o f t h e s a m e s w e e t s .
Jun e 30-T h e R o y a l P r o s e c u t o r a t t a c h e d t o t h e Senesch a l ' s C o u r t o f M a r s e i l l e s i s i n f o r m e d t h a t o n e M a r gu e r i t e C o s t e , a ft e r c o n s u m i n g a n exce s s i v e numb e r o f s w e e t s p re s s e d u p o n h e r by a s t r a n g e r , h a s b e e n so r a c k e d w i t h i n t e s t i n a l p a i n s as to i n d i c a t e t h a t s h e h a s b e en p o i s o n e d . T h e P r o s e c u t o r c a l l s f o r an i n v e s t i g a t i o n .
8 2 + TH E MARQ U I S DE SADE
The Lt.-General for criminal matters, C homel, records M a rgu erite Coste ' s accusati on s , a doctor i s appointed to examine her, and a p h a rmacist to analyze the matter vomited.
Ju ly I-Mariette Borelly and the three other prostitutes make a sta tement to the Lt.-General and the Royal Pro secutor, Mari anne ascribing her digestive troubles during and after the morning bou t to the aniseed offered her by the M a rqui s . All fou r girl s profess indigna tion a t the a ttitude o f the M a rquis and his valet whom they accuse of "homosexual sodomy , " a t the same time cl aiming to have r e fused to accede to S a d e ' s and Latou r ' s "unnatural advances. "9
July 4--Medical re ports on Margue rite Coste and M a ri anne Laverne are completed and deposed. The Lt.-General signs the sub mission to th e Royal Prosecuto r of the ten statements made. The Royal Prosecutor decre e s the arrest of both Sade and Latour.
ju ly 4 ( ? ) -The M a rqu i s , either fea ring trouble or being un officially informed of his impending arrest, flees from La Coste ehateau a ccompanied by his sister-in-law, Ann e .
July 5-The pharmacists who h a v e analyz e d b o t h the matter thrown u p by M a rgu e rite C oste and the uneaten candy found in M a riette B o relly's room, conclud e that they have found no trace o f arsenic, nor any corrosive sublimate i n the sp ecimens.
July I I-Acting upon th e warrant o f July 4, the bailiff of Apt with three mounted men and a brigadier from the Constabul a ry, go to La C oste and are ad vised that Sade and Latour h ave departed a week before. Further wa rrants are then issued for th eir arrest, a s a r e summons f o r them t o app e a r before t h e court two weeks from that da te. The possessi,:ms o f the two fugitives are impounded and listed.
Mid-July-Th e M a rquise de Sade goes to Marseilles to appeal her husband's case before the magistrates.
A ugu s t 8 and I 7-Marguerite Coste and M a ri anne Laverne ap pear before a M a rseil les l awyer and drop their charges against Sade and Latour.
9 Given th a t the eighteenth - century p e n a l ty for sodomy, for either p arty involved. w a s d e ath, the gi r l s' denials ale understandable.
Chro n o logy .. 8 3
Augus t 26-Th e Royal Prosecuto r o r d e r s special p roceedings against the accused and missing persons and stipulates that the re examination of witnesses shall require confrontation.
A ugus t 29-The President de M ontreuil j oins his daughter, the M a rquise de Sade, at La Co ste, the younger sister Anne being in fl ight with the M arquis.
Sep te m b er 3-Final verdict : S a de and Latour, being declared contumacious and defaulting, are found guilty, the former of the crimes o f p o i soning and sodomy an d the l a tter of the crime of sodomy, and are condemned to exp i a te their crimes at the cathedral p o rch before being taken to the Place Saint-Louis "for the s a i d Sade to be decap itated . . . and t h e s a i d Latour to b e h a n g e d by the neck and strangled . . . then the body of the s a i d Sa de and that o f the said Latour to b e burned and their ashes strewn to the wind."
Sep tem b e r 1 1-Judgment a t the b a r o f the H i gh Court o f Pro vence ( the chamber summoned during the summer vaca tion ) con firms and renders executive the sentence of the Senesch a l ' s Court o f M a rseilles.
Sep tem b er 1 2-Sade and Latour are executed i n effigy on the Place des Precheurs, i n Aix.
October 7-The C anoness, Lady Anne de Launay, returns to La C oste and remains there with her sister.lO
October 27-Leaving h i s luggage at Nice, Sade reaches Cham bery, traveling under the name of the Count de M az a n . With him are Latour, another footman named C a rteron, and his sister-in-law, Lady Anne .
Early No v e m b er-After putting up f o r a f e w days at the Pomme d ' O r , Sade rents a country house for six month s , the house being outside the city gates. About the same time, having discovered her son-in-law's whereabouts, Lady de Montreuil prevails upon the Duke d'Aiguillon to ask the King of S ardinia ' s ambassador to issue
10 Some accounts h av e it t h a t L a d y Anne d i d n o t long remain with her sister, b u t t h a t by mid -October she h e r s e l f h a d decamped again to r e j o i n the M a rquis, h e r brother-in-l aw. ( Cf. Lely : L a F i e d u MarquiJ de Sade, V o l . I, P a r i s , Libr airie Galli m ard, 1 9 5 2, p. 3 5 5 .)
8 4 .. THE MARQUIS DE SADE
a Royal Order " fo r the arrest and imprisonment of the Count de M a z an , a French nobleman in retreat at Chambery."
D e c e m b e r 8-M a j o r de C h avanne and two a dj u tants, acting upon the order of His M aj esty the King of Sardinia, Duke of Savoy, arrest S a de and Latour a t S a d e ' s C h ambery residence.
December 9 -The M a rquis i s driven by post chaise, escorted by fou r cavalrymen, to th,� Fort M iolans p rison, where he signs a p l e dge to the commander o f the fort, M . de Launay, not to a ttempt to escape. Latour consti tutes himself a voluntary prisoner, j oining his master behind bars.
D e c e m b e r 1 8-A family council convening in Avignon decl a r e s b e fore a notary p u b l i c that, given the absence o f the M a rquis, t h e education o f his childre:1 and t h e a dministration o f their p roperty shall be confi ded to the M a rquise, who is appointed their gu ardian ad hoc.
1 7 7 3 . Aet. 33
January l-C omman :lant de Launay, in a letter to the Governo r of Savoy, describes h i s p risoner as "unreliable as he is hot tempered and impulsive . . . capable o f some desperate action" and suggests that Sa de be transfe rred to a more secure p rison. Over the ensuing weeks, de Launay reiterates this request and several times over dis claims responsibility for the security o f S a d e .
March 6-The M a r � uise, having left Paris a w e e k o r so before, arrives by p o s t chaise a t C hambery, disguised in ma sculine clothing and accomp anied by a friend and confidant, Alberet.
March 7-1 4-Repeated a ttempts by the M a rquise to see her husband, which de Launay, in constant contact with the Governor of S avoy, steadfa stly refuses. Finally giving up all hope o f seeing h e r husband, M a dame de S a d e leaves by post chaise for Lyons.
March I 8-B ack at La Coste, the M a rqu i s e writes both to the Count de la Tour and t o the King o f Sa rdiniall imploring each to
1 1 Th e r e w a s n o w a n e w kir,g, C h a r l e s E m m a n u e l I I I, w h o h a d b e e n r u l in g at t h e t i m e o f S ad e ' s i m p r i sonm ent, h a v i n g d i e d o n F e b r u ary 20, 1 7 7 3 . H i . s o n Victor A m a d e u s III s u c c e e d e d him.
Chro n o logy .. 8 5
intercede o n behalf o f her husband. T o the latter she notes : " My husband i s not to be classed with the rogues of whom the universe should be purged . . . . Bias against him has tu rned [ a m i sdemeanor] into a crime , " which she dismisses a s a "youthful folly that en dangered no l i fe nor honor nor the reputation o f any citizen . . . . "
April 30-At approximately 8 :3 0 P . M . , Sade, the B a ron de l' Allee ( a fellow prisoner ) , and Latour climb out o f the only un barred window of the fortress and, a i d e d by a local farmer, Joseph Violin, h e a d for the French frontie r .
May I-Walking a l l n i ght, the fugitives r e a c h t h e village o f Chapareillant b y sunup , b u t b y t h e time a search party sent o u t by de Launay a rrives at the French border Sade is well on his way to Grenoble . How long he remained in Grenoble and exactly where h e hid out r e m a i n unknown, but sometime b e fore the end o f 1 7 7 3 h e returns clandestinely to j oi n h i s w i f e a t L a Coste.
D e c e m b e r I 6-La dy de Montreuil obtains a court order to have the M arqu i s incarcerated anew in Pi erre-Encise p rison.
1 7 74. Aet. 34
January 6-Inspector Goupil o f the Paris police, armed with the court orders of December 1 6 and accompanied by four bowmen and a troup o f mounted constables from M a rseilles, force their way at night into La C oste castle, but find only the M a rquise. Goupil searches the place, and especially the M arqu i s' study, whose p ap ers he confiscates or burns.
March 25-The Minister o f the Royal Household, the Duke de la Vrilliere, in transferring the King' s orders relative to the Mar quis de Sade to the Governor of Provence, suggests that it would be best to arrest him not under his own roof but while he is out making the rounds in the neighborhood.
April I 2-The Governor replies to the Duke de la Vrilliere that Sade is not at La C oste and promises to undertake a discreet in vestigation.
8 6 + T H E M A R Q U I S DE S A D E
July 1 4-At 3 :00 A . M . Lady Anne writes to the Abbe de Sade to inform him o f her su dden depa rtu r e , together with h e r sister, for Paris.12
N o'Vember 1 7 -La dy Anne , in Paris, reproaches the Abbe for not having replied to h e r . Abou t this same date, M adame de Sade returns to La Coste, whether o r not in the comp any o f the M a rquis i s not clear. But i t i s cle u that they h a d been together in Lyons, and were together later at La Coste. Throughout the winter the Sades remain a t La Coste, seldom venturing abroad and seeing very few people.
1 7 7 5. Aet. 3 5
Ja n u ary-Very li ttl e i s known o f the "young girls' scandal" which dates from this winter. On thei r way back from Paris in N ovember of the precedi n g year, the M a rquise, either alone o r in conce rt with the M a rqu i s , hired seven new servants : one was a young maid named N anon, five other girls fifteen years o f age, and a secretary ( male ) a trifle older. Some o f the p a rents claimed the girls had been taken w i thout their consent, and in Janu a ry a t least three o f the p a rents filed a complaint. C riminal proceedings were instituted a t Lyons, and the M a rquise voyaged there to try and quash the affair. One of the girls was secretly taken to the Abbe de Sade and another placed in a nunnery, whence she escaped sev e ral months l a ter.
Janu ary 21-Sade pn:pares a formal refutation of the accusa tions made against him by the girl presently with his uncle and also against the accu s a ti on s m a de by the Abbe himself.
February i i-Lady de M ontreuil sends the first o f a long series o f letters to the notary Gaufridy of Apt, Sade's recently appointed legal adviser. She entrnts him t o a ssume the responsibility for p romp tly returning, i n p e rson and with all gu arantees, these girls to their p a rents in Lyons and Vienne, including the girl presently at the Abbe de S a d e ' s a t Saumane.
12 Ex a ctly h o w l o n g L a d y A n n e h a d b e e n a t L a C o .te, a n d w h a t h e r p r e c i s e r e l a ti o n s h i p with h e r b r oth e r - i n - l a w w a s by now, i . not c l e a r f r o m any e x t a n t r e c o r d s .
Chro n o lo gy + 8 7
February 1 5-The M a rquise does not want to return the girls until they h ave first been examined by a doctor who will fu rnish them with an appropriate medical certificate. She begs the Abbe not to let the gi rl in his cha rge be seen.
May 3-From Aix·en-Provence, the President B runy d' Entre castaux simultaneously i n fo rms the heads of both junior branches of the family, the Count de Sa de-Eygu ieres and Count Sade-Vaure done, the provost o f Saint-Victor of M a rseilles, that h e has it first hand th a t the M a rquis de Sade is at La Coste, where he indulges i n excesses o f every kind with young people of both sexes whom he kidnaps especially from Lyons, in which city charges h ave been de- posed against him.
.
May I I-Anne Sablonniere, known as N anon, chambermaid a t La C o s t e , gives b i r t h at Courthezon t o a baby g i r l , Anne E l i z abeth, the certificate o f bapti sm a ttributing the p a ternity to h e r husband B a rthelemy Fayere, but "some p eople maintain it was conceived by the work of the Lord of the M ano r . "
May 1 8-T h e Abbe de S a d e requests t h e capture o f his nephew, who i s presen tly at La Coste, and demands that h e be incarcerated a s a m a dman.
Jun e 20-Alexandre d e N e rclos, Prior o f the Jumiege convent, informs the Abbe de Sa de that h e h a s l a tely opened his door to a young girl who h a s escaped from La Coste, whence three servants o f the M a rqu i s have come to seize her on the pretext that she h a d stolen fo rty livr e s . He turns h e r o v e r to t h e Abbe's confidant so t h a t h e can place h e r u n d e r h i s protection a s he h a s w i t h t h e o t h e r s from the manor.
Ju n e 2 1 -The M arqu i s e brings a compl aint against Nanon, ch a rging her with the theft of some household silver. This i s merely a m aneuver to hold N anon in check pending the arrival of a Royal le t tr e d e cach e t which Lady M ontreuil has said was forthcoming, for the Sades now consider N anon the source o f all thei r trouble with the other gi rls and are apprehensive lest she go to Lyons and stir up the whole business again.
Ju n e 22-The Prior de N e rclos a ssures the Abb e de Sade that he believes he h a s sti fl e d any unfortunate rumors, but adds that the
8 8 .. T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
M a rquis must be shut up for the rest of his days. He is also con vinced t h a t "the M a rqu ise is no better than her husband, for he knows that no one in the i r house went to confession on E aster Sun day and Lady de Sade allows her servants to have dealings with a married Lutheran wom a n . "
July 5-Th e M inister o f t h e Royal Household i n forms M adame d e Montreuil that he has just i ssue d the necessary Royal Orders for N anon to be imprisoned a t ArIes.
July 30-Nanon's daughter, Anne Eliz abeth, dies a t L a Coste, h e r wet nurse, being six months p regnant, having no more milk.
Augus t-Sade i s traveling incognito in I taly under the name o f t h e Count d e M az a n . In Flo rence, h e steeps himself i n the works o f a r t o f t h e Grand Duke ' s " superb gallery. "
Sep tem b er 29-The M a rqu i s a rrives in Rome.
O c t o b er 6-0ne o f Sade's bailiffs i s instructed to visit N anon in the house o f constraint a t ArI e s . She threa tens to kill herself i f she i s n o t set free, and relates to the bailiff " a thousand horrors."
O c t o b e r 1 7-Th e M a rquise thanks the Abbe for persuading the I sl e-sur-Sorgue hospital to accept the girl he had been keeping i n h i s charge. She agrees t o p ay t h e expenses b u t a sks t h a t t h e gi rl n o t b e allowed t o s p e a k to anyone.
November 1 0-Th e Abbe de S a de reports to the notary Gauf r i dy that the girl is com pletely well again and that he intends to take h e r out o f the hospi tal and give her to the care o f one o f the M arquis' farmers in M a zan, Ripert by name, where she will be b e tter o ff than a t Saumane and less likely to talk to strangers.
1 7 7 6 . Aet. 3 6
E n d o f la n u ary-Tht M a rquis i s a t N aples, where the French charge d'affaires, M. Ber anger, m i s takes him for a certain M . Tes sier, cashier of a Lyo n s Hore who has absconded with eighty thou sand iivre s . To exculpate himself, he i s obliged to reveal his real i dentity, produce supporting documents and agree to be p r esented
Chro n o logy + 8 9
a t court in h i s colonel's uniform. H e writes both t o Gau fridy a n d t o his wife asking whatever h e would do i f , because o f h i s reputation, h e w a s recogn i z e d and attacke d.
March is-The M a rquise l e a rns that one o f the girls involved i n the La C o ste scandal has left the C a derousse convent for Lyons, i n th e company of two young men who have come for her, one o f whom declares h e i s h e r godfather. About the same time, Sade writes to h i s wife p roposing to return to L a Coste, but she dis p a tches S a d e ' s valet C arteron, known a s La J eunesse, to Naples, to dissuade him from such a risky undertaking.
May 4-M . d e M az a n leaves Naples, and on June 1 arrives a t Rome.
End of Jun e-S a d e reaches Grenobl e , via B o logne and Turin ; from Grenoble h e sends C a rteron ahead to La C o ste to p repare h i s return by mi d-July.
July 26-Sa d e is now at home, and rumors ci rculate that he h a s turne d religious-on e rumor e v e n h a s i t that he h a d b e e n received by the Pop e-none o f which the M a rquise tries to qu ash. M ean while, th e girl placed in farmer R i p e r t ' s care also fl e e s , but before returning to Vienne she spends a week a t Orange making a deposi tion the r e to the local magistrate.
Nove m b er 2-Father Durand, recollect monk, · i s charged by Sade, who i s i n M ontpellier, to find him a cook fo r La Coste. C a therine Trillet ( o r Treill e t ) i s suggested, and the monk vouches to her father, a coverlet weaver, fo r the standing of La Coste and assures him that, as far as morals go, it is "like a nunne ry. " Her father consents, and the twenty-two-year-old C a therine, who i s de scribed a s "very p re t ty , " i s driven to La Coste by Father Durand.
November 4-The M a rquis is back at La C oste. Money i s an increasin gly serious p roblem : the forty thousand livres due the M a rqui s a s Lt.-General o f B re s s e are under sequester. At her daughte r's request, Lady M ontreuil sends 1 2 0 0 livres not directly to her daughter but to the l awye r Gaufridy, with strict orders for him to sp end it only o n pressing domestic needs.
9 0 .. T H E M A R Q U I S DE S A D E
Mid-Decemb er-S a d e has wri tten to Father Durand to engage fou r servants for La Co ste. On D ecember 1 3 or 1 4 , there arrive a secretary named R olla.nd, a wigmaker, a chamberm a i d named C avanis and a ki tchenm a i d " o f fo reign origin . " The following morning three o f the four-all but the ki tchenmaid-return to M ontpell i e r where th ey i n fo rm M. Trlll e t what has transp i r e d at the manor.L3 Trillet, wo rried about his daughter, demands that Father Durand write to Sade requesting th at he return C atherine to h e r fath e r .
L a te D e c em ber-Gau f ridy receives an anonymous l e t t e r noti fy ing him that an officer and ten ho rsemen have been ordered to go to the Ste.-Clair fair a t Apt and arrest the M arquis. Thus forewarned, Sade avoids the fa i r .
1 7 7 7 . A e t . 3 7
Janu ary 1 4-Marie-El eono re de M a ille de C a rman, Dowager C ountess d e Sade, dies a t: the C a rm e l i t e convent i n the rue E n f e r in Paris, aged sixty-five.
January 1 7-Toward one o ' clock M . Trillet comes to La C oste to claim his daughter, who is known in the chateau as Justi ne. Dur ing an a rgument with th e M a rquis, Trillet fi re s a pistol shot at him almost point blank, but misses. H e runs off to the La Coste township where he babbl e s about what has happened. At about five o'clock C a therine sends someone to find h e r father, who returns to the chateau. There she tries to calm him, but Trillet, who h a s b rought fou r o t h e r men b ack with him, fl i e s i n t o another r a g e and fires a second shot into a c ourtyard where he thinks Sade to be. All five men then fl e e .
January 18-T h e j unior magistrate at L a Coste, learning o f the a ttempted murder the p revious day, begins to hear witnesses.
January 20-Trillet lea ves La Coste, a fter p rofessing to Messrs. Paulet and Vidal that he feels " the sincerest emotions o f fri end ship and attachment for the M a rqu i s . "
13 W h a t actu a l l y d i d t r a n s p i r e i s not c l e a r , b u t i t w o u l d a p p e a r t h a t S a d e w a s a cc u s e d b y t h e n e w dom e s tics o f h a v i n g t r i e d d u r i n g t h e n i g h t to h a v e h i s w ay with e ach o f them, a n a l l e g a t i o n that Sade c a t e g o r i c a l l y d e n i e d , a s m i ght b e e x p ected.
Chro n o logy + 9 1
L a t e Janu ary-In Aix, Trillet enters a c h a rge, backed by a state ment outlining what had transpired a month before a t La Coste with the newly hired s e rvants. Upon their return to Montpellier, according to Trillet, the three domestics h a d told him that the M ar quis had, during the night, "tried to have his way with them by of fering them a purse of silver." His decision to take back his daughte r , Trillet adds, was reinfo rced by the fact that the superior o f Father Durand' s monastery , having l e a rned o f the a ff a i r , ex pelled Durand from the monastery. In h i s deni a l , S a d e claims that he never asked Father Durand to hire these servants fo r him, h av ing no n e e d of them, and tha t it w a s for thi s reason he h a d them returned the following day to M ontpelli e r . Sade adds that h e found all "these people frightfully prepossessing" and notes that one would have to be an " a rch fool" to have aggrava ted "their ill hu mor brought about by their pointless trip" by trying to " outrage them during the night. " M o reover, he notes, how could he have tried to bribe them with money, since h e had none ?
Jan u ary 30-The Attorney General of Aix makes known, through the intermedi a ry o f the Aix l awye r M ouret, his opinion as to the TriIlet a ff a i r , which is that the fath er should be given im mediate satisfaction. Afte r so many other imper fectly qu ashed af fairs, the consequences of the present one might become most senous.
Fe bruary l -Sade, en route for Paris,14 reaches Tain, near Va lence. Sade i s traveling with La J eunesse, while the M a rquise is with Catherine Trillet, who h a s begged M a dame to take her along and not send her back to Montp ellier.
February 8-The Sades reach Paris and l e a rn o f the Dowager C ountess' death in mi d-J anuary. Sade puts up at his fo rmer tuto r's, Abbe Ambl e t, who gives him a warm reception.
February 10 o r 1 2-Madame de Sade decides that the time has come for her to i n form her mother that h e r husband i s i n Paris.
14 P e r h a p s a l armed b y news of the D o w a g e r Countess' s t a t e of h e a l th. The S a d e s d i d n o t l e arn o f the Dow ager's d e ath u n t i l their arrival in P aris on February 8, thus three weeks after the e vent.
92 .. T H E MAR Q U I S DE SADE
February 1 3-The M a rqu i s de Sade i s a rr e s t e d by I n s p e c t o r M a r a i s a t t h e Hotel de D an e m a rk o n the rue J a c o b a n d t aken to Vincennes fo r t r e s s w h e r e , a t 9 :3 0 t h a t n i g h t , he is formally ente r e d a s a p ri s o n e r .
L a te February-S a d e w r i t e s h i s w i f e h i s fi r s t l e t t e r a s a p r i s o n e r ( s h e s t i l l d o e s n o t k n o w i n w h i c h p r i s o n h e h a s b e e n inca rce r a te d ) : "I f e e l i t comple t e ly i mp o s s i b l e to l o n g endure a c o n d i t i o n so cruel. I a m overwhelmed with d e sp a i r . . . . My bl o o d i s t o o h o t to b e a r such t e r r i b l e r e s t r i c t i o n . . . . I f I a m n o t r e l e a s e d i n f o u r d a y s , I s h a l l c r a ck my skull a g a i n s t t h e s e wall s . " All L a dy S a d e ' s applica t i o n s to s e e h e r h u sb a n d a r e denied.
April 1 8-S a d e to h : s wi f e : " I a m i n a tower c l o s e d i n by nine t e e n i r on d o o r s , with l i g h t r e a ching me only through two l i ttle windows, each w i t h a s c o r e of i r o n b a r s . " He comp l a i n s that in o v e r the two months h e has b e e n i n p r i s o n h e has been allowed only fi v e walks of o n e h o u r each, "in a sort of tomb about f o r ty feet s qu a r e surrounded by w a l l s more t h a n fi fty feet h i g h . "
Ju n e 24-M a d a m e de S a d e i s n o w a w a r e t h a t h e r husband i s b e i n g h e l d a t Vincen n e s .
S ep te m b er 1 - S a d e , in a l e t t e r t o h i s w i f e , exp r e s s e s the h o r r o r o f h i s s i t u a t i o n a n d S <l ys t h a t , b e f o r e exp e r i encing i t , h e would never h a v e believed i t . Such cages should be r e s e rv e d for s a v a g e b e a s t s , h e n o t e s , n o t f o r human b e i n g s .
S ep t e m b er 2 3 a n d 24-B o th L a dy de Montreuil and Lady d e S a d e w r i t e to the M i n i s t e r o f the R oyal H o u s e h o l d in f a v o r o f t h e q u a s h i n g o f the s e n t e n c e o f 1 7 7 2 a n d r e q u e s t i n g t h a t t h i s b e form a l ly subm i t t e d to t J e K i n g i n h i s C ouncil o f D i sp a tc h e s o f the 2 6 th i n s t .
1 7 7 8 . Aet. 3 8
Early February-N a non i s s e t fr e e , o n condi tion t h a t she n o t come w i t h i n t h r e e l e agues o f Lyo ns o r V i e n n e .
April 30-J e a n-B a p t i s te-J o s eph-D avi d , C o m t e de S a d e d' Ey gu i e r e s , o b t a i n s from the King the p o s t o f L t . - G e n e r a l of the
Chro n o logy + 93
provinces o f Bresse, B ugey, Valromey and G e x formerly held b y t h e M ar quis de S a d e , which has been i n suspense for t h e past fi v e years.
May 23-Faced with the choice of having recourse to the ple a o f insanity or of personally appe aring before the High Court of Provence (in connection with the M arseilles a ff air of 1 7 7 2 ) , Sade opts for the second choice.
May 2 7-The King grants the M arquis de Sade papers of ester a dro it to appe al the sentence of the High Court of Provence , despite the expiration o f the legal period o f five years.
Jun e 1 4-Escorted by Inspector M arais, Sade l e a ves Vincennes to j ourney to Aix, arriving there on the evening of Saturday, June 2 0 .
Jun e 3 0-A crowd o f 2 0 0 gathers at the door o f the J acobin monastery where the High Court holds its sessions, in anticipation of seeing the M arquis de Sade, but the prisoner both arrives and departs in a sedan chair with curtains drawn, thus thwarting their curiosity. Plaintiff's Counsel Joseph-Jerome Simeon and the Royal Attorney, General d' Eymar de Montmeya n, both speak eloquently in S a d e ' s b e h a l f , and the Cou rt, a ft e r delibe r a tion, decl a r e s the M a rseilles trial null and void for absolute lack of evidence of any poisoning. The Court also orders a new investigation of the allega tions o f libertinage and pederasty alone, and the hearing of wit nesses.
July 7-1 0-Cross-examination of Sade. The following day the Court issues a decision ordering a special trial. On July 1 0 there is a re-examin ation of the witnesses and confrontation with the ac cused.
July 1 4-The M arquis is cross-examined publicly in the High Court chambers, returning shortly thereafter for the j udgment, which finds Sade guilty of acts of debauch and excessive libertin age. The Court orders that "Louis-Aldonse-Don atien de Sade be a d monished behind the bench in the presence of the Attorney General in future to be of more seemly conduct , " and prohibits him "to live in or frequent the city of Marseilles for thr e e y e a r s . " Furthe r , he
94 .. T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
is condemned to p ay fi fty livres applicable to the p r i son fund and the cost of j ustice.
Ju ly 1 5-Sa d e le aves Aix, escorted by M a ra i s , M a rais' younger brother Antoine and two junior gu ards, on h i s way back to Vincennes where, in spite o f his legal victory, he i s still a prisoner o f th e King's by virtue o f the le t tre de cach e t o f Febru a ry 1 3 , 1 7 7 7 .
July 1 6-At Valen :e, where the p arty h a s stopped a t an inn overnight, the M a rqu : s makes his escape. In spite o f a thorough s e a rch o f the immedi�.te vicinity, no trace i s found o f Sade, who described what happened i n his "Story of My Imprisonment" : " I h a d taken r e fuge about half a mile o u t o f town in a shanty n e a r a f a rm e r ' s threshing floor. Then two local countrymen gu ided m e . We fi rs t went toward M onteli m a r , but a fter a leagu e we changed our minds and r e turned to the Rhone, intending to cross it, but we could not find a boat. Finally , just a s day was breaking, one o f u s crossed the river to Vivar a i s where h e found a boat that w a s sui table and thi s , for a louis, took me down to Avignon . " At Avignon, Sade goe s t o a friend's house, h a s suppe r , a n d orders a carriage t o take h i m t h a t s a m e night to La Coste. .
July 1 8-Sade reaches La Coste, where he spends a quiet month, with Mlle. Do rothee de Rousset acting a s housekeeper.
July 2 7-Madame de S a d e h a s only recently l e a rned from her mother o f the verdict of the High Court o f Aix ( but she has not y e t l e a rn e d o f S a d e ' s escape ) . Upon being informed that her husband, although cleaed a t Aix, must nevertheless return to his cell a t Vincennes, she " completely loses control of herself" i n the course o f a terrible scene with h e r mother.
A ugus t 1 9-Warned o f the presence o f suspicious characters in the region, the M a rqu i s takes to hi ding out at various places in the neighborhood o f La Coste.
Augus t 23-S ade, in spite o f strong pleas by h i s friend C anon Vidal, r e tu rns to take lip residence at La Coste.
A ugus t 26-At 4 : 0 0 A . M . the door to S a d e ' s chamber i s forced by a group o f armed nen, whose leader covers the culprit, b e fo r e witnesses, with the foulest insults.
Chro n o lo gy 9 5
S e p t e m b e r 7-After thirteen days' travel by post chaise then furth e r travel by stage coach, Sade arrives a t 8 :3 0 P . M . at Vincennes, where h e i s locked in cell N o . 6 .
N o 'V e m b e r 6-Mlle. de Rousset arrives in Paris t o stay with the M arquise.
D e c e m b er 7-After three months' solitary confinement, S a de i s allowed to h a v e pen and p a p e r a n d to write a s he p l e a s e , and i s given permission to take exercise twice a week.
1 7 7 9 . Aet. 3 9
J a n u ary-Sade sends season's greetings i n verse t o Mlle. de Rousset, whom he now addresses a s "Saint" Rousset, because of her boundless goodness toward him.
M a r c h 29-Sade's exercise p e riods are increased to three a week.
Ju ly I 5-He now enj oys five exercise periods a week.
Nov e m b er 9-Mlle. de Rousset, to whom S a de has been writing letters full o f unjust reproaches and comp l aints, bre aks o ff her correspondence with him, although she remains devoted to him and continues her unflagging efforts on his behalf.
1 7 8 0 . Aet. 40
April 2I-Sade i s visited by M . Le Noir15 who informs him that he will soon b e permitted to receive a vi sit from his wife.
April 25-Sade's exercis e periods become d a i ly.
Ju n e 26-An altercation with a j ailer, whom Sade maintains was extremely insolent to him, results in the suspension of his daily exercise periods.
Ju n e 28-The C a p tain o f the Guard, M. de Valage, who comes to i nform the prisoner officially o f the supp ression of h i s walks, i s
15 Charles L e Noir ( 1 7 3 2-1 807 ) , Chief o f Police o f Paris for app roxim ately a ten year period ending i n Augu st, 1 7 8 5 . He i s best remembered for his work in imp rov ing the hospitals and abolishing tortu re. H e was generally known a s a kind, j ust per son, qu a lities r a rely found in the men occupying such a position.
9 6 .. T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
threatened and berated by Sa de. According to the report of the wa rden, M. de Rougemont,16 Sade then begins to shout at the top o f his voice tryin g to arouse the other prisoners. Spying a fellow p r i soner whom h e detested, M i rabeau, down below in the p rison yard taking e x e rcise, Sade shouts at him out of his cell window, calling h i m the Commandant's ( i. e . de Rougemont' s ) catamite, blaming him fo r h i s , S a de's, being deprived o f his walks, suggesting he might go kiss the wa rden ' s ass. S a de dares him to answer, adding for good measure that he intends, once free, to lop o ff M i rabe a u ' s ears. To which M i rabeau replies : " My name is that o f a man of honor who has never either dissected o r poisoned any women, a man who win be only too pleased to write his name on you r shoulders with a razor, if only you' r e not broken o n the wheel b e fo r e I have a chance to do so, a man you inspire with one fear only, and that i s that you m i ght put him in mourning a l a Greve . " ( The square where executions a r e then taking place. )
July 24-The motives for holding S a de prisoner are debated a t Vers a i l l e s , and the First M inister orders that a l l i n formation rela ting to the M a rqu is' case b e gathered and given h i m for ex amination.
Dece m b er 1 3-M i r abeau, l eaving Vincennes p r i son , endorses his official discharge 0 . 1 the back of the record of Sade's a rrival there o n Febru a ry 1 3 , 1 7 7 7 .
1 7 8 1 . Aet. 4 1
March 9-After thi:cty-six weeks, the prisoner's exercise periods are restored.
May 1 0-Lady Anne de Launay, S a de's sister-in-law, falls ill with smallpox, the fi rst signs o f the disease appea ring this Thursday evenIng.
16 Charles de Rougemont ," as the bastard son of the M arquis d'Oise, his moth e r b e i n g an English woman named M r s . H att. Sade, who loathed the man, o f t e n r e ferred to him i s "th at qu arter Englishman" o r simply "that mongrel." H e also h a d more highly descriptive epithets for de Rougemont, one of which was "a t o a d in breeches." H e was, wrote S ade, one of those men "so robot-like, so idiotic, so dim witted that he cou l d never think of any way to refuse a request but by saying ' I t h a s never been d o n e before, I ' v e never k n o w n it to be d o n e before.' ''
Chro n o logy + 9 7
May 1 3-La dy Anne d i e s at 1 : 0 0 P . M .
Jun e-Mlle. de Rousset i s b ack a t La Coste, where she once again corresponds with the M a r qu i s .
July 1 3-Sade receives his first vi s i t f r o m his w i f e , a fter a separation o f four years and five months. They are allowed to meet only i n the p resence o f a witne ss.
Early O c t o b er-M. Le Noir suspends the visits of the M a rquise because of the violent a ttacks of husbandly j e alousy to which Sade was subj ect. To counter Sade's suspicion s-most p robably com pletely without foundation-L a dy de Sade moves from her apa rt ment o n the rue de la M a rche and withdraws into the convent of Sainte-Aur e .
1 7 8 2 . A e t . 42
July 1 2-Sade completes the manuscript of h i s Dialo gue b e tween a Pries t a n d a Dying Man.
Augus t 6-Sade i s deprived o f all books because they "over heated h i s head" and l ed him to write "unseemly things . "
S ep te m b er 25-Resumed a fter Janu a ry, the M a rqui s e ' s r a r e v i s i t s are a g a i n susp ended because o f the prisoner's p o o r conduct.
1 7 8 3 . Aet. 43
Febru ary-S a d e , suffering from eye troubl e , i s treated by the oculi s t Grandj e an.
April 1-Madame de Sade informs her husband o f the mar riage of h e r younger sister, Fran\oise-Pel agie, born October 1 2 , 1 7 6 0 , to the M a rquis de Wavrin, the wedding having taken place toward the end o f January .
. . . . -Lou i s- M a r i e de Sade, the M a rqui s ' eldes t son, i s named sub-lieutenant in the Rohan-Soubise Regiment. Sade, wanting him to
98 .. T H E MARQU; S DE SADE
wear the same cavalry uni form he had worn, i s furious and wri tes h i s wife, categorically obj ecting to the appointment.
1 7 8 4. Aet. 44
Janu ary 25-Mlle. de Rousset, who has long been suffering from tub erculosis , dies a t L" Coste, aged forty years and nineteen days.
Febru ary 29-Exce rp t from the Reperto ire au J o u rnalier du chateau de la B as tille : " M . Surboi s , inspector o f police, has taken the M arquis de Sade from Vincennes at nine o ' clock in the evening. The Royal Order, counter signed by B reteuil, i s dated January 3 1 : he i s lo dged in second Liberty.17
March 3-M . Le N oir writes to the Gove rnor o f the B astille recommending that Sade, like two other noblemen recently trans ferred from Vincennes to the B a stille , be allowed to take p e ri o dic walks a t the l a tter p ri son.
March 8-S ade, i n a letter to his wife, complains of conditions a t the B a stille, mainta ning they are far worse than at Vincenn e s .
March 1 6-Madame de Sade pays h e r fi rst vi sit to the B a stille, bringing h i m s i x pounds o f candles. She i s allowed to visit him twi ce monthly.
July 1 6-Le N o i r a u thorizes Grandj ean, the oculist, to a ttend to the M arquis.
1 7 8 5 . Aet. 4 5
O c t o ber 22-Th e M a r q u i s begins t h e final revision o f his draft o f a maj or work, The 1 20 D ays of S o d o m o r The Sch o o l for Liber tines.
17 T h a t is, o n the second fl o o r of Liberty Tower. W h e n Sade w a s imprisoned in t h e B a stille, Liberty T o w e r consisted o f two du ngeon c e l l s , s i x r o o m s one above the other and a circIe of narrow cells. Sade's room, on the second floor, like the one below it and the four above, w a s some fifteen feet in di ameter and about eighteen feet h igh.
Chro n o logy + 99
N o'llCm b e r 1 2-In twenty evenings o f work, between seven and ten, h e covers one side o f a twelve-meter-long roll o f paper which h e has prepared for thi s purpose.
N o'Vember 28-After thirty-seven d ays o f work Sade completes the second side of the famous manuscript o f The 120 D ays in the form in which it has come down to us .
. . . . -Cardinal de Rohan is imprisoned in the B astille. The p r esence of the Church digni tary stops all private visits to all p ris oners.
1 7 8 6 . Aet. 46
July 1 3-Madame de Sade's visits, at the rate o f one a month, are reinstated.
1 7 8 7 . Aet. 47
May 23-The prisoner, who hitherto has been allowed a one h our walk only every second day, i s now p rovisionally given an h ou r ' s walk daily.
May 25-M adame de Sade writes to Gaufridy that M . Sade i s in fair health but getting "very fa t."
Jun e 21-A simple decree of the Chatelet i n Paris p rovides for the administration of the properties of the M arquis de Sade, he "being absent for the past ten years."
July 8-Sade completes Les Info r t u n es de la Pertu, a philosophi cal story 1 3 8 pages long which he wrote in two weeks, in spite o f t h e f a c t that, a s h e pencils in t h e m argin o f t h e last p age, "All the time I was writing this my eyes bothered me."
O c t o b er 7-0wing to the a rrival o f a prisoner j u s t as he was supposed to begin his walk, Sade' s exercise hour i s suspended, and h e h a s what the o ffi ci a l report describes as a "violent outbu rst." 18
18 Letter of October 1 0 , 1 7 8 7, from M ajor de Losme-Salbry to the Chief of Police.
1 0 0 .. T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
O c t o ber 1 0-Sade b<:rates the Governor and h i s aide who come to announce to him the susp ension of his exe rcise periods.
O c t o b er 23-Sade's (:xercise right i s restored.
1 7 8 8 . Aet. 48
March l-Sade begins work upon h i s short novel Eugenie d e Pranval, which h e completes i n six days.
Ju n e 5-S a d e ' s exercise period again having been suspended " fo r impertinence" a n d h e having so been i n formed in writing, the pri soner nonetheless att empts to descend at his regul a r hour to the yard an d , according to de Losme, "it was only when the o ffi c e r [ stationed a t h i s door ] pointed his gun a t him t h a t he retreated, swearing l oudly . "
O c t o ber J-Sade draws up the Catalogue rais o n n e o f his writ ings. By now, apart from h i s cl and e s tine work s , h e h a s the con t e n t s o f fi fteen octavo vol urn! s.
O c t o b er-At Madam e de Sade's request, the Lt.-General of police authori zes the p r soner to read magazines and newspapers.
1 7 89. Aet. 49
J a n u ary-June-Au t� o r i z e d on N ovember 24 of the p receding year to visit her husb a n d we ekly rather than bi-we ekly, M adame de S a de pays h e r husbc.nd twenty-three visits during the first h a l f o f 1 7 89.
July 2-The B a stille logbook notes that "The Count de Sade19 shouted several times from the win dow of the B a stille that the p ri soners we r e being sl m ghtered and that the people should come to liberate them. "
19 A l th o u g h S a d e i s k n o w n IS, and b o r e the titl e of, M a rquis, h e w a s a l s o often r e f e r r e d to a s " C o u nt." In a l e t t e r to h i s w i f e w ritten e a r ly i n 1 7 84, S a d e i n f a c t an n o u n c e d h i s i n t e n t i o n to p a s s o n th e t i t l e o f M a r q u i s t o h i s eldest son L o u i s - M a r i e , a n d h i m s e l f a s s u m e t h e t i t l e o f C o u nt, " f o l l o w i n g the cu stom o f a l l [ n o b l e ] f a m i l i e s."
Chro n o lo gy .. 1 0 1
Ju ly 4-At 1 : 0 0 A . M . , a s a result o f a report made to Lord de Villedeuil on the M a rquis' conduct on July 2 , he i s transferred to Charenton Asylum by Inspector Quido r .20
Ju ly 9-Sa d e signs the authori z a tion requested by Commissaire Chenot to have h i s B a stille cell, which was placed under seals on July 4, opened in the presence o f his emissary, M a dame de Sade.
Ju ly 1 4-Awakened by the quickening pace o f events, M a dame de Sade, who has not yet carried out her commission relative to Sade's p ersonal belongings left behind i n the B a stille, sends her authoriz ation to C ommissaire Chenot and then l e aves town fo r the country. The B a stille i s stormed and Sade's cell sacked, his furni ture, his suits and linen, his library and, most important, his manu scripts, a r e "burned, pillaged, torn up and carried off."
July 1 9-Madame de S a de informs C ommissaire Chenot that, for personal reasons, she cannot consi der herself responsible for th e p apers and effects of the M a rquis d e Sade.
O c t o b e r 5-M adame de Sade escapes from Paris, accompanied by her daughter and a maid, to avoi d being " dragged out by the women of the lower classes who a r e forcing all the women i n the town ' houses to march with them through the rain and mud to Versailles to seize the King. " She then relates that the King has been brought from Versailles to Paris, "the heads of his two bo dy gu ards s e t on pikes b e fore him," and tha t "Paris is in a state o f intoxication."
1 7 9 0 . Aet. 5 0
March 1 3-The C onstituent Assembly adopts a projected decree concerning the le ttres de cach e t stipulating that all p r isoners de tained by such Royal Orders will be rel e a s e d save for those con demned to death, indicted or j u dged insane.
20 A n asylum r u n b y t h e charity o r d e r o f friars known as t h e Petits Peres. Ac cording to S ade's own d e scription, his transfer from the B a stil l e to C h a r enton w a s effected by six m e n who, pistol in h a nd, e n t e r e d his cell and t o r e him f r o m h i s b e d . H e w a s allowed t o take nothing w i t h h i m , neither his b o o k s nor m a nu scriDts.
1 0 2 4 THE MARQ G n DE SADE
March 1 8-Sade is vi sited at C h a renton by his two sons, whom h e has not seen in fi fteen years and who have come to in form him of the decree of the Assembly.
April 2-0n this day, Good Friday, Sade recove rs his libe rty and l e aves C h a renton, without a p enny. He goes di rectly to see the man who i s handling h i s a ff a i rs, M . de M illy, a ttorney at the C h a telet Court, who p rovides him wi th a bed to sleep in and six l O ll i s .
A p ril 3-M a dame de Sade, a resident of the convent o f Sainte Aur e , refu ses to see her husband from whom she has decided to sepa r a te .
April 28-Madame de Sade formally applies to t h e C h a telet C ourt for a sepa ration o rder. Sade, who claims he h a s already seen h e r a ttitude changing toward h i m , tends to blame i t upon the influ ence o f her Father Confessor.
Ju n e 9--The C h a tel et Court i ssues a separation order and instructs th e M a rqu i s de Sade to restore to his wi fe 1 6 0 , 8 4 2 livres received as m a rriage settlement.
Ju ly l-Sade obtains an i dentity card a s "an active citizen" o f t h e Place Vendome Section, l a te r t o be known as the Piques Section.
A ugus t 3-The Theatre I talien accepts his one-act verse pl ay, L e S u b o rn e u r.
A ugu s t 1 7-S ade givl�s a reading at the Comedie-Fran�aise o f h i s one-act p l a y in f r e e verse, L e B o u d o i r 0 11 I e mari credil l e . A week later the play is rej ected, but a second reading agreed to , p roviding the author makes some ch anges.
A ugus t 25-Sade forTIS a l i a ison with a young actress, M a ri e Constance Renell e , h e r h u sband Balth a z a r Quesnet having deserted her and l e ft h e r with their one child. This l i a i son, which S a d e will describe many times as " less than p l a tonic," but founded on mutual love and attachment, will last the rest o f h i s li fe.21
2 1 In a l etter to R�inaud, his Aix atto rney, S a d e writes : "Nothing was e v e r more virtuous than my l ittl e ne st, To begin with, th ere i s not a hint of love-ma king. S h e i s j u st a decent, kindly, m a tronl:r p e r son, sweet and good a n d w i t h a keen m i n d . . . , " ( Lett e r of J a n u a ry, 1 7 9 1 . )
Chro n o lo gy + 1 0 3
Sep tember 1 6-Sa d e ' s five-act play, Le Misan thrope p a r a m o u r o u S ophie e t Desfran cs, i s "unanimously accepted" b y t h e Comedie Fran«;aise.
November l-Sade moves into a house with garden a t No. 2 0 , r u e Neuve-des-Mathurins, o ff t h e Chaussee d'Antin.
1 7 9 1 . Aet. 5 1
March 5-Sa de writes - to Reinaud telling him that he will send the four volumes o f his novel, A lin e e t Valc o u r, which are to be printed by E aster. He also rema rks that he now has five play s accepted b y various theaters.
Ju n e 1 2-Sa d e notes, i n a l e tter to Reinaud, that his novel Jus tin e ou les Malh eu rs d e la Vertu i s being p rinted, adding that it is "too immoral a work for so religious and modest a man a s your self."
O c t o ber 22-First performance, at the Theatre Moliere on the rue S a in t- M artin, of Sade's L e Comte Oxtiern a u les elfe ts du libertinage. A second performance is given two weeks later, on November 4 , which gives rise t o a disturbance and causes Sade to suspend further p e r formances.
November 24-Sade gives a reading to the C omedie-Fran«;aise o f his Jean n e Laisne o u Ie Siege de Beauvais, which i s rej ected by an eight-to-five vote.
1 7 9 2 . Aet. 5 2
March 5-At the Theatre Italien, a J acobin cabal, all wearing red bonnets with the point forward, makes so much noise that Le S u b o rneur cannot be completed and the perfo rmance is halted after the fourth scene. The reason given for the demonstration : the author was an aristocrat.
M ay-Sub-Lieutenant Donatien-Claude-Armand de S ade, aide. de-camp o f the M a rquis de Toulongeon, deserts.
1 04 + T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
Augus t 1 8-Sa d e solemnly disavows his sons' emigration, a necessary step taken to save himself, the Republic having issued a decree m aking p arents resp onsibl e for the actions of the i r children.
S ep te m b er 3-During the massacres,22 Sade is for the first time the secretary o f his secti on.
S e p t e m b e r 1 7-Z1 -A crowd of people from La Coste-men, women and children-force the i r way into the chateau and ransack i t , destroying or carting away most o f the fu rnitu r e . The municipal gua r d is helpless to cope with the mob, but the municipality does its best to save what remains o f Sade's furniture and effects and h a s them housed i n the vica rage, until they are carted away a week later by two bailiffs fro m Apt who a rrive with a requi sition order and abuse their limited autho rity to l o a d all pieces of value onto fou r wagons, over the protests o f the La C oste municipal council.
O c t o b e r 1 7 -S ade is a soldi e r in the 8 th Company o f the Piques Section and commissaire for the organi z a tion of the cavalry in that section.
Octob er-Sade in possession o f the first copies o f his poli tical p amphl et Idees s u r Ie m o de d e la s a n c ti o n des L o ix, which i s pub lished by his own section and sent to the other forty-seven s ections o f Par i s for th e i r study an d opinion.
N o v e m b e r 4-S ade i ll called by the Piques Section to do twenty four hours' gu ard duty commencing at 9 :00 A . M .
D e c e m b e r 1 3-Unde r t h e name Loui s-Alp honse-Donatien Sade, the M a rquis' name i s entered-whether by error or willful malice on the list of em igres of ·the B ouches-du-Rhone depa rtment.
1 7 9 3 . Aet. 5 3
Ja n u ary 21-"Loui s Capet, thirty-nine, pro fession : last King o f the French" i s guillotined o n the Place d e l a Revolution a t 1 0 :2 2 A . M .
22 On September 3 , ten thousand p risoners were s l a u ghtered. "Nothing can equ al the horror o f the m a s s acre," S a d e wrote to G aufridy on September S . "The former Princess d e Lamballe w a s one of th e victims. H e r h e ad. stuck on a pike. w a s shown to the King and Queen and h." body. after being subjected to the most sav age de bauchery. was d r a gged throug� the streets for eigh t hours . . . . "
Chro n o lo gy .. 1 0 5
Febru ary 26-Together with C i ti z ens C a rre and Desormeaux, Sa d e signs the report he has drawn up concerning the i r inspection o f five hospitals which the Hospital Commission had entrusted them with on Janu a ry 1 7 .
April 1 3-1n a letter to Gaufridy, Sade announces that he h a s b e e n appointed c o u r t a ssessor. " I h a v e t w o i t e m s o f n e w s which will surprise you . Lord M ontreuil has been to see me 1 23 And guess the oth e r ! I would give you a hundred gu esses I I a m appointed magistrate, yes, magistrate ! By the pro secution I Who, my dear lawyer , would have told you that fi fteen years back ? You see how wise my oid head i s becoming in i ts old age . . . . "
Ju n e I S-Citizen Sade, secretary of the assembly o f the sections o f Paris, is appointed one o f the four delegates who the following day are to present an a ddress to the Convention calling for . an an nulment of the decree which established a Pa risian a rmy o f six thousand men a t forty sous a day.
Ju n e 26-A new dep artment, the Vaucluse, is created out o f the former Bouches-du-Rhone department, but i n submi tting the list of emigres to the new depa rtment S a d e ' s name, which has been ordered from the list, still app ears there, a fact which i s later to have grave consequences for him.
July 23-Sade has been appointed chairman o f the Piques Sec tion, and h e announces the news with elation to Gaufridy.
Augus t 2-At a stormy session of the Piques Section, S a d e gives up t h e chair to the vice-chairman, refusing to ac;t as chair man for a p roposal he deems "ho rrible . . . utterly inhuman."
Sep tember 29-The General Assembly o f the Piques Section, "app roving the p rinciples and vigor" o f Sade's pamphlet entitled D iscours .aux man es de Jl,fara t el de Le Peletier, decides to print i t a n d s e n d i t to t h e N ational Assembly.
November 15 ( 2S Brum aire, Year II ) -Sade i s the leader o f seven other delegates who app e a r before t h e b a r o f the N a tional
23 The former President d e Montr e u i l had come to visit his son-in- l aw, whom h e h a d n o t seen i n fiftee n y e ars, at the P i q u e s Section of w h i c h S a d e w a s secretary. S ad e w a s obviously ple a s e d b y the deferential visit.
1 0 6 + T H E MARQU S DE SADE
C onvention to read t h e Pe t i t i o n of t h e Piques S e c t i o n t o t h e R epre s e n tatives of the Fre n c h P e o p le, o f which S a d e i s the a u t h o r.24
D e c e m b e r 8 ( 1 8 Fri m a ire, Year II ) -A w a r r a n t is i s s u e d for S a d e ' s a r r e s t based o n a letter S a d e had written two years e a rl i e r , a n d h e i s a r r e s t e d a t h i s h o u s e o n t h e r u e N euve-des- M a th u r i n s a n d taken to M a d e l o n n e t t e s p r i son.2 5
1 7 94. A e t . 5 4
Janu ary 1 3 ( 23 Niv ?se, Year II ) -Th e p o l i c e d e p a rtment o f P a r i s o r d e r s t h e t r a n s f e r o f t h e p r i so n e r S a d e t o t h e C a rm e l i t e c o n v e n t o n t h e rue d e Va u g i r a r d .2 6
Janu ary 22 ( 3 Pluvi(js e , Year II ) -B y o rd e r o f t h e p o l i c e de p a rtment d a t e d 1 Pluvic. s e , S a d e i s t r a n s f e r r e d to t h e S a i n t-La z a re p r i s o n .27
February 1 2 ( 24 Plw)iose , Year II ) -S a d e ' s n am e is a g a i n ( by e r ro r ? ) p l a c e d on t h e l i s t of em igres, u n d e r t h e C h ri s tian n a m e s o f L o u i s-Al p h o n s e - Do n a ti e n , w i t h t h e m e n t i o n " V aucl u s e , Apt, D e c e m b e r 1 3 , 1 7 9 3 . "
March 8 ( 1 8 J7 e n t os e , Year II ) -Sade submi t s a rep o r t i n h i s d e fense to t h e C om m i t t e e o f Publ i c S a f e ty de fending h i s conduct since 1 7 8 9 . In i t h e n u; i n t a i n s h e w a s overj oyed when the King ( " t h e most i m m o r a l r a s c a l and t h e most o u t r a g e o u s ty rant" ) w a s
24 T h e p etition p roposed the : dol atrous worship of t h e Virtues at t h e deserted altars o f C atholicism. It w a s rece i v e :! favor ably by the Convention, who decided to p a s s on th e propo s a l to the Committ ee on P u b l i c Ed ucation.
25 S a d e ' s l ette r, which he could only l amely exp l a i n ( " I h a d no idea how scandalou sly that guard h a d b" en formed" ) , w a s to the D u e d e Brissac, commander of Louis C a p et' s Gu ard. Sade', l etter fell i nto the hands of Citizen P ache, former M ayor of Paris.
26 D u ring the Revol ution thi , convent ( th e building of wh ich sti ll stands at No. 70, r u e d e V a u girard ) w a s mad e a p r i son. In it, a year and h a l f e a r l ier, on September 2, 1 7 92, one hundred and fifty priests were murdered.
27 O riginally built i n 1 6 3 2 a, a Lepers' H ospice. It was s acked in 1789 but suf ficiently repaired to house p riwners five years l ater. U ntil its de struction in 1 9-10, it served both a s a hospital alld women's prison. The build ing at No. 1 07, rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis stands on the site tod ay.
C o p y of S a d e ' s c e r t i f i c a t e of b a p t i s m , t a k e n f ro m t h e rec o r d s o f t h e P a r i s
Church o f S a i n t - S u l p i c e , P a r i s , d a ted 3 J u n e , 1 7 40. ( C O U R T E S Y M U S E E C A LV E T , A V I G :o.I O :o.l )
A b ove ; The r u i n s of La C o , t e c h a t e a u , as it l ooks t o cl a y , w i t h t h e v i l l a ge g ro u p e d
b e l o w i t . Be/ a u ' ; A closer v i e w o f t h e c h a t e a u . ( P H O TOS B Y A L A I :\, R E S :\, A I S )
Two d e t a i l s of the r u i n s of La Coste chateau. ( P H O T O S BY A L A I N R E S :-.1 .\ I S )
Frontispiece to Volume IV of the o riginal e d i t ion of Les Crimes de I' A m o u r, which contained E ugenie de Franval.
LE S C R I M E S l1 E
L ' A M O U R ,
N O U V E L L E S H t R O ] Q U E S E T T R A G I Q U E S ;
Precedes d'une IDEE SUIl LES ROM ANS , et ornes de gravures.
P,U. D. J... F. SADE , au teur d'Aline et Valeonr.
A.,..r . fruit . cUlieiev1t . que Ie Ciel.Pftmet 1 Ji. terl. de prolluite pour le bonileuf de 1.1 yie . pl'Iurquoi (aw-it 4ue t u falRI nairte de. !'rime. � tt pourquoi l'hOlUllle "\tIe-t it de tout t
A N V II I.
Title page of the original edition of Les Crimes de r A m o u r.
,!�,!£-U�� � )'" #-,/,,";g-J J-- �- tf�, � tl? �/ ' L... tF!A...lv-. � /u-- . t; l �' :v _____ / ", u/"" ,�-�; t:4� 7� . t� LJ,t--;> ,y'(7P'YJ '-J /�. �.>c fi,�v-/ �
. � ��� �:..-� �Jj'� �---'- � 11t(.-�'� .� trIt� ",1¢�vG y� . ), ,,, v rlC-- <"</ l�r;J, lW� ac..,, � rfAA-J �� � y t-, � J..-. �b&Y� r� �4<-' .� d, �l�;;o ·tJ4.7a- 7 � cu/-z:-;� ., � · :-.' f r#? #4�/,�' L r�
' � /'�� �
ilf: /rl' ��-j�� __ /v J' � 7�"'"
;�:p$j'fra�2 . ,;� �� (-.���,Il!�7f< � . ' � . : . -.� � �"" � !. � . �� . ' - �,,�,. :-. - , - ,,> : --,- : - - :,. � -:�}:; . � �:.� :� . .
/ Letter of 1 1 October , 1 7 82, from M a d ame de Sade to M ademoiselle de Rousse t ,
w h o is at La Coste, b u t increasingly w a r y o f remaining i n t h e chateau, which
is i n such a state o f disrep a i r that the high winds are threatening to reduce it
to ruins, Madame de S ade i s wo rried about the safety o f certain papers at La
Coste, and her letter exp re�ses h e r concern. ( CO L L ECTION R . S E A V E R )
A letter of 3 Ve n" t ' A
•
ose, n VII/ ( F dem oiselle A rrh " '1 "
ebruary 22 1 80 0 ) f
b . laS . 1� alSO d C '
' , rom S ad L
egms : " K nowing y . n U I t oyen Gauffridi h
e to a Citoyen ne
o u r pIOUS d ' • o m me de I " , A
to you with confidenc d ' an sensI t i ve sou l
:'II ade . I I 0 1 a p t . which
I h e an en]' "
' . mOlse e I d d
s a l l relate t h f om you to u rge ;vI G
ff " ' a ress myse l f
e acts to y h ' ' . au n d l to
compassionate as yours " o u , opmg they w i l l touch h
come to my a i d . . . .
( C O L L ECTION R . S E ' " ) " See the Ch ronology e t
a f
eart as h um a ne a n d
A V E R
' n ry 0 Feb ruary 20, 1 800.
I
'1'" .h .. < _�� h i' .. '; � • • ' , . .. I. . ' I... ! . f . " " I · � ",!!.�t{!!.!1· · ,�' �_I I ( . ' 1 ' " : _,,, : , "
' ;1 � ::,!!�lllt . 1"
I Ut. {' !' • . \ 2!!,�"",:�; . '.,p ! ,
u, ,/'/,1,;,ft (,;," '. IIIn " "�Jttl(. J f:1u' t, �
.'J,1 i � J 'u 6����;I'�f:�l:.,.,'!.
. � ' ) , '
!..'d::' ,/.I. " � ,,, . I ' , .-
, ..- d t t..-. ,
"
"I ill( .IUIf-
" ) ./ I I, ' " l.. .t-'"� / , ,.."\
(./{(,/'( . ;
" ,5\.¥ f " , '
, �. \ I \ , . /
, I
1 ' . , (' J' !
Copy of the o r d e r issued 1 8 Octobe r , 1 8 1 0 , by t h e Count de :\ l o n t a l i v e t , :\ l i n i s t e r o f t h e I n te r i o r , effec t i vel y isol a t i n g S ad e f rom a l l contact with o t h e r i n
mates at t h e Charenton asy l u m , a n d also forbi d d i n g h i m a l l access to w r i t i n g
materials. See t h e Chronology, e n t ry for Octobe r 1 8 , 1 8 1 0 , ( CO L' RT E SY �I U S E E CA LVET, AVI G N O N )
Chro n o logy .. 1 0 7
beheaded and draws attention to his many activities and increasing responsibility in the Piques Section.28 He further deni e s that h e or h i s family before him were ever aristocrats, claiming they were e i ther in business o r cultivating the land.
March 2 7 ( 7 Germina l, Year II ) -For reasons of illness, S a de IS transferred to Picpus Hospice, a p rison hospital only recently opened.29
Ju ly 27 ( 9 Thermidor, Year II ) -Sade's name appears eleventh on a list of twenty-eight prisoners to be brought to tri a l . For some reason not wholly explained, the court bailiff fails to take Sade and returns with only twenty-three of the twenty-eight. All but two a re guillotined the same day on a square only a few hundred yards from the Picpus p rison where Sade was held.30
July 28 ( 1 0 Th erm idor, Year II ) �Beginning at 7 :3 0 P . M . , Robespierre and twenty-two other terrorists a r e executed j thunder ous cheering from the crowd.
O c t o ber 1 3 ( 22 Vendemiaire, Year III ) -The C ommittee of General S a fety s i gn s the order freeing C i ti z en Sade immedi ately.
Octo ber 1 5 ( 24 Vendemiaire, Year III ) -After 3 1 2 days o f de tention , Sade is released and authori zed, in spite of his being a forme r nobleman and in view o f h i s p a triotic work, to reside in his house on the rue N euve-des- M a thurins.
28 It is to be noted, however, th at in spite of his p l e a for support, none of his fOlUIler col l e agues d ar e d come forth i n support of their former chairm an. Later, after the ""ecution of Robespierre and a sl ackening if not end of the Terror, h i s coll e agues signed 1I statement in h i s behalf, o n August 25, 1 7 94.
29 C a l l e d Coign art House, this prop erty had formerly been the convent of the C a noness o f S aint Augustine, who h a d been ordered to vacate it in 1 7 92. Two "humane" citizens, Riedain and Coignard, decided to set up a prison hospice there for the care of prisoners who were ill and whose purses were sufficient to purchase their h e a lth, and at the same time save their necks from the guillotine.
30 Sade d e scrib e s it thus ( l etter of N ovember 1 9 , 1 794) : "An e a rthly p a r adise, a lovely building, a m a gnificent garden, choice com pany, charming women, then all at once the gui l l otine is set up directly u n d e r o u r windows [the inhabitants of the Pl ace de la Concorde h a d compl ained that the stench of blood h a d become impossible from the guillotine th ere, and it had th u s been removed to the Pl ace du Trone Renverse near the Piepu s Hospice] , and they began to dispose of the dead i n the middle of our garden . . • • We buried 1,800 i n thirty-five d ays."
1 0 8 .. T H E M A R Q U I S DE SADE
1 7 9 5 . Aet. 5 5
Janu ary ( Nivose-Pluvios e, Year [II ) -Death o f the former President de Montreuil about six months after his release from the p r ison where h e and his wife h a d been kept during the R e i gn of Terror.
May ( Fl oreal-Prairial, Year III ) -Sade's son, Louis-Marie, is back i n Paris. Since n e i ther h e nor his brother has ever app e a re d on any list of em igreJ , a story i s concocted according t o which Loui s has been trave' ing through France stu dying botany and gravure ; a s for Dona tien-Claude-Armand, h e is in Malta where he i s on duty with a for e i gn power allied to France.
1 7 9 6 . Aet. 5 6
October 1 3 ( 22 Pen dem iaire, Year P ) -Sade sells L a Coste, "both buildings and fu rni ture , " to the representatives o f M . and Mme. Rovere for 5 8 ,4 0 0 livres, which sum will never b e paid to him in i t s entirety .
O c t o b e r ( Pe ndemiaire, Year P ) -Sade i s living in t h e town o f Clichy.
D e c e m b e r 1 ( 1 1 F:�im aire, Year P ) -S ade gives a s his new address the house of C i tizeness Quesnet, 3, Place de l a Liberte in S aint-Ouen.
1 7 9 7 . Aet. 5 7
May-Ju n e ( Flo reai-Prairial, Year P ) -Sade, together with Mme. Quesnet, visits Provence, paying calls on Gau fridy in Ap t, and going to La Coste, B onnieux and M a zan.
O c t o b er ( Brum aire, Year Pl ) -Sade and Mme. Quesnet return to S a int-Ouen.
November ( Bru m a i:�e, Year PI ) -H aving l e a rned that he is l i s ted i n Vaucluse as an emigre and thus not only li able to arrest but
Chro n o logy + 1 0 9
subj ect to h aving h i s p rope r ty and possessions confi s c a t e d , S a d e s e t s a b o u t fi l i n g a p r o t e s t w i t h the p o l i c e , complete w i t h substantial documentation.
1 7 9 8 . Aet. 5 8
Sep tember 1 0 ( 24 Fruc tidor, Year J7I ) -S a d e and Mme. Quesnet a r e , for l a ck o f fun ds, comp elled to l e a v e S a int-Oue n : she puts up w i th friends and h e finds r e fu g e in B e au c e with one o f his farmers.
Novem b er ( Brum aire, Year J7/l ) -Th e sellers o f the properties a t M al m a i son a n d Granvill i e r s , which Sade has purch a s e d with money r e a l i z e d from the s a l e of La C o s t e , h aving n o t yet been paid in full, secure an injunction o n the transfer o f said prop e r t i e s . S a d e ' s farmer t h u s r e fu s e s to l o dge h i m any longe r , a n d he i s obl i g e d to move from p l a c e to p l a c e , w h e r e v e r he c a n find a bed o r a m e a l .
1 7 9 9 . A e t . 5 9
Janu ary 24 ( 5 Pluviose, Year J7/l ) -S a d e goes t o live with Mme. Qu esnet's son for the winter, the i r resi dence being an un h e a t e d a ttic.s1
Febru ary 13 ( 25 Pluviose, Year V/l ) -S a d e e a rn s fo rty s o u s a day working a s a n employe e i n a V e r s a i l l e s t h e a t e r , w i t h which m i s e r ab l e sum he is supporting n o t only himself but " feeding and r a i sing" M a d ame Quesnet's son.
Ju n e 28 ( 1 0 Messidor, Year J7/l ) -A decree forbidding the names o f ex-nobl e s to be stricken from the list o f emigres reduces S a de to d e s p a i r : " D e a th and m i s e ry, this then i s the recompense I receive for my everl a s ting devotion to the R epubli c . "
81 S a d e to Gaufridy : "My d e a r one's [Mme. Quesnet's] boy a n d I live h e r e a t the back of a barn, subsisting on a few ca rrots and beans and w a rming ourselves ( not every d ay but w h e never we c a n ) with some kindling which we gener a l ly buy on credit . . . . "
1 1 0 + T H E M A RQ C i S DE S A D E
Augus t 5 ( 1 8 Thert'l idor, Year VII ) -The muni c i p a l a dmin i s t r a t i o n of t h e canton 0 f C l i chy i s su e s Sade a c e r t i fi c a t e o f resi dence a n d ci t i z e n s h i p , c o u n t e , - s i gned by C o m m i s s i o n e r C a z a d e , who is i n c h a rge o f h i s secu r i ty.
D ecember 1 0 ( 1 9 Fri m a ire, Ye ar VIII ) -Following the example of t h e V a u clu s e a u t h o r i t i e s , who had e a rl i e r l i fted the s e q u e s t e r on S a d e ' s p r o p e r t i e s , the B ou c h e s- d u - R h6ne d e p a rtment d o e s l i kewi s e .
December 1 3 ( 22 Frim aire, Y e a r VIII ) - R e vival o f S a d e ' s p l a y Oxtiern o u l e s m a lh eurs du libertinage o n t h e s t a ge o f the S o c i e t e D r a m a t i q u e o f V e r s a i l l e s , t h e author playing t h e role of F a b r i c e . Th i s is the s a m e p l a y p e r fo rm e d e i g h t years e a rl i e r a t the T h e a tre Moliere, b u t Sade s l i gh tly revi s e d t h e title.
1 8 0 0 . A e t . 60
Jan u ary 26 ( 6 Pluv iose, Year VIII ) -S a d e i s i n the public i n fi rm a ry o f V e r s a i l l e s , " dying o f cold and h u n g e r " a s h e w r i t e s G a u fri dy i n a n a t t e m p t to e l i c i t s o m e money from h i m .
Febru ary 20 ( 1 Ven tose, Year VIII ) -C o m m i s s i oner C a z a d e c o m e s to V e r s a i l l e s to i d o r m M a d a m e Q u e s n e t a n d S a d e th a t two b a i l i ff ' s men at twelve francs a d a y have b e en p l a c e d i n t h e i r S a i n t Ouen h o u s e , s i n c e they h a d f a i l e d to m a ke t h e i r payments. T h a t s a m e d a y S a d e i s t h r e a tened w i t h d e b t o r s ' p r i s o n i f h e f a i l s to pay two o u t s t a n d i n g b i l l s b e fo r e t h e 9 Ventose. F o r t u n a tely for S a d e , C a z a d e i s m o s t h e l p fu l a n d solici t o u s , a n d m a i n t a i n s t h a t s i n c e S a d e is in h i s c a r e , h e c a n n o t b e taken to j a i l unl e s s h e , C a z a d e , t a k e s h i m .
April 5 ( 1 5 Germ inal, Year VIII ) -S a d e i s b a ck a t S a i n t- Ou e n , a n d C o m m i s s i o n e r C a z :l d e w r i t e s to G a u fridy, w h o s e i n d i ff e r e n t m a nn e r o f r u n n i n g S a de s b u s i n e s s a ff a i r s a n d h i s slown e s s in reply i n g to l e t t e r s is c h a r a ct e ; �i z e d as c r i m i n a l by the M a r q u i s .
M ay ( Floreal-Prair:ial, Year VIII ) -S a d e h a s p re v i ou sly a c c u s e d G a u fr i dy of a cc e p t i n g b r i b e s and t h r e a tened h i m w i t h l e g a l a c t i o n . G a u f r i dy n o w r e !.igns h i s p o s t a s S a de ' s s t e w a r d .
Jun e ( Prairial-Messidor, Year VIII ) - M m e . Q u e s n e t , a rm e d w i t h l e g a l p o w e r s t o i n s p e c t the S a d e e s t a t e s and examine h i s ac-
Chro n o lo gy + 1 1 1
counts, goes to Provence to investigate the situation. " I t i s im possible, a fter thi rty years o f stewardllhip, for things to b e in more of a m e s s . "
July ( Messidor, Y e a r PI/I ) -The publication o f Z o lo e, a p am phlet, unsigned, a ttacking Josephine, Mmes. Tallien, and Visconti , Bonaparte, Talli en and B arras. I t was l ong thought that Sade was the author of Zoloe, and this pamphlet h a s o ften been cited as the reason for S a d e ' s a rrest in 1 8 0 1 . I t h a s now been clearly established that Sade was not the author.
October 22 ( 30 Pen dem iaire, Year IX ) -I n the Journal de Paris, an article by the critic Villeterque appears, violen tly attacking Sade's L es Cri m es de I' A m o ur, which has just been published. I n the a r ticle Villeterque refers to Sa de as the author o f Jus ti n e .
1 8 0 1 . Aet. 6 1
Janu ary 1 6 ( 26 Nivos e, Year IX ) -Th e M inister o f Police i ssues a certificate o f amnesty making it possibl e to raise the se quester on S a de's prope rty.32
March 6 ( 1 5 Pen tos e, Year IX ) -Sade, along with h i s publisher N i colas M a sse, i s arrested i n the latter's o ffi c e , S a d e j u s t happen ing to be there when the p olice arrive. They m ake a s e arch o f M a s s e ' s p remises a n d fi n d various manuscripts a n d printed works either in S a d e ' s hand or, i n the case o f the printed works, annotated by him, including Juli e t t e and L a No uvelle Ju s tine. Simultaneously, two o th e r s e a rches are made, one a t the house o f a friend of Sade's, whi c h uncovers nothing, and the other a t the house i n Saint-Ouen where Sade p ossesses a secret study where there was hung a p i ece o f tapestry depicting " th e most obscene subj ects, most of which were drawn from the i n famous novel Jus tin e . " The tapestry i s taken t o the Prefecture.
March 7 ( 1 6 Pen tos e, Year IX ) -Sade and M a sse are interro gated. The l a tter, upon the promise o f liberty, reveals where the
32 H i s n a m e h a s sti l l not been struck from the list of Im igris, however, a f act w hich his family will continue to use against him.
1 1 2 -+ T H E M A RQ U I S DE S A D E
stock of Juliette i s h e l d a n d turns i t over, a l m o s t i n i ts enti r e ty, to t h e p o l i c e . Sade admits to knowing of t h e m anuscript, but claims h e i s only t h e copyi s t .
April 2 ( 1 2 Germin al, Year IX ) -Pre fect Dub o i s , i n a greement w i t h t h e M i n i s t e r of Pol i c e , decides t h a t a " t r i a l would cause too m u c h of a scandal which a n exempla ry p u n i s hment w o u l d s t i l l n o t m a k e w o r thwh il e . " I t i s t h e r e fo r e d e c i d e d to " p l a c e " S a d e i n S a i n te-Pel a g i e p r i s o n33 a s " a dm i n i s t r a ti v e punishment" f o r b e i n g the a u t h o r o f " th a t i n fa m o u s n o v e l Jus tine" a n d o f t h a t " s ti l l m o r e t e r r i b l e w o r k Julie tte . "
April 5 ( 1 5 Germin a!, Year IX ) -S ade i s incarcera t e d i n S a i n te Pel a g i e .
1 8 0 2 . A e t . 62
May 20 ( 30 Flo rea I, Year X ) -From S a i n te-Pel a g i e , w h e r e h e i s s t i l l h e l d , S a d e w r i t e s to t h e M i n i s t e r o f J u s t i c e s a y i n g th a t a s a c a p t i v e i n t h e " m o s t f r i g h t fu l p ri s o n i n Pari s , " h e demands t o b e f r e e d o r tri e d . H e swe a r s h e i s n o t t h e a u t h o r o f Jus tine.
1 8 03 . A e t . 63
March 1 4 ( 23 Pen tose, Y e a r XI ) -S a d e I S t r a n s f e r r e d t o B i c e t r e p r i s o n .
April 2 7 ( 7 Flo nfal, Year Xl ) -At the instigation o f S a d e ' s family, t h e p r i s o n e r i s t r a n s f e r r e d f r o m B i cetre ( " a f r i g htful p r i s o n " ) to t h e C h a r e n ton Asylum, u n d e r the e s c o r t of a p o l ice man. His family a g r e e s to p a y his b o a r d a t C h a renton, which is s e t a t 3000 f r a n c s annually.:'4
33 A former convent foundt:d in 1 662, S a inte-Pel agie became a p olitical prison during the Revolution.
34 S a d e had alre ady spent sume time i n C h a renton, h aving been transferred there out of the B a stille ten d ays before the l atter w a s stormed. Closed in 1 7 9 5 , the Directory ordered it reh abilitated and reopened in 1 7 97 a s a n asyl u m for the care and tre atment of the insane d both sexes. I t w a s under the dir ect control of the Ministry of th e Interior.
Chro n o logy .. 1 1 3
1 8 04. A e t . 64
May 1 ( 1 1 Flo real, Year XII ) -T h e P r e f e c t o r d e r s a n e x a m i n a t i o n o f S a d e ' s p a p e r s a n d h a s t h e p r i so n e r i n fo r m e d t h a t i f h e c o n tinu e s to show h i m s el f rebel l i o u s h e w i l l b e s e n t b a ck to B i ce t r e .
Ju n e 20 (1 Messidor, Year XII ) -S a d e s e n d s t h e n ewly con s t i tu t e d S e n a to r i a l C o m m i s s i o n f o r I n d i v i d u a l L i b e r ty a strong protest against his a rb i t r a ry detention, n o t i n g t h a t h e has n o w s p e n t fou r y e a r s i n p r i so n w i t h o u t c o m i n g to t r i a l . S i x w e ek s l a t e r35 h e r e p e a ts t h e p l e a i n a l e tt e r to M . Fouche, M i n i s t e r o f P o l i c e .
Sep te m b er 8 ( 21 Fru c tidor, Year XII ) -Th e P r e f e c t o f P o l i c e Dubo i s subm i t s a s t a tement to the M i n i s t e r o f Pol i c e i n w h i c h h e d e s c r i b e s S a d e a s a n " i n c o r r i g i b l e m a n " w h o w a s i n a s t a te o f " c o n s t a n t l i c e n t i o u s i n s a n i ty " a n d o f a " c h a r a c t e r h o s t i l e to a n y fo rm o f constr a i n t . " H i s conclu s i o n i s t h a t t h e r e i s good r e a son to l e ave him i n C h a renton where his family pays his board a n d w h e r e they d e s i r e h e r e m a i n , to s a fegu a r d the f a m i ly h o n o r .
1 8 0 5 . Aet. 65
April 1 4 ( 24 Germinal, Year X/I/ ) -On thi s E a s t e r S u n d a y , S a d e t a k e s commu n i o n a n d take s u p t h e colle c t i o n i n t h e p a ri s h c h u r c h o f C h a r e nton-S a i n t- M a u r i c e .
M a y 1 7 ( 2 7 Floreal, Y e a r X/II ) -P r e fect Dub o i s , l e a rn i n g o f . t h i s l i b e r ty g r a n t e d S a d e , r e p r i m a n d s t h e d i r e c t o r o f C h a renton, M . d e Coulmi e r , w a rn i n g h i m t h a t S a d e i s a p r i so n e r w h o m u s t " u n d e r n o c i rcu m s t a n c e s b e a l l o w e d o u t w i t h o u t e xp r e s s a u t ho r i z a ti o n f r o m m e " a n d asking : " M o r e o v e r , d i d i t n o t occur t o you t h a t t h e p r e s en c e o f such a n i n d i v i d u a l [ i n c h u r c h ] c o u l d n o t f a i l to i n s p i r e a f e e l i n g o f h o r r o r a n d c a u s e publ i c d i s tu r b a n ce s ?"
A ugust 24 ( 6 Fru ctidor, Year XI/I ) -S a d e draws u p a n d s i gn s a m e m o r an dum o u t l i n i n g t h e fi n a l c o n d i t i o n s to w h i c h h e w i l l a g r e e
35 On August 1 2 ( 24 Tkermid o r, Year X I I ) . " T h e l aws and regul ations concern ing individual libe rty h a v e never been as op enly defied a s in my case," wrote S ad e , " s i n c e i t i s without any sentence or any o t h e r legal a c t th at t h e y p e r s i s t in keeping me under lock and key."
1 1 4 + T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
t o his f a m i l y ' s p ro p o s e d pu rch a s e o f a l l his p r o p e rty ( s ave S a u m a n e ) i n return f o r a l i f,� annu i ty.
1 8 0 6 . Aet. 6 6
January 3031l-S a d e draws u p h i s l a s t w i l l a n d t e s t a m e n t.37
March 5-H e begins the final d r a f t o f his His t o ire d' Emili e .
Ju ly 1 0-He comple t e s t h e fi rs t volume w h i c h h e entitl e s M em o ires d ' Emili e de Valro se, 0 11 l e s Egare m e n ts d u libertinage.
October 1 4-Lou i s- M a r i e d e S a d e takes p a r t i n the b a ttl e o f J e n a , on t h e s t a ff Q f G e n e r a l B e au m o n t .
1 8 0 7 . A e t . 6 7
April 25-A f t e r t h i r t e e n m o n th s a n d twenty d a y s work, S a d e compl ete s the revision o f His to ire d' Emilie, which o ccup i e s s eventy two n o t ebooks and forns t h e four fi n a l v o l u m e s o f a l a r ge ten v o l u m e wo rk, the g e n e r a I t i t l e o f which, " d e fi n i tively d e c i d e d u p o n to d a y , " i s : Les J ournees de Flo rb elle, O tt la Na ture devoiiee, su ivies des M emo ires de l' abbe de M o d o s e et des Aven tures d' Emilie de Foln a n g e .
Ju n e 5-T h e p o l i c e s e i z e seve r a l m a n u s c r i p t s i n S a d e ' s r o o m a t C h a r e n t o n , p r e sum ably L e s J o urn ees de Florbelle w h i c h S a d e i s n e v e r to s e e a g a i n a n d w h i ch w i l l b e bu r n e d s h o rtly a ft e r h i s d e a t h .
1 8 0 8 . A e t . 6 8
Ju n e 1 4-Lou i s- M a ri e d e S a d e i s wounded a t F r i e d l a n d . H i s v a l o r o u s conduct e a rn s h i m m e n t i o n i n the m i l i t a ry d i sp a tc h e s .
Jun e 1 7-Sade wri te:. to N a p ol e o n , d e s c r i b i n g h i m s e l f a s t h e f a t h e r o f a son w h o h a s d i s t i n gu i s h e d h i m s e l f o n t h e b a ttl e fi e l d a n d r e q u e s t i n g Ii b e r a t i o n .
:j,; T h e Gregorian cal endar w a s r e - establ ish ed o n Janu ary 1 , 1 80 6 . 3 7 The full t e xt a p p e ars at the end of P art One.
Chro n o logy .. 1 1 5
A u gus t 2-T h e C h i e f M e d i c a l O ffi c e r o f C h a renton, Antoine A t h a n a s e- R o y e r- C o l l a r d , describes to the M i n i s t e r o f Police a l l t h e d i s a dv a n t a g e s th a t t h e p r e s e n c e o f " t h e a u t h o r o f t h a t i n f a m o u s n o v e l Jus tin e" e n t a i l s . "The m a n i s n o t m a d , " R o y e r - C o l l a r d n o t e s . " H i s only m a dn e s s i s t h a t o f vice . . . . F i n a l l y , i t i s rumo r e d th a t h e i s l i vi n g i n t h e a sylum w i t h a w o m a n38 w h o m h e p a s s e s o ff a s h i s d a u g h te r . " H e recommends t h e supp r e s s i o n o f t h e t h e a t e r w h i c h S a de h a s o r g a n i z e d a t C h a renton, m a i n t a i n i n g i t i s d a n g e r o u s for the p a ti e n t s /9 a n d requests th a t Sade b e transferred t o s o m e p ri so n o r f o r t r e s s .
September 2-I n s p i t e o f C o u l m i e r ' s i n t e rvention o n S a d e ' s b e h a l f,40 t h e M i n i s t e r d e c i d e s t o tr a n s f e r t h e M a rqu i s t o H a m p r i s o n .
S e p t e m b e r 1 2- M . de C o u l m i e r p a y s a p e r s o n a l c a l l upon t h e M i n i s t e r to a p p e a l a g a i n s t the d e c i s i o n to t r a n s f e r S a d e o u t o f C h a renton, a t l e a s t u n t i l s u c h time a s S a d e ' s f a m i ly m ak e s u p t h e b a ck p ayments due f o r S a d e ' s b o a r d a n d k e e p Y
S e p t e m b er-D r . D e gu i s e , the C h a renton surgeon, s t a t e s t h a t i n S a d e ' s p l e th o r i c c o n d i t i o n , t o t r a n s f e r h i m w o u l d e n d a n g e r h i s l i fe .
38 M m e. Q u e s n et, w h o h a s on h e r o w n initiative m o v e d into C h a r e nton t o b e with S a de.
39 \Vith C h a r e n ton i n m ates a s t h e actors, S a d e staged a n d d i r ected h i s o w n p l ays in an i m p r o v i s e d t h e a t e r in t h e asyl um.
40 M. d e C o u l m i e r i s d escribed as " a man o f inte l l i ge n c e a n d i n fl u ence," h aving once s a t i n t h e Constituent A s s embly. "Everyone l i ked him," wrote D r. R amon, a C h a renton doctor d u r i n g the p e ri o d of S a d e ' s i n c a r c e r ation t h e r e . " [ H e] r u l e d d e spotical ly, though t h e r e w a s n e v e r anything r i g o r o u s o r a u s t e r e a b o u t h i s r u l e." Except f o r t h e e a r ly months of S a d e ' s detention, w h e n h e was inclined to be d e m a n d ing a n d d i ffi c u l t, M. d e C o u l m i e r ge n e r a l l y t o o k h i s p a rt a g a i n s t the h ar s h inter d ictions of the a u thorities. W h e n i n S e p t e m b e r , 1 8 08, t h e P r e fect of Police wrote the Minister of t h e I n t e r i o r concerning S ad e ' s involvement with the t h e a t r i c a l events at C h a r e nton, h e noted that M. d e Coulmier " s ays t h a t i n t h i s m a tt e r h e i s much obliged to d e S a d e , for, s e e i n g i n l ight drama a t h e r a p e utic method for the d e r a nged h e thinks h i m s e l f lortu n a t e to h av e i n t h e a s y l u m a m a n c a p a b l e of g i v i n g s t a g e t r a i n i n g to those h e w i s h e s to t r e a t by this t h e r apy." It i s o b v i o u s from t h e above o b s e r v a tion t h a t t h e D i r ector of Ch a r e n to n w a s w e l l a h e a d of h i s e r a i n t h e t r e atment of the i n s a n e .
4 1 Knowing C o u l m i e r ' s symp a t h e ti c attitu d e tow a r d a n d u n d e r s t a nd i n g of S ad e , it w o u l d a p p e a r t h a t h i s request for a d e l ay of t r a n s f e r o n t h e grounds of d e linquent b ack p ayments was b u t a thinly v e i l e d p retext to k e e p h i s p atient a t C h a renton.
1 1 6 + T H E M A R Q U I S DE SADE
November 1 1 -S a d e ' s family requ e s t s a p o stponement o f h i s t r a n s f e r , a n d t h e M i n i s te r a g r e e s t o d e f e r i t t o Ap r i l 1 5 , 1 8 0 9 .
1 8 0 9 . A e t . 6 9
April 2 1 -The t r a n s f e r i s p o s t p o n e d i n de fi n i tely.
Ju n e 9-Lou i s-M a r i e d e S a d e , Li e u t e n a n t i n t h e 2 n d B a tt a l i o n o f t h e I s embourg R e g i m e nt, i s ambush e d n e a r M e rcugl i ano on t h e r o a d t o O t r a n t o , w h e r e . 1 e i s o n way to r e j o i n h i s regiment, a n d i s k i l l e d .
1 8 1 0 . A e t . 7 0
July 7-At about 1 0 : 0 0 A . M . , M a d a m e de S a d e , w h o h a s b e e n b l i n d f o r s o m e t i m e , d i e s a t E c h a u ff o u r C a s t l e .
A ug u s t 28-S a d e s e l l s h i s M a z a n e s t a t e s to C a l i xte-Antoine Alexandre R i p e r t f o r the sum of 5 6 , 4 6 2 francs 5 0 c e n t i m e s , which i s collected by S a de's c h i l d ren a s their m o th e r ' s h e i r s .
O c t o b e r 1 8-Th e C o u n t d e M o n t a l i v e t , M i n i s t e r o f the I n t e r i o r , i s su e s a h a r s h o r de r : " C o n s i d e r i n g th a t M . de S a d e . . . i s s u ff e r i n g from t h e m o s t d a n g e r o u s of i n s a n i t i e s , contact between h i m a n d t h e o t h e r i n m a t e s p o s e s i n c a l cu l a b l e d a n g e r s , a n d for a s much a s h i s w r i ti n g s a r e n o l e s s d , � m e n t e d t h a n h i s s p e e c h a n d conduct . . . , I t h e r e fo r e o r d e r t h e f o l l o w i n g : T h a t M o n s i e u r de S a d e b e g i v e n comp l e t e ly s e p a r a t e l o d g i n g s o t h a t h e b e b a r r e d from a l l commu n i c a t i o n w i t h o t h e r s . . . a n d th a t t h e g r e a t e s t c a r e b e taken to p r event any use by r i m of pencils, pens, ink, o r p a p e r . T h e d i r e c t o r o f the a sylum i s n a d e p e rson ally r e sp o n s i b l e for t h e execu tion of this o r d e r . "
O c t o b e r 24- M . d e C o u lm i e r ackn o w l e d g e s r e c e i p t o f t h e M i n i s t e r ' s o r d e r a n d , n o d n g th a t h e d o e s n o t h a v e a t h i s d i s p o s a l a t C h a renton a n i s o l a t e d a r e a s u c h a s t h e M i n i s t e r r e q u e s t s f o r S a d e , a sk s t h a t S a d e b e t r a n s f e r r e d e l s e w h e r e . H e further p o i n t s o u t to C o u n t M o n t a l i v e t t h a t " h e c r e d i t s h i m s e l f w i t h b e i n g t h e h e a d o f a hum a n i t a r i a n e s t a b l i s h m e n t " a n d w o u l d find i t humi l i a ti n g
Chro n o logy + 1 1 7
to s e e himself become " a j a ile r " or one given to the p ersecution o f a fellow creature.
1 8 1 1 . Aet. 7 1
Febru ary 6-A police r ep o r t a g a i n s t two booksell e r s , Clemendot a n d B a rba , who a r e s e l l i n g Jus ti n e b o th i n t h e p rovinces a n d i n P a r i s , a n d a g a i n s t t h e fo r m e r w h o i s a cc us e d o f s e c r e tl y p rinting a n d distributing a set o f one hundred engravings for Jus tin e that h a d come into h i s possession.
March 31-Sade i s interrogated a t C h a renton.
July 9-N a p o l e o n , s i tting i n P r i vy Council, d e c i d e s to k e e p S a de i n d e t e n t i o n a t Ch a renton.
Nove m b e r 1 4- S a d e i s again questioned a t C h a renton, t h i s time by Count C o r v i e tto j i n contrast to the M a rch i n t e r r o g a t i o n , when h e was t r e a t e d v e ry rudely, C o rv i e tto is " v e ry gentle and decent."
1 8 1 2 . Aet. 7 2
Ju n e 9-The M i n i s t e r o f Pol i c e i n f o r m s M . d e Coulmi e r t h a t he m a y i n fo rm t h e i n t e r e s t e d p a r ty t h a t the E m p e r o r , i n m e e tings o f the Privy C ouncil o f April 1 9 a n d M ay 3, has decided to continue S a d e ' s detention.
O c t o b er 6-Some o c c a s i o n a l verses, o f which Sade i s the autho r , a r e sung to H i s E m i n e n c e C a r d i n a l M a u ry, Archbi shop o f Pa r i s , w h o i s visi ting the C h a renton Hospice.
1 8 1 3 . Aet. 7 3
March 31-S a de i s subj ected t o a third interroga tion, "very severe but ve ry short."
May 6-A ministerial order p rohibits any fu rther the a t rical sp ectacles at C h a r enton .
1 1 8 .. T H E M A R Q C I S DE S A D E
May 9-S a d e b e g i n s t o p u t t h e finishing touches on his His to ire s e cre t e d'/s a b e lle de B a'Viere, w h i c h h e compl e t e s fou r month s l a te r .
.-Publ i c a ti o n o f t h e two-volume w o rk L a Marquise de Gange, of w h i c h S a d e is the anonym o u s a u t h o r .
1 8 1 4. A e t . 7 4
A pril 1 1 -N a p ol e o n abdi c a t e s .
M a y 3-S01emn entr y i n t o P a r i s o f Lou i s X VI I I .
May 3 1 - M . d e C O lilmi e r i s r e p l a c e d a s D i rector o f C h a renton by M. R o u l h a c d e M au p a s .
Sep tember 7-M . R o u l h a c d e M a u p a s c a l l s the a t tention o f t h e M i n i s t e r o f the I n t e r i o r , Abbe de M o n t e s q u i o u , to t h e n e c e s s i ty o f removing f r o m C h a ren t o n t h e M a r qu i s de S a d e who cannot be p r o p e rl y gu a r d e d and whose a g e a n d state of h e a l t h do not p e r m i t s e c l u s i o n . H e fu rther n o t e s t h a t , i n s p i t e o f h i s commitments t o p a y f o r h i s f a t h e r ' s bo a r d u n d e r t a k e n a t t h e time o f h i s t r a n s f e r from B icetre to Ch a r enton, M. d e Sade fils has r e fu s e d to p a y a r r e a r s o n t h e b o a r d amounting t o 8 9 3 4 f r a n c s , a l t h o u gh h e h a s a c q u i r e d h i s f a t h e r ' s p ro p e r t i e s w h i c h gu a r a n t e e d the d o w r y o f h i s l a t e m o t h e r , a n d d en i e s t h a t h e o w e s h i s f a t h e r ' s c r e d i tors anything, m a i n t a in i n g all these d e b t s ante d a t e d his own m o r t g a g e .
O c t o b e r 21-The M in i s t e r o f the I n t e r i o r i n v i t e s Count B eu gno t , D i r e c to r-Gene r a l o f the Polic e , t o make a d e c i s i o n concerning M. d e S a d e , w h o canno t remain a t C h a renton wi thout grave con s e qu e n c e s a n d w h o s h o u l d b e removed t o a State p r i son.
D e c e m b er I-Sade, w h o s e health h a s b e e n f a i l i n g for s e v e r a l m o n t h s , c e a s e s t o be able to w a l k .
Dece m b er 2-This day, a S a tu r d a y, S a d e ' s son Don a ti e n- C l a u de A r m a n d , comes t o v i s i t h i s f a t h e r and a sks the n ewly a p p o i n t e d s t u d e n t-docto r , L.-J. R a m o n , to s p e n d the night w i th h i m . On h i s w a y to t h e a p p o intmen t , D r . R a m o n m e e ts Abbe Geoffrey o n h i s w a y o u t o f S a d e ' s room, S a d e h a v i n g m a d e a n a p p o i n tment wi th the
Chro n o lo gy + 1 1 9
Abbe fo r the following m o rning. Ramon reports S a d e ' s breathing a s "noisy and labored" and h e helps h i m take a few s i p s o f h e rbal tea to h elp e a s e the pulmonary congestion from which Sade is suffering. Sho rtly b e fore ten, the old man dies without a murmur, either from the above-named pulmona ry congestion or from an " a dynamic and gangrenous fever , " according t o the official report m a d e to the director and to the police.
In spite o f the strict instructions to the contrary i n his will, Sade i s buried in the C h a renton cemetery. The burial costs s ixty-five livres, of which twenty for the cross, ten fo r the coffin, six for the chapel, nine for candles, six for the chaplain, eight for the bearers, and six for the gravedigger.
I
Seven Letters (1 763-1 790)
LETTE R I ( 1 7 6 3 )
To Madem o is elle de L . . . 1
At Avignon, this 6th Ap ril 1 7 6 3 .2
Perjurer! ungrateful wretch ! pray tell what h a s happened to thos e sentiments of l i felong devotion ? who comp els you to incon stancy ? who obliges you to break the bonds which were to unite us forever ? Did you take my departure for flight ( l Did you believe that I could exist and flee from you ? 'Tis doubtless from your own that you were j udging the sentiments of my h e a rt. I obtain the con sent o f my p arents ; my father, w i th tears in his eyes, asks o f me naught but one last favor , and that is to come to Avignon to be married. I l e ave ; I am assured th at all efforts will now be bent toward p e rsuading your father to bring you to these p a rts. I a rrive, God knows w i th what alacrity and e a gerness, i n this region which is to become the witness of my happiness, a lasting happiness, a happiness that nothing will ever again be able to trouble . . . . But what i s to become o f me-dea r God ! can I ever survive this sorrow ? -wh a t i s to become o f me when I l e a rn that, inspired by some noble impulse, you cast yourself at your father's knees to ask him to give up all further thought o f this marriage, saying that you have no wish to be forced into any alliance. Vain and fo olish reason, dictated by perfidy, 0 thou ungrateful, fai thless wretch ! You were afraid of being united to someone who adored you. These bonds of an ever-
1 2 1
1 22 + T H E MARQ U I S D E SADE
l a s t i n g c h a i n were becoming a burden t o you , and your h e a r t , w h i c h i s s e duced by fickl e n e s s a n d frivo l i ty a l o n e , w a s n o t d i s c e rning o r sensi tive enough to b e ,:onscious o f a l l t h e c h a rms such bonds e n t a i l e d . ' Tw a s t h e t h o u g h t of l e aving P a r i s t h a t f r i g h t e n e d y o u ; my l o v e w a s n o t enough for you ; I w a s unable to make it l a s t . F i e , m o n s t e r , b o rn t o m a k e m y l i fe m i s e rabl e , s t a y t h e r e i n P a r i s for e v e r I M ay i t o n e d a y b e :ome , t h r o u gh t h e decei tful n e s s a n d kn a v e ry o f t h e scoundrel who will r e p l a c e me in your h e a r t , as o d i o u s t o you a s your own d o u b l t : d e a l i n g h a s m a d e i t i n my eyes ! . . . B u t w h a t a m I saying ? O h , m y d e a r , m y d i v i n e friend ! the s o l e supp o r t o f my h e a r t , t h e o n l y l ove o f my l i f e , w h e r e , my b e l o v e d , i s m y d e s p a i r l e a d i n g m e ? Forgive the outpourings o f a p o o r w r e t c h w h o n o l o n g e r knows h i m s e l f , f o r w h o m d e a t h , a f ter t h e l o s s o f w h a t h e l o v e s , i s t h e s a l e recou � s e . Al a s I I d r a w n e a r t o i t , t h i s moment which will d e l i v e r m e from the day I dete s t ; my only wish now is to see i t a rr i v e . W h a t c a n make m e cling to a l i fe w h o s e sale d e l i gh t w a s you ? I l o s e you ; I l o s e my exi s t e n c e , my l i f e , I d i e , a n d b y t h e c r u e l e s t o f d e a th s . . . . My m i n d w a n d e r s , m y love , I a m n o l o n g e r mysel f ; l e t t h e t e a r s wh ch b e c l o u d m y eye s , fl o w . . . . I c a n n o t s u r- v i v e such m i s fo r tu n e s .--Wh a t a r e you d o i n g ? . . . w h a t h a s b e c o m e o f you ? . . . W h a t am I i n y o u r e y e s ? An obj e c t o f h o r r o r ? o f l o v e ? . . . T e l l m e , h o w do y o u v i e w m e ? H o w c a n y o u j u s t i fy your conduct ? G o o d Heavem, p e rh a p s m i n e cannot b e j u s t i fi e d i n you r e y e s ! Ah, i f you will l ove m e , if you love me as you h a v e always loved me, as I l o v e y o u , a s I adore you , a s I s h a l l adore you a l l my l i f e , p i ty o u r m i s fo rtun e s , p i l:y t h e crushing blows of fortu n e , w r i t e m e , t ry a n d j u s t i fy you r a c t i o n s . . . . Al a s ! i t w i l l n o t b e a l l t h a t d i ffi cu l t : w h a t m o s t p a i n s a n d r a cks my h e a r t is to fi n d you gu i l ty. O h , h o w g r e a tly ' t i s r e l i e v e d when i t r e c o gn i z e s i t s e r r o r I I f you l ove m e , I do n o t f o r a moment dOt; bt t h a t you have o p t e d f o r the convent. The last d a y I s a w y o u , you rememb e r , t h e d a y o f a l l o u r m i s fo r tun e s , y o u told m e you w o u l d b e d e l i ghted i f they s e n t y o u to a convent. I f you w a n t u s t o b e a bl e to s e e e a c h o t h e r , y o u k n o w ' ti s t h e only d e c i s i o n f o r you t o take ; for you know full well that it will be im p o s s i b l e fo r m e t o s e e you at y o u r h o u s e . My father, when h e s e n t m e w o r d o f y o u r a c ti o n , g a v e m e the c h o i c e o f r e m a i n i n g h e r e a s l o n g a s I l i k e d o r r e j o i n i n g him i m m e d i a tely. ' T i s your reply w h i c h wi ll d e c i d e m e ; l e t i t n o t l a n gu i s h ; I s h a l l c o u n t the d a y s . G r a n t m e
Seven L e t ters + 1 2 3
th e means o f seeing you upon my a rrival. I do n o t fo r a moment doubt that I shall fi n d them i n your l e t t e r . Whatever does n o t s e e m p o s i tive I shall t a k e a s a refusal ; any refusal will b e cl e a r p r o o f o f your i n constancy, a n d your inconstancy my m o s t c e r t a i n s e n tence o f d e a th. B u t I c a n n o t b el i eve you have c h a n g e d . W h a t r e a son could b r i n g you to ? Pe r h a p s thi s voyage of m i n e a l a rmed you : but, a l a s , l e t u s b e qui t e c l e a r a s t o t h e v e r i t a b l e r e a s o n s for i t . They blinded m e , they m a d e m e b e l i e v e I w a s rushing into the a rm s o f happin e s s , w h e r e a s all t h e y w e r e trying to do w a s r e m o v e m e f r o m i t . . . . 4 My dear l o v e , d o not abandon m e , I b e s eech you ; e a rn e s tly request the convent. As soon a s I receive your letter I shall be o ff , a n d a t your side. What tende r moments we shall relive I . . . Take care of your h e a l th ; I am w o rking t o r e s to r e my own. B u t n o matter what the state of yours may be, n o th i n g will keep m e from offering you the m o s t tender proof of my love. Throughout thi s a ff a i r , I b e lieve you have h a d good r e a s o n , a n d will a g a i n , to be s a t i s fi e d with my d i s c r e t i o n . But I h a v e m e r ely done my du ty ; 'tis n o t that I am giving mys elf credit . • . . B ew a r e o f inconstancy ; I do n o t d e s e rve i t. I confess to you th a t I shall b e fu r i o u s , a n d there is n o h o r r o r I s h a l l n o t comm i t . The l i ttle bus i n e s s o f the c . . . 5 ought to make you b e sp a ri n g of me. I confess th a t I s h all n o t conceal i t from my rival, n o r will t h a t be the only s e c r e t I sh all confide to h i m . There a r e n o lengths-thi s I swea r to you-to which I s h a l l n o t go , no h o r r o r s to w h i c h I shall n o t s t o o p . . . . B u t I blush to t h i n k o f employing these means t o keep you. I w i s h to , a n d must, talk t o you only of your love. Your p r o m i s e s , your o a t h s , your l e tters which I r e a d i n c e s s a n tly every d a y , a l o n e s h o u l d keep y o u b o u n d t o m e ; I a p p e a l o n l y to th e m . I b e g o f you n o t to s e e . . . . . . ; he i s unwo rthy to a p - p e a r b e f o r e you . I n a w o r d , my d e a r l o v e , l e t m e c o u n t upon y o u r constancy ! M y absence w i l l n o t b e long ; I awa i t o n l y your l e tter to depart . . . . L e t it b e goo d and k i n d , I b e g of you , and may I fi n d the m e a n s to s e e you when I a r r i v e . I d e s i r e , I think o f , I crave only you . . • . N o , I am n o t a fr a i d o f being effaced from your h e a r t ; I have n o t d e s e rved i t . Love m e still, my dear, a n d t ru s t i n time. A n d p e r h a p s th e r e will come a time, a time n o t f a r o ff , w h e n you will n o t b e s o a f r a i d to come into my family. W h e n I am t h e h e a d o f i t , my w i s h e s will dictate my c h o i c e , a n d p e rhaps I shall then find you m o r e determined. I need to b e comforted a n d con-
1 24 + T HE MARQUIS DE SADE
s o l e d , to be r e a s s u r e d , to r e c e i v e p ro o f of your c o n s t a ncy : eve ry t h i n g a l a rm s m e . Y o u r h e r o i c a c t h a s d e a l t a blow to m e . I a s s u r e you a n d g i v e you my w o r d o f h o n o r t h a t n o t h i n g i s m o r e c e r t a i n t h a n w h a t I am w r i ting you , t h a t I a w a i t n a u g h t b u t y o u r r e p l y to set out. M y f a t h e r has sent f o r m e a g a i n ; do n o t think that it is f o r a m a r r i a g e . My m i n d i s fully m a d e up n o t to m a rry, a n d n e v e r h a v e I a s p i r e d to do �. o . I a m e m p l o y i n g every m e a n s n e c e s s a ry , a n d t h o s e I d e e m t h e b e s t , to make c e r t a i n thi s l e tte r r e a c h e s you . Do n o t f a i l to give the w o m a n who d e l i v e r s i t to you a r e c e i p t , i n y o u r o w n h a n d , formu l a t e d i n t h e s e t e r m s : I ack n o wledge receip t of a let ter fro m such-and-such a pers o n . Foll o w this formu l a to t h e l e t t e r , f o r s h e i s n o t t e · b e p a i d w h a t i s p r o m i s e d h e r u n t i l s h e d e l i v e r s t h e r e c e i p t i n t o my h a n d s . I f you c a r e to s e e m e , do n o t d e l a y y o u r r e p l y . I a m counti 19 the d a y s . T r y to m a k e c e r t a i n I r e c e i v e i t p r o m p tly, a n d t h a t I fi n d t h e m e a n s to s e e you when I a r r i v e . Love m e always ; b e f a i thful to me, if y o u do not wish to see m e exp i re o f s o rrow. A d i e u , my b e l o v e d c h i l d , I a do r e you a n d love you a thou s a n d t i m e s m o r e d-. an l i fe i t s e l f . C o m e , now, s a y w h a t you w i l l , b u t 1 swe a r th a t w e s h a l l n e v e r b e a u g h t b u t one f o r t h e o t h e r :'
LETTE R I I ( 1 7 7 7 )
T o Madame la Preside n te de Mon treuil
This the 1 3 th M arch 1 7 7 7 .1
I f in a p e rson capable o f having violated a t one stroke all of the most sacred sentiments mortals are given i n trust : those of hu manity in having a son a rrested beside the coffin of his dead mother,2 those o f hospitality in betraying someone who had just cast himself into your arms, those of N a ture in respecting not even the sanctuary taken by him who sought refuge in your daughter's embrace ; i f, I say, i n one such person there could yet exist some trace of com· passion, I would perhaps endeavor to excite it through a description at once authentic and frightful of my horrible plight. B u t these comp l aints were useless ; independently o f that fact, I have yet p ride enough, low though I am laid, not to o rnament your triumph with my tears, and even i n these depths of m i s fortune I have courage enough to refrain from pleadi n g with my tyrant.
To place before you a few simple considerations will then be the sole purpose of thi s letter. You will set upon them what value you please ; these few remarks, then no more, so th a t i n silence you will be able for some short while at least to savor the pleasure you reap from my woes.
For a long time, M adame, I have been your victim ; but do n o t think to m ake me you r dupe. I t i s sometimes interesting to be the one, always humiliating to be the other, and I fl a tter myself upon as much penetration a s you can cla i m deceit. I p ray you , M a d ame, let us a t all times maintain the very clearest distinction between two separate things, my case and II. y imprisonment : for my chil-
1 2 5
1 2 6 + T H E MARQ U I S DE S A D E
d r e n ' s s ake you are seeking t h e favor o f t h e courts, and i m p r i s o n m e n t , w h i c h you a l l ege i n d i spensable to t h a t end and which is c e r t a i nl y n o t a t a l l , i s n o t a n d canno t be anyth i ng b u t t h e e ff e c t o f you r venge a n c e . O f a l l t h e o p i n i o n s h e a rd so f a r , t h e gl o o m i e s t , t h e m o s t t e r r i fying, t h a t o f M . S i m eon3 o f A i x , s a i d p o s i tively t h a t i t w a s a l t o g e t h e r p o s s i b l e t o o b t a i n a j u dgment whe reby exile would s erve as pris o n to the a ccused. T h o s e a r e Si meon' s own w o r d s . A le t tre de cach e t b a n i s h i n g me o u t of the r e a l m , would t h a t n o t h a v e answe r e d t h e same p u rp o s e ?-O f course-bu t i t w o u l d n o t s o well have s a t i s fi e d y o u r fu ry.
W a s i t t h e n y o u , a l l by y o u r s e l f , who h a tc h e d and h a d enacted t h e s c h e m e of h aving m e locked away between four w a l l s ? And how on e a r t h could t h e w i s e m a gi s t r a t e s today governing t h e S t a t e h a v e l e t t h e m s e l v e s b e h o o dwinked to t h e p o i n t o f b e l i e v i n g they w e r e p romoting t h e i n t e r e s t s of a family when t h e whole m a t t e r w a s p a tently o f s l a k i n g a wo m a n ' s t h i r s t for revenge ? Why, I re p e a t , am I b e h i n d b a r s ? why is a n imprudence on my part constru e d a s a c r i m e ? w h y i s t h e r e o p p o s i t i o n to a l l owing m e to p rove to m y j u dges t h e d i ff e rence b e tween t h e two ? a n d w h y d o e s th a t opposi tion come from you ? So m any q u e s t i o n s to w h i c h , u n l e s s I a m much m i s taken, M a d a m e i s n o t disposed to reply. Ten o r a d o z e n b o l t s a n d locks p r e s ently ans'¥er i n y o u r s t e a d ; bu t t h i s tyranny ' s a rgu m e n t , to w h i c h law is formally o p p o s e d , is not e t e rn ally triump h a n t. I n t h i s I take c o m fo r t.
Fixing o u r a ttention upon my c a s e alon e , i s i t to c l e a r my n a m e th a t you have me pun i s h e d ? and a r e you s o deluded as t o be l ieve that this p u n i shment s h a l l go unknown ? D o you f ancy t h a t t h e y who eventually g e t w i n d o f i t s h a l l f a i l to s e e a m i s d e e d some w h e r e , p u n i s h m e n t b e i n g so evident ? Be i t meted o u t by t h e King, b e it meted o u t by j udge s , ' t i s punishment nonethel e s s , a n d t h e pub l i c-wh i c h i s n e i th e r indulgent nor overly curious to ferret o u t the tru th-, is the publ i c gc i n g to make this frivolous d i s ti n c t i o n ? a n d w i l l i t n o t a l w a y s s e e F r i o r c r i m e w h e r e p u n i s hment h a s ensue d ? And how t h e n my enem i e s sh all exu l t I w h a t splendi d opp o r tun i t i e s y o u r e a dy f o r t h e m i n the futu r e ! a n d - h o w temp ted t h e y s h a l l b e t o h a v e a t me anew, since the r e s u l t s c o r r e s p o n d so n i cely to the i r i n t e n t i o n s ! All y o u r five y e a r s of s l a n d e r i n g me have p r o v i d e d the fou n d a tion f o r t h i s a t t i tu d e a n d behavior i n my r e g a r d , a n d you
Seven L e t ters + 1 2 7
have at all time s been aware of i t from the cruel situation you have seen me in du ring this whole p e riod, constantly the target o f fresh calumnies which sordid interest based upon the unhappiness o f my s i tu a tion. How would you have a man thought anything but guilty a fter the public authorities come three or four times knocking at his door, and when he i s fin ally clapped into j ail once he i s got hold o f ? Whom do you h o p e to convince I have not been in confinement when such a long time has p a s s e d since I've been seen o r h e a r d from ? After all the m aneuvers employed to s e i z e me, and then a fter my disappe a r a nce-what else do you suppose anyone could think save that I had been a rreste d ? And from thi s , what a dvantage shall be gleane d ? My reputation lost forever and new trouble s a rising at every turn. That i s what I shall owe to your superior manner of handling my affairs.
But l e t u s consider m a tters from another viewpoint. Is this a p ersonal chastening I'm getting ? and a s i f I were a naughty l ittle boy, the i d e a is to spank me into good behavio r ? Wasted efforts, Madame. I f the wretchedness and i gnominy to which I have been reduced by the M a rseilles j udges' absurd p roceedings, who punished the most commonplace o f indi scretions a s though i t were a crime, ha ve failed to m ake me mend my ways, your i ron bars and your i ron doors and your locks will not b e more successful. You ought by now to know m e well enough to realize that the mere susp icion o f dishonor i s capable o f withering me t o the h e a rt, a n d you a r e clever enough to unde rstand that a fault whose o rigin i s in h o t-bloodedness i s not corrected by bringing tha t blood to a boil, by firing the brain through deprivation and inflaming the imagination through soli tude. What I a dvance here will b e supported by every reasonable being who has some acquaintance o f me and who i s not infatuated wi th the idioti c notion, that to correct o r puni sh a man you must encage him like a wild b e a s t ; and I challenge any sane spirit not to conclude that from such usage the only p ossible result for me i s the most certain organic disturbance.
If then neither my conduct nor my reputation stand to gain from this latest p i ece o f kindness in my regard-i f, on the contrary, everything loses thereby, and it crazes my brain-wh a t purpose shall i t have s e rved, M a dame ? I t shall have served your vengeance, no ? Yes, 'tis all too obvious, every thing leads back to that starting
1 2 8 .. T H E MARQ UI S DE SADE
poin t ; and all I 've just wri tten i s quite beside the point, all that ma tters not in the sligh test, only one thing does : that I be sacrificed . . . and you satisfied. Indeed, you very surely say to yourself, the greater the damage wro ugh t, the m o re c o n te n t I'll be. But ought you not have been amply contented, Ma dame, by the six months I had of pri son in S avo y fo r the s a m e caus e ? \71/ ere five years o f a ffi i ctions a n d stigmas insufficien t ? and w a s this appalling denoue ment absolutely necessary ?-especi ally a fter I gave you the dem onstration of wha t len gths this sort of maltreatment could drive me to, by r i sking my l i f e to escape from i t I Own that, knowing what you know, ' ti s evi dence of n o l i ttle b a rbarity on your p a rt to have the same thing inflicted upon m e again, and with episodes a thou sand times crueler than before and which, sickening me into total revolt, will a t any moment have me dashing my head against the bars confining me. Do not reduce me to desp air, Madame ; I cannot endure this horrible s o l i tude unscathed, I sense the worst coming. R emember : never shall any good come to you from bestializing my soul and rendering my heart immune to feeling, the only p ossible re sults o f the frightful stlte you have h a d me put i n . Give me time t o rep a i r m y errors, do n o t m a k e you rself responsible f o r t h o s e into which perhaps I shall a �ain be swept by the dreadful disorder I feel brewing in my mind.
I am respectfully, M a dame, your very humble and very obedient servant.
DE SADE
P. S .-I f the p erson fr om Montpellier4 returns, I hope it will n o t b e without t h e most u rgent recommendation not to breathe a word about the scandalous sc ene to which you shrewdly made him a w i t ness, a blunder which, considering the c i rcumstances of h i s fathe r ' s a ff a i rs, i s assuredly q u i t e inexcusable.
LETTE R I I I ( 1 7 8 3 )
To Mada m e de Sade1
Be so good a s to tell m e which of the two it is, Goodi e Cordier or G a ff e r Fouloiseau,3 who i s a gainst my h aving any shirts. You can deny clean linen to the inmates o f a hosp i tal ; but I do not intend to go without i t . How your meanness, t h a t of your origin a n d tha t o f your p a rents, shines forth i n your every act 1 My dove, the day I so far forgot what I was that I could b e willing to sell you what I am, it may have been to get you under the covers but it wasn't to go uncovered. You and your crew, keep what I say there well i n mind until I have the chance to bring i t out in print.
If I go through a s much linen a s I do, blame i t on the laundress who every day e i th e r loses o r tears to shreds everything o f mine she can get h e r h ands on, and rather than remonstrate with me, enj oin h i s lordship the Warden to issue orders remedying this state o f a ff a i r s . Not a month p a sses b u t a l l t h i s costs m e eight or t e n francs. Should such things be allowe d ?
At any r a t e , I decl a r e to you that i f inside the next two weeks the linen I request i s not forthcoming, I shall interp r e t this as p roof positive tha t I am on the eve o f deliverance, and shall p ack my b a ggage ; only my imminent release can possibly justify your stupid refusal to send me something to put on my back. Let them but remove the m a dmen from this establishment and one will be less loath to use what the house p rovides, one could then forgo asking to have things sent all the time from home. This place was not in tended for the insane ; C h arenton i s where they are to be put, not h e r e , and the disgraceful greed that l e d to keeping them locked
1 2 9
1 3 0 + T H E MARQ U I S DE S A D E
away there seems now to have been set aside by the police, the result being that those who are not mad risk becoming so by con tagion. But the police a r e tolerant, tolerant of everything except di scourtesy toward who res. You may render yourself guilty of every possible abuse and in fa Tty so long a s you respect the backsi d e s o f whores :4 that's esscnti d , a n d t h e explanation i s n o t f a r t o seek : whores p ay, whereas WI� do not. Once I am o u t o f here I too must contrive to put mysel f a l i ttl e under the protection of the police : like a whore I too h av'� an ass and I ' d be well pleased to have i t shown respect. I will have M. F o u loiseau take a look a t i t-even kiss it if he' d like to, and I am very sure that m oved by such a prospect, he will straightway record my name in the book o f proteges.
The story was told to me that upon a rriving in Paris ( when you h a d me arrested ) it was thus you went about having yourself certified. B e fore anyth ing else the question was o f determining whether the said ass h l d o r had not been o u traged-because my good mother-in-l aw cl a imed I was an o u trager of asses. Conse quently she wanted a n exam ina tio n by a n expert. There she was, a s I understand i t, telling them You see, gen tlemen, y o u see, he's a lit tle devil, fllll of vIces ,. he m ig h t even . . . perh aps . . • w h o k n o ws ? there's s o much libertinage in t h a t h e a d of his . . . . And , a s I understand i t, t h e r e y o u w e r e , li fting y o u r pettico ats. M agis trate Le N oir adjusts his sp ectacles, Alba ret" is holding the lamp, Le N o i r ' s alguazils h ave got pen and paper. And a report upon the state o f the p remi ses was writ out in these terms :
"Item, having b e taken ou rselves to the said Hotel de Dane m a rk a t the requisition o f Dame Mon treuil nee Co rdier, M arie Magdeleine,6 we d i d uncover the s a i d Pelagie du Ch auffo ur,7 daughter to the a forem�ntioned, and having with care made p roper and thorough examinat on w e p roclaim the said du Chauffo ur well and duly p rovided w i th a set o f two very fair buttocks, excellentl y formed a n d intact with n a n d wi thout. We d i d ourselves approach and have our assi stants a s nea rly approach the said member. They, a t th e i r risk and peril , did pry, spread, sni ff, and probe, and having like ou rselves observed naught but health in these p a rts, we have delivered these p resent:;, whereof u s a ge may be made in confo rm ance to the law ; and do fu rthermore, upon the basis of the exhibi-
Seven L e t ters + 1 3 1
tion described above, grant the said Pelagie du Chauffou r access to the Tribunal and in futu re to our powerful protection.
"Sign ed : Jean-Baptiste Le N oir, t ri fl e r extraordinary i n Paris and born protector o f the brothels i n the capi tal and sur roundi ngs."
Well ? I s that how i t wen t ? Come, be a friend, tell me about i t . . . . In addi t i o n o r , if you prefer, in spite of i t all, you have not sent m e a quarter of the things I need.
To begin with, I need linen, most decidedly I must have linen, othe rwi s e I make ready my departure j then four dozen meringues j two dozen sponge cakes ( l a rge ) j four dozen chocolate p astille candies, vanillaed, and not th a t infamous rubbish you sent me in the way of sweets last time.
What, will you tell me, a re these twelve qu arter-qui res of paper ? I a sked f o r no qui re s of anything j I a sked you for a copy book to replace the one containing the comedy I h a d conveyed to you. Send me t h a t copybook and don' t p r attle so, i t' s very tiresome. So acknowledge receipt of my manuscript. I t is not a t all of the sort I ' d like to have go astray. It belongs sa fely in a drawer for the time being ; later, when it goes to the p rinter, it can be corrected. Until then i t need not get lost. With manuscripts you delete, you amend, you tinker, they a r e meant fo r that ; but they are never meant to be stolen.
For God's own sake, when will you finally be tired o f truck ling ? H a d you ever noticed one o f you r servilities to meet with success, I ' d let i t pass j but a fter close on to seven years of thi s, where h a s i t brought you ? Come, speak u p . You a i m a t my undo ing ? You would unsettle my brain ? If so, you are all going to be wonderfully rewarded fo r you r efforts, for by everything that is most holy to me I swe ar to p ay every one o f your farces back and with goo d measure ; I assure you I sh all grasp t he i r spirit with a n a rtfulness that will stun you, and shall compel you all to recogni z e for the rest o f your days what colossal imbeciles you have been. I confess I was a long while beli eving your Le N oir had no h an d i n these abominations, but since he continues to su ffer them, that alone proves he has h i s p a r t in them and convinces me th at he is no less a damned fool than the o thers.
D o n o t forget the ni ghtcap, the spectacl e s , the s i x cakes of
1 3 2 .. T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
wax, Je an-Jacqu es' Co nfes s i o ns and the c o a t M. d e Rougemont cl aims that you h av e . I am returning a boring novel and vols. 4 and 6 of Velly. Wi th these I send a h e a rty kiss fo r your nether end and am, devil take me, goi ng to give myself a fl i ck o f the wrist in i ts honor ! Now don't run off and tell the Presiden te s o , for being a good Jansenist, she' s all against the m o linizing o f wives. She main tains that M . C o rd i e r h a s never ram m e d anything but h e r vessel of propaga tio n and tht whoeve r steers any other course is doomed to sink in hell. And I who h a d a Jesuit upbringing, I who from Father S anchez l e a rned that one must avo i d plunging in over o ne's dep th, and look hard les t one leap into emp tiness because, according to Descartes, Nature abh o rs a vacu u m , I cannot put myself in a c cord with Mam m a Co rdier. But you' r e a philosopher, you have a countercharming c o u n iersense, much counterplay a n d narrowness in your c o u n ters e n s e and heat in the rectu m , whence i t i s I a m able to accord mysel f very well with you.
I a m yours indeed, in truth your own. D i rectly this l e tter reaches you , will you please go in p e rson
to the shop of M. Gn�ndj ean, oculi s t , rue Galande by Place M au bert and tell him to send straight to M . de Rougemont the drugs and instruments h e p r'Jmised to furnish to the prisoner h e visited i n Vincenne s ; a n d whi l e you a r e about i t you will go to see your pro tector Le N o ir, and tell him to arrange to have m e enjoy a little fresh a i r . He en j oys plenty o f it, does Le N o i r , although a wickeder m a n than I by far : I 've paddled a few asses, yes, I don ' t deny i t, and he h a s b rought a million soul s to t h e brink o f starva tion. The King i s just : l e t His Maj esty decide between Le N o i r and me and h a v e t h e guiltier broken on t h e wheel, I make t h e p ro posal with confidence.
In addition to the neglected errands and to those requested above, a ttend, if you please, to p rocuring for m e one pint o f eau d e C ologne, a h e a d-ribbon and a half-pint of o range-water.
LETTE R IV ( 1 7 8 3 )
To Madame de Sade1
My qu een, my ami able que e n , they are f o r s o o t h droll fellows a n d i n s o l en t , the l a ckeys you h ave i n hire. W e r e it anything l e s s t h a n c e r t a i n t h a t y o u r numb e r s a r e r i d d l e s ( s qu a ri n g n i c ely, b y t h e w ay, w i t h m y m a n n e r o f thinkin g ) 2 your e r r and boys w o u l d b e in l i n e f o r a sound c a n i n g one o f these days . Ah, would you hear the l a tes t ? They are giving m e t h e i r estimates upon how much longer I am to r e m a i n h e r e 1 Exqu i s i te f a r c e ! I t ' s f o r you, c h a rming p rincess, it is f o r you who a'r e o n your way to sup a n d dicker w i t h M a d a m e Turnkey ( a t the h o sp i ta l t o d ay ) , I s ay i t ' s for y o u , my cunnin g one, t o t ake the temp e r a tu r e o f my captors, for you to divine just when it is going t o s u i t them t o unkenn el m e , f o r you to l e a rn t h e i r p l e a s u r e o f my l o r d s h i p s M a rtin,3 Alb a r e t , Foul o i s e a u , a n d the o t h e r knaves of th a t breed whom you will d e i gn to p e rm i t me, for my p a r t , to consi d e r so m a ny cab h o r s e s fit fo r whipping or to s e rve the publi c conveni en c e a t wha tever h o u r a n d i n a ny k i n d o f w e a ther.
To refuse m e Jean-J a c qu e s ' Co nfessions, now th e r e ' s an ex cellent thing, above all a ft e r having s e n t me Luc r e t i u s and the d i a l o gu e s of Vol t a i r e ; th a t demo n s t r a t e s g r e a t j u di c i o u s n e s s , p ro found d i s c e rnment in your s p i r i t u a l gui d e s . Al a s , they do m e much honor i n reckoning th a t the wri tings of a d e i s t can b e dangerous r e a di n g f o r m e ; would t h a t I w e r e still a t t h a t stage. You a r e n o t sublime i n your methods o f doctoring , m y w o r thy h e a l e r s o f t h e s o u l ! L e a rn th a t i t i s the p o i n t to w h i c h the d i s e a s e h a s a dvanced tha t determines whether a specific r e m e dy b e good o r bad f o r the
1 3 3
1 3 4 + T H E M A R Q J I S DE S A D E
p a tient, not the remedy in i tself. They cure Russian peasants o f fever with arsenic ; t o t h a t treatment, h owever, a pretty woman ' s stomach d o e s n o t well respond. Therein s e e the proof t h a t eve ry thing is rel ative. Let that be your sta rting point, gentlemen, and have enough common ,ense to real i z e , when you send me the book I a sk fo r, that while 'Rousseau may represent a thre a t for dull witted bigots of your !:pecies, h e is a salutary author fo r me. J ean J acgues i s to me what The I m i t a t i o n o f Ch ris t i s for you. Rous seau's ethics a n d religi on are strict and severe to m e , I read them when I feel the need to improve myself. If you would not have me become better than I am , why, ' tis high time you told me so. The state one i s in when one i s good i s an uncomfortable and dis agree able state for me, and I ask no more than to b e left to wallow in my slqugh ; I like i t there. Gentlemen, you imagine your pons asinorum must be used and must succeed with everybody ; and you are mi staken, I 'll p rove i t to you. Th ere are a thousand instances in which one i s obliged to tolerate an ill in o rder to destroy a vice. For example, you fancied you were sure to work wonders, I ' ll wager, by r e ducing me to an atrocious abstinence in the article o f carnal sin . 'V e l l , y o u w e r e wrong : y o u h a v e produced a ferment in my brain, owing to you phantoms have arisen in me which I shall have to render real. That w a s beginning to happen, you have done naught but reinforce and accel e r a te developments. When one builds up the fi r e too high un d e r the pot, you know full well th at i t must boil over.
Had I been give r! M r . 64 to cure, I'd have proceeded very differently, for instead o f locking him up amidst cannibals I would have cloistered him felr a while with girls, I ' d have suppli e d him girls in such good num b e r that damn me i f a fter these seven years the r e ' d be a drop o f fuel now left in the l amp ! When you have a steed too fi e ry to brielle you gallop h i m over rough terrain, you don ' t shut him up i n the stabl e . Thereby might you have guided M r. 6 intp the g o o d way, into what they call the h o n o rable p a t h . You ' d have brought a n e n d to those p hilos ophical sub terfuges, to those devious practices N a ture disavows ( as though N a ture had anything to do with all this ) , to those dangerous truancies o f a too ardent imagination which ever in hot pursuit of happiness and never able to find i t anywhere, fin i shes by substituting illusions for reality and
Seven L e t ters + 1 3 5
dis h o n es t deto urs f o r l a w fu l p l e a su r e . . . . Y e s , i n the m i d dl e o f a h a r e m M r . 6 woul d h a v e b e c o m e the friend of w o m a n ; h e would h a v e d i scove r e d a n d felt t h a t there i s nothing s o b e a u t i fu l , n o t h i n g s o gre a t a s h e r s ex , a n d t h a t o u t s i d e o f h e r s e x t h e r e i s n o s a l v a t i o n . Occu p i e d solely i n s e rving l a d i e s a n d i n s a t i s fying the i r d a i n ty de s i r e s , Mr. 6 would have s a c r i fi c e d a l l his own. Susceptible o f none b u t decent ones, w i t h h i m dece ncy w o u l d h a v e b e c o m e a habit, t h a t h a b i t w o u l d h a v e a c c u s t o m e d h i s m i n d t o qu e l l i n g p e n c h a n t s w h i c h h a d h i t h e r t o p r e v e n t e d h i m from p l e a s i n g . T h e w h o l e t r e a tm e n t w o u l d h a v e e n d e d w i t h o u r s u ff e r e r app e a s e d a n d a t p e a c e ; a n d l o ! s e e h o w o u t o f t h e d e p t h s o f vice I w o u l d h a v e e n t i c e d h i m b a ck to v i r t u e . Fo r once a g a i n , a l i ttle l e s s o f vice i s v i r t u o u s n e s s in a very vicious h e a r t . Think n o t t h a t ' t i s child' s p l ay, to r e t r i eve a m a n from t h e abyss ; y o u r m e r e p ro p o s a l to r e s c u e h i m will c a u s e h i m t o c l i n g t i g h t to w h e r e h e i s . C on t e n t you r s e l f w i t h h a v i n g h i m c o n c e i v e a l i k i n g f o r things m i l d e r i n t h e i r form b u t i n sub s t a n c e t h e s a m e as t h o s e h e is wont t o d e l i g h t in. Little by l i t t l e y o u w i l l g r a du ally h o i s t him u p from t h e cl o a c a . B u t i f you hurry h i m along, j o s t l e him, i f you attempt to s n a tc h eve rythi n g away from h i m a l l a t o n c e , you w i l l only i r r i t a t e h i m furth e r . Only by slow s t e p s is a s t o m a c h accustomed to a d i e t ; you d e s t roy it i f you su ddenly d e p r i v e i t o f food. True enou g h , t h e r e are c e r t a i n s p i r i t s ( an d o f t h e s e I h a v e known o n e o r two ) s o h e avily m i r e d i n e v i l , a n d who u n fo rtuna tely find t h e r e i n s u c h c h a rm , th a t however slight it were, any r e fo rm w o u l d b e p a i n ful f o r t h e m ; ' twould s e e m they a r e a t h o m e i n evi l , t h a t they h a v e t h e i r a b o d e t h e r e , t h a t fo r them evil is l i k e a n a tu r a l s t a t e w h e n c e no e ff o r t to ext r i c a t e them might a v a i l : f o r that some divine i n t e r v e n t i o n would b e n e c e s s a ry a n d , u n h a pp ily, h e a v e n , to w h o m g o o d or e v i l in m e n i s a m a t t e r o f g r e a t i n d i ff e r e n c e , n e v e r p e r fo r m s m i r a c l e s i n th e i r b e h a l f . And, s t r angest of all, p r o foundly w i c k e d sp i r i t s are not s o r ry fo r t h e i r p l i g h t ; a l l t h e i n qu i e tu d e s , a l l t h e n u i s a n c e s , a l l t h e c a r e s v i c e brings i n i ts train, these, f a r from becoming torments t o t h e m , are r a t h e r d e l i g h t s , s i m i l a r , so to sp e a k , to t h e r i g o r s o f a m i s t r e s s o n e l ov e s d e a rly, a n d f o r w h o s e sake o n e w o u l d b e a g g r i e v e d n o t to h a ve s o m e t i m e s to s u ff e r . Y e s , my f a i r e s t o f t h e f a i r , by Go d ' s own truth, well d o I know a few spirits o f t h i s k i n d . O h , a n d h o w dangerous they a r e ! M ay t h e E t e rn a l spare u s , thou a n d me, e v e r from re-
1 3 6 + T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
sembling them, and to o b t a i n H i s m e rcy l e t us both b e fo r e we l a y u s i n o u r b e d s , kn e e l (' own and r e c i t e a Patern o s ter and an Ave Maria w i t h a n Oremut o r two in h o n o r o f Mr. Sain t [ lacu n a in MS. ] . ( ' Ti s a s i gn al . )
With a gre a t ki s s f o r e a ch of your buttocks .
I woul d remind y o u t h a t you h a v e s e n t me b e e f m a r row in t h e p a s t when t h e w e a t h e r w a s j u s t a s warm as i t is at p r e s e n t , and th a t I h a v e none l e f t ; I beseech you to send m e some without fail by t h e 1 5 th of the mont h . Al s o , two ni ght-ribbons, so a s n o t to h a v e to w a i t when one n e e d s repl a c i n g : the w i d e s t and d a rk e s t you a r e a b l e t o fi n d .
Herewith t h e exact m e a su rements for a c a s e I w o u l d b e o b l i g e d i f you would h a v e m a d,� f o r m e , gen e r a lly simil a r to the o th e r y o u s e n t m e b u t with t h e s e d im e n s i o n s , to be observed to t h e s i x t e e n t h o f an i n c h a n d w i t h a top t h a t screws o n t h r e e inches from the end. N o l o op s , n o i v o ry cl a s p s ' ike t h e l a s t t i m e , b e c a u s e t h e y d on ' t h o l d . T h i s c a s e ( si n c e y o u r c o n f e s s o r s m u s t h a v e a n exp l a n a tion f o r everyth i n g ) i s to s t o r e rolled up p l a n s , p r i n t s a n d s e v e r a l l i ttle l a n d s c a p e s I ' ve done i n red ink. An d I believe indeed [ o n e or two wo rds o b literated in M S . ] were it fo r a nun, ought to put [ s everal wo rds o b li terated in MS . ] . Kindly a t tend to this errand a s soon a s p o s s i b l e ; m y p l a n s a n d drawings a r e fl o a ti n g l o o s e everyw h e r e a b o u t , I don ' t k n o w where t o stick t h e m .
T h o s e w h o tell YOII I h a v e e n o u g h l i n en a r e w r o n g . I a m down to four w e a r a b l e s h i r t� a n d a m comple tely without h a n dk e rc h i e f s a n d towel s . So s e n d m e wh a t I h a v e r e q u e s t e d , w i l l y o u p l e a s e , a n d p u t a stop to your sill y j oking upon t h i s subj ect. S e n d m e l i n e n , p l e n ty o f l i n e n-b a h , n e v e r f e a r , I ' ve p l e n ty o f time a h e a d o f m e to wear it out.
LETTE R V ( 1 7 8 3 )
To Madame de Sade1
G o o d G o d , h o w r i g h t h e i s when M . D u cl o s tells u s o n p a ge 1 0 1 o f h i s Co nfessions2 t h a t the witticis m s of b arris ters always s tink of the b acks tairs . Allow me to go h i m one b e t t e r a n d s a y t h a t they s mell of the o u tro o m , of the o u th o u s e : the b r a i n l e s s p l a t i tu d e s your m o t h e r a n d h e r Keep er of the Tables i n v e n t a r e o f an o d o r n o t to b e s u ff e r e d i n any p ro p e r s a l o n . And so you n e v e r w e a ry o f t h e i r drivel a n d t h e i r p r anks ! a n d s o we a r e t o h a v e b u ff o o n e ry a n d l awye r s to the b i tter e n d l Well , my c h i t , fe e d on t h a t stuff to your h e a r t ' s content, gorge y o u r s e l f o n it, drink y o u r s e l f h i g h w i t h it. I a m wrong to w i s h t o t e a c h you n i c e m an n e r s , q u i t e a s wrong a s w e r e h e w h o w o u l d a ttemp t t o p r o v e t o a p i g that a vanilla cream p as ty is b e t ter than a t . . . . But if you give m e exampl e s o f obstinacy, a t l e a s t forbe a r from criticizing m e for mine. Y o u c l e a v e to y o u r principle s , e h ? And s o do I to m i n e . B u t t h e gre a t d i ff e rence between us two is th a t my systems are founded u p o n r e a so n while yours are m e rely t h e f ru i t of i m b e c i l i ty .
M y m a n n e r o f thinking, s o you s ay, c a n n o t b e approved. D o you sup p o s e I c a r e ? A p o o r f o o l i n d e e d i s h e who a do p t s a m a n n e r o f t h i n k i n g f o r o t h e r s I M y m a n n e r o f thinking stems s t r a i g h t f r o m my c o n s i d e r e d r e fl e c t i on s ; i t h o l d s w i t h m y exi stence, w i t h t h e way I a m made. It i s n o t i n m y p ow e r to a l t e r i t ; a n d w e r e i t, I ' d not d o so. T h i s m a n n e r of thinking you fi n d f a u l t w i t h i s my s o l e con· s o l a ti o n i n l i fe ; it alleviates a l l my s u ff e r i n g s i n prison, it com· p o s e s all my p l e a s u r e s i n the world outs i d e , it is d e a r e r t o me t h a n
1 3 7
1 3 8 + T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
l i fe i ts e l f . Not my mann e r o f thinking b u t the m a n n e r o f t h i nking o f o t h e r s h a s been t h e sou rce o f m y u n h a p p i n e s s . T h e r e a so n i n g man who s c o r n s the p r e j u d i c e s o f simpletons n e c e s s a r ily becomes the e nemy o f s i m p l e to n s ; h e m u s t exp e c t a s much, a n d l a u gh at t h e in e v i t a b l e . A traveler j ou rneys along a fi n e road. I t has been s trewn w i th traps. H e f a l l s i n to on e . Do you s a y i t is the travel e r ' s fault, or that o f the scoundrel who l ay s t h e t r a p s ? If then, as you tell m e , t h e y a r e w i l l i n g to r e s t c r e my l i b e r ty i f I am w i l l i n g t o p a y f o r i t by t h e s a c r i fi c e of my p ri n c i p l e s o r my t a s t e s , we may b i d one a n o t h e r a n e t e r n a l a d i e u , f o r ra t h e r t h a n p a r t w i t h tho s e , I w o u l d s a c r i fi c e a t h o u s a n d l i v e s a n d a thou s a n d l i b e rti e s , i f I h a d t h e m . T h e s e p r i n c i p l e s a n d t h e s e t a s t e s , I am th e i r f a n a t i c a d h e rent ; a n d f a n a t i c i sm i n m e i s t h e product o f the p e rsecu t i o n s I h ave e n d u r e d from my ty r a n t s . The l o n g e r they c o n t i n u e t h e i r vexati o n s , the d e e p e r they root my p r i ncipl e s i n my heart, a n d I o p enly decl a r e th a t no o n e n e e d e v e r tdk to me of l i b e rty i f it is o ff e r e d to me only in r e turn for th e i r d e s t r u c t i o n . I s a y t h a t to y o u . I shall say i t to M . Le N o i r . I s h a l l s a y i t to the e n t i r e e a r t h . \V e r e t h e v e ry s c a ff o l d b e f o r e m e , I ' d n o t c h a n ge my tun e . I f m y p r i n c i p l e s a n d my t a s t e s c a n n o t c o n s o r t w i t h th,� l a w s o f th i s l a n d , I don' t f o r a moment i n s i s t upon remaining i n F r a n c e . I n E u r o p e th e r e are wise gove rn m e n t s which d o n o t c � . s t d i s h o n o r upon p e o p l e b e c a u s e of th e i r t a s t e s a n d w h i c h d o n o t c a s t t h e m i n t o j a i l b e c a u s e o f th e i r o p i n i o n s . I s h a l l go e l s e w h e r e to L v e , a n d I s h a l l l i v e there h a p p i ly .
T h e o p i n i o n s o r t h e v i c e s o f p r i v a t e i n d i v i d u a l s do n o t h a r m th e S t a t e ; through the i r m o r a l s only publ i c fi g u r e s exert any i n fluence u p o n t h e ge n e r a l a d m i n i s t r a t i o n . W h e t h e r a p r i v a t e p e rson b e l I e v e s o r does n o t b e l i eve i n G o d , whether h e a d m i r e s a n d ven e r a t e s a h a rl o t o r treats her with k i ck s a n d cu r s e s , n e i t h e r this form of b e h a vi o r nor that w i ll m a i n t a i n or shake the c o n s t i t u t i o n o f a Sta t e . B u t l e t t h e m a g i � t r a t e w h o s e duty i s to s e e the victu a l i n g o f a t o w n d o u b l e t h e p r i c e o f comm o d i t i e s b e c a u s e the pu rveyo r s m a k e i t w o r t h h i s w h i l e , l e t t h e t r e a s u r e r entrusted w i t h publ i c funds l e a v e h i r e l i n gs to go u np a i d because h e p r e fe r s to turn those p enni e s to h i s o wn account, l e t t h e s t e w a r d o f a royal and num e ro u s house h o l d l e ave t h e lu ckl e s s t r o O p s to die o f hunger whom t h e King h a s i n t r o d u c e d i n t o h i s p a l a c e , b e c a u s e t h a t o ffi c e r would h a v e a h e a rty f e e d at home t h e Thursday b e f o r e S h r ove Tuesd ay-and from one
Seven L e tters ... 1 3 9
e n d o f the country t o the o t h e r t h e effects o f t h i s malversation will b e felt ; e v e ryth i n g falls to pi eces. And nonetheless t h e extorti o n e r triump h s wh i l e t h e h o n e s t m a n r o t s i n a dungeon. A S t a te ap proaches its ruin, s p a k e C h ancell o r Olivi e r3 at the Bed of Ju stice h e l d i n H e n ry I I ' s r e i g n , wh e n o n ly the weak are p u n is h ed, a n d the rich felo n gets his impunity fro m h is gold.
L e t th e King fi r s t c o r r e c t w h a t i s vicious i n the govern m e n t , l e t h i m d o away w i t h i t s abuses, l e t h i m h a n g the m i n i sters who deceive or rob him, b e fo r e h e sets to r e p r e s s i n g his subj ects' o p i n i o n s o r t a s t e s ! Once a g a i n : t h o s e t a s t e s a n d o p i n i o n s shall n o t unsteady h i s t h r o n e , but t h e i n d i g n i t i e s o f t h o s e n e a r to i t will ove rthrow i t s o o n e r o r l a te r .
Y o u r paren ts, Y O Il tell m e, dear friend, y o u r paren ts are taking m e as ures t o preve n t m e fro m ever being i n a position to claim any thing fro m t h e m . This ext r a o r d i n a ry sentence is all the more so for demonstrating that e i th e r they o r I must b e knaves. If they think m e c a p a b l e of a sk i n g them for a nyth i n g beyond you r dowry , I am t h e knave ( bu t I a m n o t ; k n a v e ry h a s n e v e r h a d entrance among my p ri n c i p l e s , it's too base a v i c e ) ; a n d if, o n t h e contr a ry, they are taking m e a su r e s i n o r d e r never to give m e t h a t upon which my c h i l d r e n must n a tu r a lly count, then t h ey are the knaves. Kindly decide which it is to b e , the one o r the other, for your sentence l e av e s n o m i d d l e grou n d . You p o i n t y o u r finger a t them ? I a m not s u r p r i s e d . N e i t h e r am I s u r p r i s e d a t the trouble they encoun t e r e d m a rryi n g y o u o ff , o r a t t h e r e m a rk o n e o f y o u r s u i t o r s m a d e : The daugh ter, I' m n o thing lo a t h ,- but spare me fro m the parents. My surp r i s e s h a l l c e a s e a t t h e f a c t they h a v e been p aying m e your dowry in vouch e r s that l o s e two-th i r ds o n t h e m a rk e t ; n o more s h a l l I m a rvel that t h o s e w h o were concerned f o r my i n t e r e s ts al ways used t o w a rn m e : Have a care there, y o u've no idea wh o m y o u are dealing with . Peopl e w h o t a k e m e a su r e s n o t t o p a y t h e dowry p romi s e d t o t h e i r d a u g h t e r , n o n e o f t h e doings o f such p e o p l e ought to cause surpri s e ; and I h av e long suspected t h a t the honor o f h aving s i r e d three children upon you was going to be my ru i n . I t ' s doubtl e s s to secure it t h a t your m o t h e r has s o o ften h a d m y h o u s e e n t e r e d a n d m y papers filched. I t won ' t c o s t h e r b u t a few lo uis t o h a v e some d o cuments now d i s a p p e a r out o f the n o t a r i e s ' fi l e s , t o h a v e some n o t e s to Alba r e t falsifi e d : a n d w h e n a t l a s t I
1 40 .. T H E MARQ U IS DE SADE
emerge from here I s l- a l l b e p e r fectly a b l e to b e g i n t h e s t r e e t s . -vVe l l , w h a t ' s to b e done i n the face o f t h a t ? To m e t h r e e t h i n g s s h a l l a l w a y s r e m a i n a s consol a ti o n f o r every t h i n g : t h e p l e a su r e o f in forming t h e publ i c , w h i c h i s n o t f o n d o f t h e foul tricks l a w y e r s p l a y upon noblemen ; t h e h o p e o f a d v i s i n g t h e Ki n g by go i n g a n d c a s t i n g m y s e l f a t h i s f e e t i f n e e d b e , to a sk r e s t i t u t i o n for t h e r o gu e ry o f y o u r p a rents ; and s h o u l d all t h a t fail , t h e s a t i s fa c t i o n , t o m e v e ry s w e e t , o f p o s s e s s i n g you for your own s a k e , my d e a r fri end, a n d o f devotin!� t h e l i ttle t h a t s h a l l s t i l l b e m i n e to y o u r n e e d s , to your d e s i r e s , t o t h e c h a rm unto m y h e a r t u n i q u e o f s e e i n g you owe everyth i n g to m e .
DE SADE
LETTE R VI ( 1 7 9 0 )
To Mo nsieur G aufridyl
The 1 2 th of April 1 7 9 0
I cam e o u t o f Charenton ( wh i ther I h a d been transferred from the B as tille ) on Good Friday. The better the day the better the deed I Yes, my good friend, ' twas upon that day I recove red my freedom j wherefore have I decided to celebrate it as a holiday for the rest of my life and instead o f those concerts, o f thos e frivolous promenades custom has i rreligiously sancti fi e d at that time of year, when we ought only to moan and weep , instead, I say, o f all those mundane vanities, wheneve r the forty-fi fth day a fter Ash Wednes day brings u s around to another Good Friday, you shall see m e fall to my knees, p ray, give thanks . . . make resolutions to mend my ways, and keep �hem.
Now to the facts, my dear l awyer , for I see you about to echo what everybody tells m e : It's n o t talk we wan t, Sir, but fa c ts-to the facts then : the facts are that I l anded in the middle o f Paris without a louis i n my pocket, without knowing where to go, where to lodge, where to dine, where to p rocure any money. M. de M illy, procurator a t the Chatelet, and who has been supervising my interests in .this p a rt of the country for twenty-six years, was kind enough to offer me a bed, his board and six louis . Unwilling to over stay my welcome or become a burden, after four days a t M. de M illy's, with three louis left of the o riginal six, I had to set forth and find for myself everything-inn, domestic, tailor , my meals, etc. -with three louis.
My circumstances being what they were I made request of
1 4 1
1 42 .. T H E MARQUl S DE SADE
M a dame la Presidente de Montreuil, which lady graciously con sented to instruct her n o t a ry to a dvance me a few louis upon con di tion I write to you at lnce for the wherewithal fi r s t to re imbu rse the borrowed sum, and second to stay alive. I do therefore conj ure you, my good l awyer, to dispatch to me without delay o f any sort the preliminary sum o f :me thousand crowns , the sum I a sked you for the other day and w hereof my need i s no less extreme than the p romp titude o f your res ponse to i t essential.
LETTE R VII ( 1 7 9 0 )
T o Mo nsieur Gaufridy
I have j u s t this instant come into receipt o f your letter o f the fourteenth : a s it a rrives too soon to be i n answer to mine, I am master of my disappointment a t not encountering here one o f those charming notes which by far outvalue love letters, and with which one obtains money immed i a tely.
You must not doubt th a t if I did not write to you during my detention, 'twas because I l a cked the means to do so ; I cannot well forgive you for supposing my silence due to anything else. I ' d n o t h a v e bothered about business details, what w o u l d h a v e b e e n the use i n my positi o n ? But I would have i n quired a fter your news, I would h ave given you my own, upon the chains l ading me we might h ave dropp e d an occasional fl ower. B u t my captors would not have it so ; I did venture a letter to you i n that vein, it was returned to me, flun g b ack a t m e , a fter that I wrote no more. Therefore, my dear l awyer, I rep e a t it, I cannot forgive you for h aving doubted my feelings i n your regard. We have known one another since child hood, I need not remind you of i t ; a l ong-standing friendship made it n a tural tha t i t b e you i n whom I placed my trust when long ago I besought you to take on the m a n a gement o f my a ff a i rs ; what motive could I h ave had for changing my attitude ? 'Twas not your fault I was arrested at La Coste, ' twas mine, I w a s too sure I was in s afety there and I knew not with wh a t an abominable family I h a d to con tend. It goes wi thout s aying, and I a ssume you will have understood already, that when I speak here of family I a m referring to the Montreuil s ; you h ave not, cannot have, the faintest concep tion of
1 43
1 44 .. T H E MARQ U l S DE SADE
the infernal and an throp o p h agical manner i n which these people have conducted themsel ves with me. H a d I been the last o f the living and the lowliest, nobody would have dared treat me wi th the barbarity I have suffered thanks to them ; in fine, it has cost me my eyesigh t and my chest ; for lack o f exerci se I have become so enormously fat I can sca rce stir my body ; prison slew i n me the very faculty o f sensation ; I have no more taste fo r anything, no liking, no love ; the society I so m a dly regretted looks so dull to me today, so fo rlorn and sad I There are moments when I am moved by a wish to j oin the Trapp ists, and I cannot say but what I may go off some fine day and nnish al together from the scen e . N ever was I such a misanthrope as since I have returned into the midst of men ; and i f in their eyes I now have the look of a stranger, they may be very sure they produce the same effect upon m e . I was not i dle during my detention ; consider, my dear l awyer, I had readied fi fteen volumes for the printe r ;! now that I am a t l a rge, ha rdly a quarter o f those manusc ripts remains to m e . Through unpa rdonable thou ghtlessness, M a d ame de Sade let some of them become lost, let o thers b e seized ; thirteen years of toil gone fo r naught! The bulk of those wri tings had r'�ma ined behind in my room at the Ba stille when on the fourth of Ju ly, I was removed from there to Cha renton ; on the fou rteenth the E astille is stormed, overrun, and my manu scripts, six hundred boo It S I owned, two thousand pounds worth of furn i ture, p recious port raits, the lot is lacerated, burned, carried off, pillaged : a clean sw � ep , n o t a straw l e ft : and all that owing to the sheer negligence o f M adame de Sade. She had h a d ten whole days to retrieve my p os�.essions ; she could not but have known that th e B a s tille, which the:r h a d been cramming with guns, powder, soldi ers, was being preF ared either for an a t tack or fo r a defe n s e . Why then did she not h a s ten to get my belongings o u t o f ha rm' s way ? my manuscrip ts ?--my manuscripts over whose loss I shed tears o f bloo d I Other b �ds, tabl e s , chests o f drawers can be found, but ideas once gone are not found again . . . . No, my friend, no, I shall never be able to fi gure to you my desp a i r a t their loss, for me it i s i rreparable. Sin:e then, the sensi tive and delicate Madame de Sade holds me a t a rm ' s length , won ' t see m e . Another would have said H e is u n h appy, we m u s t dry his tears away ,. this logic of feel ings has not been hers. I have not lost enough, she wishes to ruin me,
Seven L e tters .. 1 4 5
she i s asking for a sep aration. Through this inconceivable proceed i n g she i s going to legitimate all the calumnies that have been spewed against me ; she is going to l e ave her child ren and me destitute and desp i s e d , a n d that in order to live, o r rather to v egetate delici o u s ly, a s she phrases it, i n a convene where some c o nfess o r is doubtless consoling her, giving her to see the merits and the practicab i l i ty of the p a th o f crime, o f horror, and o f indignity down which her behavior i s going to drive us all. When 'tis my most mortal enemy who h a s h e r e a r , the advice my wi fe is receiving could not possibly be worse, n o r more disastrou s .
Y o u w i l l have no trouble reali zing, my dear l awyer, that hav ing now to answer out of my assets for the sums drawn from my w i f e ' s dowry ( on e hundred s ixty thousand livres ) , this sep a r a tion is goi n g to b e my financial finish, which i s what these monsters are a fter. Alas, great G o d ! I ' d thought seventeen m iserable years, thirteen o f them i n horrible dungeons, would exp i a t e a few rash folli e s comm i tted i n my youth. You see how m i staken I was, my friend. The r a ge o f S p an i a rds is never appeased, and this execrable family is Spanish. Thus could Volta i r e write in A lz ire : W h a t ? You have a Spaniard's lo o k-a nd you have the capacity to forgiv e ?
NOTES TO LETTE RS
LETTER I
1 . Lau re-Vi ctoi re-Ade l i n e de Lau ris, born in Avignon on the 8 th of J u n e , 1 74 1 , w a s exactly one year y o u n g e r than Sade. H e rs was one o f t h e most i l l u strious houses of P roven:e, t racing its l i n eage back to the thi rteenth cen t u ry. Although i t h as long been known that, p ri o r to 1 7 6 3 , the year of h i s m a r r i age, t h e fi e ry-tempered S a d e had not o f t e n l acked for obj ects o f h i s amato ry d a l l i ance o r affect i o n , t h e existence o f M ademoiselle d e Lauris as o n e o f t h e m remained u nknown to Sade scho l a r s and students u n t i l recen tl y . I t was t h e i n d e fatigable G i l b e r t Lely who, i n 1 949, d i scovered t h e p resent letter among the unpublished correspondence o f the Sade family which M au rice Heine bequeathed to the B i b l i otheque N ationale in Paris.
2 . S ad e was m a rried to M ademoiselle d e M o n t re u i l o n M ay 1 7 th o f this same year. Thus his arden!: letter to M a d emoiselle d e Lau r i s p red ates his m a rri age b y less than six wee k s.
3. Sade had gone to Avig n o n , ostensibly to await the arrival of h i s m i stress and wi fe-to-be. B u t follow i n g his d e p a r t u re f rom Paris, either M ll e . de Lau r i s had a change of heart or, pe rhaps, family p ressu res were b rought to b e a r against the m a r r i age.
4. Although S ad e ' s fath e r apparently acqu i esced to h i s son's demands to m a r ry M ademoiselle d e Lau ris, it i s known that he far p referred the much m o re advan tageous alli ance with the M o n t r e u i l family. Sade's sentence h e re wou l d seem to suggest that someone, perh aps h i s fath e r acti n g alone or i n collusion, sent h i m t o Avignon u n d e r false p retenses, the real motive being to separate h i m from Lau re.
5. Lely speculates, n o t u n reasonably, that the " c . . . " m ay refer to the " pictu resque term which, sti l l today, is used i n popu l a r l angu age to designate gono rrhea. I n d eed , i n a l e :te r from the Cou n t d e S ad e to h i s sister, the Abbess d e S ai n t-Lau rent ( B b l i o theque Nationale MS. 243 84, no. 1 9 3 6 ) men tions that the M a rqui s i s ' m o re i n love than ever' with M lle. d e Lau ris, who apparently ' m ade him ill. ' And there would seem to be l i ttle d o u b t about the matter when one compares this remark to the a l lusions earli e r i n S ad e ' s letter
1 4 6
Seven L e t ters + 1 4 7
where he admonishes Laure : 'Take c a re of you r health ; I am working to resto re my own . . . . ' "
6. The fact is that Laure de Lau ris never m a r ri e d . There is also evidence that S ade's feelings for h e r persi sted long after his m arri age to M ad emoiselle d e M o n t reuil, as suggested by a letter S a d e subsequently wrote to Lau re's father, reproach i n g him for not inviting Sade to a ball Monsieu r Lau ris was giving. I n this letter, Sade speaks o f " M y absolutely i r reproachable conduct since everlasting bonds [ i . e . , h i s marri age to another] h ave p revented me from fo rming those which were destined to m ake my happi ness." Lely further specul ates, without the sligh test evidence however, that S ad e m ay h av e had a l ater l i aison w ith Lau re, after h i s m a r ri age, d u ri n g the years h e was living at La Coste. The only basis for h i s specu lation i s the p roximity o f La Coste and Vacqueyras, the seigneu ry of the Lau ris family, which were only twenty m i les apart.
LETTER I I
1 . One m o n th t o the d ay after S a d e was inc arcerated i n Vincennes Keep.
2 . From 1 7 7 3 , when h e escaped from the fortress o f Miolans, until his ar rest on Febru a ry 1 3 , 1 7 7 7 , i n Paris, S ad e was either traveli n g incognito ab road o r h i d i n g i n France. In late January o f 1 7 7 7 , by means o f messages reporting the grave state o f his mother's health, M ad am e d e Montreuil succeeded in l u ri n g S a d e to Paris : arriving there ( on Febru a ry 8 ) he learned · the Dowager Cou ntess had died th ree weeks p reviously. And o n the 1 3 th, I n spector M arais, a rmed with a lettre de cachet obtained by M adame d e Mon treu i l , a rrested the Marquis i n his hotel and conducted him to Vincennes.
3. Joseph-Jerome S imeon o f Aix-en P rovence was attorney for the d e fense when i n 1 7 7 8 S ad e appeared before the Parli ament of Aix to face charges o f h av i n g poisoned some p rostitutes i n M a rseilles i n 1 7 72. I n cu l p ated that same year, the Aix court had condemned S ad e-then i n flight-to b e bu rned i n ef figy. The search for h i m continued : he was at last ove rtaken a t ChambCry. It was i n connection with the M a rseilles episode that S ad e was i m p risoned at M iolans, and then i n Vincennes.
4. To our knowledge, the i d entity of the person in question has so far eluded all S ad e scho l a rs.
LETTER I I I
1 . U n d ated letter which from in ternal evidence wou l d seem to h ave been wri tten i n July, 1 7 8 3 . It was d i sp atched from Vincennes where, after standing t ri al i n Aix, S ad e had been i m p r i soned ( fo r the third time ) since September 7 , 1 7 7 8 .
1 4 8 -+ T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
2. Good i e C o rdier : M a d a m e d e Montreu i l . 3 . F o u l o iseau was l\'l a d a m e d e Montreu i l ' s factotu m . 4 . I n anoth e r letter, ci ted by Lely, S a d e rem a rks : " ' T i s for h aving taken
d isrespectful l i be rties with the ass o f a whore that the father o f a fami ly, sepa rated from his chi l d re n , must risk the loss o f their affecti on, must b e snatched from the arms of his wife, from the c a re o f his lands, must be robb e d , ruined, d i shonored, doomed, m u s t be p revented from bringing u p h i s c h i l d ren to enter i n to the wor l d , and from arpearing i n i t himself, m u s t b e the plaything o f a gang of j ai l e rs, the p rey of three or fou r othe r v i l l ains, must waste his l i fetime, lose his health , b e despoiled o f his money, and b e for the past seven years shut up l i k e a lunatic i n an i ron ca ge. "
5. Albaret : anoth e r of M ad a m e de M o n t reui l 's factotu ms. 6. The P residente's full :lame was : M a r i e - M adeleine M asson d e Pli ssay,
D a m e Cord i e r de Launay d e M o n t reui l .
7 . M ad a m e d e S a d e ' s C h l istian name was, a s w e h av e noted, Renee-Pelagi e . T h e M on treuils o w n e d a p rc pe rty c a l l e d d 'Echauffou r .
LETTER IV
1. Letter written from Vincennes, undated b u t clearly belonging to the same period as Lette r I I I .
2 . Concerning t h e "numbers," t h e "signals," the "ciphers" S a d e again and again refers to in his letters ( and in his " Note Conce rning M y Detention" ) , Gilbert Lely w rites ( L'A igl." Made m o iselle . . . , pp. 1 53-5 4 ) : " I n almost all of Sade's letters o f this p e riod one meets with allusions to more o r less com p rehensible numbers which he often calls signals. What does this curious arithmetic sign i fy ? I m pri son,�d i n Vincennes by lettre de cac h e t, that i s , utterly a t the mercy o f h i s persecu tors' discretion, Sade found himse l f i n tragic ig no rance of how long h i s d et'�ntion was to last ; wherewith he contrived a sys tem o f deduction based uporl calculations which, while they m ay appear ludi crous to u s , were in his mine o f a natu re to reveal the wildly yearned for d ay of h i s libe ration . . . . Actual y, the M arquis' troubling arithmetical operations constitute a kind o f defense :nechanism, a partly u nconscious struggle to ward o ff the d espai r which , he d readed , were it to gain the upper hand , would lead to the overth row of his reas )n. Absolutely i n the dark as to his captors' con crete i n tentions, Sade i s l e d ' to f e r ret out the most unexpected points o f de p a rture f o r h i s calculations, ' writes Maurice Heine. 'To h i s eye everything has t h e look of a hint o f his fate, o r perhaps o f a myste rious i n d i cation that has escaped the censo r's notice. His mind fastens d esperately upon the number o f l i n es i n a letter, u p o n t h e n u m b e r o f t i m e s such a n d such a w o r d i s repeated ,
Seven L e t ters .. 1 49
even upon a consonance which, spoken aloud , suggests a figu re.' B u t his efforts are not confined to trying to d iscover the d ate of his retu rn to freedom ; he also seeks for clues regard ing his li fe while i n p rison : upon exactly what d ay will he again be allowed to take exercise ? When will M ad ame d e Sade visit him ? H i s w i fe ' s letters are the m aj o r sou rce from which he mines the elements for his reckonings, and sometimes when the deductions he extracts from them h ave a baneful or contradictory look, he accuses M ad ame d e Montreuil of h aving suggested to the M a rquise such signals as might demoralize o r throw him into perplexi ty. "
An example : "This letter has 72 syll ables which are the 72 weeks remaining. It has 7 lines plus 7 syllables which makes exactly the 7 months and 7 d ays from the 1 7 th o f April till the 22nd of January, 1 7 80. I t has 1 9 1 letters and 49 words. Now, 49 words plus 16 lines m akes 5 9 [sic] , and there are 5 9 weeks between now and M ay 3 0 . . • . "
Another : " O n M a rch 28 he sent to borrow 6 candles from me ; and on April 6, 6 others whereof I lent only 4 . . . . Thu rsday the 6th of J anuary, 9 months after the borrowing o f the candles, on exactly the same day 2� were returned to me i nstead o f the 1 0 I had lent, which seems very plainly to designate anothe r 9 months in p rison, making 25 in all."
And finally : " I know o f nothing that better i l lustrates the steri lity of you r i m aginations, your dearth of imagination, than the unbearable monotony o f you r insipid signals. What ! nothing but valets forever sick o f cleaning boots ! o r else workers redu'ced to en forced i d leness ! And most recently, because you had to find a 23 from somewhere, this : p romenades restricted to between 2 and 3. P resto ! there's you r 2 3 . -Astounding ! Sublime ! What ! What quickness of wit, what genius, what brilliance ! B u t, these signals of yours, i f you must m ake them, at least do so with an honest intent and not as so m any vexations. "
3. M artin : a police sheriff.
4. M r . 6 : that is, S ade himself. H e occupied Cell No. 6 at Vincennes.
LETTER V
1 . Wri tten from Vincennes, p robably in early November, 1 7 8 3 .
2 . L e s Confessions du c o rn ie de • • • , published i n 1 742, is less a novel than a gallery of portraits and a collection o f anecdotes.
3. F ran�is Olivier ( 1 49 3- 1 5 60 ) , Chancellor o f F rance under Fran'Wois I and Henri I I .
1 5 0 + T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
LETTER VI
1 . Gaufridy was a notary public and procu rato r in the little town of Apt near La Coste, S ade's favorite residence in P rovence. Gaufridy's fath e r h ad handled business affai rs for the Comte de S ade ; the M a rquis entrusted his own to the younger Gaufridy, who for twenty years supe rvised the management and fi n ances o f his estates at M azan, S au m ane, and Aries as well as at La Coste.
LETTER VII
1. S ad e is referring to hi!; Catalogue rais o n n e des a:uvres de r au teur, whi ch he h a d d rawn up in the Ba sti l l e on October 1 , 1 7 88, and to which we refer elsewhere in the p resent vo: ume.
2. In 1 7 8 1 Madame d e S ade h a d taken u p quarters at Sainte-Au re, a C a rmelite convent in Paris, where she was to remain up until and after the time of her l egal separation from the M arquis.
Note Concerning My Detention
I observed that the s i tu a tion wherein I was being kept and th e pranks being played upon me were forcing me to mistake true and authentic happ enings for events p roduced by the imbecile spiteful ness o f the scoundrels who h a d me a t their mercy ; the effort to render myself insensible to those a rranged by a rtifice had the fu rther result of rendering m e insensible to thos e of fate or of N a ture, in such wise that fo r the sake o f my inward peace, I p re ferred to credit nothing and to adopt an attitude of indifference toward everything. Whence there develop e d the terrible and dangerous situation of being ever ready to discount a s a deliberate falsehood any announcement o f some unpleasant truth, and in the interest of tranquillity, to rank it among the lies that were multi plied to foster or give rise to situations ; nay, i t may fai rly be s a i d that n o t h i n g did greater hurt both t o my heart and to m y character. To undo my mind was the aim o f all thi s. I t failed ; knowin g me well, my p e rsecutors ought to have known th at my mind was too s trong and too philosophical to yield to such nonsense. But i t d i d nonetheless h a v e a hardening e ff e c t u p o n m y h e a rt, a souring effect upon my character : e ffects both p e rnicious and h a rmful to p roduce, and which testi fi e d to naught but the crass stupidity of these teasings, worthy o f the crass dolts who infl icted and who recommended them. And what were the dire e ffects further p ro duced upon me by the den i a l of the good books I wanted to read, by the obstacles created to hinder m e from composing the good books I wanted to write I But what h a d one not to exp ect from people who, forming ciphers and signals, h a d , through sending me to B icetre, s a crificed my honor and my reputation ?
1 5 1
1 5 2 + T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
Tha t system of !;ignals and ciphers those rogues utilized while I was in the B astille and during the last o f my detentions, wrought yet another and grave damage upon me through accustom ing me to cling to any such fantastic notion o r phantom as might shore up my hope and to any conj ecture capable of nourishing it. Thus did my mind take on the sophistical cast I am reproached for in my wri tings.
By way of final rem a rk, how, I wonde r, can incon sis tency be carried to the point o f :;aying that i f I wrote Jus tine, ' twas a t the B a stille, and o f thrusti n g me back into a situation worse still than the one in which I , as i t i s alleged, composed the work i n question ? Here is the plainest demonstration that everything done and uttered concerning me proceeded from the fanaticism o f pious idiots and from the fl a grant stupi d i ty of their henchmen . . . . Oh, how right was Sophocl e s when he said : A h u s b a n d alm o s t always m e e ts with h is do wnfall either in the w o m an he takes fo r h is wife o r in the fam ily he allies himself t o .
Consecutive to the foregoing remarks I think i t b e s t to join a few touching on Jus t in e, rem a rks I submit to the thick-skulled Ostrogoth s who h a d me impri soned on account of i t .
Only a s m a l l amount o f common s e n s e w e r e n e e d e d ( but have incarcerators any a t all i' ) to be convinced that I am not and could not be the author o f th at book. But, unfortun a tely, I was in the clutches of a fl ock of imbeciles who always use fetters for a rgu ments and bigotry inste a d of ph ilosophy, and that fo r th e great good reason that i t i s always much easier to impound than to ponder and to p ray to God tha:l to be useful to mankind. In the one case some vi rtues are require d ; only hypocrisy i s required in the other.
After having been once upon a time suspected of a few ex travagances of the imag ination simil a r to those depicted in Jus tine, I ask whether it were p ossible to beli eve that I would go and put p en to paper i n order tc· reveal tu rpitudes which would necessa rily bring my own to be reco llected. I am guilty of those tu rpitudes, or else I am not : i t must be the one or the other. Had I committed them, assuredly I would wrap them in the thi ckest silence all the rest o f my life ; and i f I am only suspected of them without ever
No te Con cerning My D e te n ti o n .. 1 5 3
having committed them, what have I to gain from divulging them when this p i ece o f folly would have fo r its unique result to draw questioning eyes my way ? It would be the height of stupi dity. And my h a tred for my tormentors i s such I a m unwilling to resemble them i n th at respect.
But still another more powerful reason will, I hope, speedily convince anyone that I cannot be the author of this book. Read it a ttentively and one will see that through inexcusable clumsiness, through a manner o f proceeding that was bound to set the author a t loggerheads with wise man and fool alike, w i th the good as well a s with the wicke d, all the philosophical p e rsonages i n this novel are villains to the core. However, I myself am a philosopher ; every one acquainted with me will certi fy that I consider philosophy my profession and my glory . . . . And can anyone for one instant, save he suppose m e mad, can anyone, I say, suppose fo r one minute that I could bring mysel f to present what I hold to be the noblest of all callings, under colors so l o a thsome and in a shape so ex ecrabl e ? What would you say of him who were deliberately to go be foul in the mire the costume he was fondest of and in which he thought he struck the finest fi gure ? Is such ineptness even con ceivable ? Is the l ike anywhere to be seen in my other wo rks ? On the con trary, all the vill ains I have described are devout because the devout are all villains and all philosophers decent folk, because most decent folk are philosophers. Let me be p e rmitted a re ference to the wo rks I speak of. I s there in A lin e et F alc o u r a better behaved, more virtuous, more duti ful creature than Leonore ? And at the same time is there a more philosophical ? Is there anyone in the world more devout than my Portuguese ? And does the world contain a greater vill ain ? All my fictional persons have this tint ; I have never departed from this principle. However, I repeat i t , the complete opposite i s manifest in Jus tine . There fore i t i s not true that Jus tine i s my doing. I go farthe r ; i t canno t possibly be. That i s what I have just p roven.
I shall here add something better still ; how very odd it is that all the p i etistic rabble, all the Geoffroys, the Genl i s , the Legouves , t h e C h a teaubriands, t h e La Harpes, t h e Luce d e Lancivals, the Villeterques, how odd that all these trustees o f the shaveling cor poration should have flown furiously out a t Justine, when that
1 5 4 -&- T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
book does nothing but plead in their favor. Had they p a i d some one to write a wo rk d e n i grating philosophy, they' d not have b een able to buy anything so well done. And by all that I hold dear in the world I swe a r I shall never forgive myself for h aving been usefu l t o individuals whom I so prodigiously despise.
No greater e rror could there be than to a ttribute to me a book . . . a book violating all my p rinciples and of which, by all conceivable evidence, I cannot be the author ; and, what i s more, to make such a to-do over a work which, ri ghtly considered, is but the final p a roxysm of a dise ased imagination with the ravings whereof they stupidly excite eve ryon e ' s mind by crying i t up as they do.
Stung by this inculpation, I have j u s t prepared two works i n f o u r volumesl each wh e re I h a v e assailed, toppled, demolished the insidious sophistries in Jus tine, pulveri zed them from first to last. But since i t i s wri tten 0 1 1 high, according to our friend Jacques the Fatalist,2 th a t men o f l e tters a r e to be the perpetual victims of stup i d i ty and o f folly, my wri tings are being held, thei r publication i s being delayed ( an d p e rhaps even p revented ) while new editions o f Jus tine pour from the press every other week. B ravo , my friends ! the r e ' d be no understanding your motions were you to cease you r opposition to good and you r encouragements to evil. In vain did we r ev o lu ti o n ourselves to achi eve the contrary, ' twas wri tten on high th a t the most vio lent abuses are ever to hold sway in our France and that so long ; I S any French soil is left on the globe, i t will be recogn i z able by the c o rruption p racticed upon it.
1 These would very p robably b e Marcel o u I e Co rdelier a n d Conrad o u I . jaloux en dilire, never published and the M S S . of which have never been found. That of Conrad, a novel d e a l ing with the h i stor:r of the A l b igensians, was �eported to h ave been among the papers o f the M a rquis that were "seized at the time he was being taken to C h a ren- ton."
2 The m a i n c h a racter i n a no vel by D i d e rot.
Last Will and Testament
OF DONATI EN -A L P HON S E- F RAN C; O I S SADE
Man of Letters
For the execution o f the clauses mentioned here below, I rely upon the filial p i e ty o f my children, desiring that their own may act with regard to them as they will have done with regard to m e .
Firs t : Wishing to give evidence to demoi selle M a r i e-Constance R einelle, wi fe o f Monsieur B althasar Quesnet, believed deceased, w i shing, a s I s ay, to give evi d ence to t h i s l a dy, insofar a s my poor powers permit, o f my extreme gratitu d e for the care s h e h a s given m e and the sincere friendship she has shown me from the twenty fifth of Augu st, seventeen hundred ninety, to the day of my death, sentiments proffered by her not only with the utmost tact and dis i n terest, but, what i s even more, with the most courageous energy, since, during the Reign o f Terror, she saved me from the revolu tion a ry bl ade all too surely suspended over my head, as everyone knows ; and therefore, for the reasons outlined above, I hereby will and bequeath to the s a i d l ady M a rie-Constance Reinelle, wife of Quesnet, the sum o f ei ghty thousand livres i n cash from the Tours mint, in whatsoever cu rrency is then i n usage i n France a t the time of my demise, wishing and understanding that this sum be deducted from the freest and most unattached portion o f my l e gacy, charg ing my children to deposit it, within the space of a month from the day of my dece ase, with Monsieur Finot, notary at C h a renton-Saint M aurice, whom for this pu rpose I name the executor of my will
1 5 5
1 5 6 .. T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
and whom I cha rge to "ltili z e the s a i d sum in the manner the most secure and a dvantage o u s to M a dame Quesnet, and in a manner suscep tible to provide her with an income sufficient fo r her food and supp o rt, which income shall be promp tly remitted to her on a qua rterly basis, shall be transferable and not attachable by any p e rson whatsoever, desiring, mo reover, that the princip al and the sale of the above-mentioned bequest be revertible to Charles Quesnet, son o f the s l i d dame Quesnet, who shall become the p roprietor o f the total, but only following the demise of his worthy mother.
And this desire which I here exp ress concerning the bequest I make to M a dame Que:met, I beseech my children, in the unlikely case that they should seek to evade o r shirk their responsibi l i ty, I beseech them to remerr ber that they had p romised the s a i d dame Quesnet a sum roughly Himilar in recognition o f the care she took of their father, and a s thi� present document merely concurs with and anticip ates their initial i ntentions, any doubt as to their acquiescence to my final wishes i s forever banished from my mind and will never for a moment trouble i t further, especially when I reflect upon the filial virtues which have never ceased to characteri z e them and make them full worthy o f my paternal sentiments.
Seco n d : I furth e r l e a vf and bequeath to the a forementioned Ma dame Quesnet all the furniture, effects, linen, clothing, books or p ap e r s which are in my chambers at the time o f my decease, with the excep tion, however, o f my fathe r's papers, which shall be in dicated a s such by l abels placed upon the bundles, which papers shall be handed over to my ch i l dren.
Third : I t is equally my intention and the expression of my last will that the present beques t in no wise deprive Ma dame M a rie-C on stance Reinelle, wi fe 0 f Quesnet, of any rights, claims, o r levies that she may care to m ake upon my estate, whatever the grounds may b e .
Fo urth : I leave and b e queath to M o n s i e u r Finot, the executor o f m y l a s t w i l l and testaffio�nt, a r i n g valued at twelve hundred livres J
L as t Will a n d Tes tamen t .. 1 5 7
in return for the trouble which the execu tion of the present act shall have occasioned him.
Fifth : Finally, I absolutely forbid that my body be opened upon any pretext wha tsoever. I u rgently insist th at i t be kept a full forty eight hours in the chamber where I shall have died, placed in a wooden coffin which shall not be nailed shut until the p rescribed fo rty-eight hours h ave elapsed, a t the end of which period th e said coffin shall be nailed shut ; during this interval a message shall be sent express to M . Le N ormand, wood seller in Versailles, living a t number 1 0 1 , boulevard de l ' Egalite, requesting him to come in h i s own person, with a cart, to fetch my body away and to convey it under his own escort and in the said cart to the wood upon my property at M almaison near Epernon, in the commune of Emance where I would h ave i t laid to rest, without ceremony o f any kind, in the fi rst cop se standing to the right a s the said wood i s entered from the side o f the old chateau by way o f the broad lane dividing it. The ditch opened in thi s copse shall be dug by the farmer tenant o f M almai son under M . Le Normand's supervision, who shall not le ave my body until a fter he has placed it in the said ditch ; upon this occasion he may, if he so wishes, be accomp anied by those among my kinsmen or friends who without di splay or pomp o f any sort wha tsoever shall have been kind enough to give me this last proof of their a ttachment. The ditch once cove red over, above i t acorns shall be strewn, in order that the spot become green again, and the copse grown back thick over it, the traces of my grave m ay disap pear from the face o f the earth as I trust the memory of me shall fade out o f the minds of all men save nevertheless for those few who in their goodness have loved me until the last and o f whom I ca rry away a sweet remembrance with me to the grave.
Done a t C h a renton-Saint-M aurice in a state o f rea son and good h e alth this thi rtieth day o f January in the year one thousand eight hundred six.
D. A. F. SADE
rJhe Ut(arquis
decSade
Part gwo
Two Philosophical
Dialogues
Vialogue between a Priest
and a Vying �an (1782)
Un til t h e recen t discovery of Volu m e I of Sade's mis cella n e o u s works ( reuvres diverse s ) , which c o n tains his e arly occas i o n a l prose and vers e , as well as his o n e-act play, Le Philosophe soi-disant, and a n epis to lary wo rk, Voyage de Hollande, the Dialogu e between a Priest and a Dying M a n was his e arliest k n o wn w o r k t o b e dated with certain ty . Sade c o mpleted i t, or co mpleted t he n o teb o o k which c o n t a i n s i t, o n July 1 2, 1 782, during the f o u r t h year of h is s e c o n d impris o n m e n t i n Vin cennes. It is o n e of the m o s t in cisive works o f Sade, who is n o t especially n o ted for h is c o n cisi o n , a n d is c o n temporary to The 1 2 0 D ays o f Sodolli, up o n which it is k n o wn th a t h e was h ard at work that same y e ar. Like The 1 2 0 Days, the Di alogue b e tween a Priest and a Dying Man did n o t figure in Sade's 1 788 Ca talogue r a i sonne, which was lim ited t o works he wis h e d p u b licly to ack n o wledge.
The Di alogu e did n o t app ear u n til m o re t h a n a cen tury after Sade's death. In the course of t h e n i n e te e n t h cen tury, the n o te b o o k c o n taining it was s o ld and res o ld on a number of o ccasio n s a t various auctions of autograph m anuscrip ts, and i n 1 920 Maurice Heine was fortu n a te e n o u g h t o b e a b le t o purch ase i t a t a s a l e h e ld o n N ovcmber 6 a t Paris' Hotel Dro u o t. Six y e ars later he p u b lish e d it with a n ex haus tive i n tro ductio n . 1 Since it is included i n a n o te b o o k c o n taining prim arily rough drafts, n o tes, a n d j o t tings, Lely
1 D i alogue entre un p retre et un moribond, p a r D o natien-A lp h o nse-Fra n f o is, m arquis de Sade, p u b lit po u r la premiere fois s u r Ie m a nu scrit auto
grap h e intdit, avec u n avant-propos et des n otes par Maurice Heine. Paris, StendhaJ et Cie., 1926.
1 63
raises the qu es tio n as to whether this work was ever p o lis hed o r reworked to the a u t h o r' s s a tisfa c ti o n . Heine's o b s erva tion, h o wever, th a t the manuscrip t was wri t t e n i n a "fir m, legible h a n d, with l�w wo rds cross ed o u t" would indicate that Sade m ay well h av e been s a tisfied with i ts c o m p o s itio n . In a n y ev e n t, the w o r k n e e ds n o ap o logy .
Wh a t m ay m o . : t as to nish t h e reader a b o u t the D i a l o g u e is t h e a u t h o r'.: failure to a c k n o wledge i t . For, c o m p a r e d to much of h i s o ther wri ting, i t s e e m s t a m e indeed, desp ite the fer o c i ty o f i ts a t tack o n t h e deity and the clerical es tablis h m e n t . A s H �ine p o i n ts o u t, h o wever, one m ay tend to give the A g e of R e as o n , fro m the van tage point of the pres e n t cen tury, m O T e than its due. In fact, Sade's p o s i tio n o n t h e s u bject of religi o n was far m o re radical than t h a t of m o s t of h is c o n te m p o raries, even the m o s t e n lig h te n e d. Wh e n , in the Encyc: o p e d i a of 1 75 1 , and under their own signa tures, Didero t a n d d' A lembert can pro n o unce them s e lves in the f o llo 'lt ing terms, i t is easier to u n ders tand Sade's re ticence :
Even the m o re t o lera n t of m e n will n o t deny th a t the ju dge h a s the rI g h t to repress those who profess athe ism, and even to c o n de m n them to death if there is n o o ther way of freeing s o ci e ty fro m t h e m . . . . If he can p u n is h those W,l O h arm a single pers o n , h e d o u b tless has as m u ch a r ig h t to p u n is h t h o s e wh o wro ng an e n t i r e s o ci e ty by deny ing t h a t th ere is a God . . . . Slich a man m ay b e c o nsidered as a n enemy of all m e n .2
In t h e lig h t of rhe a b ove, o n e reads the D i alogue with a wider resp e c t for tile a u dacity and u n compro m ising n a ture o f S a de's mind.
2 Ibid.
1 64
PRIEST-Come to this the fatal hour when a t l a s t from the eyes of deluded man the scales must fall away, and be shown the cruel picture o f his errors and his vices-say, my son, do you not re pent the host o f sins unto which you were led by we akness and hu man frailty ?
DYING MAN-Yes, my friend, I do repent. PRIEST-Rejoice then in these pangs o f remorse, during the
brief space remaining to you profit th erefrom to obtain He aven's general absolution for your sins, and be mindful o f i t , only through the mediation o f the Most Holy Sacrament of penance will you be granted i t by the Eternal.
DYI NG MAN-I do not understand you, any more than you have understood me.
PRIEST-Eh ?
DYING MAN-I told you that I repented. PRIEST-I heard you say i t .
DYING MAN-Yes, but without understanding i t .
PRIEST-My interpretation-
D Y I N G MAN-Hold. I shall give you m ine. By N ature created, created with very keen tastes, with very strong passions ; p l a ced on this e a rth for the sole purpose o f yiel ding to them and satisfying them, and these effects o f my creation being naught but necessities directly relating to N a ture ' s fun damental designs o r , i f you p refer, naught but essenti-al derivatives proceeding from her intentions in my regard, a l l in accordance with her laws, I repent not having
1 6 5
1 6 6 + T H E MARC UIS DE SADE
acknowl edged h e r om aipotence as fully a s I m i g h t have d o n e , I am only s o r ry for t h e modest u s e I made o f t h e fa cu l t i e s ( c r i m i n a l in your v i e w , p e r fectly o r d i n a ry i n mine ) she gave m e to s e rv e h e r ; I d i d s o m e t i m e s r e s i s t h e r , I repent i t . M i sl e d by y o u r absurd doctrines, w i t h them for a r m s I mindlessly challenged t h e d e s i r e s i n s t i l l e d i n m e by a m u c h divi n e r i n s p i r a t i o n , a n d t h e r e o f do I repent : I only plucktd an o c c a s i onal fl o w e r when I m i g h t h a ve g a t h e r e d a n ample h a rve s t of f ru i t-such are t h e j u s t grounds for t h e regrets I h av e , d o me t h e h o n o r of c o n s i d e r i n g me i n c a p a b l e o f harboring a n y o t h e r s .
P R I E S T-Lo I w t e r e your fall a c i e s take y o u , to w h a t p a s s a r e y o u brought b y your s o p h i stri e s ! To c r e a t e d b e i n g you a sc r i b e all t h e C re a to r ' s p o w e r , a n d tho s e unlucky p enchants w h i c h have l e d y o u a s tray, a h ! d o y o u n o t s e e t h e y a r e m e rely t h e p r oducts o f c o rrup t e d n a t u r e , to w h i c h y o u a t tribute omnipotenc e ?
DYI NG MAN-Friend-i t l o oks to me as though your d i a l e c t i c w e r e a s f a l s e a s yOUI' t h i n k i n g . Pray s t r a i ghten y o u r a rgu i n g o r e l s e l e a ve m e to d i e in p e a c e . Wh a t d o y o u m e a n by C re a to r , a n d w h a t do you m e a n by c o r rup t e d n a tu r e ?
PRIE ST-The C r e a t o r i s the m a s t e r o f t h e u n i v e r s e , ' t i s He w h o has wrought eve r:1th ing, everythi n g c r e a te d , a n d who m a i n t a i n s i t a l l through the m e re f a c t o f H i s omni p o t e n c e .
DYI NG MA N-An i m p r e s s i v e figure i n d e e d . Tell m e n o w why t h i s so very form i d a b l e fellow d i d neverthel e s s , a s you would h a v e i t , c r e a t e a c or rup t e d n a tu r e ?
P R I E ST-W h a t glo ry would men e v e r h a v e , h a d n o t G o d l e ft them f r e e will ; a n d i n the enj oym e n t th e r e o f , w h a t m e r i t could c o m e t o them , were th �rc n o t o n e a r th the p o s s i b i l i ty o f doing good a n d t h a t of avoiding evil ?
DYING MAN-And so y o u r g o d bungl e d h i s w o rk delibera tely , in o r d e r to temp t o r t e s t h i s c r e a tu re� i d he then n o t know, did h e th en n o t d o u b t w h a t th e r e s u l t would be ?
P R I E ST-He knew it un doub tedly bu t, once again, he wished to l eave to man the merit o f choice.
Dialogue between a Priest and a Dying Man + 1 67
DYING MAN-And to wha t purpose, since from the outset h e knew the c o u r s e a ff a i rs w o u l d take a n d s i n c e , a ll-mighty a s y o u tell m e h e is, he h a d but to make his c r e a tu r e choo s e a s suited h i m ?
PRIEST-Who is there c a n p e n e t r a t e G o d ' s v a s t a n d i n fi n i t e d e s i gns r e g a r d i n g m a n , a n d who c a n g r a s p all that makes u p the universal scheme ?
DYI NG MAN-Anyone who simplifies m atters, my friend, any o n e , above a l l , who refrains from multiplying c a u s e s in o r d e r to confu s e e ff e c t s all the m o r e . \Vh a t n e e d h a v e you of a second d i ffi cu l ty when you a re unable to resolve the first, a n d once i t i s p o s s i b l e th a t N a ture may all alone h ave d o n e w h a t you a ttribute to your go d , why must you go looking for someone to b e h e r over l o r d ? T h e cause a n d e xp l a n a ti o n o f wh a t you d o not understand may p erhaps b e the simpl e s t thing i n t h e world. Perfect your p hysics a n d you will understand N a tu r e better, refine your r e a son, b a n i s h your p r e j u d i c e s a n d you'll h a v e no fur t h e r n e e d o f your god .
PRIEST-Wretched m a n I I t o o k you f o r n o w o r s e than a Socinian-a rms I h a d to combat you . But ' t i s c l e a r you a r e an a t h e i s t , and s e e i n g t h a t your h e a r t i s shut to the authentic and innumerable p r o o f s w e receive every day o f o u r l i v e s o f the C re a to r ' s existence-I have no m o r e t o s a y to you . There i s n o r e s to r i n g the b l i n d to t h e light.
DYING MAN-So f tly, my friend, own t h a t b e tw e e n the two , he who blindfolds h i m s e l f mus t surely s e e l e s s of t h e l i gh t than he who snatches the blindfold away from h i s eyes . You compos e , you constru c t , you dream, you m a gn i fy and comp l i c a t e ; I sift, I simp l i fy. You a ccumul ate errors, pile one a top the o t h e r ; I combat them all. Which o n e of u s i s blind ?
PRIEST-Then you do n o t believe in G o d a t all ?
DYING MAN-No . And for o n e v e ry sound reason : i t is p e r fectly impossible to believe in w h a t one d o e s n o t understand. B e tween u n d e r s tanding a n d f a i th i mm e d i a t e connections m u s t subsist ; understanding i s the very l i febl o o d o f f a i th ; w h e r e u n d erstanding h a s ceased, f a i th is d e a d ; a n d when they who are i n such a c a s e
1 6 8 .. T H E MARQ UI S DE SADE
procl a i m they have fai th , they deceive. You yoursel f, preacher, I defy you to believe in the god you predicate to me-you must fail because you cannot demonstrate him to me, because i t is n o t i n y o u to d e fi n e him t o me, because consequently y o u do not under stand him-because as o f the moment you do n o t understand him, you can no longer furn i s h m e any rea sonable a rgum ent concerning him, and becau se, i n sum, anything beyond the limits and grasp o f the human mind i s either illusion or fu tili ty ; and because your god h aving to b e one o r the other of the two , in the first instance I should be mad to believe i n him, in the second a fool. My friend, p rove t o m e that m a tter i s inert and I will grant you a creator, prove to me that N a tu re does n o t suffice to herself and I ' ll l e t you imagine her ruled by a higher force ; until then, expect no thing from me, I bow to evidence only, and evidence I perceive only through my senses : m:r belief goes no farther than they, beyond that point my f a i th coll apses. I beli eve i n the sun because I see it, I conceive i t as the focal center of all th e infl ammable matter i n N a ture, its periodic movement pleases b u t does not a m a z e m e . 'Tis a mech anical operati o n , perhaps a s simple as the workings of electrici ty, bu t which we are unable to understand. Need I bother more about i t ? when you have roofed everything over with your god , will I be any the t e tter o ff ? and shall I still not have to make an effort at least a s gre a t to understand the a rtisan a s to define his handiwork ? By edi fying your chimera i t i s thus no service you h ave render e d me, you have made me uneasy in my mind but you have not enlightened it, and instead of gratitude I owe you resentment. Your god i s a machine you fabricated in your passions' behalf, you manipulated i t to their liking ; but the day i t interfered with mine, I kicked i t out of my wa:" deem i t fitting that I d i d so ; and now, a t t h i s moment w h e n I sink and my s o u l stands in n e e d o f c a l m a n d philosophy, belabor i t 1 0 t w i t h y o u r ri ddles a n d y o u r c a n t , which a l a rm but will not conv nce i t , which will i rritate wi thout improving i t ; goo d friends and on the best terms have we ever been, this soul and I , so N a ture wishd i t to be ; as i t is, so she expressly modeled i t , for my soul i s the r e sult o f the dispositions she formed in me pursuant to her own ends and needs ; and as she has an equal need of vices and o f virtues , whenever she w a s pleased t o move me to evil , she did so, whenever she wanted a goo d deed from me, she
D ialogue b e tween a Priest a n d a Dying Man + 1 6 9
r o u s e d in me the d e s i r e to p e rform o n e , a n d even so I d i d as I w a s b i d . L o o k n o w h e r e b u t t o h e r w o rkings fo r the unique cause of our fi ckle human b e h a vi o r , and in h e r l a ws h o p e to find n o other s p r i n g s than h e r w i l l a n d h e r r e q u i r e m e n t s .
P R I E ST-And s o w h a t e v e r i s i n t h i s w o r l d , i s nec e s s a ry.
DYING MAN-E x a c tly.
P R I E ST-B u t if everything I S n e c e s s a ry-th e n the whole I S r e gul a t e d .
D Y I N G MAN-I a m n o t t h e one to deny i t .
P R I E ST-And w h a t can regul a t e the w h o l e s a v e i t b e a n a l l p o w e r fu l a n d a l l -kn o w i n g h a n d ?
DYING M A N-S ay, i s i t n o t n e c e s s a ry t h a t gunp owder i gn i t e w h e n you s e t a s p a rk t o i t ?
PRI E ST-Y e s .
D Y I N G M A N-And d o y o u fi n d a n y p r e s e nce o f w i sdom i n th a t ?
P R I E sT-N o n e .
D Y I N G MAN-I t i s then p o s s i b l e th a t t h i n g s n e c e s s a r i ly come about w i t h o u t being d e t e r m i n e d by a sup e r i o r i n t e l l i gence, a n d p o s s ib l e h e n c e t h a t everything d e r i v e l o g i c ally f r o m a p r i m a ry c a u s e , w i th o u t t h e r e b e i n g e i t h e r r e a s o n o r w i s d o m in t h a t p r i m a ry c a u s e .
P R I E ST-W h a t a r e y o u a iming a t ?
DYING MAN-At p r o v i n g to you t h a t t h e w o r l d a n d a l l therein may b e wh a t it i s a n d a s you s e e it to b e , w i th o u t any w i s e and r e a so n i n g cause d i recting it, and that n a tu r a l e ff e c t s m u s t h a ve na tural c a u s e s : n a tu r a l c a u s e s s u ffi c i n g , there is n o n e e d to invent any such unn a t u r a l o n e s a s y o u r g o d w h o himself, as I have told you a l r e a dy , would r e qu i r e to b e exp l a i n e d a n d w h o w o u l d a t the same t i m e b e the exp l a n a t i o n o f n o t h i n g ; a n d th a t once 'tis p l a i n your g o d i s sup e r fl u o u s , h e i s p e r fectly u s e l e s s ; tha t w h a t i s u s e l e s s w o u l d gre a tly a pp e a r to b e i m a g i n a ry o n l y , null a n d t h e r e fore non exi sten t ; thu s , t o conclude that your g o d is a fiction I need n o o t h e r a rgument than t h a t w h i c h furn i s h e s me t h e c e r t i tu d e o f h i s i n u t i l i ty .
170 ... THE MARQUIS DE SADE
PRIEST-At that rate there is no great need for me to talk to you about religion.
DYING MAN-True , but why not anyhow ? Nothing so much amuses me as this sign of the extent to which human beings have been carried away by fanaticism and stupi d i ty j al though th e p ro d i giou s spectacle of folly we are facing here may be horrible, i t is always interesting. Answer me honestly, and endeavor to set per sonal consi derations asi de : were I weak enough to fall victim to your silly theories concerning the fabulous existence of the being who renders religion necessa ry, under what form would you advise m e to worship him ? Wou l d you have me adopt the daydreams of Confucius rather than the absurdities o f Brahma, should I kneel before the gre a t snake to which the Bl acks p ray, invoke the Pe ru vians' sun o r M oses' Lo rd of Hosts, to which M o h ammedan sect should I rally, o r which C h ristian heresy would b e preferable m your view ? B e carefu l how you reply.
PRIEST-Ca n it be d oubtful ?
DYING MAN-Then ' ti s egoistical.
PRIEST-No, my SO:1, ' ti s as much out o f love for thee a s fo r myself I u rge thee to embrace my cre e d .
DYING MAN-And I wonder h ow t h e o n e or t h e o t h e r o f u s can have much love for h mself, t o deign to l i sten to such degrading nonsense.
PRIEST-But who can b e mistaken about the miracles wrought by our Divine Redeemer?
DYI NG MAN-He who sees in him anything else than the most vul gar o f all tricks ters and the most arrant o f all impostors.
PRI EST-O God, you h e a r h i m a n d y o u r wrath thun ders n o t forth!
DYING MAN-No m? friend, all i s peace and qui e t around us, because your god, be i t ::rom impotence or from reason or from wh a tever you please, i s a being whose existence I shall momentarily concede out o f conde scemion for you or, if you prefer, i n order to accommo d a te myself to your sorry li ttle perspective ; because this
Dialogue be tween a Priest and a Dying Man + 171
god, I s ay, were he to exist, as you a r e m a d enough to believe, could not have selected as means to p ersuade us, anything more ridiculous than those you r Jesus incarnates.
PRIEST-Wha t ! the prophecie s , the miracles, the martyrs a r e they not so many proofs ?
DYING MAN-How, so long a s I abide by the rule s of logic, how would you h ave m e accept a s proof anything which itself is l acking proo f ? B e fore a prophecy could constitute p ro o f I should first have to be completely certain it was ever p ronounce d ; the prophecies history tells u s of belong to histo ry and for me they can only have the force of other h i storical facts, whereof three out of four are exceedingly dubiou s ; i f to th is I add the strong probability tha t they have been transmitted to us by not very objective h i s tori ans, who recorded what they p r e ferred to h ave u s read, I shall be quite within my rights if I a m skeptical. And furthermore, who i s there to assure me that thi s prophe cy was not made a fter the fact, that it was not a stratagem o f everyday political scheming, like th at which predicts a h appy reign under a just king, o r frost in wintertime? As for your miracles, I am not any readier to b e taken in by such rubbi sh. All rascals have performed them, all fools h ave believed in them; b e fore I'd be persu a d e d o f the tru t h of a miracle I would have to b e very sure the event so called by you was abso lutely contrary to the laws o f N a ture, for only what is outside of N a ture can p a s s for miraculou s ; and who is so deeply learned in N a ture that h e can affirm the precise point where her domain ends, and the p recise point where i t i s i n fringed up on? Only two things are needed to accredit an alleged miracle, a mountebank and a few simpletons ; tush, there' s the whole origin o f your prodigies ; all new adhe rents to a religious sect have wrought some ; and more extrao rdinary still , all have found imbeciles a round to beli eve them. Your Jesus' feats do not surp a s s those o f Apoll onius of Tyana, yet nobody thinks to take the l a tter for a god ; and when we come to your m artyrs, assuredly, th ese a r e the feeblest o f all your a rgu ments. To produce ma rtyrs you need but have enthusiasm on the one hand, resistance on the other ; and s o long a s an opposed cause offers me a s many o f them a s does yours, I shall never be sufficiently author i z e d to believe one better than another, but r a ther very much
172 + THE MARQUIS DE SADE
inclined to consider all o f them piti able. Ah my friend I were it true th a t the go d you preach did exi st, would h e need miracle, m a r tyr, or prophecy to secure recogni tion ? and i f, as you decl a r e , the human heart were o f his ma king, would h e not have chosen i t for the repository o f his law ? Then would this law, imp artial for all man kind because emanating from a j u st god, then would i t be found graved deep and writ cle a r in all men alike, and from one end of th e world to the othe', all men, having this delicate and sensi tive o rgan in common, would also resembl e each other through the homage they would render the god whence they h a d got it ; all would adore and se rve him in one i dentical manner, and they would be a s incapable of d i sregarding this god a s o f resisting the inward impulse to worship him. Instead o f th at, what do I behold through out this world? As many gods a s there are countries j a s many different cults as there a r e different minds or different imagina tions; and this swarm o f opinions among which it i s physically impossible for me to choose, say now, is this a ju st go d's doing ? Fie upon you, preacher, you outrage your god when you p resent him to me thus j r a t h e r l et m e d�ny him completely, for i f h e exists then I outrage him far l es s by my incredulity than do you through your bl asphemies. R e turn to you r senses, preacher, your Jesus i s no better than Mohammed, Monmmed n o better than Moses, and the three o f them combined no better th an Confucius, who did a fter all h a ve some w i s e things to say while the others d i d naught but rave ; in general, though, such people a r e all mere frauds : p hilosophers laughed a t them, the mob believed th em, and justice ought to have h anged them.
PRI EST-Al as, j u:;tice dealt only too h a rshly with one o f the four .
DYING MAN-If h e a l o n e g o t what h e deserved i t was h e deserved i t most r i chl:, ; s e d i tious, tu rbulent, calumn i a ting, dishon e st, libertine, a clumsy :mffoon, and very mischievous ; he h a d the art of overawing common folk and stirring up the rabbl e ; and hence came i n line for punishment in a kingdom where the state o f a ff a i rs w a s what it was in Jerusalem then. They were very wise indeed to get rid of h i m , and thi s p e r h a p s i s the one case in which my ex tremely lenient and also extremely tolerant maxims are able to
Dialogue between a Priest and a Dying Man .. 173
allow the severity o f Themi s; I excuse any mi sbehavior save tha t which m a y endanger t h e government o n e lives under, kings and the i r maj esties a r e the only things I respect ; and whoever does not love his country and his king were better dead than a live.
PRIEST-But you do surely beli eve something awaits u s a fter this life, you must at some time or another have sought to pierce the dark shadows enshrouding o u r mortal fate, and what other theory could have satisfied your anxious spirit, than that o f the numberless woes that betide him who has lived wickedly, and an eternity of rewards for him whose life has been good ?
DYING MAN-What other, my friend ? that o f nothingness, it h a s never held terrors for m e , in it I see naught but what is con soling and unpretentious ; all the other theories a r e of pride's composition, this one alone i s o f rea son's. M o reover, 'tis neither dreadful nor absolute, this nothingness. B efor e my eyes have I not the example of N atu re's p e rpetual generations and regenerations ? N o thing p erishes in the world, my friend, nothing i s lost ; man today, worm tomorrow, the day after tomorrow a fly ; i s i t not to keep steadily on existing ? And what entitles me to be rewarded for v irtues which are in me through no fault of my own, or again punished fo r crimes wherefor the u ltimate responsibility is not mine ? how are you to put your alleged god' s goodness into tune with this system, and can he have wished to create m e in order to reap pleasure from punishing me, and that solely on account of a choice he does not leav e me free to determin e ?
PRIEST-You a r e free.
DYING MAN-Yes, in terms o f your p rej udices ; but reason puts them to rout, and the theory of human freedom was never de vised except to fabricate tha t of grace, which was to acquire such importance for your reveries. What man on earth, seeing the scaffold a step beyond the crime, would comm i t it were he free not to commi t i t ? We a r e the p awns o f an i rresistible force , and never for a n instant i s it within our power to do anything but make the best of our lot and forge a h e a d along the path th a t has been traced for us. There i s not a single vi rtue which i s not necessary to N a ture and conversely not a single crime which she does not need and i t is
174 .. THE MARQUr; DE SADE
in the per fect balance she maintains b e tween the one and the other tha t her immense scienc(: consists ; but can we be guilty for adding our wei ght to this side or that when it is she who tosses us onto the scales? no more so than the hornet who thrusts his dart into your ski n .
PRIEsT-Then w e should not shrink from the worst o f all Crim e s .
DYING MAN-I say n o t h i n g of the k i n d . Let the evil deed b e p roscribed b y law, l e t j ustice s m i t e the criminal, th at w i l l be d eter rent enough ; but if by m i s fo rtun e we do commit it even so, let's not cry over spilled m i lk ; remorse is inefficacious, since it does not s tay u s from crime, futil,! since i t does not rep a i r i t , therefore it is absurd to beat one's breast, more absurd still to dread being pun i s hed in another world i f we have b een lucky to escape it in this. God forbid that thi s b e construed a s encouragement to crime, no, we should avo i d i t as much as we can, but one must l e a rn to shun i t through reason and not through false fears which l e a d to naught and whose effects a re so quickly overcome in any moderately stead fast soul. Reason, sir-ye s , o u r reason alone should warn us that h a rm done o u r fellows can never bring h appiness to us ; and our heart, that contributing:o thei r felicity is the greatest joy N a ture has acco rded u s o n earth; the entirety o f human morals i s contained i n thi s one phrase : Renrler others as hap py as one desires on eself to be, and never inflict mJre pain upon them than one would like to receive at thei r hands. There you a r e , my friend, those are the only p rinciples we should obse rve, and you need nei ther god nor rel i gion to appreciate and subscr ibe to them, you need only h ave a good heart. But I feel my s t rength ebbing away ; p reacher, put away your preju dices, unbend, b e a man, be human, without fea r and without hope forget your gods and your religions too : they a re none of them good for anything but to set man at odds with man, and the mere name of these h orrors has caused greater loss of life on earth than all o ther wars and all other plagues combined. Renounce the i d e a of another world j there i s none, but do not renounce the p l e a sure of being h appy and o f making for happiness in this. N a ture offers you n o o ther way of doubling your existence, o f extending i t. -My friend, l ewd pleasures were ever dearer to me than anything
Dialogue between a Priest and a Dying Man + 175
else, I have idolized them all my l i fe and my wish h a s been to end it i n their bosom; my end draws near, six women lovelier than the l i ght o f day a r e waiting i n the chamber a dj o ining, I have reserved them for this moment, p a rtake o f the feast with m e , following my example embrace them instead o f the vain sophistries of supersti tion, under thei r caresses strive for a l ittle while to forget your hypocritical beliefs.
NOTE
The dying man rang, the women entered; a n d a fter he had been a l ittle while in their a rms the p reacher became one whom Natu r e has corrupted, all because h e h a d not succeeded in expla in ing what a corrup t n a ture is.
Philosophy in the 13edroom
(1795)
Th e year 179S was a fruitful and ausptctOUS one for Sade. A l m o st m iracu lously, h e had sUT'lJived the Reign of Terror and, just six weeks after the execution of Robes pierre, was o nce again set free, on October lS, 1794. Sade's printer, Girouard, wh o had publish ed Justine and, b efore his arrest under the Terror h a d been prep aring Aline et Valcou r for publication, had not been so lucky : on January 8, 1794, he went to the guilloti n e .
After Sade regained h is freedom, h e m anaged to re trieve that p o rtion of Aline et Valcour which Girouard had already printed prior to his arrest, and by m id-summer of 1795 the first e diti o n of this fo u r-volu m e work, which Sade ackno wledged, was p u b lished.
This same y e ar there also appeared a s m all format, two-v o lume work, of a n o ny m o u s autho rs h ip , enticingly en titled La Philosop h i e dans Ie boudoi r . A lthough a n o n y m o us, it was offered as a "p o sth u m o us work by the auth o r of Jus ti n e , " a subterfuge Sade was to utilize two years later for the p u b lication of La Nouvelle Justine. The place of p u b licatio n of the o riginal edition was given as Londres, aux depens de l a Compagnie, and b esides an allegorical fro ntispiece, it contained four erotic engravings . The epi graph of the o riginal editio n is La mere en prescrira la l ec ture a s a fille ( Mothers will make this volu m e m andato ry reading for th eir daughters). A second editio n, in two o ctavo volumes of 203 and 191 p ages resp ectively, appeared ten years later, in 180S, with the added su btitle-for which Sade, then in the Ch arento1l asy lum, can s carcely have been responsible-ou les Institu teurs immoraux ( or Th e Im mo ral Teachers). Curiously , the epigraph o f this second
179
editi o n app eared-t�he ther t h e change was i n te n ti o n a l o r n o t is a m o o t p o i n t--as La mere en proscrira l a lecture a sa fiUe ( Mo t hers will forbid their daugh ters to read i t ) .
Together with t h e Dialogue between a Priest and a Dying M an , t h e Phi losophy in the B e droom is the o n ly o th e r n o n th e a trical 'wo rk of Sade's writ ten in the form of dialogue. Consis ting of seven "Dialo gues," in which p hilo s op h ical specula tio ns a n d dissertati o n s o n m o rali ty, histo ry, a n d religio n c o m m ingle with typical Sadean s exual fan ta s i es , this work is o n e o f the m o s t specific, eloqu e n t, and least redu n dan t o f S a de's m ajor ficti o n s . The four pro tago nis ts are Eugeni e de Mislival, a chaste fi/teen-year-o ld, a virgin and n e ophyte wh o i.i t o be initiated i n t o the m ys teries of s e ns u a l p le asure,. twen ty-six-year-o ld Mada m e de S ain t A nge, a w o m a n "o[ extrem e lubricity",. her bro ther, the Chevalier de Mirvd, a ls o a debauchee of c o n s iderable talen ts but wh o , u n like his sis ter and the fourth pro tag o nist, D o lm ance (" The m o s t corrupt and dangero us o f m e n" ) , draws t h e lir.e a t the b o u n dary of cru elty. A ll three o f the i n i tia t o rs, with the p o ssible exceptio n of the Cheva lier, who is s till wrestling with his s o u l on th e que s tion of inflicting cruelty, WGuid qu alify as Sade's Uniqu e Beings, of wh o m Maurice Bianch o t m akes m e n ti o n in his In tro duc tio n . A nd, by the end o f the day, Eugenie t o o , the ap tes t of pupils , is well or. h e r way along the p a t h of libertin age, that is ( in Sade s can o n ) , of fre e d o m .
Th e eco n o m y lmd dispo s i t i o n o f t h e four principal characters e n a b le Satle t o exp o u n d his views b o th p o s itively a n d negatively, f o r teaching, initiating t h e n e oph)'te, is n o t o n ly i n s tructing b u t "Is o dis abusing: o n e mlls t rid Eugenie's pre t ty lit tle h ead of "ll the fals e n o tions of religio n , moral i ty, and virtue which a hyp o cri tical m o ther and false s o ci e ty h av e ins tilled in h e r !ince birth.
The long "Fiftiz Dialogue" of this w o rk c o n tains the well-kn o wn "Ye t An o th e r Effort, Fre n c h m e n , If You W o u ld Beco m e Republicans," which Le Chevalier reads aloud. A l t h o ug h it '>nay detract fro m the o th erwise c o n siderab le u n i ty o f th,� w o rk, this "pamphle t"l is a work of
180
considerable force, and perhaps the m o s t eloqu e n t refuta tion to t h o s e who accuse S ade of, o r simplistically assim ilate him to, the forces of evil a n d dark n ess which o u r ce ntury h as spawn e d : fascis m . The scope and c o mplexity of Sade's ideas-in dep e ndently of their in dividual m erit o r lack of m erit-are s u ch that they a b o u n d in co ntradictio n s and p aradoxes, and m ay be quoted to prove o r demo nstrate a vast spectru m of opinio n . B u t o n e thing is certain : Sade was for fewer laws, not more; for less restrictive social restraints on the in dividu al, no t m o re oppressive ones. As Maurice Heine has n oted :
It is with the in dividu al, with the co u ntless i ndividuals who go to m a k e up h u m an s o cieties, that S ade has placed the o nly o rganic streng th these s o cieties m ay p o ssess . . . . He offers a with ering criticism of any s o cial restraints which reduce to whatever slight degree the activity of the inco ercible h u m a n element. In his eyes, the o n ly thing which will lead him to accept not a s o cial p act but a s o cial c o mpromis e-which can b e den o u nced a n d renewed a t any tim e-is the s elf·inter est of the in dividual. For him, any s o ciety which fails to u nderstan d this fu n damental truth is desti n e d to perish .
In the lig h t of Krafft-Ebing, Freud, o r the de tailed case histories of Wilhelm Stekel, the Philosophy in the B ed room m ay appear s o m ewhat less audacious than it did to previo u s gen erati o n s ( o r those s elect few of the e arlier gen erati o n s who clan des ti nely were a b le to read it ) . That it is o n e of S ade' s m o s t seminal and c o mpelling works there can be n o doubt. It p ossesses another virtue : fro m o n e en d to the other, there reigns a h u m o r-a black and often gro tesqu e h u m o r, admittedly-which one l o o k s for in vain in his strictly theatrical productions, and which perh aps exis ts nowhere else in his writing with such iclat, s av e in his extra o rdin ary Ie tIers.
1 During the Revolution 0/ 1848, it was detached from the larger work and widely disseminated as a stirring work 0/ great patriotic import.
18 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TO LIBERTINES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
DIAWGUE THE FIRST................................... 186
DIALOGUE THE SECOND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
DIALOGUE THE THIRD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
DIALOGUE THE FOURTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . 259
DIALOGUE THE FIFTH . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
DIALOGUE THE SIXTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . ... . .. . . . . 349
DIALOGUE THE SEVENTH AND LAST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 352
TO LIBERTINES
Vo luptu aries of all ages, of every s ex, i t is to y o u o n ly that I offer this work; n o urish y o u rselves up o n i ts principles : they fav or your passions, and thes e passio ns, whereof co ldly insipid m o ralis ts put y o u in fear, are n a u g h t bu t the means Na ture employs to bring man to the e n ds she pres cribes to him ; harken o n ly to thes e delicio us promp tings, for n o v o ice s av e th a t of the passions can c o n duct you to h appiness .
Lewd w o m en, le t the v o lup t u o u s S ai n t-Ange b e y o u r m o del; after her example, be h e e dless of all that c o n tradicts pleasure's divine laws, by which all her life she was enchain ed.
You y o u ng m aidens, too long c o n s trained by a fan ciful Vir tue's absurd a n d dangerous b o n ds and by those of a disgus ting religio n , imitate t h e fiery Eugeni e ; b e as quick as s h e t o des troy, t o spurn all thos e ridiculous precepts i n c u lcated in you by i m b e cile pare n ts .
A n d y o u , am iable debauchees, y o u wh o since y o u t h have k n o wn n o lim i ts b u t those of y o u r desires and who h ave been governed by your caprices alone, study the cy nical D o /m a n ce, proceed like him and go as far as he if you t o o w o u ld travel the length of those flowered ways your lechery prepares for y o u ; i n D o lm a n ce's academy be at las t co nvin ced it is o n ly by exploring and e nlarging the sph ere of his tas tes and whims, i t is o n ly by s acrificing every thing to the senses' p leasure t h a t this in dividual, who never asked to be cas t into this u n ivers e of woe, that this p o o r creature who g o e s u n der the n a m e of Man, m ay be able t o s o w a s m a t tering of roses atop the thorny p a th of life.
1 8 5
DIALOGUE THE FIRST
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE, LE CHEVALIER DE MIRVEL
MADAME DE SAINT-P.NGE-Good day, my friend. And what of Monsieur Dolmance?
LE CHEVALIER-He'll be here promptly at four ; we do not dine un til s even-and will have, a s you see, ample time to chat.
MADAME D E SAINT-ANGE-You know, my dear brother, I d o begin to have a few m isgivings about my curiosity and all the ob scene pl ans scheduled far today. Chevalier, you ove rin dulge m e , truly y o u do. T h e m o r e !;ensible I should be, the m o r e excite d a n d libertine this accursed m i n d o f mine becom es-an d a l l t h a t y o u have given me but serves to spoil me . . . . At twen ty-six, I should be sober and staid, and I'm still n o thing bu t the most licentiou s o f women . . . . O h , I 've a busy brain, my friend ; you' d scarce believe the ideas I have, the things I'd like to do. I supposed that by confining myself to women I would become: better beha.-ed . . . ; th a t were my desires concen trated upon my ov.n sex I would no longer pant a fter yours : pure fantasy, my friend ; my im agina tion has only been pricke d the more by the pleasures I though t to dep rive my self of. I h ave dis covered that when it is a ques tion of someone like me, born fo r lib ertinage, it is useless to tlink of imposing limits or restraints upon oneself-impe tuous desires imm edia tely sweep them away. In a
186
Philos ophy in the Bedr o o m + 187
word, my dear, I am an amphibi ous creature: I love everything, everyone, whatever it is, i t amuses me ; I should like to combine every species-but you must admit, C hevalier, is it not the height of extravagance for me to wish to know this unusual Dolmance who in all his l i fe, you tell me, has been unable to see a woman according to the p rescriptions of common usage, this Dolmance who, a sodomite out of p rinciple, n o t only worship s his own sex but never yields to ours save when we consent to put at his disposal those so well beloved charms of which he habitually makes use when consorting with men ? Tell me, Chevalier, if my fancy i s not b i z a rre ! I want to be Ganymede to this new Jupiter, I want to enjoy his tastes, his debauches, I want to be the victim o f his erro rs. Until now, and well you know i t, my friend, until now I have given myself thus only to you, through complaisance, or to a few o f my servants who, p a i d t o use m e i n t h i s manner, a dopted i t f o r p r o fi t only. But today i t is no longer the des i re to obl i ge nor i s i t caprice that moves me, but solely my own penchants. I believe that, between my past experi ences with this curious mania and the courtesies to which I am go ing to be subjected, there i s an inconceivable difference, and I wish to be acquainted with it. Paint your Dolmance fo r me, please do, that I may h ave him well fixed in my mind before I see him arrive ; for you know my acquaintance with him is limited to an encounter the other day in a h ouse where we were together for but a few minu tes.
L E CH EVALIER-Dolmance, my dear sister, has just turned thi rty-six ; he is tall, extremely handsome, eyes very alive and very intelligent, but all the s ame there is some suspicion of h a rdness, and a trace o f wickedness i n h i s features ; he has the wh i test teeth in the world, a s h a de o f softness about h i s fi gu re and i n his attitu de, doubtless owing to his habit of taking on effeminate airs so often ; he i s extremely elegant, h a s a pretty voice, many talents, and above all else an exceedingly p h ilosophic bent to h i s mind.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Bu t I trust he does not believe i n Godl
LE C H EVALIER-Oh, pe rish the thought I He i s the most notorious athei st, the most immoral fellow . . . . Oh, no ; his i s the
1 8 8 .. THE MARQUIS DE SADE
most complete and thoroughgoing co rruption, and he the most evil i ndividu al, the gre a tes t scoundrel in the world.
MADAME D E SAINT-ANGE-Ah, how that warms me ! Me thinks that I 'll be wil d about this man. And what o f h i s fancies, bro ther ?
LE C H EVALI ER-You know them full well ; Sodom's delights a re a s d e a r to him i n their active as in th eir pa ssive form. For his pleasures, he ca res for none but men; if however he sometimes deigns to employ wom en, it i s only upon condition they be obligin g enough to exchange sex with him . I 've spoken o f you to h i m ; I ad vised him of you r i ntentions, he a grees, and in his turn remind s you o f the rules of the ga ne. I warn you , my dear, he will refu s e you altogeth e r if you a t tempt to en gage him to undertake anything else. "What I consent to do with your s i ster i s , " he decl a r e s , "an ex travagance, an indiscr e tion with which one s oil s onesel f but r arely and only by taking ample precautions . "
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Soil ones elf! ... Precautions! ... Oh, how I adore the Lmgu age those agre e able persons use ! Be tween ourselves, we women also have exclu sive words which like these just spoken, give an ide a o f the profound horror they have o f all those who show here tical tendencies . . . . Tell me, my de ar, h a s h e h a d you? W i th y o u r a:iorabl e f a c e and your twenty y e a r s , o n e may, I dare say, captivate sllch a man?
LE CHEVALIER-We've committed follies together-I'll not hide them from you ; ) ou have too much wit to condemn them. The fact is , I favor women ; I only give mys e l f up to these odd whim sies when an attractive m a n urges me to them. And then t here ' s no thing I s top at. I 've none of th at ludicrous a rrogance which makes our young upstarts believe that it' s by cuts with you r walking s tick you respond to such propo sitions. I s man m a s ter o f his penchants ? One must feel sorry for th ose who have strange tastes, but never in sult them. Their wrong is N a tu r e ' s too ; they are no more responsible for having come in to the wo rld with tendencies unlike ours than are we fo r being bo r n ban dy-l egged o r well-propo rtioned. I s it, however, that a man :lcts insultingly to you when he mani fests his desire to enj oy you ? N o , su rely not ; it is a compliment you are
Philo s ophy in the Bedroom + 1 89
p aid ; why then answer w i th i nj u ri e s a n d i n sults ? Only fo o l s c a n t h i n k thus ; n e v e r w i l l you h e a r a n i n t e l l i g e n t m a n d i s cu s s the que s tion in a m a n n e r d i ff e r e n t from m i n e ; b u t t h e trouble i s , t h e wo rld i s p e opled w i th p o o r i d i o ts who b e l i e v e it is t o l a ck r e s p e c t for them to avow o n e fin ds t h e m fi t t e d for one ' s p l e a su r e s , a n d w h o , p am p e r e d by women-t hemselves forever j e a l o u s o f w h a t has t h e look o f infringing u p o n thei r r i gh ts- , fancy themselves to b e t h e D o n Qu ixotes o f t h o s e o r d i n a ry r i g h t s , a n d b r u t a l i z e whoeve r d o e s n o t a cknowledge the enti r e ty o f t h e i r extent.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-CO m e , my friend, k i s s m e . Were you to think o t h e rwi s e , y o u ' d n o t b e my brother. A few deta i l s , I b e s e e c h you, b o t h w i t h w h a t r e g a rds t h i s m a n ' s a p p e a rance and h i s p l e a s u r e s w i t h y o u .
L E CHEVA LIER-On e o f h i s f r i e n d s i n f o r m e d M o n s i e u r D ol m a n c e o f the superb m e m b e r w h e r e w i th you know m e p rovided, and h e o b t a i n ed the c o n s e n t of the M a r qu i s d e V*** to b r i n g us to g e th e r at supp e r . Once t h e r e , I was obliged t o d i s p l a y my equipment : a t fir s t cu r i o s i ty app e a r ed to be h i s single m o t i ve ; however, a very fa i r ass turned my way, a n d with which I was i n v i t e d t o amuse my sel f, s o o n m ade me s e e t h a t p e n c h a n t a l o n e w a s the c a u s e of t h i s ex a m i n a t i o n . I h a d D o l m a n c e n o t i c e a l l t h e e n t e r p r i s e ' s difficu l tie s ; he w a s s t e a dfa s t . "A r a m holds no t e r r o r s for m e , " he s a id, "and you'll not have even the glo ry of b e i n g the m o s t formidable amongst the m e n who h av e p e r f o r a ted the a n u s I offer you." The M a rqu i s w a s o n h a nd ; h e encoura ged u s b y fi n g e r i n g , da ndl i n g , k i s s i n g wh a t ev e r t h e o n e o r the o t h e r o f u s b r o u g h t to l i gh t . I took up m y p o s i tion . . . . " S u r e l y some kind o f p r i m in g ?" I u r g e d . " N o t h i n g o f the s o r t , " s a i d t h e M a r qu i s , "you ' l l r o b D o l m a n c e o f h a l f t h e s e n s a t i o n s h e a w a i t s from you ; h e w a n t s you to cleave h i m i n two , he wants to be t o r n a sunde r . " "Wen," I s a id , blindly plunging i n t o t h e gul f, "he'll b e s a t i s fi e d . " Perh a p s , my dear s i s t e r , you think that I met w i t h a great d e a l of trouble . . . not a t all j my p r i ck, enormous a s i t is, d i s a p p e a r e d , c o n t r a ry to a l l my e xp e c t a t i o n s , a n d I tou c h e d t h e b o ttom o f h i s e n t r a i l s without t h e bugger seeming to feel a t h i n g . I d e a l t kindly w i t h D o l m a n c e j t h e extreme ecstasy he t a s t e d , h i s w r i g gl i ngs a n d quiverings, h i s enticing u t t e r a n c e s , a l l thi s soon made m e h appy t o o , a n d I inunda ted him. Sca rcely w a s
190 + THE MARQUlS DE SADE
I wi thdrawn when D olrnance, tu rning toward me, his h a i r in dis a rray and h i s face red a! a bacchante : "You see the state you've put m e in, my dear C hevalier," said he, simul taneously p resenting a pert, tough rogue o f a p rick, very long and at least six inches a round, "deign, 0 my l ove, deign to serve me a s a woman a fter h a ving been my lover, and enable me to say that in you r divine a rm s I h ave tasted all the del i ghts of the fancy I cheris h sup remely." Finding as littl e diffi culty in the one a s in the o ther, I readied mysel f ; the M a rqui s , dropping1is breeches before my eyes, begged me to h av e the kindness to be yet a li ttle o f the man with him while I pl ayed wi fe to his friend ; and I dealt with him a s I h a d with Dolmance, who paid me back a hundredfold for all the blows wherewith I belabo red ou r thi rd; and soon, into the depths o f my ass, he exhaled th a t enchanted liquo r with which , at virtually the same instant, I sprayed the bowels o f V***.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-You must have known the most extreme pleasure, to find yourself thus between two ; they say i t is c h a rming.
LE CHEVALIER-My angel, it i s surely the best place to be ; but wha tever may be said of them, they're all extravagances which I s hould never p refer to the pleasure of women.
MADAME DE SAINT··ANGE-\Vell , my chivalrous friend, as re ward for your touching consi deration, today I am going to hand over to your passions a young virgin, a girl, more beautiful than Love i tself.
L E CHEVALIER-'What! With Dolmance . . . you're bringing a woman here ?
MADAME DE SAI NT- ANGE-I t is a m atter of an educa tion ; tha t of a l i ttle thing I knew h.s t autumn a t the convent, while m y husband was at the b a ths. We cOllld accomplish nothing there, we dared try nothing, too many eyes were fixed upon us, but we made a promise to meet again, to get togeth e r as soon as possible . Occupie d with nothing but this desire, I have, in order to satisfy it, become acquainted with her family. Her father is a libertine-I 've en thralled him. At any rate, the l ovely one is coming, I am wai ting
Philo s ophy in the Bedro o m + 191
for h e r ; w e ' l l s p e n d two days toge t h e r . . . two delicious d a y s ; I s h a l l employ t h e b e t t e r p a r t o f t h e time educa tin g t h e young l a dy . D o l m ance a n d I will p u t into this p r e t ty littl e h e a d every p rincipl e o f t h e m o s t unbridled l i b e rtin a g e , w e will s e t h e r a b l aze with o u r o w n fi r e, w e will f e e d h e r u p o n o u r phil o s o p h y , i n s p i r e h e r with o u r d e s i r e s , a n d a s I w i s h to join a little p r actice to the o ry, a s I like the demo n s t r a ti o n s to keep a b r e a s t of the dis s e r t a tions , I h ave d e s tin e d to you, d e a r b r o t h e r , the h a rve s t of Cyth e r a ' s myrtle, a n d to D o l m a nce s h a l l go t h e r o s e s o f S o d o m . I ' l l h ave two p l e a s u r e s a t once : t h a t o f enj oyin g t h e s e crimin a l l e c h e r i e s m y s e l f , and t h a t o f g i v i ng t h e l e s sons, o f i n s p i r i ng f a nci e s in t h e sweet innocent I a m l u ring i n t o o u r n e t s . V e ry well , C h eval i e r , a n s w e r m e : i s t h e p r o j ect w o r thy o f my im a gi n a tion?
LE CHEVA LI ER- I t could not have r i s e n in a n o t h e r: it is divin e , m y sis t e r , a n d I promise to enact to p e rfection t h e ch a rming role you r e serve f o r m e . A h , mischievou s o n e , h o w much pleasure you are going to t a k e in e duca tin g this chil d ; what p l e a s u r e you will find in corrup ting h e r , in s tifling within this young h e a r t eve ry s e e d of virtu e a n d of r eligion p l a n t e d t h e r e by her tu to r s I Actu ally, a l l this is t o o roue f o r me.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Be certain I'll spare nothing to p e rv e r t h e r , d e g r a d e h e r , demol i s h in h e r all the f a l s e e thic a l no tions with which they m a y a l r e a dy h ave been a b l e t o dizzy her j i n two l e s s o n s , I w a n t to r e n d e r h e r a s crim i n a l a s a m I . . . a s i m p i o u s . . . a s debauch e d , a s d e p r av e d . N o t i fy D o l m a n c e , expl a i n e v e ry th i n g to h i m imm e di a tely h e gets h e r e s o t h a t his immo r a l i t i e s ' poison, circu l a ting in t h i s y o u n g spiri t t o g e th e r w i t h t h e venom I s h a l l inj ect, will in t h e s h o r t e s t p o s sibl e time wit h e r a n d s till a l l t h e s e e d s o f v i r t u e t h a t , b u t for u s , migh t g e rmin a te t h e r e .
LE CHEVALI ER-I t w o u l d b e imp o s sible t o fi n d a b e t t e r m a n: i rreligio n , imp i e ty, inhu m a n i ty , lib e r tin a g e spill from Dolmance' s lip s as in tim e s p a s t mys tic unction fell f r o m those of t h e cel e b r a te d Arch b i s h o p o f C am b r a i . H e i s t h e m o s t p r o fo u n d s e ducer, t h e m o s t c o r r u p t , the m o s t d a n g e r o u s m a n . . .. A h , my d e a r , l e t y o u r p u p i l but c o m p l y with this teach e r ' s i n structions, a n d I gu a ra n t e e h e r straigh tway damned.
192 .. T H E MARQUlS DE SADE
MADAME DE SAINT·ANGE-I t should certainly not take long, considering the dispo sitions I know her to possess . . . .
LE C H EVALIER-But tell m e , my dear sister, i s there nothing t o fear from the p a rent!; ? M ay not thi s l i ttle one cha tter when she returns home ?
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE-H ave no fe ars. I have seduced the father . . . he' s mine. I must confess to you, I surrendered myself to him in order to clo se his eyes : he knows nothing of my designs, and will never dare to scan them . . . . I have him.
L E C H EVALI ER-Your methods are app alling I
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Such they must be, else they' re not sure.
LE C HEVALIER-An d tell me, please, who i s thi s youngster ?
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE-He r name is Eugenie, daughter o f a certain M i stival, one o f the wealthiest commercial fi gures in the capital, age d about thirty-six; her mother is thirty-two at the very most, and the l i ttlt: girl fi fteen. M i s tival i s as libertine a s his wi fe is pious. As fo r Eugenie, dear one, I should in vain undertake to figure her to you ; she i s quite beyond my descriptive powers . . . sati sfy you rself wi th tht: knowledge tha t assuredly neither you nor I have ever set eyes on anything so delicious, anywhe r e .
LE C H EVALIER-But a t l e a s t ske tch a l i ttle i f y o u cannot p a i n t t h e portrait, so tha t, knowing fairly w e l l wi th whom I am to d e a l , I may better fill my imagination with the idol to which I must sacri fice.
MADAME DE SAI NI-ANGE-Very well, my friend : her abun dant chestnut hai r-the r e ' s too much of it to grasp in one's hand -descends to below hel" bu ttocks j her skin i s o f a daz zling whi te ness, her nose rather a quiline, her eyes j e t black and o f a warmth! . . . Ah, my friend, ' t i s mpossible to resi s t those eyes . . . . You've n o idea o f the stupidi ties they've driven me to . . . . Could you but see the pretty eyebrows tha t c rown them . . . the extraordinary l a shes tha t border them . . . . A ve ry small mouth, superb teeth, and, all o f i t, o f a freshness I . . . One o f her beauties i s the elegant manner
Philosophy in the Bedro o m + 193
whereby h e r lovely head is attached to her shoulders, the a i r of nobili ty she has when she tu rns . . . . Eugenie is tall for her age : one might think her seventeen ; her fi gure is a model o f elegance and finesse, her throat, h e r bosom delicious . . . . There indeed are the two p rettiest li ttle brea sts! . . . Sca rcely enough there to fill the hand, but so soft . . . so fresh . . . so very white I Twenty times h ave I gone out of my h e a d w h i l e kissing them ; and h a d y o u been able to see how she came alive under my caresses . . . how her two great eyes represented to m e the whole state o f her mind . . . . My friend, I i gnore the rest. Ah ! but i f I mu st j u dge o f h e r by what I know, never, I say, h a d Olympus a divinity compa rable with this . . . . But I h e a r her . . . leave u s ; go out by way of the garden to avoid meeting her, and be on time a t the rendezvous .
LE C H EVALI ER-The p o r t r a i t y o u h ave j u s t made for m e a ssures m y promptness . . . . A h , he aven I to g o out . . . to leave you, i n the state I a m in . . . Adi e u ! . . . a kiss . . . a kiss, my dear sister, to s a ti s fy me at least till then. ( She kis ses him, t o u ches the prick s training in his breeches, a n d the y o u ng m a n leaves in has te. )
DIALOGUE THE SECOND
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE, EUGENIE
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Welcome, my p e t ! I h ave been awaiti n g you with an impatience you fully appreciate i f you can read the feelings I h ave in my h e a rt.
EUGENIE-Oh, my precious one, I thought I should never a rrive, so eager w a s I to find myself in your arms. An hour before le aving, I dreaded all might be changed j my mother was absolutely opposed to this delightful p a r ty, declaring it ill became a gi rl o f m y a ge t o g o abroad alone j but m y father h a d s o abused h e r the day before yesterday that a singl e one o f h i s glances was qui t e enough t o cause M a da m e M istival to subside utterly, and it ended with h e r consenting to what my father h a d granted me, and I rush e d h e r e . I h ave two days j you r c a rriage a n d o n e o f you r servants must without fail take m e �ome the day a fter tomorrow.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-How short i s thi s period, my dear est angel, i n so littl e t me I shall hardly be able to express to you all you excite in m e . . . and indeed we have to talk. You know, do you n o t, that ' ti s durin� this interview th a t I am to initiate you into the most secret of Venus' mysteri es j s hall two days be time enough ?
EUGENIE-Ah , were I not to a rrive at a complete knowledge , I should remain . . . . [ came hither to be instructed, and will n o t go t i l l I am i n formed . . . .
194
Philo s ophy i n the Bedro o m + 1 95
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE, kissing her-D e a r love , how many things a r e we going to do and say to one another ! But, by the way, do you wish to take lunch, my queen ? Fo r the l e sson may b e pro longed.
E UGENI E-I have n o need, d e a r friend, than to listen to you; we lunched a l e a gue from here ; I'll b e able to wait until eight o ' clock this evening withou t feeling the least hunger.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Then let's go into my boudo i r , w h e r e we will b e more a t our ease. I h a v e already spoken to the servants. You may be certain no one shall take it into his h e a d to interrupt us. ( Th ey enter t�� b o u do ir, linke d arm in a rm . )
'"
DIALOGUE THE THIRD
In a Deligh tful B oudoir
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE, EUGENIE, DOLMANCE
EUGENIE, greatly jurprised to find in this r o o m a man who m she h a d n o t expe c ted--Great G o d I Dea rest friend, we a re be trayed I
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE, equ ally su rprised-Strange , Mon sieur, to find you here. Vver e you not expected at fou r ?
DOLMANCE-One always h astens the a dvent of that happiness which comes o f seeing you , M a dame. I encountered M onsieur, your brother-he anticip ated the usefulness o f my presence at the lessons you are to give M a demoi selle, and knew this to be the lyceum where they wou l d be given. Unperce ived, he introduced m e into this chamber, far from imagining you might disapprove ; and a s for himself, aware his demonstrations will only be necessary a fter the dissertations on theory, he will not make his appearance until later.
MADAME D E SAINT-ANGE-Indeed, Dolmance, this i s an un foreseen turn . . . .
EUGENI E-By whi:h I am not deceived, my good friend ; i t i s a l l you r work . . . . A t l e a s t, you should have consulted me . . . in stead o f exposing me to this shame. I t will certa inly prejudice all our p rojects.
196
Philos ophy in the Bedroom .. 197
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Eugenie, I protest-my brother i s responsible f o r this, n o t 1 . B u t there's no cause f o r alarm : I know Dolmance fo r a most agreeable man, and he possesses just that degree o f philosophic understanding we require for your enlighten ment. He can be of nothing but the greatest service to our schemes. As for his discretion, I am a s willing to answer for it as for my own. The refore, dear heart, familiarize you rself with this man who i n all the world is the best endowed to fo rm you and to guide you into a career o f the happiness and the pleasures we wish to taste together.
EUGENIE , blushing-Oh I I still find all this most upsetting . . . .
DOLMANcE-C ome, my lovely Eugenie, put yoursel f a t ease . . . . Modesty is an antiqu ated virtue which you, so rich in charms, ought to know wonderfully well how to do without.
E UGENI E-B u t decency . . .
DOLMANcE-Ha ! A Gothicism not very much de fended these days. It is so hostile to N a ture I (Dolmance s eizes Eugenie, f o lds her in his arms, a nd kisses her.)
EUGENIE , s truggling in his embrace-Tha t' s quite enough, Monsieur I .. . Indeed, you show me very little consideration I
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Eugenie, listen to me : let's both o f us c e a s e behaving like prudes with this charming gentleman j I a m not better acqu ainted with him than are you, yet watch h o w I give myself to him. ( She kisses him indecen tly o n the m o u th.) Imitate me.
EUGENIE-Oh , most willingly j where might I find better ex amples ? ( She pu ts hers elf in Do l m a nce's arms; he kisses her ar den tly, tongue in m o u th.)
DOLMANcE-Amiable, deliciou s creature I
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE, kissing her in the s a m e way-Didst think, little chit, I'd not have my turn a s well ? (At this point D o lmance, holding firs t one in his arm s, the n the o ther, tongues b o th, each for a quarter of a n ho ur, and they b o th tongue one an o ther and him.)
198 + THE MARQL"IS DE SADE
DOLMANCE-Ah, such p reliminaries make me d runk with de s i re I M e sdames, upon my word, it is extraordina rily warm here ; more li ghtly a ttired, we might converse with infinitely greater com fort.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-You a re right, s i r ; w e'll don these gauze negligees-o f Ollr charms, they'll conceal only those that must be hi dden from d e s i re.
EUGENIE-Indeed, dear one, you lead me to do things ! . . .
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE, help ing h er undress-Completely ridiculous, isn't i t ?
EUGENIE-Most improper a t the very least, I ' d say . • . . My I how you kiss me !
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Pretty bosom ! ... a rOSe only now r e a ching full bloon.
DOLMANCE, considering, with o u t touching, Eugen ie's breasts And which p romises ye t oth e r allurements . . . i nfinitely to be p re ferred.
MADAME DE SAINr-ANGE-I nfini tely to b e p re ferred ?
DOLMANCE-O h :re s, upon my honor. ( Saying which, Dol mance appe ars eager to turn Eugenie a b o u t in o rder to inspe c t h e r fro m the rear. )
EUGENIE-N 0, IJeg o f you !
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-No , Dolmance . . . I don' t want you yet to see . . . a n object whose sway over you i s so great that, the image o f i t once fiJ:e d in your head, you are unable there a fter to r e a so n coolly. We need your l essons, first give them to us-and a fterward the myrtle y:m covet will b e your reward.
DOLMANCE-Very well, but in order to demonstrate, in order to give this beauti fu l child the first lessons o f libertinage, we will requ i re willing co-operation from you, Madame, i n the exercise that must follow.
Philosophy in the Bedroom .. 199
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-SO be i t! All right then, look you h ere-I' m entirely naked. Make your dissertations upon me as much a s you please.
DOLMANCE-Oh , lovely body I 'Tis Venus herself, embellished by the Graces.
EUGENIE-Oh, my d e a r friend, what charms I delights ! Let m e drink them i n with my eyes, let m e cover them with my kisses. ( Sh e does so.)
DOLMANCE-What excellent predispositions I A trifle less pas sion, lovely Eugeni e , for the moment you are only being asked to show a little a ttention.
E UGENIE-Let's continue , I'm listening . . . . B u t how b e auti ful s h e is . . . so plump , so fresh I . . . Ah, how charming my dear friend i s . I s she not, Monsieu r ?
DOLMANcE-B eautiful , a s suredly . . . she is wondrous to see ; but I am persuaded you yield to h e r in nothing .. . . Well, now, my p r e tty l ittle student, e i th e r you pay a ttention to me or beware lest, i f y o u a r e n o t doci l e , I exercise over you t h e rights amply confe rred upon me by my title a s your mentor.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Oh, yes, yes indeed, Dolmance, I p u t h e r into your s a fekeeping. S h e must have a severe scolding i f she misbehaves.
DOLMANCE-I t is very possible I might n o t b e able to confine myself to remonstrances.
EUGENIE-G r e a t h e aven! You terrify me . . . what then would you do to me, Monsieur ?
DOLMANCE, s tammering, and kissing Eugenie on the m o uth Punishments . . . corrections . . . I might very well hold this p r e tty li ttle ass accountable for mistakes made by the h e a d . ( He strikes t h e former through t h e gauze dressing g o wn in which Eugenie is presently arrayed.)
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Yes, I approve of the proj ect but not o f the gesture. Let's begin our lesson, else the little time granted
200 + THE MARQUIS DE SADE
us to enj oy Eugenie will be spent in preliminaries, and the instruc tion shall remain incomplete.
DOLMANC E , wh o , a.i h e discusses them, o n e by o n e to uches the p a r ts of Mada m e de Saint-A nge's b o dy-I begin . I will say nothing of these fl eshy globes ; you know a s well a s I , Eugeni e , that they are indiffe rently known a s boso ms, breasts, tits. Pleasure may put them to p rofi tabl e use : while amusing himself, a lover h a s them continually before his eyes : he caresses them, handles them, indeed, some lovers form o f them the very seat o f their pleasure and niche their member between the se twin mounts o f Venus which the woman then squeezes togethe r, comp ressing this membe r ; a fter a li ttle management, certain m e n succee d in spreading thereupon the deli cious balm o f l i fe whose outpou ring causes the whole happiness of libertines . . . . But thi s member o f which we shall be obl i ged to speak incessantly-should we l10t be well advised, Madame, to give our s tu dent a lecture upon i t?
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Verily, I do think so.
DOLMANcE-Very well, M adame, I am go ing to recline upon this couch ; place yourse l f n e a r me. Then you will l ay hands upon the subject and you will you rself explain its p roperti es to our young student. ( D o lm anti lies down and Madame de Sain t-A nge demon stra tes. )
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE-This scep ter of Venus you h ave before you r eyes, Eugeni e , i s the primary agent o f love' s pleasure : i t i s called the member : ':here is not a singl e p a rt of the human body into which i t cannot introduce i tself. Always obe dient to the p a s sions o f the p erson wh.) wields it, sometimes it nests there (She touches Eugenie's cun t. ) , this i s the ordinary route, the one in widest use, but not the most agreeable ; in pursuit o f a more mys terious s anctu a ry, it is o ften here (She spreads wide Eugen ie's b u t t o cks and indica tes the anus. ) that the libertine seeks enj oyment : we will return to this most deliciou s pleasure of them all ; there are a s well the mouth, the breasts, the armpits which p rovide him with fu rther altars upon which to burn his incense. And finally whatever be the place among all these h e most prefers, a fter a few instants of agitation the member may b e seen to vent a white and vi scous
Philo s ophy in the Bedro o m + 201
liquor, whose flowing for th plunges the man into a delirium intense enough to p rocure for him the sweetest pleasures h e can hope to have in life.
E UGENIE-How much I should like to see this liquor flow !
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-I need but vibrate my hand-you see how the thing becomes i rritated the more I chafe and pull on it. These movements a re known as p o llu tion, and i n the langu a ge o f libertinage this action i s called frigging.
E UGENIE-Oh , please, dear friend, allow m e to frig this splendid member !
DOLMANCE-Look out ! I 'll not be able . . . don't interfere with her, M adame, this ingenuousness h a s got m e horribly erected.
MADAME D E SAI NT-ANGE-N 0 good will come of this excite ment. Be reasonable, Dolmance : once that semen flows, the activity o f you r animal spirits will be diminished and the w a rmth o f your dissertations will b e lessened correspondingly.
E UGENIE , fondling D o lman ce's tes ticles-Ah , my d e a r friend, how sorry I a m you resist my desires ( . . . And these balls, what might be their purpose? What are they called?
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-The technical term i s genitals, m ale g e n itals . . . tes ticles belongs to art, the b a lls a re the reservo i r con taining the abundant semen I h ave jus t mentioned and which, ex pelled into the woman's m a trix, or womb, p roduces the human species ; but we will not stress these details, E ugenie , for they relate more to medicine than to libertina ge. A pretty girl ought simply to concern herself with fucking, and never with engendering. N o need to touch a t greater l ength on what pertains to the dull business o f population , from n o w on we s h all address ou rselves principally, n ay, uniquely to those libertine lecheries whose spirit is in no wise reproductive.
E UGENIE-But, dear friend, when this enormous member I can sca rcely grip in my h and, when this member penetrates, as you assure m e it can, into a hole a s l ittle a s the one i n your behind, that must cause the woman a gre a t deal o f pain.
2 0 2 .. TH E MARQU1 S DE SADE
MADAME D E SAI:t>T-ANGE-W h e t h e r t h i s i n troduction b e wrough t b e fo r e o r b e h : n d , i f s h e i s n o t y e t accustom e d to i t a w o m a n always s u ff e r s . It h a s p l e a s e d N a tu r e so to make us t h a t w e a t t a i n h a p p i n e s s o n l y by way o f p a i n . B u t once vanqu i s h e d a nd h a d t h i s way, n o t h i n g c a n e q u a l t h e j oy o n e t a s t e s upon t h e entrance o f t h i s member i n t o o u r a s s ; it i s a p l e a su r e i n c o n t e s t ably sup e r i o r t o any s e n s a t i o n p ro cu r e d by t h i s s a m e i n t r o d u c t i o n i n f r o n t . And, b e s i d e s , how m a n y d a n g e r s d o e s n o t a woman thus a vo i d I Fewer r i sks to her h e a l t h , a n d n o n e a t all o f p r e gn a ncy. Fo r t h e p r e s e n t I ' ll s a y n o m o r e about th i s d e l i g h t-yo u r m a s t e r a n d m i n e , Eugen i e , w i l l s o o n a w a r d i t a fu ll a n a l y s i s , a n d by u n i t i n g p r a c t i c e w i t h t h e o ry w i l l , I t r u s t , convince you , my p re c i o u s o n e , t h a t amongst all the b e d r o om ' s p l e a su r e s , that is t h e only o n e f o r which you should have a p r e f e r e n c e .
DOLMA N C E-I b e g you to s p e e d you r d e m o n s t r a t i o n s , M a d a m e , f o r I c a n n o l o n g e r r c s t r a i n mysel f ; I ' ll d i s c h a rge d e sp i t e m y e ff o r t s , a n d t h i s redoubt a b l e m e m b e r , r e d u c e d to n o t h i n g , w i l l b e u n able to a i d y o u r l e s sor s .
E U G E N I E-Wh a t ! I t woul d be r e d u c e d to n o t h i n g , d e a r h e a r t . i f i t w e r e t o l o s e t h i s s e m e n you s p e a k o f I . . . O h , do allow m e to h e l p h i m l o s e i t , so t h a t I may s e e w h a t h a p p e n s to it . . . . An d b e s i d e s , I s h o u l d take s w : h p l e a s u r e i n s e e i n g i t fl o w !
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-N o , n o , Dolm a n c e , up w i t h y o u . R e m e m b e r th a t t h i s i s th e p ayment o f your l a b o r s , a n d t h a t I ' l l n o t t u r n h e r o v e r to you u n t l y o u ' v e m e r i t e d h e r .
DOLMA N C E-SO b e i t ; but t h e b e t t e r t o convince Eugen i e o f a l l w e a r e g o i n g t o r e l a t e c o n c e r n i n g p l e a s u r e , would i t b e i n any way p r e j u d i c i a l to Eugen : e ' s i n s t r u c t i o n i f, for i n s t a n c e , you were to f r i g h e r in f r o n t of me ?
MADAME DE SAINT-l .NGE-"\V hy, doubtless n o t , a n d I s h a l l d o s o all t h e m o r e h a p p i l y s i n c e I a m c e r t a i n t h i s l u b r i c i o u s e p i s o d e w i l l only e n r i c h o u r l e s s o n s . Onto t h e c o u c h , my sweet.
E UG E N I E-Oh dear G o d I t h e delicious n i c h e ! B u t why all t h e s e m i r r o r s ?
Philo s ophy in the B edro o m .. 203
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-By rep e a ting our a ttitudes and pos tures in a thousand different ways, they infinitely multiply those same pleasures for the p e rsons seated here upon this ottoman. Thus everything is visible , no part of the body can remain hidden : every thing must be seen ; these images are so m any groups disposed around those enchained by love, so many delicious tableaux where with lewdness waxes drunk and which soon drive it to i ts climax.
EUGENIE-What a marvelous invention I
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Dolmance, undress the victim your self.
DOLMANCE-That will not be difficult, since ' ti s merely a ques tion of removing this gauze in o rder to discern naked the most appealing fe atures. ( He s trips her, and his firs t glan ces are in s tan tly directed upo n her behi n d . ) And so I am about to see this divine, this priceless ass o f which I have such ardent expectations! . . . Ah, by God ! What fullness o f flesh and what coolness, what stunning elegance ! . . . N ever have I seen one l oveli e r !
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Rascal ! How clearly your initial homages betray your tastes and pleasures I
DOLMANCE-Bu t can there be anything in the world to equal this ? . . . Where might love find a more divine altar ? . . . Eugenie . . . sublime Eugenie, let m e overwhelm this ass o f yours with the softest caresses. (lJ e fing ers a n d kisses i t, transported. )
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE-Stop, libertin e ! . . . You forget Eugenie belongs to me only. She' s to be you r reward for the lessons she awaits from you ; but you ' l l not have your recompense before she has been given those lessons. Enough o f this ardor o r you'll anger m e .
DOLMANCE-Scoundrel ! I t ' s y o u r j ealousy . . . . Very well. P a s s me yours and I ' l l pay i t a simi l a r homage. ( He raises Mada m e de Sain t-A nge's n egligee and caresses her b ehind.) Ah, ' ti s lovely, my angel, ' ti s delicious too ! Let me comp are them both . . . . I ' d see them one next to the o ther-Ganymede beside Venus ! ( He [avis h e s k i s s e s upo n each. ) In order to have the bewitching spectacle of so much beauty constantly before my eye s , M a dame, could you not, by
2 0 4 + THE MARQUIS DE SADE
interlacing yourselves, uninterruptedly offer my gaze these charm ing asses I worship ?
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Per fectly well ! There . . . are you satisfied ? . . . ( Th ey in tertwine their b o dies in such a m anner t h a t b o th asses confro n t Dolmance. )
DOLMANCE-It could not be bette r : 'tis p recisely what I asked for. And now agitate those sup erb asses with all the fire o f lubricity ; l e t them s ink and risl! in cadence ; let them obey the p roddings whereby pleasure i s going to stir them . . . . Oh, splendid, splendid, ' ti s delicious I . . .
E UGENIE-Ah, m y dearest one, wh a t pleasures you give me . • . . Wha t i s i t you call what you are doing now ?
MADAME DE SAIlST-ANGE-Frigging, my pet, giving oneself pleasure. Stop a mom ent ; we'll alter our positions. Examine my cunt . . . thus i s named the temple o f Venus . Look sha rply at that coign your hand cove r s , examine i t well. I am going to open i t a little. This elevation you notice above i t is called the m o und, which i s garnished with hail', generally, when one reaches the a ge o f fourteen o r fi fteen, w h m , that i s, a g i r l begins to have p e r i o d s . H e r e a b o v e i s a l ittle tongu e .shaped thing-tha t i s the clitoris, and there lies all a woman's power o f sensation. I t is the center o f all mine ; i t would be impossible to tickle this part of me without seeing me swoon with delight . • . . Try i t . . . . A h , sweet li ttle bitch, how well you do i t ! One would ':hink you've done nothing else all your l i fe I . . . enough ! . . . stop I . . . N o , I tell you , no, I do not wish to sur- render myself . . . . Oh, Dolmance, stop me I . . . under the enchanted fingers o f this pre tty child, I am about to go out o f my mind.
DOLMANCE-You might be able to lower the temp erature of your ideas by varying them : frig h e r i n your turn ; keep a grip on you rself, and l e t h e r go to work . . . . There, yes, in this position, in this manner her pretty littl e ass i s between my hands, I 'l l pollute it ever s o li ghtly with a f nger . . . . Let yourself go Eugen i e , abandon all your senses to pleasure, l e t i t be the one object, the one god of your existence ; i t i s to thi s god a girl ought to sacrifice everything, and in her eyes , nothin g must be a s holy a s pleasure.
Philos o phy in the Bedr o o m .. 2 0 5
E UGENI E-N othing in the world i s s o delightful, I do feel that . . . . I am beside myself . . . I no longer know wh a t I am saying, nor what I am doing . . . . What a drunkenness steals through all my being !
DOLMANCE-Lo ok at the l ittle rascal discha rge ! And squeeze! . . . H e r anus n e a rly nipped o ff the end o f my finger . . . how splendid i t woul d be to bugger her a t such a moment ! ( He s ta n ds and claps his prick to the girl's ass.)
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Yet another moment' s p a tience. The dear girl ' s education must be our sole occupation ! . . . How pleasant it i s to enlighten her !
DOLMANCE-Well then, Eugenie, you observe that a fter a more or less p rolonged pollution, the seminal glands swell, enlarge, and finally exhale a liquid whose release hurls the woman into the most intense rapture. This i s known as disch arging. When it pleases your good friend here, I ' ll show you , but in a more energetic and more imperious manner, how the same operation occurs i n a man.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Wait, Eugenie, now I ' m going to teach you a new way to drown a woman in j oy. Spread you r thi ghs . . . . Dolmance, you s e e how I am a dj usting her, h e r ass is all yours. Suck i t for her while my tongue licks her cunt, an d between the two of us l e t ' s see if we can get h e r to swoon three or four times. Your l i ttle mound i s charming, Eugen i e , how I a dore kissing this downy fl e s h ! . . . I see your clito r i s more cle a rly now ; ' ti s but somewha t formed, y e t m o s t sensi tive . . . . H o w y o u do quiver and s quirm! . . . Let me spread you . . . . Ah ! you ' r e a vi rgin indeed 1 . . . Describe what you feel when our two tongu es run at once into your two apertures. ( Th ey do as they h ave s aid. )
E UGENIE-Ah , my dear, i t thrills me so ; i t i s a sensation impossible to depict ! I ' d be hard put to say which o f your tongues plunges me further into my delirium.
DOLMAN cE-In this posture, M a dame, my prick i s well within your reach. Condescend to frig it, I beg o f you, while I suck thi s heavenly ass. Thrust your tongue y e t further, M a dame ; don' t b e content to suck h e r clitori s ; make your voluptuous tongue penetrate into her womb : 'tis the surest way to h asten the ej acula tion.
2 0 6 ,� T H E M A R Q C I S D E S A D E
EUGENIE , s tiffeniny-I cannot bear it any more ! o h , I'm dying! Don't abandon me, de •. r friends, I am about to swoon. ( She dis ch arges b e tween her tw ') initiators . )
MADAME DE SAINT -ANGE-Well, my pet ! What think you o f t h e pleasure we h ave gi ven you ?
E UGENIE-I am d,: a d , exhauste d . . . but I beg you to expl ain two words you p ronoun :ed and which I do not understand. First o f a l l , wha t does w o m b sign i fy ?
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-'Tis a kind of vessel much resem bling a bottle whose ne,:k embraces the male's memb e r , and which receives the fuck p roduced i n the woman by gl andul a r seepage and i n the man by the ej acul a tion we will exhibit for you ; and o f the commingling of these l i quors is born the germ whereof result now boys, now girls.
E UGENI E-Oh, I see ; this definition simultaneously expl ains the word luck whose me aning I d i d not tho roughly grasp until now. And is the union o f th e seeds necessary to the formation o f the fetus ?
MADAM E DE SAINT-ANGE-Assuredly ; although i t is p roven t h a t the fetus owes its existence only to the man's sp e rm , this l a tter, by itself, unmixed with the woman's, would come to naught. But that which we women fu rnish has a merely elaborative function ; it does not create, it fu rth,:rs creation without being i ts cause. Indeed, there a r e several contemporary n a turalists who claim it is useless ; whence the moralists, a lways gui de d by science ' s d iscoveries, have decided-and the conclu sion has a degree o f plausib i l i ty-that, such being the case, the child b o rn o f the father's blood owes filial tender ness to him alone, an a,;sertion not wi thout its appealing qu alities and one which, even though a woman, I should not b e inclined to contest.
E UGENIE-It i s in my heart I find confirmation o f what you tell me, my d e a r ; for I love my father to di straction, and I feel a l o a thing for my mother.
DOLMANCE-But there i s nothing unusual about that p redilec tion ; I h ave always thou ght as you. I still lament my father's death ;
Philos ophy in the Bedro o m + 2 07
when I lost my mother, I lit a p e r fect bonfi re from joy . . . . I de tested her. Be unafraid, Eugen i e , and adopt the s e same sentiments ; th ey are natural : uniquely formed of our sires' blood, we owe absolutely nothi n g to our mothers. What, fu rthermo r e , d i d they do but co-operate i n the act which our fathers, o n th e contrary, solic ited ? Thu s, it was the fath e r who desired our bi rth, whereas the mother merely consented thereto. As rega rds sentiment, what a diffe rence !
MADAM E DE SAI NT-ANGE-Yet a thousand more r e a sons in your favor, Eugen i e , if it is a mother still alive. I f in all the world there i s a moth e r who ought to b e abhorred she is certainly yours ! Super stiti ous, pious, a shrew, a scold . . . and what with h e r revoltin g p rudery I dare wager t h e fool h a s never in her life committed a faux p a s . Ah, my dear, how I hate v i rtuous women! . . . But we'll return to that question.
DOLMANCE-And now would it not b e fi tting for Eugenie, d i rected by m e , to learn to pay back what you have just done i n her behalf ? I think s h e m i ght frig you b e fore m e .
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE-I applaud t h e suggestion-and while she frigs m e , would not you, Dolmance, relish the sight o f my a s s ?
DOLMANCE-Are you able to doubt, M a dame, o f the pleasure with which I will render i t my gentl e s t homages ?
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE , p res enting her butto cks to him-Do you find m e suitable thus ?
DOLMANcE-Wonderfully ! I should never find a better manner to render you all the services Eugeni e found s o enormously to her liking. And now, my little wildcat, station yourself for a moment between your friend's legs, so, and with that pretty l ittl e tongu e o f yours, c a r e for h e r as she h a s for you. Why, bless me I This way I shall be able to manage both your asses : I'll fondle Eugen i e ' s while sucking h e r lovely fri end's . . . . T h e r e , admirable . • . How agreeably we are all togethe r .
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE, s wo o ning-Good G o d , I ' m dyi ng. . . . Dolmance, how I love to handle your prick while I dis cha rge . . . . I ' d have it drown me in fuck, so frig i t ! Suck m e ! Oh,
2 0 8 + T H E MARQ UIS DE SADE
h eavenly fuck ! How I love to play the whore when my sperm flows this way! . . . It's done, finished, I cannot go on . . . . You've ru ined m e , both o f you . . . . I 1 hink I have never h a d so much pleasure i n m y l i fe.
E UGENIE-And ho w h appy I a m to be i ts cause I But, dear friend, you have just u ttered another unfamiliar word. What do you understand this exp ression wh ore to mean ? Forgive me, but you know I'm here to karn.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-My most lovely one, in such wise a r e called the public victims o f the debauchery of men, creatures prepared at all times to surrender their p e rsons, whether from temp e r ament or for reward ; h appy and dese rving c r e a tures com mon opinion assails but whom l i cense crowns and who, far more necessary to the soci e ty which they strive to s e rve than are prudes , forgo t h e esteem a n unj clst soci e ty denies them. All h a i l t o those i n w h o s e e y e s t h i s t i t l e i s a . 1. hono r ! Such are truly lovable women, the only authentic philosophers I As for myself, dear h eart, I , who for twelve years have endt avored to merit the laurel, I assure you that if I do not work as a whore, I always play as one. B e tter still, I love thus to be named when I am fucked : ' t i s a v i l i fi c a tion that fires my brain.
E UGENI E-My de::.r, I fancy I too should not b e sorry to be called a who re, though ' ti s true I sca rcely merit the name ; but is not virtu e opposed t o !,uch misconduct, and do e s i t not reproach u s fo r behaving as w e do ?
DOLMANCE-Ah, Eugen i e , have done with virtues I Among the sacrifices that can b e mlde to those counterfeit divinities, i s there one worth an instant of the pleasures one tastes in outraging them ? Come, my sweet, virtue i s but a chimera whose worship consists exclusively i n perpetua l immolations, in unnumbered rebellions against the temp erament's inspi r a tions. Can such impuls e s b e na tural ? Do e s N a ture reommend what offends her ? Eugen i e , b e not the dupe of those women you hear call ed virtuous. Theirs are not, i f you wish, the same passi ons a s ours ; but they harken t o others, and o ften more contemptible . . . . There is ambition, there pride, there you find sel f-seeking, and o ften, again, it is a question o f mere
Philo s o phy in the B e dro o m + 2 0 9
constitutional numbness, o f torpor : there are beings who have no u rges. Are we, I a sk, to revere such as them ? N o ; the vi rtuous woman acts, o r i s inactive, from pure selfishness. I s i t then better, wiser, more just to p e r fo rm sacrifices to egoism than to one's p a ssions ? As for me, I beli eve the one far worthier than the other, and who heeds but thi s l a tter voice i s f a r better a dvised, no question of i t , since i t only i s the o rgan o f N a ture, while the former i s si mply that of s tupi dity and prejudice. One single drop of fuck shed from this member, Eugen i e , i s more p recious to me than the most sub lime deeds of a vi rtue 1 scorn.
E UGENIE- ( Calm being t o s o m e degree re-es tablished during these exp o s i ti o ns , the w o m e n , clad again in their n eglig ees, are re clining up o n a c o ll ch, and D o lm a n ce, s e a ted in a n arm chair, is clo s e by. ) But there is m o r e t h a n o n e species o f virtue. What think you of, fo r example, pity ?
DOLMANCE-Wha t can it be fo r whosoever has no bel i e f in rel i gi on ? And who is able to have religi ous beliefs ? Come now, Eu genie, let' s reason system atically. Do you not call rel i gion the pact that binds man to h i s Creator and which obliges him to give h i s C r e a to r evidence, by means o f worship, of his gratitude for the exi stence received from this sublime author ?
E UGENIE-I t could not be better defined.
DOLMANcE-Excellent ! If i t is demonstrated that man owes his existence to nothing but N atu re's irresi stible schemes ; i f man i s thus p roven a s ancient i n this world a s i s ancient the globe i tself, h e i s b u t a s t h e oak, a s grain, a s t h e minerals t o be found i n t h e e a rth's entrails, who a r e bound only to reproduce, reproduction being necessitated by the globe's existence, which owes i ts own to nothing whatsoever ; i f it i s demonstrated that this God, whom fools behold a s the author and maker o f all we know there to be, i s simply the n e plus u ltra o f human reason, me rely the p hantom created a t the moment this reason can a dvance its op erations no further ; if it is p roven that thi s God's existence is impossible, and that N a tu re, for ever i n action, forever moving, has o f herself what i t pleases i diots to award God gratu i tously ; i f i t is certain that this inert being's existence, once supposed, h e would be o f all things the most ridic-
2 1 0 + T H E MA R Q { I S DE S /\ D E
ulous, since h e would have been useful only one single time and, therea fter and throughout millions o f centu ries, fixed in a con temptible stillness and inactivity ; th at, supposing him to exist as religions po rtray him to us, this would be the most detestable of c r e a tures, since it woul d be God who pecmits evil to be on e a rth while his omnipotence C)uld prevent i t ; if, I say, all that is a dmi tted to be proven, as inconte stably i t is, do you believe, Eugeni e , that it is a very necess a ry virtu e , this p i e ty which binds man to an i diotic, insufficient, atrocious, a nd contemptible C r e a to r ?
E UGENI E , to Madt : m e de S ain t-A n ge-Wh a t ! Then you mean to say, d e a r friend, God' s existence i s an illusion ?
MADAME DE SAINT· ANGE-And without doubt one o f the most deplorable.
DOLMANCE-To bdieve therein one must first have gone out of one's mind. Frui t of the terror o f some and o f the frailty o f o t h e r s , that abominabl e ph antom, Eugen i e , i s o f no use to t h e terrestrial scheme and ' vould infallibly be injurious to i t , since t h e will o f God would h a v e to be just and should n e v e r be a b l e to ally i tself to the essential in: ustices decreed by N a ture ; since H e would constantly have to will the good, while N ature must desire it only a s comp ens a tion for tht, evil which serves her l aws ; since it would be necessary tha t he, God, exe rt his influ ence a t all times, while N a tu re, one o f whose laws i s th i s p e rpetual activity , could only find herself in competition " ith and unce asing opposition to him. Am I to hear in reply, that G o d and N a ture are one ? 'Tis an absu rdity. The thing crea ted cannot be the c r e ative being's equal. M ight the pocket watch be the watchmake r ? Ve ry well then, they will con tinue, N a ture i s nothing, it i s God who i s all. Another stup i d i ty ! There a r e necessa rily two things in the universe : the creative agent and the being created ; now, to identify th i s crea tive agent is the single task before u s, t he one question to which one h a s go t to p rovide a reply.
If matter acts, is : noved by combina tions unknown to us, i f movement i s inherent i n N a ture ; i f , i n short, she alone, b y reason of her energy , is able to create, p ro duce, preserve, maintain, hold i n equilibrium within the immense plains o f space all the spheres th a t stand before our g a z e and whose uni form march, unva ryin g,
Philo s o p hy in the Bedr o o m + 2 1 1
fills u s with awe and admiration, what then becomes o f the n e e d to seek out a foreign agent, since thi s active faculty essenti ally i s to b e found in N a tu re herself, w h o i s naught e l s e t h a n matter in action ? Do you suppose your deific chimera will shed light upon anything ? I defy anyone to p rove him to me. It being supposed that I am m i staken upon m a tter' s internal faculti es, I have before me, at least, nothing worse than a difficulty. What do you do for m e when you offer your God to me ? Nothing but offering one more go d . And how would you have me acknowledge as cause of wh a t I do not understand, something that I un derstand even less ? Will it be by means of the Christian religion that I shall examine . . . that I shall obtain a view o f your appalling God ? Then let u s cast a gl ance upon the God Chri stianity p ropounds . . . .
Wha t do I see in the God of that infamous sect if not an inconsistent and b a rba rou s being , today the creator o f a world of destruction he repents o f tomo rrow ; what do I see th ere but a frail being forever unable to bring man to heel and force him to bend a knee. This creature, although em anated from him, dominates him, knows how to offend him and thereby merit torments eternally ! What a weak fellow, this God ! IIow able he was to mold all that w e know and t o f a i l t o form man in his own guise I Whereunto you will answer, that had man been created so, man would h ave been l i ttle deserving o f h i s author ; w h a t a platitude this is! and what necessity i s there that man be deserving o f his God ? H a d man been formed wholly goo d, man should never have been able to do evil, and only then would the wo rk be worthy of a god. To allow man to choose was to tempt him ; and God's infinite powers very well a dvised him o f what would be th e result. Immediately the being was created, it was hence to pleasure that God doomed the creature he h a d himself formed. A horrible God, this God of yours, a mon ster ! Is there a criminal more worthy of our hatred and our implacable vengeance than h e ! However , l ittle content with a task so sublimely executed, he drowns man to conver t him ; he burns him ; h e curses him.
Nothing in all that alters man one jot. More powerful than this villainous God, a being still in possession o f his powe r, forever
2 1 2 + THE MARQUIS DE SADE
able to brave h is author, the D evil by his seductions incessantly succeeds in lea ding a s tray the flock that the E ternal reserved unto himself. N o thing can vanquish the hold this demon's energy h a s u p o n us. B u t pictu r e , i n y o u r o w n terms, t h e fri ghtful God you preach : h e has but one son ; an only son, begot o f some p assing strange commerce ; for, a s man doth fuck, so h e hath willed that h i s Lord fu cke th too ; an d the Lor d didst detach and send down out of He aven this respectable p a r t of himself. One perhaps imagines that it i s upon celestial rays, in the midst o f an angelic cortege, within sight o f all the universe this sublime creature is going to app e a r . . . not a t all ; ' ti s upon a Jewish whore's breast, ' ti s i n a p roper p igsty that t h e r e i s announced t h e God w h o has come to save the ea rth ! Behold the worthy extraction accorded this p e rsonage ! But his mission i s honorable-will h e disabuse us ? Let us h ave a close look a t him for an instant. What does he say ? What is it he does ? Wha t i s his sublime mission ? What mystery is he about to reveal ? Wha t i s the dogma h e i s going to p rescribe for u s ? Wh a t will be the act wherein at last his grandeur will shine ?
I see, first o f all, an obscu re childhood, a few doubtl ess very libertine services this smutty fellow renders the priests at the Temple o f Jerusalem ; nt'xt, a fi fteen years' disappearance during which the scoundrel goes to poi son himself with all the reveries of the E gyp tian school , which a t length he fetches back to Ju dea. Sca rcely does h e reappe a r when h i s raving begins : he says he i s the son of God, his father's p e e r ; to this alli ance he j oins another p hantom h e calls the Holy Ghost, and these three persons, he swears, must be but one ! The more this p reposterous mystery amazes the reason, the more the low fellow decl a res there is merit i n swallowing i t . . . a n d danger i n refusing i t. It i s to save u s one and all, the imbecile a rgue s , that h e has assumed a fl e shly shape, a lthough h e is G o d, mort ally incarnate in the breast o f a child of man ; and the glittering wonders one i s about to see him pe rform will speedily convince all the world o f it. During a ribald supper, indeed, the ch e a t transfo rms, so they say, water into wine ; in a desert he feeds a few bandits upon the victuals previ ously hidden there by his devo ted con:�ede rates ; one o f his cronies plays dead, o u r impostor restores him to l i fe again ; h e betakes himself to a
Philo s o p hy in the Bedro o m + 2 1 3
mountain and there, b e fore two o r three o f h i s friends only, h e brings off a j ugglery t h a t would cause t h e worst among o u r con temp orary mountebanks to redden with shame.
Roundly damning, moreove r, all those who do not accredit him, the scoundrel p romises the h eavens to whatever fools will listen. H e writes nothing, for h e i s i gnorant ; talks very l i t tl e , for he i s stupid ; does even less, for h e i s weak ; and, fi nally, completely exhausting the p atience of the magistrates with his s e di t i ous out bursts, the charlatan h a s himself fixed to the cross a fter h aving assured the rogu e s who follow him that, every time they invoke him, he will descend to them to get himself e a ten. He is put to tortu r e , h e puts up with i t. Monsieur his Pap a , that sublime God whence he dares affirm he descends, succors him not in the least, and there you h ave him, this scoundrel, u s e d like the last of the outlaws o f whom h e was such a fi tting chief.
His henchmen assemble : " I t ' s all up with u s , " they say, "and all our hopes a r e perished lest we save ourselves with a quick p i ece o f cunning. We'll besot the gua r d s e t to watch over Jesus ; then make o ff with hi s body, bruit i t abroa d he i s risen : the trick' s sure ; if we m a n a ge to g e t t h i s k n a v e ry b e l i e v e d , o u r n e w r e l i g i o n ' s founded, propagate d ; i t' l l seduce all the world . . . . To work I " The blow is struck, i t succeeds. In how many blackgua rds has not bold ness occup i e d the place o f m e r i t I The corpse i s filched, fools, women, children bawl out " M i racle I" a t the top o f their lungs ; nevertheless, in this c i ty where such great p rodigies have j u s t been wrought, in this city stained with a God's blood, no one cares to beli eve in this God ; n o t a single conversion i s operated there. B e tter yet : so l i ttle worthy o f transmission i s the event tha t no historian alludes to it. Only thi s imposto r ' s disciples think they have some thing to gain from the fraud ; but not at the hour.
This detail is crucial ; let's note i t well. They permit several years to pass before exploiting their a rtifice ; at l ength, they erect upon i t the shaky edifice o f their unwholesome doctrine. Men a r e pleased by a n y novelty. W e a ry o f the emperors' de spoti sm , t h e w o r l d a g r e e s to the n e e d f o r a revolution. T h e s e c h e a t s a r e heard,
2 14 + T H E MARQ u r S DE SADE
they make a very r a p i d ::>rogress ; 'tis the story of every error. Soon the altars of Venus and M a rs are changed to those o f Jesus and M a ry ; the l i fe of the impostor i s published, the insipid fiction finds its dupe s ; he i s represented a s having said a hundred things which never came into his head ; some few of his own drivelings instantly become th e basis of his morality, and as this romance is p reached to the p o o r , cha r i ty b e('omes its foremost virtu e . Weird rites a r e instituted u n d e r the na ne o f s acra m e n ts ; t h e m o s t o ffensive and the most abominable of them all is the one whereby a priest, cove red with crimes, has, notwithstanding, thanks to a few magical words, the power to bring God back in a morsel o f bread. Let there be n o mistake : a t its very bi rth, this shameful cult might h ave been utte rly destroyed had one but employed against it tho se weapons of the contempt it deserve d ; but men took i t into thei r heads to employ persecution ; the cult throve ; ' twas inevitable.
Even today were one to cover i t with ridicule, i t would fall. The adroit Voltaire mver used any other arm, and among all writers h e is the one who may congratulate himself upon having th e greatest numb e r of proselytes. Such, i n a few words, Eugeni e, is the histo ry o f God and o f religion ; consider the treatment these fables deserve, and a dopt a determined a ttitude toward them.
E UGENIE-My choice is unperplexed ; I scorn the lot o f these unhealthy reveries, and this God himself, to whom I la tely clove through weakness or through i gnorance, is henceforth nothing for m e but an obj ect o f horror.
MADAME DE SAINT· ANGE-SWea r to m e to think no more of him, never to b e concerned for him, never to i nvoke him a t any moment in your l i fe, and so long as breath be in you never to return to him.
E UGENIE, flinging herself upon Madame de Sain t-Ange's breas t-I pledge i t i n yo u r arms ! How rea dily I see that what you demand is for my own good, and tha t you would never have such reminiscences disturb my tranquillity !
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-What other motive coul d I have ?
Philos ophy in the B e dro o m .. 2 1 5
E UGENIE-But, Dolmance, i t seems to m e i t w a s the analysis o f virtues tha t led u s to the examination o f religions. Let u s now return to the fo rmer. M ight there not exi st in this religion, com pletely ridiculous though it i s , some virtues p rescribed by it, whose cultivation could contribute to our h appiness ?
DOLMANcE-All right, l e t us s e e . Shall chastity be tha t vi rtue your own eyes destroy, Eugen i e , although you and all about you a r e the very image o f i t ? Are y o u g o i n g to r e s p e c t the obligation t o comb a t all N a tu r e ' s operations, w i l l y o u s a c r i fi c e them a l l to the vain and ludicrous honor of never having had a weakness ? B e f a i r and a n s w e r m e , p r etty l i ttl e friend : think y o u to find in this absurd and dangerous purity o f soul all the pleasures of the contrary vice ?
E UGENIE-N 0, I ' m bound to declare I see nothing there ; I do not feel the least inclination to be chaste, but rather the most com pelling u rge to the opposite vice. But, Dolmance, might not charity a n d benevolence bring happiness to some sensitive souls ?
DOLMANcE-Be gone thos e virtues which p roduce naugh t but ingratitude I But, my ch a rming friend, be n o t a t all deceive d : benev olence is surely rather p r i d e ' s vice than an authentic virtue in the soul ; never i s i t w i t h the single intention o f performing a good act, but instead ostentatiously that one aids one' s fellow m a n ; one would be most annoyed were the alms one h a s just bestowed not to receive the u tmost possible publicity. N o r , Eugen i e , are you to imagine that, a s i s the popul a r view, this action h a s only excellent consequence s ; for my p a r t I b ehold it a s nothing o ther than the greatest o f all duperies ; it accustoms the poor man to doles which p rovoke the deterioration of his energy ; when able to expect your charities, he ceases to work and becom e s , when they fail him, a thief o r assassin. On all sides I h e a r them ask a fter the means to suppress mendicity, and m eanwhile they d o everything possible to encourage i t . Would you h ave no fl i e s in your bed chamber ? Don't spre a d about sugar t o attract them into it. Y o u w i s h to h a v e no p o o r i n France ? D i s tribute no alms , and above a l l s h u t down your poor houses. The individual born in m i s fortune thereupon seeing himself deprived o f these dangerous crutches, will fend for himself, sum moning up all the resources p u t in h i m by N a ture, to extricate him-
2 1 6 + T H E MARQUIS DE SADE
self from the condition wh erein he started l i fe ; and he will impor tune you no longer. Desl roy, with entire unpity, raze to the ground, those detestable houses where you billet the p rogeny of the liber tin age of the poor, app llling cloacas, wherefrom there every day spews forth into societr a swarm o f new-made creatures whose unique hope resides i n your purse. What purpose, I ask, i s there i n p reserving such individt: a l s with s o much care ? Does anyone fe a r France ' s depopulation ? Ha ! dread not.
One of the forem ost o f this nation's de fects consi sts in a population by far too numerous, and much is wanting when such overabundances become considered the State's riches. These super numerary beings are like unto the p a r asi tical branches which, living only a t the trunk's expen se, always bring i t to final decline. Re member that in no m a tter what p ol i tical o rganization, whenever the size o f the population exce eds what is strictly necessary to its existence, that society languishes. Examine France well, and you will observe th a t to be h,!r situation. What results o f i t ? 'Tis cle a r . The Chinese, w i s e r thar we , are m o s t careful t o avoid the p erils o f excessive numbers. No a sylum for the shameful frui t o f de bauchery : i t is not preserved, it i s abandoned, just as are the a fter maths o f digestion. N o establi shments for poverty : such a thing is totally unknown i n Ctina. There, everyone works : there, every one is h appy ; nothing saps the poor m a n ' s energy and everyone can say, a s did Nero, Quid e s t pauper?
E UGENI E , to M ad.lm e de Sain t-..1 n ge-B el oved friend, my father thinks exactly a s Monsieur Dolmance : never in his l i fe h a s h e performed a good wo::k, a n d h e is continually abusing m y mother for the money she spen :Is in such practices. She belonged to the Ma ternal S o ci e ty , to the Philan thropic Clu b ; I h ave no idea of what associ a tion she is not a membe r ; h e obliged her to stop all th at by promi sing her he would reduce h e r to the na rrowest pension were she to relapse into :;imil a r follies.
MADAME DE SAINT··ANGE-There i s nothing more ludicrous and at the same time more dangerou s, Eugenie, than all these sodalities ; it i s to them, to free public schools, and to cha ritable establishments we owe t 1e terrible disorder in which we presently live. N ever give alms, m y dear, I beseech you.
Philo s ophy in the B e dro o m + 2 1 7
E UGENIE-N o thing to fear on that score ; i t was long a go my fath e r put m e under the same obligation, and I am too li ttle tempted to b enevolence to disregard h i s orders . . . my heart's impulses, and your desires.
DOLMANCE-N a ture h a s en dowed each o f u s with a capacity for kindly feelings : l e t us not squ ander them on others. What to m e are t h e woes t h a t b e s e t others ? h ave I not enough o f m y own wi th out afflicting myself with tho se 1 hat are fo reign to m e ? M ay our sensibility' s hea rth warm naugh t but our pleasures I Let us feel when i t is to their a dvantage ; and when it i s not, let us be absolutely unbending. From this exact economy o f feeling, from this judicious use o f sensibil i ty , there r e sults a ;;:ind o f cruelty which i s sometimes not without i ts delights. One cannot always do evil ; deprived o f the pleasure i t affords, we can a t le ast find the sensation's e quivalent i n the minor but piquant wickedr ess o f never doing good.
EUGENI E-D e a r God, hovi your disco urses infl ame m e I I believe I would now sooner suffer death than be made to p erform a good act I
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE- ·-And were the opportunity pre s e n t e d to do a n e v i l o n e , would y , m be r e a dy t o commit i t ?
EUGENIE-B e still, temptn ss ; I 'll not answer that until you h ave comple t e d my instruction. In the light of all you tell me, i t seems, Dolmance, that there i s Ilothing o n e a rth a s indifferent a s the committing o f good o r evil ; :lUght n o t o u r tastes, o u r tempera ment alone counsel u s ?
DOLMANCE-Ah, be in no :ioubt of it, Eugenie , these words vice and virtu e contain for u s n : mght but local i deas. There is no deed, in whatever the unusual h rm you may imagine i t , which is really criminal, none which may be really called virtuous. A l l is relative to our manners and the climate w e inhabi t ; what i s a crime here i s often a virtue several hun dred l e a gues hence, and the virtu e s o f a n o t h e r hemisphere m i g h t w ell r e v e r s e themselves i n t o crimes in our own. There i s no horror tlat has n o t been consecrated some where, n o virtue that h a s not b e :n blasted. When geography alone decides whether an action b e wo rthy o f p r a i se o r blam e , we c a nno t
2 1 8 + T H E MARQUI:, DE SADE
attach any gre a t importa nce to ridiculous and frivolous sentiments, b u t rather should b e impeccably a rmed against them, to the point, indeed, where we fearle!.sly prefer the scorn o f men i f the actions which excite i t are for us sources o f even the mildest volup tuousness.
E UGENIE-B u t it would howeve r appear to me that there must b e actions in themselves so dangerous and so evil that they have come to be considered from one end o f the earth to the other as generally criminal.
MADAME DE SAINT-1.NGE-There a r e none, my love, none, not even theft, nor incest, ne; ther murder nor p a rricide i tself.
E UGENIE-Wha t I such horrors a r e somewhere tolerated ?
DOLMANcE-They have b e en honored, crowned, beheld a s exemp l a ry d e e d s , where a s i n o t h e r places, humaneness, cando r , benevolence, ch astity, in brief, all o u r virtues h a v e b e e n regarded a s monstrosities.
E UGENI E-I would h ave you explain t h a t t o me j I a sk for a succinct analysis o f each one o f those crimes, but I beg you to begin by exposing your opinion:; upon libertinage in young girls, then upon the adultery o f married women.
MADAME DE SAINT-.\NGE-Then li sten to me, Eugenie. It is absurd to say that immedi a tely a girl i s weaned she must continue the victim of her p arents ' will i n order to rem a i n thus to her dying day. It i s n o t in this a ge o f p reoccup ation with the rights o f man and general concern for liberties th a t gi rls ought to continu e to believe themselves their families' slaves, when it is cle a rly estab lished that these familie! ' power over them i s totally illusory. Let u s consult N a ture upon : ; 0 interesting a question a s thi s , and may the l aws th a t govern animals, in much stricter conformance with N a tu r e , p rovi de u s for a . moment wi th examples. Amongst beasts, do patern a l duties extend beyond p ri m a ry physical needs ? Do not the offspring o f animals possess all thei r p a rents' liberty, all thei r rights ? As soon a s they are able to walk alone and fe ed themselve s, beginning a t this instant , are they any longer recognized by the authors of the i r days ? And do the young fancy themselves in any sense beholden to those whence they have received breath ? Surely
Philosophy in the Bedro o m .. 2 19
not. By what right, hence, a r e other duti e s i ncumbent upon the children of men ? And wha t is the basis of these duti e s if not the fathers' gree d o r ambition ? Well, I ask i f i t is just th a t a young girl who i s beginning to feel and r eason b e submi tted to such con straints. Is it not p rejudice which ;111 unaided forges those chains ? And i s there anything more ridic ulous than to s e e a maiden of fi fteen or sixteen, consume d by desi res she i s compelled to suppress, wait, and, while w a iting, endure worse than hell ' s torments until i t pleases her p a rents, having firs! rendered h e r youth miserable, further to sacrifice h e r riper yea r s by immolating them to their p e rfidious cupidity when they a s soci ate her, despite h e r wishes, with a husband who e i ther h a s nothing " herewith to make himself loved, o r who possesses everything to make himself hated ?
Ah ! n o . N o , Eugenic, such bonds are quickly dissolve d ; i t i s necessary that when once s h e reach es t h e a g e o f reason the girl be detached from the p a ternal househ :>ld, and after having received a public education i t i s necessary that at the age o f fi fteen she be l e ft h e r own m i stress, to become what ! he wishes. She will be delivered unto vice ? Ha I wh a t does that mat! er ? Are not the services a young girl renders in consenting to p ro cu r e the happiness o f all who apply to her, infinitely more important t han tho s e which, i solating h e r self, she p e r forms for her husband ? Wom a n ' s destiny i s to be wanton, like the bitch, the she-wol f ; s h e must belong to all who cl aim her. Clearly, it is to outrage the fate N a ture imposes upon women to fetter them by the absurd ties of a solitary marriage.
Let u s hope eyes will be opened, and that while w e go about assuring the liberty o f every individual, the fate o f unhappy girls will not be overlooked ; but should they have the great mi sfortune to be forgotten, then, of their own accord ri sing above usage and prejudice, let them boldly fling off and spurn the shameful i rons wherewith others presume to keep them subj ugated ; they will rapidly conque r custom and opinion ; man become wiser, because he will be free r , will sense the inj ustice that would exist i n scorning whoever acts thus, and will sense too that the act o f yielding to N a ture' s p romptings, beheld a s a crime by a captive p eople, can be so no longer amongst a free people.
B egin, therefore, with the legitimacy o f these principles, Eugen i e , and break your sh ackles a t no matter what the cost ; be
2 2 0 + THE MARQUIS DE SADE
contemptuous of the fu tile remonstrances of an imbecile mother to whom you legitimately owe only h a tred and a curse. If your father, who is a libertine, desires you, why then, go merrily to h i m : l e t him enj oy you , but enj oy without ench aining you ; cast off the yoke i f h e wishes to enslave you ; more than one daughter h a s treated thus with h e r father. Fuck, in one word, fuck : ' twas fo r that you were brought into the worl d ; no limits to your plea sure save those of your strength and will ; no excep tions as to place, to time, to p a rtne r ; all the time, e ve rywhere, every man h a s got to serve your pleasure s ; continence i:; an impossible virtue for which N a tu r e , h e r rights violated, instantly punishes us wi th a thousand miseries. S o long a s the laws r e m a n s u c h a s they a r e today, employ s o m e dis cretion : loud opinion f o rces us to do so ; but in privacy and silence l e t u s compensate oun elves for th a t cruel chasti ty we are obliged to display i n public.
Let our young m aiden strive to p rocu re herself a comp anion who, unattached and a broad in the world, can secretly cause her to taste the world' s ple<.sures ; failing o f that, let h e r contrive to seduce the Arguses pOf ted round h e r ; let her b e g them to prostitute her, and p romise them all the money they can e a rn from her sale ; e i ther those watchdogs alone, o r the women they will find and whom one calls p r o cu r e s s e s , will soon supply the l i ttle one ' s wants ; then l e t h e r kick up the dust into the eyes of eve ryone at hand, brothers, cousins, frier ds, p a rents ; let h e r give herself to everyone , i f that i s necessary to hide h e r conduct ; l e t h e r even make the sacrifice, if ' ti s required o f her, o f her tastes and affections ; one intrigue which might Cisplease her, and into which she woul d enter only fo r r e a sons o f p olicy, will straightway lead h e r to another more agreeable ; and there she i s , lau nched. B u t l e t h e r not revert to her childhood prejll dices ; menaces, exhortations, duti e s , virtues, religion, advice , let her give not a damn for the one o r the l o t of them ; let her s tubbornly rej ect and despise all that which but tends to her re-entry into th ralldom, and all that which, in a ,Yord, does n o t hie her along the ro a d to the depths o f impu dicity.
'Tis but folly in our p a rents when they foretell the disasters o f a libertine career ; there are thorns everywhere, b u t along t h e p a t h o f v i c e r o s e s bloom ab ove them ; N a ture c a u s e s none to smile along vi rtu e ' s muddy track. Up on the former of th e routes, th e one snare
Philo sophy in the Bedro o m .. 2 2 1
t o fear i s men's opinion ; but what mettlesome girl, with a l ittle r e flection, will not render herself superior to that contemptible opinion ? The pleasures received through e s teem, Eugeni e , are nothing but moral pleasures, accep table to none but certain minds ; those of fuck ery p l e a s e all, and thei r winning characteristics soon eclips e the h allucinato ry scorn from which escape i s difficult when one flouts the public ' s views at which several cool-headed women have so much laughed a s therefrom to derive one pleasure the more. Fuck, Eugen i e , fuck, my angel ; your body i s your own, yours alone ; in all the world there i s but yourself who h a s t h e right to enj oy i t as you s e e fi t .
Profi t from the f a i r e s t period in y o u r life ; t h e s e golden y e a r s o f our pleasure a r e only too f e w and t o o b r i e f . I f we a r e so fo rtu nate as to have enj oyed them, delicious memories console and amuse us in our old age. These years lost . . . and w e are racked by bitterest regrets, gnawing remorse conj oins with the sufferings of age and the fatal onset o f the grave is all tears and brambles . . . . B u t have you the m a dness to hope for immortality ?
Why, then, ' t i s by fucking, my dear, you will remain in human memory. The Lucreti a s were soon forgot whereas the Theodo ras and the M e ssalinas a r e subj ects for life's sweetest and most fre quent conversation. How, Eugenie, may one not elect an alternative which twines i n our h a i r the fl owers o f this world and yet l e aves us the hope of reverence when we are gone out o f i t ? How, I s ay, may one not prefer thi s course to another which, causing us stupidly to vegetate upon ea rth, prom i s e s us nothing a ft e r our existence but scorn and oblivion ?
E UGENIE, to Madame de Saint-Ange-Oh I my love, how these seductive words inflame my mind and captivate my soul I I am in a state hardly to be p ainted . . . . And, I pray, will you be able to ac qu aint me with some of these women . . . ( wo rrie d ) who will , if I tell them to, prostitute m e ?
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-For the moment and until you have become more exp e rienced, the matter is entirely my concern, Eugeni e ; trus t m e and above all the p recauti ons I am taking to mask your excesse s ; my brother and this solid friend instructing you will be the fi rst to whom I wish you to give yoursel f ; a fter-
2 2 2 + T H E MARQ U T S DE SADE
ward, w e w i l l discover e t h e r s . Be n o t d i s tu rbed, de a r h e a r t : I s h a l l h a v e y o u fly f r o m o n e p l e a sure to the next, I ' ll p l u n g e y o u i n a s e a o f d e l i gh t s , I will fi l l yo l r c u p to overflowing, m y angel, I w i l l s a t e y o u .
E UGENI E , throwing h ers elf into Mada m e de Sain t-A nge's arms -O h , my d e a r e s t one, I a d o r e you ; you will n e v e r have a more sub m i s s i v e schol a r . But i t � , e e m s to m e you gave me to u n d e r s t a n d in our e a rl i e r convers a t ion s t h a t it were a d i ffi cult thing for a young p e r son to fling herself i r. to l i b e r t i n a ge without the h u s b a n d s h e is to w e d p e rc e i v i n g it l a te r 0 1 ?
MADAME DE SAI NT·ANGE-' Ti s tru e , my h e a r t , b u t th e r e a r e s e c r e t s w h i c h h e a l a l l tho s e b r e a c h e s . I p r o m i s e to m a k e t h e m known to you, and then, had you fucked like Anto i n e t t e , I charge mys e l f to r e n d e r you a s m u c h a vi rgin a s y o u were t h e d a y y o u were b o r n .
E UG E N I E-Oh, m y d e l i g h t ful o n e ! C o m e , c o n t i n u e t o i n s truct me. Be quick then ; t e a C:1 m e w h a t s h o u l d b e a woma n ' s conduct in m a rrIage.
MADAME D E S AINT-ANGE-I n w h a te v e r ci rcumstance s , a wom a n , my d e a r , wh e t h e r unwe dded, w i f e , or widow, must never h a v e for obj e c t i v e , occu J a t i o n , o r desire anything s a v e t o have h e r s e l f fucke d from m o rn i n g to n i gh t : ' ti s for t h i s u n i q u e e n d N a tu r e c r e a t e d h e r ; b u t i f , i n o r d e r to answer this i n t e n t i o n , I r e q u i r e h e r to t r a m p l e u p o n a l l t h e p re j u d i c e s o f h e r c h i l d h o o d , i f I p r e s c r i b e to h e r t h e m o s t form a l d i s o b e d i ence t o h e r f a m i ly ' s o r d e rs , t h e m o s t a r r a n t contempt f o r a l l h e r r e l a t i v e s ' advice, you w i l l a g r e e w i t h m e , Eugeni e , th a t among a l l t h e b o n d s t o b e burst, I o u g h t v e ry surely to r e c o m m e n d t h a t t h e very fi r s t b e t h o s e o f wedlock .
I n d e e d , Eugen i e , c o n s i d e r t h e y o u n g girl sca rcely o u t o f h e r f a t h e r ' s h o u s e o r h e r : J e n s i o n , knowing nothing, without exp e r i e n c e : o f a s u dd e n s h e i � ; o b l i g e d to p a s s thence i n t o the a rm s of a m a n s h e h a s n e v e r s e e n , s h e i s c a l l e d to t h e a l t a r a n d comp e l l e d to swe a r t o t h i s m a n a n oath of obedience, of fi d e l i ty, the more unjust for h e r o ften having n o th i n g i n t h e d e p t h s o f her heart but the g r e a t e s t desire t o b r e a k her w o r d . I n a l l t h e world, i s t h e r e a more terrible f a t e t h a n t h i s , Eugeni e ? Howev e r , wh e t h e r h e r husband p l e a s e s h e r or n o , w h e t h e r o r not h e has t e n d e r n e s s i n s t o r e for her
Philo s ophy in t h e Bedro o m <� 2 2 3
o r vile t re a tment, behold I s h e is m a rried ; her honor binds her to her oaths : it is attainted if she disregards them ; she must b e doomed o r shackled : either way, s h e must perish o f desp a i r . Ah, no ! E ugenie, no I 'tis n o t for that end we are born ; those absurd l aws are the h andiwork o f men, a.n d we must not submit to them. And divorce ? Is i t capable o f satisfying u s ? Probably not. What greater assu rance h ave we o f fi nding the happiness in a l a te r bondage t h a t eluded u s in an e a rli e r ?
Therefore, in secrecy l e t us comp ensate ourselves for all the restraint imposed by such absurd unions, and let us be certain in deed that this species o f diso rders, to whatever extreme we carry them, far from outraging N a ture, is but a sincere homage we render her ; it is to obey her laws to cede to the desires she alone has placed in u s ; i t i s only i n resisting that we a ffront her. The a dultery men deem a crime, which they have dared punish i n u s even with death, a dultery, Eugenie, is hence nothing but an a cquittance s anctioned by a natu r a l law the whims o f those tyrants shall never be able to abrogate. But i s i t not horrible, say our husbands, to l a y u s open to cherishing as our own children, to embracing as ours the fru i t of your licentiousness ? The obj ection is Rousseau' s ; i t is, I admit, the only faintly specious one wherewith a dultery may be opposed. WeIl l Is it n o t extremely simple to s u r r e n d e r o n e s e l f to l i b e r t i n a ge without fe a r o f pregnancy ? Is i t not easier yet to check it i f through our oversight o r imprudence i t should occu r ? But, a s we shall retu rn to the subj ect, let's now but treat the heart of the matter : we will see that, however plausible i t a t first appears, the a rgument is chimerical nevertheless_
First, provided I sleep with my husband, p rovided his semen flows to the depths o f my womb, should I see ten men a t the same time I consort with him, nothing will ever be able to p rove to him that the child I bear does not belong to him ; it i s quite as likely the child is his as not, and in a case o f uncertainty h e cannot justi fiably disclaim his part i n b ringing about something which may perhaps have been all o f his doing. Immediately it can be his, it i s his ; any man who vexes himself with suspicions upon this head seeks vexa· tions, even were his wife a vestal h e would plague himself with wor· ries, for i t i s i mpossible to be sure of a woman, and she who h a s behaved w e l l f o r y e a r s may someday interrupt h e r good behavior.
224 .. THE MARQU [ S DE SADE
Hence, i f this husband i , suspicious, he will be so in any case : never, then, will he be convinced the child he embraces i s re ally h i s own. Now, i f he can b e suspici ous in any case, th ere can b e no disadvan tage in sometimes j usti(ying his suspicion s : with what regards h i s state of happines s o r ur happines s , i t will all be one ; therefore, ' ti s j u s t a s well things b e tiU S . Well, suppose him i n complete error : picture him caressing the fru i t o f h i s wi fe ' s libertinage : where i s the crime i n that ? A r e not our goods held in common ? In which case, what ill do I came by introducing into the menage a child to whom must b e accorded a share o f these goods ? 'Twill b e my share the child will h ave ; he'll steal nothing from my tender mate : I consider as a levy upon my dowry this portion to which the child will b e h e i r ; hence, n e i ther i t nor I take anything from my husband. Had this child been his, by what title would i t have been a cla i mant to a part o f my chattels and moni e s ? Is it not by reason o f the fact the child would have b e en my offspring ? Very well, the child is go ing to inherit thi s part, rightfully the child's by virtue of the same intimate alliance. It i s because this child belongs to m e that l owe it a share of my wealth.
With what are you t o reproach m e ? The child i s provided for. "But you deceive your h u sband ; thus to be false is a trocious . " "No, i t ' s t i t for t a t , " say I, " an d there's an end to i t : I was the dupe in the first place o f the a �tachments h e forced upon m e : I take my revenge : what could be more simple ?" " B u t your husband's honor h a s suffered a real outr age." "Wh a t ludicrous notion i s this ! My libertinage i n no wise affects my husband ; mine a r e p e rsonal faults. Thi s alleged dishonor s i gn i fi e d s omething a century a go ; w e ' r e rid of our illusions today, and my husband i s no more sulli e d by my debauches than I might be by h i s . I might fuck with the whole wide world without wounding him in the slightest. Thi s so-calle d hurt i s therefore a mere fable whose authentic existence i s impossible. O f the two things, one : e i t h e r my husband i s a brutal, a j e alous man, o r h e i s a delicate one ; i n the former hypothesis, the b e s t course for m e is to avenge myself for his conduct ; in the l a tter, I should be unable to a ggrieve him ; the fact I am tasting pleasures will make him h appy if he i s hom s t ; n o man o f refinement fails to relish the sp ectacl e o f the happine s s of the p erson h e adores." "But, were you to love him, would you wish him to do the same ?" "Ah, woe unto
Philosophy in the Bedro o m .. 2 2 5
the w i fe who deci des to be j e alous of h e r husband ! Let her be con tent with what h e gives her, if she loves him ; but l e t h er make no attempt to constrain h i m ; not only will she have no success, but she will soon make herself detested. So long a s I am rea sonabl e , I shall never b e affiicted by my hu sband's debauche s ; let him b e thus with m e, and p e ace will reign i n the h ou s e . "
L e t us recapitula te : Whatever b e a dultery' s issue, were i t even to introduce into the home children who d o not belong to the hus band, because they are the wife's they have certain rights to a p o r tion o f t h a t w i f e ' s dowry ; i f the husband h a s intelligence of the thing, he must consider them a s he would children hi s wife might have had by an e a r l i e r marriage ; i f he knows nothing, he'll not be the worse for it, for one cannot b e distressed by what one i s un aware o f ; if the adultery is followed by no consequence s and if i t r e m a i n unknown t o the husband, no j u r i s t can p rove, i n this c a s e , the existence o f crime : h e r e , a dul tery appears a s an act o f p e rfect indifference to the husband, who knows nothing o f it, and p e r fectly splendid for the wife, whom i t del i ghts ; i f the husband discovers the adultery, 'tis n o longe r the adultery which is an evil, for i t was not such a moment ago, and it could n o t have altered its nature : if evil there be, it i s i n the husband's discove ry of i t : well, that fault belongs only to him : it has nothing to do with his wife.
Those who i n former times punished the adulterer were hence mere hangmen, tyrannical and j e alous, who, viewing everything subj ectively, u nj u s tly imagined that in order to b e criminal i t was only necessary to offend them, a s if a p e rsonal inj u ry were always to be consi dered a crime, and a s if one m i ght j ustly describe as a crime an act which, f a r from outraging N a tu r e or society, cle a rly s e rves the one a n d the other. There a r e , however, cases when a dultery, e a sy to p rove, becomes more emb a rrassing fo r the woman without for that reason being any more criminal ; witness, for ex ampl e , the c a s e wherein the husband is found e i ther impotent or subj ect to inclinations disfavorable to engendering. As she i s sus ceptible of pleasure, and as her husband never is, her deportment doubtl e s s then b ecomes more open ; but ought she b e disquieted on that account ? Surely not. The one precaution she must take is to p roduce no children, o r to have an abortion if these p recautions should happen to fail her. If it i s thanks to her husban d ' s unseemly
2 2 6 -+ T H E M A R Q U I S DE SADE
penchants th at she is wmpelled to comp ensate herself for his neg lect, she has fi rst of all to s a t i s fy him, wi thout repugnance and ac cording to h i s tastes, o f whatever character they may chance to be ; n ext, let h e r make i t kr,own to him that such complacencie s entitle her to a counterp a r t ; l e t her demand an enti r e libe rty in return for th e one she acco rds ; thereupon, the husband r e fuses o r else h e con sents : i f he consents, a�; has mine, one puts oneself a t his disposal and redoubles on e ' s IT inistrations and condescensions to his ca p ri c e s ; if he r e fuses, then one pe rfects one's concealments and one fucks p e a c e fully in thei r sha dow. I s he impotent? Why, then one p a rts company ; but, wh a tever may b e the c a s e, one gives onesel f : one fucks, my lamb, the p a rticul a r situ a tion notwithstanding, be cause we a r e born to f l ck, because by fucking we obey and fulfill Nature's o rdinations, and because all man-made laws which would contravene N a tu r e ' s are made for naught but our contempt.
A silly gull is the woman whom ties a s absurd as thos e o f wed lock inhibit from surrendering to her p enchants, who dreads either pregnancy o r the injury to h e r husband, o r the yet more vain tar nishing o f h e r reput a ti on ! You have j u s t seen, Eugenie, yes, you have j u s t sensed what a dup e she is when basely she immol ates both her happ i n e s s and all lif e's j oys to the most p reposterous prejudices. Oh ! l e t h e r fuck with impunity ! Will a little false glo ry, a few frivolous religious anti cipations balance the weight o f h e r sacri fices? N o j no, v i r tu e , vice, all a r e confounded in the grave. A few years hence, will the p ublic any more exalt the ones than it con demns the others? Why, no, once again, I s ay no, and the wretch who h a s lived a stranger to j oy, d i e s, alas, un rewa rded.
E UGENIE-How thoroughly you persu a de m e , my angel , what a straigh t way you make with my prejudices, wh a t short work you make of all the false principles my mother planted in m e ! Oh, I wou l d be m a r r i e d tomorrow i n order immedia tely to put you r maxims into u s e . How �;eductive they a r e , how true, and how much I love them ! Only one t �ing troubles me, dear one, in what you have just s a i d to m e , and a s I understand it not a t all, I beg you to ex p l a i n : your husband, you declare, does not, when h e takes h i s p l e a sure w i t h y o u , stri:<.e an attitude s u c h a s would produce chil dren : what then, pray tell, does h e do ?
P h i l o s o p h y in t h e B e d r o o m } 2 2 7
MADAME D E SAI NT-ANGE-My husband was already advanced in years when I ma rried him. On our wedding night he gave me no tice o f his fancies, the while a s suring me that, for his p a rt , never would h e interfere with mine ; I swo re to obey him and we h ave always, since then, he and I, lived in the most delicious independence and mutual understanding. My husband ' s whim is to h ave himself sucked, and here i s the most unusu al p ractice j oined a s a coroll a ry to that one : while, a s I bend over him, my buttocks squa rely ove r his face and cheerily pumping the fuck from h i s balls, I must shit in h i s mouth ! . . . He swallows i t down ! . . •
E UGENIE-N ow the r e ' s a most extraordinary notion !
DOLMANC E-N one may be quali fi e d thu s , my dear : all are a p a rt o f N a ture ; when she created men, she was pleased to vary the i r tastes a s she made different their countenances, and we ought no more be a s toni shed at the diversity she has put in our features than at that she h a s placed in our affections. The fancy your friend h a s j u s t mentioned coul d not be more it l a mode ; an infinite num ber o f men, and princip ally those o f a certain age, are prodigi ously addicted to i t ; would you refuse your co-operation, Eugenie, were someone to requ i r e i t o f you ?
E U GE N I E , turn ing re d-In accordance with the maxims where with I am being inculcated here, can I refuse anything ? I only ask to be forgiven my surprise ; this i s the fi r s t time I have heard of all these lubriciti e s : I must fi r s t o f all visual i z e them ; but between the solution o f the p roblem and the execution o f the act, I beli eve my tuto rs can rest assured there will never b e but the distance they themselves impose. However all that may be, my dear, you won your libe rty by acqui escing to this duty ?
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE-The most entire liberty, Eugenie. On my s i d e , I did everything I wished without h i s raising any ob s tacles , but I took no lover : I w a s too fond of pleasure for that. Unlucky woma n , she who is a ttache d ; she needs but take a lover to be lost, while ten scenes o f libertinage, repeated every day, if she wishes, vani sh into the night o f silence instantly they are consum mated. I was wealthy : I had young men in my pay, they fucked me incognito, I surrounded myself with charming valets, assured of
2 2 8 + THE MARQ CIS DE SADE
tasting the sweetest plea sures with me upon condition o f discretion, certain they would b e thI Own out-o f-doors i f they so much as opened their mouths. You h ave ,no idea, dear h e a rt, o f the torrent o f de l i ghts into which, i n this manner, I d i d plunge. Such i s the conduct I will always urge upon e ve ry woman who woul d imitate me. Du ring my twelve m a r r i e d ye a r s I have been fu cked by upward of ten or twelve th ousand individ .lals . . . and i n the company I keep I am th ought well-behave d ! Anothe r would have had lovers ; by the time she exchanged the fi r st f.) r the second she would have been doomed.
E UGENIE-This se(:ms the s a fest way of p roceeding ; most de cidedly, it shall be mine ; I must, like yourself, ma rry a rich man, and above all one with ]:ancies . . . . But, my dear, your husband is stri ctly bound by his tastes ? Does he never a sk anything else o f you ?
MADAME DE SAI NT-.' \NGE-N ever in a dozen years has he been untrue to himself a singl e day, save when I am on an outing. A very pretty gi rl he very much wanted m e to take into the house then substi tutes fo r me, and ':hings p roceed exceeding well.
E UGENIE-But h e doesn' t stop there, surely ? There are other obj ects, outside the hom e, competing to diversi fy hi s p l e a sures ?
DOLMANc E-E e certain the r e are, Eugen ie ; M a dame ' s hus band i s one of the grea ':est libertines of the day ; he spends above one hundred thousand c rowns a y e a r upon the obscene tastes your friend described to you I: ut a moment ago.
MADAME DE SAI NT-.\NGE-To tell the truth, I suspect the fi gure may be higher ; but wh a t a r e h i s excesses to me, since the i r multiplic ity authorizes and camo ufl ages my own ?
E UGENIE-I beseech you, let us follow in detail the manners by which a young person, married o r not, may preserve h e rsel f from p regnancy, fo r I confes:; I am made most timorous by dread o f i t , whether i t be t h e work o f t h e husband I m u s t take, o r t h e effect o f a c a r e e r o f libertinage. Y o u h a v e j u s t indicated o n e m e a n s while speaking o f your husband' s tastes ; but th i s fashion o f taking one ' s pleasure, which may be nighly agreeable to the man, does not seem a s p l e a su r able for the woman, and it i s our dalliances, exempt from the risks I fear, that I d esire you to di scu s s .
Philos ophy in the Bedro o m + 2 29
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-A girl risks having a child only in p roportion to the frequency with which she permits the man to in vade h e r cunt. Le t her scrupulou sly avoid this manner o f tasting delight ; in its ste a d, l e t her offer indi scrimina tely her hand, her mouth, her breasts, o r her a s s . This last thoroughfare will yield h e r considerable pleasure, far more, indeed, than any other ; by me ans o f the others she will give pleasure.
I n the first instance, that i s to say, the one which brings the hand into play, one p roceeds i n the fashion you observed a short while ago, Eugeni e ; one shakes one's friend's member a s i f one were pumping i t ; a fter a l i ttl e agitation, the sperm i s emi tted ; me an while, the man kisses, caresses you, and with th i s liquid wets that part of your body whereof h e i s fondest. If one wishes to have it dis tributed over the b r e a sts, one stretches upon the bed, the virile member i s fi tted between the two tits, they are compressed, and a ftt';r a few p a sses the man discha rges so a s to flood you sometimes up to the h e i gh t o f your face. This manner i s the least voluptuous o f all and can only suit those women whose breasts, from repeated usage, h ave acqu i red that flexibility , that looseness needed to grip the man's member ti ghtly when clamped between them. Pleasure incepted a t the mouth is infini tely more agreeabl e , quite a s much for the man as for the woman. The best way to go about i t i s for the woman to l i e prone, contrariwise to h e r fucker and upon his b o dy : he pop s h i s prick into your mouth and, h i s h e a d being lodged between your thighs, h e rep ays in kind what you do for him, by in troducing h i s tongu e into your cunt o r by playing i t over your cli tori s ; when employing this attitude one must show spirit, c a tch hold of the buttocks, and the p a rtners should finger and ti ckle each other's asshole, a measure always necessary to complete voluptu ousness. Spirited lovers, those full o f imagination, therewith swal low the fuck which squi rts into the i r mouths, and thus delicately they enj oy the exquisite pleasure of mutually causing this precious liquid, mechanically diverted from i ts customa ry destination, to pass into their entrails.
DOLMANc E-Eugenie, 'tis a delicious method. I recommend to you its execution. Thus to cheat p ropagation of its rights and to contradict wha t fools call the l aws of N a ture, is truly most cha rm-
23 0 + T H E MARQ U I S D E SADE
i n g. The t h i g h s , the a rmp i ts a l s o s o m e t i m e s provide a sylum to t h e m a n ' s m e m b e r and o ff e r h i m r e t r e a t s where h i s s e e d may b e s p i l l e d w i t h o u t r i s k o f p r e gn a nl:Y.
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE-SOme women i n s e r t sponges i n t o t h e vagin a ' s i n t e ri o r ; th e s e , i n t e rcepting t h e s p e r m , prevent i t f r o m s p r i n g i n g i n t o t h e vessel w h e r e gen e r a ti o n occu r s . O t h e r s o b l i g e t h e i r fuck e r s to m a k e u s e o f a l i ttle s a ck o f Veneti an skin , in t h e vul g a t e c a l l e d a condom, which t h e semen fi l l s and w h e r e i t i s p r e vented from fl owing f a r t h e r . B u t of a l l th e p o s s i b i l i ti e s , th a t p r e s e n t e d by t h e a s s i s w i t h o u t any doubt the m o s t del i c i o u s . D o l m a n c e , t o you I r e s e rve the d i � s e r t a t i o n s t h e r e u p o n . Who b e t t e r t h a n y o u m i gh t be a b l e to d e s c r i b e a t a s t e in wh o s e d e fe n s e , w e r e i t t o r e qu i r e any d e fe n s e , y o u w o u l d l ay down y o u r l i fe ?
DOLMANCE-I ack nowl edge my weakn e s s . I a d m i t as well that in a l l t h e world there is n o mode of p l e a s u re-taking p r e fe r a b l e to t hi s ; I w o r s h i p it in e i : h e r s e x ; but I ' l l con fess a young l a d ' s a s s g i v e s m e y e t m o r e p l e a � u re t h a n a gi rl ' s . Buggers i s t h e a p p e l l a t i o n d e s i gn a t i n g t h o s e who a r e t h i s fancy ' s a d e p t s ; now, Eugen i e , when one go e s s o far as to be a bugge r , one m u s t not stop h a l fway. To fuck women i n t h e r e a � is b u t t h e first p a r t o f buggery ; ' t i s w i t h m e n N a t u r e w i s h e s m e n to p r actice th i s o dd i ty , and it is e s p eci ally for m e n she has g i v e n us a n incl i n a t i o n . Absurd to say t h e m a n i a o ff e n d s N a tu r e ; can i t b e s o , w h e n ' t i s s h e w h o puts i t i n to o u r h e a d ? c a n s h e d i c t a t e w h a t d e g r a d e s h e r ? N o , Eugen i e , n o t a t all ; t h i s i s as g o o d a p l ace to s e rve h e r a s any o t h e r , a n d p e r h a p s i t i s t h e r e s h e i s m o s t devou tly w o r s h i p e d . Prop a g a t i o n owes i ts e x i s t ence to h e r forbe a r a nc e . H o w cou l d s h e h a v e p r e sc r i b e d as l a w a n act w h i c h c h a l l e n g e s h e r o m n i p o tence, s i nce p r o p a g a t i o n i s but a c o n s e qu ence of h e r p r i m a ry i n t e n t i o n s , a n d s i nce new constructi o n s , w r o u g h t b y h e r h a n d , w e r e o u r s p eci e s to b e d e s troyed absolu tely, woul d become again p ri m o r d i a l intentions w h o s e a ccomp l i s h m e n t w o u l d b e f a r m o r e fl a t tering t o h e r p ri d e and to h e r p owe r ?
MADAME DE SAIN1'-ANGE- D o you know, Dolmanc e , t h a t by m e an s o f t h i s system you a r e g o i n g to be l e d to p r o v e t h a t t o t a lly to extingu i s h the hum a n race would be nothing bu t to render N a- tu r e a s e rv i c e ?
.
Philo s ophy in t h e Bedro o m .. 2 3 1
DOLMANCE-Who doubts of i t , M a dame ?
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-My God I wars, plagues, famines, murders would no longer b e but accidents, necessary t o N a tu r e ' s laws, and man, whether instrumental to o r the o b j e c t o f t h e s e e f fects, would hence no longer b e more a criminal i n the one case than h e would be a victim i n the other ?
DOLMANCE-Victim he i s , without doubt, when h e bends be fore the blows o f ill fortun e ; but criminal, never. We shall have more to say about all these things ; for the moment, in the lovely Eugen i e ' s behalf, l e t ' s analyze sodomistic pleasures, which presently a re the subj ect of our d i scussion. In this mode of pleasure-seeking, the posture most commonly a dopted by the woman i s for her to l i e belly down u p o n the e d g e o f the b e d , t h e buttocks w e l l spre a d , t h e head a s low a s possible ; a fter having m u s e d f o r an instant u p o n the splendi d p rospect o f a r e a dy a n d beckoning a s s , a fter having p a tted i t, slapp e d i t a bit, handled i t , sometimes a fter having b e a ten or whippe d i t, pinched and bitten i t , the rake moistens with his mouth the pretty l i ttl e hole h e i s about to perforate, and prepares his entry with the tip o f his tongu e ; in simi l a r wise, he wets his engine with saliva, o r with pomade, and gently presents it to the apertu re he intends t o pie r c e ; he guides i t with one h a nd, with the oth e r he l a y s wide open the cheeks o f his deligh t ; immediately h e feels h i s mem ber penetrate, h e must thrust energetically, taking all due care not to give ground ; then it is, occasionally, the woman suffers, if she is new, or youn g ; but, totally heedless of the pangs which are soon to change into p l e a sures, the fucker must b e l ively and drive his engine a h e a d , i nch by inch, gradually, but with determination, till a t last he i s a rrived a t h i s obj ective, till, tha t is to say, h i s device's h a i rs precisely rub the anal rim of the embuggered p a rty. Then may he give free rein to himself j all the thorn s are plucked from out his p a th , there remain roses only there. To complete the meta morphosis into p l e a sures of what distresses h i s obj ect still experi ences, if i t be a boy, let him seize his p rick and frig i t ; let him twiddle h e r clitoris, if 'tis a girl ; the titillations o f the pleasure he will cause t o b e born will in turn work a prodigious contraction i n the p a tient's a n u s , and w i l l double the delight o f t h e a g e n t who, overwhelmed with comfort, will soon dart, to the very
· depths of
2 3 2 .. THE MARQ U I S DE SADE
the ass of his delight, a sperm quite as abundant as thick, thus de termined by so m any lubricious details. Th ere are some who do not care to have the patient take pleasure in the operation ; an atti tude we will account for i n good time.
MADAME DE SAINT- ANGE-Allow m e to be the scholar for a moment, and let me ask you, Dolmance, in what state the p a tient' s ass must be in order to ensure the agent a maximum of pleasure ?
DOLMANCE-Full , by all means ; 'tis essential the obj ect in use have the most i mp e riou s desire to shit, so tha t the end o f th e fucker ' s p rick, re aching �he tu rd, may drive deep into it, and may more w a rmly and more s o ftly deposit there the fuck which irritates and sets i t afire.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-I fear the p a tient's pleasure i s less.
DOLMANcE-Error ! This method o f pleasure-taking i s such that there exists no pos:;ibility o f the fucker's receiving hurt nor of the employed obj ect' s f a i l i n g t o b e tr ansported into seventh h eaven. No other m a tchc:s this in value , no other can so comple tely satisfy each o f the prot lgonists, and they who have tasted o f it know a great difficulty in abandoning it for another. Such, Eugenie, are the best ways o f taking pleasure with a man i f the perils of pregnancy a r e to be avo; ded ; for one enj oys-and be very certain o f i t-not only offering a man one ' s ass, but also sucking and frig ging him, etc . , and I have known libertine ladies who often had an higher esteem for this by play than for real pleasures. The imagina tion i s the spu r o f deligh':s ; in tho se o f this order, all depends upon it, it i s the m a inspring o f everything ; now, i s i t not by means o f the imagination one knows j oy ? i s i t not o f the imagination that there come the most p i quant delights ?
MADAME DE SAINT ·ANGE-Indeed ; but let Eugenie beware thereo f ; the imagination serves us not save when our mind i s abso lutely free o f p rejudice s : but a single one will suffice to chill it. This capricious portion o f ou:: mind i s so libertine nothing can restrain it ; its greatest triumph, i ·:s most eminent deli ghts come o f exceeding all limits imposed upon i t ; of all regularity i t i s an enemy, i t wor ships disorder, i dolizes whatever wears the brand of crime ; whence
Philosophy in the B edro o m .. 2 3 3
derived t h e extraordinary reply o f an imagina tive woman who was fucking coolly with her husband : "Why this ice ? " quoth h e . "Ah, truly," answe red this singul a r creatu r e , " ' tis all very dull, what y o u a r e d o i n g with m e . "
E UGENIE-I a d o r e t h e remark . . . . A h , m y d e a r , how gre at i s my u rge to become acqu ainted with these divine ou tbu rsts of a disordered i m a gination ! You'd never believe i t , b u t du ring our stay together . . . since the instant we m e t-no, no, my d a rling, never could you conceive all the volup tuous ideas my brain has ca ressed . . . . O h , how well I now understand wha t is evil . . . how much it i s d e s i r e d o f my h e a r t !
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE-May a troci ties, horrors, m ay t h e most o d i o u s c r i m e s astonish y o u no m o r e , my Eugeni e ; what i s o f t h e filthiest, t h e m o s t infamous, t h e m o s t forbidden, ' t i s t h a t which best rouses the intellect . . . 'tis tha t which always causes u s most deliciously to discharge.
E UGENIE-To how m any incredible p e rversities must you not, the one and the other, have surrendered yourselves ! And how I should relish hearing the details I
D O L M A N C E , k i s s i n g a n d f o n dling the y o u ng lady- B e a u t e o u s Eugen i e , a hundred times more woul d I love to see you exp e rience all I should love to do , rather than to relate to you what I have done.
E UGENIE-I know not wheth e r i t would be too good for me to accede to everything.
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE-I would not a dvise it, Eugen i e .
EUGENIE-V e r y w e l l , I sp a re Dolmance his narrations ; b u t you, my d e a r , pray t e l l me what t h e y a r e , the m o s t extraordinary things you have done in your l i fe ?
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-I engaged fi fteen men, alone ; in twenty-four hours, I was ninety times fucked, a s much before a s be hind.
E UGENIE-Mere debauch es, those, tours de force ; I dare wager you h ave done yet more uncommon things.
2 3 4 + T H E MARQ UIS DE SADE
MADAME DE SAINT-A NGE-I passed a term in a brothel .
E UGENIE-And what does that word mean ?
DOLMANCE-Such a re called the public houses where in con- sideration of a p rice agreed upon, each man finds young and pretty girls in good sort to satis fy his p a ssions.
E UGENIE-And you gave yourself the re, my dearest ?
MADAME DE SAINT-A NGE-Yes ; there I was, a pe rfect whore ; there during an entire week I satisfied the whims of a goodly num ber of lechers, and there ] beheld the most unusual tastes di splayed ; moved by a similar libertine principl e , like the celebrated empress Theodo r a , Justin i a n ' s wi f e , ! I wayl a i d men i n the streets, upon pub l i c promenades, and the money I e a rned from these p rostitutions I spent a t the lo ttery.
E UGENIE-My dear , I know that mind of yours : you've gone still fu rther than th at.
MADAME DE SAINT-A NGE-Were i t possible ?
E UGENIE-Why, ye:d Yes, and this is how I fancy i t : have you not tol d m e our mm t delicious moral sensations come of the imagina tion ?
MADAME DE SAINT-A NGE-I d i d say so.
E UGENIE-Then, by allowing this imagination to stray, by ac cording i t the freedom to overstep those ultimate boundaries reli gion, decency, humanenes:" virtue, i n a word, all our pretended obl i gations would like to p r escribe to it, i s i t not possible that the imagination's extravagances would be p rodigious ?
MADAME DE SAINT-A NGE-N 0 doubt.
E UGENIE-Well, i s i t not by rea son of the immensity o f these extravagances that the im agination will be the more inflamed ?
MADAME DE SAI NT-.A NGE-Nothing more true.
E UGENIE-I f that i s so, the more we wish to be agitated, the more we desire to be moved violently, the more we must give rein
1 Se e the A n e cdotes of ProcOJ> i u s .
Philo sophy in the Bedr o o m + 2 3 5
to o u r imagination ; w e must bend i t toward the inconceivabl e ; our enj oyment will thereby be incre ased, m a de better for the track the intellect follows, and . . .
DOLMANCE, kissing Eugenie-Delicious !
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-My, b u t how our little rascal has progressed, and in such a brief space ! But, do you know, my charm ing one, that one can go very far by the route you trace for us.
E UGENIE-I understand i t very nicely thus ; and since I will subj ect myself to n o inhibitions, you s e e to wh a t l engths I suppose one may go.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-To crime, vicious creature, to the blackest, most frightful crimes.
E UGENIE, in a lowered and h alting 'Vo ic e-But you say no crime exists there . . . and a fter all, i t i s but to fire the mind : one thinks, but one d o e s not do.
DOLMANCE-However, 'tis very sweet to carry out what one h a s fancied.
E UGENI E , flushing-Well, then, c a rry i t ou t . . . . \Vould you not like to pe rsuade m e , dear teachers, that you have never done wha t you have conceive d ?
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-I t h a s sometimes b e en given to me to do it . . . .
E UGENIE-Th ere we are I
DOLMANC E-Ah ! what a mind.
E UGEN IE, c o n t inuing-Wh a t I ask you is this : what have you fancied, and then, having fanci e d , what have you done ?
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE , s ta m mering-Someday, Eugeni e , I shall . . . relate my l i fe to you. Let us continue our instruction . . . for you would bring me to say things . . . things • . .
EUGENIE-Ah, begone I I see you d o n o t love m e enough fully to open your soul to me ; I shall w a i t a s long as you say ; l e t ' s get on
2 3 6 .. THE MARQUIS DE SADE
with the p a rticul ars. Tell me, my d e a r , who was the happy mortal who intended a t you r beginnings ?
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-My brother : from childhood on h e adored m e ; during ou r e a rl i e s t years we o ften amused each other w i thout attaining our goal ; I p romised to give myself to him i m m e d i a tely I m a r r i e d ; I kept my wo r d ; happily, my husband d am aged nothing : my brother ha rvested all. We continue with our in trigu e , but without hampering ourselves j we do not-he on his part, I on mine-plunge ou �selves into anything but the most divine o f libertinage ' s excesses j we e v e n mutu ally serve one another : I p r o ' cu r e women for him, he introduces me to men.
E UGENIE-Delightfu l a r r angement ! But, i s not incest a crime ?
DOLMANCE-M i g h t one so regard N a tu r e ' s gentl est unions, the ones she most insistently p rescribes to u s and counsel s most w armly ? Eugenie, a moment o f r e a son : how, a fter the vast afflic tions o u r planet somet me knew, how was the human species other w i se able to perpetuat e itsel f, i f not th rough i n cest? Of which we find, do we not, the ex.mple and the proof i tsel f in the books C h ri s tianity respects most highly. By what other means could Adam's familr and tha t of N Jah have been p reserved ? S i ft, examine uni versal custom : everyw here you will detect incest autho rized, con sidered a wise l a w and proper to cement familial ties. If, in a word, love is born o f resemblance, where m ay it be more perfect than between brother and siste r , b e tween father and daughte r ? An ill-founded policy, one p r oduced by the fe a r lest certain families become too powerful, bans incest from our midst ; but let u s not abuse ourselves to the point o f mistaking for natural law wha t is dictated to u s only by interest o r ambition ; let us delve into our h e a rts : ' ti s always there I send our p edantic moralists j l e t us but question this sacred o r gan and we will notice that nothing i s more exqui site than c a rnal c onnection within the family ; l e t us cease to b e blind with what concerns a brothe r ' s feelings for his sister, a father ' s for his d augb ter : in vain does one o r the other disgu i s e t h e m b e h i n d a m a sk o f l egi timate tenderness : t h e most violent love
2 A d am w a s nothing, n o r w a s N o ah , b u t a r e storer o f h u m a n k i n d . A n a p p a l l i n g catastrophe l eft A d a m a l o n e i n the w o r l d , j u s t a s a sim i l a r event d i d N o a h ; b u t A d am' s tr adition is l o s t t o u s , N o a h ' , h a s b e e n p r e s e r v e d .
Philos op hy in the Bedro o m .. 23 7
i s the unique sentiment abl a z e in them, the only one N a ture h a s de posited in the i r h e a rts. Hence , l e t us doub l e , triple these delicious incests, fearle ssly multiply them, and let us beli eve that the more straitly the obj ect o f our desires does belong to u s , the greater charm sh all there b e in enjoying it.
One o f my friends h a s the habit of l iving with the girl h e had by his own mothe r ; n o t a week ago h e deflowered a thirteen-year old boy, f ru i t of h i s commerce with this girl ; i n a few years' time, this same l a d will wed his mother : such are my friend's wishe s ; h e is r e a dying for them all a destiny analogous t o the proj ects he delights in and his intentions, I know very well, are yet to enjoy what this marriage will bring to bear ; he is young and he has cause to hope for the best. Consider, gentle Eugenie , with what a qu antity o f in cests and crimes this honest friend would be soiled were there a j o t o f truth i n the low notion that would have us define these alli ances as evil. To b e brief, in all these matters I b a s e my a ttitude upon one principl e : had N a ture condemned so domy' s pleasures, in cestuous correspondences, pollutions, and so forth, would she have allowed u s to find so much delight in them ? That she may tolerate what outrages h e r i s unthinkable .
E UGENIE-Oh ! My divine teachers, I s e e full well that, ac cording to your doctrine, there are very few crimes i n the world, and th at we may p e a c e fully follow the bent of all our desires, how ever singul a r they may appear to fools who, shocked and alarmed by everything, stupidly confuse social institutions for N a ture's di vine ordinations. And yet, my friends, do you not at l e a s t a cknowl edge tha t there exi st certain actions absolutely revolting and de cidedly criminal, although enj oined by N a ture ? I am nothing loath to agree with you, tha t this N a tu r e , as extraordinary in the produc tions she creates as various in the p enchants she gives us, sometimes moves us to cruel deeds ; but if, surrendered to depravity, we were to yield to this b i z a rr e N a ture's promptings, were we to go so far a s to attempt , l e t me suppose, t h e lives o f our fellows, you will surely grant me, at least I do hope s o , that such an act would b e a crime ?
DOLMANcE-Indeed, Eugenie, l ittle goo d would i t do for u s to grant you anything o f t h e sort. D estruction being one of the
23 8 .. T H E M A R Q U I S DE S A D E
chi e f laws of N a tu r e , n othing that destroys can be criminal ; how might an action which s) well serves N a ture ever be outrageous to her ? This destruction 0 f which man i s wont to boast is, mo reove r, nothing but an illusion j murder i s no destruction j he who commits it does but alter forms, he gives back to N a ture the elements whereof the hand of tb i s skilled a rtisan instantly re-creates other beings : now, a s creations cannot but afford deligh t to him by whom they are wrought, the mlrderer thus prepares for N a tu re a pleasure most agreeable, he furn shes her m a terials, she employs them with out del ay, and the act fe,ols have had the m a dness to blame i s noth ing but meritorious i n the universal agent' s eye. 'Tis our pride p rompts u s to elevate murder into crime. Esteeming ourselves the foremost of the universe' s creatures, we h ave stupidly imagined that every hurt thi s sublime creature endures must p erforce be an enormity ; we have beli eved N a ture wou l d perish should our m a rvel ous species chance to be: blotted out of exi stence, while the whole exti rpation of the breed would, by returning to N a tu re the creative faculty she has entrusted to u s , reinvigorate her, she would have again that energy w e de?rive her o f by propagating our own selves ; but wha t an inconsequence, Eugeni e ! indeed I an ambitious sovereign c a n destroy, at his e a s e and without the least scruple , the enemies p rejudicial to his grand ose designs . . . . C ruel laws, a rbitrary, im perious laws can likewi:;e every centu ry a ssassinate millions o f in dividuals and we, feebl e and wretched creatures, we are not al lowed to sacrifice a singl e being to our vengeance o r our caprice I Is there anything so b a rbarous, so outlandish, so grotesqu e ? and, cloaking ourselves i n th e p ro foundest mystery, must we not amply comp ensate ourselves fe r this ineptitude, and have revenge ?3
E UGENIE-Ye s , of course . . . Oh, but your ethics seduce me, a n d how I savor their b ouquet I Yet, wait, Dolmance, tell me now, in good conscience, whe ther you have n o t sometimes h a d satisfac tion i n crime ?
DOLMANCE-Do n ot force me to reveal my faults to you : the i r number and kind might bring me excessively to blu sh j Perhaps someday I 'll confess the n to you .
3 This a rticl e will be t r e ated exh a u stively f u rt h e r o n ; for the time bei ng, we l i m i t o u r s e l v e s to l aying some o f th" b a s e s for the s y s t e m to b e d e v e l op e d l at e r .
Philo s ophy in the Bedr o o m .. 2 3 9
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE-While gui ding t h e l a w ' s b l a d e , t h e criminal h a s o ften employed i t to satisfy h i s passions.
DOLMANCE-Would that I h av e n o other reproaches to make myself I
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE , throwing her arms a b o u t his n eck Divine man I . . . I adore you I . . . What spirit, wh a t courage are needed to have tasted every pleasure, a s have you ! 'Tis to the man of genius only there i s reserved the honor o f shattering all the links and shackles o f ignorance and s tupidity. Kiss m e-oh, you are charming I
DOLMANcE-B e frank, Eugen i e , tell m e : have you never wished the death o f anyone ?
E UGENIE-Oh , I have I Yes I there is every day before my eyes an abominable creature I have long wished to see i n her grave.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Now, I dare say I have guessed her name.
E UGENIE-Whom do you suspect ?
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Your mother ?
E UGENIE-Oh, let me hide myself upon your breast I
DOLMANCE-Voluptuous creature ! in my turn I would over- whelm her with the caresses tha t should be the reward o f her h e a rt's energy and h e r exqu i s i te mind. ( D o lm a n ce kisses her en tire b ody and bes to ws ligh t s m acks upo n her b u t t o ck s ; he h as an erectio n ; his hands , fro m time t o time, s tray a ls o over Madame de Sain t-A nge' s behind which is lubricio u s ly tendered h i m ; res t o red a lit tle t o his senses, D o lm ance pro ceeds . ) But why should we not put this sub lime i d e a into execution ?
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Eugen i e , I detested my mother quite as much a s you hate yours, and I hesitated not.
EUGENIE-Th e means have been l acking to me.
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE-The courage, rather.
E UGENIE-Ala s ! still so young.
240 + THE MARQ t IS DE SADE
DOLMANCE-But, Eugenie, now what would you do ?
E UGENIE-Everything . . . only show me the way and you'll see I
DOLMANCE-I t wi ll be shown you , Eugen i e , I p romise i t ; but the reunto , I put a condi :ion.
E UGENIE-And w.1 a t is i t ? or rather what i s the condition I am not ready to accep t ?
DOLMANcE-Come, my rascal, come into my a rms : I can hold o ff no longer ; your charming behind must be the price o f the gi ft I promise you , one crim e has got to pay for another. Come hither ! . . . nay, both , the two of you , run to drown in floods of fuck the h e avenly fire that blazes in u s 1
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE-I f you please, let us put a l ittle o rder in these revel s ; measure i s requ i red even in the depths of in famy and delirium.
DOLMANCE-N othing easier : the m a j o r obj ect, so i t appears to m e , i s that I discharge the while giving this charming girl all possible pleasure : I am going to insert my prick in her ass ; mean while, as she reclines i n �TOur arms you will frig h e r ; do your utmost ; by means of the position I place you in, she will be able to retaliate i n kind ; you will kiss on e another. After a few runs into this child ' s ass, we w i l l vary the pic tu re : I w i l l h a v e you, M a dame, b y t h e ass ; Eugenie, on top o f you, your h e a d between her legs, will present her clitoris to me ; I 'll suck i t : thus I 'll cause her to come a second time. N ext, I will lodge my p rick in her anus ; you will avail me o f your ass, ' twill take the plac e o f the cunt she h a d under my nose, and now you will have a t i : i n the style she will have employed, her h e a d now between your legs ; I'll suck your a sshole as I h ave just sucked h e r cunt, you wil l discharge, so will I, and all the while my hand, embracing the dear sweet pretty li ttle body of this ch arming novice, will go ahead to tickle her clitoris that she too may swoon from delight.
MADAME DE SAI W�-ANGE-Capital, my Dolmance, but will not there be something missing ?
Philosophy in the Bedro o m + 24 1
DOLMANCE-A p r i ck i n my ass ? M a dame, you a re right.
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE-Let's do without i t this morning : we'll have it in the a fternoon : my brother will j oin u s and our pleasures will be a t the i r height. Now l e t ' s to work.
DOLMANCE-I think I 'll have Eugenie frig me for a moment. ( S h e does s o . ) Yes, quite, that' s it . . . a bit more quickly, my h e a rt . . . that rosy head must always be kep t naked, never let it be cover e d over, the more ' ti s kep t taut the more you facilitate the e rection . . . never, you must never cap the p rick you frig . . . 'Tis very well done . . . thus you you rself put into a p rop e r state the memb e r that i s to perforate you . . . . Notice how i t responds, gets sturdily up . . . . Give m e your tongue, li ttle bi tch . . . . Let your ass r e s t on my right hand, while my l e f t goes on to toy with your clitoris .
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE-Eu geni e , would y o u l i k e to cause him to taste the extremest pleasure s ?
E UGENIE-By all means . . . I wish to do everything to give him them.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Why, then take his p rick in your mouth and suck it a few instants.
E UGENI E , does it-Thus ?
DOLMANCE-D elicious mouth I what warmth I Worth a s much to m e as the prettiest ass! . . . Voluptuous, tactful, accomplished woman, never deny your l overs this pleasu r e : ' twill bind them to you forever . . . Ah I by God I ah, by God's own fuck I . . .
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE-My, w h a t blasphemies, my friend.
DOLMANCE-I 'll have you r ass, M a dame, i f you please . . . . Yes, give i t me, l e t m e kiss it while I ' m sucked, and be not a s tonished a t my langu a ge : one o f my l a rgest pleasures i s to swe a r in God' s name when I ' m stiff. It seems then that my spirit, a t such a moment exalted a thousand times more, abhors, scorns this disgusting fiction ; I would like to di scover some way b e tter to revile it o r to outrage i t furth e r ; and when my accursed musings l e a d me to the conviction o f the null i ty of this repulsive obj ect o f my hatred, I am
242 .. THE MARQ U I S DE SADE
i rritated and would ins':antly like to be able to re-edi fy the phantom so that my rage might a t l e a s t fall upon some targe t ; imitate m e , c h a rming women, and y o u w i l l observe such discou rses to increase w i thout fail your sensi )ility . But, by God's very damnation, I say, I ' ve got absolu tely, w,1atever b e my pleasure, I 've got to retire from this celestial mouth . . . else I ' ll leave my fuck in i t ! . . . All right, Eugenie, move ! l e t ' s get on with the scene I p roposed and, the three o f us, l e t ' s be plunged into the most voluptuous drunken ness. ( Th e p o si t i o ns ar,; arranged. )
E UGENIE�Oh , how I fear, dear one, th a t you r e fforts will come to naught! The disproportion i s exceedingly strong.
DOLMANCE-Why , I sodom i z e the very younge st every day ; j u s t yesterday a little : a d o f seven was deflowered by that p ri ck , and in l e s s t h a n t h r e e m i n u t e s . . . . C o u r a g e , Eugeni e , courage ! . . .
E UGENIE-Oh ! y,)u' r e tearing me !
MADAME DE SAIN f-ANGE-A li ttl e management there, Dol mance ; rememb e r , I am responsible for the creature.
DOLMANCE-Ther. frig her, M adame, she'll feel the pain less ; b u t there ! 'tis s ai d , ' ti s done ! I'm in up to the hilt.
E UGENIE-Oh heaven ! i t i s not without trouble . . s e e the swe a t on my forehead, :lear friend . . . . Ah I God, I 've never under gone such a gonies I . . .
MADAME D E SAINT-ANGE-Yet there you are, de ar heart, h a l f deflowered, there you a r e , a r rived a t a woman' s estate ; 'tis well worth purchasing the g: ory at the cost o f a l i ttle inconvenienc e ; my fingers then do not soot;1e you at all ?
E UGENIE-Could I have borne it without them ! . . . Ti ckl e away, rub, my angel. . . . I feel i t , impe rceptibly the p a i n meta- morphoses into p l e a su r � . . . . Pu sh, Dolmance ! . . . thrust I thru s t ! oh, I am dying ! . . .
DOLMANCE-O by G o d ' s holy fuck ! thrice bloody fuck o f God ! Let's change ! I 'l l not b,� able to hold . . . your behind, kind l a dy, I b e s e ech you, your ass, quick, place yourself as I told you . ( Shift of a t t i tude, a n d D o lm tl n re g o es o n . ) 'Tis e a s i e r so . . . how my
Philosophy in the B edro o m + 243
p rick p e n e t r a t e s . . . b u t , M a d a m e , t h i s n o b l e a s s i s n o t t h e l e s s d e l i c i o u s f o r t h a t . . . .
E UG E N I E-Am I as I s h o u l d be, Dolm ance?
DOLMANc E-Admi rably ! I ' ve go t this l i ttle virgin cunt all to my s e l f , d e l i c i o u s . Oh, I'm a gui l ty o n e , a v i l l a i n , indeed I know i t ; such c h a rm s w e r e n o t m a d e f o r my e y e s ; b u t the d e s i r e to p r ovide t h i s c h i l d w i th a fi rm g r o u n d i n g i n voluptu o u s n e s s over sh a d ows e v e ry o t h e r consi d e r a t i o n . I w a n t to m a k e h e r fuck to fl o w , if ' t i s p o s s i b l e I w a n t to exh a u s t h e r , d r i n k h e r dry . . . . ( He sucks h er. )
E U G E N I E-Thi s p l e a su r e will k i l l m e , I c a n ' t r e si s t it ! . . .
MADAM E DE SAI NT-ANGE-T ' m coming, I s a y ! Oh fuck ! . • . fuck ! . . . Dolmance, I ' m d i s c h a rging ! . . .
EUGENIE-And I too, my d a rl i n g ! O h , my G o d , h o w h e d o e s suck m e ! . . .
MADAME D E SAI NT-ANGE-Then swe a r , l i ttle w h o r e , curse ! . . . Then c ry a n o a th ! . . .
E UG E N I E-Al l right t h e n , d a mn t h e e ! I d i s c h a rge I Damn t h e e ! . . . I a m s o swe e tl y drunk ! . . .
DOLMANC E-To your p o s t ! . . . Take up y o u r s t a tion I . . . Eugeni e ! . . . I 'l l b e t h e dup e o f t h e s e h a n d l i ngs a n d s h i f t s . ( Eugenie ass u m e s her place . ) Ah, go o d ! h e r e a g a i n a m I, at my original p l a c e a n d a b o d e ... e xh i b i t y o u r asshole, M a d a m e , I ' l l pump i t at my l e i s u r e . . . . O h , bu t I love t o k i s s a n a s s I ' ve just l e ft o ff fucking . . . . Ah I l i ck up mine , do you h e a r , w h i l e I d rive my s p e rm deep h o m e into y o u r frie n d ' s . . . . Woul d s t b e l i eve it, M a d ame? in i t go e s , a n d this tim e e ff o r tl e s sl y ! Ah, fuck I fuck ! you've n o i d e a how it s qu e e z e s , h o w s h e c l a m p s m e I Holy fri ggi ng God, what e c s t a s y ! . . . O h , ' tis t h e r e , ' t i s d o n e , I r e s i s t n o l o n g e r . . . fl o w I my fl u i d fl ows ! . . . a n d I die ! . • •
E UG E N I E-He c a u s e s m e to d i e a l s o , my frien d , I swea r i t t o you . . . .
MADAME D E SAI NT-ANGE-T h e wench ! h o w p romptly s h e' s taken t o i t !
244 .. T H E MA R Q U I S DE SADE
DOLMA N c E-Y e s , bt t I know countl e s s girl s of h e r a ge nothing o n e a rth could f o r c e to take their p l e a su r e o t h e r w i s e ; 'tis only the first encounter t h a t t a x e s ; a w o m a n h a s no s o o n e r tried that sauce a n d she'll eat n o other co okery . . . . Oh h e a v e n s ! I 'm s p e n t ; let me g e t my breath, a few m o m e n t s ' r e s p i t e , p l e a s e .
MADAME DE SAI NT-A NGE-T h e r e they a r e , m y d e a r : m e n . A gl ance at u s , no m o r e , a n e t h e i r d e s i r e s a r e s a t i s fi e d ; the subsequent a n n i h i l a ti o n c o n du c t s then to d i s gu s t , s o o n to contemp t .
DOLMA N C E , c o 0 lly- Why, w h a t a n i n s u l t , h e a venly c r e a tu r e ! ( They e m brace . ) T h e o n e a n d t h e o t h e r o f you a r e m a d e f o r n a u g h t b u t h o m a g e s , w h a tever b e the s t a t e w h e r e i n o n e fi n d s o n e s e l f .
M A D A M E DE SAI NT-f,NGE- C O n s o l e y o u r s e l f , Eugen i e ; w h i l e th e y m a y h a v e acqui r e d the r i g h t to n e glect u s b e c a u s e t h e y a r e s a t e d , h av e we n o t i n t h e s a m e w ay t h a t to s c o r n t h e m , when t h e i r c o n d u c t b i d s u s to i t ? I f T i b e r i u s s a c r i fi e d to C a p r e a the obj e c t s t h a t h a d j u s t a p p e a s e d h : s hungers,4 Zingu a , Afric a ' s qu e e n , a l s o i m m o l a t e d h e r l o v e r s . 5
DOLMAN C E-Such e xc e s s e s , p e r fectly s i m p l e a n d very in t e l l i gi b l e to m e , d o u b tl e s s , a l l t h e same ought never be commi tted amongst o u r s e l v e s : "vVol v e s a r e s a fe in t h e i r own company , " a s t h e p r overb h a s i t , a n d trivi a l though i t m a y b e , ' t i s tru e . My f r i e n d s , d r e a d n o t h i n g f rom m e , e v e r : I ' l l p e r h a p s h a v e you do much t h a t is evi l , b u t never will :: do any to you.
E UGENI E-N 0 , my d e a r , I dare b e held answerable f o r i t : n e v e r w i l l Dolmance abm e the p r i v i l e g e s we g r a n t h i m ; I b e l i e v e h e h a s t h e rou e' s p ro b i ty : i t i s the b e s t ; bu t l e t u s b r i n g o u r t e a c h e r b a ck to h i s t h e o r e m s a n d , b e f o r e o u r s e n s e s s u b s i d e i n to c a l m , l e t u s r e t u r n , I b e g o f y o u , to t h e gre a t d e s i gn t h a t i n fl a m e d u s b e fo r e .
MADAME DE SAI NT-A N G E-W h a t , d o s t t h i n k y e t on t h a t ? I t h o u g h t ' t w a s no m o r e t h a n a l i ttle i n t e l l e c t u a l e ff e rvescence.
E U G E N I E-I t is t h e n o s t certain impulse o f my heart, a n d I ' ll not b e content t i l l the c r i m � i s d o n e .
� S e e Suetonius and D i o n C as s i u of N i c a e a . � S e e the History of Zingua, Q u . -en of Ang ola.
Philo s ophy in the Bedro o m -+ 2 4 5
MADAME D E SAINT-A NGE-O h s p l e n did ! s p l e n d i d I Let h e r o ff , though ; c o n s i d e r : s h e is your m o t h e r.
E UG E N I E-No b l e title I
DOLMANc E-Sh e is righ t : did this m o t h e r think o f Eu genie when she b r o u g h t her into the world? The j a d e let h e r s e l f b e fuck e d because s h e f o u n d i t a g r e e a b l e , b u t s h e w a s v e r y f a r f r o m h aving this daughter in min d . Let h e r a c t a s s h e sees fi t with what regards h e r m o t he r ; let's allow h er compIete f r e e d o m a n d w e ' l l b e content to a ss u r e her t h a t , w h a teve r b e the extreme l e n gth s s h e g o e s t o , n e v e r will s h e r e n d e r h e r s e l f guilty o f a n y evil .
E UG E N I E-I a b h o r h e r , I d e t e s t h e r , a thou s a n d c a u s e s j u s ti fy my h a t e ; I ' ve g o t to h ave h e r life a t no m a t t e r w h a t the cost I
DO LMANc E-Very well, since your r e solve is u n s h ak a b l e , you'll b e s a ti s fi e d , Eu geni e , I give you my o a t h ; but p e rmit m e a few words o f a dvice whic h , before you a c t , a r e of the u tmos t n e c e s sity. N eve r l e t your s e c r e t go o u t of your m o u t h , my d e a r , a n d a l w a y s act a l o n e : n o thing i s m o r e d a n g e r o u s t h a n a n a ccomplic e : l e t us always b e w a r e of even t h o s e whom we t hink m o s t closely a tt a c h e d t o u s : "One m u s t , " wrote M a ch i av e l l i , " e i th e r h a v e no c o n f e d e r a t e s , o r disp a tc h them a s soon as one has m a d e use o f t h e m . " N o r is t h a t all : guil e , E u genie , guil e i s indisp e n s a b l e to t h e p roj e c t s you a r e fo rmin g. M ove cl o s e r t h a n eve r to your victim b e fo r e d e s t r oyin g h e r ; h ave the l o o k of symp a thy for h e r , s e e m to console h e r ; c a j o l e h e r , p a rtake of h e r s u ff e rings, swe a r you wor ship h e r ; do yet m o r e : p e r s u a d e her of i t : deceit, in such ins t a n c e s , c a n n o t b e c a r ri e d too f a r . N e ro c a r e s s e d Agrip pin a u p o n th e deck of the very b a rk with which she was to b e e n gu l fe d : imit a t e his examp l e , use a l l the knavery, a l l t h e imp o s tu r e you r b r ain can in vent. T o lie i s always a n e c e s si ty fo r women ; a bove a l l when they choo s e t o deceive, f a l s e h o o d b e c o m e s vital to t h e m .
E UG E N I E-Th o s e instruction s w i l l b e rememb e r e d a n d , n o d o u b t , p u t i n to e ff e c t ; but l e t u s d e l v e deep e r into t h i s d e c e i t whose usage you recommend to women ; think you then that i t is absolu tely e s s e n t i a l in this world?
246 + T H E MARQUI S DE SADE
DOLMANCE-Without h e s i tation I say I know of nothing more necessary i n l i fe ; one certain truth shall prove i ts indispensa bil i ty : everyone employs i t ; I ask, in the light o f that, how a sincere individual will not always founder in the midst of a society o f false people. Now, i f ' tis true , as they decl a r e , th at virtues a r e of some u s e fulness in civil life, how would you have someone unprovided with e i th e r will, o r power, or the gift o f any virtu e , which is the case with many p e rsons , how, I ask you, would you have i t tha t such a p e rsonage be n o t essenti ally obliged to feign, to dissemble, in order to obtain, in his tu rn, a li ttle po rtion o f the happiness his competitors seek to w re s t away from him ? And , in effect, i t i s very surely virtue, or might it not be the appearance of virtue, which r eally becomes necessary to social man ? Let's not doubt th at the appea rance alone is quite sufficient to him : he has got that, and he possesses all he needs. Since one does nothing in this world but pinch, rub, and elbow others, is it not enough that they display their skin to u s ? Let u s mo rec,ver b e well persuaded that o f the practice o f virtue we can at the " e ry most say that it is h a rdly useful save to him who has i t ; others reap so li ttle therefrom that so long as the man who must live amongst oth e r men appears virtuous , i t m a tters n o t i n t h e slight,!s t whether h e is so in fact or not. Deceit, fu rthermore, i s almost a' ways an assured means to success ; h e who possesses deceit necessa rily begins with an a dvantage over who soever has commerce O t correspondence with him : dazzling him wi th a false exte rior, hI: gains h i s confidence ; convince others to place trust in you, and you have succeeded. I p e rceive someone has deceived me, I have only myself to blame ; and he who has conned m e has done so all the more p r e ttily i f because o f pride I make n o compl aint and bear i t all nobly ; his a scendancy over me will always b e p ronounce d ; he will be right, I wrong ; he will a dvance, I 'll recede ; h e i s great, I am nothing ; h e will b e enriched, I ruined ; in a word, always above m e , he'll straightway captu r e public opinion ; once arrived th e r e , useless for me to inculpate him, I 'll simply not b e heard ; and so boldly and uncea singly we'll give our selves over to the most infamous dece i t ; let us behold i t a s the key to every grace, every favor, all reputation, all riches, and by means of the keen p l easure o f acting villainously, let u s placate the l ittle twinge our conscience fed s at having manufactu r e d dupes.
Philos ophy in the B e dro o m + 247
M A D A M E DE S A I NT-ANG E-H a v i n g t h e r e i n fi n i tely m o r e on t h e m a t t e r t h a n , s o it a p p e a r s t o m e , i s n e e d e d , Eugeni e , well con vinced, ought a l so to b e r e a s s u r e d , e n c o u r a ge d : s h e will t a k e a c t i o n w h e n s h e p l e a s e s . W e h a d n o w b e t t e r r e s u m e o u r d i s s e r t a t i o n s u p o n m e n ' s v a r i o u s l i b e rt i n e c a p r i ce s ; t h e fi e l d s h o u l d b e v a s t ; l e t ' s su rvey i t ; w e ' v e j u s t i n i t i a t e d o u r s t u d e n t i n to a f e w o f th e p r a c t i c e ' s mysteri e s , l e t ' s n o t n e g l e c t t h e o ry.
DOLMANCE-T h e l i b e r t i n e d e t a i l s of m a scul i n e p a s s i on s , M a d a m e , h ave l i ttl e t h e r e i n to p r o v i d e s u i t a b l e s t u ff f o r t h e i n struction of a g i r l w h o , l i k e E u gen i e , i s n o t d e s t i n e d f o r t h e whoring p ro fe s s i o n ; s h e w i l l m a rry and, sllc h being t h e hyp o t h e s i s , o n e may s take t e n t o o n e o n i t , her h u s b a n d w i l l h a v e n o n e of t ho s e inclina t i o n s j h o w e v e r , w e r e h e t o h a ve th e m , her wiser c o n d u c t is r e a dily to b e d e s c r i b e d : m u c h gentl e n e s s , a r e a d i n e s s e v e r t o comply, good hum o r ; o n t h e o t h e r h a n d , m u c h d e c e i t and a m p l e but covert com p e n s a ti o n : those f e w words c o n t a i n it a l l . However, were you , Eugen i e , to d e s i re s o m e a n a l y s i s o f m e n ' s p r e fe r e n c e s w h e n they r e s o r t to l i b e r t i n a g e , w e m i gh t , iin o r d e r most lucidly to e x a m i n e t h e q u e s t i o n , g e n e r a l l y r e d u c e t h o s e t a s t e s to t h r e e : s o do my, sac rilegious fancies, a n d pench a n ts to cru elty. The fi r s t o f t h e s e p a s s i on s i s u n i v e r s a l t o d a y ; to w h a t we h a v e a l r e a dy s a i d u p o n i t , w e s h a l l j o i n a f e w c h o i c e r e fl e c t i o n s . I t divi d e s i n t o t w o cl a s s e s , a c t i v e a n d p a s s i v e : t h e m a n who e m b u g g e r s , b e i t a b o y , b e i t a w o m a n , a c q u i t s h i m s e l f o f a n a c tive s o d om i z a ti o n j h e i s a p a ss i v e s o d o m i t e when h e h a s h i m s e l f bugge r e d . The q u e s t i o n h a s o ften b e e n r a i s e d , w h i c h o f t h e t w o f a s h i o n s o f s o d o m i s t i c b e h a v i o r i s t h e m o r e volup t u ou s ? a s s u r e dly, ' t i s t h e p a ss i v e , s i n c e o n e e n j o y s a t a s i ngle s t ro k e the s e n s a t i o n s o f b e f o r e a n d b e h i n d ; it is s o sweet to change s e x , s o d e l i c i o u s to c o u n t e r f e i t t h e whore, t o give o n e s e l f to a m a n who t r e a t s u s a s i f we w e r e a w o m a n , to c a l l th a t m a n o n e ' s p a r a m o u r , t o avow o n e s e l f h i s m i s t r e s s ! A h ! my f r i e n d s , w h a t volup tuousn e s s ! B u t , Eugeni e , we s h a l l l i m i t o u r s e l v e s h e r e to a f e w d e t a i l s of a d v i c e r e l a t i n g only to women w h o , t r a n s fo r m i n g t h e m s e l v e s i n t o m e n , w i s h , l i k e u s , t o enj o y t h i s d e l i c i o u s p l e a s u r e . I h a v e j u s t f a m i li a r i z e d y o u with tho s e a t tacks, Eugen i e , a n d I h a v e o b s e r v e d e n o u g h to b e p e r s u a d e d you will o n e o f t h e s e d ays m a k e a d m i r a b l e p r o g r e s s i n t h i s c a r e e r ; I exho r t you to p u r s u e i t d i l i gently
2 4 8 .. T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
as one of the m o s t d e l i g h t fu l of the C y t h e r e a n i s l e , and a m p e r f e c tl y s u r e you w i l l follow my counsel. I ' l l r e s t r i c t m ys e l f to two or three sugge s t i o n s e s s en t i a l t o e v e ry p e r son d e t e r m i n e d hence forth to know none but l h e s e p l e a su r e s o r o n e s a n a l o g o u s . Fi rst of all, b e m i n d ful also of YC1u r s e l f , i n s i s t y o u r c l i t o r i s be frigged w h i l e you a r e b e i n g bu gge r e d : n o t w o t h i n g s h a rm o n i z e so s w e e tly a s d o t h e s e t w o p l e a su r e s ; a v o i d a d o u c h e , l e t t h e r e b e n o rubbing u p o n the s h e e t s , n o w i p i n g w i t h towel s , when you h a v e j u s t b e e n fuck e d i n t h i s s ty l e ; ' t i s a goo :l i d e a to h a v e t h e b r e e c h o p e n always ; w h e r e o f r e s u l t d e s i r e s , a 1 d t i t i l l a ti on s w h i c h s o o n obvi a t e any con c e r n f o r t i d i n e s s ; t h e r e is no i m a g i n i n g to what p o i n t t h e s e n s a ti o n s a r e p ro l o n g e d . Pr i o r t o s o d o m i t e a m u s e m e n t s r e m e m b e r to a v o i d a c i d s : they a g g r a v a te h a l � m o r r h o i d s and r e n d e r i n troductions p a i n ful : do n o t p e rm i t s e v e r a l m e n to d i s c h a rge o n e a f t e r t h e o t h e r i n to yo u r a s s : t h i s m i x tl re o f s p e r m s , h o w e v e r i t m a y exc i t e t h e i m a g i n a t i o n , i s n e v e r b e n e fi c i a l a n d o ften d a n g e r o u s to t h e h e al t h ; a l w a y s r i d you r s el f o f e a , : h e m i s s i o n b e f o r e a l l o w i n g the next to b e d e p o s i t e d .
E UGENIE-B u t i f t h e y w e r e to b e m a d e i n my c u n t , s h o u l d th a t p u r g i n g n o t b e a c r i rr e ?
MADAME DE SAI NT-A NGE-I m a gi n e n o t h i n g o f t h e s o r t , s w e e t l i ttle fool ; t h e r e i s not t� e l e a s t w r o n g i n d i v e r t i n g a m a n ' s s e m e n i n t o a d e t o u r by o n e m e a n s o r by a n o t h e r , b e c a u s e p r o p a ga ti o n i s i n n o w i s e the obj ective o f N' a t u r e ; s h e m e rely tol e r a t e s i t ; f r o m h e r viewp o i n t , the l e s s we p r o p a g a t e , t h e b e t t e r ; a n d when w e a v o i d i t a l t o g e t h e r , th a t ' s b e s t o f a l l . E u g en i e , b e t h e i m p l a c a b l e enemy o f thi s w e a r i s o m e c h i l d-getting, a n d even ill m a r r i a g e i n c e s s a ntly d e fl e c t that p e r fi di o u s l i qu o r whose v e g e t a t i o n s e rv e s only to s p o i l o u r fi gu r e s , w h i c h d e a dens o u r voluptuous s e n s a t i o n s , w i t h e r s u s , a g e s a n d m a k e s u s f a d e a nd d i s tu r b s o u r h e a l th ; g e t you r h u s b a n d to a ccustom h i m s e l f to t h e s e l o s s e s j e n t i c e h i m i n to t h i s o r t h a t p a s s a g e , l e t h i m b u s y h i m ; e l f t h e r e a n d thu s k e e p h i m from m a k i n g h i s o ff e r i n g s a t t h e templ e ; tell h i m you d e t e s t c h i l d r e n , p o i n t o u t the a d v a n t a g e s o f h a v i n g n on e . Keep a c l o s e w a tc h o v e r you r s e l f i n t h i s a rt i c l e , my d e a r , f ' J r , I d e cl a r e to you, I h o l d gen e r a ti o n i n s u c h h o r r o r I sho u l d c e a s e : to b e y o u r f r i e n d t h e instant y o u w e r e t o b e c o m e p r egn a n t . I f , h o w e v e r , t h e m i s fortune d o e s occur, w i thout
Philo sophy in the Bedro o m + 2 4 9
you r s e l f h a v i n g b e e n a t f a u l t , n o t i fy m e w i t h i n th e fi r s t s e v e n o r e i gh t w e e k s , a n d I ' l l h a v e i t v e ry n e a tly r e m e d i e d . D r e a d n o t i n f a n t i c i d e ; t h e c r i m e i s i m a g i n a r y : w e a r e always m i s t r e s s o f w h a t we c a rry i n o u r w o m b , a n d w e d o n o m o r e h a rm i n d e stroying t h i s k i n d o f m a t t e r t h a n i n evacu a ti n g a n o th e r , by m e d i c i n e s , w h e n w e f e e l t h e n e e d .
E UG E N I E-But i f the c h i l d i s n e a r t h e h o u r o f i t s b i rth ?
MADAM E DE SAI NT-A NGE-'W e r e i t in the w o r l d , we should s t i l l h a v e t h e right to d e s troy it. In a l l t h e w o r l d t h e r e i s no p r e ro g a t i v e more secure t h a n that of mothers o v e r t h e i r c h i l d r e n . N o r a c e h a s f a i l e d to recogni z e t h i s truth : ' t i s founded i n r e a s o n , c o n s e c r a t e d i n p r i n c i p l e .
DOLMANC E-The r i g h t i s n a tu r a l . . . i t i s i n c o n t e s t a b l e . T h e d e i fi c sys t e m ' s extravagance w a s t h e s o u r c e o f e v e ry one o f those g r o s s errors. T h e imbeciles who b e l i eved i n G o d , p e r s u a d e d t h a t o u r e x i s t e n c e i s h a d o f none b u t h i m a n d t h a t i m me d i a tely a n embryo b e g i n s to m a t u r e , a l i t tl e s o u l , e m a n a t i o n of G o d , c o m e s s t r a i ghtway to a n i m a t e i t ; these f o o l s , I say, a. s s u r e dly h a d t o r e g a r d a s a c a p i t a l c r i m e t h i s small c r e a tu r e ' s u n d o i n g , b e c a u s e , a c c o r d i n g t o t h e m , i t no l o n g e r b e l o n g e d to m e n . 'Tw a s Go d ' s w o rk ; ' tw a s G o d ' s own : d i s p a tc h i t w i tho u t c r i m e ? N o . S i n c e , however, t h e t o r c h o f p h i l o s ophy h a s d i s s i p a te d a l l t h o s e i m p o s tu r e s , s i n c e , the c e l e s t i a l c h i m e r a h a s b e e n tumbl e d i n the du s t , s i n c e , b e t t e r i n s t ructed o f p h y s i c s ' l a w s a n d s e c r e t s , we have e v o l v e d t h e p r i n c i p l e o f gene r a ti o n , a n d now t h a t t h i s m a t e r i a l m e c h a n i s m offers nothing m o r e a s toni s h i n g to t h e eye than the development o f a g e r m o f w h e a t , w e h a v e b e e n c a l l e d b a ck to N a t u r e a n d away from h u m a n e r r o r . A s w e h a v e b r o a de n e d t h e h o r i z on o f o u r r i g h t s , w e h a v e r e c o gn i z e d t h a t we a r e p e rfectly f r e e to take b a ck what w e only gave up r e l u c t antly, o r by a c c i d e n t , a n d t h a t i t i s i m p o s s i b l e to d e m a n d o f any i n d i v i d u a l whomsoever that h e b ecome a father o r a m o t h e r a g a i n s t his will ; that this c r e a tu r e w h e th e r m o r e o r less o n e a rth is n o t of v e ry much con s e qu e n c e , and t h a t we b e c o m e , in a w o r d , as c e r t a i nl y the m a s t e r s o f t h i s m o r s e l o f fl e s h , however i t b e a n i m a t e d , a s w e a r e o f the nails w e pare from o u r fi n g e r s , o r t h e excrements w e e l i m i n a t e t h r o u g h o u r bowel s , b e c a u s e the o n e a n d t h e o t h e r a r e o u r own, a n d
2 5 0 + THE MARQUI:; DE SADE
because we a r e absolute proprietors of wh a t emanates from u s . Having had elaborated fo r you, Eugenie, t h e v e ry mediocre im p o rtance the act o f murd.!r has here on ea rth, you have been obliged to see o f what sli ght consequence, similarly, must be everything that has t o do with childbearing even if the act i s p e rpetrated against a p e rson who has a rrived a t the age o f reason ; unnecessary to em broider upon i t : you r b igh intelligence adds its own a rguments to support my proofs. Peruse the histo ry of the manner o f all the worl d ' s peoples and you will unfailingly see that the practice is global ; you will finally ")e convinced that i t would be sheer im becility to accord a very indifferent action the title o f evil.
E UGENI E, firs t t o D 'J lman ce-I cannot tell you to what point you persuade m e . ( No w addressing herself t o Mada m e de S a i n t A nge : ) But tell me, my :nost dear, have you ever had occasion to employ the remedy you p:�opose to me in order internally to destroy the fetus ?
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Twice, and both times with total success ; bu t I mu st admi t I have had recourse to i t only a t preg nancy' s outse t ; however , [ am acquainted with two l a dies who h ave used the same remedy at mid-term, and they a ssure me i t all came out a s happily with them . Should you be in need, count upon me, my dear, but I u rge you never to allow yoursel f to fall into a state of having need. An ounc,: o f prevention . . . But back we go , and on with the lubricious d<tails we have p romised this young l a dy. Pu rsu e , Dolmance ; we've reached the sacrilegious fanci es.
DOLMANCE-I suppose Eugeni e i s sufficiently disabused on the score o f religious e rrors to b e intima tely persuaded that sporting with the obj ects of fools' p i e ty can have no sort o f consequence. S a crilegious fancies have :;0 li ttle substance to them that indeed they cannot heat any but thos e very youth ful minds gladdened by any rup ture of restraint ; ' ti s nere a kind of p etty vindictiveness which fi res the imagination and which, very p robably, can provoke a moment o r two of enj oymen t ; but these delights, it would seem to m e , must become insipid and cold when one is of an a ge to under stand and to be convinced of the nullity of the obj ects of which the i dols we j ee r at are but meager likenesses. The profanation of
Philos o phy in the Bedro o m 4 2 5 1
relics, the images o f saints, the host, the crucifix, all that, in the philosopher's view can amount to no more than the degra dation o f a p agan statue. Once your scorn h a s condemned those execrable baubles, you mu st l e ave them to contemp t , a n d forget them j 'tis not wise to preserve anything fo r all that but blasphemy, not that blasphemy has much meaning, for a s of the moment God does not exist, what' s the use o f insulting his name ? but it i s essential to p ronounce h a r d and foul words during pleasure's intoxication, and the language of b l a sphemy very well serves the imagination. Be u tte rly unsp a ring j b e lavish i n your expressions ; they must scan dalize to the l a s t degree ; fo r ' tis sweet t o scandali z e : causing scandal fl a tters one's pride, a n d though this b e a minor triumph, 'tis not to be disdained ; I say it openly, Mesdames , such i s one of my secret delights : few are the moral pleasures which more actively affect my imagination. Try it, Eugenie, and you shall see what results from it. Above all, labor to a rticul ate a prodigious impiety when you find yourself with pe rsons of you r own age who yet vegetate i n sup erstition's twilight ; p a rade you r debauchery , an nounce your libertinage ; a ffect a whorish air, let them spy you r breast when you go with them into secluded places, garb yourself indecently ; fl auntingly expose the most intimate p a rts o f your body ; require o f your friends that they do the same ; seduce them, l ecture them, cause them to see what i s ridiculous in their p rejudices ; put them eye to eye with what is called evil ; in the i r comp any swe a r like a troop er j if they are younger than you , take them by force, ply them with examples o r with counsel s , entertain them with all you can think of tha t is, i n a word, most apt to pervert them, thuswise corrupt them ; similarly, b e extremely free with men ; display irre ligion and impudence to them ; f a r from taking umbrage a t the liberties they will take, mysteriou sly grant them eve rything which can amuse them without compromising yoursel f ; let yourself be handled by them, frig them, get yourself frigged ; yes, go even so far as to lend them you r ass ; but, since the fictitious honor o f women i s bound up with their anterior integrity, be i n a less willing humo r to have i t demolished ; once married, secure a l a ckey, n o t a lover, or pay a few reliable young men : from th ere on, all i s to be masked, and i s ; no more peril to your reputation and without anyone ever
2 5 2 .. THE MAR Q UI S DE SADE
h aving been able to sl spect you, you have l e a rned the art of doing wha tever you please. Let u s move on.
C ruel pleasures comprise the third sort we promised to ana lyze . This variety is t oday exceedingly common amongst men, and here is the a rgument they employ to j u stify them : we wish to be roused, stirred, they lay, ' ti s the aim o f every man who pursues pleasure, and we waul j be moved by the most active means. Taking our dep a r ture from :his point, it i s not a qu estion o f knowing whether our proceedings please or displease the obj ect that serves us , it i s purely a qu e� tion o f exposing our nervous system to the most violent possible shock ; now, there i s no doubt that we are much more keenly affected by p a i n than by pleasure : the reve rbe ra tions th a t result i n m when the sensation of pain i s p roduced i n o t h e r s w i l l essenti ally be o f a m o r e vigorous character, m o r e in cisive, will more ener getically resound i n us, will put the animal spirits more violently into ci rcu l a tion and these, di recting them selves toward the nether regions by the retrograde motion essen tial to them, instant! Y" will i gn i te the o rgans o f voluptuou sness and dispose them to pleasure. Pleasure's effects, i n women , are always uncertain ; oft en dis appointing ; i t i s , furthermo re, very d i ffi cult for an old o r an u gly man to p roduce them. When i t does h appen that they are p roduced, they are feeble, and the nervous concussions fainter ; hence, pain must be preferred, for pain's telling effects cannot deceive, and i ts vibrations are more powerful . But, one may obj ect to men infatu a ted by this mania, this pain i s a ffl i ctive t o one's fellow ; i s i t chari table t o d o others ill for the sake of delighting onesel f i I n answer thereto, the rascals reply that, accustomed i n the ple asu re-taki ng act to thinking exclu sive ly o f themselves and accounting others a s nothing, they are persuaded th a t i t i s enti rely reasonable, i n accordance with natural impul sion s , t o p r e f e r w h a t they f e l to w h a t they d o not feel. \V h a t , they d a r e a sk, w h a t do these p a n s occa sioned in others d o to us ? H u r t u s ? N o ; on the contrary , we have j u s t demonstra ted that from their production there resu lts a sensation delightful to us. Fo r what reason then ought we to go so ftly with a n individual who feels one thing while we feel an :>ther ? Why should we spare him a torment th a t will cost us never a tear, when i t is certain that from thi s
Philo s ophy in the B edro o m .. 2 5 3
su ff e r i n g a v e ry g r e a t p l e a su r e for u s will b e born ? H a v e w e ever felt a s i n gl e n a tu r a l impul s e a dv i s i n g u s to prefer others to o u r selve s , a n d i s e a ch of us n o t a l o n e , a n d f o r h i msel f in t h i s w o rl d ? ' T i s a very f a l s e tone you u s e when you s p e a k to us of t h i s N a tu r e w h i c h yo u i n t e r p r e t a s t e l l i n g u s n o t t o d o to o t h e r s w h a t w e would n o t h a v e done to u s ; such s tu ff n e v e r c a m e b u t from t h e lips of m e n , and w e a k m e n . Never doe s a s trong m a n take i t i n to his h e a d to s p e a k t h a t l a ngu a g e . They w e r e t h e fi r s t C h r i s t i a n s w h o , d a i ly p e r s ecuted on a c c o u n t of the i r r i diculous d o c t r i n e , u s e d to cry a t whosoever c h o s e to h e a r : " Do n ' t burn u s , do n ' t fl ay u s ! Na ture s ays o n e m u s t n o t do u n to o thers th a t which u n to o n es e lf o n e wo uld n o t h ave d o n e I " Fools I H o w could N a tu r e , who always u rges u s to d e l i g h t i n o u r s e l v e s , w h o never implants i n u s o t h e r i n s t i n c t s , o t h e r n o t i o n s , o t h e r i n s p i r a t i o n s , h o w could N a tu r e , the next m o m e n t , assure u s that w e must n o t , h oweve r , d e c i d e to love o u r selves i f t h a t m i g h t c a u s e o th e r s p a i n ? Ah ! b e l i eve m e , Eugen i e , beli eve m e , N a tu r e , m o t h e r to u s all, n e v e r s p e a k s to u s s a v e o f o u r s el ve s ; n o t h i ng h a s m o r e o f t h e e g o i s t i c t h a n h e r m e s s a ge , and . w h a t w e recogn i z e most c l e a rly therein is t h e immutable a n d s a c r e d counsel : p r e f e r t h y s e l f , l o v e thy s e l f , n o m a t t e r a t w h o s e exp en s e . B u t t h e o t h e r s , they s a y to y o u , m ay a v e n g e themselves . . . . Let th em ! t h e m i g h t i e r will v a n qu i s h ; h e w i l l b e r i g h t . Very w e l l , t h e r e i t i s , t h e p r i m i tive s t a te o f p e r p e t u a l s t r i fe a n d d e s t r u c t i o n f o r wh i c h N a tu r e ' s h a n d c r e a t e d u s , a n d w i th i n w h i c h a l o n e i t i s o f a dvantage to h e r th a t w e r e m a i n .
Th u s , my d e a r Eugen i e , i s t h e m a n n e r o f t h e s e p ersons ' a r gu ing, a n d f r o m my e xp e r i ence a n d studi e s I m a y a d d t h e reunto t h a t c r u e l ty, very f a r from b e i n g a v i c e , i s t h e fi r s t s e n t i m e n t N a tu r e inj e cts i n u s a l l . The i n f a n t b r e a k s h i s toy, b i t e s h i s n u r s e ' s b r e a s t , strangles h i s c a n a ry l o n g b e fo r e h e i s able t o r e a s o n ; c r u e l ty i s s t a m p e d i n a n i m a l s , i n whom, a s I think I h av e s a i d , N a tu r e ' s l a w s a r e m o r e e m p h a ti c ally to b e r e a d t h a n i n o u r s elves ; c r u e l ty exi sts amongst savages, s o much nearer t o N a tu r e t h a n civili z e d m e n a r e ; a b s u r d t h e n to m a i n t a i n cruelty i s a c o n s e qu e n c e of d e p r a v i ty . I rep e a t , t h e d o c t r i n e i s f a l s e . C r u e l ty is n a tu r a l . All of us a r e b o r n furn i s h e d with a dose o f c ru e l ty e d u c a t i o n l a t e r m o d i fi e s ; b u t e d u c a t i o n d o e s n o t belong t o N a tu r e , a n d i s a s d e f o r m i n g t o N a-
2 5 4 .. T H E M A R Q l I S DE SADE
tu r e ' s s a c r e d e ff ects a s a r b o r i cul tu re is to t r e e s . In your o r c h a r d s comp a re t h e t r e e a b a n d o n e d to N a tu r e ' s m i n i s t ry with t h e o t h e r y o u r a r t c a r e s f o r , a n d you w i l l s e e w h i c h i s t h e m o re b e a u t i fu l , y o u w i l l di scover from whi,:h you w i l l p l u ck the su p e r i o r fru i t. C ru e l ty i s s i mply the e n e rgy in a m a n civi l i z a t i o n h a s n o t y e t a l t o ge t h e r c o r r u p t e d : t h e r e f o r e i t i s a v i r t u e , n o t a v i c e . R e p e a l your l a w s , d o a w a y w i t h y o u r c o n s t r a i n t s , y o u r c h a s ti s ements, your h a b i t s , a n d c r u e l ty will h a ve danE;erous e ff e c t s no m o r e , s i n c e i t will never m a n i fe s t i ts e l f s a v e when it m e e t s w i t h resistance, and t h e n the coll i s i o n w i l l always b , � b e tween competing cruelt i e s ; i t is i n the civi l i z e d s t a t e cruelty s dangerous, because t h e a s s a u l t e d p e rson n e a rly always l a cks the f o r c e o r the means to repel i nj u ry ; but i n the s t a t e o f uncivi l i z a t i o n , i f c r u e l ty ' s t a r g e t i s strong, h e will repul s e c r u e l ty ; a n d if the p e rson a tt a ck e d i s weak, why, the case h e r e is me rely th a t o f assault u p o n o n e o f those pe rsons whom N a tu r e ' s law p r e s c ri b e s to y i e l d to t h e strong-' t i s a l l one, a n d why s e e k trouble w h e r e t h e r e i s none ?
We may d i s p e n s e w i t h an exp l a n a t i o n o f c r u e l ty in m a n ' s lub r i c i o u s p l e a su r e ; y o t: a l r e a dy h a v e a f a i n t i d e a , Euge n i e , o f t h e s e v e r a l exc e s s e s t h ey t e n d to l e a d to , and you r a rd e n t i m a g i n a tion must e a sily enable you t o u n d e r s t a n d t h a t for a fi rm a n d s t o i c a l s p i r i t , they s h o u l d b e r e s t r i c t e d by no l i m i t s . N e r o , T i b e r i u s , H e l i o g a b o l u s s l a u g h t e r e d t h e i r c h i l d r e n to c a u s e an e r e c t i o n ; M a rechal de Retz, C h a ro l a i s , C o n d e also commi t t e d murders o f debauch ; the first d e cl a r e d upon being q u e s t i o n e d that he knew n o delight m o r e p o w e r ful t h a n the o n e d e r i ved from the t o r t u r e i n fl i c t e d by h i s c h a p l a i n a n d h i m s e l f u p o n i n f a n t s o f e i t h e r s e x . Seven o r e i g h t h u n d r e d s a c r i fi c e d c h i k ren w e r e found i n o n e o f h i s B r eton cha t e a u x . All q u i t e c o n c e i v � . bl e , I ' ve j u s t p roven i t to you. O u r consti tu t i o n , our s c h e m e , our o r g a n s , the flow of l i qu i d s , the a n i m a l s p i r i t s ' e n e rgy, such a r e the phys i c a l c a u s e s w h i c h i n the s a m e h o u r m a k e f o r t h e T i t u s e s a n d the N e r o s , t h e M e s s a l i n a s o r t h e C h a n t a l s ; w e c a n no l o r g e r t a k e p r i d e i n the v i r tue t h a t r e p e n t s o f v i c e , n o m o r e condemn N at u r e f o r having c a u s e d u s t o b e b o r n g o o d t h a n f o r h a v i n g c r e a t e d u s c r i m i n a l : s h e acts i n k e e p i n g w i t h h e r d e s i gn s , h e r v i e w s , h e r n e e d s : l e t u s subm i t to t h e m . And s o I will only e x a m i n e , in w h a t follows, female c r u e l ty, w h i c h is always
Philo sophy in th e B edro o m .. 2 5 5
more active than male, by reason o f the excessive sensibility o f women' s organs.
In general, we distinguish two sorts of cruelty : that resulting from s tupi di ty, which, never reasoned, never analyzed, assimilates the unthinking individual into a ferocious beast : this cruelty affords no pleasure, fo r h e inclined to i t i s i.ncapable o f discrimination ; such a being's brutalities a r e r arely dangerous : it is always e a sy to find p rotection against them ; the other species of cruelty , fruit of extreme organic sensibility, is known only to them who are extremely delicate in their person, and the extremes to which i t drives them are those determined by intelligence and niceness of feeling ; this delicacy, so finely wrought, so sensi tive to impressions, responds above all, best, and immediately to cruelty ; it awakens in cruelty, cruelty liberates it. How few are able to grasp these distinctions ! • . . and how few there are who sense them I They exist nonetheless. N ow, i t i s this second kind o f cruelty you will most often find in women. S tudy them well : you will see whether it i s not their exces sive sensitivity th at leads them to cruelty ; you will see whether i t i s not their extremely active imagination, the acuity o f their in telligence that renders them crimin:al, ferocious ; oh, they are charm ing creatures, every one of them ; and not one of the l o t cannot turn a wise man into a gi ddy fool if she t r i e s ; unhapp ily, the rigidity, or rather the absurdity, of our cu stoms acts as no encouragement to their cruelty ; they are obliged to conceal themselves, to feign, to cove r over their p ropensities with ostensible good and benevolent works which they detest to the depths of the i r soul ; only behind the d a rkest curtain, by taking the greatest precautions, aided by a few dependable friends, a r e they able to surrender to their inclina tions ; and a s there are many o f this sort, so there are m any who are miserabl e . Would you meet them ? Announce a cruel spectacl e , a burning, a battle, a comb a t of gla di a tors, you will s e e droves of them come running ; but these occasions a r e not numerous enough to feed their fu ry : they contai n themselves, and they suffer.
Let's cast a rapid glance a t women of this variety. Zingua, Queen o f Angola, cruelest o f women, killed h e r lovers as soon a s they had h a d their way wi th her ; o ften s h e h a d warriors contend while she looked on and was the victor ' s prize ; to fl atter her ferocious spirit, she h a d every p regnant woman under the age of
2 5 6 .. THE MARQ"C I S DE SADE
thirty ground i n a mortar.6 Zoe, a Chinese emperor's wife, knew n o pleasure equal to what she felt upon witnessing the execution of criminals j wanting these, she h a d slaves put to death , and the while would fuck with her husband, and proportioned her discharges to the anguishes she made these wretches endure. 'Twas she who, s e a rching to improve t he tortures she imposed upon her victims, invented the famous hollow column o f brass one heats a fter having sealed the p a ti ent with n. Theodora, Justinian's wife, amused her s e l f seeing eunuchs m a c e j and M essalina fri gged herself while men were m a sturbated to death before her. The women o f Flo rida cause the i r husband's member to swell and they deposit l i ttle insects upon the glans, which p roduces very horrible agonies j they l e agu e together to p e r fo rm th e operation, several of t h e m a ttacking o n e man i n o r d e r to be m o r e sure o f t h e thing. When t h e Spani ards came, they themselves held the i r husbands while those European barbari ans assassinated them. M e sdames Voisin and l a Branvilliers p o isoned fo r the simple: pleasure o f committing crime. I n a word, h istory furni shes a tho lsand thousand details o f women's cruelty, and it is because of the ntural penchant they have, because o f their instincts for cruelty , th a t I should like to have them become ac customed to active fl agellation, a means by which cruel men appea s e their ferocity. S o m e f( w a m o n g t h e m h a v e t h e habit already, I know, but i t i s not yet in u s e amongst women, a t least to the point I should desire. By means o f this outlet given women' s barbarity, society would have mu ch to gain j for, unable to b e evil in one way, they are i n some other, and, thus broadca sting their poison everywhere about, they cause their husbands and th eir fami l i e s to desp a i r . Th e refu s a l to p erform a good action, when the occasion presents i tself, and th.�t to relieve m i s fo rtune, surely gives con s i derable impetus, if yeu wish, to that ferocity into which certain women natu rally are led, but all thi s is p al e , weak stuff, and o ften falls far short o f the n e e d they have to do yet worse. There would be without doubt other devices whereby woman, a t once sensitive and ferocious, might ca lm her intemperate emotions, but, Eugenie, they are dangerous me ans, and I should n ever dare recommend them to you . . . . But, my stars ! Wh a t i s the matter with you, dear angel ? M adame, look at the state your pupil i s in !
6 S e e the History of Zingua, Queen of Angola, written by a mission ary.
Philos ophy in the Bedro o m + 2 5 7
E UGENI E , frigging h ers elf-Oh Christ! you drive me wild ! See w h a t you r frigging speeches do ! . . .
DOLMANC E-To the rescu e, M a dame, h elp me i f you will ! Are we going to allow this lovely child to discha rge without our a i d ? . . .
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Oh, w h a t an inj ustice ' twould be ! ( Taking Eugen ie in h e r arm s . ) Adorable creature, never have I beheld a sensibil i ty like yours, never so deli ghtful a mind ! . . .
DOLMANc E-Take care o f the fore-end, M a dame, I am going to glide over t h i s p r etty li ttle a sshole with my tongu e , and give her a few light slaps on these cheeks ; she must be m a de to discharge at least seven o r eight times in this manner.
E UGENIE, wild-ey ed, b eside h erself-Ah , by fuck ! i t won' t b e difficu lt!
DOLMAN CE-In your p resent posture, ladies, you might be able to suck my p rick, one a fter the other ; thus excited, I could with much more energy a dvance to our charming pup i l ' s pleasures.
E UGENIE-My d e a r , I dispute with you the honor o f sucking this noble prick. (She s eizes i t . )
DOLMANCE-Oh, w h a t delights I what voluptuous warmth ! Eugen i e , will you b ehave well at this critical instant ?
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-She'll swallow, oh, I p romise you, she'll swallow i t down ; yet . . . on the other hand, i f she were through childi shness . . . for I do not know w h a t rea son . . . were she to neglect the duties lubricity imposes upon h e r . . .
DOLMANCE, grea tly aro used-I ' d n o t forgive h e r , M a dame, there would b e no p a rdon for h e r ! . . . An exemplary punishment . . . I swe a r to you she'd b e whipped . . . whipped till her blood flowed . . . . Ah, damn the both of you, I discha rge . . . my fuck's coming ! . . . Swallow . . . swallow, Eugen i e , let there not b e one drop lost ! and you, M a dame, look to my ass ; it's r e a dy for you . . . . Do you s e e how i t yawns ? do you not see how i t calls your fingers ? By God's fuck! my ecstasy i s complete . . . drive them in fur ther, to the wrist ! Ah, back on our feet, I can no more . . . this delicious girl h a s sucked me like an angel. . . •
2 5 8 + T H E MARQ l; I S DE SADE
E UG E N I E-My d e a r , m y a d o r a b l e i n s t r u c t o r , not a drop w a s l o s t . K i s s m e , m y l o v e , y o u r f u c k i s n o w i n t h e d e p t h s o f m y b o w el s .
DOLMANcE-Sh e i s d e l i c i o u s . . . a n d h o w t h e w e n c h d i s c h a r g e d ! . . .
MADAME D E SAI �T-ANGE-S h e i s i n u n d a t e d-bu t w h a t ' s t h a t I h e a r ? S o m e o n e k n o c k s ? w h o c a n h a v e c o m e to t r o u b l e u s ? M y b r o t h e r . . . i m p r u d e n t c r e a tu r e !
E UG E N I E-B u t , my d e a r , t h i s i s t r e a s o n !
DOLMANc E-Un p r a l l e l e d , i s i t n o t ? Fe a r n o t , E u geni e , w e l a b o r f o r n a u g h t b u t t o p ro c u r e y o u p l e a s u r e s .
MADAME D E S A I N T-AN G E-An d w e ' l l v e ry s o o n c o n v i n c e h e r o f i t ! C o m e i n , d e a r b ro t h e r , a n d h a v e a l a u g h a t t h i s l i t t l e g i r l ' s shyn e s s ; s h e ' s h i d i n g h a s e l f s o a s n o t to b e s e e n b y y o u .
DIALOGUE THE FOURTH
MADAM E DE SAI NT-ANGE, EUGE N I E , DOLMANCE, LE CH EVALI ER DE M I RVEL
LE C H EVALIER-Lovely Eugen i e , I beg you to be e a sy ; my discretion is entire ; there i s my sister and there my friend, b o th of whom can be held answerable for me.
DOLMANCE-I s e e but one w ay to terminate this ri diculous ceremony : look here, Chevalier, w e are educating this pretty gi rl, w e are teaching her all a l i ttle girl o f her age should know and, the better to i nstruct her, we j oin some p ractice t o theory. She must have a table au dressed for her : i t must feature a prick disch arging, that's where presently we are ; would you like to serve as model ?
LE C H EVALI ER-Surely, the p roposal i s too fl a ttering to re fu se, and M a demoiselle has the charms that will very quickly gu arantee the desired lesson' s effects.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Then let's go on ; to work!
E UGENIE-Oh, indeed, 'tis too much j you abuse my inexperi ence to such a degree . . . but for whom i s Monsieur going to take m e ?
LE C H EVALI ER-For a charming girl, Eugen i e . . . for the most adorable creature I h ave e ve r l a i d eyes o n . ( He kisses h er;
2 5 9
2 6 0 + T H E MARQL I S DE SADE
h is h a n ds rove over he1' charms , ) O h God I what fresh, what sweet a ttractions I , . . enchanting ! . . .
DOLMANcE-Less p r a ttle, Cheval i e r , l e t ' s act inste a d ; I 'll di rect the scene, ' ti s my right ; the obj ect here i s to exhibit to Eugenie the mechanics o f an ej acul a tion ; bu t, since i t should be d i ffi cult for her to obsl�rve such a phenomenon in cold blood, the four o f u s are going to group ours elves close together. You , M a dame , will frig you r friend, I 'll be responsible for the Chevalier. When ' t i s a question o f a man's pollution, he would infini tely prefer to entrust the business to another man, not to a wom an. As a man knows what sui ts himself, so he knows how to manage fo r another . • • . Well, off we go. Pc sitions ! ( They arrange thems elves . )
MADAME D E SAIN1 -ANGE-Are we not too close ?
DOLMANCE, w h o has already go t his h a n ds up o n the Ch evalier -Impossible to be too close, M a dame ; we must have you r fri end' s face and breast inundated by the proofs o f your brothe r ' s virility ; l e t h i m aim a t h e r nose, as the saying goes. M a ster of the pump, I'll d i r ec t the stream i n suh wise she' l l be covered quite absolu tely. M e anwhile, frig her i n every lubricious part o f her body ; Eugen i e , give all o f your imagination up to dwelling u p o n libertinage ' s ulti ma t e extravagances ; think that you are about to see its most splendid mysteries operated before you r very eyes ; cast away every restraint, spurn every O:le : never was modesty a virtue. Had N a tu re desired some p a r t o f o u r body to be hi dden, she would have seen to the matter herself ; hu t she cre a ted us naked ; hence, she wishes that we go naked, and a ll contra ry practice thoroughly outrages her l aws. C hildren, who do not yet have any notion o f pleasure and consequ ently of the necessity to render it more keen by modesty, exhibi t all o f themseh es. One also sometimes meets with a yet strange r cu riosity : there a r e countries wh ere, al though modesty of manners i s not to be er countered, modesty of dress i s in usage. In Tahiti, girls a re clothec , and when one demands it, they strip . . . .
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-What I love about Dolmance i s t h a t he wastes n o t a moment ; a l l t h e while he discourses, observe how h e acts, look how approvingly h e inspects my brothe r ' s superb a s s , how voluptuously he frigs the young m a n ' s handsome prick.
Philos o p hy in the Bedro o m .. 2 6 1
. . . Come, Eugen i e , l e t ' s not ta rry. The r e ' s the pump ' s no zzle in the a i r ; it won ' t b e long b e fo r e we're flooded.
E UGENIE-Oh , dearest friend, what a monstrous memb e r ! . . . I c a n sca rcely g e t m y h a n d around i t ! . . . D e a r G o d , a r e they all a s big as this ?
DOLMANcE-Eugenie , you know that mine is much inferior in s i z e ; such engines are redoubtable for a youngster ; you are fully aware one such as this could not without danger p e rforate you.
E UGENIE , already being frigged by Madame d e Sain t-A nge I ' d brave anything to enj oy i t !
DOLMANcE-And you would b e right : a girl ought never b e terri fi e d by such a thing ; N a ture lends a helping h a n d , a n d the torrents of pleasu r e wherewith sht: overwhelms you soon compen sate the slight inconveniences that p recede them. I have seen girls younger than you sustain still more m a s sy p ricks : w i th courage and patience l i f e ' s greatest obs tacl e s a re surmounted. 'Tis madness to think one must have a child deflowered by only very small pricks. I hold the contrary view, that a virgin should b e deliver e d unto none but the vastest engines to b e had, in order that, the hymeneal li gaments sooner burst, pleasure's sensations can more p romptly occur i n her. To be sure, once l aunched on this diet, she will have much to do to quit i t for another l e ss p i qu ant, more meage r ; but i f she i s wealthy, lovely, a n d youthful, she'll find a s m any o f t h i s s i z e a s she can wish. L e t h e r k e e p h e r w i t s about h e r : should something mediocre be offered her, and should she neverth eless have the desire to make use o f i t, let her put i t i n her a s s .
MADAME D E sAINT-ANGE-Indeed, a n d to be still h a p p i e r , let h e r employ the greater and the lesser a t once ; let the voluptuous j a rs wherewith she will agitate him who encunts her s e rve to p recipi tate the ecstasy o f the other who bugge rs, and, drowned in the fuck of the two , l e t her l o o s e h e r own as she dies of pleasure.
DOLMANCE- ( I t s h o uld b e p o i n ted out t h a t the p o llu tions c o n tinue througho u t all of the dialogu e . ) I t seems to me two or three more pricks should fi gure i n the picture you describe, M a dame ;
2 6 2 .. T H E MARQUIS DE SADE
this woman o f yours O Jght to have, don't you think, a prick in h e r m o u t h and anoth e r in each hand ?
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-She migh t have some clapped under her a rmpits and a few in her hair, i f i t were possible she ought to have thi rty ranged rot: nd h e r ; under such ci rcumstances, one must have, touch, devour no thing but pricks, b e inundated by them all, at the same instant one discharges onesel f. Ah, Dolmance I libertine that you are, I defy you to equal m e in these delicious combats of luxu ry . . . . On th i s head, I 've done all th a t it i s possible to do.
E UGEN I E , c o n tinw J Us ly frigged by her frien d, as is the Ch e valier by D o lm a n ce-Oh , my swe et ! . . . I grow di z zy I . . . Why, I too could p rocure mys elf such pleasures! . . . I could give myself • . . to a pe rfect a rmy of men I . . . Ah, what del i ght I . . . How you frig me, dearest one . . . you are the very goddess of pleasure . . . and how this wondrom prick does swell . . • how i ts maj estic head enlarges and grows red I . . .
DOLMANCE-H e' � not far from the denouement.
L E C H EVALI ER-Eugenie . . . sister . . . appro ach . . . . Oh , wh a t divine breasts I . . . what so ft, plump thighs I Discharge! dis cha rge both, my fuck will j oin yours I . . . I t fl ows ! leaps I Christ ' ( During t h e crisis, D 'Jimance has carefully directed his friend's o u tp o urings of sperm up o n the two women a n d princip ally upo n Eugenie, wh o finds h en e lf drenched. )
E UGENIE-M a gni ficent spectacl e ! how nobl e , how maj estic i t i s . . . I 'm completely cove red I . . . i t s p r a n g i n t o m y very eyes ! . . .
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE-Wait, dear heart, l e t m e gather up these p riceless p e a rl s ; I ' ll rub some upon your clitoris more speedily to p rovoke you r own d: scharge.
E UGENIE-Ah ! y'!S, my darling, yes ! delicious idea • • • go ahead, and I 'll come in your a rms.
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE-Divine child, kiss m e a thousand times over . . . l e t m e suck your tongue . . . let me breathe your voluptuous respiration all fi r e d by pleasure's h e a t ' Ah, fuck ! I discha rge myself . . . . B rother, finish me, I beg you to finish m e ' • • •
to.
Philos o p hy in t h e B edro o m + 2 63
DOLMANcE-Yes, Chevalier . . . frig your sister.
LE C H EVALI ER-I ' d p r e fe r to fuck h e r . . . I ' m still in a state
DOLMANc E-Very well, press i t i n and give m e your ass ; I ' l l fuck y o u throughout thi s voluptuous i n c e s t . Eugen i e , a rmed w i th this India rub b e r dildo, will bugge r m e . Destined someday to have enacted all the rol e s of lechery , she has got to strive, in the lessons w e ' r e giving h e r e , to fulfill them all equally well .
E UGENIE, rigging up t h e dildo-Oh, willingly ! Y o u will never find m e wanting when it i s a question of libertinage ; it is now my single god, the uni que rule o f my conduct, the single b a s i s of all my actions. ( She b uggers D o l m a n et;. ) In like wise, my d e a r master ? Is it well done ? . . .
DOLMANc E-Splendi dly ! . . . Truly, the little rascal buggers me mannishly ! Fine ! it seems to me we are all four p e r fectly at tached one to the o the r ; we h ave but to commence.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Oh, I'm dying, C h evalie r ! . . . I am incapable o f becoming accustomed to the throbbing o f your lovely prick ! . . .
DOLMANC E-Ah, but this damned, this charming ass affords m e p l e a su r e ! Oh fuck I fuck ! all o f u s , let's discha rge together ! Christ, but I p e r i s h ! I expire ! Ah, in my l i fe never have I come more voluptuously ! Hast lost thy sp e rm , C h evalie r ?
LE C H EVALIER-Look you at this cunt : smeared, muddie d up, is i t not ?
DOLMANC E-Oh, my friend, wouldst I h a d a s much in my a s s !
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Rest, stop , I am dead.
DOLMANCE, kissing Eugen i e-This m a tchless girl h a s fucked m e like a god.
E UGENIE-In truth, I found it rather p l e a surable.
DOLMANcE-All excesses p rocure i t , provided one is libertine ; and a woman i s best advi s e d to multiply those excesses even to be yond the possible.
2 64 + TH� MARQUl S DE SADE
MADAME DE SAINT- ANGE-I have deposited five hundred lo uis with a notary, and the p urse will belong to any individual, whomso ever he be, who can teach me a pa ssion I am ignorant of now, and who can plunge me into an ecstasy I have not yet enj oyed.
DOLMANCE- ( A t Ihis poin t the in terlo cu tors , set to rights, have ceased to o ccupy t hemselves with all b u t co nvers a tio n . ) The idea i s strange, M a dam e , and I'd accept to try, but I am in doubt whether thi s uncommon desire after which you chase, resembles the delicate pleasures you hnve just tasted.
MADAME DE SAINT- ANGE-What indeed I
DOLMANCE-'Tis t nat, in honor , I know nothing so boring a s enj oyment o f t h e cunt a n d when once, M adame, o n e h a s , like your self, tasted what the ass has to offer, I cannot conceive how one may forsake tha t pleasure for others.
MADAME DE SAI N1-ANGE-They are old habits. When one thinks a s I do, one wishe , eve rywhere to be fucked and whatever the p a rt an engine p e r forate s, one i s made happy upon feeling it there. However , I am wholly )f your opinion and herewith attest to all voluptuous women that the pleasure they will exp e rience o f ass fucking will always by much surp ass the one they experi ence in h aving a man by the cunt. On this count let them refer to th a t w o m a n w h o in a l l Europ e h a s accomplished most in t h e o n e m anner and in the other : I certi fy th ere is not the least comp arison to be m a d e , and that very reI Jctantly will they return to the fore a fter h aving put their behinds to the proof.
LE C H EVALIER-My thoughts a r e not enti rely i dentical . I am prepared for anyth ing tha t is expected o f me, but, by taste, in women I r eally love only the altar N ature indicates for the render ing of an homage .
D OLMANCE-VVhy, to be sure, and it's the ass I My dear Chevalier, never did N a ture, i f you scrupulously examine her ordi nations, never d i d N a ture indicate another altar for our offerings than the asshole, but this latter she exp ressly commands. Ah, by God ! were not her inten tion that we fuck assholes, would she have so exactly proportioned thi s orifice to fi t our membe r ? is not this
Philo s ophy in the B edro o m + 2 6 5
aperture ci rcul ar, l i k e t h i s instrumen t ? Why, then ( W h a t person, no m a tter how great an enemy o f common sense, can imagine that an oval hole could have been created fo r our cylindrical pricks ! Ponder this deformity and you will at once apprehend N a ture's intentions ; we very plainly see t h a t too frequent sacrifices made in thi s part, by increasing a propagation o f which only h e r for bearance makes u s capable, would displease her infallibly. But l e t us go on w i t h our education. E u g e n i e h a s just, enti rely a t her leisure, contemplated the sublime mystery o f a discha rge ; presently, I would like to have her l e a rn how to direct its flow.
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE-C Onsidering your exhaustion, 'tis to expose her to a gre a t deal o f t rouble.
DOLMANCE-To be sure ; and tha t is why I should desire that we have, from your house o r your fields, some robust young l a d w h o c o u l d serve a s a mannequin, and u p o n w h o m we c o u l d give o u r l essons.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-I 've p recisely what you need.
DOLMANCE-I t might not be, by chance, a young gardener, with a delicious a spect, of about eighteen years o r twenty, whom I saw just a short while ago, working in your kitchen garden ?
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Augustin ? Exactly, yes, Augustin, whose member m e a sures fourteen inches i n l ength and has a ci rcum ference of eight and an half (
DOLMANcE-Great h eaven ( what a monster ( . . . and that discharges ? . . .
MADAME D E SAINT-ANGE-Like a wate rfall ! . . . I ' ll go fetch him.
D I ALO G U E THE FIFTH
DOLMANCE, LE CH EVALI E R , AU G U S T I N ,
EUGE N I E , MADAME D E SAI NT-ANGE
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE, pres e n ting Augu s tin-B e hold the man I mentioned. Let's en with i t , friends, let's to our frolics ; what would l i fe be wi thout i t!. l i ttle amusements ? Come hither, simple ton ! Oh, the n inny ! . • • Would you believe it, I h ave been six months struggling to turn this great pig into something fit for civil ized society, and I've got nowhere with him.
AUGUSTIN-Aye , M ' a m , you speak sometimes like that, tha t I ' m beginning not t o g e t on s o bad ri ght now, a n d when the r e ' s a p i ece o f ground lying fall ow you always give i t to me to till, I ' m the one that gets i t .
DOLMANCE, laughin q-Oh , p recious I . . . charming ! . . . The dear boy, he's a s frank as he is fresh . . . . ( Exhibiting Eugen i c . ) Augustin, look sharp , my lad, there's a bed of flowers lying fallow ; would you like to try you r spa d e on it ?
A UG USTIN-Oh ]enmy, S i r ! Such neat little oddments ain' t m a de for such as me.
DOLMANC E-To i t , \1 ademoiselle .
E UGENI E, blushing- -Heaven s ! I am so ashamed !
2 6 6
Philo s o p hy in the B e dro o m + 2 6 7
DOLMANCE-Ri d yoursel f o f that weak-hea rted sentiment ; all actions, and above all those o f libertinage, being inspired i n u s by N atu re, there i s not one, o f whateve r kind, that wa rrants shame. Be smart there, Eugenie, act the whore with thi s young man ; con sider tha t every p rovocation sensed by a boy and originating from a girl is a natural offe rtory , and that your sex neve r serves N a ture better than when it p rostitutes i tself to ours ; tha t ' tis, i n a word, to b e fucked that you were born, and tha t she who r e fu s e s h e r obedi ence to thi s intention N a tu re has for her does not deserve to see the light longer. You yourself, lower the young man's trousers to below his handsome thighs, roll his shirt up under his vest, so that his fore-end . . . and his a fter, which, by the by, i s d amn fine, are a t your disposal. . . . N ow , let one of your hands catch up that lank length of flesh, pendant now, but which, I wager, will soon a m a z e you in i t s new fo rm , and with your other hand explo r e h i s bu ttocks, and, thus, tickle his rectal gap . . . . Yes, i n this manner . . . ( To s h o w Eugenie h o w ' t is to b e d o n e , h e s o cratizes A u g u s tin h i m s elf. ) Un cap thi s rubicund h e a d ; never, while you pollute i t , never allow i t t o be covered over ; keep i t naked . . . stretch t h e skin, yea , stretch it taut . . . . Now there ; dost s e e what effect my l e sson has h a d al- ready ? . . . And you, my boy, I beseech you, do � ' t stand the r e hold- ing your hands b e h i n d your back ; i s n ' t t h e r e s o m e t h i n g you m i g h t put them to ? Let them stray about upon thi s superb breast, over these wondrous buttocks . . . .
AUGUSTIN-S i r , couldn ' t I give this miss a smack o r two , i t woul d make m e right h appy.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Well, kiss her, imbecile , kiss her as much as you like ; do you not kiss me when I ' m in bed with you ?
AUGUSTIN-Oh, j eez ! Pr etty little mouth, all fresh and n ice tasting I . . . Seems like I ' ve got my nose in the roses in our garden. ( Sh o wing his rising prick . ) Look, Sir, that's what i t does, d'ye see i t ?
E UGENIE-Good h e aven I How i t enl a rges !
DOLMAN C E-Attempt now t o pu t rather more regularity in your motions, let them be more energetic . . . . Here, yield me your place for an instant, and w a tch closely what I do. ( He {rigs .l1 ugus-
2 6 8 + T H E MARQU I S DE SADE
tin . ) Do you observe ? These movements are more purposeful and a t the same time softe r . There, begin a gain and above all keep the head bare . . . Good I th ere it i s in its full vigor ; now let's a scertain whether i t ' s bigger than the C hevali er's.
E UGENIE-Be certain o f i t : you see very well I cannot get my hand a round i t.
DOLMANCE , m e asz. rin g-Yes , right you are : fourteen long. eight and a half a roun d . I 've never seen a l a rger. 'Ti s what i s called a superb prick. And you, M adame, you say you employ i t ?
MADAME DE SAINT .. ANGE-Regularly, every night I spend h e re in the coun try.
DOLMANCE-But n ot, I hope, in the ass ?
MADl\ME DE SAI NT· ANGE-Rather more o ften there than in the cunt.
DOLMANCE-Ah I my God ! what libertinage ! Upon my honor, I don ' t know whether I could manage i t .
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE-Don' t p i nch, Dolmance, and he'll penetrate your a s s as neatly a s h e does mine.
DOLMANCE-We ! hall see ; I fl a tter myself in the belief our Augustin will do me th e honor o f casting a l i ttle fuck into my be hind : I ' ll repay him in the same coin ; but let's continu e , we h ave lessons to give . . . . Lo o � sharp, Eugen i e , m ind, the serpent i s about to di sgorge i t s venom : prep a re yoursel f ; fix your gaze upon the head o f this sublime we lpon ; and when as the sign o f its appro ach ing sp a sm you see it inf. ate, take on a deeper, more purple hue , let your activities then bec,)me frenz ied ; let your fingers now tickling his anus dig as deep as possible, before the event occu rs ; give your self entirely to the liber tine who i s amusing himself with you ; seek o u t h i s mouth in order to suck i t ; let your charms fly, so to speak, to do you r hands' bidding . . . . H e discharges, Eu geni e , 'tis the mo ment of your triumph.
A UGUSTIN-Aie ! aie I Miss, i t's killing me ! I can't do no more ! More, go on and do me more, harder, M i s s , please, M i s s ! A h , God a 'mi ghty I I can ' t see stl'aight I . . .
Philo s ophy in the B edro o m + 269
DOLMANCE-Redouble your efforts, Eugenie I Triple them I Cau ti on to the winds, h e ' s drunk and in h i s thro e s ! . . . God, what abundance o f sperm I . . . with what power i t springs forth I . . . Behold the traces o f the initial j e t : i t shot ten feet, nay, more ! By God's fuck I the room's awash ; N ever have I seen a comp a rable discharge, and you tell me, M adame, this article fucke d you l a s t night ?
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Nine o r ten times, I believe ; we gave up counting long ago.
LE C H EVALIER-Lovely Eugen i e , you're covered with it.
E UGENIE-Wouldst I were drown e d in it. ( To Dolm ance : ) Tell me, my dear master, are you content ?
DOLMANCE-M ightily, fo r a beginnin g ; but there remain sev eral episodes you have neglected.
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE-Wait j they can mean nothing to her lest they are the fruit o f exp e rience ; for my p a rt, I confess I am ex ceedingly pleased with my Eugen i e ; the happiest disposi tions are apparent i n h e r , and I believe that we ought now to have her enj oy another spectacle. Let's have h e r witness the effects of a prick in the a s s . Dolmance, I am go i n g to o ff e r you m i n e ; I s hall be in my broth e r ' s a rms ; he will encunt m e , I ' l l be buggered by you , and Eugenie will prepare your prick, will insert i t in my ass, will super vise all the movements, will study them, all this in order to famil i a r i z e herself with this operati o n to which, a fterward, she will submit ; it will then be a question o f this Hercules' fair p rick.
DOLMANCE-I am p assing eager to see this p re tty l ittle behind rent by brave Augustin'S violent blows ; but I agree to what you p ropose, M adame, provided w e add one detail : Augustin, whom I 'l l h ave stiff again with two strokes o f my wrist, will bugger me whil e I sodom i z e you.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-I hea rtily approve the arrange ment ; I too gain thereby ; and my schol a r will benefit from two ex cellent lessons instead of one.
DOLMANCE, seizing Augus ti n-Come, my stalwart swain, I'll restore thee to l i fe . . . . Eh, look how the brute responds ! Kis s me,
2 7 0 .. T H E M A R Q U W DE SADE
d e a r friend . . . . You are still all wetted over with fuck, and 'tis fuck I ask of thee. Ah, by God, I simp l y must pump h i s ass while frigging h i m ! . . .
LE C H EVALIE R-Approach, siste r ; to comply with Dolmance's strictures and w i th yours, I am going to stretch out on this bed ; you will l i e in my arms, and expose your gorgeous buttocks to him, and very wide indeed you s� all spread them . . . . Yes, just so : we're rea dy to begin.
DOLMANC E-No, n :>t quite ; wait for me ; I must fi rst o f all enter your sister's ass, s ince Augustin whispers me to do i t ; next, I 'l l m a r ry you : remember, let's not fall short o f any o f our prin ciples and remember also that a student i s obse rving us, and w e owe her precise demonstratic·ns. Eugen i e , come frig m e while I deter mine this low fellow ' s er ormous engine ; lend a hand with my own e rection, pollute my prick, very lightly , roll i t upon you r buttocks . . . . ( S h e does s o . )
E UGENIE-I s this a H i t ought t o be ?
DOLMANcE-There is always too much o f the timorous in your movements ; far more tightly squee z e the p rick you frig, Eugeni e ; i f m a s turbation i s agreea ble a t all it i s because the member i s more severely comp ressed then than i n fucking, i t i s therefore necessary tha t the co-operating h a nd become , for the engine over which i t works, a n infinitely stra iter p a s s a ge than exists anywhere else i n t h e body . . . . B etter ! Yes, that' s better I Spread you r behind y e t a little more so that with each stroke the end o f my prick can glide ahead to touch your asshole . . . . yes, very good, very good indeed I While waiting, Chevali e r, frig your sister ; we will be a t your dis posal in a minute . . . . Ah, excellent I there's my man stiffening ! Now ready yourself, M a d am e ; open that sublime ass to my impure ardor ; Eugeni e, guide th e dart, it mus t be your hand tha t conducts it to the vent, your hand must make it penetrate ; immediately it i s i n , g e t a grip on good Augustin here, a n d fi l l my entrails u p with him ; those are a n apprentice' s chores and thence there i s much in struction to be h a d ; tha t my dear, i s why I put you to this trouble.
Philo sophy in the B edro o m + 2 7 1
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Are my buttocks where you wish them, Dolmance ? Ah, my angel, if you but knew how much I desire you , how long I have been wai ting to be buggered by a sodomite!
DO LMANCE-Thy will shall b e don e , M a dame ; but suffer me to halt an instant a t my idol ' s feet ; I would praise i t be fore entering into the depths o f the sanctu a ry . . . . What a divine ass i s this I . . . l e t m e kiss i t I l e t m e lick i t, lick i t a thousand times over and a thou sand more I . . . Here, th at's the prick you yearn for I . . . Dost feel it, bitch ? Tell m e , say, dost feel i t penetrate ? . . .
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Oh , drive i t to darkness i n my bowels I . . . Oh swe et lechery, what is your emp i r e !
DOLMANCE-'Tis an ass such as n e v e r in m y d a y s h ave I fucked ; worthy o f Ganymede himself I To i t , Eugen i e , be immedi a tely a ttendant upon my bugge ring by Augustin.
E U G E N I E-I bring him to you ; th ere. ( To A ugustin : ) Wake, sweet angel, do you spy the hole you've to p i e rce ?
A UGusTIN-Aye, I see it. M other o f God! there's a big one I say I I ' ll go in easier than into you, Miss. Kiss me a little so i t will enter nice.
E UGENIE, e m b racing him-Oh, a s much a s you like, you are so fresh I . . . But push, do you h e a r I The head's out o f sight-' twa s quick, a n d I d a r e s a y t h e rest will follow close behind . . . .
DO LMANCE-Thrust, thrust, my good fellow . . . t e a r me, i f so i t must be. . . . Dost see my a s s ? I s i t not ready ? Doth i t not beckon ? Well, drive . . . a h , by Christ I what a bludgeon I never have I received one o f such amp l i tude . . . Eugenie, how many inches remain outside ?
E UGENIE-Scarcely two.
DOLMANCE-Then 1 have eleven in my ass! . . . What ecstasy I He cleaves me in twain, I can no more I C hevali e r ! Are you ready ?
LE C H EVALIER-Feel, and give me your opinion.
DOLMANcE-Come h i ther, my children, l e t m e wed thee . . • l e t m e do all I may to expedite thi s he avenly incest. ( He in tro duces t h e Chevalier's prick i n t o his sis t er's cu n t. )
272 + T H E MARQUI , DE SADE
MADAME DE SAINT-.,\NGE-Why, my dears, there I am fucked from e i ther side ! By Jesus ! \¥h a t a divine pleasure ! No, there ' s n o n e l i k e i t i n a l l t h e we, rid. A h , fuck ! h o w I pity t h e woman who has not tasted i t ! Rattl e me, Dolmance, smite away . . . let the violence o f you r movements imp a l e me upon my broth e r ' s blade and you, Eugen i e , do YOIl contemplate me ; come, regard m e in vice ; come, l e a rn, from my examp l e , to savor i t, to be transported, to taste it with delectation . . . . B ehold, my love, behold all that I simultaneously do : scandal, seduction, bad exampl e , incest, a dultery, sodomy ! Oh , S a tan ! one and unique god of my soul , insp i r e thou in me something yet more, present furth e r p e rversions to my smoking heart, and then shalt thou s e e how I shall plunge myself into them all I
DOLMANCE-Ah voluptuous creature, how you do stir up my fuck, how your s entiments and the uncommon temperature of your ass do excite it to discharge ! 'Twill all have me coming in an instant . . . . Eugenie , fi r e my fucker's courage, belabor his fl anks, p ry apart h i s buttocks ; you are now somewhat skilled i n the a r t o f reviving the desires i n him who vacillates • . . you r approach alone gives energy to the prick that fucks m e . . . . I feel it, the strokes are more powerful . . . oh, thou bi tch, I must yield to you what I should never have wanted but to owe to my own ass-end . . . wait for me! wait, dost h e a r ? Oh, my friends, let u s not discharge but in unison : ' t i s l i f e ' s single pleasure I . . .
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE-Fuck ! fuck I come when you wish . . . for I can withstand it no longer ! Oh double name of God be fucked I Sacred bugger-God ! I come ! . . . Inundate me, my friends, soak, drench, drown YOl l r whore ! spray floods o f your scum-fuck to the very s e a t of th i s blaz ing soul ! it exi sts for naught but to be slaked, quenche d by yo Jr tides I Aie ! a i e ! a i e ! . . . fuck I . . . fuck I . . . what incredible excess o f voluptuousness ! . . . I am slain ! . . . Eugeni e , l e t ffii ! kiss thee, let me eat the e ! let me consume, batten upon thy fuck a s :: loose my own ! . . . ( A ugus tin, D o lm a n ce a n d t h e Ch evalier act in ch o ru s ; t h e fear of appearing m o n o t o n o u s preven ts us fro m reco rdi ng expressions which, u p o n s u c h o ccas i o n s , a r e a l l very ap t t o res e m /7/e o n e a n o th er. )
Philosophy in th e B edro o m .. 2 7 3
DOLMANCE-And there i s one o f t h e f a i rest fucks I have ever had. ( Sh o wing A ugus tin to the o thers . ) This bugger glutted me with sperm ! but, M a dame, I consider I passed a s much on to you .
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Ah, speak not to me o f i t ; I am sunk in it.
E UGENIE-I cannot say a s much, not I I no I ( Cas ting herself playfu lly i n t o her friend' s arms . ) You say you have commi tted abundant sins, my dea rest, but as for me, blessed God! not a one. Oh, if I h ave got to eat my soup cold this way, I'll have indigestion.
MADAME D E SAINT-ANGE , bu rsting i n t o laugh ter-How droll the creature i s !
DOLMANCE-Bu t how charming ! Come here, l i ttle one, I ' d whip thee a b i t . ( He s trikes h e r ass . ) Kiss m e , your turn i s soon to come.
MADAME D E SAINT-ANGE-From now on we must occupy our selves exclusively with her ; consider her, brother, she's the p rey ; examine that charming mai denhe a d ; ' twill soon belong to thee.
E UGENIE-Oh , n o I not by the fore-end I ' twould hurt me overmuch ; from behind a s much a s you please, a s Dolmance dealt with m e a sho r t w h i l e a g o .
MADAME D E SAINT-ANGE-N a ive and delicious gi rl I She de mands o f you p reci sely wh a t one h a s so much difficulty obtaining from others.
E UGENIE-Oh, 'tis not without a l i ttle remorse ; for you have not enti rely reassured m e upon the criminal enormity I have always heard ascribed to this, especially when i t i s done between man and man, a s has just occu rred with Dolmance and Augustin ; tell me, M onsieur, tell m e how your philo sophy explains this species of misdemeanor. 'Ti s frightful , i s i t not ?
DOLMANCE-Start from one fundamental point, Eugeni e : in libertinage, nothing i s fri ghtful , because everything libertinage suggests i s also a n a tural insp i r a tion ; the most extraordinary, the most b i z a rre acts, those which most arrantly seem to conflict with e v e ry l aw , e v e ry human institution ( a s f o r H e av e n , I h a v e nothing
2 7 4 -4.. T H E MARQ e l S D E S A D E
to s av ) , well, Eugeni e , even th ose a r e not frightful, and there i s not one amongst them < . 1 1 th at cannot b e demons trated within the boundaries o f N a tu r e ; i t i s certain that the one you allude to, l ovely Eugenie , is the very same relative to which one finds such a strange fable in the tasteless fic :i ons of the Holy \Vrit, that tedious com p i l a ti on o f an untutored Jew during a
- B abylon i a n cap tivi ty ; bu t
the anecdote i s false, wants all likelihood, all verisimili tu de, when i t i s a ffi rmed tha t in ret ribution fo r these depravi ti es, those citi e s , t h o s e towns r a t h e r , p e li shed by fi re ; having t h e i r s i t e u p o n t h e craters o f ancient volcano es, Sodom, Gomorrah t o o , p e r i s h e d l i k e t h e I talian c i t i e s Vesuvius' l a v a s submerged ; a n d t h a t ' s all t h e r e i s t o t h e m i r a c l e , yet, all tlte same, ' twas from thi s m o s t simple event they departed in order ba rbarously to invent the torture o f fire to be used against those ln fortunate humans who, in one area o f Europe, delivered thems elves over t o this n a tural fancy.
EUGENIE-O h, 'tis n a tu r a l ?
DOLMANcE-Yes, r a tural, so I a ffi rm it to be ; N a ture h a s not got two voices, you knol" , one o f them condemning all day what the other commands, and i t i s very certain that i t i s nowhere but from her o rgan t h a t t h o s e mer. w h o a r e infatuated w i th th i s m a n i a receive the impressions th a t dri'Te them to i t . They who wish to denigrate the taste or proscribe irs practice decl a r e i t i s h a rm ful to popula tion ; how dull-witted th( y are, these imbeciles who think o f nothing but the mul tipli cation of the i r kind, a n d who detect nothing but the crime in anything th a t conduces to a different end. I s it re ally so fi rmly established tha : N a ture has so gre a t a need for this over crowding as they would like to h ave us beli eve ? is i t very certain that one i s gu ilty o f an outrage whenever one abstains from this stup i d p ropagation ? To convince ourselves, l e t u s fo r an instant scrutini z e both h e r o p e r a ti ons and h e r laws. Were i t th a t N a tu re did n aught but create, ; nd never destroy, I might be able to be l i eve, with those tedious sophists, th a t the sublimest of all actions would be incess antly to labor a t p roduction, and following that, I should grant, with therr , th a t the refusal to reproduce would be, would p e r force h ave to be, a crime ; however, does not the most fl e e ting gl ance a t natu n l operations reve al th a t destructi ons are just a s necessary to her plan a s are creation s ? that the one and the
Philo s o p h y in t h e B edro o m + 2 7 5
o t h e r o f t h e s e f u n c t i o n s a r e i n t e rc o n n e c t e d a n d e n m e sh e d s o i n t i m a t ely t h a t f o r e i t h e r t o o p e r a t e w i t h o u t t h e o t h e r w o u l d b e i m p o s s i b l e ? t h a t n o t h i n g w o u l d b e b o r n , n o t h i n g w o u l d b e r e g e n e r a t e d w i t h o u t d e s t r u c t i o n s ? D e s t r u c t i o n , h e n c e , l ik e c r e a t i o n , i s o n e o f N a tu r e ' s m a n d a t e s .
Th i s p ri n c i p l e acknowl e d g e d , h o w m a y I o ff e n d N a tu r e b y r e fu s i n g to c r e a t e ? t h e w h i c h , sup p o s i n g th e r e to b e s o m e e v i l i n i t, wou l d a p p e a r i n fi n i t e l y l e s s evi l , no q u e s t i o n a b o u t i t , t h a n t h e a c t o f d e s t r u c t i o n , w h i c h l a tt e r i s num.b e r e d a m o n g h e r l a w s , a s I h a v e b u t a m o m e n t a g o p r o v e n . If o n t h e o n e h a n d I a d m i t t h e p e n c h a n t N a tu r e h a s g i v e n m e t o f a b r i c a ':e t h e s e l o s s e s a n d r u i n s , I m u s t exa m i n e , o n t h e o t h e r h a n d , to s e e w h e th e r t h e y a re n o t n e c e s s a ry to h e r a n d w h e t h e r I do n o t c o n f o rm w i t h h e r w i l l w h e n I d e s t roy ; t h u s con s i d e r e d , w h e r e t h e n , I a s k you , is t h e c r i m e ? B u t , t h e f o o l s a n d t h e p o p u l a t o r s c o n t i n u e to obj e c t- a n d t h e y a r e n a u g h t b u t o n e-th i s p ro c r e a ti v e s p e rm c a n n o t h a v e b e e n p l a c e d i n y o u r l o i n s f o r a n y p u r p o s e o t h e r t h a n r e p r o d u c t i o n : to m i su s e i t i s a n o ff e n s e . I h a v e j u s t p ro v e n t h e c o n t r a ry, s i n c e th i s m i s u s e w o u l d n o t e v e n b e e q u i v a l e n t to d e s tr u c ti o n , a n d si n c e d e s tructi o n , f a r m o r e s e r i o u s t h a n m i s u s e , w o u l d n o t i t s e l f b e � r i m i n a l . S e c o n d l y , i t i s f a l s e t h a t N a tu r e i n t e n d s t h i s s p e r m a t i c l i q u i d to b e e m p l o y e d o n l y a n d en t i r ely for r e p r o du c ti o n ; w e r e th i s tru e , s h e would not p e r m i t i ts s p i l l a ge u n d e r a n y c i rcumstance s a v e t h o s e a p p ro p r i a te to t h a t e n d . B u t e xp e r i e n c e s h o w s t h a t t h e c o n t r a ry m a y h a p p e n , s i n c e w e l o s e i t b o t h w h e n a n d w h e r e w e w i s h . S e c o n dl y , s h e w o u l d f o r b i d t h e occu r r e n c e o f t h o s e l o s s e s s a v e i n c o i t u s , l o s s e s w h i c h , h o w e v e r , do t a k e p l a c e , b o t h w h e n w e d r e a m a n d w h e n w e s u m m o n r e m em b r a n ce s ; w e r e N a tu r e m i s e rl y a b o u t t h i s s o p r e c i o u s s a p , ' tw o u l d n e v e r b u t b e i n t o t h e v e s s e l o f r e p r o d u c t i o n s h e w o u l d t o l e r a t e i t s fl o w ; a s s u r e dl y , s h e w o u l d n o t w i s h t h i s v o l u p tu o u s n e s s , w h e r e w i th at such moments s h e c r owns u s , to be f e l t by us when we d i v e r t o u r t r i b u t e ; f o r i t wou l d n o t b e r e a s on a b l e to s u p p o s e s h e could consent to give u s p l e a s u r e s a t t h e v e ry moment w e h e a p e d i n s u l t s u p o n h e r . L e t u s go f u r t h e r ; w e r , : w o m e n n o t b o r n s a v e to p ro duce -wh i c h most s u r e l y would b e the c a s e were t h i s p r o du c t i o n so dear to N a tu r e-, w o u l d i t happen that, throughout t h e whole length of a w o m a n ' s life, there a r e n o m o r e than s e v e n y e a r s , a l l t h e a r i th m e t i c p e r f o r m e d , d u r i n g w h i c h s h e i s i n a s t a te c a p a b l e o f
2 7 6 .. THE MARQUIS DE SADE
conceiving and giving bi rth ? What I N a ture avi dly seeks propaga tion, does she ; and everything wh ich does not tend to thi s end of fends h e r , doe s i t I and out o f a hundred years o f l i fe the s ex destined to p roduce cannot do so during more than seven years ! N a tu r e wishes for p rop lgation only, and the semen she acco rds man to serve i n these rel 'roducings is lost, wasted, misused where ever and a s o ften a s it pll�ases man ! He takes the same pleasures in this loss a s in u s e ful employment o f h i s seed, a n d never the least . . I InconvenIence . . . •
Let u s cease, good friends, l e t u s cease to believe i n such absu rditi e s : they cause good sense to shudder. Ah ! far from out r a ging N a tu r e , on the co 1trary-and l e t us be well p e rsuaded of i t - , t h e sodomite a n d Lc :sbian serve h e r b y stubbornly abstaining from a conj unction whosl� resultant p rogeniture can be nothing but i rksome to her. Let u s m ake no m i s take about it, this propagation was never one o f her l aw " nothing she ever demanded o f u s , but a t the v e r y most something she tolerate d ; I have t o l d y o u so. \Vhy ! wh a t difference would i t make to h e r were the race of men enti rely to b e extinguished upon e arth, anni hilated I she laughs a t our pride when we persuade ourselres all would b e over and done with were thi s m i sfortune to occur I Why , she woul d simply fail to notice it. Do you fancy races have tlot already become extinct ? Buffon counts several of them perished, and N a ture, struck dumb by a so precious loss, doesn't so much a s murmur ! The entire speci e s might be wiped out and the air would n o t b e the less pure fo r i t , nor the Star less brilliant, nor the universl : ' s m a rch less exact. \Vhat idi ocy it i s to think that our kind is so lIseful to the world that h e who might not labor to propagate it o r h e who might disturb this p ropagation woul d necessarily becomf a crimina l ! Let's bring this blindness to a s top and may the example o f more reasonable peoples serve to p e rsuade us of our errol's. There is not one corner of the ea rth where the alleged crime o f so domy has not had shrines and vo taries. The Greeks, who nade o f it, so to speak, a virtu e , raised a statu e unto Venus C allip ygea ; Rome sent to Athens for law, and returned with this divine taste.
And under the empc :rors, behold the p rogress i t made I Shel tered by the Roman e agl e i t spread from one end o f the ea rth to the other ; with the Empi r e ' s :ollapse, it took refuge near the diadem, it
Philo sophy in th e B edro o m .. 2 7 7
followed the arts in Italy, i t i s h a nded down t o those o f us who govern ourselves aright. We discover a hemisp h e r e , we find sodomy in it. Cook casts anchor in a new world : sodomy reign s there. Had our balloons reached the moon, i t would have been discovered there a s well. Delicious preference, child o f N a ture and o f pleasure, thou must be everywhere men are to he found, and wherever thou shalt be known, there shall they erect altars to thee ! 0 my friends, can there be an extravagance to equal that o f imagining tha t a man must be a monster deserving to lose his l i fe because h e has p re ferred en j oyment o f the asshole to that of the cunt, because a young man with whom he finds two pleasures, those of being at once lover and mistress, has app e a r e d to him prefe rable to a young girl, who promises him but half as much I He shall be a villain, a monster, for having wished to play the role o f a sex not his own I Indeed I Why then h a s N a ture created him susceptible of this pleasure ?
Let us inspect h i s confo rmat ion ; you will observe radical dif ferences between it and that of oth e r men who have not been blessed with thi s p r e dilection for the behind ; h i s buttocks will be fairer, plump e r ; never a h a i r will shade the altar o f pleasure, whose interior, lined with a more delicate, more sensual, more sensitive membrane, will b e found positively of the same variety as the interior o f a woman' s vagina ; this man's character, once again unlike that o f others, will be softer, more pliant, subtl e r ; in him you will find almost all the vices and all the virtues native to women ; you will recogn i z e even their weaknesses there ; all will have feminine manias and sometimes feminine habits and traits. Would it then be possible that N a ture, having thuswise assimilated them into women, could be i rritated by what they have o f women's tastes ? I s i t not evident that this is a catego ry o f men different from the other, a class N a ture has created in order to diminish o r minimiz e propagation, whose overgreat extent would infallibly b e prejudicial to h e r ? . . . Ah, dear Eugenie, did you but know how delicate i s one's enj oyment when a heavy prick fills the behind, when, driven to the balls, it flutters there, p alpitating ; and then, w ithdrawn to the foreskin, it hesitates, and returns, plunges in again, up to the h a i r I No, no, in the wide world there i s no p l easure to rival thi s one : ' t i s the delight of philosophers, that of heroes, it would be that of
2 7 8 + T H E MARQUl S DE SADE
the gods were not the p a rts used in his h eavenly conj ugation the only gods we on ea rth should reverence F
E UGENI E, very m i l ch m ov e d-O h , my friends, let me be buggered I . . . Here, m:; buttocks stand ready . . . . I present them to you I . . . Fuck me, fo r I discha rge I . . . ( Up o n p r o n o u n cing these w o rds, she fa lls into t i l e arms o f Mada m e de S a i n t-A nge, wh o clasps h er, e m braces h er, a n d offers t h e y o u ng lady ' s elev a t e d fla n k s t o D o lm a nce. )
MADAME DE SAI NT· ANGE-Divine teacher, will you resist the p roposal ? Will you not be tempted by this sublime ass ? See how i t doth yawn, how it winks at the e !
DOLMANCE-I a sk y o u r forgiveness, beautiful Eugeni e : i t s h a l l not be I , i f indeed y o u w i s h it, w h o s h a l l undertake t o ex tinguish the fires I have lit. D e a r child, in my eyes you possess the l a rge fault of being a woman. I was so considerate as to forget much in order to h a rvest your virginity ; deign to think well of me for going no fu rther : t h e Cheval i e r i s going to take the t a sk in hand. H i s s i s ter, equipped with this a rtificial prick, will bestow the most redoubtable buffet� upon her brother's ass , all the while p re senting her noble behind to Augustin, who shall bugger her and whom I ' ll fuck meantimt' ; fo r, I m ake no a ttemp t to conceal it, this fine lad's ass h a s been signaling to me for an hour, and I wish absolutely to repay him f o r what h e has done to me.
E UGENIE-I accept the revision ; but, in truth, Dolmance, the frankness of your avowa l l i ttl e offsets its impoli teness.
DOLMANCE-A thousand p a rdons, M a demoiselle ; but we other buggers are very nice on the question o f candor and the exactitude of our p rinciples.
MADAME DE SAI NT-.... NGE-However, a reputation for candor i s not the one we comm only grant those whom, like you rself, are accustomed only to taking people from behind.
7 A l at e r p a rt o f t h i s w o r k Fomising u s a m u c h m o r e extensive d i s s e r tation u p o n
t h i s s u b j ect, w e h ave, h e r e , l i m ; ted o u r s e l v e s to an a n alysis b u t r o u g h l y s k e t c h e d and
b u t b o l d ly outlined.
Philo s o p hy in th e Bedro o m + 2 7 9
DOLMANCE-vVe do have something of the treacherous, yes ; a touch o f the false, you may believe i t . B u t a fter all, M a dame, I have demons trated to you th a t this character i s indispensable to man i n society . C ondemned to live amidst p eople who have the greatest interest in h i ding themselves from our gaze, in disguising the vices they h ave in order to exhibit nothing but v irtues they never respect, there should be the gre atest danger in the thing were we to show them frankness only ; for then, ' ti s evident, we would give them all the advantages over u s they on their part r e fuse u s , a n d t h e dup e ry would be mani fest. The n e e d s f o r dissimul a tion and hypocrisy a re bequ e a thed us by society ; let u s yield to the fact. Allow me for an instant to offer my own example to you , M a dame : there is surely no being more corrup t anywhere in the world ; well, my contemporaries are deceived i n m e ; ask them what they think o f Dolmance, and they all will tell you I am an honest man, whereas there i s not a single crime whereof I have not gleaned the most exqu i s i te delights.
MADAM E DE SAINT-ANGE-Oh, you do not convince me that you have commi tted a trocities.
DOLMANC E-Atrocities . . . indeed, M a dame, I have wrought horrors.
MADAM E DE SAINT-ANGE-Fie , you are l ike the man who s a i d to his confessor : " N e edless to g o i n t o details, S i r ; murder and theft excepted, you can be sure I 've done everything."
DOLMANCE-Y e s , M a dame, I should s ay the same thing, omi tting those exceptions.
MADAM E DE SAINT-ANGE-W"hat ! libertine, you have p e r mi tted yourself . . .
DOLMANcE-Everything, M a dame, everything ; with a tem p e rament and p rinciples like mine, does one deny oneself anything ?
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Oh, l e t ' s fuck ! fuck I . . . I can bear such l anguage no longe r ; we'll return to i t . B u t save your confes sions for l a ter, D olmance ; to h e a r them best you r auditors should be cle ar-h eaded. An d when you h ave an erection, all the sincerity
2 8 0 .. THE MARQUI:; DE SADE
deserts what you say, YO l fall to uttering horrors and from you we get, in the gui s e of truths, the libertine glitterings of an infl amed imagina tion. ( Th ey take their places. )
DOLMANcE-One moment, Chevalier, one moment ; I am the one who shall introduce i t ; bu t, by way o f preliminary, and I ask the lovely Eugen i e ' s p a rdon for i t , she must allow me to flog her in order she b e p u t in the proper humor. ( He b e a ts h er. )
EUGENIE-I assure you , thi s ceremony has no purpose . . . . Admit, Dolmance, that i t satisfies your lewdness ; but i n doing i t don ' t take o n a i rs , I beg o f you, and suppose you a r e doing anything in my behalf.
DOLMANCE, whippin g m errily away-Ah, you 'll have news for me in a moment I . . . You have yet no acquaintance with this p re liminary's influences . • . . Come, come, l i ttle bitch , you'll be lashed!
EUGENIE-My God , how he does wax h o t ! And my buttocks too, they are all afire I . . . But, indeed, you 're hurting me !
MADAME DE SAINT· ANGE-I 'll avenge you, dear heart ; I ' l l retaliate in kind. ( Sh e tt kes u p a wh ip and flogs D o l m a n ce. )
DOLMANCE-Wi th all my heart ; I ask bu t one favor o f Eugeni e : that s h e conser:t t o be flogged as vigo rously a s I mysel f desire to be ; you notice how well within natural law I am ; but wait, let' s arrange i t : let Eug(:nie mount your fl anks, M a dame, she will clu tch you r neck, like those children whose mothers carry them on the i r backs ; that way, I ' l l have two a sses under my hand ; I ' ll drub them together ; the Chevalier and Augustin, both will work upon me, striking my buttock� . . . . Yes, ' ti s thus . . . Well, there we are I . . . what ecstasy I
MADAME DE SAINT-. ,\NGE-Do not spare this li ttle rascal, I beseech you, and as I ask no quarter, I want you to grant i t to no one.
E UGENIE-Ai e I aie! aie ! I believe my blood i s fl owing I
MADAME DE SAINT-!\NGE-'Twill embellish our buttocks by lending color to them . . . . Courage, my angel, courage ; bear in mind tha t it is always by way of pain one arrives at pleasure.
Philosophy in the B edro o m .. 2 8 1
E UGENIE-I c a n no m o r e I
D O LMANC E , h alts a m i n u t e to c o n template his work ,. then, s tarting i n again-An o th e r fi fty, E u geni e j y e s , p r e c i s ely, fi fty m o r e o n e i t h e r c h e e k w i l l d o i t . 0 b i t c h e s ! h o w g r e a t s h a l l n o w b e y o u r p l e a su r e i n fucking I ( Th e p o s tUTt� is dis s o lved. )
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE, examining Eugenie's b u t t o cks-Oh, t h e p o o r l i ttle t h i n g, h e r b e h i n d i s a l l blo o d i e d o v e r I B e a s t , h o w much p l e a s u r e you take thus i n k i s s i n g cruelty ' s v e s t i ge s !
DO LMANC E , p o llu ting h ims elf-Ye s , I m a sk n o t h i n g , a n d my p l e a s u r e s would be m o r e a rd e n t w e r e the wound s m o r e cruel.
E U G E N I E- B u t you a r e a monster I
DOLMANcE-I n d e e d I a m .
L E C H EVALI ER-Th e r e ' s g o o d f a i th i n h i m a t l e a st.
DOLMANC E-Off with y o u , C h ev a l i e r . S o d om i z e h e r .
L E C H E VA L I E R-H o l d h e r b o dy a n d i n t h r e e s h a k e s ' twill b e d o n e .
E U G E N I E-Oh h e avens I Y o u r s i s t h i c k e r t h a n Dolm a n c e ' s . . . C h e v al i e r , you a r e t e a r i n g me a p a r t ! . . . go s o ftly, I b e g o f you ( . . .
LE C H EVALI E R-Imp o s s i b l e , my angel, I m u s t r e a c h my ob j ec t i v e . . . . C o n s i d e r : I ' m p e r f o r m i n g b e fo r e my m a s t e r ' s eyes ; both h i s p re s t i g e a n d mine a re at s t a k e .
DOLMAN C E-'Ti s t h e r e ( I p r o d i g i o u sly l ove t o s e e a p rick' s p u b i c h a i r rub t h e b o r d e r o f an a n u s . . . . C o m e n o w , M a d a m e , embugger y o u r b r o t h e r . H e r e w e h a v e Augu s t i n ' s p r i ck , i n a n a d m i r a b l e w a y to be i n t r o d u c e d into y o u , a n d I p ro m i s e y o u I ' l l sp a r e y o u r fucker n o t h i n g . . . . Excell e n t I i t s e e m s to m e w e ' v e g o t o u r r o s a ry w e l l s t r u n g t o g e t he r ; n o t a n o t h e r thought n o w b u t o f d i s c h a rging.
MADAME D E S A INT-ANGE- C a s t an eye o n t h i s l i ttle tramp I How s h e q u i v e r s a n d w r i ggle s I
E UGENI E-I s i t my f a ul t ? I am dying f r o m p l e a s u r e I Th a t wh i p p i n g . . . th i s i m m e n s e p rick . . . t h e a m i a b l e C h ev a l i e r who f r i g s m e t h e while ( M y d a rl i n g , m y d a rl i n g , I c a n n o m o r e (
2 8 2 .. T H E M A R Q U I:, DE SADE
MADAME DE SAINT-.'\NGE-Jesu s ! nor can I ! I discha rge I . . .
DOLMANCE-A little unity, my friends ; grant me another two more minutes to overtake you and we shall all o f u s come together.
LE C HEVALI ER-There's no time l e ft ; my fuck runs into lovely Eugenie ' s ass . . . I am dying I Ah sacred name of th e fucking Al mi ghty I what pleasure ! . . .
DOLMA NCE-I follow you , friends . . . I follow hard a fter you . . . I too am blinded by fuck . . . .
AUGUSTIN-Me too I . . . and m e ! . . .
MADAME DE SAI NT-llNGE-What a scene I . . . This bugger h a s fi l l e d up m y ass I . . .
L E C H EVALI ER-Tc, the bidet, ladies, to the bidet !
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-N o , indeed, no, I like that, I do ; I like the feeling o f fuck in my ass, and keep it in me as long a s I can.
E U GE N 1 E-No m o r,!, enough . . . . My friends, tell me now i f a woman m u s t always accept t h e proposal, when ' ti s made t o h e r , thu s t o be fucked ?
M A D A M E DE SAINT.A NGE-Always, d e a r heart, unfailingly. M o r e , as this mode o f fucking is del i ghtful, she ough t to require i t o f those o f whom she makes use ; but i f she i s dependent upon the p erson with whom she amuses h e rself, i f she hopes to obtain favo rs from him, gi fts 0 ) ' thanks, let her restra i n her eagerness and not surrender h e r ass for nothing ; cede i t a fter being urged, be sought, wh eedl ed ; there i s not a man o f all those who possess the taste who would not ruin himself fo r a woman cleve r enough to re fuse him nothing save with the design o f infl aming him fu rther ; she will extract from him all she wants i f she well h a s the art o f y i e l d i n g o n l y w h e n presse d.
DOLMANcE-Well , little angel , a re you conve rted ? have you given over believing sod :>my a crime ?
E UGENIE-And were i t one, what care I ? Have you not demonstrated the nonexistence o f crime ? There are now very few actions which appe a r criminal in my v i ew.
Philosophy in the B edro o m '!o 2 8 3
DOLMANCE-There i s crime in n o thing, d e a r girl , regardless of what i t be : the most monstrous of deeds has, does i t not, an auspicious aspect ?
E UGENI E-Wh o ' s to gainsay i t ?
DOLMANcE-Well, a s of this moment, it loses every aspect o f crime ; fo r, in o rd e r that what serves one by h a rming another b e a crime, one should first have to demonstrate that the injured p e rson is more important, more precious to N ature than the person who p er forms the inj u ry and s e rves h e r ; now, all individu als being of uni form importance i n her eyes, 'tis impossible that she have a predil ection for some one among them ; hence, the deed that serves one p e rson by causing suffering to another is o f perfect indifference to N a ture.
E UGENI E-Bu t i f the action w e r e h a rmful to a very grea t qu antity o f individuals . . . and i f i t rewarded u s with only a very small quantity of pleasure, would i t not then be a frightful thing to execute i t ?
DOLMANcE-No more so, because there i s no possible com· p a rison b e tween what others exp e rience and what we sense ; the he avi· est dose of a gony i n o t h e r s ought, a ssu re dly, to b e as naught to u s , and the faintest quickening of pleasure, registered i n us, does touch u s ; therefore , we shoul d , a t whatever the price, p r e f e r this most minor excitation which enchants us, to the immense sum o f others' miseries, which cannot affect u s ; but, on the contrary, should i t hap pen that the singu l a r i ty of our o rgans, some b i z arre f e a ture in our construction, renders agreeable to us the sufferings of our fellows, as sometimes occurs, who can doubt, then, that we should incontestably prefer anguish in others, which I�ntertains u s , to that anguish's absence, which would represent, for us, a kind of privation ? The source o f all our moral errors l i e s i n the ridiculous a cknowledgment of that tie o f brotherhood the Christians invented in the age of their ill-fortune and sore distress. Constrained to beg pity from Gthers, ' twas not un clever to claim that all men are brothers ; how is one to refuse a i d if this hypothesis b e accepte d ? B u t its rational acceptance i s impossibl e ; are we not all born solitary , isolated ? I say more : a r e we not come i n to the world all enemies, the one of the
2 8 4 .. T HE MAR Q U I S DE SADE
oth e r , all in a state o f perp e tual and reciprocal warfare ? Now, I ask wh e t h e r such would be the s i tu a tion i f they d i d truly exist, th i s sup p o s e d t i e o f brothe rhood a n d t h e virtues i t enj oins ? Are they re a l ly na tural ? Were t �ey inspired in man by N a tu r e ' s voice, men wou l d be aware of th(m a t birth. From that time onwa rd, p i ty, goo d works, generosi ty, would be native virtues against which ' twould be impossible to d e fend oneself, and would render the p r i m i tive state of savage man totally contrary to what we observe i t to b e .
E UGEN I E-Ye t i f, as y o u say, N a ture caused man to be born alone , all independent d oth e r men, you will at least grant m e that his needs, bringing him together with oth e r men, must necessarily have establ i s h e d some t i e s b e tween them ; whence blood rel ation ships, ties of love too, o f fri endship, o f gratitude : you will, I hope, respect those at least.
DOLMANCE-N o more than the others, I am a fr ai d ; but let u s analyze them, I should l i ke to : a swift gl ance, Eugenie , a t e ach one in p a r ti cul a r . Woul d you say, for examp l e , that the need to m a r ry or to p rolong my race o r to a rrange my fortune o r insure my futu r e m u s t establ i s h indissoluble o r sacr e d t i e s wi th t h e obj ect I ally my sel f to ? \Vould it not, ] ask you , be an absu rdity to a rgue thus ? So long as the act of coi tion lasts, I may, to be sure, continue in n e e d o f t h a t obj ect, i n o r d e r to p a rticipate in the act ; but o n c e i t i s o v e r and I a m satisfied, w h . . t, I wonder, w i l l a t t a c h the r e s u l t s o f t h i s commerce to me ? Thes,� l a t t e r relationships w e r e the results o f the terror o f p a rents who d r e a d e d l e s t they b e abandoned in old a g e , and the p o l i t i c a ttentions t h e y s h o w u s w h e n w e a r e i n our infancy have no obj ect but to make them dese rving of the same conside ra tion when they a r e beome old. Let us no longer be the dupes o f thi s rubbish : w e owe no thing t o our p a rents . . . not the l e a s t thing, Eugeni e , and since i t i s f a r less for our sake than for their own they have labored, we may rightfully test them, even rid ourselves o f them i f t h e i r behavior a nnoys us ; w e ought t o love them only i f they comp o r t themselves wcll with us, and then our tenderness toward them ought not to b e o n e d e g r e e greater than what we might feel for o th e r friends, because the r i ghts o f bi rth establish nothing, a r e basis to nothing, a nd , once they have been wisely scruti n i z e d
Philosophy in the B e dro o m .. 2 8 5
a n d with deliberation, we will surely fi n d nothing there b u t rea sons to hate those who, exclusively though tful o f thei r own pleasure, have o ften given u s nothing but an unhappy and unhealthy existence.
You mention, Eugen i e , ties o f love ; may you never know them I Ah I for the happiness I wish you, may such a sentiment never approach your breast I What is love ? One can only consi d e r it, so it seems to me, a s the effect upon u s o f a beautiful obj ect's qualiti e s ; th ese effects distract u s ; they inflame u s ; were we to possess this obj ect, all would b e well with us ; if ' ti s impossible to have it, we are in desp a i r . But what i s the foun d a ti o n o f this sentiment ? desi re. What a r e thi s sentiment's consequence s ? madness. Let us confine ourselves to the cause and gua rantee ourselves against the effects. The cause i s to possess the obj ect : spendid ! let' s strive to succeed, but using our h e a d , not losing our wits ; let's enj oy it when we've got i t ; let's console ourselves if we fail : a thousand oth e r i d entical and o ften much sup e r i o r obj e cts exi st to soothe our regrets and o u r p r i d e : all men, all women resemble each other : no love resi sts the e ffects o f sane refl ection. 0 'tis a very gre a t cheat and a dup e ry, this intoxic a ti o n which puts us in s11ch a state that we see no more, exist no more save through this obj ect insanely adored I I s this re ally to live ? I s it not rather volunta rily to deprive oneself of all l i fe ' s swe e tne s s ? Is i t no t to wish to linger i n a burning fever which devours, consumes u s , without affo rding us other than metaphysical j oys, which bear such a likeness to the effects o f madness ? Were w e always to love this ado rable obj ect, were it certain we should never have to quit i t, ' twould still be an extravagance without doubt, but a t least an excusable one. Does this happen, howeve r ? Has one m any examples o f these d e a thless l i a i sons, unions which are never d issolved o r repudiated ? A few mon ths o f doting a n d dalliance soon restores the obj ect to its p rop e r size and shape, and w e blush to think of the incense we have squanderingly burned upon that altar, and o ften w e come to wonder tha t it ever could have seduced u s a t all.
o voluptuous young women, deliver your bodies unto u s as o ften and a s much a s you wish I Fuck, divert yourselves, that's the essential thing ; but b e quick to fly from love. There i s none but p hysical good i n it, s a i d Buffon, and a s a good philosoph e r he exerc i s e d h i s r e ason o n an unde rstanding of N a tu r e . I repeat it,
2 8 6 + THE MARQU l S DE SADE
amuse you rselve s ; but 1,)Ve not at all ; nor be any more concerned to make yourselves lovd : to exhaust onese; f in lamentation, waste in sighs, abase oneself i, l e e ring and oglings , pen billets-doux, 'tis not that which you mm, t do ; i t is to fuck, to multiply and o ften change your fuckers, it is above all to oppose you rselves resolu tely to enslavement by any one single pe rson , because the outcome o f con s tant love, binding you t o him. would be t o prevent you from giving you rself to someone else, a cruel selfi shness which would soon become fatal to you r pleasures. Women are not made fo r one single man ; 'tis for men at l a rge N a ture created them. Listening only to thi s sacred voice, let them surrender themselves , indiffer ently, to all who want them : always whores, never mistresses, eschewing love, worshipng pleasure ; it will be roses only they will discover in life's career ; i t will no longer be but flowers they proffer u s ! Ask, Eugenie, a sk the charming woman who h a s so kindly consented to undertake :rour education, a sk her what is to be done with a man a fter one ha:; enjoyed him. ( In a lower 'Voice, s o as n o t to b e h eard b y A ugus tin . ) Ask h e r i f she would l i ft a finger to save th i s Augustin who, tod,.y, i s the cause o f her delights. Should i t fall o u t that someone wi shed t o steal him from her, she would take another, would think no more on this one and, soon weary o f the new, would herself sacri:lce him wi thin two months' time, were new pleasures to be born o f this maneuver.
MADAME D E SAI NT- O\NGE-Le t my dear Eugenie be very sure th a t Dolmance i s describing the impulses o f my heart, mine and tha t of every other w o m a n , as i f she were to unfold i t to him herself.
DOLMANcE-The f nal part o f my analysis treats the bonds of friendship and those )f gratitude. We shall respect the former, very well, p rovided they remain useful to u s ; let u s keep our friends as long a s they s e rve u s ; forget them immedi a tely we have nothing fu rther from thl�m ; 'tis neve r but selfishly one should love people ; to love them for themselves i s nothing but dup ery ; N a ture never inspires other movements in mankind' s soul , other sentiments tha n those which ought to p rove u s e ful in some sort, good for something ; nothing i s more an egoist than N a ture ; then let us be egoists to o, i f we wish to live in h a rmony with her dictates. As for
Philo s ophy in t h e B e dr o o m + 2 8 7
gratitude, Eugen i e , ' t i s doubtless the most feeble o f a l l t h e bonds. Is i t then for ourselves men are obliging to us ? Not a bit o f it, my dear ; 'tis through ostentation, fo r the sake of pride. Is it not hu m i l i a ting thus to become the toy o f others' pride ? Is it not yet more so to fall into indebtedness to them ? Nothing i s more burdensome than a kindness one has received. N o middle way, no compromise : you have got to repay i t o r ready yourself for abuse. Upon p roud spirits a good deed sits very h eavily : i t weighs upon them with such violence that the one feeling they exhale is h a tred for their bene factors. What then, i n your opinion, are now the ties which supply the i solation wherein N a ture creates u s ? What are they, those which should establis h relationships between men ? B y what title should we love them, those others, cherish them, p r e fer them to ourselve s ? B y what right should we relieve them, who says that we must relieve them in misfortune ? Where now in our souls is that cradle of the pretty and u seless virtues o f genero sity , hu manity, charity, all those enumer<l.ted in the absurd codes of a few i diotic religious doctrin e s , doctrin es which, preached by impostors or by indigents, were invented to secure them th e i r sustenance and tole ration ? Why, Eugeni e , why do you yet acknowledge something sacred in men ? D o you conceive som e reasons for not always pre ferring yoursel f to them ?
E UGENIE-Wh a t you say so thrills my heart that my mind can take no excep tion to it.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-These p recepts are grounded in N a tu r e , Eugeni e ; the proof i s t h a t you approve them ; freshly hatched from her womb, how could what you sense be the fru i t o f corruption ?
E UGENIE-But i f all the errors you speak o f are in N a ture, why do our l aws oppose them ?
DOLMANCE-Those laws, being forged for universal applica tion, a r e in p e rp e tual conflict with p e rsonal interest, j u s t a s p ersonal interest i s always i n contradiction w i t h t h e gen eral interest. Good for soci ety, our l aws are very bad for th e individuals whereof i t is composed ; for, if they o n e time protect the individu al, they hinder, troubl e , fetter h i m for three quarters of h i s life ; and so
2 8 8 .. THE MARQU1 S DE SADE
the wise man, the man full of contempt for them, will be wary of them, as he is of reptile!; and vipers which, although they wound o r kill, are nevertheless sometimes useful to medicine ; he will sa fe gu ard himself against the laws a s he would against noxiou s bea sts ; he will shelter himself behind p recautions, behind mysteries , the which, for p rudence, i s e a sily done. Should the fancy to execute a few crimes inflame you r spirit, Eugenie, be very certain you may commit them peacefully i n the company of your friend and m e .
E UGENIE-Ah, t h e fancy i s already i n m y heart !
MADAME DE SAIN��-ANGE-What caprice agitates you, Eu genie ? you may report i t to us in confidence .
E UGENIE, wild-ey ed-I want a victim.
MADAME DE SAINT· ANGE-And o f what sex would you desi re h e r to b e ?
E UGENIE-O f mint !
DOLMANCE-Well, M a dame, are you content with your stu dent ? does she make sufliciently rapid progress ?
E UGENI E, as above -A victim, my dea rest, a victim ! . • • Oh, God, th a t would cause my life's happiness ! . . .
MADAME DE SAI NT- ANGE-And what would you do with her ?
EUGENIE-Everytl- ing ! . . . everything ! . . . all that could render her the most wretched o f creatures. Oh, my dearest, my dearest, have p i ty on mt ! I can stand i t no longe r !
DOLMANCE-By God, what an imagination! . . . Come, Eugen i e , you a r e delici,ms . . . come, let me bestow a thousand kisse s upon you ! ( He t,1kes her i n his arms . ) Look, M a dame, do you see i t ? Do you see thi s libertine discharge m e n t ally, without anyone h aving touched her ? I must absolutely embugger her once again.
E UGENIE-And a fl erward will I have what I request ?
DOLMANCE-Y e s , mad cre a ture ! . . . yes, we assure you , you shall ! . • •
Philo s ophy i n the B edro o m + 2 8 9
EUGENIE-Oh, m y friend, th ere i s m y a s s I . . . d o with i t wh a t you will ! . . .
DOLMANcE-One moment, while I a rrange this pleasure bout in a sufficiently lustfu l manner. ( A s D o lm ance gives h is o r ders, each pers o n execu tes them, taking his p os t . ) Augu stin, lie down on the bed ; Eugen i e , do you recline in his a rms ; while I sodomi ze her, I ' ll frig her clitoris with the head of Augustin's superb p rick, and Augustin who must be sp a ring o f h i s fuck will take good care not to disch a rge ; the gentle Chevalier-who, without saying a word, so ftly frigs himsel f while l isteninl� to u s-will have the kindness to a r r ange himsel f upon Eugenie's shoulders s o a s to exp ose h i s fine buttocks t o m y kisses : I 'll f r i g him amain ; so s h a l l I h a v e m y engine in an ass and a prick i n each hand, t o pollute ; a n d you, M a d ame, a fter h aving been your master, I want you to become mine : buckle on the most gigantic of you r dildos. ( Madame de Sain t-A nge o p e n s a ches t filled with a s t o re of them, a n d o u r hero selects the m o s t m assive . ) Splendi d ! This, according to the label, i s fou rteen b y ten ; fi t i t about you r l oins , M a dame, and sp a r e me not.
MADAME DE SAlNT-ANGE-I ndeed, Dolmance, you h a d best reconsider. I will cripple you with this device.
DOLMANc E-Fe a r not ; push, my angel , penetrate : I 'll not enter your dear Engen i e ' s ass until your enormous membe r is well a dvanced into mine . . . and i t i s ! i t i s ! oh, l i ttle Jesus 1 . . . You p ropel me h e avenward ! . . . No pity, my lovely one . . . I tell you I a m going to fuck your ass without preparations . . . oh, swe e t God ! magnificent a s s ! . . •
E UGENIE-Oh, my friend, you a r e tearing m e . . . . a t least p repare the way.
DOLMANC E-I 'll do nothing o f the sort, by God : half the pleasure's lost by these stupi d attentions. Put yourself i n mind of our p rinciples, Eugenie : I labor i n my beh a l f only : now victim for a moment, my lovely angel , sCion you'll p ersecute in your turn . . . . Ah, holy God, it enters I . . .
E UGENIE-You are putting m e to death !
2 9 0 .. T H E MARQ U I S DE S A D E
DOLMA N C E-Ah G o d I I t o u c h b o t t o m I . . .
E UG E N I E-A h , d o w h a t y o u w i l l , ' ti s a r r i v e d . . . I f e e l n o t h i n g b u t p l e a su r e I . . .
DOLMAN C E-How I l o ve to f r i g t h i s h u ge p r i ck o n a v i r g i n ' s cl i to r i s ! . . . Y o u , C h ev ;J l i e r , s h o w m e a g o o d a s s . . . . D o I f r i g you well, l i b e r t i n e ? . . . A n d you, M a d a m e , d o fuck me, fuck y o u r slut . . . y e s , I a m s h e and w i s h to b e . . . E u g en i e , d i s ch a r g e , my a n g e l , y e s , d i s c h a rge ! . . . D e sp i t e h i m s e l f , Au gu s t i n fi l l s m e w i t h h i s fuck . . . . I r e c e i v e t h e C h e v a l i e r ' s , m i n e g o e s t o j o i n h i m . . . . I r e s i s t no m o r e . . . . E u g { n i e , w i ggl e y o u r bu tto cks a n d g r i p my p r i c k : I am g o i n g to j e t a b l a z i n g fuck- s t r e a m d e e p i n to y o u r e n t r a i l s . . . . A h l fuck i n g b u g g e r o f a G o d ! I d i e ! ( H e w i t h dr a 'U) s , t h e circle b r e a k s . ) B e h o l d , M a d a m e , h e r e ' s your l i t t l e l i b e r t i n e full of fuck a g a i n ; t h e e n t r a n c e to h , � r cunt is s o a k e d w i th i t ; f r i g h e r , v i go r o u s l y s m i t e h e r c l i t o r i s a l l we t w i t h s p e r m : ' t i s o n e o f t h e m o s t d e l i c i o u s t h i n g s th a t m ay b e d o n e ,
E UGENI E , p a lp i t a t i n g-O h , my b l e s s e d o n e , w h a t p l e a su r e y o u g i v e m e I A h , d e a r : ov e , I b u r n w i th l u b r i c i t y ! ( Th e p o s ture i s ass u m ed. )
DOLMA N c E- C h e v l l i e r , a s ' t i s y o u w h o ' l l d e fl o w e r t h i s l o v e l y c h i l d , a d d y o u r m i n i s t n . t i o n s t o t h o s e o f y o u r s i s t e r , t h a t s h e m ay s w o o n in y o u r a rm s , a n d s t r i k e t h e s o d o m i t e ' s a t t i tu d e : I am go i n g t o embu g g e r y o u w h i l e A u gu s t i n d o e s t h e s a m e t o m e . ( Th e dis p o s i t i o n is effe c t e d . )
LE C H E VA L I E R-I s my p o s i t i o n s a t i s f a c t o ry ?
DOLMANcE-Y o u r a s s eve r so gen tly r a i s e d , up w i t h i t , a f r a c t i o n o f an i n c h , my l o v e ; t h e r e , j u s t so . . . w i t h o u t l u b r i c a t i o n , C h e v a l i e r ?
LE C H EVA L I E R-'W hy , b l e s s my s o u l ! a s y o u d a m n e d w e l l p l e a s e ; c a n I f e e l a n y t h i n g b u t p l e a s u r e i n t h i s d e l i c i o u s gi r l ' s womb I ( H e kisses h er, frigs h e r, b u ry i n g a fi n g e r in h e r cu n t while M a d a m e de S a i n t-A n g e s tr u m s E u g e n i e ' s cli t o ris . )
DOLMANC E-As f o r my s e l f , my d e a r , I , be a s s u r e d of i t , I take f a r m o r e p l e a su r e w i t h y o u t h a n w i th E u ge n i e ; t h e r e is a n
Philo s o p hy in the B e dro o m .. 2 9 1
immense di fference b e tween a boy' s and gi rl ' s ass . . . . So bugger me, Augu s tin ! what a bloody effort i s required to get you to move !
AUGusTIN-B 'damn, S i r , i t ' s because i t ' s j u s t been running and dripping a moment ago into thi s pretty l i ttle turtledove here and now you ' r e wanting i t to get right up for your bum there which really a i n ' t so pretty,
DOLMANCE-I d i o t ! But why compl a i n ? 'Tis M o ther N a tu re. Well, go on, tru s ty Augustin, go on with your indiscriminate pene trating, and when one day you have a l i ttle more exp e r i ence, you will tell m e whether one ass isn't worth thi rty cunts . . . . Eugen i e , deal fai rly with the Chevali e r ; you are thoughtless of everyone but yoursel f ; well, libertine, you are right ; but in you r own pleasure' s interest, frig h i m , since h e i s t o gather you r fi r s t fruits.
E UGENIE-B u t I a m fri gging him, I do kiss him, I am going out o f my head . . . . Aie I aie I aie I my friends, I can stand no more . . . p i ty my condition . . . I a m dying . . . I discha rge I Oh, God ! I am in ecstasy I . . .
DOLMANCE-N ow, a s for mys elf, I have elected p rudence and restraint : I wish m erely to have this fine ass put m e i n form ; the fuck tha t ' s being fired in m e I am saving for M a dame de Saint Ange : ' t i s wonderfully amusing to commence in one a s s the opera tion one wishes to conclude i n another. I say there, Chevalier, you seem nicely got up . . . shall we to the deflowering ? . . .
E UGENIE-Oh, h e avens ! no, not by him, I ' d perish from i t ; yours i s smaller, Dolmance : may it be you to whom l owe thanks for the opera tion, I beg o f you !
DOLMANCE-'Tis out o f the qu estion, my angel ; I've never fucked a cunt i n my l i fe and one cannot begin a t my age. Your hymen belongs to the Chevalier : o f u s all h e r e , he alone is worthy of its capture : do you not rob him of h i s j u s t p r i z e .
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Re fuse a m a i denhe a d . . . a s fresh, a s pretty a s this-for I defy anyone to s ay my Eugen i e i s not the loveliest girl in France-o h , M onsieur ! M onsieur, indeed, that's what I call holding too clo sely to one's p rinciples I
2 9 2 .. T HE MARQU: S DE SADE
DOLMAN CE-You say I am too scrupulous, M a d ame ? 'Ti s unkind. For there a r e multitudes of my coll e a gu e s , stricter in th e i r worship t h a n I , who m o s t assuredly woul d not bugge r you . . . . I , I 've done i t, and would d o i t again : i t i s not, thu s , a s you suspect, a question o f ca rrying rry worship to the point of fanaticism.
MADAME D E SAINT-ANGE-Well then Cheva l i e r , the task is yours, proceed ; but h ave a l i ttle c a r e what you do ; consi d e r t h e n a rrowness o f the channel you a r e going to navigate : what o f tht: p roportion b e tween the contents and the conta ine r ?
E UGENI E-Oh, ' twill kill m e , I ' m sure o f it, ' t i s i n evitable . . . . But my fu rious desire to b e fucked makes m e chance i t fearl e s sly . . . . Go on, penetrate, m y d e a r , I abandon my self to you.
LE C H EVALI ER, tahng a firm grip up o n h is ramp a n t prick Fuck, yes ! l e t it go in . . . . Sister, Dolmance, each of you take one o f h e r legs . . . . Ah, by God , what an enterp r i s e ! . . . Y e s , yes , s h e mu s t be s p l i t like a me lon, halved, God and God a g a i n , yes, i t ' s got to e n t e r I
E UGENIE-Gently, gently, th e p a i n i s great . . . . ( S h e scre a m s ; tears roll down her ch e ?k s . ) Help m e ! m y g o o d friend . . . . ( S h e s truggles . ) N o , I don ' t w a n t him t o d o i t l . . . I 'll c r y fo r h e l p i f you p e r s i s t 1 . . .
LE C H EVALI ER-C ry away a s much as you please, l i ttle ch i t , I tell you it must g o i n fven w e r e i t to shiver you into sm a l l p i e c e s .
E UGENI E-Wh a t b a r b a ri ty 1
DOLMANCE-Fuck! is one exp ected to be a gentleman whcn one is sti ff ?
LE C H EYALI ER-H a l look ! i t ' s sunk . . . i t ' s in ! by God ! . . . Fuck ! th e r e ' s the maidc l h e a d blasted to the dcvil ! . . . Look how i t bleeds I
E UGENIE-Go on, tiger I . . . tear me to ribbons if vou w i s h . . . I don' t care a damn : . . . kiss m e , butch er, I adore you ! . . . O h , ' t i s nothing when i t ' s ins i d e : a l l t h e p a i n s a r e fo rgot . . . . 'Vo e unto girls who shy away fre m such an attack! . . . What tremendous
Philosophy in the Bedro o m + 2 9 3
pleasures they deny themselves at the cost o f a l i ttle trouble 1 Thrust 1 thrust 1 push I Cheval i e r , I am coming I • • • sp ray your fuck over the wounds and lacerati ons . . . drive i t to the bo ttom o f my womb . . . a h ! suffering gives way to pleasure . . . I am ready to swoon I . . . ( Th e Ch evalier dis charges,. wh ile he tuck ed, D o lmance toyed with his ass a n d balls, and Mada m e de Sain t-A nge tickled Eugenie's clit o ris. Th ey dis s o lv e their p ositio n . )
DOLMANC E-'Twoul d be my opinion that, while the avenu e is open, the li ttle bitch might instantly be fucked by Augu stin I
E UGENIE-By Augustin ! . . . a prick o f those dimensions ! . . . a h , immediately 1 . . . While I am still bleeding! . . . D o you then wish to kill m e ?
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-D e a r heart . . . kiss m e , I sym p a th i z e with you . . . but s entence h a s been pronounced j there i s no appeal, m y dearest : y o u h a v e g o t t o submit t o i t .
AUGUSTIN-Ah, zounds 1 here I a m , all ready : soon's i t means sticking thi s b onny girl and I ' d com e , by God, all the way from Rome, on foot.
L E C HEVALI ER, grasping A ugus tin's mam m o th device-Lo ok a t i t, Eugeni e , look how it is erect . . . how worthy it i s to replace me . . . .
E UGENIE-Oh m e rci ful h e aven, what a piece 1 . . . Oh, 'tis cl e a r , you design my death I . . .
AUGUSTI N, s eizing E ugen i e-Oh n o , M am'selle, that's never killed anybody.
DOLMANCE-One instant, my fine boy, one instant : she must present her ass to m e while you fuck h e r . . . yes, that's it, come hither, M a dame ; I promised to sodom i z e you, I 'll keep my word ; but situate yourself in such a way that as I fuck you, I can b e within r e ach o f Eugeni e ' s fucker . And let the Cheval i e r flog me in the meantime. ( A ll is arra nged. )
E UGENIE-Oh fuck I he cracks m e ! . . . Go gently, great lout I . . . Ah, the bugge r ! he digs in ! . . . there 'tis, the fucking-j ohn 1 . . .
294 .. T H E MARQUIS DE SADE
h e ' s at the very b ottom I . . . I'm dying! . . . Oh, Dolmance, h ow you s trike I . . . 'tis to i gnite me b e fo r e and behind ; you ' r e setting my buttocks afire I
DOLMANC E , swingi 1g his whip with all h is s tre ng th-You ' ll b e a fi r e . . . you' l l burn, l i ttle bi tch I . . . a n d you 'll only disch a rge the more deliciously. How you frig her, Saint-Ange . . . l e t you r deft fingers soothe the hurt t h a t Augustin and I cause h e r I . . . But your anus contracts . . . I see i t , M a dame, I see i t ! we're going to come together . . . . Oh, ' tis I know not how divine thus to b e , ' twixt brother and sister I
MADAME DE SAI NT··ANGE, to Dolman ce-Fuck, my star, fuck I · . . Never do I b el i ev e ] have h a d so much pleasure I
LE C H EVALIER-D olmance, let's change hands ; b e nimble : pass from my sister's ass to Eugeni e ' s , s o as to acquaint her with the intermedi a ry ' s pleasure� , and I will embugger my sister who mean while will shower upon your ass the very whip strokes wherewi th you've j u s t brought Eugeni e ' s behind to blood.
DOLMA N C E , execu t in g t h e prop o s al-Agreed . . . there, my friend, h a s t ever seen a :;hift more cunningly effecte d ?
E UGENIE-Wha t ! both of them on top o f m e , good heavens I · . . wha t will come next ' j I 've really h a d enough o f thi s o a f ! . . . Ah, how much fuck this douhle pl e a su r e is going to cost me I . . . it flows alre ady. Wi thout that sensual ej aculation, I believe I would be already dead . . . . Why, my dea rest, you imitate me . . . . Oh, h e a r t h e b i tch swe a r ! . . . Discharge, Dolmance, . . . discharge, my love . . . this fat p e a s ant inundates m e : he shoots to the depths o f m y entra ils, . . . Oh, m y g o o d fuckers, wh a t is thi s ? T w o a t a time ? Good C h r i s t I . . . rece ive my fuck, d e a r companions, it conj oins itself w i th your own . . . . I am annihilated, . . . ( The a t titudes are dis s o lved. ) Well, my dear, what think you o f your scholar ? . . . Am I enough o f a whore now ? . . . But what a state you do put me in · • . what an agitation I , . . O h , yes, I swe a r , in my d runkenness, I swe a r I would h ave gon e i f necessary and got myself fucked in the middle of the street I . , .
Philo sophy in the B e dro o m + 2 9 5
DOLMANCE-How beautiful she i s thus.
E UGENIE-Y au ! I detest you : you r e fused me.
DOLMANCE-Could I contra dict my dogmas ?
E UGENIE-Very well, I forgive you, and I must respect the principles which lead us to wild conduct ; how could I not a cknowl edge and adopt them, I whQ wish not to live save in crime ? Let's s i t down and chat a l i ttle ; I ' m exhausted. C ontinue my instruction, Dolmance, an d say something that will console me for the excesses to which I have given myself over ; s t i fl e my remorse ; encourage me.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-'T i s fair enough : a s w e s ay, a l ittle the o ry must succeed practice : it i s the means to make a p erfect disciple.
DOLMANcE-Well then! Upon what subj ect, Eugenie , would you like to have a discussion ?
E UGENIE-I should like to know wheth e r manners are t ruly necessary in a governed society, whether their influence has any weight with the n a tional genius.
DOLMANCE-VVhy, by God, I have something here with m e . As I l e f t h o m e thi s morning I bought, outsi de the P a l a c e o f E quality , a l ittl e pamphlet, which i f o n e c a n believe t h e title, ought surely t o answer your question . . . . It's come straight from the press.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Let m e see i t . ( Sh e reads : ) "Yet Another Effort, Frenchmen, If You Would B ecome R epublicans. " Upo n my word, 'tis an unusua l titl e : ' ti s promising ; Chevalier, you possess a fine organ, read it to us.
DOLMANC E-Unl ess I am mistaken, this should perfectly reply to Eugenie ' s queries.
E UGENIE-Assuredly I
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Ou t w i th you, Augustin : this i s not for you ; but don't go too far ; we'll ring when we want you back.
LE C HE VALIER-Well, I 'll b e gin.
296 .. T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
YET ANOTH E R E FFORT,
F R E N C H M E N ,
IF Y O U WO U L D B E CO M E R E P U B LI CAN S
RELIGION
I a m a b o u t to put forward some rna j a r i d e a s ; they will be h e a r d and p o n d e r e d . If not all o f them p l e a s e , surely a few w i l l ; in some s o r t , then, I s h a l l have contributed to the p r o g r e s s o f o u r a g e , a n d s h a l l be conten t . We n e a r o u r g o a l , but h a l t in gly : I confess that I a m d i s tu r b e d by the p r e s e n t i m e n t t h a t we a r e o n t h e eve of failing once again to a r ri v e the r e . I s it thought t h a t g o a l will b e a t t a i n e d when a t l a s t we h a v e been given l a w s ? A b a n d o n the n o t i o n ; f o r w h a t s h o u l d w e , who h a v e no r e l i g i o n , do with l a w s ? \Ve m u s t h a ve a c r e e d , a c r e e d b d i t t i n g the republ i c a n c h a r a c t e r , something far removed from ever b e i n g able to resume the wo rship o f R o m e . I n t h i s a g e , when we a r e convin c e d t h a t m o r a l s m u s t be the b a s i s o f r e l i g i o n , a n d n o t r e l i gion o f m o r a l s , we n e e d a b o dy o f be l i e fs in keep i n g w i t h o u r cus :oms a n d h a b i t s , s o m e t h i n g t h a t would b e th e i r n e c e s s a ry c o n s e qu e 1.ce, and t h a t coul d , b y l i fting up the s p i r i t , m a i n t a i n i t p e rpetually a t the h i gh l evel o f t h i s p re c i o u s l i b e r ty, which t o d ay the s p i r i t h a s m a d e i ts u n i q u e i do l .
Well , I a s k , i s i t t l t i nkable t h a t the d o c t r i n e o f one o f T i t u s ' s l a v e s , o f a clumsy h i s t r i o n i c f r o m J u d a e a , b e fi t ting t o a f r e e a n d w a rl i k e n a t i o n th a t h a l; j u s t regene r a t e d i t s el f ? N o , m y fellow c o u n trymen , no ; you think nothing o f the sort. If, to his m i s fo r tu n e , t h e Frenchman w e r e to ( n tomb h i m s e l f i n the g r a v e o f C h r i s t i a n i ty, then on o n e s i d e t h e p r i e s t s ' p r i d e , t h e i r tyranny, t h e i r d e s p o t i s m , v i c e s forever c r o p p i n g l p in t h a t i m p u r e h o r d e , on the o t h e r s i d e the b a s e n e s s , the n a rro>'> n e s s , the p l a t i tu d e s o f d o g m a and mys t e r y o f t h i s i n famous a n d fahulous r e l i g i o n , would, by blunting the fi n e e d g e o f the republ i c a n s p i r i t , r a p i dly p u t about the Frenchma n ' s n e ck t h e y o k e w h i c h h i s vi ta l i ty b u t yesterday s h a t t e r e d .
L e t u s n o t l o s e s i gh : o f the f a c t t h i s p u e r i l e rel i g i o n w a s a m o n g o u r tyr a n t s ' b e s t w e a p on s : one o f i ts k e y dogmas w a s to render unto Caesar that which is Caes a r' s . H o w e v e r , w e have d e thron e d
Philos o p hy in the B e dro o m + 297
C a e s a r, w e are n o longer disposed to render him anything. French men, i t would be in v a i n were you to supp ose tha t your o a th-takin g cle rgy today i s i n a n y essential manner different from yesterday' s non-j uring cle rgy : there a r e inherent vices beyond all possibility o f correction. B efore ten years a r e out-utilizing t h e C h r i stian reli gion, i ts superstitions, its prej udices-your p r i e sts, their pledge s notwithstanding a n d though despoiled o f their riches, a r e sure t o reassert thei r empire over the sou ls they shall h ave undermined and captu re d ; they shall restore the mona rchy, because the power o f kings h a s always reinforced t h a t of t h e church ; and your republi can edifice, i ts foundations e a ten away, shall collapse.
o you who h ave axes r e a dy to hand, deal the final blow to the tree o f superstition ; be not cont,ent to prune its branches : uproot enti r ely a plant whose effects a r e so contagious. Well understand that your system o f liberty and equality too rudely a ff ronts the mini sters o f Christ's altars fo r there ever to be one o f them who will either adopt i t in good faith or give ove r seeking to topple it, i f h e i s able t o recover any domin i on over consciences. \V h a t priest, comp a ring t h e condition to which he h a s been reduced with the one he formerly enj oyed, will not do his u tmost to win back both the confidence and the authority h e h a s l o s t ? And how m any feeble and pusillanimous c r e a tu r es will not speedily become again t h e thralls o f this cunning shavepate ! Why i s it i m a gi n e d tha t the nuisances which existed b e fore cannot b e revived t o plagu e u s anew ? I n the C h ristian church' s i n fancy, were p r i e sts l e s s ambitious than they are today ? Y ou observe how far they advance d ; to w h a t do you sup pose they owed their success i f not to the means rel i gion furnished them ? Well, i f you do not absolutely prohibit this religion, those who p r e a ch i t, h aving y e t the same means, will soon achieve the same ends.
Then annihilate forever wha t m a y o n e day d e stroy your wo rk. Consi d e r th a t the fru i t of your labors being reserved for your grandchildren only, duty and p robity command that you bequeath them none o f those seeds o f d i s aster which could m e a n for your descendants a renewal o f the chaos whence we have with so much trouble just emerged. At the present moment Our prejudices a r e weakening ; t h e p e ople h a v e already abj u r e d t h e C a tholic absurd ities ; they have a l r e a dy supp ressed th e templ e s , sent the relics flying,
2 9 8 .. T H E MARQUI S DE SADE
and a gr e e d t h a t m a r r i age is a m e r e c i v i l u n d e r t a k i n g ; the sm a s h e d c o n f e s s i o n a l s serve a s p ub l i c m e e t i n g p l a c e s ; t h e f o rm e r f a i t h fu l , d e s e r t i n g t h e a p o s tol i c b a n q u e t , l e a v e t h e g o d s o f fl o u r dough t o t h e m i c e . Frenchmen, a n end to you r wave rings : a l l o f Europ e , o n e h a n d h a l fway r a i s e d t o t h e b l i n d fo l d o v e r h e r eyes, exp ects t h a t e ff o r t by which you must s n a tch i t from h e r h e a d . M ak e h a s t e : h o ly R o m e s t r a i n s every n e rvl� to r e p r e s s y o u r v i g o r ; hurry, l e s t you give Rome time t o secure her grip upon the few p roselytes r e m a i n i n g to h e r . Un s p a r i n gly and r e :kl e s sly smi t e o ff her p r oud and trembl i n g h e a d ; and b e fo r e t w o m o n t h s t h e t r e e o f l i b e r ty, overshadowing t h e wreckage o f Pete r ' s C h a i r , will soar victoriou sly above all t h e contemp t i b l e C h r i s t i a n v �s t i g e s a n d i d o l s r a i s e d w i th s u c h e ff r o n t e ry o v e r the a s h e s o f C a to a n d B ru t u s .
French m e n , I re p e a t i t to you : E u r o p e a w a i t s h e r d e l i v e r ance from scepter a n d cetlser alike. Know w e l l that you canno t p o s s i bly l i b e r a t e her from royal l y ranny w i t h o u t at the same time b r e aking f o r her t h e fetters o f r e l gi ous sup e r s t i t i o n : t h e s h a ckl e s o f t h e one are t o o i n t i m a tely l i nked to t h o s e o f t h e o t h e r ; l e t one o f t h e two survi v e , and you c a n n o t avo i d f a l l i n g subj e c t to the o t h e r you h a v e l e ft i n t a c t . I t i s n o longe r b e fo r e the k n e e s o f e i t h e r an i m a g i n a ry b e i n g or a v i l e i m p o s t o r a republ i c an m u s t p ro s t r a t e h i m s el f ; h i s only g o d s m u s t n o w b e courage a n d liberty . R o m e d i s a p p e a r e d imme d i a tely C h r i s t i a n i ty w a s p r e a c h e d t h e r e , a n d F r a n c e i s d o o m e d i f s h e continue s t o rever,� i t .
L e t the a b s u r d d o gn a s , t h e a p p a l l i n g my s t e r i e s , t h e i m p o s s i b l e m o r a l i ty o f t h i s d i s g u s ti n g r e l i gi o n b e e x a m i n e d w i th a t t e n t i o n , a n d it w i l l b e s e e n w h e t h e r i t b e fi t s a r e publ i c . D o you h o n e s tly b e l i eve I would allow m y s e l f t o be do m i n a t e d by t h e opinion o f a man I h a d j u s t s e e n kn e el i ng b e f o r e t h e. i d i o t p r i e s t of J e s u s ? N o ; c e r t a i nly n o t I T h a t e t e r n a l b b a s e fellow w i l l e t e rnally a d h e r e , by d i n t o f t h e b a s e n e s s o f h i s l t t i t u d e s , t o t h e a t roci t i e s o f the ancien regim e ; a s o f t h e momen t h e w e r e a b l e to sub m i t t o t h e s tup i d i t i e s o f a r e l i g i o n a s abj e c t a l · t h e o n e we a r e m a d enough to a cknowl e d g e , h e is n o l o n g e r c o m p e t e n t to d i c t a t e laws o r t r a n s m i t l e a rning to m e ; I no l o n g e r see h i m a s other t h a n a slave to p r ej u d i c e and sup e r s t i t i o n .
To convince o u r s e l v e s , we h a v e but to c a s t o u r eye s u p o n t h e h a ndful o f i n d i v i du a l s wh o re m a i n a tt a c h e d t o o u r f a t h e r s ' i n s e n s a t e
Philos ophy in the Bedro o m .. 2 9 9
worship : we will s e e whether t h e y are not all i rreconcilable enemies of the present system, we will see whether i t i s not amongst their numbers that all o f that j ustly contemned caste o f royalis ts and aris to cra ts i s included. Let the slave o f a crowned brigand grove l , if he pleases, at the feet o f a plaster image ; such an obj ect i s ready made for h i s soul o f mud. He who can s erve kings must a dore go ds ; but w e , Frenchmen, but w e , my fellow countrymen, we, rather than once more crawl beneath such contemp tibl e traces, we would die a thousand times over rather than aba s e ourselves anew I Since we believe a cult necessary, let u s im itate the Romans : actions, pas sions, heroes-tho s e were the obj ects o f their respect. I dols of this sort elevated the soul , electrifi e d it, and more : they communicated to the spirit the virtu e s o f the res pected b e ing. M inerva' s devotee coveted wisdom. C ou rage found i ts abode in h i s heart who wor shiped M ars. Not a single one of that great peopl e ' s gods was deprived o f ene rgy ; all o f them infused into the s.p irit of him who ven erated them the fire with which they were themselves abla ze ; and each Roman hoped someday to be himself worship e d , each aspired to become a s great at least a s the deity h e too� for a model. But what, on the contra ry, do w e lind in Christianity' s futi l e gods ? What, I want to know, what does this i diot' s religion o ff e r yoU ?8 D o e s the grubby N a z a rene fraud insp i r e any great thoughts in you ? His foul , nay repellent mother, the shameless M a ry-does she excite any vi rtues ? And do you di scover in the saints who gar nish the C h risti an Elysium, any example of greatnes s , of e i ther heroism o r virtue ? So alien to lo fty conceptions i s this miserable belief, that no a rtist can employ i ts attributes in the monuments h e raises ; even in Rome i tself, most o f the embellishments o f the papal palaces have their o rigins in p a ganism, and a s long as this world shall continue, p a ganism alone will arouse the verve of great men.
Shall we find more moti fs o f grandeur i n pure theism ? Will acceptance o f a chimera infuse into men' s minds the high degree
8 A c a r e f u l i m p ection of t h i s r e l i g i o n w i l l r e v e a l to anyone that t h e i m p i e t i e s with which i t i s fi l l e d come in p a rt from the ] e w s ' f e r ocity and i n nocence, and in p a rt from t h e i n d i ff e r e n c e a n d confu s i o n o f t h e Gent i l e s ; instead o f a p p r o p r i a t i n g w h at w a s good i n w h at t h e a n c i e n t p e o p l e s h a d t o o ff e : , t h e C h r i sti a n s s e e m o n l y to h av e f o r m e d th e i r doctri n e f r o m a m i x t u r e o f the v i c e s they f o u n d e v e rywhere.
3 0 0 + T H E M A R Q t:I S DE S A D E
of energy essential to r epublican virtues, and move men to cherish and p r actice them ? Le t us imagine nothing o f the kind ; we h ave bid fa rewell to that p h antom and, at the p resent time, atheism i s t h e one doctrine o f a l l those p rone t o reason. As we gradually p roceeded to our enlig htenment, we came more and more to feel that, motion being inhe �ent in m a tter, the prime mover existed only a s an illusion, and tha': all th a t exists essenti ally having to be in motion, the motor wa s useless ; we sensed th a t this chimerical divinity, p rudently inve :1ted by the e a rliest legislators, was, in their hands, simply one mor � means to enthrall us, and that, reserving unto themselves the ri€;ht to make the p h antom speak, they knew very well how to get hi m to say nothing but wh at would shore up the p reposterous l aws whereby they declared they served us. Ly curgu s , Numa, Moses, Jesus Christ, Mohammed, a l l these great rogues, all these great thought-tyrants, knew how to associ ate the divinities they fabricattd with their own boundless ambition ; and, certain o f captiva ting the people with the sanction o f those go ds, they were always studi ous, a s everyone knows, either to consult them exclusively about. o r to make them exclusively respond to, what they thought likely to serve th e i r own interests.
Therefore, today let u s equally desp i s e both that empty god impostors have celebrared, and all the farce of religious subtl eties surrounding a ridiculou!; beli e f : i t i s no longer with thi s baubl e that free men a re to be amused. Le t the total extermination of cults and denominations therefore enter into th e p rinciples we broadcast throughout all Europ e . Let u s not be content with breaking scepters ; we will pulve:·ize the idols forever : there i s never more than a singl e s tep fro n sup e rstition to roy a l i sm .9 Does anyone doubt i t ? Then let him understand once and for all, that in every age one o f the primary concerns of kings h a s been to maintain the dominant religion a s 0 1e o f the political base s that best sustains the throne. But, since i t i s s h a ttered, th a t throne, and since i t is,
9 I n s p ect t h e h i story o f e v e l Y r ace : n e v e r w i l l y o u fi n d o n e o f t h e m ch a n g i n g t h e gove r n m e n t i t h a s f o r a m o n a l c h i c a l system, s a v e by r e a s o n of t h e b r u t a l i z a t i o n o r t h e s u p e r stition th a t gri p s t h e m ; : r o u w i l l s e e k i ngs a l w ay s u p h o l d i ng r e l i g i o n , a n d r e l i g i o n s a nctifying kings. O n e k n o w s t h e story o f t h e ste w a r d a n d t h e cook : H a n d m e t h e p epper; I'll pass y o u t h e h utter. W r e tc h e d m o r t a l s I a r e y o u t h e n d e st i n e d f o r e v e r to r e s e m b l e th e s e two r a sc a l s ' r l a s t e r ?
Philo sophy in t h e Bedro o m + 3 0 1
happily, shattered fo r all time, l e t u s have not the slightest qualm about also demolishing the thing that suppl i e d i ts plinth.
Yes, citizens, religion i s incomp a tible with the libertarian system ; you have sensed a s much. N ever will a free man stoop to Christianity's gods ; never will its dogm a s , its rites, its mysteries, o r i ts morals s u i t a republican. O n e m o r e effort ; s i n c e y o u l a b o r to destroy all the old foundations, do not permit one of them to sur vive, for l e t but one endure, ' ti s enough, the rest will be restored. And how much more certain of their revival must we not be i f the one you tole rate i s posi tively the source and cradle o f all the others I Let us give over thinking religion can be u s e ful to man j once good laws are decreed unto us, we will b e able to dispense with religion. But, they a ssure us, the people stand in need o f one ; i t amuses them, they a r e soothed by it. Fim: ! Then, if that be the case, give u s a religion proper to free men ; give u s the gods o f p a ganism. We shall willingly worship Jup iter, He rcules, Pallas ; b u t we have no use for a dimensionless god who nevertheless fills everything with his immensity , an omnipotent god who never achieves what he wills, a supremely go o d being who creates malcontents only, a friend o f order i n whose government everything i s in turmoil. No, we want no more of a god who i s a t loggerheads with N a ture, who i s t h e father o f confusion, who moves m a n a t the moment m a n aban dons himself to horrors ; such a god makes us quiver with indigna tion, and we consign him forever t o the oblivion whence the in famous Robespierre wished to call him fo rth.lO
Frenchmen, i n the stead o f tha t unworthy phantom, we will substitute the imposing simulacra that rendered Rome mistress o f the ea rth ; l e t u s treat eve ry Christian image a s w e have t h e tokens of mona rchy. There where once tyrants sat we have mounted em blems of libe rty ; i n like manner we will place e ffi gi e s of great men on the pedestals once occup ied by statues of the knaves Christianity adoredY Let us cease to entertain doubts as to the effect of a theism
1 0 All r e l igions a r e agreed in exalting the d i v inity's w i sdom and p o w e r ; but a. soon as they expose his condu ct, we find nothing but i m p r u d ence, w e akness, a n d fol ly. God, they s ay, created the world for h i m s e l f, and u p until the p r e s e nt time h i s e fforts to m ak e it h o n o r h i m h ave proven u n successful ; God c r e ated u s t o worship him, and o u r d ays a r e spent mocking h i m ! U nfortu nate fellow, t h a t God !
1 1 We a r e only spe aking h e r e of those g r e a t men w h o s e r e p utation h a s been for a long w h i l e secure.
3 0 2 .. T H E MAR Q U I S DE SADE
in the country : have no t the p e asants felt the necessity of the an nihilation of the C a tholi c cult, so contradictory to the true principles o f freedom ? Have they not w a tched undaunted, and without sor row or pain, th e i r altan and presbyte ries battered to b i ts ? Ah I rest assured, they will renonnce th e i r ridiculous god in the same way. The sta tues o f M a rs , 0 f M inerva, a n d o f Liberty will be set up in the m o s t conspicuous p ! aces in t h e villages ; holidays will be cele brated there every y e a r ; the p r i z e will b e d ecreed to the worthi e s t citi z e n . At the entrance to a secluded w o o d , Venus , Hymen, and Love , erected beneath a ru stic temp l e , will receive lovers' homages ; there, by the h a n d o f the G r a c e s , B e a u ty will crown C onstancy. More than mere lovinl� will be required in o rder to pose one ' s candidacy f o r the t i a r a . i t will b e necessary t o have merited love. Heroism, capabilities, humaneness, l a rgeness o f spirit, a p roven civism-those are the cred entials the lover shall b e obliged to p resent at his mistress' feet, and they will be of far greater value than the titles o f bi rth and we alth a foo l ' s pride used to requ i r e . S o m e virtues a t least wi ll be b o r n o f t h i s worship , w h e r e a s nothing but crimes come of that other we h a d the weakness to profess. This worship will ally itself to the libe rty w e serve ; i t will animate, nourish, inflame liberty, whereas theism i s i n its essence and i n i ts nature the most d e a dly en emy o f the liberty we adore.
Was a d ro p o f blood spilled when the pagan idols were destroyed under the Elstern Empire ? The revolution, prepared by the s tupidity of a people become slaves again, was accompl ished without the slightest hi ndrance o r outcry. Why do we dread the work of philosophy a s more p a i n ful than that o f despotism ? I t i s only the priests who s t 1 1 hold the people, whom you h e s itate to enlighten, captive at the feet o f their imaginary god : take the p r i e sts from the people , and the veil will fall away naturally. B e persuaded that these p e ople, a good deal wiser than you suppos e them, once r i d o f tyranny's i rons, will soon also be r i d o f super stition ' s . You a r e afraid of the people unrestrained-how ridicu lous I Ah, b e l ieve me, c tizens, the man not to be checked by the material swo rd o f j u stice will h a rdly be halted by the moral f e a r o f hell's torments, a t which he h a s l a u g h e d s i n c e childhood ; i n a word, many crimes hav{ been committed as a consequence o f your theism, but neve r has it p revented a s ingl e one.
Philos ophy in the Bedro o m .. 3 03
I f it is true th a t p a ssions blind, tha t the i r effect i s to clou d our eyes to dangers tha t surround us, how may we suppose tha t those dangers which are remote, such a s the punishments announced by your god, can successfully dispel the cloud not even the blade of the law i tself, constantly suspended above the p a ssions, i s able to penetrate ? If then it is p a tently cle a r that this supplementary check imposed by the i d e a of a go d becomes useless, i f i t i s demon strated that by its other effects i t i s dangerous, then I wish to know, to what use can i t be put, and from what motives should we lend our support i n order to p rolong its exi stence ?
I s someone about to tell me that we a r e n o t yet mature enough to consolidate our revolution i n s o brilliant a manne r ? Ah, my fellow citizens, the road we took in ' 8 9 has been much more difficult than the one still ahead of us, and we have l i ttle yet to do to con quer the opinion we have been ha rrying since the time of th e over whelming o f the B a stille_ Let us firmly believe that a people wise enough and brave enough to drag an impudent monarch from the heights o f grandeur to the fo ot of the scaffold, a people that, i n these l a s t f e w years, h a s been able t o vanquish s o many p rejudices and sweep away so many ridiculous impediments, will be sufficiently wise and brave to terminate the a ff a i r and i n the interests o f the republ ic's well-being, abolish a mere p h antom a fter having success fully beheaded a real king.
Frenchmen, only strike the initial blows ; your State education will then see to the rest. Get p romp tly to the task of training the youth , i t must be amongst your most important concerns ; above all, build their education upon a sound ethical basis, the ethical basis that w a s so neglected i n your religious education. R a ther than fatigu e your children ' s young o rgans with deific s tupidities, replace them with excellent social p rinciple s ; inste a d of teaching them futile p rayers which, by the time they are sixteen, they will glory i n having forgotten, let them be instructed in their duties toward society ; train them to cherish the virtues you sca rcely ever mentioned i n fo rmer times a n d which, without your religious fables, a r e sufficient for thei r individual happiness ; make them sense that thi s happiness consists i n rendering others a s fortu n a te a s w e desire to be our selves. I f you repose these truths upon Christian chimeras, a s you so foolishly used to do, scarcely will you r pup i l s have detected the
3 04 .. THE MARQUI S DE SADE
absurd futility o f i ts foundations than they will overthrow the entire edifice, and they will b ('come bandits for the simple rea son they believe the religion they have toppled forbids them to be bandits. On the o ther hand, if yo u make them sense the necessity of virtu e , uniqu ely because the i r h appiness depends upon it, egoism w i l l turn them into honest people, and thi s law which dictates their behavior to men will always be the surest, the soundest o f all. Let there then b e the most sc rupulous ca r e taken to avoid mixing religious fanta s i e s i n to this S tate education. Never l o s e s i g h t o f the f a c t i t i s free men we wish to form, not the wre tch e d worshipers o f a god. Let a simple philosopher introduce these new pupils to the inscrutable but won d e r fu l sublimities of N a t u re j let him prove to them that awareness of a god, o ften h i ghly da ngerous to men, never contribute d to thei r h appiness, a n d that they will n o t be happier for acknowledging a s a cause of what they do not understand, something they well under stand even l e s s ; that it i s f a r l e s s essential to inqu i r e into the workings o f N ature than to enj oy he r and obey her laws j that these laws are a s wise a s they are simpl e ; that they are wri tten in the h e arts o f all men j and that i t i s bu t necessary to interrogate that h e a r t to discern i ts impube. If they wish absolu tely that you speak to them o f a creator, answe r that things always having been what now they are, never having had a beginning and never going to have an end, it thus becomes a s u seless as impossible for man to be able to trace things b a ck to an imaginary origin which would explain noth ing and do not a j o t o f g;oo d. Tell them th at men are incapable of obtaining true notions of a being who does not make his influence felt on one o f our senses.
All our ideas a r e representations of objects that strike us : what i s to represent to u:; the i d e a of a god, who i s pla inly an i d e a without obj ect ? I s not sllch an i d e a , y o u w i l l add w h e n talking to them, quite as impossible as effects wi thout causes ? Is an i d e a wi th o u t p r o totype anything o ther than an hallucination ? Some scholars, you will continu e , assure us that the idea of a god i s innate , and that mortals a l r e a dy hav e this i d e a when in their mothers' bellies. But, you will remark, th a t i s false j every principle i s a j u dgment, every j u dgment the outcl)me o f experi ence, and experi ence is only a c qu i r e d by the exercise: of the senses j whence it follows that religious p rinciples bear 'lpon nothing whatever and are n o t i n the
Philos o p hy in the Bedr o o m .. 3 0 5
slightest inna te. How, you will g o on, how h ave they been able to convince rational beings that the thing most difficult to understand is the most vital to them ? It is that mankind h a s been terrorized ; it i s that when one i s a fr a i d one ceases to reason ; i t is, above all, that we have been advised to mistrust rea son and d e fy i t ; and that, when the brain is disturbed, one beli eves anything and examines nothing. I gnorance and fear, you will rep e a t to them, i gnorance and fe a r-those are the twin bases o f every religion.
M an's uncertainty with respect to his god is, preci sely, the cause fo r his a ttachment to his re1igion. M an 's f e a r i n d a rk places is a s much physical a s moral ; fear becomes habitual i n him, and is changed into need : h e would bel i eve he were l a cking something even were h e to have nothing more to hope for o r dread. N ext, re turn to the utilitarian value of morals : apropos o f this vast subj ect, give th em many more examples than lessons, many more demon strations than books, and you will make good citizens o f them : you will turn them into fine warriors, fine fath e rs, fine husbands : you will fashion men that much more devoted to the i r country's libe rty, who s e minds will be forever immune to servility, forever hostile to servitude, whose genius will never be troubl e d by any religious terror . And then true patriotism will shine in every sp i r i t, and will reign there in all its force and p u rity, because it will become the sove reign sentiment there, and no alien notion will dilute or cool its e n e rgy ; then you r second generation will be sure, reliable, and you r own work, consolidated by it, will go on to become the law o f th e universe . But if, through fear o r fainth e a rtedness, these counsels are ignored, if the foundations o f the edifice we thought we destroy e d a r e left intact, what then will happen ? They will rebuild upon these foundations, and will set the reupon the same colossi , with thi s diffe rence, and it will be a cruel one : the new structu res will be cemented with such strength that neither your generation nor ensuing ones will avail against them.
Le t there be no doubt o f i t : religions are the cradl es of despotism : the foremost amongst all the despots was a priest : the first king and the fi rst emperor o f Rome, N uma and Augustus, as soci a ted themselve s, the one and the other, with the sace rdotal ; C onstantine and Clovis were rather abbots than soverei gns ; Helio gabalus was priest o f the sun . At all times, i n every century, every
3 0 6 .. T H E MAR Q U I S DE SADE
a g e , there h a s been sHch a connection be tween d e spoti sm and religion th a t it is infini tdy a p p a rent and demons trated a thousand times ove r , that in destroying one, t h e other must be undermined, fo r the simple r c a son th a t the fi r s t will always put the l a ,v into the s e rvice o f the second. I do not, however, propose e i th e r massacres o r expul s i o n s . Such d r e a d ful things ha ve n o pl ace i n the enli ghtened mind. No, d o not a s s a s!,inate a t all, do not expel a t a l l ; these a r e royal atrocities, or t h e brigands' w h o i m i t a t e kings ; i t i s n o t a t a l l by acting as they that y o u w i l l force m e n t o l o o k w i t h horror upon them who practice :i those crimes. Let us r e s e rve the employ ment o f force for the i do l s ; r i d i cu l e alone will su ffi c e for those who s e rv e them : Jul i a n ' s s a r casm wrought greater damage to Ch risti anity than all N e r o ' s to rtures. Yes, we shall des troy for all time any notion of a go d , and make soldiers o f his priests ; a few of them are a l r e a dy ; let them ke ep to th i s trade, sold i e ring, so worthy o f a republican ; but l e t them give us n o more of t h e i r chimerical being nor o f his nonsense-filled religion, the single obj ect o f our scorn.
Let us condemn the first of those blessed c h a rl a ta n s w h o comes to u s to say a few more words either o f god or o f reli gion , l e t u s condemn h i m to be j e ered at, ridiculed, cover e d with fi l t h i n a l l the publ i c s q u a r e s and m a rketp l aces in Franc e ' s l a rgest c i t i e s : im p ri sonment for l i fe wi l l be the reward of whosoever falls a second t i m e i n to the sarr e error. Let the most insul t i n g b l a sp hemy, the most atheistic works next b e fully and o p enly authori zed, in order to comp l e te the ext i rp a tion from the human h e a r t and memory o f those appalling pastimes o f o u r childho od ; let there b e p u t in c i rcul a ti o n the writings most cap able o f finally illumina ting the Eu ropeans upon a m a tter so important, a n d l e t a consi d e rable p r i z e , to be bestowe d by the N : l tion, be a w a r d e d t o him who, having s a i d and demonstrated everything u p o n t h i s score , will l e av e t o h i s countrymen no more than a scyth e to mow the land c l e a n o f all tho s e phantoms, and a s t e ady heart to h a te them. I n six months, the whole will be done ; you - in famous god will b e a s naught, and all that w i thout ceasing to be just, j e al o u s o f the esteem of o thers without c e asing to be hO,1est men ; fo r i t will have been sensed tha t t h e r e a l friend o f h i s c ountry m u s t in no w a y be l e d about by chimeras, as is the slave of kings ; that it is not, in a word, either the frivolous hope o f a better world nor fear o f the grea test ills
Philo s ophy in the Bedro o m + 3 0 7
N a tu r e sends us tha t must l e a d a republican, whose only gui d e I S virtue and whose o n e restraint i s consci ence.
MANNERS
Afte r h aving made it clea r that theism i s in no wise suitable to a republican government, it seems to m e necessary to prove that French manners are equally unsuitable to it. This a r ticle i s the more cruci al, f o r t h e l aws to b e promulgated will issue from manners, and will mirror them.
Frenchmen, you are too intelligent to fail to sense that new government will require new m anners. That the c i ti z ens o f a free State conduct themselves like a despotic king's slaves is unthink able : the d i ff e rences o f th e i r interests, of their duties, of the i r rela tions amongs t one another e ssenti ally determine an enti rely different manner of b e h a ving in the worl d ; a crowd of minor faults and of l i ttle social indelicacies, thought o f a s very fundamental indeed under the rul e o f kings whose exp ecta tions rose i n keeping with the need they felt to impose curbs i n o r d e r to appear resp ectable and unapp roachable to their subj ects, are due to become as nothing with u s ; other crimes with which w e are a cquainted under the names of regicide and sacrilege, i n a system where kings a n d religion will be unknown, i n the sam e way must b e annihilated in a republican State. In according freedom o f conscience and o f the press, con s i d e r , c i t i zens-fo r it i s p ractically the s a m e thing-whether free dom of action must not be granted too : excep ting d irect clashes with the underlying p rinciple s o f gove rnmen t, there remain to you it i s impossible to say how many fewer crimes to puni sh, b ecause in fact there a r e very few criminal actions in a soci e ty whose founda tions are l i b erty and equality. M a tters ,vell weighed and things closely inspected, only that is really criminal which rejects the law ; for N a tu r e , equally dictating vices a n d virtues to u s , in rea son o f o u r consti tution, yet more philosophi cally, i n r e a son o f t h e need � ature has of t h e one a n d the other, what she insp i r e s in u s would become a very reliable gauge by which to adjust exactly what is good and b a d . But, the better to d evelop my thoughts upon so important
3 0 8 + T H E MAR Q U ! : ; DE SADE
a question, we will classi :y the diffe rent acts in man's li fe that until the present it has pleased us to call criminal, and we will next square them t o the true obl i ga ti,)ns o f a republican.
In every age, the d u ties o f man have been considered under the following th ree c ategori e s :
1 . Those his consc . ence and h i s credul i ty impose upon him, wi th wha t regards a supreme being ;
2. Those he i s obliged to fulfill toward h i s brethren ; 3 . Finally, those that relate only to himself.
The certainty i n w �ich we must be that no go d meddles in our a ff a i rs and that, a s lecessary creatures o f N a ture, like plants and animals, we are h e re because i t would be impossible for u s not to b e-, th i s unshakable certainty, it i s cl e a r enough , a t one st roke erases the first group of duties, those, I wish to say, toward the divinity to which we err oneou sly beli eve ourselves beholden j and with them vanish all religious crimes, all those comp rehended under t h e indefinite names o f imp i e ty , s a crilege, b l a s p h e m y , a t he is m , etc., al l those, i n b r i e f, which Athens so unj ustly punished i n Alci b i a d e s , and France i n the unfortunate L a b a r r e . I f t h e r e i s anything ex travagant in this world i t i s to see men, in \vhom only shallowness of mind and poverty of ide�.s give rise to a notion o f god and to what this god exp ects o f the m , nevertheless wish to determine what pleases and what angers their imagination's ridiculous p h a n tom. It woul d hence not be mere y to tole r a t e indi fferently each of the cul ts that I shou l d like to see l i S limit ourselves ; I should like there to be pe rfect free dom to deri de them all ; I should like men, gathered in no m a tter what templ e tc invoke the eternal who wears their image, to be seen as so many comics in a theater, a t whose antics everyo n e may g o to laugh. Rega r d �d in any other l i ght, religions become seri ous, and then important once again ; they will soon stir up and pa tron i z e opinions, and no sooner will people fall to d i sputing over religions than some will t e beaten into favoring religi onsY Equa l i ty
1 2 Each n ation d ecl a r e s its rel igion the best of a l l and relies, to p e r s u a d e one of it, upon a n endless number of p r . ,ofs not only i n d i s a greement with one another, but n e a rly all contr adictory. In o u r profound ignorance, w h a t i s the one which may p l e a s e god, supposing now that t h e r e i s a god ? W e should, i f w e are w i s e , either p rotect them all and equal ly, o r proscri b e them all in th e same way ; well, to proscribe them is certainly the s u rer, since w e have the m o r a l a " u r a nce th at all are mummeries, no une o f which c a n b e more p l e a s i ng than a n oth er to a god w h o does not exi st.
Philos ophy in the Bedro o m + 3 0 9
once wrecked by the preference o r p ro tection tendered one of them, the government will soon disapp e a r , and out of the reconstituted t h e o cracy the aris to cracy will be reborn in a trice. I cannot rep e a t it to you too o ften : no more go ds, Frenchm en, no more go ds, lest un der their fatal i n fluence you wish to be plunged back into all the hor rors o f despotism ; but it i s only by j eering th at you will destroy th em ; all the dangers they bring in the i r wake will instantly be re vived en masse i f you pamper or ascribe any consequence to them. C a rried away by anger, you overthrow their i dols ? N o t for a minute ; have a bi t of sport with them, and they will crumble to bits ; once withered, the opinion will collapse of its own accord.
I trust I have said enough to make plain that n o l aws ought to be decreed against religious crimes, for that which offends an il lusion offends nothing, and it would be the height of inconsistency to punish those who outrage or wh o despise a creed or a cult whose priority to all o thers i s established by no evidence whatsoever. N o , t h a t would necessarily be to exhibit a p a rti ality a n d , consequently, to i n fl u ence the scales o f equality, that foremost l aw of your new gov ernment.
We move on to the second class of man's duti e s , those which b i n d him t o his fellows j this is o f a l l the cl a s s e s the m o s t exten s i v e .
Excessively vagu e upon man's relations with his brothers, Christian morals p ropose bases so filled with sophistries that we a r e completely unable to accept them, since, if one i s pleased to erect p rinciples, one ought scrupulou sly to gu ard against founding them upon sophi stries. Thi s absurd morality tells u s to love our neighbor a s ourselves. Assuredly, nothing would be more sublime were i t ever possible for wha t i s false to be beautiful. The point is not a t all to love one's brethren a s oneself, since that is in defiance of all the laws o f N a ture, and since h e rs is the sole voice which must di rect all the actions in our l i fe ; i t is only a question o f loving others a s brothers, a s friends given us by N a ture, and with whom we should be able to live much better in a republican State, wherein the disappea rance o f distances must necessarily tighten the bonds.
M ay humanity, fratern i ty, benevolence prescribe our recip rocal obligations, and let u s individually fulfill them with the simple degree o f energy N a ture has given us to this end ; let u s d o so wi th-
3 1 0 .. THE MAR Q U n DE SADE
out blaming, and above all w i t h o u t p u n i s h i n g , those wh o , of c h i ll i e r temp e r o r m o r e a c r i m o n i o u s h u m o r , do n o t n o t i c e i n t h e s e y e t ve ry t o u c h i n g s o c i a l ti e s a l l tr e s w e e t n e s s and gentl e n e s s o t h e r s d i scove r t h e r e i n ; f o r , i t w i l l be a g r e e d , to s e e k to i m p o s e u n i v e r s a l l a w s w o u l d b e a p al p a b l e a b s u r d i ty : s u c h a p ro c e e d i n g w o u l d b e a s r i d i c u l o u s a s th a t o f t h e g e n c T a l w h o w o u l d h a v e a l l h i s s o l d i e r s d r e s s e d i n a u n i fo r m o f t h e s a lT e s i z e ; i t i s a t e r r i b l e i n j u s ti c e to r e qu i r e th a t m e n o f u n l i k e c h a r a c t e r a l l b e rul e d b y t h e s a m e l a w : w h a t i s g o o d fo r o n e i s n o t a t a l l g o o d f o r a n o t h e r .
.
T h a t we c a n n o t d e v i s e as many l a w s as t h e r e a r e m e n m u s t b e a dm i t t e d ; but t h e l a w s ( a n b e l e n i e n t , a n d so f e w i n numb e r , th a t a l l m e n , o f w h a te v e r c h u a c t e r , c a n e a s i ly o b s e r v e them. Fu r t h e r m o r e , I w o u l d d e m a n d t : 1 a t t h i s s m a l l n u r� b e r o f l aw s b e o f s u c h a s o r t a s to be a d ap t a b l e to a l l t h e v a r i o u s c h a r a c t e r s ; they who formul a t e t h e code s h o u l d follow t h e p r i n c i p l e o f applying more or l e s s , a c c o r d i n g to the p e r s o n i n q u e s t i o n . It has been p o i n t e d out th a t there are c e r t a i n vi r':u e s whose p r a c t i c e i s i m p o s s i b l e f o r c e r t a i n m e n , j u s t a s t h e r e a r e c e r t a i n r e m e d i e s w h i c h d o n o t a g r e e with cer tain c o n s t i t u t i o n s . N o w , w o u l d it not b e to ca rry y o u r i n j u s t i c e beyond a l l l i m i t s we re y o u t o s e n d t h e l a w to s t r i k e t h e m a n in c a p a bl e o f bowing to th e l a w ? Would your i n i q u i ty be any l e s s h e r e th a n i n a c a s e w h e r e yO J s o u g h t to f o r c e the b l i n d to d i s ti n gu i s h a m o n g s t c o l o r s ?
From t h e s e fi rs t p r i n c i p l e s t h e r e fol l ow s , o n e f e e l s , the n e c e s s i ty to m a k e fl ex i bl e , m i l :l l a ws a n d e s p e c i a l l y to g e t r i d f o r e v e r o f t h e a t r o c i ty o f c ap i ta l p u n i s h m e n t , b e c a u s e t h e l a w w h i c h a t tempts a m a n ' s l i fe i s i m p r a c t i r d , unjust, i n a d m i s s i b l e . Not, a n d i t w i l l b e c l a r i fi e d i n t h e s e q u e l , t h 3 t we l a ck a n i n fi n i t e numb e r o f c a s e s w h e r e , w i t h o u t o ff e n s e to N a t u r , ! ( a n d t h i s I s h a l l d e m o n s t r a t e ) , m e n h a v e f r e e l y taken o n e a n o t h e r ' s l i v e s , s i m p l y exe r c i s i n g a p r e r o g a t i v e r e c e i v e d f r o m t h e i r c o m m o n m o t h e r ; but i t i s i m p o s s i b l e for the l a w to o b t a i n the s a m e p r i v i l eg e s , s i n ce the l a w, c o l d a n d i m p e r s o n a l , i s a t o t a l s t r a n g e r t o t h e p a s s i o ns w h i c h a re a b l e to j u s t i fy in m a n t h e c r u e l a c t o f mu r d e r . M a n r e c e i v e s h i s i m p r e s s i o n s f r o m N a tu r e , w h o i s a b l e to f o r g i v e h i m t h i s a c t ; the l a w, on the contra ry, a l ways o p p o s e d a s it i s to N a tu r e and r e c e i v i n g n o th i n g from h e r , cannot be a u t h o r i z e d to p e rmi t i ts e l f t h e s a m e e x t r a v a g a n c e s : n o t having th e s a m e m o t i v e s , the l a w c a nnot ha ve the s a m e r i g h t s . Th o s e a re w i s e
Philos op hy in the B edro o m + 3 1 1
a n d d e l i c a t e d i s t i n c t i o n s w h i c h e s c a p e m a ny p e o p l e , b e c a u s e v e ry few o f t h e m r e fl e c t ; b u t they will be g r a s p e d a n d r e t a i n e d by t h e i n s tructed to w h o m I recommend t h e m , a n d w i l l , I h op e , e x e r t s o m e i n fl u e n c e upon the n e w c o d e b e i n g r e a d i e d f o r u s .
T h e s e c o n d r e a s o n w h y t h e d e a t h p e n a l ty m u s t b e done away with is th a t it has never r e p r e s s e d c r i m e ; f o r crime is e v e ry day com mi t t e d at t h e foot of t h e s c a ff o l d . This punishment is t o be got rid o f, i n a word, b e c a u s e it would be d i ffi cult to conceive of a p o o r e r c a l cul a t i o n t h a n t h i s , by w h i c h a m a n i s p u t t o d e a t h f o r having k i l l e d a n o t h e r : under t h e p re s e n t a r r angement the obvio u s result is n o t o n e m a n t h e less but, o f a sudden, two ; such a r i t h m e t i c is i n use only amongst h e a dsmen a n d fools. However a l l t h a t may b e , t h e i nj u r i e s w e c a n work a g a i n s t o u r b r o t h e r s may b e r e d u c e d to fou r typ e s : calu m n y ; theft; the c r i m e s w h i c h , c a u s e d by impurity, may i n a d i s a gr e e a b l e s e n s e a ff ect o t h e r s ; a n d mu rder.
All t h e s e w e r e a c t s c o n s i d e r e d of the h i g h e s t i m p o r t a n c e u n d e r t h e m o n a rchy ; but a r e t h e y quite s o s e r i o u s i n a r e p u bl i c a n S t a te ? T h a t i s w h a t we a r e going to a n a l y z e with t h e a i d of p h i l o sophy's torch, f o r by its light alone m a y such a n inqu i ry b e u n d e r t a k e n . Let no o n e t a x . m e w i t h being a d a n g e r o u s inno v a to r ; let no o n e say that by my writings I seek to blunt the remorse i n e v i l d o e rs ' h e a r ts, th a t m y h u m a n e e t h i c s a r e wicked b e c a u s e t hey a u g m e n t t h o s e s a m e evil doers' p e n c h a n t fo r c r i m e . I wish f o rm a l ly t o c e r t i fy h e r e and now, that I h a v e n o n e of t h e s e p e rv e r s e i nt e n t i o n s ; I s e t forth the i d e a s w h i c h , s i n c e t h e a g e w h e n I fi r s t b e g a n to r e a s o n , h a v e i de n t i fi e d t h e m s e l v e s i n m e , a n d to w h o s e exp r e s s i o n a n d r e a l i z a t i o n t h e in famous d e s p o t i s m of tyr a n t s has been o p p o s e d f o r uncounted cen turi e s . So much the w o r s e f o r tho s e s u s c e p t i b l e to co rrup t i o n by any i d e a ; s o much the worse f o r them w h o f a s t e n upon n a u g h t but the h a rm fu l i n p h i l o s o p h i c opinions, who a r e l i kely t o b e corrupted by eve rything. Who knows ? T h ey m ay h a v e been poisoned by r e a ding Seneca a n d C h a r r o n . It is not to t h e m I s p e a k ; I address mys e l f only to p e o p l e c a p able o f h e a ri n g m e out, a n d t h e y will r e a d m e w i t h o u t a n y danger.
I t i s w i t h utmo s t c a n d o r I confess th a t I have never considered c a lumny a n evi l , and e s p e c i ally i n a government like o u r own, under which a l l of u s , bound closer toge t h e r , nearer one to the o t h e r , ob viou sly have a g r e a t e r i n t e r e s t i n b ecoming acqu a inted wi th o n e a n-
3 1 2 + T H E MARQUl S DE SADE
other. Either one or the o the r : calumny attaches to a truly evil man, o r i t falls upon a vi rtuous creature. I t will b e agreed that, in the fi rs t case, i t makes l i ttl e jiffe rence if one imputes a l i ttle more evil to a man known for h aving done a great deal o f i t ; perhaps indeed the evil which does not exi" t will bring to l i ght evil which does, and there you have him, the malefactor, more fully exposed than ever before.
We will suppose now that an unwholesome influence reigns over Hanove r, but that in rep a i ring to that city where the air is in salubrious, I risk l i ttle Vlorse than a bout of fever ; may I reproach the man who, to p reven t me from go ing to Hanover, tells me that one perishes upon arriving there ? N o , surely not ; fo r, by using a great evil to frighten m e , he spared me a lesser one.
I f, on the contrary, a virtuous man i s calumn i a ted, let him not be a l a rme d ; he need bu t exhibit h i m self, and all the calumniator's venom will soon b e turn e d back upon the latter. For such a person, calumny i s m e rely a test o f purity whence his virtue emerges more resplendent than ever. A s a matter o f fact, his individual ordeal m ay profit the cause o f virtue in the republ ic, and add to its sum ; for this virtuous and sen s i tive man, s tung by the injustice done him, will apply himself to th,! cultivation o f still greater virtu e ; h e will want to overcome this calumny from which he thought himself sheltered, and h i s splen d i d acti ons will acqu i re a correspondingly greater degree of energy. Thus , in the fi rst instance, the calumn i a tor p roduces quite favo rabk results by i n fl a ting the vices o f the danger ous obj ect of his a ttacks ; in the second, the results achieved are ex cellent, for vi rtu e is oblii�ed to offer i tsel f to us enti re.
Well now, I a m a t a loss to know for wh a t rea son the calum n i a to r deserves your fe a r, especi ally under a regime where i t i s es senti al to i denti fy the wicked, and to augment the energy o f the goo d . Let us hence very carefully avoid any declarations p rejudicial to calumny ; we will conBider it both a lantern and a stimulant, and in either case something h i ghly useful. The l egislator, all o f whose ideas must be a s l a rge a s the work he undertakes i s great, must never be concerned w i th the effect o f that crime which strikes only the individual. It i s the gene ral, overall effect h e must study ; and when i n thi s manner h e c bserves the effects calumny produces, I defy him to find anything pun ishable in i t . I defy him to find any shadow
Philo s o p hy in the Bedro o m .. 3 1 3
or hint o f j ustice in the law th a t would punish i t ; o u r legislator becomes the man o f greatest justice and integrity i f , on the contrary, h e encou rages and rewards it.
Theft i s the second of the moral offenses whose examination we proposed.
I f w e gl ance at the histo ry o f ancient times, w e will s e e theft p e rmi tted, nay, recompensed in all the Greek republics ; Spa rta and Laceda emon op enly favo red i t ; s.everal other peoples regarded i t a s a virtue in a warrio r ; i t i s certain t h a t stealing nouri shes courage, strength, skill, tact, i n a word, all the virtu e s u s e fu l to a republican system and consequently to our own . Lay partiality aside, and an swer me : i s th e ft , whose effect i s to d i stribute wealth more evenly, to be branded as a wrong in our day, under our government which aims a t e qu a l i ty ? Pl a inly, the answer is no : i t fu rthers equal i ty and, wha t i s more, renders more difficult the con s e rvation o f prope rty. There was once a people who punished not the th i e f but him who allowed himself to be robb e d , in order to teach him to c a r e for his property. This brings us to r e flections of a broader scop e .
God fo rbid t h a t I should h e r e wish to a s s a i l t h e pledge t o re spect property the N a tion ha s j u s t given ; but will I b e p e rmitted some remarks upon the injustice o f this pledge ? vVhat i s the spi r i t o f the v o w taken b y a l l a n a t i o n ' s individual s ? I s i t n o t t o mainta in a p e rfect equality amongst citizens, to subj ect them a l l e q ually to the law p rotecting the possessions o f all ? Well, I ask you now whether that law is truly just which orders the man who has nothing to respect another who has everything ? What are the elements o f th e social contract ? Doe s it not consi s t in o n e ' s yi elding a l i ttle o f h i s freedom a n d of h i s w e a l t h i n order t o a s s u r e and sustain the preser vation o f each ?
Upon those found a tions all the laws repose ; they j u s t i fy the punishments inflicted upon him who abuses his liberty ; in the same way, they authori z e the imposition o f conditions ; th e s e latter p re vent a citizen from protesting when these things a r e demanded o f h i m , because he knows t h a t b y m e a n s o f w h a t h e gives, t h e rest of what he h a s is s a feguarded for h i m ; but, once again, by wh a t right w i l l he w h o h a s nothing b e ench ained b y an agreement which protects only him who has everything ? I f, by you r pledge, you p e r form an act of equity in protecting the property of the rich, do you
3 1 4 .. T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
not comm i t one of unfairness in requiring this pledge o f the owner who owns nothing ? Wht advantage does the l a tter derive from your pledge ? and how [an you expect him to swe a r to something exclu sively beneficial to someone who, through his wealth, differs so greatly from him ? C e rta inly, nothing i s more unj ust : an oath must have an equal effe :t upon all the individuals who p ronounce i t ; that i t bind him who has no interest in its maintenance i s im possible, because it wou .d no longer be a p a ct amongst free men ; i t woul d be the weapor. o f the strong against the weak, against whom the l a tter would have to be in incessant revolt. Vvell, such, exactly, i s the situation c �eated by the pledge to respect property the N a tion h a s j u st required all the citi z en s to subscribe to under o a th ; by i t only the rich ench<.in the poor, the rich alone bene fi t from a bargain into which the p o o r man enters so thoughtl essly, failing to s e e th a t through this o a th wrung from h i s good faith, he engages himself to do a thing th a t cannot be done with respect to himself.
Thus convinced, a s you must be, o f this barbarous inequality, do not proceed to worsen you r injustice by punishing the man who h a s nothing fo r h aving cared to filch something from the man who h a s eve rything : your inequi table pledge gives h i m a greater right to i t than ever. I n driving him to perj u ry by forcing him to make a promise which, for h i m , i s absurd, you j u sti fy all the crimes to which this p e rj u ry will impel t im ; i t i s not for you to punish something for which you h ave been the cause. I h ave no need to say more to make you sense the terrible cruelty o f cha stising thieves. Imitate the wise law o f the people I spoke o f j u s t a moment ago ; punish the man neglectful enou gh to l e t himself b e robbed ; but proclaim no kind o f penalty aga i r st robbery. Consider whether your ple dge does not autho rize the lct, and whether he who commits i t does any more than put him ,elf in h a rmony with the most sacred of N a tu r e ' s movements, th: l t o f preserving one ' s own existence a t no ma tter whose exp ense.
The transgre ssions we are considering in th i s second class of man' s duties toward h i s fellows include actions for whose under taking libertinage may be! the cause ; among those which are pointed to as p a rti cul a rly incomp atible with approved behavior are p r o s ti t u t i o n , i n ces t, rap e, and s o d o m y . We surely must not for one mo ment doubt that all thO Se! known as moral crimes, that is to say, all
Philos ophy in the Bedro o m .. 3 1 5
acts o f the sort to which those we h ave j u s t cited belong, a r e o f total inconsequence under a government whose sole duty consists i n pre serving, by whatever may be the means, the form essential to its continuance : there you have a republican governm ent's unique morality. Well, the republic being p e rm anently menaced from the outside by the despots surrounding i t, the means to its preservation cannot be imagined a s m o ral means, for the republ i c will preserve i tself only by w a r , and nothing i s le:;s moral than war. I ask how one will be able to demonstrate that in a state rendered i m m o ral by i ts obli gations, i t i s essential that the individual be m o ral? I will go fu rther : it is a very good thing he i s not. The Greek l awgive r s per fectly appreci ated the capital nece:ssity of c orrupting the member citizens i n order that, their m o ral dis s o lu ti o n coming into confl ict with the establishment and its valu e s , there woul d result the insur recti o n that i s always indispensable: to a political system of p e r fect happiness which, like republican government, must necessarily ex cite the h a tred and envy of all its foreign n e i ghbo rs. Insurrection, thought these sage l egi sl a tors, i s not at all a m o ral con d i tion ; how ever, it h a s got to be a republ i c ' s permanent condition. Hence it would be no less absurd than dangerous to requ i r e that those who are to insure the p e rp e tual i m m o r.al subversion of the established o r d e r themselves be m o ra l beings : for the state o f a moral man i s one o f t ranquill i ty and p e a c e , the s t a t e o f an i m m oral m an i s one o f perpetual u n r e s t that p u s h e s him to, and i dentifies him with, t h e necessary insurrection in which the republican must always k e e p t h e government o f w h i c h h e is a member.
'-IVe may now enter into detail and begin by analyzing modesty, that fainthearted nega tive impuls e o f con tradiction to impure a f fections. Were i t among N a ture's intentions that man be modest, assuredly she would not have caused him to be born nake d ; un numbered p eoples, less degra d e d by civi l i z a tion than we, go about naked and feel no shame on th a t account ; there can b e no doubt that the custom o f dressing h a s had its single origin in h a rshness o f climate and the coqu etry o f women w h o w o u l d r a t h e r p rovoke d e sire and secure to thems elve s i ts e ff e c t s t h a n h a v e i t c a u s e d a n d satisfied independently of themselves. T h e y further reckoned t h a t N a ture having c r e a t e d t h e m not without blemi shes, they would b e far better a s s u r e d o f all the means needed to please by conce aling
3 1 6 .. T H E M A R Q U S DE S A D E
these fl aw s behind a d o r n m e n t s ; t h u s m o d e s ty , f a r f r o m being a v i r t u e , w a s m e r e l y o n e of c o r rup t i on ' s e a rl i e s t c o n s e q u e n c e s , o n e o f t h e fi r s t devi c e s o f f e m � � l e gu i l e .
Lycu rgu s a n d S o l o n , fully c o n vi n c e d t h a t i m m o d e s ty ' s r e s u l t s a r e to k e e p t h e c i t i z e r i n t h e i m m o ra l s t a t e i n d i s p e n s a b l e t o t h e m e c h a n i c s o f r e p u bl i c a n gove r n m e n t , o b l i g e d g i r l s t o e x h i b i t t h e m s e l v e s n a k e d a t t h e t h e a t e r . 1 3 R o m e i m i t a t e d t h e e x a m p l e : a t t h e g a m e s o f Fl o r a t h e y d a n c e d n a k e d ; t h e gre a t e r p a r t o f p a g a n m y s t e r i e s w e r e c e l e b r a t e d t h u s ; a m o n g s o m e p e opl e s , nu d i ty e v e n p a s s e d fo r a v i r t u e . If- a n y e v e n t , i m m o d e s ty i s b o r n o f l e w d i n c l i n a t i o n s ; w h a t c o m e s o f t h e s e i n c l i n a t i o n s com p r i s e s t h e a l l e g e d c r i m i n a l i ty w e a r e d i s c u s s i n g , o f w h i c h p ro s t i t u t i o n i s t h e f o r e m o s t e ff e c t .
N o w t h a t w e h avt g o t b a c k u p o n o u r f e e t a n d b r oken w i t h t h e h o s t o f p r e j u d i c e s th a t h el d u s c a p t i v e ; n o w t h a t , b r o u g h t c l o s e r to N a tu r e by t h e q u a n t i ty o f p r e j u d i c e s w e h av e r e c e n t l y o b l i t e r a t e d , w e l i s t en o n l y to N a tu r e ' s v o i c e , w e a r e f u l l y convi n c e d t h a t i f any t h i n g w e r e c r i m i n a l , i t w o u l d b e to r e s i s t the p e n c h a n t s s h e i n s p i r e s i n u s , r a t h e r t h a n t o c , ) m e to g r i p s w i th t h e m . vV e a r e p e r s u a d e d th a t l u s t , b e i n g a p r o d u c t o f t h o s e p e n c h a n t s , i s n o t t o b e s t i fl e d o r l e g i s l a t e d a g a i n s t , b u t t h a t i t i s , r a t h e r , a m a t t e r o f a r r a n g i n g fo r t h e m e a n s w h e reby p � � s s i on m a y be s a t i s fi e d i n p e a c e . Vif e m ll s t h e n c e u n d e r t a k e t o i n t 'o d u c e o r d e r i n t o t h i s sph e r e o f a ff a i r s , a n d t o e s ta bl i s h a l l t h e s e cur i ty n e c e s s a ry s o t h a t , w h e n n e e d s e n d s the c i t i z e n n e a r t h e obj ect:; o f lust, h e c a n give h i m s e l f ove r to d o i n g w i t h t h e m a l l t h a t h i s p a s s i o n s d e m a n d , w i t h o u t e v e r b e i n g h a m p e r e d by anyth i ng , f o r t h e r e i s n o m o m e n t i n t h e l i f e o f m a n w h e n l i b e r ty i n i t s w h o l e a m p l i tu d e i s s o i m p o r t a n t to h i m . V a r i o u s s t a t i o n s , c h e e r f u l , s a n i t a r y , s p a c i o u s , p ro p e r l y fu r n i s h e d a n d i n e v e r y r e s p e c t s a f e , w i l l b e e n c t e d i n d i v e r s p o i n t s i n e a c h c i ty ; i n th e m , a l l s e xe s , a l l a g e s , a l l c r e a tu r e s p o s s i bl e w i l l b e o ff e r e d to t h e c a p r i c e s o f t h e l i b e r t i n e s who s h a l l c o m e to d i v e r t t h e m s e l v e s , a n d t h e m o s t
1 3 I t h a s b e e n s a i d t h e i n t e n t i o n o f t h e s e l eg i s l a t o r s w a s , b y d u l l i n g t h e p a s s i o n m e n e x p e r i enced f o r a n a k e d g i r l , t o r e n d e r m o r e acti v e t h e o n e m e n s o m e t i m e s e x p e r i e n c e f o r t h e i r o w n s e x . T h e , e s a g e s c a u s e d to b e s h o w n t h a t f o r w h i c h t h e y w a nted there t o b e d i s g u st, a n d t o l e hidden what t h e y t h o u g h t incl i n e d to i n s p i r e s w e e t e r d e s i r e s ; i n e i t h e r c a s e, d i d t h ey n o t s t r i v e a f t e r t h e o b j ective w e h a v e j u st m e n t i o n e d ? O n e s e e s t h a t t h e y s e n s e d t h e n e e d of i mm o r a l ity in r e p u b l i c a n m a n n e r s .
Philo s ophy in the B edro o m + 3 1 7
absolute subordination will be the rule o f the individuals p a rticipa t ing ; the slightest refusal o r recalcitrance will b e instantly and arbi tra rily punished by the inj ured p a r ty. I must explain this last m o r e fully, and w e i g h i t a g a i n s t republican manners ; I prom i s e d I would employ the same logic from beginning to end, and I shall keep my word.
Although, a s 1 told you just a moment ago, no passion has a greater need of the widest horizon of liberty than h a s this, none, doubtl e s s , i s a s despotic ; here i t i s that man likes to comm and, to be obeyed, to surround himself with slaves compel l e d to satisfy him ; well, whenever you wi thho l d from man the secret means whereby he exhales the dose of despotism N a ture instille d in the depths o f h i s heart, h e will seek other outlets for i t , i t will be vented up on n e a rby obj ects ; i t will trouble the government. If you would avoid that danger , p e rmit a free fl ight and rein to those tyrannical desires which, despite himself, torment man ceaselessly : content with having b e en able to exercis e h i s small dominion in the m i ddle o f the h a rem of sultanas and youths whose submission your good offices and h i s money procure for him, h e will go away appeased and with nothing but fond feelings for a government which so obligingly af fords him every means of satisfying h i s concup i scence ; p roceed, on the other hand, a fter a diffe rent fashion, between the citizen and those obj ects o f public lust raise the ri diculous obstacles in olden times invented by ministerial tyranny and by the lubricity of our Sardanapaluses14-, do that, and the citizen, soon embittered against your regime, soon j e alous o f the d e spotism he sees you exercise all by yourself, will shake off the yoke you lay upon him, and, weary of your manner o f ruling, will, a s he has just done, sub stitute another for it.
But observe how the Greek legislators, thoroughly imbued w i th these ideas, treated debauch ery a t Lacedaemon, at Athens : rather than prohibiting, they sotted the citizen on i t ; no sp ecies of lechery w a s fo rbidden him ; and Socrates, whom the oracle described
14 It i s w e l l k n o w n t h a t th e i n f a m o u s and c r i m i n a l S a rt i n e d e v i s e d , i n t h e interests o f the king's l e wd n e s s , the p l a n o f h av i n g D u b a r ry r e a d to Louis XV, thrice e ach w e e k , the p ri v ate d e t a i l s , e n r i c h e d by S a r ti n e , of a l l th at t r a n s p i r e d i n the e v i l c o r n e r s o f P a r i s. This dep artment of t h e F r ench N e ro ' . l i be r t i n age cost the the State three mil l ions.
3 1 8 .. T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
as the wisest philosopl.er of the land, passing indifferently from Asp a s i a ' s arms into those of Al cibiades, was not on that account less the glory of Greece . I am going to a dvance somewh a t fu rther , and h owever contrary a r e m y ideas t o o u r present customs, a s my obj ect is to p rove that we must make all haste to alter those customs if w e wish to preserve I:he governm ent we h ave adopted, I am go ing to try to convince you that the prostitution of women who b e a r the name o f honest i s r 0 more dangerous t h a n t h e prostitution o f m e n , a n d that n o t only nust we a ssociate women with t h e lecheries p r a cticed in the houses I have set up, bu t we must even build some for them, where their whims and the requ i r ements of thei r temp e r , a rdent l i k e ours but in l qui t e di fferent w a y , m a y t o o find satisfac tion with every sex.
First of all, what right h ave you to a ssert that women ought to b e exemp ted from the blind submission to men' s caprices N a ture dictates ? and, secondly by what other right do you defend their subj ugation to a contin ence impossible to their physical structure and of p erfect uselessness to their honor ?
I will treat each of these questions separately. It is certain, in a ;tate o f N a ture, that women are born vul
guivagu o uJ, that i s to s a y , are born enjoying the a dvantages of other fem ale animals and belonging, l ike them and without exception, to all males ; such were, w i thout any doubt, both the primary laws o f N a ture a n d the only i nstitutions o f those earliest societies into which men gathered. Self-in teres t, ego is m , and love degraded these primi tive attitudes, at once so simple and so natural ; one thought oneself enriched by t aki ng a woman to wife, and with her the goods o f h e r family : th ere we find satisfied the firs t two feelings I have just indicate d ; still mor·! o ften, this woman was taken by force, and thereby one became a ttached to h e r-there we find the o th e r of the motives in action, and in eve ry case, injustice.
N ever may an act I ) { possession b e exercised upon a free being ; the exclusive possession of a woman i s no less unj u s t than the posses sion of slaves ; all men a r e born free, all have equal rights : never should we lose sight of those p rinciples ; according to which never may there b e granted tCI one sex the legitimate right to lay monopo lizing hands upon the other, and never may one o f these sexes, o r classes, arbi trarily possess the other. Similarly, a woman exis ting i n
Philo s ophy in th e B edro o m + 3 1 9
the purity o f N a ture's laws cannot allege, a s j u s tification for r e fus ing herself to someone who desires her, the l ove she bears another, because such a response i s based upon exclusion, and no man m ay be excluded from the having of a woman a s o f the moment it is clear she defini tely belongs to all men. The act of possession can only b e exercised u p o n a chattel o r an anim al, n e v e r u p o n an individual who resembles us, and all the ties which can bind a woman to a man a r e quite a s unjust a s illusory.
If then i t becomes incontestable that w e have received from Nature the right indi scrimina tely to exp ress our wishes to all women , i t likewis e becomes incontestable that we have the right to compel their submission, not exclusively, for I should then be con tradicting myself, but temp o r a rilyP It cannot be denied that we have the right to decree laws that compel woman to yield to the Hames of him who would have her ; violence itself being one of that right's effects, we can employ it lawfully. Indeed ! has Nature not p roven that we have that right, by bestowing upon u s the strength needed to bend women to our will ?
It i s in vain women seek to bring to their defense either modesty or the i r a ttachment to other men ; these illusory grounds are worthless ; earlier, we saw how contemptible and factitious i s the sentiment o f modesty. Love, which m a y be termed t h e s o u l's m adness, i s no more a title by which thei r constancy may be j u stified : love, satisfying two persons only, the beloved and the loving, can not serve the happiness o f others, and it i s for the s ake of the happiness o f everyone, and not for an egotistical and privileged happiness, that women have been given to us. All men therefore h ave a n equal right o f enj oym ent o f all women ; therefore, there is no man who, in keeping with n a tural law, may lay cl a i m to a unique and personal right over a woman. The law which will oblige them
1 5 L e t i t n o t be s a i d that I cont r a d ict mys e l f h e r e , and t h a t after h a ving established, a t s o m e point further above, th a t w e h ave no right to bind a w o m a n t o o u r s e l v e s , I d e stroy those p rincip l e s w h e n I d e c l a r e now we h av e the right to constr a i n h e r ; I r e p e at, it is a question o f enj oym ent only, not of p r o p e rty : I h a v e n o r i ght o f posses sion u p o n t h a t fo u n t a i n I find by t h e r o a d , b u t I h a v e c e r t a i n rights t o its u s e ; I h av e t h e r i g h t to a v a i l m y s e l f of t h e l i m p i d w a t e r it o ff e r s my thirst ; si m i l a rly, I h a v e no real right o f possession o v e r such-a nd-such a woman, b u t I h av e inconte s t a b l e rights to t h e e n j oyment of h e r ; I have t h e right to force from her this enjoyment, if s h e re fuses me it for w h a te v e r the cause m ay bl',
3 2 0 + THE MARQUl S DE SADE
to p rosti tute themselves as o ften and in any manner we wish, i n the houses of debauchery we referred to a moment ago , and which will coerce them if they baI<, punish them if they shirk o r dawdl e , i s thus one o f the most e q u i table of laws, against which there can b e n o sane o r r i ghtful comp l a i n t .
A man w h o w o u l d like to enj oy whatever w o m a n o r g i r l w i l l hencefo r th be abl e , i f the laws y o u promulgate a re j ust, to h a v e her summon ed a t once to du :y at one of the house s ; and there, under the sup ervision of the ma tron s o f that temple of Venu s, she will be sur rendered to him, to satisfy, humbly and with submi ssion, all the fancies in which h e wiI: be pleased to indulge w i th her, howeve r strange or i rregular they may b e , since there i s no extravagance which is not in Nature, none which she does not a cknowledge as h e r o w n . T h e r e remains bu : to fi x the woman's a g e j now, I maintain it cannot be fixed wi thOl; t restr icting the freedom o f a man who de s i r e s a gi rl o f any given age.
H e who has the right to eat the fru i t o f a tree may assuredly pluck it rip e or green, a(,cording to the insp i r a tion of h i s taste. But, it will b e obj ected, the re i s an age when the man' s p rocee dings would be decidedly h a rmful to the girl ' s well-being. This considera tion i s utterly without value j once you concede me the propri etary right of enj oyment, tha t right i s independent of the effects enj oy ment p roduces j from th s moment on, it becomes one, whether this enj oyment b e benefic i a l o r damaging to the obj ect which must sub m i t itself to me. Have I not already p roven th at it is legitimate to force the woman's will i:l thi s connection ? and that imme diately she excites the desire to enjoy s h e h a s got to expose herself to this en j oyment, putting all ego tistical sentiments quite a s i d e ? The i ssue o f h e r well-being, I rep e a t i s i rrelevant. A s soon as concern for this cons i d e r a tion threatens to detract from o r enfe eble the enj oyment o f him who desires her, and who has th e right to approp riate her, thi s con s i d e ration fo r age ceases to exi st j for what the obj ect may exp e ri ence, condemned by N a tu r e and by the law to slake mo mentarily the other ' s thirst, i s nothing to the point j in this study, we are only interested in wr a t agrees with him who desires. But we will redress the balance.
Yes, we will redre:; s i t j doubtless w e ought to. These women we have j us t so cruelly enslaved-the r e i s no denyi ng we must
Philos ophy in t h e B edro o m .. 3 2 1
r e c o m p e n s e t h e m , a n d I come n o w to t h e s e c o n d q u e s t i o n I p ro p o s e d to a n s w e r .
I f w e a d m i t , a s w e h a v e j u s t d o n e , th a t a l l w o m e n o u g h t t o b e subj u g a t e d to o u r d e s i r e s , w e m a y c e r t a inly a l l o w t h e n a m p l e s a ti s f a c t i o n o f t h e i r s . O u r l a w s m u s t b e fa vo r a b l e t o t h e i r fi e ry t e m p e r a m e n t . I t i s a b s u r d t o l o c a t e b o t h t h e i r h o n o r a n d t h e i r vi rtue i n t h e a n t i n a t u r a l s t r e n g t h t h e y e m p l o y t o r e s i s t t h e p e n c h a n t s w i t h w h i c h t h e y h av e b e e n f a r m o r e p r o fu s ely e n d o w e d t h a n w e ; t h i s i nj u s ti c e o f m a n n e r s i s r e n d e r e d m o r e fl a g r a n t s t i l l s i n c e w e c o n t r i v e a t o n c e to w e aken t h e m by s e du c t i o n , a n d then to p u n i s h them f o r y i e l d i n g to a l l t h e e ff o r t s w e h a v e m a d e to p rovoke th e i r f a l l . All t h e a b s u r d i ty o f o u r m a n n e r s , i t s e e m s to m e , i s g r a v e n i n t h i s shocking p a r a dox, a n d th i s b r i e f o u t l i n e a l o n e o u g h t t o awaken u s t o t h e urgency o f exc h a n g i n g t h e m f o r m a n n e r s m o r e p u r e .
I s a y t h e n t h a t w o m e n , h a v i n g b e e n e n d o w e d w i t h c o n s i d e rably m o r e violent p e n c h a n t s f o r c a rn a l p l e a s u r e than we, w i l l b e able t o g i v e t h e m s e l v e s o v e r t o i t w h o l e h e a r t e d l y , a b s ol u t e l y f r e e o f all encumb e r i n g hym e n e a l t i e s , of a l l false n o t i o n s o f m o d e sty, a b s o l u t e l y r e s t o r e d to a s t a t e o f N a tu r e ; I w a n t l a w s p e rm i t t i n g t h e m to g i v e t h e m s e l v e s t o a s m a n y m e n a s t h e y s e e fi t ; I would have t h e m a c c o r d e d th e enj oym e n t of a l l s e x e s a n d , a s i n t h e case o f men, t h e e n j o y m e n t of a l l p a r t s of t h e b o dy ; and under t h e s p e c i a l clause p r e sc r i b i n g t h e i r s u r r e n d e r t o a l l w h o d e s i r e t h e m , there must be subj o i n e d a n o t h e r gu a r an t e e i n g t h e m a s i m i l a r f r e e d o m t o e n j o y a l l t h e y d e e m w o r thy t o s a ti s fy t h e m .
W h a t , I d e m a n d to k n o w , wh a t d a n g e r s a r e t h e r e i n t h i s l i c e n s e ? C h i l d re n w h o w i l l l a ck f a t h e r s ? H a ! w h a t c a n t h a t m a t t e r i n a repu bl i c w h e r e e v e r y i n d i v i d u a l m u s t h a v e n o o t h e r d a m t h a n t h e n a t i o n , w h e r e e v e r yo n e b o rn i s t h e m o t h e r l a n d ' s c h i l d . And h o w m u c h m o r e t h e y w i l l c h e r i s h h e r , t h e y w h o , n e v e r h a v i n g known any but h e r , will c o m p r e h e n d from b i r t h that it is from her a l o n e a l l mu s t b e exp e c t e d . D o n o t s u p p o s e you a r e f a s h i o n i n g go o d re publ i c a n s so l o n g a s c h i l d r e n , w h o o u g h t to b e l o n g s o l ely to t h e r e p u b l i c , r e m a i n immu r e d i n t h e i r f a m i l i e s . B y exte n d i n g t o t h e family, to a r e s t r i c t e d n u m b e r o f p e rs o n s , t h e p o rt i o n o f a ff e c t i o n they o u g h t t o d i s t r i b u t e a m o n g s t t h e i r b r o t h e r s , t h e y i n e v i t a bly adopt those p e r s o n s ' s o m e t i m e s v e ry h a rmful p r e j u d i ce s ; s u c h c h i l d re n ' s o p i n i o n s , t h e i r t h o u g h t s a r e p a r t i cu l a r i z e d , m a l f o r m e d , a n d
3 2 2 .. T H E M A R Q U [ S DE S A D E
the vi rtues of a Man of the State become completely in accessibl e to them. Finally abandoning th e i r heart a l togeth er to those by whom they have been given b :-e a th, they h ave no devo tion l e ft for wh a t w i l l c a u s e t h e m to m a tl:re, to understand, and t o s h i n e , a s i f these l a tter blessings were no : more important than the former I I f there i s the greatest d i s a dvan tage in thus letting children imbibe interests from their family o ften in sharp disagreement with those o f the i r country, there i s then t h e most excellent a rgument f o r sepa rating them from th e i r family ; and a r e they not natura lly weaned away by the means I sugge st, since in absolu tely destroying all marital bonds, there are no longer born, a s fruits o f the woma n ' s pleasure, anything but children to whom knowl edge o f th e i r father i s abso lu tely forbi dden, and w i th that the possibility o f belonging to only one family, instead of e e ing, a s they must be, purely les e n fa n ts de la p a trie .
There will then b e houses intended for women ' s libertinage and, like the men' s , under the government's protection ; in th ese es t a b l i s h m e n t s t h e r e w i l l h e furn i s h e d a l l t h e i n d i v i d u a l s o f e i th e r sex women coul d desire, ar d the more constantly they frequent these places the higher they ",ill be esteemed. There i s nothing so b a rba rous o r so lu dicrolls a B to have i denti fi e d th e i r honor and the i r virtue w i t h t h e resistance women show th e desires N a ture implants i n them, and which c o n tinually inflame those who are hypocrite enough to pass censure on them. From the most tender age,16 a girl released from her p a te rnal fetters, no longer having anything to p reserve for m a rr i a ge ( completely abolished by the wise l aws I advocate ) , and superior to the p rejudices which in former times imprisoned her sex, wil l there fo r e , in the houses created for the pu rpo se, b e able to indulge in everything to which her constitution p rompts h e r ; she will he received respectfully, copiously satisfied, and, return e d once a ga i :1 into society, she will be able to tell o f the p l e a sures she tasted quite a s publi cly a s today she speaks o f a ball o r p romen a d e . 0 charming sex, you will be free : a s do men, you
1 6 T h e B a byl o n i a n s s c a r c e l y a w a i t e d t h e i r s e v e n t h y e a r t o c a r ry t h e i r fi r s t f r u i t s to t h e tem p l e o f V e n u s . Th e l i r s t i m p u l s e to concu p i scence a y o u n g g i r l f e e l s i s the m o m e n t when N a tu r e bids her p r o s t i t u t e h e r s e l f , a n d without any other k i n d of c o n s i d e r a t i o n s h e m u s t yi e l d i n s t a i ltly N a t u r e s p e a k s ; i f s h e r e s i st., s h e o u t r a g e s N a t u r e ' s l a w.
Philo s o phy ill the Bedro o m + 3 23
will enj oy a ll the pleasures of which N a tu r e makes a duty, from no t one will you be withheld. Must the diviner h a l f of humankind b e la den with i rons by the other ? Ah, b reak those i rons ; N a tu r e w i l l s i t . For a b r i dle have n o t h i n g but your i n clinations, for l a w s o n l y your desires, for morality N a tu r e ' s alone ; l an gu i s h no longer under brutal p rejudices which wither your c h a rms and hold captive the divine i mpul ses o f your h e a rts ;17 like us, you a re free, the field o f action whereon one contends for Venus' favors i s as open to you a s i t is to us ; have no f e a r o f absurd reproach e s ; pedantry and superstition are things o f the p a s t ; no longe r will you b e seen to blush at your cha rming delinqu enci es ; crown e d with myrtl e and roses, the esteem we conceive for you will be h enceforth i n direct propo rtion to the scal e you give y o u r extravagances.
What has j u s t been said ought doubtless to dispense u s from exami n i n g a dultery ; nevertheless, l et's cast a gl ance upon it, h ow ever nonexistent i t be in the eyes o f the laws I am establishing. To what point was it not ri diculous in our former i n s t i tutions to con s i d e r a dultery criminal ! \Vere there anything absurd i n the world, v e ry su rely i t is the timelessness ascribed to conj ugal relations ; it a p p e a r s to m e i t is bu t necessary to scrutin i z e , or sense the w e i ght o f, those bonds i n order to cease to view a s wicked the a c t which l i ghtens them ; N a tu r e , as we remark e d recently, h aving supplied women with a temper more a rdent, with a sensi b i l i ty more p ro found, t h a n s h e awarded p e rsons of the o t h e r sex, it is unquesti on ably for women t h a t the m a rital contract p roves more onerous.
Tender women, you abl a z e w i th love ' s fi r e , compensate your selves now, and do so boldly and un a fr a i d ; p e rsu ade yourselves that there can exist n o evil i n obedi ence to N a tu r e ' s p romptings, that it i s not for one man she created you, but to please them all, without d i scrimination. Let no anxi ety inhibit you. Imi tate the Greek repub licans ; never d i d the p h ilosophers whence they had the i r l aws con trive to make a dultery a crime for them, and n e arly all autho r i z e d disorderliness among women. Tho m a s M o r e p roves in h i s Utopia
17 Women a r e u n a w a r e to w h a t p o i n t t h e i r l a sciviou s n e s s e m b e l l i s h e s t h e m . Let o n e com p are two w o m e n o f r o u g h l y comp a r a b l e age a n d b e a uty, o n e o f w h o m l i v e s i n c e l i b acy, a n d t h e o t h e r i n l i b e rt i n age : i t w i l l b e s e e n by h o w m u c h t h e l a tter exceeds i n ecl a t a n d f r e s h n e s s ; a l l v i o l ence d o n e N a tu r e is f a r more w e a r i n g t h a n the abuse o f p l e a s u r e s ; e v e ryone k n o w s beas improve a woman's l o o k s.
3 24 + THE MAR Q U S DE SADE
th a t i t becomes women to surrende r themselves to debauchery, and th a t gre a t man's i de a s '.vere not always pure dreams .18
Amongst the Tart ars, the more p r o fl i gate a woman, the more she was h onored ; about h e r neck she publicly wo re a certain j ewelry a ttesting to her impudiri ty, and those who were not a t a l l decora ted were n o t a t all admired. I n Pe ru, fami l i e s cede th e i r wives and daughters to the visitir g tra vele r ; they a re rented at so much the day, like horses, o r c a rr i a ge s ! Volumes, fin ally, would not suffice to demonstrate tha t lewd behavior has never been held criminal amongst the illuminated p eoples o f the earth. Every philosopher knows full well it is solely to the Christian impostors we a re in debted for having puffed it up into crime. The priests h a d excellent cause to forbid u s led ery : this injunction, by reserving to them a cquaintance w i th and absolution for these p rivate sins, gave them an incredible ascendancy over women, and opened up to them a career o f lubri c i ty who:;e scope knew no limits. We know only too well how they took advantage of it and how they would again abuse the i r powers, were the:, not hopele ssly discredited.
I s incest more dar gerous ? Ha rdly. It loosens family ties and the citizen has that much more love to lavish on h i s country ; the p r i m a ry l aws o f N a tu re : dictate i t to us, our feelings vouch for the fact ; and nothing i s so enj oyable a s an obj ect we have cove ted over the years. The most p r i m i tive institutions smiled upon incest ; i t is found i n society's o r i gin s : it was consecrated in every rel i gion, every l aw encou raged i t . I f \\1 e traverse the world we will find incest eve ry where establ i shed. The bl acks of the Ivory C o a s t and Gabon p rosti tute th e i r wives to the i r own chi ldren ; in Juda h , the eldest son must marry his father's wi ft ; the people o f Chile lie indiffe rently with th e i r sisters, th e i r daughters, and marry moth e r and daughter at the same time. I would venture, in a word, th at incest ought t o be every gove rnmen t ' s la·.v-every gove rnment whose basis i s fra terni ty. How i s it t h a t re asonable men were able to ca rry absu rdity to the point of beli evinf; that the enj oyment of one's mother, sister, o r d a ughter could ever be criminal ? I s it not, I ask, an abominable view wherein i t i s made to appear a crime for a man to place higher
l ' T h e s a m e th i n k e r w i s h e d a ffi a n c e d c o u p l e s t o , e e e a c h o t h e r n a k e d b e f o r e m a r r i a g e . H o w m a ny a l l i a n c e s w o u l d f a i l , w e r e t h i s l a w e n f o r c e d ! I t m i g h t be d e c l a r e d th a t t h e c o nt r a ry i s i n d e e d w h at i s t e r m e d p u rc h a s e of m e r c h a n d i s e s i g h t u n s e en.
Philos ophy in the B edro o m .. 3 2 5
value upon the enj oyment o f a n obj ect t o which n a tural feeling draws him close ? One might just a s well say that we are forbidden to love too much the individuals N a ture enj oins u s to love best, and that the more she gives u s a hunger fo r some object, the more s he orders us away from i t . These are absurd p a radoxes j only people bestialized by sup erstition can believe o r uphold them. The com mun i ty of women I a m e s tabli shing necessa rily leading to incest, there remains l ittle more to say about a supposed misdemeanor whose inexistence is too plainly evident to warrant further pursuit o f the matter, and we shall turn our attention to rape, which a t first glance seems to be, o f all libertinage' s excesses, the one which is most d e a rly established a s being wrong, by reason o f the outrage it app ears to cause. I t i s certain, howeve r, th at rape, an act s o very rare and so very difficult to prove, wrongs one ' s n e i ghbor less than theft, since the l a tter is destructive to property, the former merely damaging to it. B eyond that, what obj ections h ave you to the ravishe r ? What will you s ay, when h e repl i e s to you th a t , as a matter of fact, the inj u ry he h a s committed is tri fling indeed, since h e h a s done n o more than place a li ttle sooner the obj ect he h a s abused i n t h e very state i n which s h e would s o o n h ave b e e n p u t by marriage and love.
But s o domy, that alleged crime which will draw the fire of he aven upon cities addicted to i t , i s s odomy not a monstrous devia tion whose punishment could not b e severe enough ? Ah, sorrowful it i s to have to reproach our ancestors for the j udiciary murders in which, upon this h e a d , they dared indulge themselves. We wonder that s avagery could ever reach the point where you condemn to death an unhappy p e rson all of whose crime amounts to not sharing your tastes. One shudders to think that scarce forty years ago the legislators' absurd thinking h a d not evolved beyond this point. C on sole your s elve s , citi zens j such absurdi ties a r e to c e a s e : the intelli gence o f your l awmakers will answer fo r i t . Thoroughly enlightened upon this weakn e s s occurring i n a few men, p eople deeply sense to day that such error cannot be criminal, and that N ature, who places such sligh t importance upon the essence that flows i n o u r loins, can sca rcely be vexed by our choice when we a r e pleased to vent it into this o r that avenu e .
W h a t single crime can exist here ? For n o one w i l l w i s h to
3 2 6 + THE MARQUIS DE SADE
maintain that all the pa rts o f the body do not resemble each other, t h a t there are some wh: ch a re pure, and others defiled ; but, a s i t is unthinkable such nonsense be a dvanced seriously, the only possible crime would consist in tle waste o f semen. Well, i s i t l ikely that thi s semen i s so p recious to N a ture th a t i ts loss i s necessarily criminal ? 'Vere tha t so, woul d sh e every day institute those losses ? and is i t n o t t o autho r i z e them t o permit them i n dreams, t o permit them i n the act o f taking on e ' s :?leasure w i t h a p regnant woman ? I s i t pos sible to imagine N a ture having allowed u s the possibility o f com mi tting a crime th a t would outrage h e r ? I s it possible that she con sent to the des truction by man of her own pleasures, and to h i s the reby becoming stronger t h a n she ? I t i s unheard o f-into w h a t an abyss o f folly one i s hurled when, i n rea soning, one abandons the aid o f reason's torch I Let us abide i n our unshakable assu rance th at it i s a s easy to enj oy a woman i n one manner a s in another, that i t makes absolu tely no di fference whether o n e enj oys a girl o r a boy, and a s soon a s it is clea �ly understood th a t no inclinations o r tastes can exi st in u s save th e ones we have from N a ture, that she i s too wise and too consistent to have given u s any which could ever o f fend her.
The penchant fo r so domy i s the result o f physical formation, to which we contribute nothing and which we cannot alter. At the most tender age, some c h i l dren reveal th a t penchant, and i t i s never corrected in them. Som �times i t i s the fru i t of satiety ; but even in this case, i s i t less N a ture's doing ? Regardless o f how i t i s viewed, it is her work, and, in e ve ry instance, what she insp i res must be re spected by men. I f, wer e one to take a n exact inventory, it should come out tha t this tastf i s infini tely more affecting than the other, t h a t the pleasures resul ting from i t are far more lively, and that fo r thi s reason i t s exp o nents a r e a thousand times more numerous than its enemi es, would i t not then be p o ssible to conclude that, far from affronting N a ture, this vice serves her intentions, and that she is less delighted by our p rocrea tion than w e so fooli shly believe ? Why, a s we travel about the world, how many peoples do we not see holding women in contempt ! M any are the men who strictly avoid employing them for anything but the h aving o f the child necessary to replace them. The c,)mmunal aspect o f l i fe in republ ics always renders thi s vice more f requent in that form o f society ; but it is not
Philo sophy in the B edro o m .. 3 2 7
dangerous. 'Vould t h e Greek legislators have introduced i t into their republics had they thought i t so ? Quite the contrary ; they deemed it necessary to a wa rlike race. Pluta rch speaks with en thu s i a sm of the b a ttalion of lovers : for many a ye a r they alone de fended Greece's freedom. The vice reigned amongst comrades-in a rms, and cemented their unity. The gre atest of men lean toward sodomy. At the time i t was d i scov e red, the whole o f America was found
" inhabited by people o f this taste. In Lou i s i a n a , amongst the
Illinois, Indian s in feminine garb prostituted themselves a s courte sans. The blacks o f B enguela publicly keep men ; n e a rly all the seraglios o f Al giers are today exclusively filled with young boys. Not content to tolerate love for young boys, the Thebans made it mandato ry ; the philosopher o f C h a e ronea prescribed sodomy as the surest way to a youth ' s a ffection.
We know to what extent it prevailed in Rome, where they had public places i n which young boys, costumed a s girls, and girls as boys, prostituted themselves. I n the i r letters, M a rtial, C a tullus, Tibullus, Horace, and Virgil wrote to men a s though to their mis tresses ; and we read in Plutarch19 that women must in no way fi gure in men's love. The Ama s i ans o f C rete used to abduct boys, and their initi a tion wa s distinguished by the most singula r ceremonies. When they were taken with love for o n e , they notified the p a rents upon what day the ravi sher wished to ca rry him off ; the youth put up some resistance if his lover failed to please him ; i n the contrary case, they went o ff together, and the seducer restored him to his family a s soon a s he h a d made use o f him ; for in this p assion a s in that for women, one always h a s too much when one h a s h a d enough. S trabo informs u s that on this very island, seraglios were peopled with boys only ; they were prostituted openly.
Is one more authority required to p rove how u s e ful this vice i s in a republic ? Let us lend an ear to Jerome the Peri pa tetic : "The love of youth s , " s ays he, "spread throughout all of Greece, for it instilled i n u s strength and courage, and thus stood u s in good stead when we drove the tyrants out ; conspiracies were formed amongst lovers, and they were readier to endure torture than denounce their accomplice s ; such p a triots sacrificed everything to the
19 T h e Moralities: "On Love."
3 2 8 + THE MARQ U I S DE SADE
State ' s p rosperity ; it was beheld as a certain thing, that these attachments steadied the republic, women were declaimed against, and to entertain connections with such creatures was a frailty reserved to despots . " Pederasty h a s always been the vice o f w a r r i o r races. From C a esar w e l e a rn that the Gauls were t o a n extraordinary degree given t o i t . The wars fought to sustain the republic brought about the separation o f the two sexes, and hence the propagation o f the vice, and when i ts consequences , so useful to the State, were recogn. zed, religion speedily blessed it. Tha t the Romans sancti fi e d the amours of Jup i t e r and Ganymede i s well known . S extus Empi ric11s assures u s that th i s caprice was compul sory amongst the Persi ans. At l a s t, the women, j e a lous and con temned, offered to rend e r the i r husbands the same service they re ceived from young bOyl' ; some few men made the experiment, and returned to the i r forme r habits, finding the illusion impossible. The Turks, gre atly inclined towa rd this depravity Mohammed conse crated i n the Koran, were neverthel e s s convinced that a very young virgin could well enoug1 be substituted for a youth, and rarely d i d they grow to womanhc o d without having passed through the ex p e rience. S extus Quintu s and Sanchez allowed this debauch ; the latter even undertook tc' show it was of use to p rocreation , and that a child created a fter this prel iminary exerci s e was infini tely better constituted thanks to i t . Finally, women found resti tution by turn ing to e a c h other. This latter fantasy doubtle s s has n o more disad vantages than the other, since nothing comes of the refusal to re p r o duce, and since the means of tho s e who have a bent for repro duction a r e powerful enough fo r rep roduction'S adversaries never to b e able to h a rm population. Amongst the Greeks , thi s fema l e perversion was a l s o sUF ported b y policy : t h e result o f i t was that, finding each other sufficient, women sought less communication with men and their detrime ntal influence in the republ i c ' s affairs w a s t h u s h e l d to a minimum. Lucian in forms u s of what p rogress t h i s l i c e n s e promoted, and it i s not without i n t e r e s t we see i t exempl i fi e d in Sappho.
In fine, these a r e p e r fectly inoffensive mani as ; were wom en to carry them even fu rthel·, were they to go to the point o f caressing monsters a n d animals, a s the example o f every race teaches u s , n o ill c o u l d possibly result the r e from, b e c a u s e co rruption o f manners,
Philo sophy in the B edro o m 1- 3 2 9
o ften o f p ri m e u t i l i ty t o a governm en t, cannot in any sense h a rm it, and we must demand enough wisdom and enough p rudence o f our l egi slators to be enti rely sure that no law will emanate from them that wou l d rep ress p e rversions which, being determined by con stitution and being inseparable from physical structure, cannot render the p erson in whom they are present any more gu ilty than the person N atu re created de form ed.
In the second c a tegory o f man's crimes against his brethren, there i s l e ft to u s only murder to examine, and then w e will move on to man's duti e s toward himsdf. O f all the offenses man may commit against his fellows, murder is without question the cruelest, since it deprives man o f the s ingle asset h e has received from N a tu re, and i ts loss i s i rrep a rabl e . Nevertheless, at this stage several questions arise, l e aving aside the wrong murder does him who be comes i ts victim.
1 . As regards the laws o f N a tu r e only, i s this act really criminal ?
2 . I s i t criminal with what regards the laws of politics ? 3 . Is i t h a rm ful to society ? 4. vVha t must be a republican gove rnment' s attitude to
ward i t ? 5 . Finally, must murder be repressed by murde r ?
Each o f these questions will be treated separa tely ; the subj ect is important enough to warrant thorough consi derati o n ; our i d e a s touching m u r d e r may surp rise for their boldness. B u t what d o e s that matte r ? H a v e w e not a c q u i r e d the r i g h t to say anything ? The time has come for the ventil ation o f great veriti e s ; men today will not be content w i th less. The time h a s come f o r error to disappear ; that blindfold must fall beside the heads of kings. From N atu re's point o f view, i s murder a crime ? That i s the fi r s t question posed.
I t i s probable that we a r e going to humiliate man' s pride by lowering him again t o the rank o f all o f N a tu r e ' s other creatures, but the p h i l o sopher does not fl a tter small human vanities ; ever i n burning pursuit o f t r u t h , he discerns i t behind stup i d notions o f pride, lays i t b a r e , elaborates u p o n i t , and intrepi dly s h o w s i t to the astonished world.
What is man ? and what difference is there between him and other plants, between him and all the other animals of the world ?
3 3 0 .. T H E MARQUB DE SADE
None, obviously. Fortu i t ou sly p l a c e d , l i k e them, upon t h i s glo b e , h e i s b o r n l i k e them j l i k e them , h e r e p r o d u c e s , r i s e s , a n d f a l l s j l i k e t h e m h e a r ri v e s a t o l d a ge and s inks l i k e t h e m i n t o n o t h i n g n e s s a t t h e c l o s e o f t h e l i fe s p a r N a tu re a s s i gn s e a ch sp eci c: s o f a n i m a l , i n accordance w i t h i t s o r g a n i c construction. S i n c e t h e p a r a l l e l s a r e so e x a c t th a t the i n qu i r i n g eye o f p h ilosophy i s absolutely u n a ble to p e rc e i v e any grou n d s for d i s c r i m i n a t i o n , there i s then just a s much evil i n k i l l i n g a n i m a l s a s m e n , o r just a s l i ttl e , and w h a tever be the d i s ti n c t i o n s w e m a k e , they w i l l b e found to stem from o u r p r i d e ' s p r e j u d i c e s , t h a n w h i c h , u n h a p p i l y , n o t h i n g i s m o r e a b s u r d . L e t u s a l l t h e s a m e p r e s s on t c the qu e s t i o n . Y o u c a n n o t d e n y i t i s o n e a n d the s a m e , t o d e s troy a m a n o r a b e a s t j b u t i s n o t t h e d e s t r u c t i o n o f a l l l i v i n g a n i m a l s d e c i d e dly a n evi l , a s t h e Pyth a g o r e a n s b e l i eve d , a n d a s they who d w e l l on t h e banks o f G a n g e s y e t b e l i eve ? B e fo r e a n s w e r i n g t h a t , w e r e m i n d the r e a d e r t h a t we a r e e x a m i n i n g t h e q u e s t i o n only i n t e rm s o f N a tu r e a n d i n r e l a t i o n to h e r j l a t e r o n , we w i l l envi s a g e i t wi ::h r e f e r en c e t o m e n .
N o w t h e n , wh a t val u e c a n N a tu r e s e t u p o n i n d i v i d u a l s w h o s e m ak i n g c o s t s h e r n e i th e r the l e a s t t r o u b l e n o r the s l i g h t e s t concern ? T h e worker v a l u e s h i s work a c c o r d i n g to the l a bor it e n t a i l s a n d the t i m e s p e n t c r e a ti n g i t. D o e s m a n c o s t N a tu r e anyth i n g ? A n d , u n d e r t h e s u p p o s i t i o n t h a t h e d o c s , d o e s h e c o s t h e r m o r e t h a n a n a p e o r a n e l e p h a n t ? I go furthe r : w h a t a r e the rege n e r a tive ma t e r i a l s used by N a t u r e ? O f what a r e comp o s e d the beings w h i c h come i n t o l i fe ? D o n o t th e t h r e e e l e m e n t s o f w h i c h they a r e form e d r e s u l t f r o m t h e p r i o r d e s tr u c t i o n o f o th e r b o d i e s ? I f all i n d i v i d u a l s w e r e p o s s e s s e d of e t e rna l l i f e , w o u l d it n o t b e c ome i m p o s s i b l e f o r N a tu r e to c r e a t e a n y n e w o n e s ? I f N a tu r e d e n i e s e t e rn i ty to b e i n g s , i t follows th a t their d e s t ruction is one o f her laws. N o w, once w e o b s e rve t h a t d e s truc ti on i s s o u s e fu l to h e r t h a t s h e absolu tely c a n n o t d i s p e n s e w i t h i t , a n d t h a t s h e c a n n o t a c h i eve h e r c r e a t i o n s w i t h o u t d r a w i n g from the s t o r e o f d e s t r u c t i o n w h i c h d e ath p r e p a re s for h e r , from th i s m o m e n t onward t h e i d e a of a n n i h i l a t i o n w h i c h w e a t tach to d e a th c e a s e s to b e r e a l j t h e r e i s n o m o r e v e r i table a n n i h i l a t i o n j w h a t .ve call the e n d o f the l i v i n g a n i m a l i s n o l o n g e r a t r u e fi n i s , b u t a � , i m p l e t r a n s f o r m a t i o n , a t r a n smu t a t i o n o f m a t ter, w h a t e v e ry m o d e r n p h i l o soph e r a cknowle d g e s a s o n e o f N a tu r e ' s fundamental l a w s . Acco r d i n g t o t h e s e i r r e fu t a b l e prin-
Philo s ophy in the Bedro o m + 3 3 1
ciples, d e a th is hence no more than a change o f form, an imp e r ceptible p a ssage from one existence i n to another, and that is what Pytha go r a s called metempsychosis.
These truths once admitted, I ask whether it can ever b e proposed that destruction i s a crime ? W i l l y o u d a r e t e l l m e , with the design o f preserving your absurd illusions, that transmuta tion is destruction ? No, surely not ; for, to p rove tha t , it would be necessary to demonstrate matter inert for an instant, f o r a moment i n repose. Well, you will never detect any such moment. Little animals are formed immedia tely a l a rge animal expires, and these li ttle animals' lives a re simply one o f the necessary effects deter mined by the l arge animal ' s temp orary sleep . Given this, will you d a r e suggest that one pleases N a ture more than anoth e r ? To sup port t h a t contention, you would h av e to prove what cannot be p r oven : t h a t elonga ted or square are more u s e ful, more agree able to N a tu r e than oval or triangula r shapes ; you would have to prove that, with what regards N a tu r e ' s subl ime scheme, a slugga rd who fattens i n idleness i s more u s e ful than the horse, whose service is o f such importance, o r than a steer, whose body i s so precious tha t there i s no part of i t which i s not u s e ful ; you would have to say that th e venomou s serpent is more necessa ry than the f a i th ful dog.
Now, a s n o t one of these systems can be upheld, one must hence consent unreservedly to acknowledge our inabi l i ty to anni h i l a te N a tu r e ' s works ; i n light o f the certainty t h a t t h e only thing w e do when we give ourselves over to destroying i s me rely to effect a n alteration in forms which does n o t extinguish life, it becomes beyond human powers t o prove t h a t there may exist anything criminal i n the alleged destruction o f a c r e a ture, of whatever age, sex, o r specie s you may supp ose i t . Led still further i n o u r series of infe rences p roceeding one from the other, we a ffi rm that the act you comm i t i n juggling the forms o f N a tu r e ' s different productions is o f a dvantage to her, since thereby you supply h e r the primary m a terial for h e r reconstructi ons, ta sks which would be compromi sed were you to desist from d e stroying.
Well , let her do the destroying, they tell you ; one ought to let her do i t , o f course, but they are N a tu r e ' s impul ses man follows when h e indulges i n h omicide ; it i s N a tu r e who a dvises him, and the man who de stroys his fellow i s to N a ture what are the plague and
3 3 2 .. T H E MAR Q U [ S DE SADE
famine, like them sent by h e r h a n d which employs every po ssible means more speedily to obtain of destruction this primary matter, itself absolutely essenti a l to h e r w o rk s .
L e t us deign f o r a moment t o illumine our spi r i t b y philoso phy's sacred fl am e ; wh,.t other than N a tu r e ' s voice suggests to u s personal h a treds, reveLges, wars, i n a word, a l l those causes o f p e rp e tu a l murde r ? N ow, i f s h e incites u s to murderous acts, she has n e e d o f them ; tha t o n c e grasped, how may we suppose ourselves gui l ty i n her regard ,,,hen we do nothing more than obey h e r intentions ?
B u t t h a t is m o r e than what i s n e e d e d to convince any enlight ened r e a d e r , th a t for murder ever to be an outrage to N a ture i s impossibl e .
I s i t a political c r i m e ? We m u s t avow, on t h e contrary, that i t i s , unhappily, merely one of policy's a n d politics' greatest instru ments. I s i t not by dint o f murders that France i s free today ? N e e dless to say, h e r e we a r e referring to the mu rders occasioned by war, not to the a troci ties committed by plotters and rebel s ; the l a tt e r , destined to the publ i c ' s execration, have only to be recollected to a rouse forever gene r a l horror and indignation. \Vhat study, w h a t science, h a s gre a t e r n e e d o f murde r ' s support than that w h i c h t e n d s o n l y to d e c e i v e , w rlO s e s ole end i s the exp ansion o f one n a tion a t another ' s exp ens e ? Are wars, the unique fru i t o f thi s political barbarism, anything bu': the means whereby a nation i s nourished, whereby it i s strengthene d , whereby i t i s buttress e d ? And what i s w a r i f n o t the science o f des truction ? A strange blindness in man, who publicly teaches the a r t o f killing, who rewards the most ac complished kill e r , a n d who punishes him who for some p a rticul a r r e ason does away with h i s enemy ! I s i t n o t high time errors s o savage b e r ep a i r e d ?
I s murder then a crime against society ? But how could that r e asonably b e i m a gined ? W h a t difference does i t make to this murderous society , whel h e r i t have one member more, o r l ess ? \Vi l l i ts l a w s , its manners, i t s customs be vitiated ? H a s an individu a l ' s d e a th e v e r h a d a n y influence u p o n t h e general m a s s ? And a fter the loss o f the greatest b a t t l e , what a m I saying ? after the obliteration o f half the world-o r , if one wishes, o f the entire world-would the l ittle number o f sur vivor s , should there b e any, notice even the
Philo s ophy in the B edro o m *' 3 3 3
faintest difference i n things ? N o , a l a s . N o r would N a tu r e notice any either, and the s tupi d pride o f man, who believes everything created for him, would b e dashed indeed, a fter the total extinction of the human species, were i t to b e seen tha t nothing i n N a ture h a d changed, and that the stars' fl i gh t h a d not for that been re tarded. Let u s continu e .
W h a t m u s t the a ttitude o f a . w a rlike a n d republican s t a t e be toward murde r ?
D angerous i t should certa inly be, either to c a s t discredit upon the act, o r to punish it. Republican mettle calls for a touch of ferocity : if h e grows soft, if his energy slackens in him, the re publican will be subj ugated in a trice. A most unusual thought comes to mind a t this p oint, but if it i s audacious i t i s also true, and I will mention it. A nation that b egins by gove rning itself as a re publ i c will only be sustained by v irtu e s because, in order to attain the most, one must always start with the least. But an already old and decayed n a tion which coura geou sly casts off the yoke o f i ts mona rchical government in order to adopt a republican one, will only be m a i n t a i n e d by many crime s ; fo r it is criminal alre ady, and if i t were to wish to pass from crime to vi rtu e , that i s to say, from a violent to a pacific, benign condi 60n, it should fall into an inertia whose result would soon be i ts certain ruin. What happens to the tree you would transpl ant from a soil full o f vigor to a dry and sandy plain ? All intellectual ideas are s o gre atly subordinate to N a tu r e ' s physical aspect t h a t the com p a ri sons supplied us by a gri culture will never deceive u s in morals.
Savages, the most independent o f men, the n e arest to N a ture, daily indulge in murder which amongst them goes unpunished. In Sparta, i n Lacedaemon, they hunted Helots, j u s t a s we in France go on p a rtridge shoots. The freest o f p e ople a r e they who are most friendly to murder : i n Mindan a o , a man who wishes to commit a murder i s raised to the rank o f warrior brave, h e i s straigh tway deco r a t e d with a turban ; a m ongst the C a ragu o s , one must have killed seven men to obtain the honors o f this h e a ddress : the in habi tants o f B o rneo believe all thos e they put to death will serve them when they themselves depa r t life ; devout Spani a rds made a vow to St. James of Galicia to kill a dozen Americans every day ; in the kingdom o f Tangut, there is selected a strong and vigorous
3 3 4 + T H E M A R Q U I S DE SADE
young man : on certain c ays o f the year he is allowed to kill whom ever he encounters ! Was there ever a people better disposed to murder than the Jews ? One sees i t in every guise, upon every p age of their histo ry.
N ow and again, C h ina's emp eror and manda rins take measures to sti r up a revolt amongst the people, i n order to derive, from these maneuvers, the ri�;ht to transfo rm them into horrible slaugh ters. M ay that soft and effeminate people rise against their tyrants ; th e latter will be massa cred in their turn, and with much greater j ustice ; murder, a dopted always, always necessary, will have but changed its victims ; i t h a s been the delight o f some, and will be come the felicity o f othe " S o
An infinite number o f nations tol e r a tes public a ssassinations ; they a re freely p e rmitte d in Geno a , Venice, N aples, and through out Albani a ; at Kachoa on the San Domingo River, murderers, undisguised and unasha medly, upon you r orders and b e fore you r very eyes cut the throa t of the pe rson you have pointed out to them ; Hindus take opium to encourage themselves to murder ; and then, rushing out into the street, they butcher everyone they meet ; English travelers have f ound this idiosyncracy in B a tavi a , too.
What people were a t once gre a t e r and more bloodthi rsty than the Romans, and what n a tion longe r preserved its splendor and freedom ? The gl a d i a to rial spectacles fed i t s b ravery, i t became wa rlike through the habit o f making a game of murder. Twelve or fi fteen hundred victims lilled the ci rcu s' a rena every day, and there the women, cruel e r than the men, dared demand th a t the dying fall grace fully and b e � ketched while still in death's throes. The Romans moved from tha t to the pleasures of seeing dwa rfs cut e ach other to p i eces ; and when the Christian cult, then infecting the world, came to pcsu a d e men there was evil in killing one another, the tyrants i mnedia tely ench ained that p eopl e , and every one's heroes became thei r toys.
Everywhe r e , in short, i t was ri ghtly believed that the murderer -tha t i s to say, the man who stifled h i s sensibilities to the point of killing his fellow m a n , and o f d e fying public or private vengeance -everywhe r e , I say, it was thought such a man could only be very cour a geous , and consequ ently very p recious to a w a rlike or republi can community. We m ay discover certain na tions which, yet more
Philo s ophy in the Bedro o m + 3 3 5
ferocious, could only satisfy themselves by immol ating children, and very o ften thei r own, and we will see these actions universally adopted, and upon occasion even made p a r t of the law. Several savage tribes kill their children immediately they are born. M others, o n the banks o f t h e Orinoco, fi rm in the beli e f their daughters were born only to be miserable, since thei r fate w a s to become wives i n t h i s country where women were found insufferable, immol ated them a s soon a s they were brought into the light. I n Taprobane and in the kingdom o f Sopit, all deformed children were immola te d by their own p a rents. I f their children a r e born on certain days o f the week, th e women o f M a dagascar expose them to wild beasts. I n the republics of G reece, all the children who came into the world were carefully examined, and i f they were found n o t to conform to the requi rements determined by the republ i c ' s defense, they were sacrificed on the spot : in those d ays, i t w a s not deemed essential to build richly furni shed and endowed houses for the preservation o f mankind's scum.20 Up until the transferal o f the seat o f the Empire, all the Romans who were not d i sposed to feed their off spring flung them upon the dung heaps. The ancient legisl ators had no scruple about condemning children to death, and never d i d one o f thei r c o d e s repress the rights of a f a t h e r o v e r his family. Aristotle u rged abortion ; and thos e ancient republicans, filled with enthusi asm, with p a triotic fervor, failed to appreci ate this commiseration for the individual p e rson that one finds in modern n a tions : they loved their children less, but thei r country more. In all the cities o f C h i n a , one finds every morning an incredible numbe r of children abandoned in the streets ; a dung cart picks them up at dawn, and they are tossed into a moat ; o ften, midwives themselves disen cumbered mothers by instantly plunging thei r issue into vats o f boiling w a t e r , o r b y throwing it into t h e river. In Peking, infants were put into littl e reed b a skets that were left on the canals ; every day, these canals were skimmed clean, and the famous traveler Duhalde calculates a s above thirty thousand the numb e r of infants collected in the course of each search.
20 It m u st b e h o p e d the n ation w i l l e l i m i n ate this e x p e n s e , the m o s t u s e l e s s o f a l l ; e v e ry i n d i v i d u a l born l acking the q u a l ities to become u s eful somed ay to the r e p ubl ic, h as no r i gh t to l i ve, a n d t h e be s t thing for all concerned i s to deprive h i m of life the m o m e nt h e receives it.
3 3 6 + T H E MARQ U r :; DE SADE
It cannot b e denied that it is extr aordinarily necessary, ex tremely p ol i tic to erect a dike against overpopulation in a republican system ; fo r entirely con trary reasons, the bi rth rate must be en couraged i n a monarchy ; there, the tyrants being rich only through the number of their slaves, they a ssure dly have to have men ; but do not doubt for a minute that populousnes s i s a genuine vice in a republican government. Howeve r, it is not nece s s a ry to butche r people to restrain it, as our mo dern decemvi rs used to say ; i t i s b u t a question o f not le aving i t the means of extending beyond t h e l i m i t s i ts h appiness p rescribes. B e w a r e o f t o o g r e a t a mul tiplica tion in a race whose ever y member i s sovereign, and be certain that revolutions are never bu t the effect o f a too numerou s populati on. I f, for the State ' s splenco r , you accord your warriors the right to destroy men, fo r the preservation o f th at same State grant also u n to each individual the right to give himself over a s much as he pleases, since this he may do without offending N a ture, to ridding himself o f the children hi! i s unable to feed, o r to whom the govern ment cannot look for assistance ; in the same way, grant him the right to rid himself, at h i s own risk and peril, o f all enemie s capable o f h a rming him, because the result o f all these acts, in themselves o f p e r fect inconsequence , will be to keep your popula tion at a moderate s i z e , and never l a rge enough to overthrow your regime. Let the monarchists s ay a State i s gre a t only by reason of i ts ex treme popula tion : this S':ate will forever be poor, if i ts popula tion surpasses the means by which it can subsist, and it will flourish al ways i f, kep t trimly witr in its proper limits, i t can make traffic of i ts sup erfluity. Do you not p rune the tree when i t has overmany b ranches ? and do not t o o m any shoots weaken the trunk ? Any system which devi ates from these p rinciples is an extravagance whose abuses would conduct us directly to the total subversion of the edifice we have just nised with so much trouble ; but i t i s not at the moment the man reaches m a turity one must destroy him in order to reduce popul ation. I t i s unj ust to cut short the days o f a well shaped p e rson ; it is not nnj ust, I say, to prevent the arrival in the world of a being who will certainly b e useless to it. The human species must be purged from the cradl e ; wha t you foresee as useless to society i s what must be stricken out o f i t ; there you have the only r e asonable means to the diminishment of a population, whose ex-
P h i lo s o p hy in t h e B e dro o m .. 3 3 7
cessive size is, as we h ave j u s t proven, the source o f certain trouble. The time h a s come to sum up. Must murder b e repressed by murde r ? Surely not. Let u s never
impose any other penalty upon the murderer th a n the one h e may risk from the vengeance o f the friends o r family o f him he has killed. " I grant you p a rdon, " s a i d Lou i s X V to Charolais who, to divert himself, h a d just killed a man ; "but I also p a rdon who ever will kill you . " All the bases o f the law against murderers may be found in th a t sublime motto.21
B ri efly, murder i s a horror" but an o ften nece s s a ry horror, never crimina l , which i t i s essenti al to tolerate in a republican State. I have made i t cle a r the enti re universe has given an example o f i t ; but ought i t be considered a deed to be punished by death ? They who respond to the following dilemma will have answered the question :
I s i t or is it not a crime ? I f i t is not, why make laws for its punishmen t ? And i f it i s , by
what b a rb arous logic do you , to punish it, duplicate it by another crime ?
We h ave now but to speak o f man' s duties toward himself. As the philosopher only adopts such duti es in the m e a sure they conduce to his p l e a sure or to his p reservation, i t i s fu tile to recommend their practice to him, still more fu tile to threaten him with p enalties i f he fails to a dopt them.
The only offense o f this order m a n can commit i s suicide. I will not bother demonstrating here the imbecility o f the people who make o f this act a crime ; those who might have any doubts upon the m a tter are referred to Rousseau' s famous letter. N e a rly all e a rly gove rnments, through policy o r religion, autho rized sui cide. B e fore the Areopagites, the Athenians explained their rea sons
21 Th e S a l ic L a w o n l y p u n i s h e d m u r d e r by e x acting a s i m p l e fi n e , a n d a s the g u i l ty o n e e a s i l y f o u n d w a y s to a v o i d p ay m e nt, C h i l d e b e rt, k i n g o f A u st r a s i a , d e c r e e d , in a w r i t p u b l i s h e d at C o l o g n e , the d e ath p e n a l ty , not a g a i n s t t h e m u r d e r e r , but a g a i n s t h i m w h o w o u l d s h i r k t h e m u r d e r e r ' s fi n e . R i p u a r i a n L a w s i m i l a r l y o r d a i n e d n o m o r e a g a i n st t h i s act th a n a fi n e p r o p o r t i o n a t e to t h e i n d i v i d u a l k i l l e d . A p r i e st w a s e x t r e m e l y c o s t l y : a l e a d e n t u n i c , c u t to h i s m e a s u r e m e n t s , w a s t a i l o r e d f o r t h e a s s a s s i n , a n d h e w a s o b l i g e d to p r o d u c e t h e e q u i v a l e nt o f t h i s t u n i c ' s w e ight i n go l d ; i n d e f a u l t o f w h i c h t h e g u i l ty o n e a n d h i . f a m i l y r e m a i n e d s l a v e s o f t h e C h u rch.
3 3 8 1- T H E M A R Q U I > DE S A D E
f o r s e l f-destruction ; thf n they stabbed themselve s . Every Greek government tolerated su c i d e ; i t entered into t h e anci ent legisl a tors' scheme ; one killed onesel f in publ ic, and one made o f o n c ' s d e a th a spectacle o f m a gnificen,:e.
The Roman Republic encou raged su icide ; those so greatly celebrated instances of d evotion to country were nothing other than suicides. When Rome W i S taken by t h e G a ul s , the most illustri ous senators consecrated the nselves to d e a th ; a s we imitate that s p i r i t , w e adopt the same vi rtu e s . During the camp a i gn o f ' 9 2 , a sol d i e r , gri e f-stricken to find h i m s e l f unabl e t o follow h i s com r a d e s to t h e J emappes a ff a i r , took his o w n l i fe . K e e p i n g ourselves at a l l t i m e s to the h i gh s t a n d a r d o f t h o s e p roud r epublicans, we w i l l s o o n su r p a s s t h e i r v i r tu e : it is the government th a t makes t h e man. Ac customed for so long to c espotism, our cou r a ge was utte rly crippl e d ; despoti sm depraved our manners ; we a r e being reborn ; it will s h ortly b e seen o f wh a t sublime actions the French genius and c h a racter are capable w '-l en they are free ; let u s ma intain, a t the p rice o f our fortunes and our lives, t h i s l i berty which ha s a l r e a dy cost us so many victims, o f whom we regret not one i f we attain o u r obj ective ; every one o f them sacrificed himself volunt a rily ; let us not p e rm i t their blood to h ave been s h e d in vain ; but union . . . union, o r we will lose t h e fru i t o f all our struggl e s . Upon the vic tories we have j u s t a c h itved l e t u s s e a t excellent laws ; our former l e g i sl a to r s , still slaves of the despot we have j u s t slaughtered, h a d given u s nothing, b u t l a ws worth y o f t h a t tyrant they continue d to reverence : let u s re-do thei r wo rk, l e t u s c o n s i d e r that it i s a t last for republicans w e a r e going to labor ; may o u r laws b e gentle , like th e people they must rul e .
In pointing o u t , a s I h a v e j u s t done, the null i ty , t h e indiffe rence of an infinite number of actions our ancestors, s e duced by a false religion, beheld as crimi n a l , I reduce our l a b o r to very l i ttle. Let .1 S c r e a te few l a w s, but : e t them b e good ; rather than multiplying h.indrances, i t i s purely a question o f giving an indestructible qual i ty to the law we employ, 0 f seeing to it that the laws we p romulgate have, as ends, nothing but the c i t i z e n ' s tranqu i l l i ty, his happiness, and the glory of the republic. But, Frenchmen, a fter h aving driven t h e enemy from your lands, I should not like your zeal to broad-
Philo s ophy in the B edro o m + 3 3 9
c a s t y o u r p ri n c i p l e s t o l e a d y ou fu r t h e r a fi e l d ; i t i s only w i t h fi r e a n d s t e e l you w i l l b e a b l e to c a rry them to t h e four c o r n e r s o f t h e e a r t h . B e fo r e t a k i n g u p o n you r s e l v e s such r e s o lu t i o n s , r e m e m b e r t h e un s u c c e s s o f t h e c ru s a d e s . W h en the e n e m y w i l l h a v e fl e d a c r o s s th e R h i n e , h e e d m e , gu a r d y o u r f ro n ti e rs , a n d s t a y a t h o m e b e h i n d t h e m . R e v i v e y o u r t r a d e , r e s t o r e e n e rgy a n d m a rk e t s t o y o u r manu factur i n g ; c a u s e y o u r a r t s to fl o u r i s h a g a i n , encou r a g e agri cultu r e , b o th s o n e c e s s a ry i n a governm ent such a s yo u r s , a n d w h o s e a i m m u s t b e to p r ovi d e fo r eve ryone w i t h o u t s t a n d i n g i n n e e d o f anyon e . L e a v e t h e thrones o f E u ro p e to c r u m b l e o f t h e m s e lve s : your examp l e , y o u r p r o s p e r i ty will s o o n s e n d t h e m flying, w i th o u t y o u r h a v i n g to m e ddl e i n t h e b u s i n e s s a t a l l .
I n v i n c i b l e w i t h i n , a n d by your a dm i n i s t r a t i o n a n d y o u r l aws a model to e v e ry r a c e , t h e r e w i l l n o t be a s i n gl e government w h i c h w i l l n o t s t r i v e to i m i t a t e you, n o t o n e w h i c h w i l l n o t b e h o n o r e d b y y o u r a l l i a n c e ; b u t i f , for the v a i nglory o f e s t a b l i s h i n g your p ri n c i p l e s o u t s i d e y o u r country, you n e g l e c t to c a r e f o r y o u r own f e l i c i ty at h o m e , d e s p o t i s m , w h i c h is n o m o r e t h a n a s l e e p , w i l l awake , you w i l l b e r e n t by i n t e s t i n e d i s o r d e r , you will h ave e x h a u s t e d y o u r moni e s and y o u r s o l d i e r s , a n d all t h a t , a l l t h a t to re turn to k i s s t h e m a n a cl e s the ty r a n t s , who will h a v e subj u g a t e d you during your absence, w i l l impose u p o n you ; a l l you d e s i r e m ay b e wrought w i th o u t l e a v i n g y o u r h o m e : l e t o t h e r p e o p l e o b s e rve you h a ppy, a n d they will rush t o h ap p i n e s s by t h e same road you have t r a c e d f o r t h e m .22
E UG E N I E , to D o lm a n ce-N ow, it s t r i k e s me as a v e ry s o l i dly c o mp o s e d docum e n t , t h a t o n e , a n d it s e e m s to me i n s u c h c l o s e agree m e n t w i t h your p ri n c i p le s , a t least w i t h m a ny o f them , t h a t I should b e temp t e d to believe you i t s autho r .
DOLM A N c E-I n d e e d m y t h i n k i n g d o e s c o r r e s p o n d w i th some part o f t h e s e r e fl e c t i o n s , a n d my d i s c o u r s e s-they've p roven it to you-e ven lend to wh a t has just b e e n read to u s t h e app e a r ance of a repetition . . . .
22 Let i t be remembered that foreign w a rfare w a s never proposed s ave by the in famous D umou riez.
3 4 0 + T H E M A R Q U I S DE S A D E
E UGENIE-Th a t I did not notice ; wise and good words can not be too o ften uttered ; however, I find several amongst these p rinciples a tri fl e dangero u s .
DOLMANc E-In thi s w o r l d there i s nothing dangerous but p i ty and benefi cence ; goe,dness i s never but a we akness o f which the ingratitude and imperti tlence o f the feeble always force honest folk to repent. Let a keen observer calculate all of p i ty's dangers, and let him compare them with those o f a staunch, resolute seve rity, and h e will see wheth e r the former are not the greater. But we a re straying, Eugeni e ; in the interests of your education, let's compress all that h as just been said into this single word o f a dvice : Never l i s ten to your heart, my child ; i t i s the most untrustwo rthy gu ide we h ave received from N a ture ; with greatest care close i t up to m i s fo rtune ' s fallacious accents ; far better for you to refuse a person whose wretchedness i s g'�nuine than to run the great risk o f giving to a bandit, to an intri g ler, or to a caballer : the one is o f a very slight importance, the other may be of the h i ghest disadvantage.
LE C H E VA LI ER-M ay I be allowed to cast a glance upon the foundations o f Dolmanc £ s p rinciple s ? fo r I would like to try to annihilate them, and may b e able to. Ah, how different they would be, cruel man, if, stripped o f the immense fortune which continually p rovi des you with the means to gratify you r p a ssions, you were to languish a few years in t h a t crushing m i s fortune out of which your ferocious mind dares t:> fashion knouts wherewith to lash the wretche d ! Cast a p i tying look upon them, and stifle not your soul to the point where the pierc ing cries o f need shall never more be heard by you ; when your fram( , w e a ry from naught but pleasure , l anguor o usly reposes upon swansdown couches, look ye a t those others wasted by the drudgeri e s that support you r existence, and a t their bed, sca rcely more than a straw or two for protection against the rude e a rth whereof, like beasts, they have nothing but the chill cru s t to lie down upon ; :ast a glance a t them while surrounded by succulent meats wherewith every day twenty o f Comus' students a wake you r sensuality, ,:ast a gl ance, I say, a t those wretches in yonder wood, disputing with wolves the dry soil's bitter root ; when the most a ffecting obj e,:ts o f Cythera's temp l e are with games, charms, l aughter led to your impure bed, consider that poor luck-
Philos ophy in t h e B e dro o m .. 3 4 1
less fellow stretched out n e a r h i s grieving wi fe : content with the pleasures h e reaps a t the breast o f te a r s , h e does not even suspect the existence o f others ; look ye a t him when you are denying your self nothing, when you are swimming i n the m i dst o f glut, i n a sea of surfei t ; behold him, I say, doggedly l a cking even the basic necessi ties o f life ; regard h i s disconsolate family, his trembling w i fe who tenderly divides herself between the cares she owes h e r husband, languishing near her, and those N a ture enj oins for love's o ffspring, deprived o f the possibility to fulfi ll any o f those duties so sacred unto her sensitive h e a r t ; if you can do it, without a tremor hear her beg o f you the l eavings your cruelty refuses h e r I
B a rbaric one, are these not at all human beings like you ? and if they a r e o f your kind, why should you enjoy yoursel f when they lie dying ? Eugen i e , Eugenie, never slay the sacred voice of N a ture i n your breast : i t i s to benevolence i t will direct you desp i te yoursel f when you extricate from out of the fire o f p a ssions t h a t absorb i t the clear tenor o f N a ture. Leave: religi ou s principles f a r behind you-very well, I approve i t ; but abandon not the virtues sensibility insp i re s in us ; ' twill never be but by p racticing them we will taste the sweetest, the most exquisite o f the soul's delights. A goo d deed will buy p a rdon for all your mind's depravities, i t will soothe the remorse your m i sconduct will bring to b irth and, forming i n the depths o f your conscience a sacred a sylum whereunto you will some times r ep a i r, you will find there consola tion for the excesses into which your errors will have dragged you. Sister, I a m young, yes, I am libertine, impious, I am capable o f every mental obscen i ty, but my heart remains to me, it is pure and, my friends, it is with it I am console d for the i rregularities o f this my age.
DOLMAN C E-Yes, Chevali e r , you a r e young, your speeches illustrate i t ; you are wanting in exp erience ; the day will come , and I await i t , when you will be seasoned ; then, my dear, you will no longe r speak so well o f m ankind, for you will h ave its acquaintance. 'Twas men' s ingratitude dri e d out my h e a rt, thei r perfidy which destroyed i n m e those baleful virtues for which, perhaps, like you, I was also born. N ow, if the vices o f the one establish these danger ous virtu e s in the other, is it not then to render youth a great service when one throttl e s those virtu e s i n youth at a n e a rly hour ? Oh, my
3 4 2 .. T H E MARQUIS DE SADE
friend, how you do spe�,k to m e of remorse ! Can remorse exis t in the soul of him who re ::ogn i z e s crime in nothing ? Let you r prin ciples weed it out of you if you dread its sting ; will i t be possible to repent o f an action with whose indifference you are pro foundly penetrated ? When you no longer believe evil anywhere exists, o f wha t evil w i l l y o u be able t o repent ?
LE C H EVALIER-It i s not from th e mind remorse comes ; rather, ' ti s the h e a r t ' s is:me, and never will the intellect' s sophistries blot out the soul' s impuh.ions.
DOLMANCE-Howfver, the heart deceives, because i t i s never anything but the express ion o f the mind's mi scalcul a tions ; allow the l a tter to m a ture and the former will yield in good time ; we are con stantly led a stray by fal se definitions when we wish to r e a son logi c ally : I don ' t know wh�.t the heart is, not I : I only use the word to denote the mind's fnilti es. One single, one unique fl ame sheds i ts l i ght in m e : when I am whole and well, sound and sane, I am never misled by i t ; when I a m old, hypochondr i a c a l , or pusil l a ni mous, it deceives m e ; in which case I tell myself I am sensibl e , but i n truth I am merely w e lk and timid. Once again, Eugen i e , I s ay i t to you : b e not abused b y t h i s p e rfi dious sensibi l i ty ; be well con vinced of it, i t i s nothing but the mind's weakness ; one weeps not save when one i s a fraid, and that is why kings are tyrants. Rej ect, spurn the C hevalie r ' s in sidious a dvice ; in telling you to open your h e a r t to all of m isfortun e ' s imagi na ry ills, h e seeks to fashion for you a host o f troubles which, not being your own, would soon plunge you into an anguish and that for n o purpose. Ah, Eugen i e , believe m e when I tell you that t he delights born o f apathy a r e worth much more th an those you get of you r sensibi l i ty ; the latter can only touch the heart in one sense , the other titillates and overwhelms all o f one's being. I n a word, i s i t p Oi;sible to compa r e p e rmissible pleasures with p l e a sures which, to far more piquant delights, join those inestimable j oys that come o f bursting soci ally imposed restraints and o f the violation of every law ?
E UGENIE-You triump h , Dolmance, the laurel belongs to you ! The C hevali e r ' s h arangue d i d but b a rely brush my spirit, yours seduces and entirely wires it over. Ah, Chevali e r , take my a dvice :
P h i l o s o p h y in t h e B e dro o m -+ 3 43
speak rather to the p a ssions than to the virtues when you wish to persuade a woman.
M A D A M E D E S A I NT-A N G E , t o t h e Ch ev alie r-Ye s , my friend, fuck u s to be sure, but let u s have no sermons from you : you'll not convert u s , and you might upset the l essons with which we desire to s a turate this charming girl's mind.
E UGENI E-Up s e t ? Oh, no, no ; your work i s finished ; what fools call corruption i s by now fi rmly enough established in m e to l e ave not even the hope of a retu rn , and your principles are far too thoroughly riven into my heart ever to be destroyed by the C hev alier's casuistries.
DOLMANCE-She i s right, l e t u s not discuss i t any longer, Chevalier ; you would come o ff poorly i n this debate, and we wish nothing from you but excellence.
LE C H EVALIER-SO be i t ; we are met here fo r a purpose very different, I know, from the one I wished to achi eve ; let's go directly to that destination, I agree with you ; I 'll save my ethics for others who, less besotted than you, will be: in a better way to hear me.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Yes, dear brother, yes, exactly, give us nothing but your fuck ; we'll forgo your moral s ; they a re too gentle and mild fo r roues o f our ilk.
EUGENIE-I greatly fear, Dolmance, tha t this cruelty you recommend with such wa rmth m ay somewhat influence your plea sures ; I believe I have already remarked something o f the sort : you are h a r d when you take your pleasure ; and I too might be able to con fess to feeling a few dispositions to viciousness . . . . In order to cle a r my thoughts on the matter, please do tell m e with what kind o f an eye you view the obj ect that serves your pleasures ?
DOLMANCE-As absolutely null, that is how I view it, my dear ; whether i t does or does not share my enj oyment, whether i t feels contentment o r whether i t doesn't, whether apathy o r even pain, p rovided I a m h appy, the rest i s absolutely all the same to me.
E UGE NI E-Why, i t i s even preferable to have the obj ect ex p erience p a i n , is it not ?
3 44 .. T H E MAR Q U I S DE SADE
DOLMANCE-To be sure, 'tis by much to be preferred ; I have given you my opinion , m the m a tter ; th i s being the case, the re p e rcussion within us i s much more p ronounced, and much more energetically and much more p romp tly launches the animal spirits i n the direction necessary to voluptuousness. Explore the seraglios o f Africa, those o f Asi a , those others o f southern Europ e , and discover whether the masters o f these celebrated h a rems are much concerned, when their p ricks are in the air, about giving pleasure to the individuals they u s e ; they give orders, and th ey are obeyed, they enj oy and no one dares make them answer ; they are satisfied, and the others retire. Amongst them are those who would punish as a l a ck o f respect the audacity of p a rtaking of their pleasure. The king of Acahem p i tiles� ly commands to be decapitated the woman who, i n his p r esence, has dared forget herself to the point o f sharing h i s pleasure, and not in frequ ently the king performs the beheading himself. This despot, O tle o f Asi a ' s most interesting, i s exclusively gu a rded by women ; he never gives them orders save by signs ; the cruelest death i s the reward reserved for her who fails to under stand him, and the tortures are always execu ted either by his hand o r before his eyes.
All that, Eugen i e , i s founded entirely upon the p rinciples I have already develop e d for you . What is i t one desires when taking one's pleasure ? that eve rything around us be occupi ed with nothing but ourselves, think o f naught but o f us, care for us only. I f the obj ects we employ know p l e a sure too , you can be very sure they a re less conce rned for us th In they are for themselves, and lo ! our own pleasure consequently di stu rb e d . There i s not a living man who does n o t wish to play the des?ot when he i s stiff : i t seems to him his j oy is less when others appea r to have as much as he ; by an impulse o f p ri d e , very n a tural a t l : h i s j uncture, he would l i k e to be t h e only one in the world cap abl e o f exp eri encing what h e feels : the idea of seeing another enjoy as he enj oys reduces him to a kind o f equal i ty with that other, which imp a i r s the unspeakable charm desp o tism causes him to feeP3 'Tis false as well to say there i s pleasure i n
23 T h e p o v erty o f the Freno:h l a nguage com p e l s u s t o e m p l oy words which, tod ay, our h appy government, with S J much good s e n s e , d i s f avo r s ; we h o p e our e n l ightened r e a d e r s will u n d e r st a n d u s w e I a n d will not at all confound absurd p o l itical d e spotism with t h e v e ry d e l i ghtful d e s p " tism of I i b e r t i n a g e ' s p a ssions,
Philos op hy in the Bedro o m +- 3 45
affording pleasure to others ; that is to s e rve them, and the man who i s erect i s far from desi ring to be useful to anyone. On the contrary, by causing them hurt he e xp e ri ences all the c h a rm s a nervous personality relishes in putting i t s s trength to use ; ' ti s then h e dominates, i s a ty r a n t ; a n d what a difference i s there f o r the a m o ur propre ! Think n o t that i t i s silent during such episodes.
The act o f enj oyment i s a passion which, I confess, subordi nates all others to i t, but which simultaneously unites them. This desire to dominate at this moment i s so p owe r ful i n N a tu r e that one notices i t even in animals. See whether those i n captivity procreate a s do those others tha t a r e free and wild ; the camel carries the matter fu rther still : he will engender no more if he does not sup pose himself alone : surprise him and, conse quently, show him a master, and he will fly, will inst antly separate himsel f from his companion. H a d i t n o t been N a tu r e ' s intent that man possess this feeling of superiority, s h e would not have created him stronger than the b e ings she destines to belong to him a t those moments. The debility to which N a tu r e condemned woman incontestably proves that h e r design is f o r man, who then more than ever enjoys his strength, to exercise i t in all the violent forms tha t suit him best, by mean s o f tortures, i f he b e so inclii.ned, o r worse. Would pleasu r e ' s c l i m a x b e a k i n d o f f u r y were i t not t h e i n t e n t i o n o f t h i s mother o f humankin d t h a t behavior du ring copul ation be t h e s a m e a s be havior in anger ? What well-made man, i n a word, what man en dowed with vigorous organs does not desire, in one fashion or in another, to molest his p a r tner during his enj oyment of her ? I know p e r fectly well t h a t whole a rmies of idiots, who a r e never conscious o f their sensations, will have much trouble understanding the sys tems I am establishing ; but wha t do I c a r e for these fools ? 'Tis not to them I am spe aking ; so ft-h eaded women-wo rshipers, I l eave them p rostrate at their insolent Dulcin e a s ' feet, there let them wait fo r the s i ghs tha t will make them h appy and, b a sely the slaves o f the sex they ought to dominate, I abandon them to the vile delights o f wearing t h e chains wherewith N a tu r e h a s given them t h e right t o overwhelm others ! Let these beasts vegetate i n t h e abj ection which defiles them-' twould be in vain to p r each to them 1-, but l e t them not denigrate what they are incapable of understanding, and l e t t h e m be p e rsuaded t h a t t h o s e w h o wish to establish their p rinciples
3 4 6 .. T H E MAR Q U I S DE SADE
p ertinent to th i s subj ect only upon the free outbu rsts o f a vigorous and untrammeled imag n a tion, a s do we, you, M adame, and I , those like ourselves , I say, will always b e the only ones who merit to be li stened to, the onl y ones proper to prescribe l aws unto them and to give lessons! . . .
Goddamn I I 've a n erection I . . . Get Augustin to come b ack here, i f you please. ( Th ey ring; he reappears . ) 'Tis amazing how t h i s fine l a d ' s superb ass does preoccupy my mind while I talk ! All my ideas seem involun ta rily to relate themselves to it . . . • Show my eye s that ma sterpiec1!, Augustin . . . let me kiss it and caress i t , o h ! f o r a quarter of an hour. Hither, m y love, come, t h a t I may, in your lovely a s s , render mysel f wo rthy o f the fl ames with which So dom sets me a glow. Ah , h e h a s the most beautiful buttocks . . . the whitest I I ' d like to have Eugenie on her knees ; she will suck h i s prick while I a dvanc'e ; in this manner, she will expose her a s s to the C h e v a l i e r , who 'll plunge into i t , and M a dame de Saint-Ange, astride Augustin's back, will p resent her buttocks to me : I 'll kiss them ; a rmed w i th t h e c a t-o'-nine-ta i l s , she m i ght surely, it should seem to me, by bending a l i ttl e , be able to fl og the C hevalier who, thanks to thi s stimulati :lg ritu a l , might resolve not to spare our student. ( Th e p o s i t i o n is arra nged. ) Yes, that' s i t ; l e t ' s do our best, my friends ; indeed, i t i s a great pleasure to commi ssion you to execute tableallx; in all the world, there ' s not an artist fitter th an you to r e a l i z e them ! . . . Thi s rascal does have a nipping tight ass I . . . ' ti s all I can do to get a foothold in i t . 'Vould you do me the great kindness, M adame, o f allowing m e to bite and pinch you r l ovely fl e sh while I ' m at my fucke ry ?
MADAM E DE SAINT ·ANGE-As much as you like, my friend ; but, I warn you, I am n : a dy to take my revenge : I swe a r that, for every vexation you give me, I ' ll blow a fart into your mouth.
DOLMA N C E-By God, now ! that is a th reat I . . . quite enough to drive m e to offend y')U, my dear. ( He bites h er. ) Well! Let's see i f you'll keep your word. ( He receives a fart. ) Ah, fuck, de licious ! delicious ! . . . ( He s laps h e r a n d i m m edia tely receives a n o th e r fart. ) Oh, 'tis divine, my angel ! Save m e a few for the critical moment . . . and, be sure of it, I ' ll then treat you with the extremest cruelty . . . me'st barba rously I 'll use you . . . . Fuck ! I can
Philo s ophy in t h e B e dro o m + 3 4 7
tol e r a t e t h i s n o l o n g e r . . . I d i scha rge ! . . . ( He b i t e s h er, s trikes h er, and s h e farts u n i n terrup t e dly . ) Dost see h o w I d e a l w i t h yo u , my fi n e fa i r b i tch ! . . . h o w I d o m i n a t e you . . . once a g a i n h e r e . . . a n d t h e r e . . . and l e t the fi n a l i n s u l t be to t h e very i dol a t which I sacrificed I ( He bites h er ass h o le ,. the circle of debauch ees is broken . ) And t h e rest o f you-w h a t h a ve yo u b e e n up t o , my f r i e n d s ?
E UG E N I E , spewing forth the fu ck fro m her m o u th and h er ass-Al a s I d e a r m a s t e r . . . you see h o w y o u r d i s c i p l e s h a v e a c comm o d a t e d m e ! I h a v e a m o u t h f u l o f fuck a n d h a l f a p i n t in my a s s , ' ti s all I a m d i sgorging on b o t h e n d s .
DOLMA N C E , sh arply-Ho l d t h e r e ! I w a n t you t o d e p o s i t i n m y mouth w h a t t h e C he v a l i e r i n troduced i n t o y o u r b e h i n d .
E UGE N I E , assu m ing a proper p os i t i o n-Wh a t a n extravagance I
DOLMANCE-A h , t h e r e ' s n o t h i n g t h a t c a n m a tc h fuck d r a i n e d o u t o f the d e p t h s o f a p r e tty b e h i n d . . . ' t i s a food fi t f o r the g o d s . ( He swallo ws s o m e . ) B eh o l d , ' t i s n e a tly w i p e d u p , e h ? ( JvJ oving t o A ugus tin's ass, which h e kisses . ) M es d a m e s , I a m going to ask your p e rm i s s i o n to spend a few moments i n a n e a rby room with t h i s young m a n .
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE-B u t c a n ' t you do h e r e a l l y o u w i s h to d o w i t h h i m ?
DOLMA N C E , in a l o w and mys terious t o n e-N o ; there a r e c e r t a i n things w h i c h s t r i c tly r e qu i r e t o b e v e i l e d .
E U GENI E-A h , by G o d , tell u s w h a t you ' d b e a b o u t !
MADAME D E SAI NT-ANGE-I ' l l n o t allow h i m t o l e a v e i f h e d o e s n o t .
DOLMA N C E-You then w i s h to know ?
E U G E N I E-Abs o l u tely .
DOLMAN C E , dragg ing Augustin-Very well, M e s d a m e s , I am going . . . b u t , i n d e e d , i t c a n n o t be s a i d .
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE-I s t h e r e , do y o u think, a n y con c e i v a b l e i n famy w e are not worthy to h e a r o f and execu t e ?
3 4 8 .. T H E MARQ U I S DE SA DE
LE CHEVALIER-Vvait, sister. I 'll tell you. ( He wh ispers to th e two w o m en . )
E UGENIE, with a le a k of revu/s i o n-You a r e right, ' ti s hideous.
MADAM E DE SAI NT-ANGE-W hy, I suspected a s much.
D OLMA N C E-You s e e very well I had to b e silent upon this caprice ; and you grasp now that one must be alone a n d i n the deepest sha dow in orde 0- to give onesel f over to such turpitudes.
E UGENIE-Do you want m e to accomp any you ? I ' ll frig you while you amuse yours e l f with Augustin.
DO LMAN C E-N 0 , no, this i s an aft aire d' h o n neur a n d should take place b e tween men only ; a woman would only disturb u s . . . . At your service in a moment, d e a r ladies. ( He go es o u t, taking A ugus tin with h im . )
D I ALOGUE 'TH E S I XT H
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE, EUGE N I E, LE CH EVALI ER
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-I ndeed, brother, your friend i s grea tly a libertine.
LE C H EVALIER-Then I 've not deceived you in pre senting him a s such.
E UGENIE-I am p e rsuaded there is not his equal anywhere in the world . . . . Oh, my dearest, he i s charming ; I do hope we will see him o ften.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-I hear a knock . . . who might it be ? . . . I gave orders . . . it must b e very u rgent. Go see what i t i s , Chevalier, i f y o u w i l l be so kind.
LE C HEVALIER-A letter Lafleur has brough t ; h e left h astily, s aying h e remembered the instructions you had given him, but tha t t h e m a tter app eared to him a s impo rtant a s i t was pressing.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Ah h a ! what's this ? 'Tis your father, Eugen i e I
E UGENIE-My father I . . . then we a r e lost I . . .
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Le t's r e a d i t be fore we get upset. ( Sh e reads . )
349
3 5 0 + T H E MARQU: S DE SADE
Wo u ld y o u b e liev � i t, my dear lady ? my u n b e arable wife, alar m e d by my dau ght" r's journey to y o ur h o u s e, is leaving im m e dia tely , with the in t,m tio n of bringing Eugenie h o m e . S h e im agines all s o rts of thing,; . . . which, even were one to supp o s e them real, w o u ld, in tru th, be but very o rdin ary a n d h u m a n indeed. I requ e s t y o u to p u n is h h er impertinence with exceeding rig o r ; y e s terday, I chas tised h e r f o r s o m e thing sim ilar : the less o n w a s n o t s ufficien t . Th erefo re , mys tify her well, I beseech y o u o n b e n ded k n e e , a n d b elieve th a t, 1 1 0 m a t ter to wh a t lengths you carry things, no c o mplain t will be h e ard fro m m e . . . . ' Tis a very long time this w h o re's b e e n oppressing me . . . indeed . . . . D o y o u fo llow m e ? what you do will b e well d o n e : t h a t is all I can s ay to you. S h e will arrive s h o r tly after my le tter; keep y o u rs e lf in readin ess. A dieu ; I s h o uld indeed like to b e n u m b ced in y o u r c o mpany . D o n o t, I b eg of y o u , re turn Eugenie to m e u ll ti l s h e is ins tructed. I am m o s t c o n te n t t o leave the firs t gath erin g 5 t o y o u r h a n ds , b u t b e well co nvinced h o w ever t h a t y o u will h ave labored in s o m e s o r t in my behalf.
Why, t h e r e , Eugen i e ! you s e e ? There is nothing o v e r which to b e disturbe d ; i t must be admi tted, though, that the l i ttle wife in question is a mightily imolent one.
E UGENIE-The slut ! Ha ! since Papa gives us a free hand, we must, by God, recei,'e the creature in the manner she deserves.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-Hither, kiss me, my heart. How comforted I am thus to pe rceive such di spositions in you ! . . . Well, be a t ease j I gua rantee you we will not spare her. Eugenie, you desired a victim, and behol d ! here is one both N ature and fate are glvmg you.
EUGENIE-We wil l enj oy the gift, my dear, I swe a r to you we'll put her to use !
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-How eager I am to know how Dolmance will react to the news.
DOLMANCE, e n tering with Augustin-'Tis the best news p o s sible, M a dame j I was not so far away I could not overhear ; M a dame de M istiva l ' s a rrival is very oppo rtune . . . . You a re fi rmly determined, I tru s t, to satisfy her husband' s expecta tions ?
Philo s o p h y i n t h e B edro o m .. 3 5 1
E UGENIE , to Dolmance-Satisfy them ? • . . to surpass them, my love • . • oh, may the e a rth sink benea th m e if you s e e m e falter whatever be the horrors to which you condemn the tramp t • • • D e a r friend, entrus t to m e t h e supervision o f t h e enti re proceedings . . . .
DOLMANCE-Allow your friend and m e to take c h a rge ; you others need m e r ely obey the orden we give you • . . oh, the insolent creature t I've never seen anythin�: like it! • . .
MADAME D E SAINT-ANGE-Clllmsy fool I Well, shall we rather more decently deck ourselves in order to receive h e r ?
DOLMANcE-On the contrary ; from the instant she enters, nothing must prevent h e r from b�:ing very sure o f the manner i n which we h a v e b e e n spending t h e tim e with h e r daughter. L e t u s all be r a th e r i n the greatest disorder.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-I hear sounds ; 'tis she t • • • Courage, Eugeni e ; remember our principles • • • • Ah, by God t ' twill b e a delightful scene I . . .
D I ALOG U E T H E S EVENTH A N D LAST
MADAM E DE SAI N T-AN G E , E U GE N I E ,
LE CH EVALIE R, AUGUST I N , DO LMANCE, MADAM E D E M I ST I V AL
MADAME DE MISTIVAL, to Mada m e de Sain t-A nge-I beg your forgiveness, M a dame, for a rriving unannounced a t your house j but I hear that my daughte r i s here and a s her few years do not yet p e rmi t her to venture a broad alone, I beg you , M a dame, to be so very good a s to return h er to me, and not to disapp rove my request o r behavior.
MADAME DE SAI NT- �NGE-This behavior i s eminently impolite, M adame j one would � ay, upon hea ring you r words, th at your daughter i s i n bad hands.
MADAME DE MI STIYAL-Faith! i f one must j u dge by the state I find her i n , and you, M adame, and your company, I believe I am not greatly mistaken i n supposing her i n no good sort while she is here.
DOLMANCE-M adame, this i s an important beginning and, without being exactly in formed o f the degree o f familiarity which obtains between M a dame de Saint-Ange and you, I see no reason to p retend that I would not, were I i n her place, already have had you p itched o u t of the w in dow.
3 5 2
Philo s o phy in t h e B e dro o m + 3 5 3
MADAME D E MISTIVAL-I d o n o t completely understand what you mean by " p i tched out o f the window." B e a dvi sed, Monsieur, that I am not a wom an to be p i tched out o f windows ; I have no i d e a who you are, but from you r language and the state I observe you to be in, i t i s not impossible to a rrive at a speedy conclusion concerning you r manne rs. Eugenie I Follow me.
E UGENIE-I beg your p a rdon, M adame, but I cannot enj oy that' honor.
MADAME D E MISTIVAL-Wh a t l my daughter resists me l
DOLMANcE-N ay, ' t i s worse yet : ' ti s a case of formal dis obedience, as you observe, M a d a m e . Believe me, do not tol erate it i n her. Would you like me to have whips brought in to punish this intractable child ?
E UGENIE-I should be gre a tly a fraid, were they to be sent for, that they would b e employed r a ther upon M a dame than upon me.
MADAME DE MISTIVAL-Impertinent cre a ture !
DOLMANCE, app r o aching M a d a m e de Mis tival-So ftly, my sweet, we'll have no invectives here ; all of us are Eugeni e ' s pro tectors, and you migh t regret your h a s tiness w i th h e r .
MADAME DE MISTIVAL-Wha t l my daughter i s to di sobey me and I am not to be able to make h e r sensible of the rights I h ave over h e r !
DOLMANCE-And w h a t , i f y o u p l e a s e , are t h e s e rights, M a dame ? Do you fl a tter yourself they a r e legitimate ? When Monsieur de M i s tival, o r whoever i t was, spurted into you r vagina the several drops of fuck that brought Eugenie into being, d i d you then, i n the act, h ave h e r i n mind ? E h ? I dare say you did not. Well , then, how can you expect h e r to be beholden to you today fo r your having discha rged when years ago someone fucked your n a s ty cunt ? Take notice, M a dame : there i s nothing more illusory than fathers' and mothers' senti ments for their children, and children ' s for the authors o f their days . N o thing supports, nothing justifies, nothing establishes such feelings, here i n currency, there held i n contempt, for there a r e countries where p arents kill their
3 5 4 4 T H E M A R Q U S DE S A D E
c h i l dren, others where the l a tter cut the throats of those whence they have breath. Were recip rocal love to ha ve some n a tu r a l sanction, con sanguinity's power woul d no longer be chimerical and, without being seen, without mutually bl!ing known, p a rents would d i s tingu i s h , would adore thei r sons and, reversibly, these would di scern their unknown fathers, would fly into t 'l e i r arms and would do them reve rence. I n s t e a d of which, what is i : we see ? Reciprocal ha treds invetera te ; chil dren who, even before reaching the age o f reason, h ave never been able to suffer the sight o f their fathers ; fathers sending away their children because never could they endure their approach. Those alleged instincts are he nce fictitious, absurd ; sel f-interest only in vents them , u s a ge prese ribes, h a b i t sustains, but never did N a ture engrave them i n our h e a rts. Tell me : do animals know these feel ings ? no, surely not ; h owever, ' t i s always them one must consult when one wishe s to be a cqua inted with N a ture. 0 fathers I have no qualms regarding the so-called i nj u s tices your p a ssions o r your interest leads you to wo rk upon these beings, for you nonexistent, to which a few drops o f your sperm has given l i fe ; to them you owe nothing, you a re i n the world not for them but fo r yourselves : gre a t fools y o u would be to he troubled about, t o be occupied with any thing but your own seh es ; fo r yourselves alone you ought to live ; and you, d e a r children, you who are far more exemp ted-i f it is possible to be far more exemp ted-from this fi l i a l p i e ty whose basis is a true chimera, you mu st be persuaded also t h a t you owe nothing to those individuals whJse blood h a tched you out of the d a rkn ess. Pity, gratitude, love-n o t one o f these sentiments is th e i r due ; they who have given you e):istence have not a single right to require them from you ; they labor for themselves only : let them look a fter themselve s ; but t'le greatest o f all the duperies would be to give them e i ther the hdp o r the mini stry no relationship can pos s ibly oblige you to giv( ; no law enj oins you, there i s no p rescrip tion a n d if, by chance, you should hear some inner voice spe aking to you-whether it i s cllstom that inspires these announcements, whether i t i s your character's moral effect that p roduces these twinges-, unhesitatingly, remorsele ssly thro ttle those absurd senti ments • . • local sentiments, the fruit of geographical accident, climate, which N a ture repudiates and reason dis avows always I
Philo s ophy in the B e dro o m .. 3 5 5
MADAME D E MISTIVAL-Bu t the care I have l avished upon her, the education I h ave given her r • • •
DOLMANC E-Why, a s for the care, ' ti s never but the effect o f convention o r o f vanity ; having done no more for h e r than what i s dictated by the customs o f the country you inhabit, assu redly, Eugenie owes you nothing. As for her education, it appears to have been damnably poor, for we here have been obliged to replace all the principles you had put into her head ; not one o f the lot you gave her provides for her h appiness, not one i s not absurd o r illusory. You spoke to her of God a s i f there were some such thing ; o f virtue a s if i t were necessary ; o f religion a s i f every religious cul t were some thing other than the result o f the gro ssest imposture and the most signal imbecili ty ; o f Jesus Christ a s i f that rascal were anything but a cheat and a bandit. You have tol d her that it i s sinful to fuck, whereas to fuck is l i f e ' s most delicious act ; you have wished to give her goo d manners, a s if a young gi rl ' s happiness were not in separable from debauchery and immo rality, a s i f the happiest of all women had not incontestably to be she who wall ows most in filth and i n libertinage, she who most and best defies every p rejudice and who most laughs reputation to sco rn. Ah, M a dame, disabuse you rsel f : you have done n o t h i n g for you r daughter, i n her rega rd you have not fulfilled a single one of the obligations N a ture dic tates : Eugenie owes you naught bu t h a tred.
MADAME DE MISTIVAL-Oh m e rci ful h e aven ! my Eugen i e is doomed, 'tis evident . . . . Eugeni e , my beloved Eugenie, for the last time heed the supplications o f her who gave you your l i fe ; these are o rders n o longer, but p rayers ; unhappily, i t i s only too true that you a r e amidst monsters here ; t e a r yoursel f from this pe rilous commerce and follow me ; I ask i t o f you on my knees ! ( She falls to her knees . )
DOLMANCE-Ah , very pretty! a tearful scene ! • . . To it, Eugeni e ! B e tender.
E UGENIE, h a lf-n a k ed, as the reader surely must rem e m ber Here you a r e , my d e a r l ittle M amma, I bring you my buttocks . • • • There they a r e , posi tively at the l evel of your lips ; kiss them, my sweet, suck them, ' ti s all Eugen i e can do for you . . . . Remember,
3 5 6 .. THE MARQUH DE SADE
Dolmance : I shall alway!! show mysel f worthy of having been your pupi l .
MADAME DE MISTIV} L, thrus ting Eugen ie away, with h orro r Monster ! I di sown you f o rever , you a r e no longe r my child I
EUGENIE-Add a f ew cu rses to it, i f you like, my dearest M o th e r , in o r d e r to ren,ler the th i n g more touch i n g y e t , a n d you will see m e equally phlegmatic.
DOLMANCE-So ftly, M a dame, so ftly ; there i s insult here ; in our view, you h av e j u s t r a ther too h a rshly repul sed Eugenie ; I told you t h a t she i s in our safekeeping : a punishment i s needed for thi s crime ; h a v e the kindn e s s t o undress yourself, strip to t h e skin, so a s to receive w h a t your brutality deserves.
MADAME DE MISTIV.A L-Undress mysel f I . . .
DOLMANCE-Augusti n , act a s this la dy' s mai d-in-waiting, s ince she resists. ( A ugus tin go �s bru tally to work ; Madame de Mis tival s e e k s to pro tect h ers elf. )
MADAME DE MISTIV}, L , to Madame de Sain t-A nge-My G o d , where am I ? Are y o u a w a r e , M a dame, o f what y o u are allowing to be done to me i n you r house ? Do you suppose I shall make no comp l aint ?
MADAME DE SAINT-l,NGE-I t is by no means certain you will be able to.
MADAME DE MISTI Vi\L-Great God ! then I am to b e killed here I
DOLMANCE-Why n o t ?
MADAME DE SAI :--JT·ANGE-One moment, gentl emen. B e fore exposing this charming b<:auty ' s body to your g a z e , it would be well for m e to forew a rn you of the condition you are going to find i t i n . Eugeni e h a s j ust whis J ered the entire story into my e a r : yester day, her husb a n d used the whip on her, all but broke h i s arm b e a ting her for some minor domestic mismanagement . . . and, Eugeni e assures m e , you a r e going t o fi n d h e r a s s ' cheeks looking l i k e moire taffeta.
Philo s ophy in t h e B edro o m .. 3 5 7
DOLMANC E , i m m ediately Madame d e Mis tival i s n a k e d-Well , b y God, 'ti s the absolute truth ! I d on ' t believe I ' ve ever seen a body more mistreated than this . . . but, by Jesus ! s h e ' s got a s m any cuts b e fo r e a s s h e h a s behind I . . . Y e t . . . I believe I espy a very fine ass h e r e . ( He kisses and fo n dles i t . )
MADAME DE MISTIVAL-Leave me alone, l eave m e , else I ' l l c r y for h e l p I
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE, c o m i n g up to her and s exzmg her by the arm-Listen to m e , who r,� I I'm going to expl ain everything to you I . . . You are a victim sent us b y your own husband j you have got to submit to you r fate j nothing can save you from it . . . what will i t be ? I 've no i d e a j p erhaps you'll be hanged, wheeled, quartered, racked, burned alive j the choice o f torture depends upon your daughter : 'tis she will give the order for your period j but, my whore, you are going to suffer . . . oh, yes, you will not b e immolated until a fter having undergone an infinite numb e r of p reliminary emb a r r assments. As for your cri es, I warn you they will be to n o purpose : one c o u l d slaughter a :steer in t h i s c h a m b e r without any risk o f h aving h i s b ellowings overh e a rd. Your horses, your s e rvants have a l r e a dy l e ft ; once again, my lovely one, your husband au tho r i z e s what w e are doing, and your coming here is n othing but a trap baited f o r your simplicity and into which, you observe, you could not have fallen better.
DOLMANCE-I hope t h a t M a dame i s now p e r fectly tran quili z e d .
E UGENIE-Thus t o be forewarned is certainly to h a v e been the obj ect of a very ampl e conside ration.
DOL\[ANCE, s till feeling a n d s lapp ing her b u t t o cks-Indeed, M a dame, ' t i s cle a r you have a warm friend in M ad a m e de Saint Ange . . . . \Vhere, these days, does one come across such candor ? Wh a t forthrightness in h e r tone when she a ddresses you ! . . . Eugeni c , come here and place your buttocks beside you r mother's . . . . 1 ' d like to make a comp a r i son o f your asses. ( Eugenie o b eys . ) My goodness ! you r s is splendid , my d e a r , but, by God, M amma ' s is not b ad either . . . not yet . . . in another instant I ' ll be amusing myself fucking you both . . . . Au gustin, lay a hand upon M a dame.
3 5 8 + T H E MAR Q U I S DE SADE
MADAME DE MI STIV},L-M erci ful h e avens ! what an outrage !
DOLMANCE, c o n tinui 'lg through o u t to realize his projects, a n d b e g i n n i n g them w i t h an embuggery of the m o th er-\Vhy, not at a l l ! Nothing e a s i e r ! . . . Look y e ! You sca rcely felt i t ! . . . Ha ! ' ti s cl e a r your husband h a s many times trod t h e p a th ! Your turn now, Eugen i e . . . . What a di fference ! . . . There, I'm conten t ; I simply w i s h e d to volley I h e ball a l i ttl e , to put myself into shape . . . well, a l i ttle order now. First, M esdames, you , S a i n t-An ge, and you, Eugen i e , have the g o odness to a rm yoursel ves with a r tificial p ricks in o rd e r , o n e a fter the o th e r , to deal t h i s respectable l a dy, now i n the cunt, now i n the a ss . . . the most fea rsome s t roke s. The C h e v a l i e r , Augustin, and I, acting with our own members, will reli eve you with a p romp t exacti tu d e . I am goi ng to begin and, as you may well believe, i t i !; once again h e r ass which will receive my homage. During the g a m e s , p a renthetically, e ach is invited to d e c i d e for himself w h a t :ortu r e he wishes to inflict upon h e r ; but bear it in mind : t h e suffe 'ing must increase gradu ally, so a s not to kill h e r off b e fo r c t i m e s . . . . Augu s t i n , d e a r boy, conso l e m e , by buggering m e , for the obligation I am under to sodomi z e this ancient cow. Eugeni e , le t me k i s s your beauti ful behind w h i l e I bugger mamm a , a n d you, M a d ame, bring you rs n e a r , so th a t I can handle it . . . socrati z e i t . One must be walled round by asses when 'tis a n a s s one fucks.
E UGENI E-W h a t , my friend, what are you going to do to this b i tch ? While losing your sp e rm , to what do you intend to condemn h e r ?
DOLMANCE, all the while plying his whip-Th e most n a tural thing in the world : I am going to depila te her and lacerate her thigh s with p incers.
MADAME DE MISTIVAL, u n ders tanding this dual vexatio n-The monste r ! C riminal ! he is nutil ating me ! . . . o h , God Almighty !
DOLMANcE-Implor e him not, my dove : he will remain dea f to your voice, a s h e i s to th a t o f every other pe rson : never h a s this powerful figure bothered to entangle himself i n an a ff a i r concerning m erely a n a s s .
Philos ophy in th e B edro o m .. 3 5 9
MADAME D E MISTI VAL-O h , how you a r e hurting m e I
DOLMANcE-Incredible effects of the human mind' s idiosyn crasies ! . . . You suffer, my best beloved, you weep and, wondrous thing I I discharge . . . ah, doubl e whore ! I ' d strangle you if I d i d not w i s h to l e a v e the p l e a s u r e o f i t t o o t h e r s . S h e ' s yours, Saint Ange. ( Madam e de Sain t-A nge em buggers a n d encun ts her with her dild o ; s h e b e s t o ws a few blows of her fis t upon her; the Ch evalier s ucceeds her; he too avails h ims elf of the two avenues a nd, as he disch arges, boxes her ears . ' Tis .1 ugus tin who comes next : he acts in lik e wis e a n d e n ds with a few digs with his fingers, p o k es , pulls, a n d punches. During these vario us a t tacks, D o lmance has s e n t his engin e s tray ing a b o u t all the agen ts' asses, the while urging them on with his rem arks . ) Well, pretty Eugeni e, fuck you r mother, fi rst o f all, encunt her.
E UGENIE-Come, dear l ovely M amma , come, let me serve you a s a husband. 'Tis a li ttle thicker than your spouse' s , is it not, my dear ? Never mind, ' twilll enter . . . . Ah, Mother dear, you cry, you scream, scream when your daughter fucks you ! . . . And you, Dolmance, you bugger me I . . . Here I am : a t one stroke incestuous, a dulteress, sodomi te, and all that i n a girl who only lost her maidenhead today ! . . . What progress, my friends I . . . with what rapidity I a dvance along the tho rny road o f vice ! . . . Oh, right enough, I am a doomed girl ! . . . I believe, dear Mother, you a r e discharging . . . . Dolmance, l o o k at h e r eyes ! she comes, i t ' s certain, is i t not ? Ah, whore I I'm going to teach you to b e a libertine . . . well, bitch, what d o you think o f that ? ( Sh e squ eezes, twis ts, wre n ch e s her m o ther' s breas ts . ) Ah, fuck, Dolmance . . . fuck, my gentle friend, I am dying I . . . ( As she disch arges, Eugenie s h o wers ten o r twelv e jarring blows u p o n h er m o ther's breas t and sides . )
MADAME DE MISTIVAL, ab o u t to lose co nsciousn ess-Have p i ty upon m e , I beg of you . . . I . . . I am not well . . . I am fainting . . . . ( Madame de Sain t-A nge s e e m s to wis h to aid her; D o lm an ce lifts a res training hand. )
DOLMANC E-Why, no, leave h e r in h e r swoon : there i s nothing so lubricious a s to see a woman who has fainted ; we'll fl o g h e r : th a t should restore h e r t o h e r senses . . . . Eugenie, com e , stretch o u t
3 6 0 .. THE MARQ UIS DE SADE
upon your victim's body . . . ' ti s here I wish to discover whether you a r e steadfast. C hevali e r fuck her as she lies upon her failing mother, and l e t h e r frig u s , Augu stin and me, with e ach o f her hands. You, Saint-Ange, frig her while she's being fucked.
LE C H E VALIER-Indeed, Dolmance, ' ti s horribl e , what you have u s do j this a t once outrages N a ture, heaven, and the most sacred l aws o f humanity.
DOLMANCE-N othing diverts me like the weigh ty outbursts of the C h eval i e r ' s vir tuollsness ; but in all we are doing, where the devil does he see the least outrage to N a ture, to h eaven , a n d to m ankin d ? My friend, i t i;; from N a ture roues obtain the principles they put into action ; I ','e told you a thousand times over th at N a tu r e , who for the perfl�ct mainten ance o f the laws o f her general equilibrium, has sometiml:s need o f vices and sometimes of vi rtues, inspires now this impulse , now that one, in accordance with what she requ i r e s j hence, w e do n o kind o f evil in surrendering ourselves to these impulses, o f whatever sort you may suppose them to be. \Vith what regards heav �n, my dear Cheval i e r , I beg o f you , let u s no more dread i ts effects : one singl e motor is ope ra tive in this universe, and that motor i s N a tu r e . The miracles-rather, the physical effects-o f this mother o f the human race, diffe rently interpreted by men, have been deified by them under a thousand forms, each more extraordinary than the other ; cheats and in triguers, abusing their f �llows' credul i ty, have p ropagated their ridiculous daydre ams, and that i s what the C h evali e r calls heaven, that i s what h e fears offnding ! . . . Humanity's laws a r e violated, h e adds, by the p et ty stuH and nonsense in which we are indulging ourselves this a fternoon. Get it into your head once and for all, my simple and very fainthea �ted fellow, that what fools call hum ane n ess is nothing but a w e a kness born of fear and egoism ; th a t this chimerical virtu e , enslaving only weak men, is unknown to those whose character i s form�d by stoicism, courage, and philosophy. Then act, Cheval i e r , act and fea r nothing ; were we to pulveri ze this whore, the r e ' d not be a suspicion o f crime in the thing : i t is impossible for man to commit a crime ; when N ature inculcated in him the irresistible desire to commi t crime, she most p rudently arranged to p u t beyond h i s reach those acts which could distu rb h e r
Philo s ophy in t h e B e dro o m + 3 6 1
operations o r conflict with h e r will. H a , my friend, b e sure that all the rest i s enti rely p e rmitted, and that she has not been s o i d i o ti c a s to give u s t h e power o f discomfiting h e r o r o f di sturbing h e r wo rkings. The b l i n d instruments o f her insp i r a tions, w e r e she t o o r d e r u s to set fi r e to the unive r s e , t h e only c r i m e possible would be in resisting h e r : all the criminals o n e a rth are nothing but the a gents o f her caprices . . . well, Eugen i e , take your place. But what do I see ? . . . she's turning pale! . . .
E UGENI E , lying down up o n her m o th e r-Turning pale I I I God no I you'll very soon see the contrary ! ( Th e a t titude is ex ecuted; Madame de Mis tival rem ains u n c o nsci o u s . When the Chevalier h as dis ch arged, th e group is bro k e n . )
DOLMANCE-Wha t l the b i tch i s not y e t awake ! Whips I I s ay, bring me whips ! . . . Augustin, run and gather me a handful o f thorns from the garden. ( Wh i le waiting, h e s laps h e r face . ) Oh, upon my soul , I f e a r she may b e d e a d ; nothing seems to have a ny effect upon h e r .
E UGENI E , w i t h irritation-Dead I dead I what's thi s ? Then I 'll have to go about wearing black this summer, and I have h a d the prettiest d r e s s e s made fo r m e !
MADAME DE SAI NT-ANGE-Ah ! the little monster I ( Sh e b urs ts i n t o laugh ter. )
DOLMANC E , taking the thorns fro m A ugus tin, w h o re turns We shall see whether this final remedy will not have some results. Eugeni e , suck my p rick while I l a b o r to restore a mother to you and, Augustin, do you give me back the blows I am going to strike this stricken l a dy. I should not be sorry, C hevali e r , to see you embugge r you r sister : you would a dopt such a p osture a s to p e rmit m e to kiss your bu ttocks during the operation.
L E C HEVALIE R-Well, let's comply with i t , since there seems n o way o f p e r suading this scoundrel tha t all h e i s having u s do i s appalling. ( Th e s tage is s e t ; as th e whipping of M a d a m e de Mis tival proceeds, s h e c o m es slowly to life . )
DOLMANCE-Why, do you see the medicine's effects ? I told you it would not fail u s .
3 6 2 -+ T H E MARQUIS DE SADE
MADAME DE M I STIVl'.L, o p e n ing her ey e s-Oh h e avens I why do you recall m e from th e grave ' s d a rkn e s s ? Why do you plunge m e again into l i f e ' s ho rrors ?
DOLMAN C E , whippin:'1 h e r s te adily-I n d e e d , mother d e a r , i t i s b e c a u s e much converS3 t i o n r e m a i n s t o b e held. M u s t you n o t h e a r your sentence pronoL nced ? m u s t i t n o t b e execu ted ? . . . C om e , l e t ' s g a t h e r r o u n d o u r victim : l e t h e r k n e e l i n the center o f t h e c i rcle a n d , t r embl i n g , h e a l ' w h a t will b e announced to h e r . M a dame d e S a i n t-An g e , will you p e a s e b e g i n . ( The following speeches are pro n ounced while the acte r s are in fu ll actio n . )
MADAME DE SAI NT-A:"GE-I condemn h e r to be hanged.
LE C H EVALI ER-Cut i n t o e i gh ty thousand p i ec e s , a ft e r t h e m a n n e r o f the C h i n e s e .
A U G U ST I N-As for roe, b y G a r , I ' d l e t h e r get o ff with b e i n g b r oken a l i v e .
E UGENIE-I n to my pre tty l i ttle mamm a ' s b o d y t h e r e will b e d r i v e n w i cks g a r n i s h e d w i t h sulp hur a n d I w i l l undertake to s e t t h e m a fi r e , one by o n e . ( T h e circle is dis s o lwd. )
DOLMAN C E , c o o lly- Well, my f r i e n d s , as you r l e a d e r and i n s t ru c t o r , I shall l i ghten l h e sentence j but t h e d i ff e rence which will b e d i scove red between what I d e c r e e a n d what you h a ve demanded, t h i s d i ff erence, I s a y , i s th a t your sentences would be i n t h e n a tu r e o f the e ff e c t s o f m o r d a n t p r a c t i c a l j oking ; m i n e , o n the c o n t r a ry, i s going to b e t h e c a u s e o f a l i ttle knavery. I h a v e , w a i t i n g o u t s i d e , a v a l e t , a n d he i s furn i s h e d w i th w h a t is p e r h a p s one of the lovel i e s t members to be found i n a ll o f N a tu r e ; however, i t d i s t i l l s d i s e a s e , for ' ti s e a te n b y one o f t h e m o s t i m p r e s s i v e c a s e s o f syp h i l l i s I h a v e y e t anyw h e r e encountered j I ' ll h a ve m y m a n c o m e i n : w e ' l l h a ve a c o u p l i n g : h e ' l l i n j e c t h i s p o i s o n i n t o e a c h o f the two n a tu r a l con du i ts th a t o rn a m e n t t h i s d e a r a n d a m i able l a dy , w i t h th i s c o n s e quence : t h a t s o l o n g a s thi:; cruel d i s e a s e ' s i m p r e s s i o n s shall l a s t , the w h o r e w i l l remember n o t t o trouble her daughter when Eugen i e h a s h e r s e l f fucked. ( Evt ry o n e app lauds ,. t h e vale t is called i n . D o lmanee speaks n o w to him . ) La p i e r r e , fu ck this woman ; s h e i s
Philo s ophy in the B edro o m + 3 6 3
exceptionally healthy j thi s amusement might cure you : a t least, there may b e some p recedent for the miracl e' s success.
LAPIERRE-In front o f everyone, Monsieu r ?
DOLMANcE-Are you afraid to exhibit your prick ?
LAPI ERRE-No, by God l for i t' s very attractive . . . . Let' s to it, M a dame, be so good as to ready yourself.
MADAME DE MISTIVAL-Oh, my God l wh a t a hideous damna tion !
EUGENIE-B etter that than to die, M amma j a t least I 'll be able to wear some gay dresses this summer.
DOLMANcE-Meanwhil e , we migh t amuse ourselves ; my opinion would be fo r us all to fl a gellate one another : M a dame de Saint-Ange will thrash Lapierre, so a s to insure M a dame de M i s tival's obtaining a good encuntment ; I 'll fl ay M a dame de S aint Ange, Augustin will whip me, Eug,;nie will have at Augustin and herself will be very vigorou sly beaten by the Chevalier. ( A ll of which is arranged. When Lapie rre' has finished cun t-fu cking, h is mas ter o rders him to lu ck Madame de Mis tival's ass, and he does s o . When all is co mple ted, D o lm anee c o n tinues. ) C ap ital ! Out with you, Lapierre. Wait. Here are five louis. H a ! by God, t h a t was a better inocula tion than Tronchin made in all his l i fe I
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE-I believe i t is now o f the highest importance to p rovide against the escape o f the poison circulating in M a dame ' s veins ; consequ ently, Eugenie must very carefully sew your cunt and ass s o that the virulent humor, more concentrated, less subj ect to evaporation and no t a t all to leakage, will more p romptly cinder your bones.
EUGENIE-Excellent idea ! Qu i ckly, quickly, fetch me needle and thread ! . . . Spread your thighs, M amma, s o I can stitch you together-so that you'll give me no more li ttle brothers and sisters. ( Madame de Sain t-A nge gives Eugenie a large n eedle, through whose ey e is threaded a h e avy red waxed thread; Eugen ie sews . )
MADAME DE MISTIVAL-Oh, my God! the p a i n I
3 6 4 .. T H E MAR Q U I S DE SADE
DOLMA N C E , laugh ing lik e a m adm an-By G o d I exc e l l e n t i d e a inde e d ! i t d o e s y o u h 0 1 0 r , my d ea r ; i t would n e v e r h a v e occu r r e d to m e .
E UGENI E , fro m t �m e to time pricking the lips of the cun t, o ccas i o n a lly s tabbing i ts in terior and s o m e times using her n e edle on her m o th er's belly and mons v e n e ri s . ) Pay no a ttention to i t , M a m m a . I a m simply :esting the p o i n t .
LE C H EVALIER-Th e l i ttle w h o r e w a n t s t o b l e e d h e r to d e a t h !
DOLMANC E , causii1g himself to be frigged by Madame de Sain t-A nge, as he wi tnt'ssess the operatio n-Ah, by G o d ! how t h i s extr a v a g a n c e stiffens m e I Eugen i e , m u l t i p l y your s t i tch e s , s o t h a t t h e s e a m w i l l b e quite s o l i d .
E UG E N I E-I ' l l ta� e , i f n e c e s s a ry , o v e r two hundred o f t h e m . • . . C h e v a l i e r , f r i g me w h i l e I work :
LE C H EVA L I E R , o b eying-I ' v e n e v e r s e e n a gi rl as vicious a s this on e I
E UGENI E , much ii1jlamed-No invectives, C h e v a l i e r , or I ' l l p rick y o u I C onfine yo u r s e l f to t ickli n g m e i n t h e c o r r e c t m a n n e r . A l i t t l e a s shol e , i f you p l e a s e , my f r i e n d ; h a v e you only o n e h a n d ? I c a n s e e no l o n g e r , my ; t i t c h e s go e v e rywh e r e . . . . Look at i t ! do you s e e h o w my needle w a n d e r s . . . t o h e r thighs, h e r t i t s . . . . Oh, fuck ! wh a t p l e a s u r e I . . .
MADAME DE MIST l VA L-You a r e t e a ring me to p i e c e s , v i l e c r e a tu r e ! . . . O h , how I blush t h a t i t w a s I who gave y o u l i f e !
E UGENIE-C o m e , c o m e , be qu i e t , M o t h e r d e a r ; i t ' s fi n i s h e d .
DOLMA N C E j em erg ing, with a great eredi o n , fro m Madame de Sain t-A nge's h a n ds-E ugen i e , a l l o w m e to do t h e a s s ; t h a t p a r t b e l o n g s to m e .
MADAME D E SAINT-ANGE-Y ou ' r e too s ti ff , D o l m a n c e , you'll make a m a rtyr o f her.
DOLMANCE-Wha t matter I h ave we n o t wri tten p e rmIssIOn to m ak e o f her what we ple a s e ? ( He turns Madame de Mis tivai
Philo s ophy in t h e B edro o m .. 3 6 5
upo n her s to m ach, ca tches u p the n e e dle, a n d b egins t o s ew h er assho le. )
MADAME D E MISTIVAL, screaming like a b a n s h e e-Aie I aie ! aie l
DOLMANCE, driving t h e needl,� deep in t o her flesh-Silence, bitch! o r I 'll make a hash of your buttocks. . . . Eugenie , frig me . . . •
E UGENIE-Willingly, but upon condition you prick her more energetically, for, you must admit, you a r e proceeding with strange forbearance. ( Sh e frigs h im . )
MADAME D E SAINT-ANGE-Work upon those two grea t cheeks for me l
DOLMANC E-Patience, I ' ll soon have h e r carved like a shank o f bee f ; Eugenie, you are forgetting your lessons : you capped my p rick !
EUGENIE-'Ti s because this bitch' s sufferings are infl aming my imagination to the point I no longer know exactly what I am doing.
DOLMANCE-Sweet fucking God ! I'm beginning to go out of my mind ! Saint-Ange, have Augustin bugger you in front o f my eyes while you r brother fl i e s into your cunt, and above all dress m e a p a n o r a m a o f asses : the pi cture w i l l finish me. ( He s tabs Mada m e de Mis tival's b u t t o cks wh ile t h e p o s ture h e has called for is ar ranged. ) Here, M amma dear, take this . . . and again that! . . . ( He drives h is n ee dle i n t o a t leas t twen ty places . )
MADAME DE MISTIVAL-Oh p a rdon m e , Monsieur, I beg your pa rdon a thousand thousand times over . . . you are killing me . . . .
DOLMANC E , wild with pleasure-I should like to . . . ' ti s an age since I h ave had such an erection ; never would I have thought i t possible a fter so m any consecutive ej acul ations.
MADAME DE SAINT-ANGE, execu ting the called-fo r a t t itude Are we a s we should be, Dolmance ?
3 6 6 .. THE MARQ"JIS DE SADE
DOLMANC E-Au g u stin, turn a l i ttl e to the right ; I don't see enough ass ; h ave him l e an fo rward : I must see the h o l e .
E UGENIE-Ah fu :k! l o o k a t the bugger ble e d !
DOLMANCE-R a t l e r a g o o d d e a l o f blood, i s n ' t there ? Well , a re the rest o f you ready ? As fo r myself, one minute more and I 'll spray l i f e ' s very balm upon the wounds I have just opened.
MADAME DE SAI >H-ANGE-Y e s , my h e a rt, yes . . . I am coming . . . we a rrive at the end at the same time . . . .
DOLMA N C E , who h a s finis h e d his task, does n o thing b u t increase his s tabbing of the vi c tim's b u t t o cks as he discharges-Ah triple bloody fucking God ! . . . my sperm fl ows . . . ' ti s lost, by bleeding li ttle Jesus ! . . . Eugen i e , direct i t upon the fl anks I have j u s t mutilated . . . o h fuck ! fuck ! ' t i s d o n e . . . over . . . I 've no more . . . oh, why must weak ness succeed passions so alive ? . . .
MADAME DE SAI>H-ANGE-Fuck ! fuck m e , brother, I d i s cha rge ! . . . ( To A � gus tin : ) Sti r you rself, great fucking-j ohn ! Don't you know that il is when I come that you 've got to sink your tool deepest into my a:;s ? . . . Ah, sacred name of G o d ! how sweet i t is, thus to be fucked by two men . . . ( Th e group disp ers es . )
DOLMANc E-And now all's been s a i d . ( T o lvladame de Mis ti val : ) Hey ! whore, ye u may clothe you rself and leave when you wish. I must tell you th a t you r husband author i z e d the doing o f a l l that h a s j u s t been done t o you. W e tol d you as much ; y o u d i d n o t believe i t . ( He s h o ws h er t h e le tter. ) M ay this example serve to remind you that ye u r daughter i s old enough to do what s h e pleases ; that she likes to fuck, l o v e s to fuck, that she w a s b o rn t o fuck, a n d that, i f y o u d o n o t wish to be fucked yoursel f, the best thing for you t o do i s to let h e r do what she wants. Get out ; the C hevalier will escort you home. Salute the company, whore ! on your knees, bow down before your daughter, and beseech her p a r don for your abominable use of her . . . . You , Eugen i e , bestow two good smacks upon M a dame your Mother and a s soon as she gains (he threshol d , h elp her cross i t with a few lusty kicks aimed a t her ass. ( A ll this is d o n e . ) Farewell, C h evali e r ; don't fuck M a dame on the highway : reme mber, she's s ewn up and has got the pox.
Philos ophy in t h e B edro o m + 3 6 7
( After the Ch evalier's departure and Mada m e de Mis tival' s . ) And now, goo d friends, let's to dinner, and a fterward the fou r of us will retire for the nigh t • . . in the same bed. Well, we' ve had a fine active day. I never dine so h e a rtily, I never sleep so soundly a s when I h ave, during the day, sufficiently befouled myself with what our fools call crimes.
Cflte rUt(arquis
decSade
Part rJhree
Two
Moral
Tales
eugt;nie de :Franval
(17��8)
In his famous C atalogue raisonne1 of 1788, drawn up with obvious pride in the Bas tille less than a year before it was s tormed, Sade made n o te of a w o rk en titled Eu geni e de Franv a l , which he described in the follo wing man n er:
7.2 Eugen i e de Franval, which might also be called or the M isfortunes of Incest. In all the literature of Europe there are neither any stories or novels wherein the dangers of libertin age are exp o s ed with such force, no w o rk wherein the dar,�-hued class of fiction [genre sombre] is carried to s uch frightening and pathe tic extremes . This story offers a sublime characterizatio n of a clergyman,. a personage well-suited to reconcile the ung o dly and debauched with virtue and religi o n .
Sade o riginally in tended to include Eu genie de Franval in a pro jected multivolume w o rk which was to be en titled Contes e t fabliaux du XVIIIe s i ecle , p a r un troubadour provencra1.3 O f this wo rk, Sade n o ted:
This work comprises four volumes, with an engraving for each tale; thes e short tales are in terspersed in such a man ner that an adven ture which is gay, and even
1 Of which the full title is: Catalogue raisonne des reuvres de M. de SU. a I'epoque du 1er octobre 1788, and the subtitle: Cette collection contient quinze volumes in-8° avec estampe •. The fifteen 'Volumes of which he gi'VfS the breakdown do not, of course, contain the clandestine works he was disinclined to acknowledge.
2 Eugenie was to appear as the se'Venth tale in the fourth 'Vo/ume of Sade's stories and no'Vellas.
8 Sade, of course, was from Pro'Vence.
3 7 3
n aughty bu t Hill well wi thin t h e limi ts of mo des ty a n d d e c e n cy, will f o llow immediately upo n a s erio u s o r tragic ad'IJen tur e . • • . 4
Many of the manus cripts slated for this work were l o s t or des troyed 'wh e n the Bas tille was s to rme d,s h o we'IJer, a n d Sade was o bliged to aban d o n h is ini tial plan of publica t i o n . I t was n o t uto,til the year FIII (1800) t h a t he c o m piled a n e w work, t .. sing those tales he had managed to s a'IJe or reco ver, a vo lume for which he gave up t h e idea o f alter n a ting gay and s o mber s tories, e lim inating the g ay.6 Sade e n titled the work Les C ri m e s d e l ' A m o u r , and prefaced i t b y a fasci n a ting essay o n the n o ve l, I d e e s u r l e s r o m a n s , i n which, turn ing h i s l'ack o n m u c h o f t h e Fre nch ficti o n o f his d ay, he paid special h o mage to the r o bus t genius o f Fielding and Richards o n.
The eleven s tories which c o mpris e Les C ri m e s de l'A m o u r are u n even i1l qu ali ty, bu t a t leas t o n e of them, Eu genie d e Franva l , qualifies as among the best of Sade's s h orter ficti o n s . /foe pres e n t it h ere in i ts e n tire ty, aug m e n t e d by certain passages which did n o t figure in the o rigi n a l e di t i o n bu t which M au rice Heine discovered in Sade's r o ugh drafts a n d in.:luded in a later editi o n .7
4 Do-A.-F. de Sade: Eistoriettes, Contes et fabliaux/Dorci, Paris, Jean Jacques Pauvert, 1957.
5 In a letter to Gaufr.dy, dated late in May, 1790, Sade relates his tale of 'Woe concerning his removal from the Bastille. "I 'Was taken out hare
as the ·hack of my hand, and all my effects, that is more than a hundred
louis' 'Worth of furniture clothing, and linen, six hundred volumes some of 'Which very expensive tlnd, 'What is irreparable, fifteen volumes of my manuscript works, read} for the printer-manuscripts over which I daily 'Weep tears of hlood-.r:tre placed under seals."
6 Perhaps, said the anonymous reviewer of the work in the Journal de Paris on 6 Brumaire (29 Octobpr) of that same year, because the author "doubtless thought that this hue was hetter suited to us no'W and for some
time to come, since in this realm [of tragedy] reality still continues to
surpass fiction."
7 T heu passages appetr in italics herein.
374
� instruct m a n and correct h i s morals: such is the sole goal 1 �e set for ourselves in this story. In reading i t , may the reader
b e steep e d i n the knowledge o f the dangers which forever dog the steps of those who, to satisfy their desires, will stop a t nothing ! May they be persuaded that the best education, wealth, talent, and the gi fts o f N a tu r e are likely to lead one astray unless they are buttressed and b rought to the fore by self-restraint, good conduct, wisdom, and modesty. Such are the truths we intend to relate. May the reader show himself indulgent for the monstrous details of the hideous crime w e are obliged to d escribe ; but i s it possible to make others detest such aberrations unless one h a s the courage to lay them bare, w i thout the slightest embellishment ?
It i s r a r e that eve rything conspires in o n e p e rson to l e a d him to prosp e r i ty ; does N ature shower her gi fts upon him ? Then Fortune r e fuses him her gifts. Does Fortune lavish her favors upon him ? Then N a ture p roves ni ggardly. I t would appea r that the hand o f Heaven has wished to show u s that, in each individual as in the most sublime operations, the laws o f equilibrium are the prime laws of the Universe, thos e which a t the same time govern everything that happens, eve rything that vegetates, and everything that b r e a thes.
Franval lived i n Paris, the c i ty o f h i s birth, and possessed, among a variety o f other talents, an income o f four hundred thousand livres, a handsome fi gu r e , and a face to m a tch. But beneath this seductive exterior was concealed a plethora o f vices, and unfortunately among them those which, when adopted and practiced, quickly lead to crime. Franval' s initial shortcoming was an imagination the di sorderliness of which defies description; this is
375
376 .. T H E MAR QUIS DE SADE
a s h ortcoming th a t o n e cannot c o r r e c t ; i t s effects only worsen with age. T h e less o n e c a n do , the more o n e undertakes; t h e less one acts, the more o n e invents; each p e r i o d o f o n e ' s l i fe brings new ideas t o t h e fore, a n d s a t i e ty , f a r from dampening one's a r d o r , p av e s t h e way f o r even m o r e b a l e ful r e fi n e m e n t s .
As w e have s a i d , Franval w a s g e n e r o u s l y e n d o w e d with a l l t h e c h a rm of y o u t h a n d a l l the t a l ents w h i c h emb e l l i s h i t; b u t s o gre a t w a s h i s c o n t e m p t o f b o t h m o r a l a n d r e l i g i o u s dut i e s t h a t i t h a d b e c o m e imp o s s i b l e for h i s tutors to inculc a t e any of t h e m i n h i m .
I n a n a g e w h e n th e m o s t d a n g e r o u s , the m o s t i n s i d i o u s b o oks a r e a v a i l a b l e to c h i l d rer., a s well a s to thei r f a t h e r s a n d t h e i r tu t o r s , w hen r a s h n e s s o f t h o u g h t p a ss e s f o r p h i l o sophy, when i n c r e du li ty p a ss e s f o r s trength , a n d l ib e r t i n a g e i s m i s taken f o r i m a gi n a t i o n , Franv a l ' s w i t p rovoked app roving l au g h t e r . He m a y h a v e b e e n s c o l d e d imme d i a tely aft e r w a r d , but l a t e r h e w a s p r a i s e d f o r i t . Franv a l ' s f a t h e r , a n a rdent a d v o c a t e o f f a s h i onable s o p h i s m s , w a s t h e fi r s t to encour a ge his son t o t h i n k soundly on a l l t h e s e m a t t e r s . H e e v e n w e n t s o f a r a � t o p e r s o n a l l y l e n d h i s s o n the wo rks m o s t l i ab l e t o c o r r u p t h i m a ll t h e m o r e quickly. I n t h e l i g h t of w h i c h , wh a t t e a c h e r w o u l d h a v e d a r e d t o i n cu l c a t e p r i n c i p l e s d i ff e r e n t from those o f t h e h o u s e h o l d wherein the young Franval was o b l i g e d to p l e a s e ?
B e t h a t as it m ay , Franval l o s t h i s p a rents w h i l e he w a s s t i l l v e ry y o u n g , a n d when :Ie w a s n i n e t e e n a n e l d e rly uncl e , who a l s o died s h o r tly t h e r e a fter, b e qu e a th e d h i m , u p o n the occa sion o f his m a r r i a ge , the full w e a llh due him from his inh e r i tanc e .
W i th such a fortu n e , M on s i e u r d e Franval s h o u l d have h a d n o t t h e s l i g h t e s t difficu l ty i n fi n d i n g a w i f e . An i n fi n i t e numbe r o f p o s s i b l e m a tc h e s w e r e p ro p o s e d , b u t since Franval h a d begged h i s uncle t o a r range a m a tch f o r h i m w i t h a g i rl younger t h a n h e , and with a s few r e l a ti v e s a s p o s s i bl e , the o l d m a n directed h i s a t tentions to a M a d e m o i selle d e F:lrn e i l l e , the d a u g h t e r o f a fi n a n c i e r , who h a d l o s t h e r f a t h e r a n d wh o s e only family w a s h e r wi dowed m o t h e r . Th e gi rl w a s a c tu ally qui t e y o u n g , o n l y fi ft e e n , but she h a d s i x ty thou s a n d v e ry r e a lli'UTes a n n u a l i ncome a n d one of the m o s t c h a rm in g and delightful faces i n all P a r i s . . . one of those virgin-like faces i n which t h e qu a l i f i e s of candor and c h a rm v i e w i th e ach o t h e r
Eugenie de Franval .. 377
b en e a th the delicate f e a tures o f love and feminine grace. H er long b lond hair cascaded down b elow h e r waist and h e r l a rge b lue eyes b espoke b oth tenderness and modesty ; she h a d a slender, lithe, and graceful figu r e , skin th a t w a s l ily-whi t e , a n d the freshness o f r o s e s ab o u t h e r . S h e w a s b l essed w i t h many talents, was possessed of a l ively b ut slightly mel ancholy imagina tion-tha t gentle mel an choly which predisposes on e to a love o f b ooks and a taste for solitu d e , a ttrib u tes which Nature s eems to accord to those whom she has fated fo r m i s fortune , as th ough to make it l e s s b i tter for them by the somb e r and touchi n g pleasure it b rings the m, a pleasure which makes them prefer tears to the frivolous j oy o f happi ne s s , which i s a m u c h less active and less p e rvasive force.
Ma dame de Farneill e , who wa s thirty-tw o a t the time of her daughter's marriage, w a s also a w itty and winning woman, b ut p e rh a p s a trifle too reserv e d and s ever e . D e s i rous to s ee h e r only child happy, she had consulted all of P a r i s ab ou t this marriage. A nd since she no longer had a ny family, s h e w a s obliged to rely fo r a dvice on a few o f those cold frien ds who c a r e n o t a whit ab out anything. They succeeded i n convi ncing her that the young m a n w h o was b eing p r o p o s e d for h e r daughter w a s , b eyond a n y shadow o f a doub t, the b e st match she cou ld m ake i n P a r i s , and t h a t s h e would b e utte rly and unp ardonab ly fool ish i f sh e were t o turn it down. And so the m a rriage took place, and the young couple, wealthy enough to take th e i r own house, moved into i t w i thin a few days.
Young Franva l ' s heart di d not contain any o f those vices o f levity , disorder, o r i r r e sponsib il i ty which p r event a m a n from ma tu ring b e fore th e age o f thirty . Possessed of a fair share o f self confidence , and b eing an o r d e rly m a n who was at h i s b es t in managing the a ff a i r s of a household, Franval h a d all the qu alities necess a ry for this aspect of a happy life. H i s vices, o f a diffe rent order altogethe r , were rather the failings o f m a tu r i ty t h an the indiscretions o f youth : he was artful, scheming, cruel, b as e , self centered, given to maneuvering, dec ei t ful, and cunning-all of this he concealed not only by the grace and talent we have previously mentioned b ut also b y his eloquen ce, h i s uncommon wit, and his most pleasing appearance. Such was the man we shall be dealing with.
378 + THE MARQUIS DE SADE
M a demoiselle de Farneille, who in accordance with the custom had only known her husb and a t most a month prior to their m a r r i a ge, w a s taken in by thi s s p a rkl i n g exte r i o r, and s h e h a d become his dup e . S h e ido l i z e d him, a n d the days were not long enough f o r h e r to f e a s t h e r ado ring eyes u p o n him ; so gre a t w a s h e r a d o r a tion in fact, that h a d any obs t a c l e s in tervened to trouble the sweetn e s s o f a m a rria ge i n whi ch, s h e s a i d, s h e h a d found h e r o n l y h a p p i n e s s i n l i fe, h e r h e a l th, a n d even h e r l i fe, mi ght have been en dangere d .
As for Fra nval, � . p h i l o s o p h e r w h e n i t c a m e t o women a s h e w a s with r e g a r d t o eVfrything e l s e i n l i fe, co olness and i m p a s s ivity m a rked h i s a tti tude toward th i s c h a rm i ng young wom a n .
"The wom a n who b e l o n g s to us," h e would say, "i s a sort o f indivi dual whom custom h a s given us i n b o n d a g e . S h e m u s t be gentl e, s ubm i ssive ... utterly f a i t h fu l and obedient ; n o t t h a t I e s peci ally s hare the cemm on prejudi c e concern i ng the d i s honor a wi fe c a n i m po s e upon us when s h e i m i t a t e s our debauch e r i e s . ' T i s m e rely th a t a m a n d o e s n o t enjoy s e e i ng ano ther usurp h i s righ t s . Everything e l s e i s a mat t e r of comp l e t e in differe nce, a n d a d d s not a j ot to h a pp i n e s s ."
W i th such s e n t i ments i n a husband, it is e a s y to pre dict that a l i fe of ro ses i s n o t what l i e s in s t o r e f o r the p o o r g i r l who is m a r r i e d to h i m . H o n e s t , s e n s i h e , well-b r e d , l o v i n gly a n t i c i p a t i n g the eve ry d e s i r e of the only m a n in the w o r l d she c a r e d a b o u t , M a d a m e de F ranval bore h e r chains d u r i n g the e a rly y e a r s w i t h o u t ever sus p e c t i n g her e n s l a v e m e n t . It was e a sy for her to see that she w a s m e r e l y gl e a n i n g m e a g e r s c r a p s i n the fi e l d s o f Hyme n , but, s t i l l too h appy w i t h w h a t l i ttle h e left h e r , she devo ted h e r every a tt e n t i o n an d appl i e d h e rself scrupulously to make c e r t a i n t h a t during t h o s e b ri e f m om e nts when Franval acknowledged h e r t e n d e r n e s s h e w o u l d a t l e a s t fi n d everyth ing that s h e bel i eved her beloved husband requ i r e d to make h i m happy.
And y e t the b e s t pro o f t h a t Franval h a d n o t been completely r e m i s s i n his du t i e s w a :; the f a c t t h a t , during the fi r st y e a r o f their m a rr i a g e , his wife, th(n aged sixteen a n d a half, gave b i rth to a d a u g h t e r even m ore b(:au t i fu l t h a n h e r m o t h e r , a c h i l d whom h e r f a th er s tra i gh tway n ame d E ugen i e-Eugen i e, b o t h t h e h o r r o r an d the wo nder o f N a tu r e .
Mo nsieur de Fr anva l , who doubtless h a d f o r m e d the m o s t
Eugenie de Franval T 379
odiou s design s upon the child the moment she w a s born, immedi a tely separated her from her mother. Until s h e was seven, Eugenie was entrusted to the care o f some women on whom Franval could rely, and they confined themselves to inculcating i n her a goo d disposition and to teaching h e r to read. They scrupulously avoided imparting to h e r the slightest knowle dge o f any religious o r moral p r inciples o f the sort that a girl o f that age n o rmally receives.
Madame d e Farneille and her daughter, who were grieved and shocked by such conduct, reproached Monsieur de Franval for it. He replie d impertu rbably th a t h i s plan was to make h i s daughter happy, and h e had no intention o f filling her mind with chimeras designed solely to frighten men without ever proving of the least worth to them. He also said that a girl who needed nothing more than to l e a rn how to make h ersel f p l e a sing and attractive would be well advised to remain ignorant o f such nonsense, for such fanta sies would only disturb the serenity o f her l i fe without adding a grain o f truth to her moral character o r a grain o f beauty to her body. Such remarks were sorely displeasing to Madame de Far neille, who was increasingly attracted to celestial i d e a s the more she withdrew from worl dly pleasure s . Piety i s a failing inherent in periods o f a dvancing age or declining health. In the tumult o f the pas sions, w e generally feel but slight conce rn over a future we gauge to b e extremely remote, bu t when passions' language be comes less compelling, when we a dvance on the final stages o f l i fe , when in a word everything l e aves u s , then we cast ourselves back into the a rms of the God we have heard about when we were chil dren. And if, according to philosophy, these l atter illusions are fully as fantastic as the others, they are at l e a s t not as dangerous.
Franval's mother-in-l a w had no close relatives, she herself had li ttle or no influence, and at the very most a few casual friends who p roved less than that when put to the test. Having to do battle against an amiable, young, well-si tuated son-in-law, she very wi sely decided that it would be simpler to limit herself to remonstrating than to undertake more vigorous measures with a man who could ruin the mother and cause the daughter to b e confined if they shoul d dare to p i t themselves against him. I n consi deration of which a few remonstrances were all she ventu red, and as soon as she saw that they were to no avail, she fell silent.
380 .. THE MARQUIS DE SADE
F r a nv a l , c e r t a i n of h i s sup e r i o r i ty a n d p e r ceiving t h a t they were a fr a i d of him, SO OT. threw all r e s t r a i n t to the winds and, only t h inly d i s g u i s i n g h i s a c tivi t i e s s i mply for the sake of a p p e a r ance s , h e a dv a n c e d s t r a i g h t toward h i s t e r r i bl e g o a l .
When Eugen i e w a s s e v e n y e a r s o l d , F r a n v a l took h e r to h i s w i f e ; and t h a t l o v i n g moth e r , who h a d n o t seen h e r c h i l d since the d a y s h e had brought h e:� i n t o t h e w o r l d , could n o t g e t her fill of fondl i n g a n d c a r e s s i n g her. For two h o u r s she hugge d t h e c h i l d to her b r e a s t , s m o t h e r i n g h e r w i th k i s s e s and b a th i n g her with h e r t e a rs. S h e w a n t e d to l e a n a l l h e r Ii t t l e t a l e n t s a n d accomp l i shments ; b u t E u gen i e h a d n o n e exc e p t the a b i l i ty to r e a d fl u e ntly, to be b l e s s e d w i th p e r f e c t h e a l t h , a n d to b e a s p r e tty a s a n a n gel. M a dame de Franval was once again plunged i n t o d e sp a i r when s h e r e a l i z e d tha t i t w a s only too t r u e th a t h e r d a u gh t e r w a s qu i t e i g n o r a n t o f the most basic p ri n c i p l e s o f religion.
"Wh a t a r e you d o i n g , S i r , " s h e said to h e r husb a n d . " Do you m e a n to s a y you are b r i n ging her u p only for this world? D eign to r e fl e c t th a t she, like all of us, is d e s t i n e d to dwell b u t a second here, a ft e r w a r d to plunge i n to a n e t e r n i ty, w h i c h will b e d i s a strous if you d e p r i v e h e r o f th(, w h e r e w i t h a l t o fi n d h a p p i n e s s at the feet o f H i m from whom a l l life come th."
" I f Eu geni e knows n o t h i n g , M a d a m e , " Franval r e p l i e d , "if t h e s e m a xims a r e c a r e fully conce a l e d from h e r , t h e r e i s no way s h e coul d b e m a d e u n h a ppy ; for i f they a r e t ru e , t h e Supreme B e i n g i s t o o j u s t to p u n i s h h e r fOJ' h e r i gn o r a n c e , a n d i f th ey a r e f a l s e , w h a t n e e d i s t h e r e to s p e a k t o h e r a b o u t them ? A s f o r t h e r e s t o f h e r e d u c a t i o n , p l e a s e h a v e con fi d e n c e i n m e . S t a r t i n g t o d a y I s h a l l b e h e r tuto r , a n d I p ro m i s e you th a t i n a f e w y e a r s y o u r daughte r will s u rp a s s all t h e children h e r own a ge . "
M a da m e d e F r a nval w i s h e d t o p u rsue t h e m a t t e r fu rther ; c a l l i n g the h e a r t ' s e l o qu ence to the a i d o f r e a s o n , a few t e a r s ex p r e s s e d themselves f o r h r . B u t F r a n v a l , who w a s n o t i n the l e a s t m o v e d by t h e t e a r s , d i d n o t s e e m e v e n t o n o t i c e t h e m . H e h a d E u geni e taken a w a y , a T d i n f o rm e d h i s w i fe t h a t i f s h e t r i e d t o i n t e r f e r e i n a n y w a y w th t h e e d u c a t i o n h e p l a n n e d t o give h i s daughte r , o r i f s h e a ttempted to incul c a t e i n t h e g i r l p ri n c i p l e s d i ff e r e n t from thos e wirh wh i c h h e i n t e n d e d t o n o u r i s h h e r , s h e would by so d o i n g dep r i ve h e r s e l f o f the p l e a sure o f s e e i n g h e r
Eugenie de Franval + 381
daughter, whom he would s e n d to one o f those c h a t e a u x from w h i c h s h e would n o t r e - e m e r g e . M a d a m e d e Franval, a ccustomed to sub m i s s i o n , h e a rd his words i n silen c e . She b e g g e d her h u sb a n d not to s ep a r a te her from such a c h e r i s h e d p o s s e s s i o n a n d , weeping, p rom i s e d not to i n t e r f e r e i n any way with the e d u c a t i o n t h a t was b e i n g p r e p a r e d f o r h e r .
From t h a t moment o n , M a demo i s e l l e d e F r a n v a l w a s i n s t a l l e d i n a v e ry lovely a p a r tment a dj a c<:n t to t h a t o f h e r f a t h e r , with a h ighly i ntelli gent govern e s s , an a s!.i s t a n t gove r n e s s , a c h a m b e rmai d , a n d t w o girl comp a n i o n s h e r own age, sol ely i n t e n d e d f o r E u gen i e ' s amusement. S h e w a s given t e a c h e r s o f writing, drawing, p o e try, n a tu r a l h i s to ry, elocution, g e o g r a p hy, a s t r onomy, G r e e k , E n gl i s h , Germ a n , I t a l i a n , fencing, d a n c i n g" r i d i n g a n d m u s i c . E u gen i e a r o s e a t s e v e n e v e r y d a y , i n summ e r a s well a s win t e r . Fo r b r e a k f a s t s h e h a d a l a r g e p i e c e o f r y e b r e a d , w h i c h s h e t o o k w i t h h e r o u t i n to t h e g a r d e n . S h e r a n a n d p l ay e d t h e re t i l l e i gh t , w h e n s h e c a m e b a ck i n s i d e a n d s p e n t a few m o m e n t s with h e r f a t h e r in h i s a p a rtment, while h e a c q u a i n t e d her with t h e little tricks a n d g a m e s that soci e ty i n dulges i n . Till n i n e s h e worked on h e r l e s s o n s ; a t n i n e h e r fi r s t t u t o r a rr i v e d . B e tw e e n t h e n a n d two s h e w a s visi t e d b y n o l e s s than five t e a c h e r s . She ate lunch with h,er two l i ttle friends a n d her h e a d gov e r n e s s . Th e d i n n e r w a s composed of vegetabl e s , fi s h , p a s t r i e s , an d frui t ; n e v e r any m e a t , s o u p , w i n e , liqueu r s , o r co ff e e . F r o m th r e e to fou r , Eugen i e went b a ck o u t a g a i n to p l a y w i t h h e r com p a n i o n s . There they exerci s e d toge t h e r , playing tenn i s , b all, skittle s , b a ttle d o r e a n d shu ttl ecock, o r s e e i n g how f a r t h e y could run a n d j u m p . T h e y d r e s s e d a ccording to t h e s e a sons ; t h e y w o r e n o t h i n g t h a t constricted the i r w a i s t s , n e v e r any o f those r i d i culou s c o r s e t s e q u a lly d a n g e r o u s for the stom a c h a n d c h e s t which, i m p a i r i n g the b r e a t h i n g o f a young p e rson, p e r fo r c e a tt a ck the lungs. From fou r to six, M a de m o i selle de Franval r e c e i v e d o t h e r tuto r s ; a n d as all had not been able to a p p e a r the same day, the o t h e r s came the following day. Three times a week, Eugen i e went to the t h e a t e r w i t h h e r f a t h e r , i n the l i t t l e g r i l l e d boxes t h a t w e r e r e n t e d for h e r b y the y e a r. At n i n e o ' clock s h e retu r n e d h o m e a n d d i n e d . All s h e then h a d to e a t w e r e v e g e t a b l e s and fru i t . Four times a week, f r o m ten to e l e v e n , s h e p l ay e d w i th h e r two govern e s s e s a n d h e r m a i d , r e a d f r o m o n e o r m o r e novels, a n d t h e n w e n t to b e d . The t h r e e
382 + THE MARQUI:, DE SADE
o the r days, those whe n Franval did not dine out, she spe nt alone i n h e r fathe r' s apa rtme nt , and Franval devote d this pe riod to what he te rme d his conferences. During the se se s s i ons he i nculcate d in his daughte r h i s maxims on morality and re ligion, p re se nting to he r on the one hand what some me n thought on the se matte rs , and the n o n the o the r expounding h i s own vie ws .
Posse sse d o f con side rab l e intellige nce , a vast range o f knowl e dge , a kee n mind, and p a ssions th a t were alre a dy awake ning, i t i s e a sy t o j u dge the progre ss that the se vi ews m a de i n Eugen i e ' s soul. But since the shame ful Fr anval ' s inte ntion was not only to stre ngthe n he r mind, these lecture s rare ly conclude d wi thout inflaming he r he art a s we l l ; and th i s horrib le man succee de d so we ll in finding the me ans to ple a se h i s daughte r, te corrupte d he r so cle ve rly, he made him se l f so use ful b oth to he r e ducation and he r ple a sure s, he so arde ntly anticip ated he r eve ry des i re that Eugenie , e ve n in the most b rilliant c i rcle s, fou nd no one a s attractive a s he r fathe r. And e ve n be fore he m a de his i n te ntions e) plicit, the innoce n t and pliant cre a tu re had fille d he r young he art w i th all the se ntime nts o f fr ie n dship, grati tude , and tende rne ss which must i ne vitab ly lead to the most arde nt love. She h a d e ye s only� o r Franval ; s he p a i d no attention to any one b ut him, and reb elle d a t any i de a that might sep arate he r from h i m . She would gla dly have l avishe d upon him not he r honor, not he r cha rms -all the se sacrifice s would have se eme d far too meage r for the obje ct o f he r idola try-b u t he r b lood, he r very l i fe , i f this te nde r frie nd o f he r he a rt had de mande d it.
M a de mo i s el le de F ranval' s fee lings for he r mother, her re spectab le and wre tche d mother, we re not quite the same. He r f a th e r , b y skillfully conve ying to h i s daughter that M a dame d e Franval, be ing h i s w i fe , de mande d certain mini strations from h i m w h i c h ofte n prevente d h m from d o i n g f o r h i s dear Eugen i e e ve ry thing h i s h e a rt dictate d, h a d discove re d the se cre t of implanting i n the he art o f t h i s young pe rson much m o r e h a t e and je alousy than the sort of re spe ctab le and tender sentiments that she ought to have felt for such a mothe r.
" M y frie nd , my b rJ the r , " Eugen i e sometime s u se d to say to Franval, who d i d not wan t his daughter to employ other e xp r essions with him, "this woman :/ o u call your wife, this c re ature who, you te ll me, b rought me into thi s wo rld, i s ind e e d most de manding, since
Eugenie de Fran v al + 383
in wishing to have you always by her side, she deprives me of the happiness o f spending my l i fe with you . . . . It i s quite obvious to me that you prefer her to your Eugenie. As for me, I shall never love anything that steals your h e a rt away from m e . "
"Y ou a r e wrong, my dear friend," Franval replied. " N o one in this world will ever acquire over me rights as strong a s yours. The ties which bind this woman a n d your best friend-the fru i t of usage a n d social convention, which I view philosophically-will never equal the ties between u s . . . . You will always be my favorite, Eugenie ; you will be the angel and the light o f my life, the h e a rth of my heart, the moving force of my existence."
"Oh I how sweet these words are ! " Eugenie replied. " Repeat them to me o ften, my friend . . . . If only you knew how h appy these expressions of your tenderness ma.ke m e ! "
And taking Franva l ' s hand a n d clasping i t to h e r h e a rt , she went on :
"Here, feel, I can feel them all there . . . . " "Your tender caresses assure: me it's tru e , " Franval answered,
p ressing her i n his arms . . . . And thu s , without a trace o f remorse, the p e rfidious wretch concluded h i s plans for the seduction o f this p oor girl.
Eu genie' s fourteenth year w a s the time Franval had set for the consummation of his crime. Let us shudder I . . . H e did it.
The very day tha t she reached tha t age, or ra ther the day s he comple ted her fourte e n th year, they were both in the coun try, without the e n cumberin g pre s e n ce of family or other in trusions . The Coun t, havin g tha t day a t tired his daughter in the manner tha t ves tal virgins had be e n clothed in a n cie n t times upon the occasion of their cons ecra tion to the goddess P enus, brought her upon the s troke of eleven a' clock in to a voluptuous drawing room wherein the daylight was s of t e n ed by muslin curtains a n d the furniture was bedecked with flowers. In the middle of the room was a throne of ros es; Fra n v al led his daughter o�)er to it.
"Eugenie," he s aid to her, ht'lpin g her to sit down upon it, "to day be the queen of my heart a n d allow me, on ben ded knee, to worship a n d adore thee."
"You adore m e , my brother, when it is to you tha t I owe
384 + THE MARQUlS DE SADE
everything, y o u who ar,� the au thor .of my days, who has f o rmed me . . . • Ah! let me ra ther fall down at y o u r fee t; tha t is the o n ly place I belo ng, a n d the only pla c e I aspire to with yo u."
ItOh my dear, my tender Eugen ie," s aid the Co u n t, seating himself beside her o n the flower-strewn chairs which were to s erv e as the s c e n e of his triu1.'Jph, "if i n d e e d it is true tha t y o u o we me s o mething, if y o u r feelings t oward me are as sin cere as you s a y they are, d o y o u kn o w by wha t means y o u can persu a de me o f your sin cerity,!"
"Wha t are they, my bro ther'! Tell them to me quickly, so tha t I may be quick to s eize ,hem."
"All these many charms, Eugen ie, tha t Na ture has lavished u p o n y o u , all these phys;:cal charms with which She has embellished y o u - these y o u mus t sa.:rifice t o me witho u t a momen t's delay."
"Bu t what is it you ask of me'! Are you n o t already the mas ter of everything? Does no t wha t y o u have wrought bel o n g to you'! Can a n o ther delight in your h a n diwork'!"
"But you are n o t ur.aware of people's prejudices . . . . " tt y o u have n ever c'Jn cealed them fro m me." ttl d o n o t wish t o flo u t t h e m witho u t your c o n s e n t." "Do y o u n o t d espis e them as much as I'!" ItSurely, bu t I d o uo t wan t to be your tyrant, and even less
your seducer. The s ervices I am s o liciting, n a y the rewards I re ques t, I wish to be w o n through love, a n d thro ugh love alo n e . Y o u a r e familiar w i t h t h e w'Jrld a n d with its ways; I h a v e n ever COll cealed a n y of i ts lures Jro m ·yo u . My habi t o f keeping o ther m e n f r o m y o u r eyes, s o tha t I alo n e will be t h e c o n stan t obje c t o f your vis i o n , has become a hO!lx, a piece of trickery un worthy of me. If in the w orld there exis ts a being whom y o u prefer to me, n ame him wi tho u t delay, I shall go t o the ends o f the earth t o find him a n d s traightway lea d h i m b,uk here i n t o y o u r arms. In a word, i t i s y o u r happin e s s I seek, my angel, yo urs m u c h m o r e than mine. These gen tle pleasures you can give me will be n o thing to me, if they are no t the c o n crete pro o f cf y o u r love. Therefore, Eugen ie, make up y o u r mind. The time ha� c o me for y o u to be immola ted, a n d imm o la ted y o u mus t be. Bu t you y o u rs elf mu s t n ame the pries t w h o shall perform the s acrifice; I ren o u n ce the pleasures which this ti tle as s u res me if it is n o t y o ur heart and s o u l which o ffer them t o me.
Eugenie de Franval + 385
And, still worthy of your heart, if 'tis n o t I whom you mos t prefer, s tilll s hall, by bringing you him whom you can love and cherish, a t leas t have merited your tender affection though l may not have won the citadel of your hear t. And, failin g to become Eugenie's lover, l shall still be her friend.}}
"You will be everything, my brother, you will be everything, }} Eugen ie s ai d, burning with love and desire. " To whom do you wish me to s acrifice myself if it is not to him whom l solely adore! Wha t crea ture in the e n tire univers e can be more worthy than you of these meager charms tha t you desire ... and over which your burning hands are alrea dy roami n g with gre a t ardor! Can't you see by the fire which inflames me tha t l am ,ius t as e ager as you to know the s e pleasures o f which you h a v e spoken? Ah! do, d o what you will, my dear brother, my bes t frien d, make Eugenie your victim; immolated by your beloved hands, s he will always be triumphant.}}
The ferve n t Franv al who, considering the character we know him to possess, had draped hims elf in so much delicacy only in order to s educe his daughter all the more s ubtly, soon abuse d her credulity a n d, with all the obs tacles elimin a te d or overcome both by the principles with which he had nourished tha t ope n a n d impression able heart and by the cunning with which he had ensnared her at this final momen t, he concluded his perfidious conques t and himself became with impun i ty the ravishe r of tha t virginity of which Na ture a n d the bon ds of blood had made him the trus ted defender.
Several days passed i n mutual i n toxica tion. Eugenie, old e n ough to experience the ple asures of love, her appe tite whe tted by his doctrine s , yielded herself to its trans ports. Franval taugh t her all its mys teries ; he traced for her all i ts pa ths and byways. The more he paid obeisance, the more complete became his conques t. She would have wis hed to receive him in a thous and temples simul taneously; she accuse d her friend's imagination of being too timid, of not throwin g all caution to the winds . And she had the feelin g tha t he was hiding some thing from her. She complained o f her age, and of a kind of ingenuousnes s which perhaps kept her from being s eductive enough. And if she wished to further her amorous educa tion, it was to insure tha t no means of inflami n g her lover remained unknown to her.
386 + THE MARQUI� DE SADE
They retu rned to Paris, but the criminal pleasures which t h i s p e rverse man h a d reveled i n h a d t o o delightfully fl a tte r e d h i s mo ral and physical facu lties for th a t trait of cha racter, inconstancy, which gene rally caused him to break off h i s other affairs, to have the least effect i n breaking the bonds o f t h i s one. He had fallen hope lessly in love, and frorr this dangerous p a ssion there i nevitably ensued the cruel est a b ar donment o f his wife . . . . Al as! what a victim. M a d ame de Franval , who w a s then thirty-on e , w a s in the full flower of h e r beauty An imp r e ssion o f sadness, the sort which inevitably follows upon the sorrows which con sumed her, m a d e h e r even more attractive . Ba th e d i n h e r own tears, a constant prey to mel ancholy, her beauti fu' h a i r c a rele ssly scattered over a n alabaster throat, her lips l ovingly pressed against the portra i ts o f her fai th l e s s daughter and tyrant.hu sband, she resembl e d one o f those beau ti ful virgins whom M i c h e l angelo w a s wont to portray in the throes of sorrow. As yet she w a s s till unaware o f that which was destined to crown h e r affiiction. The manner in which Eugeni e w a s being e du cated, the essential things to which M a dame de Franval was n o t p rivy o r t h o s e s h e w a s t o l d only to m a k e h e r hate them ; the c e r tainty th a t these duti ef, despised by Franval, would never b e p e rmitted to h e r daughtt r ; t h e li ttle time she was allowed to spend with the young person ; the fear that the pecul i a r education t h a t Eugen i e w a s being given might s o o n e r o r l a t e r l e a d h e r i n t o t h e p a th s o f crime ; a n d , fin ally, Franva l ' s w i l d conduct, h i s d a i ly h a rsh ness tow a r d h e r--she whose only concern i n l i fe w a s to anticipate h i s eve ry wish, who knew no o t h e r c h a rms than those resulting from her having interested o r p l e a s e d him: these alone, for the moment, were the only causes o f J- e r distress. But imagi n e with what sorrow and p a i n this tender soul would be affiicted when she l e a r n e d the full truth!
M e anwh i l e , E u gen e's education continu e d . She h e rself h a d exp re s s e d a d e s i r e t o follow h e r masters until she was sixteen, a n d h e r t a l e n t s , the bro a d s:ope o f h e r knowledge, the g r a c e s which d a ily devel o p e d in h e r--all these further tighten e d Franval's fet ters. I t w a s e a sy to see t'lat he h a d never loved anyone the way h e l o v e d Eugenie.
On the surface, no :hing i n Eugen i e ' s d aily routine h a d been changed save the time of the lectures. These p rivate discussions
Eugenie de Franval * 387
w i t h h e r f a t h e r o ccu r r e d much m o re frequently a n d l a s t e d f a r into t h e n i g h t . E u gen i e ' s gov e r n e ss was the only p e rson p ri vy t o t h e a ff a i r , a n d the y t r u s t e d h e r s u ffi c i ently n o t to b e w o r r i e d about h e r i n d i s c r e t i o n . Th e r e w e r e a l s o a few c h a n g e s i n Eugeni e ' s m e a l schedule : n o w s h e a t e w i t h h e r p a re n t s . I n a h o u s e like Franval ' s , t h i s c i rcumstance s o o n p l a c e d E u g4!ni e i n a p o s i tion to m e e t p e o p l e a n d to b e cou r t e d w i t h a v i e w t o w a r d m a r r i a g e . S e v e r a l men d i d a sk f or h e r h a n d . Franval, c e r t a i n of h i s daughte r ' s h e a r t a n d f e e l i n g h e h a d n o t h i n g to f e a r from t h e s e requ e s t s , h a d n o n e t h e l e s s f a i l e d to r e a l i z e t h a t t h i s v i rtual fl o o d of p ro p o s a l s m i g h t e n d by r e v e a l i n g e v e rything.
I n o n e conve r s a t i o n w i t h her d a u g h t e r-a favor s o devoutly d e s i r e d b y M a da m e d e Franval and s o r a r e ly o b t a i n e d-th i s tender mother informed E u gen i e that M on s i e u r d e C olunce had asked for h er hand.
"You know the gentlema n , " M a da m e d e Franval said. "He l oves you ; h e is young, agreeable, a n d o n e d a y h e w i l l b e r i c h . H e a w a i t s your c o n s e n t . • • n a u gh t b u t y o u r c o n s e n t . Wh a t w i l l my answer b e ? "
Taken a b a ck , E u g e n i e r e d d e n e d a n d r e p l i e d t h a t a s y e t s h e d i d not feel incline d towa r d m a r ri age , b u t s ugge s t e d t h e m a t t e r b e r e f e r r e d t o h e r f a t h e r ; h i s w i s h w o u l d b e h e r command.
S e e ing i n t h i s r e p l y n o t h i n g but c a n d o r p u r e a n d simpl e , M a d a m e d e F ranval w a i t e d p a ti ently f o r a few d a y s until a t l a s t s h e fou n d a n o c c a s i o n to s p e a k to h e r h u s b a n d about i t. S h e communi cated to him the intentions o f the C olun c e family, and those o f young C olunce h i ms elf, a n d told him w h a t h i s d a u ghte r ' s r e p l y h a d b e e n .
A s one c a n i m a g i n e , Franval a l r e a dy knew e v e rything ; b u t h e m a d e l i ttle e ff o r t to d is gu i s e h i s ft:el ings.
" M a d a m e , " h e said d ryly to his wife, "I m u s t a s k you to re frain from i n t e r f e r i ng i n m a t t e r s p e rt a i n i n g to Eugeni e . I should have i m a g i n e d that you would h a v e s u rm i s e d, from the care you s a w m e t a k e t o k e e p her a w a y from you , how deeply I d e s i r e d to m ak e c e r t a i n t h a t a nythi n g r e l a ting t o her should i n n o wise con cern you . I r e i t e r a t e my o r d e r s on this subj e c t . I trust you will n o t f o r g e t the m a g a i n . "
388 + THE MARQU:S DE SADE
" B u t what, S i r, sh�l l I repl y, " she answered, " since the request h a s been made through me ?"
"Y ou will say th a t I appreci a te the honor, and that my daughter h a s certain cc ngenital defects which m ake m a rriage Im possibl e for her."
" B ut, Mons; eu r , the se de fects a re not real. Why should I then fals ely s a ddle her with t hem, and why deprive your daughter o f the happiness she may fi nd in marri age ?"
"Has m a r r i age th en m a d e you so profoundly happy, M a d a m e ?"
" Doubtless a ll other wives have not failed so s i gnally to win the i r husband's de votion, or" ( an d thi s was accomp anied by a sigh ) " al l husbands a re not l ik e you . "
"Wives . . . wives a r e f a i thless, j ealous, imperious, coquettis h , o r pious. . . . Husbands a r e treacherous, inconstant, c r u e l , o r despotic. The r e , M a d am e, you have t h e summary o f everyone on e a r th . D o n o t ex pect to find a p a r a gon."
" Still, everyone ge: s m a r r i e d. " "True, the fo ols a n d ne'e r-do-well s . In the words o f one
philosopher, 'People ge: married only when they do not know what they a re doing, or when they no longer know what to do. ' "
"Then you think the human race shoul d be allowed to die out ? "
"And w h y n o t ? A p l a n e t whose only p r o duct i s poi son cannot b e rooted out too quickly."
" Eugenie wil l not be gratefu l to you for your excessive stern- ness toward her."
" H a s she evinced a ny desire to m a rry this young man ?" " Sh e s a i d th at your wishes were h e r commands." " I n that c a s e , l\1a d a m e , my commands are th a t y o u pursue
this matter no fu rthe r ." And Monsie ur de F ranval l e ft the room a fter reiterating most
vig o rou sly to h i s wife : h a t she never speak to him on the subj ect agam .
M a d am e de Franr al did not fail to inform h e r mother o f the conversation th a t she h:l d j u s t had with her husband, and M a dame de Farne ille, a m o re sub tl e soul and one more versed in the effects
Eugenie de Franval .. 389
of the p a s s i o n s than w a s h e r a t t r a c ti v e daughte r , i m m e d i a t ely s u s p e c t e d s o m e thing u n n a tu r a l w a s involve d .
E u g e n i e s a w h e r grandmo t h e r v e ry s e l d o m , n o m o r e t h a n a n h o u r , on festive o r i m p o r t a n t o c cas i o n s , a n d a l w a y s i n the p r e s en c e o f h e r f a th e r . D es i ro u s o f cla r i fying t h e m a t t e r , M a dame d e F a r n eille s e n t w o r d to h e r son-in-law asking h i m to accord h e r the p r e s e n c e o f her g r a n d d a u gh t e r one day, a n d r e qu e sting th a t h e m i g h t allow h e r to stay o n e enti r e a fternoon, i n o r d e r to d i s t r a c t h e r , she s a i d , from a mig r a i n e h e a d a c h e from w h i c h s h e w a s suff e r i n g . Franval s e n t b a ck an i rr i t a bl e r e p ly saying th a t th e r e w a s n o t h i n g E u g e n i e f e a r e d m o r e t h a n the v a p o r s , b u t t h a t h e would nonethel e s s b r i n g her p e rson ally to her grandmother whenever the l a tt e r d e s i r e d . H e added, however, that Eugen i e would n o t b e able to r e m a i n fo r v e ry long, since s h e w a s obliged to go from h e r grand m o th e r ' s to a p h y s i c s cou r s e w h i ch s h e w a s a s s i du ou sly following.
When they a rr i v e d a t M a d am e d e F a r n e i ll e ' s , s h e did n o t h i d e from h e r son-in-l a w h e r a s tonishment a t h i s r e fu s a l o f t h e p r o p o s e d m a rr i a g e .
" I i m a g i n e t h a t you s a fely can a l l o w y o u r d a u g h t e r to p e r s u a d e m e h e r s e l f , " M a dame de F a r n e i l l e w e n t o n , " o f t h i s d e fect which, a c c o r d i n g to y o u , must deprive h e r o f m a r r i a g e."
" W h e t h e r th i s d e f e c t is real o r not, M a d a m e , " s a i d F r a nval, who w a s s l i g h tly s u rp r i s e d by h i s mothe r-in-Iaw's r e solut i o n , " t h e f a c t i s t h a t i t would c o s t m e a small f o r t u n e to m a r ry my daughter , a n d I a m s t i l l too young t o consent t o such s a c r i fi c e s . When s h e i s twenty-fiv e , s h e m a y d o a s s h e w i s h e s . Until t h e n , s h e c a n n o t count o n m e o r my supp o r t . "
" A n d d o y o u f e e l t h e s a m e w a y , Eugeni e ? " s a i d M a da m e d e F a r n e i l l e .
" W i t h t h i s o n e d i ff e r e nc e , " E u g e n i e s a i d w i th cons i d erable firmn e s s . " My father has given m e p er m i s s i o n to m a rry when I a m twenty-fiv e . B u t to y o u b o t h h e r e p r e s e n t , M a d a m e , I swe a r t h a t I s h a l l n e v e r i n my l i f e take a d v a n t a g e of t h i s p e r m i s s i o n , which w i t h my w a y o f t h i n k i n g w o u l d o n l y l e a d to u n h a p pi n e s s . "
"At you r a g e o n e d o e s n o t h a v e ' a w a y o f thinki n g , ' s a i d M a da m e d e F a r n eille , " a n d t h e r e i s s o m e t h i n g qui t e o u t o f the o r d i n a ry in a l l this, which I i ntend to ferret o u t . "
" I u r g e y o u to try, M a dame , " Franval s a i d , l e a d i n g h i s
390 + THE MARQUIS DE SADE
daughter away. "In fact, you would be well advised to seek the services o f your clergy t ) h elp you in solving the enigma. And when all your powers have scraped and delved and you are a t last en lightened in the matter, ple ase let me know whether o r not I w a s r i g h t in opposing Euger i e ' s m a rri age."
Franval's s a rcasm concerning h i s mothe r-in-Iaw's ecclesiastical advisers was aimed a t a r e spectable p ersonage whom i t will be approp riate to introduc<! a t this point, since the se quence o f events will soon show him in action.
He was the confessor both o f M a d ame de Farne ille and her daughter, one of the most virtuous men i n all France: honest, benevolent, a p a ragon of candor and wisdom, Monsieur de Clervil, far from having all the vices of men of the cloth, was possessed only o f gentle and useful qualities. The rod and the staff of the poor, the sincere friend of the wealthy, the consoler of the wretched and downtrodden, this wo rthy man combined all the gifts which make a person agreeable, all the virtues which m ake one sensitive.
When consulted, Clervil replied a s a man o f good common sense that before taking a stand in the ma tter they would have to unravel the reasons wh:r lVlonsieur de Franval was opposed to h i s daughter's m a rriage ; a 1d although Madame de Farneille offered a few remarks suggesting the possibility of an a ff a i r-one which in fact exi sted all too concretely-the p rudent confessor rej ected these ideas. And finding them too outrageously insulting both for Ma dame de Franval and for her husband, h e indignantly refused even to consider the possibili ty.
"Crime is such a d stressing thing, M adame," this honest man w a s sometimes wont to say, "it i s so h i ghly unlikely tha t a decent person should volunta rily exceed all the bounds o f modesty and vi rtue, that it is never with anything but the most extreme repug nance th at I make up rry mind to a scribe such wrongs to someone. Be wary in suspecting tbe presence o f vice. Our suspicions are o ften the h andiwork of our p:ide and vani ty, and almost always the fruit o f a secret comp a ri son that takes place i n the depths o f our soul : we h asten to a ssign evil, for this gives u s the right to feel sup erior. If we reflect seriously upon the matter, would i t not be better to leave a secret s i n forever hidden rather than to dream up imaginary ones because o f our unforgivable ha ste, and thu s, for no reason, to sully
Eugenie de Franval + 391
in our eyes p e o p l e who h ave never comm i t t e d any wrongs s a v e those w h i c h o u r pri d e h a s a scrib e d to them ? And would o u r w o r l d n o t b e a b e t t e r p l a c e i f t h i s p r i n c i p l e w e r e a l w a y s followe d ? I s i t n o t i n fi n i tely l e s s n e c e s s a ry to p u n i s h a crim e t h a n i t i s e s s e n t i a l to p revent it from s p r e a d i n g ? By l e a.ving it i n the d a rkn e s s it seeks, h a v e we n o t a s it w e r e a nn i h i l a t e d i t ? Scandal n o i s e d abroad i s cer t a i n s c a n d a l , a n d the r e c i t a l o f i t awakens the p a ss i o n s of those who a re i n cl i n e d towa r d the same k i n d o f crime. Crime being i n e v i t ably blind, t h e gui l ty p a r ty of the as yet u n d i scove r e d crime fl a t t e r s h i m s e l f th a t he wil l be lucki e r t h a n the c r i m i n a l who s e c r i m e h a s been found out. 'Ti s n o t a l e s son h e has been given, b u t a counsel, and h e gives h i m s e l f o v e r t o e xc e s s e s th a t h e m i gh t never h a v e d a r e d to i n d u l g e i n w i thout the r a s h r e vd a t i o n s . . . f a l s ely m i staken f o r j u s t i c e , b u t w h i c h , i n r e a l i ty , a re n o t h i n g m o r e than i ll-con c e i v e d seve r i ty , o r v a n i ty i n disgu i s e."
This i n i t i a l confe rence t h e r e f o r e led to n o other resolution than the d e c i s i o n t o inve s t i g a t e c a r e fully the r e a sons for Franval' s aversion to the m a rr i a ge of h i s d a u g h t e r , a n d t h e r e a sons why Eugen i e s h a r e d his o p i n i o n s . It was d e c i d e d not to u n d e r t a k e a ny th i n g u n t i l th e s e m o t i v e s were d i scove r e d .
"Well , Eugen i e , " F r a n v a l s a i d to h i s d a u ghter t h a t evening, "no w c a n you s e e f o r y o u r self that they w a n t to s e p a r a te u s? And d o you think they'll succe e d , my c h il d ? . . . Will they succ e e d in b r e ak i n g the s w e e t e st bonds i n my l i fe ?"
"N e v e r . . . n e v e r ! D o n' t b e a fr a i d , my d e arest friend I These b o n d s i n w h i c h you d e l i g h t are a s p re c i o u s to m e a s they a re to y o u . You d i d n o t d e c e i v e m e w h e n you formed them ; you c l e a rly w a rn e d m e h o w they w o u l d s h o ck the m o r a l i ty o f o u r s o c i e ty . B u t I w a s h a rdly frighte ne d a t t h e i d e a o f b r e aking a cu s to m w h i c h , v a rying from clime to clim e , c a n n o t the r e fo r e b e s a c r e d. I w a n t e d t h e s e bonds ; I wove them without remors e . There fore you n e e d h a v e no f e a r t h a t I s h a l l bre ak them. "
"Al a s , w h o knows ? • • . C olunce i s younger t h a n 1 . . . . H e h a s everything a m a n n e e d s to w i n yo u . Eugen i e , l e a v e o ff l i s teni n g t o a vestige o f m a d n e s s w h i c h doubtl e s s b l i n d s you . A g e a n d t h e torch o f r e a so n w i l l s o o n dispel the a u r a a n d lead to r e grets, you'll con fide them t o m e , and I s h a l l never forgive myse l f for h a v i n g been t h e c a us e o f thetu. "
3 9 2 .. T H E MARQUlS DE SADE
"No," Eugenie s a i d fi rmly, "no, I have ma de up my mind to love no one but y ou . I should deem myself the most miserable of women if I were obliged to m a r ry . . . . C an you imagine, " she went on heatedly, "me, me m uried to a stranger who , unlike you, would not h ave double re ason to love me and whose feelings therefore would at best be no strJ nger than h i s desire . . . . Abandoned and despised by him, what w ould become of m e there afte r ? A p rude, a sanctimonious p e rson, o r a whore ? No, no, I prefer being you r m istress, my frien d. Y e s , I love you a hundred times better than being reduced to p layine: one o r the other o f these infamous roles in soci e ty . . . . But w ha t i s the cause of all this commotion ?" Eugenie went o n bitterly. "Do p u know what it is, my friend ? Who i s the cause o f i t ? . . . Y ou r wl fe ? . . . She and she alone. Her implac able j ealousy . . . You may b e sure o f i t : these are the only reasons behind the disaste rs tha t threa ten us . . . . Oh, I don ' t blame her : everything i s simp le . . everything conceivable . . . one can resort to anything when i t i s a question o f keeping you . \V h a t would I not do if I were in her pla� e , and someone were trying to steal you r a ffections from me ?"
Deeply move d, Fra nval showered his daughter with a thousand kisses. And Eug en i e , finding the encoura gement in these criminal caresses to plumb more forcefully the depths o f h e r appalling soul, chanced to mention to h er father, with a n unforgivable impudence, tha t the only way for e ither one of them to escape her mother's surveillance would be to give h e r a lover. The idea amused Franva l . But being a muc h m o r e e v i l person t h a n his daughter, and wishing to p rep are impercep tibly this young heart for all the imp ressions o f h a tr e d for his wife! that he desired to impl ant therein, he answered that h e foune thi s vengeance f a r too mild, adding tha t there were plenty o f ot her means o f making a woman miserable when she p u t her husband i n to a bad humor.
Several weeks p a ssed, during which Franval and his daughter fi nally decided to put itl to effect the first plan conceived fo r the desp a i r o f this monster\ virtuous wife, rightly believing that before going on to more drastic and shameful acts, they should a t least try to give her a lover. For not only would this fu rnish m a terial for all the other acts, but, i f i t succeeded, i t would necessarily oblig e M a dame de Fran va l to cease concerning herself with the faults o f
Eugenie de Franval + 393
others, since she would h ave her own to worry about. For the execution of this proj ect, Franval cast a c a r e ful eye upon all the young men he knew and, after considerable r e flection, came to the conclusion that only Valmont could se rve as his man.
Valmont was thirty years old, h a d a charming face, consider able intelligence a nd a vivid imagination, and no principles what ever. He was, consequently, i deally suited to play the role they were going to offer him. One day Franval invited him to dinner and, as they were leaving the table, he took him aside :
" My fri end , " he s a i d to him, " I have always believed you worthy of me. The time h a s come to p rove that I have not erred i n my j u dgment. I demand a p roof o f your sentiments . . . a most extraordinary proof."
"Wh a t kind o f proof, my dea r fellow ? Exp l a i n yourself, and never for a moment doubt of my eagerness to b e of service to you ! "
"Wh a t do you think o f my wif e ?" "A delightfu l creatu r e . And if you weren ' t her husband, I
would long since have made her my mistress." "Th i s consideration i s most d elicate and discerning, Valmont ,
but i t does not touch m e . " "Wh a t d o you mean?" " I am going to a stound you . . . ' t i s p reci sely because you are
fond o f m e , and because I am M a dame de Franv a l ' s husband, that I demand tha t you become her love r . "
"Ar e y o u m a d ?" "N 0 , but given to whimsy . . . capricious. You've been aware
of these qualities i n m e fo r a long time. I want to bring about the downfall o f v irtue, and I maintain that you a r e the one to snare i t . "
"Wh a t nonsense I " "Not i n t h e l e a s t, 'tis a masterpiece o f r e a s o n . " "Wh a t 1 You mean y o u really w an t me t o m a k e y o u a . . . ?" "Yes, I want i t , I demand i t , a nd I shall cease to consider you
my friend if you refuse me this favo r . . . . I shall help you . . . . I ' l l arrange i t so t h a t you can be alone w i th h e r . . . m o r e and more often, if n e e d be . . . and you will take advantage o f these occasions. And the moment I am quite c ertain o f my destiny, I shall , i f you
3 94 + THE MARQt'IS DE SADE
like, throw myself a t your feet to thank you for your obliging kindness."
" Franval, don't t"ke m e for an utter fool. There's something most strange about all this . . . . I refuse to lift a finger until you tell me the whole truth."
"All right , . . bu t I suspect you're a trifle squeamish . . . I doubt you have sufficie n t strength o f mind to hear all the details o f thi s matter . . . . You're s till a p rey to prejudice . . . still gallant, I venture to say, e h ? . . . I f I tell you everything you' l l tremble like a child and refuse to do anyth ing fu rthe r."
"Me, tremble ? . . . In all honesty I must say I ' m overwhelmed by the way you j u dge m e . Listen , my friend, I want you to know that there is no aber ration in t h e world, not a single vice, however stra nge o r abno rmal, that i s capable o f a l a rming my heart for even a moment."
"Valmont, have y ou ever taken the trouble to cast a careful eye on Eugenie f rom time to time ? "
" Y o u r daug ht e r ?" "Or, i f you prefer, my mistre s s . " " A h , y o u sc oundrd I N ow I understan d . " "This i s the first t ime i n m y l i fe I find y o u perceptive. " "Wha t ? On your word of honor, you ' re in love with you r
daughter ?" "Yes, my friend, (�x actly a s Lot ! I h ave always held the Holy
Script u res i n highest e s teem, a s I h ave always been p e rsuaded that one accedes t o Heaven by emulating its heroes ! . . . Ah ! my friend, Pygmalion ' s m a dness nJ longer amazes m e . . . . I s the world not full of such weakness es ? W a s it not necessary to resort to such methods to popul ate the world·) And wh a t was then not a sin, can it now have become one? \V hl t nonsense ! You mean to say that a lovely girl cannot temp t m e be cause I am guil ty o f having sired h e r ? Th at what ought to bind me more intima tely to her should become the very r e a son for my rem oval from her ? 'Tis because she resembl e s m e , because s h e i s fl e sh of m y fl e s h , that i s t o s a y t h a t s h e i s the embodiment of all the natives upon which to base the most a rdent love , tha t I should regard her wit h an icy eye ? . . . Ah, what sophistry ! . . . How to tally absurd ! L e t fools abide by such ridicu lous inhibitions, they ae not made for hearts such a s ours. The
Eugenie de Fran'lJal + 395
dominion o f beauty, the holy ri ghts of love are oblivious to futile human conventions. I n their ascendancy they annihil ate these con ventions as the rays of the rising sun purge the earth of the shrouds which cloak i t by night. Let u s trample underfoot these abominable p rejudices, which a re always the enemies of happ iness. If at times they beguile the reason, it has always been at the expense of the most exqui s i te pleasures . ... May we forever desp i se them I"
" I ' m convinced," Valmont :responded, " and I am willing to adm i t that you r Eugenie must be a delightful m istress . A beauty more lively than her mother's, even though she does not possess, as does your wi fe, that l anguor which seiz e s the soul with such volup tuousness. But Eugenie has that piquant quality which breaks and subdues us, which, as it were, seems to subjugate anything which would like to offer resistance. \Vhile one seems to yi eld, the other demands ; what one allows, the o ther offers. Of the two, I much prefer the l a tter."
" Bu t i t' s not Eugenie I'm giving you, but her mother." "And what reasons do you have fo r resorting to such
methods ?" " My wi fe is jealous, an albatross on my neck. She' s forever
spying on me. She wants Eugenie to ma rry. I must saddle my wi fe with sins in order to conceal my own. Th erefore you must have her .. . amuse yourself with her for a time . . . and then you'll betray her. Let me surpris e you in her arms . . . and then I shall punish her or, using this di scovery as a weapon, I shall barter i t in return for an a rmistice on both ou r p a rts. But no love, Valmont ; with ice in you r veins, captu re and win her, but do not let her gain ma stery over you . If you let sentiments become involved, my plans a re a s good a s finished."
"Have no fea r: she would be the first woman who had aroused my heart."
Thus our two villains came to a mutual agreement, and it was resolved tha t in a very few days Valmont would unde rtake to seduce M a dame de Franval, with full permission to employ any thing he wished in order to succeed . . . even the avowal of Franval's love, as the most powerful m e a ns of inducing this virtuous woman to seek vengeance.
Eugenie, to whom the plan was revealed, thought it mono
3 9 6 .. T H E MAR Q U H , DE SADE
strously amusing. The in famous creature even d a r e d decla r e t h a t i f Valmont should succe e d , t o make h e r happiness a s comp lete a s p ossible she would like ':0 verify wi th h e r own eyes h e r moth e r ' s disgrace, s h e absolutely h a d t o witness t h a t p a ragon o f virtue in contestably yielding to the charms o f a p l e a sure that she so rigor ou sly condemned i n othe - s .
At last the d a y a rrived w h e n the m o s t virtuous, the best, and most wretched o f wome n was not only going to receive the most p a i n ful blow that anyon e can be dealt but also when h e r hi deous husband w a s destined to outrage her, abandoning h e r-handing her over himself-to him b:r whom h e h a d agreed to b e dishonored . . . . What madness! . . . What utter disdain of all p rincipl es. With w h a t view in mind dOI:s N ature create h e a r ts as depraved a s the s e ? . . .
A few preliminary conve rsations h a d s e t the stage for the p resent scene. Furth e rm o r e , Val mont was on close enough terms with Franval so that his wife h a d not the slightest compunction about remaining alone with him, a s i n d e e d she had done on more than one occ a s i on in the p a st. The three of them were sitting in the d rawing room. Fram'al rose and s a i d :
" I must leave. An important m a tter requires my presence . . . . 'T i s to leave you i n the c a r e o f your govern e s s , " he s a i d , laughing, "le aving you with Valmont. The man's a pillar o f virtu e . But i f he should forget himself, p l e a s e b e kind enough to i n form m e . I still do not love him enough to yield him my rights . . . . "
And t h e insolent fe! low departed. After exch anging a few b a n a l i ti e s , the a ftereffects o f Franv a l ' s
li ttle j oke, V a l m o n t s a i d th a t he h a d found h i s f r i e n d changed during the past six mont 1 5 .
" I h a v e n ' t d a r e d b r o a c h the subj ect, t o ask him t h e reasons, " Valmont s a i d , "but h e se ems t o b e upset and distressed. "
"One thing which i �, certa i n , " M adame de Franval repl i e d , " i s t h a t h e i s upsetting a n d di stressing those a round h i m . "
"Good h e a vens! W h a t a re y o u saying ? . . . th a t m y friend h a s been treating y o u b a dly " "
" I f it were still only that I " " B e s o good as to inform m e , you know h o w devo te d I a m
. . . m y inviolable a ttachment."
Eugenie de Franvat .. 3 9 7
" A series o f frightful disorders . . . m o r a l corrup tion, in short every kind o f wrong . . . would you believe i t 7 We received a most advantageous offer to ma rry o u r daughter . . . and h e r e fused . . . . "
And here the artful Valmont averted h i s eyes, the exp ression o f a man who has understood . . . who sighs to himself . . . and is a fraid to explain.
"What i s the matter, Monsieur," M a dame de Franval reo sumed, "what I have told you does not surprise you 7 Your silence i s most singul a r . "
" A h , Madame, i s i t not bett e r to r e m a i n s i l e n t t h a n to say things which will bring desp a i r to someone one loves 7"
"And what, may I ask, i s that enigma ? Explain yourself, I beg o f you . "
" H o w can y o u expect me not t o shudde r i f I should b e the one who causes the scales to fall from you r eye s , " Valmont said, w a rmly seizing one of h e r h ands.
"Oh, Monsieur," M adame de Franval went on, with gre at animation, " e i th e r explain you rself or s ay not another word, I beseech you. The situation you l e ave me i n i s terribl e . "
" Perhaps l e s s terrible t h a n t h e s t a t e t o w h i c h y o u yourself reduce m e , " said Valmont, casting a look o f love a t the woman he was intent on seducing.
"But what does all that m e a n , Sir 7 You begin by alarming me, you make m e desire an expl anation, then daring to insinuate certain things that I neither can nor should endu r e , you deprive me o f the means of l e a rning from you what upsets me so cru elly. Speak, Sir, sp eak o r you shall reduce m e to u tter desp a i r . "
"Very w e l l , M adame, s i n c e y o u demand i t I s h a l l b e l e s s obscure, even though i t costs me dea rly to break y o u r heart . . . . Learn, i f you must, the cruel reason behind your hu sband' s refusal to Monsieur C olunce' s request . . . Eugenie . . . "
"Yes 7" "Well , the fact is, Madame, that Franval ado res her. Today
less h e r father than her lover, he would rather give up his own l i fe than give up Eugen i e . "
M adame de Franval h a d not heard this f a t a l revel ation wi th· out r e acting, and she fell down in a faint. Valmont h astened to h e r assistance, a n d as s o o n a s she h a d c o m e to her senses h e pursued :
3 9 8 + T H E MA R Q U I S DE SADE
"You see, M adam<�, the cost of the d isclosure you demanded . . . . I would have given anything in the world to . . . "
"Leave me, Monsi eur, leave m e , " said Madame de Franval, who was in a state difficult to describe. "After a shock such a s this I need to b e alone for 3 while."
"And you expect ne to leave you i n this s i tu ation ? Ah, your gri e f i s too fully felt if my own h e a rt for me not to ask you the privilege of sharing it with you. I have inflicted the wound. Let me bind i t up."
" Franval , in love wi th h i s daughte r ! Just He aven I This crea tu re whom I have born,! i n my womb, 'tis now she who breaks my h e a rt so gri evously ! . . . So horribl e , so sh ocking a crime ! . . . Ah, Monsieur, i s it possibl e ? . . . Are you quite certain ?"
" M a dame, h a d I I h e slightest doubt I should h ave remained silent. I would a hundred times rather have preferred not to tell you anything than to ala rm you i n vain. 'Tis from you r own husband I have the ce rtitude of t hi s i nfamy, which h e confided to m e . I n any event, try and b e calm, [ beg of you. Rather l e t us concentrate now on the means o f breakir g off this a ff a i r than on those of bringing i t to light. A n d y o u alone h o l d the k e y t o this ruptu r e . . . . "
"Ah, tell me this minute wha t i t i s . This crime horri fi e s m e . " " M a dame, a husband o f Franval's character i s not b rought
back by virtu e . H e is l i ttle disposed t o beli eve i n the vi rtue of women. Virtue, h e maintains, i s t h e fru i t o f thei r pride o r their temp erament, and wha t they do to remain faithful to u s i s done more to satisfy themselves than either to please o r enchain u s . . . . You will excus e me, Madame, i f I say that on this point I must a dm i t that I tend to share h i s op inion. Never in my experience has a w i fe su cceeded in de stroying h e r husband's vices by means of virtu e . What would prick him, w h a t would stimulate him much more would be a conduct approximating his own, and by this would you bring him more q lickly back to you. Jealousy would b e the inevitable resul t ; how many h e a rts have been restored to love by this infallible means. Y ou r husband, then s eeing that this virtu e to which he i s accustomed, and wh ich h e has been so insolent as to despise, is rather the work of reflection than of the o rgans' in souciance, will r eally Ie un to e s teem it in you, a t the very moment when he believes you c<cpable of discarding it. He imagines . . . he
Eugenie de Fran'lJal + 3 9 9
dares to say that if you have never had any lovers, it i s because you have never been assaulted. Prove to him tha t this is a decision which lies solely in your own hands . . . to revenge you rself fo r his wrongdoings and his contempt. Perhaps, according to your strict p rinciple s , you will have committed a minor sin. But think of all the sins you will have p revented ! Think of the husband you will have steered back to you ! And for n o more than the most minor outrage to the goddess you revere, what a disciple you will have brought back into her temple . Ah, M adame, I appeal only to your reason . By the conduct I dare to prescribe to you , you will bring Franval back forever, you will captivate him eternally. The reverse conduct -the one you h ave been following-sends him flying away from you. He will escape you, never to return. Yes, M a dame, I dare to a ffi rm that either you do not love your husband or you should cease this hesi ta tion."
M a dame de Franval, very much taken aback by this declara tion, remained silent for some time . Then, remembering Valmont's e a rl i e r looks, and his initial remarks, s h e managed to reply adroitly :
" M onsieur, l e t u s p resume that I follow the a dvice you give m e ; upon whom do you think I should cast my eye to upset my husband further ? "
"Ah , m y dear, my divine friend," Valmont cried, oblivious to the trap she h a d set for him, "upon the one m a n in the world who loves you most, upon him who has adored you since first he set eyes upon you and who swears at your feet to d i e beneath your sway . . . . "
"Leave, M onsieur," M adame de Franval s a i d imperiously, " l e ave and never let m e see you again. Your ruse has been dis cove red. You accuse my husband of wrongs o f which he can only be innocent merely to a dvance your own treacherous schemes of seduction. And let m e tell you that even were he guilty, the means you offer m e a r e too repugnant to my heart for m e to entertain them for a moment. Never do the failings o f a husband justi fy o r exoner a te those of a wife. For h e r they must become the reasons for even greater v i r tu e , so that the Just and R i ghteous man, whom the Al mighty will come upon i n the afflicted cities on the verge of suffering the effects o f his wrath, may divert the flames which are about to consume them . "
400 .. T H E MARQU I S DE SADE
Upon these wordil M adame de Franval l e f t the room and, calling for Valmont's servants, obliged him to withdraw, much ashamed o f his ini tial efio rts.
Although this attr active woman h a d seen through Valmont' s ru s e s , what he had s a i d coincided so well with her own and her moth e r ' s fears that she resolved to do eve rything within her power to ascertain these cruel facts. She paid a visit to M a dame de Far neille, recounted to heT eve rything that h a d happened and re tu rned, her mind made u p a s to the step s th a t we are go ing to see her undertake.
I t has long been said, and ri ghtfully so, that we have no gre ater enemies than our own servants ; forever j ealous, always en vious, they seem to see k to l i ghten the burden o f th eir own yoke by di scovering wrongs in u s which, then placing us in a position inferior to themselves, allow them for the space o f a few moments a t l e a s t to grati fy thei r vanity by a ssuming a superiority ove r us which fate has deni e d them.
M adame d e Franval bribed one of Eugen i e ' s servants : the promise of a fixed pension, a pleasant future, the app e a rance o f do ing a good deed-all swayed this creature and she promised to a r range i t the following nigh t so that M adame de Franval could di spel all doubts a s to h'�r unhappiness.
The moment a rri,'ed. The wretched mother was admitted to a room adj o i n i n g the room wherein, each night, h e r p e rfidious hus band outraged both his nupti al bonds and the bonds o f Heaven. Eugenie w a s with her hther ; several candles remained l i ghted on a corner cupbo ard ; they were go ing to illuminate this crime . . . . The altar was prepared, th(: victim took her place upon i t, he who per forms the sacrifice followed her . . . .
M adame d e Fram'al was no longer sustained by anything save her desp a i r , her outra ged love, and her courage . . . . She burst open the doors r estraining her, she hurled herself i n to the room, and there, h e r face bathed i n tears, she fell on her knees a t the feet of the incestuous Franval :
" O h , you , " she cri e d , addressing herself to Franval, "you who fill my l i fe w i th misery and sorrow, I h ave not deserved such treat ment . • _ _ However you h ave insulted and wronged m e , I still worship you. See my tears, and do not dismiss my appeal : I ask
Eugenic dc Fra nval + 40 1
you to have me rcy on this poor wretch e d child who, deceived by h e r own weakne s s a n d you r seduction, thinks s h e can fi n d happiness i n shamelessness a n d crime . . . . Eugen i e , Eugenie, do y o u want t o thru st a sword i n t o t h e h eart o f her w h o brought y o u into the worl d ? No longer consent to be the accomplice o f this heinous crime whose full horror has been conceale d from you ! C ome . . . l e t me fold you in my wai ting arms. Look at your wretched moth er on h e r kne e s b e fore you , begging you not to ou trage both you r honor and Nature . . . . But i f you both r e fuse , " the distraught woman went on, bearing a dagger to her heart, "this is the means I shall employ to escap e the d ishonor with which you are trying to cover m e . I shall make my blood flow and stain you here, and you will have to consummate your crimes upon my sad body."
That Franval ' s hardened heart was abl e to resist this spec tacle , those who are beginning to know this scoundrel will have no trouble b e l i eving j but that Eugeni e remain e d unmoved by it is quite inconce ivable .
" Madam e , " sai d this corrupted girl with the cruelest show o f impassivity , " I m u s t admit I fi n d i t hard to believe y o u in full pos session o f your reason, after the s cene you have j u s t made in your husb a n d ' s r o o m . I s h e no t the m a s t e r of h i s own a c t i o n s ? And when h e approves o f mine, what right have you to blame them ? Do we worry our heads o r p ry into your indiscretions with Monsieur Val mont ? Do we distu rb you in the exercise of your pleasure s ? There fo re d e i gn to respect ours, or do not be surp r i s e d if I u rge your hu sband to take whatever steps are required to oblige you to do so . . . . "
At this point Madame de Franval could no longer control h e r pati ence, and the f u l l force o f h e r anger w a s turned against the unworthy c r eatur e who could s o forget hersel f as to sp eak to h e r in s u c h t e r m s . Struggling to h e r f e e t , M adame de Franval threw herself furiously upon her daughter, but the odious and cruel Fran val , s e i z i n g h i s w i f e by the hai r , dragged her in a rage away from her daughter out of the room. H e threw h e r violently down the stai rs of the house, and she fell, bloody and unconscious, at the door of one of the c hambe rmai ds' rooms. Awakened by thi s terribl e noise, the mai d qui ckly saved h e r mistress from the wrath of her
402 + T H E MARQ tl I S DE SADE
tyrant, who w a s alrea :iy on his way downstai rs to finish off h i s hapless victim . . . .
They took her to her room, locked her in, and began to a d minister to her, while :he monster who had just tre ated her wi th such utter fu ry flew back to his detestable comp anion to spend the n i ght as peacefully as though he had not debased himself lower th a n the mo s t ferocious bea >ts by a ssaults so execrable, so designed t o degrade a n d humi l i a t e h e r . . . so horribl e , in a w o r d , that we blush a t the necessity of h a vin g to reveal them.
Po o r M a d ame de Franval no l onger had any illusions le ft, and there w a s no other for h e r to espouse. I t was all too clear that her husband's h e art, tha t is, the most beloved possession o f h e r li fe, had been taken from h,�r. And by whom ? By the very p e rson who owed he r the most respect, and who had j u s t spoken to her wi th utter insolence. She a l s o began to suspect strongly that the whole a dventure w i th Valmor.t had been nothing more than a detestable trap set to ensnare her i n a web of gu ilt, if ' twere possible or, failing that, to ascrihe the gu i I t to h e r in any event, i n order to counte r balance , and hence justi fy, the thousand times more seriou s wrongs which they d a r e d to heap upon her.
Nothing could h a re been more certain. Franval, informed o f Valmont's failure, h a d preva i l e d upon him to repl ace t h e truth by imposture and indiscretion, and to noise it abroad that he was M a dame de Franval' s l over. And they h a d decided that they would forge abominable l e tte-s which would document, i n the most un equivocal manner, the exi stence o f the illicit commerce i n which, howeve r , poor M a damt: de Franval had actually refused to involve herself.
M e anwh i l e , i n dee J desp a i r , M a dame de Franval, wh ose body was covered with numerous wounds, fell s e riou sly ill. Her b a r b a rous husband, refusir g to see her and not even bothering to i n form himself o f her c o n dition, l e f t with Eugenie fo r the country, on the p retense tha t s i n c e there was fever in the house h e d i d not c a re to expose his daugh ter to i t.
During h e r illness, Valmont several times came to call a t h e r d o o r , but was each tirr e refused a dmission. Locked i n her room with her mother and Monsieur de Clervil, M a dame de Franval absolutely refused to sec: anyone else. Consoled by such dear friends
Eugen i e de Franval .. 403
a s thes e , who w e r e so fully w o rthy o f b e i n g able to i n fl u ence h e r , a n d n o u r i s h e d b a ck to h e a l th by thei r loving c a r e , f o r t y days l a t e r M ad a m e d e F r a n val w a s i n a con d i ti o n to s e e p e o p l e a g a i n . At w h i c h t i m e Franval b rought his d a u ghte r b a ck to Paris a n d , w i th Valmont, m a p p e d o u t a camp a i gn i n t e n d e d to counter the o n e i t a p p e a r e d t h a t M a da m e d e Franval a n d h e r f r i e n d s w e r e p r ep a r i n g to d i r e c t a ga i n s t h i m .
O u r scoundrel p a i d h i s w i f e a v i s i t a s s o o n a s h e j u dged s h e w a s w e l l e n o u g h to r e c e i v e h i m .
" M a d a m e , " h e s a i d coldly, " yo u m u s t b e a w a r e o f my con cern for your con d i t i o n . I c a n n o t conce al from you the fact that your c o n d i t i o n is the sole f a c t o r r e s t r a i n i n g Eugen i e . She was de termined to bring a compl a i n t a g�j n s t you f o r the way you have t r e a t e d her. However s h e m a y b e p e rs u a d e d of t h e b a s i c r e s p ect du e a m o t h e r by her d a u g h t e r , still s h e cannot i gn o r e the fact t h a t t h i s s a m e m o t h e r threw h e r s e l f o n h e r d a u g h t e r w i th a d r a w n d a g g e r . Such a viol e nt a n d u n s e emly a c t , M a d a m e , could well o p en the eye s o f t h e gove rnm ent to your conduct a n d , i n e v i t ably, p o s e a s e r i o u s th r e a t to b o t h you r h o n o r and y o u r l i b e r ty . "
"I w a s n o t e xp e c t i n g s u c h r e c r i m i n a t i o n s , M o n s i e u r , " M a d a m e de Franval r e p l i e d . "And w h e n my d a u gh t e r , s e du c e d by you , becomes at th e s a m e t i m e guil ty o f i n c e s t , a d u l t e ry , l i b e r t i n a g e , and i n g r a t i tu d e-i n g r a t i tu d e of the m o s t odious s o r t-to w a r d h e r who brought her i n to the world, . . . yes, I must confe s s , I d i d not i m a g i n e that a ft e r this complexi ty of h o r r o r s that I would b e the o n e against whom a comp l a i n t w o u l d b e brought. I t takes all your cunni n g , a l l y o u r wickedn e s s , M on s i e u r , to accuse innocence the while excu s i n g crime w i th such a u d a c i ty . "
"I a m n o t u n a w a r e , M a d a m e , t h a t the p r e tense for your scene w a s t he odious s u sp i c i on you dared to formul a t e r e ga r d i n g m e . B u t chi m e r a s d o no t j us t i fy c r i m e s . W h a t you h a v e i m a g i n e d i s f a l s e . B u t , u n f o r tu n a tely, w h a t you h a v e d o n e i s o n l y t o o r e a l . Y o u evi n c ed a s tonishme nt a t the r e p r o a c h e s my d a u g h t e r d i r e c t e d a t y o u a t t he t i m e o f y o u r a ff a i r w i th V a l m o n t . B u t , M a d a m e , s h e h a s only d i s c o v e r e d the i r r e gul a r i t i e s of your conduct s i n c e they have b e e n t h e talk o f all P a r i s . T h i s a ff a i r i s so well k n o w n , a n d the p r o o fs o f it unfortunately so s o l i d , that th o s e w h o s p e ak to you about i t a r e a t th e v e ry m o s t guilty o f i n d i s c r e t i o n , bu t n o t o f c alumny . "
404 + T H E MAR Q UI S DE SAD E
"I, S i r , " s a i d t h i ! l r e s p e c t a b l e w o m a n , rising to her f e e t , in d i g n a n tly, "I h a v e a r , a ff a i r w i t h Valmont l J u s t H e aven ! ' T i s you who h a v e s a i d i t ! " ( B r e aking i n to t e a r s : )
" Ungr a t e ful w r e t : h I T h i s i s how you r e p a y my tenderness . . . . T h i s i s my r e comp ense f o r h a v i n g loved you s o . I t i s n o t enough f o r you to outrage m e s o cruelly. It is n o t enough that you seduce my d a u g h t e r . You h a v e to go even fu r t h e r and, by a sc r i b i n g c r i m e s w h i c h for m e would b e m o r e t e r r i b l e t h a n d e a t h , d a r e to j u s t i fy y o u r own . . . . " ( Re g a i n i n g h e r comp osure : ) ! ' Y o u s a y , M o n s i e u r , t h a t you h a v e the p rods o f t h i s a ff a i r . All r i g h t , show t h e m . I d e m a n d t h a t they be m a d e p u bl i c , a n d I s h a l l force you to show t h e m to e v e ry o n e i f you r e fu : ; e to show t h e m to m e . "
" N o , M a d a m e , I s h a l l n o t show them to t h e w h o l e w o r l d ; i t i s n o t g e n e r a l l y t h e h u s b a n d w h o openly d i splays t h i s s o r t o f thing ; h e b e m o a n s i t , a n d c o n : e a l s it as b e s t he c a n . B u t i f you d e m a n d i t , M a d a m e , I s h a l l c e r t a inly n o t r e f u s e y o u . . . . " ( An d then taking a l e tt e r cas e from his p ocket : ) "Sit down , " h e said, "this m u s t b e v e r i fi e d calmly. I l l-hurr. o r a n d l o s s o f t e m p e r would b e h a rm fu l b u t w o u l d n o t c o n v i n c e m e . T h e r e f o r e , I b e g you to keep c o n t r o l o f you r s e l f , a n d l e t u s d i s ( u s s t h i s w i th comp o su r e . "
M a d a m e d e Fran v a l , t h o r o u ghly convinced o f h e r i n n o c e n c e , d i d n o t know w h a t to m a k e o f th e s e p r ep a r a to ry rem a rk s . And h e r s u rp ri s e , m i n g l e d w i t h f ri g h t , k e p t h e r i n a s t a t e o f extreme a g i t a t i o n .
" F i r s t o f a l l , M a d a m e , " s a i d F r a nv a l , e m p tying o n e s i d e o f t h e l e t t e r c a s e , " h e r e i ! a l l y o u r c o r r e sp ondence w i t h Valmont over t h e past s i x month s . Do) n o t a c c u s e t h i s w o r thy gentle m a n e i t h e r of imp rudence o r i n d i s c n t i o n . H e i s doubtl e s s too honorable a man to h a v e d a r e d f a i l you s o b a dly. B u t o n e o f h i s servants, more a d r o i t than Valmont i s a t t e n t i v e , discove r e d the s e c r e t w a y to p ro cu r e f o r m e t h i s p re c i J u s monument to y o u r extreme fi d e l i ty and y o u r e m i n e n t v i r tu e . " ( Th e n , leafing through t h e letters w h i c h he sp r e a d out on the table : ) " P l e a s e a l l o w m e , " h e went o n , " to c h o o s e o n e f r o m among m a ny o f t h e s e o r d i n a ry di splays o f c h i t ch a t by a n ove r h e a t e d w o m a n . . • o v e r h e a t e d , I m i gh t a d d , by a m o s t a t t r a c ti v e m a n ; o n e , I s < . y , which s e e m e d to me m o r e l a sc i v i o u s a n d d e c i s i v e t h a n the o t h e n • . H e r e i t i s , M a d a m e :
My boring husband is d i n i n g tonight i n h i s maison ette on the o utski rts of Paris with that h :>rrible creatu re . . . a c reatu re it i s i m possible I
Eugen ie de Fra nval + 4 0 5
brough t into t h e worl d . Come, my love, come a n d comfort me f o r all the sorrows which these two monsters give me . . . . What am I saying ? Is this n o t the greatest service they could b e doing me at p resent, and will that affai r not p revent my husband from d i scovering ours ? Let him then tighten the bonds as much as h e l i kes ; but at least let h i m n o t bethink himself to desi re breaking those which attach me to the only man whom I have ever ado red i n this world.
"Well, M adame ?" "vVell, Monsieur, I must say I a dmire you," M a dame de
Franval replied. "Each day adds to the incredible esteem you so richly deserve. And however many fine qu alities I have recogni zed in you hitherto, I confess I w a s yet unawa re you were also a forger and a slanderer."
"Ah, s o you deny the evidence ?" " N o t in the least. All I a sk is to be persuaded. We shall have
judges appointed . . . experts. And, if you agree, we shall ask that the most severe penalty be exacted against whichever o f the two parties is found guilty."
"That is what I call effrontery ! Well, the truth is I p r e fe r it to sorrow . . . . Now, where were we ? Ah, yes ; that you have a lover, M adame," s a i d Franval, shaking out the other s i d e of the l e tter case, "a lover with a handsome face, and a b o ring h u s b a n d, is most assuredly nothing so extrao rdin a ry. But that a t your age you are supporting this lover-at my expense-I trust you will al low me not to find this quite so simple . . . . And yet here are 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 ecus in notes, either p a i d by you o r made out in your hand in favor of Valmont. Please run through them, I beg of you," this monster added, showing them to her without allowing her to touch them . . . .
To Zaide, j eweler
By the p resent note I h e reby agree to pay the sum o f twenty-two thousand livres on the account o f Monsieur de Val mont, by arrangement with him.
F ARN EILLE D E FRANVAL
"Here's another made out to Jamet, the horse me rchant, for six thousand livres. This i s for the team o f dark bay horses which today are both Valmont's delight and the admi ration o f all Paris. . . . Yes, M a dame, the whole p a ckage comes to three hundred thousand, two hundred and eighty-three livres, and ten sous, a third
406 + T H E MARQ T.: I S DE SADE
o f which total you still lwe, and the balance o f which you have most loyally paid . . . . Well , M adame ?"
"Ah, Monsieur, this fraud is too crude and vulgar to cause me the least concern. To c onfound those who have invented it against m e , I demand but one t hing : that the people i n whose names I have, so it i s alleged, made out these documents, appear p e rsonally and swe a r under oath that I have had dealings with them. "
"They w i l l , M a d c me, o f t h a t you m a y be sure. Do y o u think they themselves would have w a rned me o f your conduct if they were not determined to back up their claims ? Indeed, without my intervention, one of them would have signed a writ against you today . . . . "
At this point poor M adame de Franva l ' s beautifu l eyes fill e d w i t h bi tter tears. Her c ourage f a i l e d t o sustain her a n y longer, a n d s h e f e l l i n t o a fi t of de�,p a i r w i t h t h e m o s t frightful symp toms : she began to strike her he a d against the m a rble obj ects a round her, bruising her face horrib ly.
" M onsieur, " she cried out, throwing herself a t her husband' s feet, "please d o away w i th m e , I beseech you, by means less slow and less tortu rous. Since my l i fe i s an obstacle to your crimes, end i t w i t h a singl e blow . . . refrain though from inching m e i n t o my grave . . . . Am I gu ilty of having loved you ? of having rebelled against what was so cnl elly stealing your heart from me ? . . . \Vell then, barbarian, punish me for these transgressions. Yes, take this metal s h a f t , " s h e said, throwing hersel f on her husband ' s swo rd, " a n d p i e rce my breast wi th i t, wi th n o p i ty. But a t least let m e die worthy of your esteem, let me take as my sole consola tion to the grave the c e rtainty that you beli eve m e incapable o f the infamies o f which you accuse me . . . solely t o cover you r own . . . . "
She w a s on her kn ees at Franval' s feet, her h e a d and bust thrown back, her hands wounded and bleeding from the nake d steel she had tried to seize a nd thrust into her breast. This lovely breast was laid bare, her hair was in disa rray, its strands soaked by the tears that fl owed abund antly. Never h a d sorrow been more p a thetic and more expressive, never h a d it been seen in a more touching, more noble, and more Htractive garb.
"No, M adame , " Franval s a i d , resisting her movement, "no, 'tis not you r death I de s i r e , but your punishment. I can understand
Eugenie de Fran'IJal .. 4 0 7
your repentance, your tears do not surprise me, you a r e fu rious at h aving been d iscovered. I app rove of this frame o f mind, which leads m e t o believe you plan to amend your ways, a change that the fate I have in mind for you, and because of which I must depa r t in order to give it my every care, will doubtless p recipi tate . "
"Stop, Franva l , " t h e unhappy woman cried, "do n o t vo ice abroad the news of your di shonor, nor tell the world that you a r e a perjurer, a forger, a slanderer, a n d guilty o f incest into the bar gain . . . . You wish to have done w ith me, I shall run away, I shall l e ave in search of some refuge where your very memory shall dis appear from my mind . . • . You will be fre e , you can exerci se your criminal desires with i mpunity . . . . Yes, I shall forget you, if I can, o h hea rtless man. Or, if your painful ima ge remains graven in my heart, i f it still pursues m e i n my distant darkness, I shall not obliterate it, traitor, that effort i s beyond my abilities ; no, I shall not obliterate it, bu t I shall punish my own blindness, and shall bury in the horror of the grave the guilty altar which committed the error of holding you too dear . . . . "
With these words, the final outcry of a soul overwhelmed by a recent illness, the poor woman fainted and fell unconscious to the floor. The cold sha dows of death spread over the roses o f her beautiful complexion, already withered by the stings o f despair. She appeared l ittle more than a l i feless mass, from which, however, grace, modesty, a n d seemliness . . . all the a ttributes of virtue, had r e fused to fl e e . The monster left the room and repa ired to h i s o wn chambers, there to enj oy, with h i s guilty daughter, the terrible triumph which vice, or rather low villainy, dared to win over in nocence and unhappiness.
Franval ' s abominable daughte r infinitely s avored the details o f thi s encounter. She only w i shed she could have seen them. She would have liked to c a r ry the horror even further and s e e Valmont vanquish her mother's resistance, and then have Franval surp rise them i n the act. What means, if that were to happen, what means of justification would thei r victim then have had left ? And was i t not important for them to deprive her o f any and all means ? Such was Eugenie.
M eanwhi l e, Franval ' s poor wi fe had only the r e fuge o f her m o ther's breast for h e r tears, and i t was not long before she re-
4 0 8 + THE MAR Q t IS DE SADE
v e a l e d to her the r e a !.ons for her l a t e s t s o r row. It was at thi s j u ncture t h a t M a d a m e de F a rn e i l l e c a m e to the conclu s i o n t h a t M o n s i e u r d e C l e rvil's a g e , h i s calling, a n d h i s p e rsonal p re s ti g e p e rh a p s m i g h t e x e r c i s e a c e r t a i n good i n fl u e n c e on h e r son-in-l a w . N o thing i s m o r e confi dent t h a n a dv e r s i ty. As b e s t s h e could, s h e a p p r i s e d t h i s worthy eccl e s i a s t i c o f the t r u t h about Franval ' s c h a o t i c conduct ; s h e convi nced h i m o f the t r u t h w h i c h h e h a d h i t h e r to been di sincl i n e d to b e l i c!ve , a n d s h e b e s e e c h e d h i m above a l l to em ploy with such a scou n d r e l only th a t p e r su asive eloquence wh ich ap peals t o the h e a r t r a the r than to the h e a d . And a ft e r h e had talked w i th this t r a i t o r , s h e :mgge s t e d that Monsieur de C l e rvil s o l i c i t a m e e ting w i t h Eu geni e , during which h e c o u l d s i m i l a rly put to u s e w h a te v e r h e s h o u l d d e e m m o s t a p p r op r i a te t o w a r d enligh tening the p o o r c h i l d a s to the abyss t h a t had o p e n e d bene a t h h e r f e e t and, if p ossibl e , to b r i n g h e r back to h e r m o th e r ' s heart a n d to the p a th o f v i r tu e .
F r a nval , info rmed tha t C l e rvil intended to r e q u e s t to s e e both h i m and his daughter , had time enough to consp i r e w i t h E u geni e , a n d w h e n th ey h a d s e t t l e d on t h e i r p l a n s they sent w o r d to M a d a m e de F a r ne i l l e t h a t both w e r e p r e p a r e d to h e a r h i m o u t . The c r e du lous M a d a m e de Franval held out the h i gh e s t hop e s for t h e elo quence o f this sp i r i tu a l gu i d e . The w r e t c h e d are wont to s e i z e at s t r aws with such a v i d i ty, i n o r d e r to p ro c u r e for themselve s a ple a s u r e which the truth d i sowns, th a t they f a b r i c a t e m o s t cunningly all s o r t s of illusions I
C l e rvil a r rived. I t w a s n i n e in the morning. Franval r e c e i v e d h i m i n the room w h e n h e w a s a ccustom e d to spending the night w i t h his d a u g h t e r . H e had embelli s h e d i t with e v e ry i m a g i n a b l e e l e g ance , b u t h a d none t h e l e s s allowed i t to r e t a i n a c e r t a i n d i s o r d e r w h i c h b o r e witness to h i s c r i m i n a l p l e a s u r e s . I n a n e i ghboring r o o m , Eugen i e could h( ar everything, the b e t t e r to p r ep a r e h e r s e l f fo r the conve r s a t i o n wi t h h e r w h i c h w a s du e to follow.
"It is only most r e lu c tantly, and wi th the g r e a t e s t fear o f dis turbing you, M on s i eu r , " C l e rvil began, " t h a t I d a r e to p r e sent myself b e f o r e you. Persons of our c a lling are commonly so much a burde n to thos e who, like you r s e l f , spend their lives t a s ting the ple a s u r e s o f this w o rld, th a t I rep r o a ch mys e l f fo r having con-
Eugenie de Fran'Val + 409
sented to M a dame de Farneill e ' s desires and having requested to converse with you fo r a moment or two."
"Please sit down, Monsieur, and so long as reason and j u stice hold sway in your conve rsation, you need never fear o f boring me."
"Sir, you are beloved of a young wife full o f charm and virtu e and w h o m , i t i s alleged, y o u m a k e m o s t mise rable. Having a s arms naught but her innocence and her candor, and with only a mother's ear to hear her complaints, still idolizing you despite your wrongs, you can easily imagine the frightful position i n which she finds h e rself I "
" I f you please, M onsieur, I should like u s t o get down t o the facts. I have the feeling you are skirting the issue ; pray tell m e , w h a t i s t h e purpose o f your mission '?"
" To bring you back to happ iness, if that is possible." "Th erefore, i f I find myself happy in my present situation,
m ay I assume that you should h ave nothing fu rther to say to me ?" " I t is i mpossible, Monsieur, to find happiness in the exercise
o f crime." "I agree . But the man who, through profound s tudy and ma
ture reflection, has been able to bring his mind to the point where he does not see evil in anything, where he contemplates the whole o f human endeavor with the most supreme indifference and con siders every action o f which man is capable a s the necessary result of a power, wha tever i ts nature, which i s at times good and at times bad, but always imperious, inspires u s alternately with what men approve and what they condemn, but never anything that disturbs or troubl es i t-th a t man, I say, and I'm sure you will agree, can be just a s happy living the way I do a s you are in your chosen call ing. Happiness is ideal, it i s the wo rk of the imagination. It i s a manner o f being move d which relies solely upon the way we see and feel. Except for the satis faction o f needs, there i s nothing which makes all men equally happy. Not a day goes by but that we see one person made h appy by something that supremely displeases another. Therefore, there is no certain o r fixed happiness, and the only happiness p o ssible for us is the one we form with the help of our organs and our principles."
" I know that, Monsieur, but: though our mind m ay deceive
4 1 0 .. T H E MARQUIS DE SADE
us, our conscience ne,'er leads us astray, and here is the book wherein N a ture has inscribed all our duties."
"And do we not manipul a te thi s factitious conscience a t will ? Habit bends it, i t is fo ' us like soft wax which our fingers shape a s they choose. I f this book were as certain a s you p retend, would man not be endowed with a n invari able conscience ? From one end o f the e a rth to the o the r, would n o t all of man's actions be the same for him ? And yet i s such truly the case ? Does the Hottentot tremble a t what terrifies the Frenchman ? And does the Frenchman not do d a i ly what would be punishable in Japan ? No, Monsieur, n o , there i s nothing r e a l in t h e world, nothing deserving o f p r a i s e o r app robation, nothing worthy o f being rewarded o r punished, no th· ing which, unj u s t here , is n ot quite lawful five hundred le agues away. In a wo rd, no wr.)ng i s real, no goo d i s cons tant."
" Do n o t believe it, Sir. Virtu e i s not a n illusion. I t i s not a matter of a scertaining whether something is good here, or bad a few degrees farther aw ay, in order to assign it a precise determi n a· tion o f c r i m e or v i r tu e , a n d to m a k e c e r t a i n of fi n d i n g h a p p i n e s s therein by reason of t ile choice one h a s made o f i t . M an's only h a ppiness resides in h i s complete submission to the laws of h i s l a n d . He h a s either to respect them o r to be miserabl e , there i s no mi ddle ground betweell their i n fraction and m i s fortune. ' Tis not, i f you p refer to state i t in these terms, these things i n themselves which give rise to the e vi l s which overwhelm u s whenever we allow ou rselves free reign to indulge in these forbidden practice s , ' ti s rather the conflict betw �en these things-which m a y b e intrinsically eith e r good o r bad-a n d t h e social conven tions of the society i n which we l i v e . O n e c a r su rely do no h arm by p refe rring to s troll along the boulevards d an along the C h amps Elysees. And yet if a law were p assed forb i dding o u r citizen s from frequenting the boulevards, whosoever shoul d break this law migh t be setting in motion an eternal chai n o f m i s fortunes for himself, although i n breaking i t he had dO l e something quite simpl e . M o reover, t h e h ab i t o f breaking o rdirary restrictions s o o n l e a d s t o t h e viol a ti on of more serious ones, and from error to error one soon a rrives a t crimes o f a n a ture to b(: punished in a n y coun try under t h e s u n and to inspire fear i n any reasonable creature o n e a r th, no matter in w h a t clime he may dwdl. If man does not have a universal con-
Eugenie de Franval + 4 1 1
s c i e n c e , he at l e a s t h a s a n a ti o n a l conscience, relative to the existence tha t w e h a v e received from N a tu r e , a n d i n w h i c h h e r h a n d in scribes o u r duties i n l e tt e r s w h i c h we c a n n o t e ff a c e without danger. For examp l e , Monsieur, you r family accuses you o f incest. It m akes n o difference what sop h i s t r i e s you employ to j usti fy this crime or lessen the h o r r o r , o r w h a t specious a r guments you apply to i t o r w h a t autho r i t i e s you call u p o n b y buttressing these a rgum ents w i t h exampl e s d r a wn f r o m n e i g h b o r i n g cou n t r i e s , t h e fact r e m a i n s th a t t h i s c r i m e , w h i c h i s only a crime i n c e r t a i n coun t r i e s , i s m o s t a s sure dly d a n g e r o u s w h e r e v e r the l a w forb i d s i t . I t i s n o l e s s c e r t a i n t h a t i t c a n give r i s e to the m o s t frightful c o n s e q u e nc e s , a s w e l l a s o th e r c r i m e s n e c e s s i t a t e d b y t h i s fi r s t o n e . . . c r i m e s , I m i g h t a d d , o f a s o r t t o be d e e m e d abominable by all m e n . H a d you m a r r i e d y o u r d a u g h t e r o n t h e b a n k s o f tte Gange s , w h e r e s u c h m a r r i a ge s a r e p e rm i t t e d , p e r h a p s y o u m i gh t h ave c o m m i t t e d only a m i n o r w r o n g . B u t i n a country where these u n i o n s are f o r b i d d e n , by o f f e r i n g t h i s r e vo l t i n g spectacle to the publ i c . . . a n d to t h e eyes o f a w o m a n w h o a do r e s y o u a n d w h o , b y t h i s t r e a c h e r o u s a c t , i s b e i n g p u s h e d t o the edge o f the g r a v e , y o u a r e n o d o u b t comm i tt i n g a frightful a c t , a c r i m e w h i c h tends to b r e a k the h o l i e s t b o n d s o f N a tu r e : t h o s e w h i c h , a tt a c h i n g y o u r d a u g h t e r to her who gave h e r l i fe , ought t o m a k e t h i s p e r s o n t h e m o s t r e s p e c t e d , t h e m o s t s a c r e d o f a l l obj e c t s t o h e r . You o b l i g e t h i s g i r l t o de s p i s e h e r m o s t p r e c i o u s du t i e s , y o u c a u s e h e r to h a te t h e v e ry p e r s o n w h o b o r e h e r i n h e r womb ; w i t h o u t r e a l i z i n g i t , y o u a r e p r e p a r i n g w e a p o n s t h a t s h e m a y one d a y d i r e c t a g a i n s t y o u . I n e v e ry d o c t r i n e you o ff e r h e r , i n e v e ry p r i n c i p l e you i ncul c a t e i n her, your condemna t i o n is inscribed. And if o n e d a y h e r a rm i s r a i s e d a g a i n s t you in a n a ttemp t against y o u r life, ' t i s you w h o will h a v e s h a r p e n e d the d a gger."
"Your w a y o f rea soning, s o d i ff e r e n t from that o f most men of the c l o t h , " Franval repl i e d , " compel s m e to trust i n you, M o n s i e u r . I c o u l d d e n y y o u r accu s a ti o n s . I h o p e t ha t t h e frankn e s s w i th w h i c h I r e v e a l mys e l f to you w i l l also o b l i g e y o u to b e l i e v e t h e wrongs I i m p u t e to my w i f e when, to exp o s e them, I employ the s a m e truth fu l n e s s with w h i c h I i n t e n d to c n a r a c te r i z e my own confe s s i o n s . Y e s , M o n s i e u r , I love my d a u ghtl� r , I l o v e h e r p a s s i o n a tely, s h e i s my m i s t r e s s , my w i f e , my d a u ght,e r , my c o n fi d a n t e , my f r i e n d , m y
4 1 2 + T H E MAR QUH DE SADE
only God on e a rth ; i n fi 1e, she possesses all the homage that any h e a r t can ever hope to obtain, and all homage of which my h e a r t is capable is due her. Thes e sentiments will endure as long as I live. B eing unable to give them up, I doubtless must therefore j u s ti fy them.
"A fath e r ' s first duty toward h i s daughter i s undeniably I 'm sure you will agree, Monsieur-to p rocu r e for her the greatest happiness possibl e . I f h e does not succeed in this task, then he has failed in his obligations towa r d her ; i f he does succeed, then he is blameless. I h ave n e i ther seduced nor constrained Eugenie-thi s is a notewo rthy consideration, which I trust you will not forget. I did not conceal the world fr(lm h e r . I expounded for h e r the good and b a d sides o f marriage, the roses and the thorns it contains. I t was then I offered myself, and l e ft h e r free to choose. She had ad e qu a te time to reflect on the mat ter. She did not hesi tate : she claimed th a t s h e could fi n d h appiness only w i t h me. Was I wrong t o give her, i n order to m a k e h e r happy, what she appeared in full knowledge to desire above all else ?"
"These sophistries j lstify nothing, M onsieur. You were wrong to give your daugh t e r th e slighte s t inclination th a t the pe rson she could not p r e fe r withou t crime might become the obj ect o f h e r happiness. N o m a tter h o w lovely a fru i t m i g h t appear, would you not regret h aving offereel it to someone if you knew that lurking within its fl es h was dnth ? No, Monsieur, no : in this whole wretched a ff a i r you have: had only one object in mind, and that object was you, and you have made your daughter both an accom plice and a victim. Thes( m e thods are inexcu sable . . . . And what wrongs, in your eyes , do you ascribe to that virtuous and sensi tive w i fe whose h e a r t you twi ,t and break a t will ? What wrongs, unjust man, except the wrong o f loving you ?"
"Th i s i s the point I wish to discuss wi th you, Sir, and ' tis here I expect and hop e for y o u r confidence. After the full candor to which I have treated you , i n making a full confession of all that is ascribed to m e , I trust I t ave some right to expect such confi dence. "
And then Franval, showing C l e rvil the forged letters a n d n o t e s h e h a d a ttributed t J h i s wife, s w o r e to him tha t nothing was more authentic than these docum ents, a n d than the a ff a i r between
Eugenie de Fra n va l + 4 1 3
M a d a m e d e F r a nval a n d t h e p e rson who w a s t h e subj e c t o f t h e p a p e r s .
C l e rvil w a s f a m il i a r w i t h t h e enti r e m a t t e r . "Well , M o n s i eu r , " h e s a i d fi rmly to F r a nval , " w a s I n o t r i gh t
t o tell you t h a t a n e r r o r v i e w e d a t fi r s t a s b e i n g w i thout consequence i n i ts e l f c a n , by accustom i n g u s to exc e e d limits, lead u s to t h e most extravagant e x ce sses o f c r i m e an.d w i ckednes s ? Y o u h a v e begun w i t h a n a c t which, i n y o u r ey e s , you deemed t o tally i n o ff e n s i v e , a n d you s e e to w h a t i n famous l e n g t h s you a r e o b l i g e d t o go i n o rd e r to j u s t i fy o r conc e a l i t ? Follow m y a dvi c e , M o n s i e u r , t h r o w th e s e unp a rdonable a t r o c i t i e s i n t o t h e fi r e a n d , I b e g o f you , l e t u s forget them, let u s forge t they e v e r e x i s t e d . "
" T h e s e documents a r e a u t h e n t i c , M o n s i e u r . " "The y a re f a l s e . " "You c a n only b e i n doubt about them . I s tha t s u ffi c i e n t r e a son
f o r you to contra d i c t m e ? " " P a rdon m e , M o n s i e u r , b u t t h e o n l y r e a son I h av e t o sup p o s e
t h e y a r e a u t h e n t i c i s y o u r w o r d o n t h e m a tt e r , a n d y o u h a v e g o o d r e a s o n i n d e e d fo r buttressing y o u r a c cu s a t i o n . As f o r b e l i eving them false, I h av e y o u r w i f e ' s w o r d f o r it, a n d s h e t o o would h ave good r e a s o n to tell m e if they w e rl� a u t h e n t i c , if they a c tu ally w e r e . Thi s , S i r , i s h o w I j u d g e . S e l f-intl� r e s t i s the v e h i c l e f o r a l l m a n ' s a c t i o n s , t h e w e l l s p r i n g o f every t h i n g h e d o e s . W h e r e v e r I c a n d i s c over i t, the torch of truth i m m e d i a tely l i gh t s u p . Th i s rule h a s n e v e r o n c e f a i l e d m e , a n d I h a v e b e e n applying i t f o r forty y e a r s . And fu r t h e rm o r e , w i l l y o u r w i f e ' s v i r tu e n o t a n n i h i l a te t h i s l o a th s o m e c alumny i n everyo n e ' s eyes ? An d is it possible that your w i f e , w i t h h e r f r a nk n e s s a n d h e r c a n d o r , w i th i n d e e d t h e l o v e f o r you which stil l burns w i th i n her, could e v e r have c o m m i t t e d such abom i n a b l e a cts as those you c h a r g e her w i th ? No, M on s i e u r , this i s n o t h o w c r i m e b e g i n s . S i n c e you a r e s o f a m il i a r w i th i t s e ff ects, you should m a n eu v e r m o r e cleve rly . "
" Th a t , S i r , i s abusive l a n gu a g e . " " Y o u ' l l forgive m e , M o n s i e u r , b u t i n j u s t i c e , c a l umny, l i b e r
t i n a g e revolt my soul so comple tely t h a t I s o m e t i m e s fi n d i t h a rd to control t h e a g i t a t i o n wh i c h t h e s e h o r r o r s i n c i t e in m e . Let us burn these p ap e r s , M on s i e u r , I m o s t u rgently b e s e e c h you • • • burn them fo r your hono r and your p e a c e o f m i n d . "
41 4 ... T H E MARQUI S DE SADE
" I n ev e r suspecte d , M o n s i eu r , " s a i d F r a n v a l , getting to h i s fee t , " th a t i n t h e e x e r c i H e o f you r m i n i s t ry o n e c o u l d s o e a s i ly b e c o m e an a p o l o g i s t . . • tn e p r o te c t o r o f m i sconduct a n d o f a dul t e ry . My w i fe i s d i s h o n o r i n g m e , s h e i s ru i n i n g m e . I h a v e p roved i t t o y o u . Y o u r blindness concerni n g h e r m a k e s you p r e f e r to accu se m e a n d r a t h e r suppose t h a t ' t i s I w h o a m t h e s l a n d e r e r t h a n s h e t h e t r e a c h e r o u s a n d debauched woman. All right, M o n s i e u r , t h e l a w s h a l l d e c i d e . E v e ry cou r t i n France s h a l l resound w i t h my a ccusa tions, I s h a l l c o m e b e a r i ng p ro o f , I shall publ i s h my dishonor, a n d t h en w e s h a l l s e e w h e t h e : � you will still be gu i l e l e s s enough , o r r a t h e r fooli s h e nough, to p r o t e c t s o s h a m e l e s s a c r e a tu r e a g a i n s t m e . "
" I s h a ll l e a v e y o u :10W, M o n s i e u r , " C l e rvil s a i d , a l s o getting to his feet. " I did n o t re a l i z e t o what extent t h e faults o f you r m i n d h a d so a l t e r e d t h e qu a l i t i e s of your h e a r t a n d t h a t , b l i n d ed by an unj u s t d e s i r e f o r I'evenge, you h a d become c a p able o f coolly m a i n t a i n i n g w h a t could only derive from d e l i r i u m . • . . Ah! M on s i e u r , how all t h i s h a s p e rsu a d e d me all the m o r e th a t when m a n o v e r s t e p s the bounds o f h i s m o s t s a c r e d d u t i e s , h e s o o n allows himself to anni h i l a t e a l l the o t h e :�s . . . . I f further r e fl ection should b r i n g you back to you r senses, I b e g of you to send word to me, M o n s i e u r , and you wil l always fi n d , i n your family as well a s i n mys elf, friends d i s p o s e d to r e c e i v e you . M ay I be allowed to s e e M a de m o i s e l l e your d a u gh t e r f o r a moment 1 "
" Y o u , S i r , m a y d o a s you l i k e . I would only sugge s t , n ay u rge you that whe n talking w i t h her you e i th e r employ more eloquent means or d r a w u p o n sou n d e r resources i n p resenting these luminous truths to her, tru ths i n w h i c h I w a s unfortu n a t e enough t o p e rc e i v e n a u g h t b u t b l i n d n e s s a n d s o p h i s t r i e s . "
C l e rvil w e n t i n to Eugen i e ' s r o o m . S h e a w a i t e d h i m d r e s s e d i n t h e m o s t e l e g a n t a n d m o s t c o q u e t t i s h n e gl i ge e . T h i s s o r t o f i n d ecency, t h e f ru i t o f s e l f-negl i gence a n d o f c r i m e , r e i gn e d un a s h a m e dly i n her every gestu r e a n d l o o k , and t h e perfidious gi rl , i n su l t i n g t h e g r a c e s w h i c : h embelli s h e d h e r in s p i t e o f h e rself, com b i n e d both t h e q u a l i t i e s susceptible of i n fl aming vice and those c e r t a i n to revol t v i r tu e .
S i n c e i t w a s n o t app ropri a t e f o r a g i rl to engage i n s o de t a i l e d a d i s c u s s i o n a s a. p h i l o s op h e r such a s Franval had done, Eugen i e confin e d h e rs e l f to p e rs i fl a ge . S h e gradually became openly
Eugenie de Franval + 4 1 5
provocative, but upon seeing that her seductions were in vain, and that a man as virtuous as the one with whom she was dealing had not the slightest intention of allowing himself to be ensn a r e d i n her trap, s h e adroitly cut the knots holding the v e i l o f h e r charms and, b e fo r e Clervil had the time to realize what she was doing, she had a rranged herself in a state o f grea t disorder.
"The wretch," she cri e d a t the top o f h e r lungs, " take this monster away from me I And, above all, l e t not my father know o f his c r i m e . J u s t Heaven ! I w a s expecting pious counsel from h i m . . . and the v i l e m a n assaulted m y modesty . . . . Look , " she cried to the s e rvants who had hastened to h e r room upon hearing her cries, "look a t the condition this s hameless creature h a s put me in. Look a t them, look a t these benevolent d isciple s o f a divinity they insult and outrage. Scandal, debauche ry , s e duction : there is the trinity o f thei r morality, while we, dup es o f their false virtue, a r e foolish enough to g o o n worshiping them."
C l e rvil, although extremely �lllnoyed by such a scene, nonethe less succee d e d in concealing his emotions. And a s he l e ft the room he s a i d , with great self-possession, to the crowd a round him :
" M ay h e aven preserve this unfortunate child . . . . May it make her better i f i t can, and let no one in this house offend h e r sentiments of virtue more than I h ave done • . . sentiments that I came here less to defile than to revive in h e r heart."
Such were the only fruits which M a dame d e Farneille a n d h e r d aughter culled f r o m a negoti ation they h a d approached so hope fully. They w e r e f a r from realiz ing the degradations that crime works in the souls o f the wicked : what m i gh t have some effect on others only embitters them, and i t is in th e very lessons of good that they find encouragement to d o evi l .
From t h e n o n , everything turned more venomous on both sides. Franval a nd Eugenie cle a rly s a w that M a dame d e Franval would have to b e p e rsuaded o f her alleged wrongs, in a way that would no longer allow her to doubt of the ma tter. And M a dame de Farneille, i n concer t with her daughter, concocted serious plans to abduct Eugenie. They discussed the proj ect \vith C l e rvil ; this worthy man refused to h ave any p a rt o f such dra stic resolutions. He had, he said, been too ba dly treated in th i s a ff a i r to be able to undertake a nythi n g more than imploring forgivenes s for the guilty,
4 1 6 + T H E MAR QUJ S DE SADE
and this he urgently did pray for , steadfa stly refusing to involve himself i n any other duty o r effort of mediation. How subl ime were his sentiments ! Why is it that this nobility i s so rare among men o f the cloth ? O r why h a d s o singul a r a m a n chosen so soiled a calling ?
Let u s begin w i th ::;'ranval's endeavors. Valmont reapp e a n:d. "You're an imbecil e , " Eugeni e's gui l ty lover s a i d to him, "you
are unworthy of being my student. And if you do not come off better i n a second meeting wi1:h my wife, I shall trump et your name all over Paris. You must h;lve her, my friend, and I mean really h ave her, my eyes must be pe rsuaded o f her defea t . . . in fine, I mu st b e a b l e to deprive t h a t loathsome creature of a n y m e a n s o f excuse and o f defense."
"And what if she resists ?" Valmont responded. "Then employ viol ence . . . I shall make certain that there i s
no o n e a round . . . . Fri g 1 ten her, threaten her, what does i t matter ? . . . I shall consider all the means of your triumph a s so many favors l owe you . "
"Listen , " Valmont then s a i d , "I agree t o everything you p ro pose, I give you my wo]'d o f honor that your wife will yield. But 1 require one condition, a :1d i f you refuse i t then 1 refuse to play the game. We agreed that i e alousy is to have no p a r t i n our a rrange ments, as you know. I l:herefore demand that you accord me h a l f an hour w i t h Eugeni e . Y o u h a v e n o idea h o w I s h a l l act a fter 1 have enj oyed the pleasure of your daughte r ' s comp any 'for a short while . . . . "
" B u t Valmont . . • " "I can understand your fears. But i f you deem me your friend
I shall not forgive you for them. All I aspire to i s the charm of seeing Eugen i e alone ar,d talking with her fo r a few moments . "
"Valmont," s a i d F �anval, somewha t a stonished, "you place too high a fee o n your services. I a m as fully aware as you of the ri diculous aspects of jea :ousy, but 1 i doli z e the girl you are referring to , and I should rather give up my entire fortune than yield her favo r s . "
" 1 am not cl aiming them, s o set y o u r m i n d a t rest." An d Franval, wh" realized that, among all his friends and
Eugen i e de Fran'CJal .. 4 1 7
a c q u a i n t a n c e s , t h e r e w a s none c a p a b l e o f s e rvin g h i s p u r p o s e s s o well a s Valmont, w a s a d a mantly o p p o s e d to l e t t i n g h i m e s c a p e :
"All r i g h t , " h e s a i d , a t r i fl e t e s t ily, " b u t I r e p e a t t h a t y o u r s e rv i c e s come v e ry d e a r, a n d by d i s c h a r g i n g t h e m i n t h i s m a n n e r y o u h a v e r e l i e ve d m e f r o m any obl i ga t i o n towa r d y o u , a n d from a n y g r a t i tu d e . "
" O h ' g r a t i t u d e i s n a u g h t b u t t h e p r i c e p a i d f o r h o n e s t favors. I t w i l l never b e k i n d l e d i n you r h e a r t f o r the s e rv i c e s I a m going to r e n d e r you . And I shall even go so far as to p r e di c t t h a t these selfsame s e r v i c e s w i l l cause u s to qu a r r e l b e fo r e two months are u p . Come, my friend, I know the ways o f m e n • . • t h e i r faults a n d f a i l i ngs, a n d eve ryth i n g they i n v o l v e . P l a c e t h e h u m a n a n i m a l , t h e m o s t w i c k e d a n i m a l o f a l l , i n w h a te v e r s i tu a ti o n y o u c h o o s e , a n d I sh a ll p r e d i c t e ve ry l a s t r e s u l t t h a t will p e r f o r c e e n s u e . . • . T h e r e f o r e I w i s h to b e p a i d i n a d v a n c e , o r t h e g a m e i s o ff . "
" I a c c e p t , " s a i d F r a n v a l . " V e ry well t h en , " V almont r e pl i e d . " N ow e v e r y t h i n g d e p e n d s
o n you . I s h a l l a c t w h e n e v e r you w i s h . " " I n e e d a f e w d ays t o m a k e my p r e p a r a ti o n s , " Franval s a i d .
" B u t w i th i n f o u r d a y s a t t h e m o s t I a m w i t h y ou . " M o n s i e u r d e Franval h a d r a i s e d h i s d a u g h t e r i n such a way
that h e had no m i sgivings a b o u t any exce s s i v e m o d e s ty on her p a r t w h i c h w o u l d c a u s e h e r to r e f u s e to p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h e p l a n s h e w a s formul a ti n g w i th h i s f r i e n d . B u t h e w a s j e al o u s , a n d t h i s Eugen i e knew. S h e l o v e d h i m a t l e a s t a s m u c h a s h e a d o r e d - h e r , a n d a s soon a s s h e knew w h a t w a s i n t h e o ffi n g s h e confe s s e d to Franval t h a t s h e w a s t e rr i b l y a f r a i d t h i s t e t e-a-tete w i th Val mont m i g h t h av e s e r i o u s r ep e rc u s s i o n s . F r a n v a l , w h o b e l i e v e d h e knew Valmont well enough to b e p e r s u a d e d th a t a l l this would only p ro v i d e c e r t a i n nou r i s h m e n t s fo r h i s h e a d w i t h o u t any d a n g e r to h i s h e a r t, r e a s s u r e d h i s d a u g h t e r a s b e s t h e could, a n d w e n t a b o u t h i s p re p a r a t i o n s .
I t w a s t h e n th a t F r a n v a l l e a rn e d , from s e r v a n t s i n w h o m h e h a d complete c o n fi d e n c e a n d whom h e h a d p l a n t e d i n t h e s e rv i c e o f h i s m o t h e r-in-l a w , t h a t Eugen i e w a s i n t h e g r a v e s t d a n g e r a n d t h a t M a d a m e d e F a r n e i lle w a s o n t h e verge o f o b t a i n i n g a w r i t to h a v e h e r taken a w a y from h i m . F r a n v a l h a d n o d o u b t but t h a t the w h o l e p l o t w a s C l e rvi l ' s w o rk. And m o m e n t a rily putting a s i d e h i s p l a n s
4 1 8 + T H E M A R Q U r : i D E SADE
involving Valmont, he tu rned his complete a ttention to r i dd i n g himsel f o f this p o o r ecd�s i a stic whom he wrongly j u d g e d to b e the instigator of everything. He sowed hi s gol d ; this powerful weapon of every vice i s properly planted in a thou sand different hands, and fi n a lly six trustworthy s·:oundrels a r e ready and willing to do h i s bidding.
One evening wh en C l e rvil , who was wont to dine rather fre quently with M adame d e Farneille, was l eaving her house alone and on foot , he was surrounded and seized . . . . He w a s told t h a t the arrest w a s made UpO il the o r d e r s o f t h e government, and shown a forged document. Then h e was thrown into a post chaise and he was driven in all haste 1 0 the p rison o f an isolated chateau which Franval owned in the depths o f the Ardennes. There the poor man was turned over to the c :mcierge of the chateau a s a scoundrel who w a s plo tting to kill his master. And the most carefu l p recautions were taken to make c e �tain that thi s unfo rtunate victim, whose only wrong was to have shown himsel f ove rly indulgent toward tho s e who outraged him so cru elly, could never again be seen.
M a d ame d e F a rne i lle was on the brink o f desp a i r . She had not the slightest doubt but 1 h a t the whole a ff a i r was the work o f h e r son-in-law. H e r efforts t o ascertain t h e where abouts o f Clervil slowed those touching upon Eugen i e ' s abducti on. Having a t her dis posal only a limited amount o f money, and with only a few friends, i t was difficult to pursue 1wo equ ally important unde rtakings at once. And fu rthermo r e , Franv a l ' s drastic action had forced them onto the defensive. They di rectec all their energies, therefo r e , toward find ing the father confesso c . But all their efforts were in vain ; our vill a i n had execu ted his plan so cleverly that i t became impossible to uncove r the slightest tra :e.
M a dame d e Franvd , who h a d not seen her husband since their last scene, was hesitant to question him. But the intensi ty o f one's interest in a m a tter de stroys any other considerations, and she finally found the courag': to ask h e r tyrant i f he planned to add to the already long list of grievances o f which he was gu ilty on h e r behal f b y depriving h e r moth e r o f t h e b e s t friend s h e h a d in the world. The monster p rotested his innocence. He even carried hypoc risy so f a r as to o ff e r 1 0 help in the search. And seeing that h e needed t o molli fy his wi f e ' s h a rdened heart and mind i n prep arati on
Eugen ie de Fra nval .. 4 1 9
f o r the sce ne w i t h Valmont, h e a g a i n p ro m i s e d h e r t h a t h e wou l d do eve ryt h i n g i n h i s p o w e r to fi n d C l e rv l l . H e e v e n c a r e s s e d h i s c r e dulou s wife , a n d a s s u r e d h e r t h a t , n o m a t t e r h o w u n f a i thful h e m i g h t b e t o h e r , h e found i t i m p o s sibl e , deep i n h i s h e a r t , n o t to adore her. And M a d a m e de F r a nv a l , always gentle a n d accommo d a t i n g , always p l e a s e d by anything w h i c h brought her cl o s e r to a m a n w h o w a s d e a r e r to h e r th a n l i fe i ts e l f , gave h e r s e l f o v e r to all t h e d e s i r e s of this p e rfi d i o u s husband ; s h e anticip a t e d them, s e rv e d t h e m , s h a r e d them a l l , w i th o u t d a r i n g , a s s h e s h o u l d h a v e , to p r o fi t f r o m the occ a s i on i n o rd e r a t l e a s t to extract a p ro m i s e from t h i s b a rb a r i a n to i m p r o v e h i s w a y s , one w h i c h would n o t p r e c i p i t a t e h i s p o o r w i f e e a c h d a y i n t o a n a b y s s o f t o r m e n t a n d s o r r o w . B u t even had she e x t r a c t e d such a p r o m i s e , would her e ff o rts h a v e been crowned w i t h succe ss ? Would F:ranv a l , s o false i n e v e ry o th e r a sp e c t o f h i s l i f e , h ave b e e n a n y m o r e s i n c e r e i n the o n e w h i c h , a c c o r d i n g to h i m , w a s o n l y a tt r a c tive to t h e e x t e n t one could g o b e y o n d c e r t a i n s e t l i m i t s . H e w o u l . d doubtl e s s h a v e m a d e all s o r t s o f p ro m i s e s sol ely f o r t h e p l e a s u r e o f b e i n g a b l e to b r e a k them ; and perhaps h e m i g h t e v e n have made her dem a n d that he swe a r to them, s o t h a t to his other frightful p l e a s u r e s h e m i gh t a d d t h a t of p e rj u ry.
Franva l , a b s o l u tely at p e a c e , tu rned a l l h i s a tt e n t i o n to trou bling o t h e r s . S u c h was his v i n d i c t i v e , tu rbul e n t , i m p e t u o u s n a tu r e w h e n h e w a s d i s tu rb e d ; d e s i r i n g to r e g a i n h i s t r a n qu i l l i ty a t any cost w h a teve r , h e would awkw a rdly o b t a i n it only by those m e a n s m o s t l ikely to m a k e h i m l o s e i t a g a i n . An d i f h e r e g a i n e d i t ? T h e n h e b e n t a l l h i s p h y s i c a l a n d m o r a l faculti e s t o m a k i n g c e r t a i n h e l o s t i t a g a i n . T h u s , i n a s t a t e o f p e rp e tu a l a g i t a t i o n , h e e i th e r h a d to f or estal l t h e a rt i fi c e s h e o bl i g e d others t o employ against h i m , o r e l s e h e h a d t o u s e s o m e o f h i s own a g a i n s t t h e m .
E v e r y t h i n g w a s a r ranged to Valmo n t ' s s a ti s fa c t i o n ; h i s tete-a tete took p l a c e i n E ugen i e ' s a p a rtment and l a s t e d f o r t h e better p a r t o f a n h o u r .
There, i n t h e o r n a t e r o o m, Eugen ie, o n a pedes tal, p o r trayed a y o u n g savage weary o f the hun t , lea n i n g on the tru nk o f a palm tree who s e s o aring bra n ches co n cealed a n infin i t e n umber of lights arran g e d in s u ch a way tha t their reflecti o n s , which s h o n e o nly o n
420 .. T H E MA R Q U [ S DE S A D E
th e b e a u tiful girl's p h y s :cal c h arm s , acce n tu a t e d t h e m m o s t artfully . The s o r t of minia ture t:u a ter wherein this tabl e a u v i v a n t app e ared was s u rro u n de d by a six ·fo o t-wide m o a t which was filled wi t h wa t e r a n d a c te d as a barrier which preven ted any o n e fro m ap p r o a ching her on any side . At the edge of this circumvalla tio n was p laced t h e t h r o n e of a k nigh t, wit h a silk c o rd leading fro m t h e bas e of t h e p e des tal to t h e c h air. B : I manipula ting t his s tring, t h e pers o n in t h e c h air c o u ld cause t h e p e des tal t o turn in such a m a n n er t h a t t h e o bj e c t o f h i s admira tio r.' c o u ld b e vie wed fro m every angle by him , a n d th e arrange m e n t was s u c h t h a t, n o m a t ter which way he turned her, s h e was always ddigh tfu l t o b e h o ld. The C o u n t, c o n c e a led be hin d a dec o r a tive s h r u b, was in a p o sitio n to view b o t h his m is tress and his frie n d. A cc o rding t o t h e agree m e n t, Valm o n t was fre e to exami n e Eugenie fo r half an h o u r . . . . Valm o n t t o o k his p lace in the c h air . . . he is besiu'e him self; n ever, he m ain tain s , h as he seen so m a ny allure m e n ts ir� one pers o n . He yields t o t h e tran s p o rts which inflame him, t h e c o n s t a n tly m oving cord offers him an e n dless s u cc e s sio n of new angles an d beau ties . Which s h o uld h e prefer a b ove all o thers , t o which s h a ll h e sacrifice him s e lf ? He can n o t make up h i s m in d : Eugenie is such a w o n drous b eau ty ! Mean while the fle e t ing minu tes p as s ,. for lime, in s u c h circu m s tan ces, pas s e s q u i c k ly . T h e h o ur s trik e s , t h e high t a b a n do n s him s e lf, a n d t h e i n c e n s e flies t o t h e fee t of a g o d whose s a n c tuary is fo rbidde n him . A veil des ce n ds , i t is tim e t o leave t h e ro o m .
"Well, a r e you c'Jntent now ? " Franval s a i d , r e J O I m n g h i s f r i e n d .
" S h e i s a del i gh t fu l c r e a tu r e , " Valmont r e p l i e d . " B u t Franva l , i f I m a y o ff e r y o u one p i e c e o f a dv i c e , n e v e r chance such a t h i n g w i t h any o t h e r m a n . And congr a tu l a t e you r s e l f for the s e n t i m e n t s I h a v e f o r you i n my h e a r t , w h i c h p r o t ect you from a l l d a n ge r . "
" I a m counting on them , " F r a n v a l s a i d r a t h e r s e r i o u sly. "And now, you must a c t as SO I J n a s you c a n . "
" I s h a l l p r e p a r e y ou r w i f e tomo r r o w . . . . I t i s you r feeling t h a t a p r e l i m i n a ry conve r s a t i o n i s r e qu i r e d . . . . Fou r days l a t e r y o u c a n b e s u r e o f m e . "
They exchanged v o w s and t o o k l e a v e o f e a c h o t h e r . B u t a ft e r h i s h o u r w i t h Eugen i e , V a l m o n t h a d n o t the s l i g h t e s t
Eugenie de Franval .. 42 1
desire to seduce M a da m e de Franval or further to a ssure h i s friend o f a conqu e s t o f which h e had become only too enviou s . E u gen i e h a d m a d e such a p r o found impre s s i o n u p o n h i m th a t h e w a s u n a b l e to p u t h e r out o f h i s mind, a n d h e w a s r e solve d to h ave h e r , no m a tter what t h e c o s t , a s h i s wife. Recollecting u p o n the m a tter in t r a n qu i llity, once h e w a s no longer repelle d by the idea o f E u geni e ' s a ff a ir with h e r fa ther, Valmont w a s q u i t e certain t h a t his fortune was equal to that o f C olunce a n d that h e had j u s t as much rig h t to d e m a n d h e r h and i n m a r ri a g e . H e t h e r e f o r e p r esumed t h a t were he to offer h i m s el f as her husband, h e could not b e r e fu s e d . H e also conclu d e d that by a c t i n g z e alously to break Eu gen i e ' s i n c e s tuous bonds, by p romisi n g her fa mily t h a t h e could n o t b u t succeed in such a n undertaking, h e would in evi tably o b t a i n the obj ect o f his devo tion . There would, of cou r s e , b e a duel to b e fought with Franval, b u t Valmont was confident that his courage a n d skill would success fully overcome t h a t o b s t a cl e .
Twenty-fou r hours s u ffi c e d f o r t h e s e refl e c t i o n s , a n d ' tw a s with t h e s e thoughts crowding through his mind t h a t Valmont s e t off to visit M a da m e de Franval. She h a d been in f o r m e d of his impending c all. It will b e r e c a l l e d t h a t in h e r l a s t conve r s a ti o n with her hus b a n d , s h e had a l m o s t become recon c i l e d with h i m ; o r , r a th e r , h aving y i e l de d to the i n s i dious cunning o f this t r a i t o r , s h e was no longer in a p o s i tion t o r e fu s e to s e e Valm o n t . As a n obj ection to such a v i si t , s h e b r o u g h t up t h e rem arks a n d the i d e a s t h a t Franval h a d a d v a n c e d , a n d the l e t t e r s h e h a d shown her ; but h e , w i th s e e m i n g u n c o n c e r n , h a d m o r e t h a n r e a s s u r e d h e r t h a t the s u r e s t w a y o f con vin c i n g p eople th a t t h e r e was a b solu t ely n o thin g to her alle ged a ff air with Valm o n t w a s t o s e e him exactly a s b e f o r e ; to refuse t o do s o , h e a s sured h e r , would only l e n d cre dence to t h e i r su spi c i o n s . The b e s t p r o o f a woman can p r o v i d e of h e r c h a s t i ty, he told h e r , w a s to continue s e e i n g in public the m a n to whom her n a m e h a d b e e n link e d . All t h i s w a s so much sophistry , a n d M a da m e de Fra n val w a s p e r fectly well aware o f i t . S t i ll, s h e w a s h o p i n g for s o m e expl a n a tion from Valmont, and h e r d e s i r e to obtain i t , coupled with h e r d e s ire not to anger h e r h u s b a n d , h a d blinded h e r to all the good r e a s o n s t h a t should n o rm ally h a v e k e p t her from seeing Valmont.
Thus Valmont arriv e d to p a y his call, a n d F r a nv a l qu ickly
4 2 2 .. T H E MAR Q U r S DE SAnE
left them alo n e as h e h a d t h e p revious time : the expl anations and clari fica tions were sure to b e lively a n d long. Valmont, h i s h e a d bursting w i t h the i d e a s w h i c h h a d fi ll e d i t during t h e previo u s twenty-four h o u r s , cut s h o r t the form ali ties and came s traight t o t h e p o i n t .
" O h , M a d am e ! Do n o t think o f m e a s the s a m e m a n w h o , t h e l a s t t i m e h e s a w you, c o n d u c t e d h i m s e l f so gu iltily in y o u r eye s , " he h a s t e n e d to s a y . "The:l I w a s t h e accomplice o f your h u s b a n d ' s wrongdoings ; today I come to r e p a i r t h o s e wrongs. H a v e confi dence in m e , M a da m e , I b e s e ech you to believe my word o f honor t h a t I h a v e come here neither to lie to you n o r to deceive you i n any w a y . "
The n he confessed to t h e forged l e t t e r s and promissory n o t e s a n d a p ologi z e d p r o fusdy f o r h a v i n g a l l o w e d h i m self to b e impli cated i n the a ff a i r . H e warn e d M a d a m e of the new horro rs they had d e m a n d e d o f him, a n d a s a pro o f of his can dor, h e confessed his fe elings for Eugen i e , reve a l e d w h a t had alr e a dy b e e n d o n e , and pledged his w o r d to b r e a k o ff eve rythin g, to abduct Eugen i e from Franval and s p i r i t her away to o n e o f M a d a m e de Farneille ' s e s t a t e s i n Pica rdy, i f b e th t h e s e worthy l a d i e s would grant h i m the p er mis sion to do s o , a n d a s a reward would b e s tow on h i m i n m a r r i a ge the gi rl whom he would thus h a v e rescued from t h e e dge o f t h e abyss.
Valmon t ' s de cl a r a tions and c o n f e s s i ons had such a r i n g of tru th a b o u t them that \1 a da m e de Franval could n o t help bu t b e convin c e d . Valm o n t w a H a n excell ent m a tch f o r h e r daughter. After Eugen i e ' s w r e t c h e d cO l duct, had s h e even a right to exp ect as much ? V a lmont would a s sume the r e s p o n s i b i l i ty for everyth i n g ; t h e r e w a s no o t h e r way to p u t a s top to t h i s fri ghtful crime w h i ch w a s d r i v i n g h e r to d i s t r a c t i o n . Moreover, could s h e n o t fl a tter her self t h a t , once the only a ff a i r w h i c h could really become d a n gero u s b o t h for h e r a n d h e r h u sband h a d been broken o ff , h i s sentiments m i gh t once again b e di rected toward h e r ? This l a s t cons i d e r a ti o n t i p p e d t h e s c a l e s i n f a v o r o f V a l m o n t ' s p l a n , and s h e gave her c o n s e n t , but only on condition t h a t Valmont give her his word not to fi g h t a duel w i t h h e r h u s b a n d and that, a fter h e h a d delivered E u g e n i e into M a da m e de Farn e i lle ' s hands, h e would go abro a d a n d r e m a i n there until Fra nval' s f u ry h a d a b a ted sufficiently t o
Eugenie de Fra nval .. 4 2 3
console h i m s e l f fo r t h e l o s s o f h i s i l l i c i t l o v e a n d fi n ally consent to t h e m a r r i a g e . Va l m ont agreed to everyth i n g ; a n d f o r h e r p a r t , M a da m e d e Franval a s s u r e d h i m o f h e r m o t h e r ' s full co-op e r a t i o n a n d p ro m i s e d t h a t s h e would i n n o w i s e o p p o s e o r o b s t r u c t a n y o f t h e d e c i s i o n s they c a m e to t o g e th e r . Upon w h i c h V a l m o n t l e ft, a ft e r a g a i n apologi z i n g f o r h a v i n g a c t e d so b asely a g a i n s t h e r by p a r t i c i p a t i n g in h e r u n p r i n c i p l e d h u sb a n d ' s schem e s .
M a da m e d e F a r n e i l l e , w h o w a s i m m e d i a tely a p p r i s e d o f t h e a ff a i r, l e ft the foll o w i n g day f o r Pica rdy, a n d Franval, c a u g h t up i n the p e rp e tu a l w h i rlwind o f his pleasures, counting s o l i dly on Valmont and no l o n g e r f e a r fu l of C l e rvil, c a s t h i m s e l f into the trap p re p a r e d f o r h i m w i t h t h e s a m e gui l e l e s s n e s s w h i c h h e h a d so often desired to s e e i n others w h e n , in his turn, h e had b e e n m a k i n g h i s p r ep a r a ti o n s to e nsn a r e them.
F o r a b o u t s i x months E u geni e , who was now just shy of turn i n g seventeen, had b e en g o i n g o u t a l o n e o r i n t h e company of a few o f her female f r i e n d s . On t h e eve of t h e d a y when Valmont, in a c c o r d a n c e wi t h the a r rangements m a d e with her f a t h e r , w a s to l aunch his assault upon M a d a m e de Franval, E u g en i e had gone alone t o s e e a n e w p l a y a t the C o m e d i e. Fran�a i s e . S h e likewise l e f t the th e a t e r alone, having a rr a n g e d to m e e t her father a t a given place from which they were to d r i v e el s e w h e r e to dine together . . . . S h o r tl y a ft e r h e r c a r r i a ge h a d l e f t t h e Faubourg S a i n t- G e rm a i n , ten m a sk e d m e n stopp e d t h e horses, o p e n ed t h e c a r r i a g e do o r , s e i z e d E u gen i e , a n d bundl e d h e r i n to a p o s t c h a i s e b e s i d e V a l m o n t w h o , t a k i n g e v e ry p r e c a u t i o n to k e e p h e r from cryi n g o u t , o r d e r e d t h e p o s t c h a i s e to s e t o ff w i th all p o s s i b l e sp e e d , a n d i n t h e twinkli n g o f a n eye they w e r e o u t o f Pa r i s .
Un fo r tu n a tely, i t h a d b e en i m p o s s i b l e t o g e t r i d o f Eugeni e ' s r e t a i n e r s o r h e r c a r r i a g e , and a s a r e s u l t Franval w a s n o t i fi e d v e ry q u ickly. Valmont, to m a k e a s a fle e s c a p e , h a d counted b o t h o n Franv a l ' s unce r t a inty a s to the route h e would take a n d the two or t h r e e h o u r a dv a n c e t h a t he w o u l d n e c e s s a rily h a v e . I f only h e c o u l d m a n a ge to r e a ch M a d a m e d,e Fa rn e i l l e ' s e s t a t e , t h a t w a s a l l h e wou l d n e e d , f o r f r o m t h e r e t w o trustworthy w o m e n a n d a stage c o a c h were w a i ti n g for E u g en i e to d r i v e her toward the b o r d e r , to a s a n c tu a ry w i th w h i c h even h e was u n f a mi l i a r . M e anwhile, Val m o n t w o u l d go i mm e d i a tely t o Holla n d , returning only to m a r ry
424 .. THE MARQ U I S DE SADE
Eugenie when M a dam e de Fa rneille and her daughter i n formed him there were no furt h e r obstacles. But fate allowed these well l a i d plans to come to gri ef th rough the design s of the horrible scoundrel with whom w e are dealing.
When the n ews n:ached him, Franval did not lose a second. He rushed to the post house and a sked fo r what routes horses h a d b e e n given since six o ' clock t h a t evening. At seven , a traveling coach h a d dep arted for Lyon a t e i ght, a post chaise for Pica rdy. Franval did not hesitate : the co ach for Lyon was certainly o f n o interest to him, but a post chaist: heading toward a province where M a d ame de Farneille had an estate, yes, that was i t : to doubt it would have been m a dness.
H e there fore p romp tly had the eigh t best horses a t the post hitched up to the carri ;; ge in which he w a s riding, ordered s a ddl e s for h i s servants a n d , while t h e horses were being h a rnessed, pur chased and loaded some p istols. And then he set o ff like a n a rrow, drawn by love, desp a i r , and a thirst fo r revenge. When h e stopped to change horses at Senlis , h e l e a rned that the post chaise h e w a s pursuing had only j u s t l e ft . . . . Franval ordered h i s men t o proceed a t top speed. Unfortunately for him, he overtook the post ch a i s e ; both he and his servar ts, with drawn p i s tols, stopp e d Valmont ' s coa c h , and a s s o o n a s t h e impetuous Franval recognized h i s adver s a ry , he blew h i s brains out before Valmont had a chance to de fend himself, s e i z e d Eugen i e , who was faint with fright, tossed her into his own ca rriage, and was back i n Paris b e fore ten o ' clock the following morning. N o t in the l e a s t apprehensive about all that h a d j u s t happened, Franval devoted his full a ttention t o Eugenie . . . . Had the traitorous Vahnont tried to take advantage o f the ci rcum stances ? Was Eugen i e still faithful, and were his guilty bonds still intact and unsullie d ? M a demoiselle de Franval reassured her father : Valmont had c one n o more than reveal his plans to her and, full of hope that h e would soon be hers in marriage, h e re frained from p rofaning the altar whereon h e wished to offer his pure vows.
Franval was reas�,ured by her solemn o a ths . . . . But what about his w i fe ? . . . Wa s she aware of these machinations ? was she involved i n them in any way ? Eugen i e , who h a d h a d ampl e time to info rm herself on thi s m a tter, gu a ranteed that the enti re plot had
Eugenie de Franval + 4 2 5
been t h e wo rk of her mother, upon whom s h e showered the most odious names. She also declared that that fateful meeting between Valmont and her mother, wherein the form e r was, s o Franval thought, p r e p a ring to serve him so well, h a d in fact been the meet ing during which Valmont had moslt shamelessly betrayed him.
"Ah I " said Franval, beside himsel f with anger, "if only he h a d a thou sand lives . . . I would wrench them from him one a fter the other . . . . And my wife I Here I was trying to lull her, and she was the fi rs t to deceive me . . . that creature p eople think so soft and gentl e . . . that angel o f virtu e I . . . Ah, traitor, you female traitor, you will pay dea rly fo r your crime . . . . My revenge calls for blood, and, if I must, I shall draw it with my own lips from your treacherous veins . . . . Do not be upset, Eugen i e , " Franval went on in a state o f great agitation, "yes, calm yourself, you need some rest. G o and take a few hours' rest, and I shall take care o f every thing."
M eanwh i l e M adame de Farneille, who h a d stationed spies along the road, was soon informed o f everything th<J t h a d just happened. Knowing th a t h e r granddaughter h a d been recaptured and Valmont killed, she lost not a moment retu rning to Paris . . . . Furious, she immedia tely called her a dvi sers togethe r ; they pointed out to her that Valmont's murder was going to deliver Franval into her hands, and that the influence she feared was shortl y going to vanish and she would straightway regain control ove r both her daughter and Eugeni e. But they counseled her to avoid a publ i c scandal, and, for fe a r of a degrading trial, to solicit a writ that would put her son-in-l aw out of the way.
Franval was i mmedia tely info rmed of this counsel and of the p roceedings that were being t
' aken as a result. Having l e a rn e d both
that his crime was known and that his mother-in-law was, s o they told him, only waiting to take a dv antage o f h i s disaster, Franval left with all dispatch for Versaill e s , where he saw the Minister and di sclo sed the whole a ff a i r to him. The Ministe r ' s reply was to advise Franval to waste n o time leaving for one o f h i s estates in Alsace, n e a r the Swi s s border.
Franval returned home a t once , having made up his mind not to leave without both h i s wife and his daughte r , for a number of reasons : to make sure he would not miss out on his plans for
4 2 6 + T H E MARQUIS DE SADE
revenge and the pun i s h m e n t he h a d r e s e rv e d fo r his w i f e ' s t r e a s o n , a n d a l s o to be i n p o s s e � s i o n o f h o s t a ge s d e a r enough to M a d a m e d e F a r n e i l l e ' s h e a r t s o t h a t s h e w o u l d n o t d a r e , a t l e a s t politi cally, to i n s t i g a t e actions a g a i n s t h i m . B u t would M a d a m e d e Franval a g r e e t o accomp any h i m to Yalmo r , t h e e s t a te to which the M i n i s te r h a d suggested h e r e t i r e ? F e e l i n g h e r s e l f gu i l ty o f t h a t k i n d o f treason w h i c h had b e e n the cause o f e v e rything which had happened, would s h e b e wil l ing t o l e av e fo r such a distant p l a c e ? Would s h e d a r e to entrust h e rs e l f w i thout fear t o t h e a rm s o f her outraged husband ? Such w e r e the consi d e r a ti on s which w o r r i e d Franva l . To a s c e r t a i n e x a c tl y w h e r e h e s t o o d . F r a n v a l a t once went i n t o s e e h i s w i f e , w h o a l r e a dy knew e ve ry th i n g.
" M a d am e , " h e s a i d to her coldly, "you h a v e plunged m e into an abyss of woe by y , ) u r thoughtless indiscretions. W h i l e I con demn the e ff e c t s , I n o n e t h e l e s s a p p l a u d the c a u s e , which surely stems from y o u r love both for your d a u gh t e r and mysel f. And since the initial wrongs a r e n i n e , I m u s t forget the second. My dear and t e n d e r wi fe , w h o a r t half my l i f e , " h e w e n t o n , f al l i n g to h i s k n e e s , "will you consent to a recon cili a ti o n w h i c h nothing c a n e v e r a g a i n d i s tu rb ? I come h e r e to o ff e r you t h a t reconcil i a ti o n , a n d to s e a l i t h e r e i s w h a t I p l a c e i n � r o u r h a nds . . . . "
So s a y i n g he lays a t h i s w i f e ' s feet all the forged p ap e r s and f a l s e c o r respondence w i th Valmont.
" Bu rn a l l these, my dear friend, I b e s e ec h you , " the t r a i to r w e n t o n , w i th feigned t e a r s , " a n d forgive w h a t j e a l ou sy d r o v e m e t o . Let u s b a n i s h a l l t h i s b i t t e r n e s s b e tween u s . G r e a t a r e m y w r o n g s , th a t I c o n f e s s . B u t w h o k n o w s w h e t h e r V a l m o n t , to a s s u r e t h e s u c c e s s o f h i s p l a m ; , h a s n o t p a inted a n e v e n d a rk e r p i c t u r e o f m e t h a n I t r u l y deserv e . . . . I f h e d a r e d t e l l you t h a t I h a v e e v e r c e a s e d to love you . . . th a t you w e r e o t h e r t h a n the m o s t p recious o b j e c t i n t h e world, a r d t h e o n e m o s t worthy o f respect-ah , my dear angel, i f h e sull i e d h i m s e l f w i t h calumni es such a s t h e s e , then I s a y I h a v e done weI to r i d the world o f such a rogue and im p o s t e r I"
" O h ! M o n s i e u r , " M a d am e de Franval said i n tears, "is it p o s s i b l e even to conceive the a t r o c i t i e s you devi s e d a g a i n s t m e ? How do you e xp e c t me to have t h e l e a s t confidence in you a fter such h o r r o r s ?"
Eugenie de Franval + 4 2 7
"Oh I most tende r and loving o f women, my fondest desire is that you love me still I What I desire i s that, accusing my h e a d alone for the multitude of my sins, you convince yourself that this heart, wherein you reign eternally, h a s ever been incapable o f betraying you . . . . Yes, I want you to know that there i s not one o f my e rrors which has not brought me closer to you . . . . The more I w i thdrew from my dear wife, and the greater the distance between u s became, the more I came to realize how imp ossible i t was to replace her in any realm whatsoever. N either the pleasures nor the sentiments equaled those that my inconstancy caused me to lose with her, and i n the very a rm s o f her image I regretted reality . . . . Oh I my dear, my divine friend, where else could I find a h e a r t such as you rs ? Where else s avor the pleasures one culls o nly i n you r a rms ? Yes, I forsake all my errors, my failings . . . henceforth I wish to live only for you i n this world . . . to restore in you r wounded heart that love which my wrongs destroyed . . . w rongs whose very memory I now abju r e . "
I t w a s impossible f o r M a dame de Franval t o resist such tender effusions on the part o f the man she still adored. I s it possible to hate what one has loved so d e a rly ? Can a woman o f her delicate and sensi tive soul have naught b
' u t cold, unfeeling looks for the
obj ect which wa s once so p recious to her, cast down at her feet, weeping bitter tears of remorse ? She broke down and began to sob . . . .
" I who have never c e a s e d adoring you, you cruel and wicked m a n , " she said, p ressing her husband's hands to her heart, " ' t i s I whom you have wan tonly driven to desp a i r . Ah ! H eaven i s my witness th at of all the scou rges with which you might have a fflicted me, t h e fe ar o f losing your heart, o f being suspected by you, became the most painful of all to bear . . . . And what obj ect do you choose to outrage me with ? . . . M y daughter . . . 'tis with her hands you p i e rc e my heart . . . do you wish to oblige me to hate her whom N a ture has made so dear to me ?"
"Listen to me," Franval said, h i s tone waxing ever more ardent, "I want to bring her back to you o n her knees, humbled, I want her to abj ure, as I have done, both her shamelessness and her sins ; I want h e r to obtain, a s I have, you r p a rdon. Let u s henceforth con cern ourselves, all three of u s , with nothing but our mutual happi-
42 8 + T H E MAR Q U I S DE SADE
ness. I a m go ing to r e turn your daughter to yOU . . . return my wi fe to me . . . and let us fl e e . "
" Fl e e , G r e a t God ] ' " My a dventu re is stirring up trouble . . . tomorrow may
already b e too late . . . . My friends, the Minister, everyone has a dvised me to take a vo:: a ge to Valmor . . . . Ple a s e come with me. my love ! I s it possible that at the very moment when I p rostrate myself b e fore you a skin!� fo r your forgiveness you could break my h e a r t by your r e fusal ?"
"You frighten me . . . . \Vhat, this a dventu re . . . " " . . . i s being treated not a s a duel but as a murde r." "Dear God ] And [ am the cause o f i t ! . . . Give me your
orders, do : dispose of m e a s you will, my dear husband. I am ready to follow you , to the en :l s of the ea rth , i f need be . . . . Ah ! I am the most wretched wom.l.ll alive ! "
" Consider yourself rather the most fortun ate, since every moment o f my l i fe i s henceforth go ing to be dedicated to changing i n to fl o w e r s t h e t h o r n s whi ch i n t h e p a s t I h av e s t rewn in you r p a th . . . . Is a d e s e rt not enough, when two p eople love each oth e r ? Moreover, thi s i s a s i t l a tion which cannot last fo reve r. I have friends who have been a Jprised . . . who a re going to act."
" Bu t my mother . . . I should like to see her. . . . " "No, my love, abo'7e all not that. I have posi tive proof that
'tis she who i s stirring 1 p Valmont's family against m e , and that, wi th them, ' t i s she who s working toward my des truction . . . . "
" S h e i s incapable o f such baseness. Stop imagining such p e r fidious horro r s. Her sOli l , totally disposed towa rd love, h a s never known dece i t . . . . You n ever did appreci ate her, Franval. If only you had l e a rned to l ove her as I do ] In her a rms we both would h ave found true happin � s s on e a rth . She was the angel of peace tha t He aven offered to the errors of your l i fe. Your inj ustice re j ected her proffered hea rt, which was always open to tenderness, and by i n consequcnce or caprice, by ingrati tude or libertinage, you voluntarily tu rned your back on the best and most loving friend that N a ture ever c r e a td for you . . . . Is it true then, you really don' t want m e to see her ?"
"N o . I'm a fraid I must insist. Time i s too preciou s ! You will write her, you will descr . b e my repentance to her. Perhaps she will
Eugtfn ie de Franval .. 429
be moved by my remorse . . . p e rh aps I shall one day win b ack h e r love a n d esteem. T h e s to rm will o n e d a y abate, a n d we shall come b ack to Pa ris, and there, in her a rms, we shall revel in her forgive ness and tenderness . . . . But now, let us be off, dear friend, we mnst be gone within the hour a t most, the carriage awa i ts without . . . . "
Terrified, M a dame de Franval d i d not d a r e raise any further obj ections. She went about her prepar ations. Were not Franval's slightest wishes h e r commands ? The traitor flew b ack to his daugh te r a n d brought h e r back to h e r mothe r. There the false creature throws h e rsel f at h e r mother's feet with full a s much perfidy a s had her f a t h e r . She w e e p s , she implores h e r forgiveness, a n d s h e obtains i t. M a dame de Franval embraces her ; how difficult i t i s t o forget one is a m o t h e r , no m a tter how one's children h a v e sinned against her. In a sensitive soul, the voice of N ature i s so imperious th a t the slightest tear from these sacred obj ects of a mothe r's a ff ection is enough to make h e r forget twenty years o f faults and failings.
They set off for Valmo r. The extreme haste with which this voyage had been prepared j u stified in M adame de Franval's eyes , which were still a s blind a n d credulous a s ever, t h e p aucity o f s e rvants tha t they took along w i t h them. C rime shuns a plethora o f eyes, a n d fears them all ; feeling i t s secu r i ty possible only in the d a rkness o f mystery, i t envelops i tself in s h a dow whenever it de sires to act.
When they reached the country estate, nothing was ch anged, all w a s a s he had p romise d : constant attentions, respect, solicitous care, evidence o f tenderness on the one hand . . . and on the other, the most a rdent love-al l this was lavished on poor M a dame de Franval, who e a sily succumbe d to i t . At the end o f the world, f a r removed from her mother, in the depths o f a terrible solitude, s h e was h a ppy because , a s s h e would s a y , she h a d h e r husband's h e a r t a g a i n a n d because her daughter, constantly a t h e r kn ees, was con cerned solely with pleasing h e r .
Eugen i e ' s room a n d t h a t o f h e r father were n o longer adjoin ing. Franval's room was at the fa r end of the chateau, Eugeni e ' s was n e x t to her mother's. At Valmor , the quali ties o f decency, regularity, and modesty replaced to the utmost degree all the dis orders o f the capital. Night a fter night Franval rep aired to his
43 0 + T H E MAR Q UI S DE S A D E
wi fe ' s room and there, in the bosom o f innocence, candor, and love, the scound rel shameles ;ly dared to nou ri sh her hopes w i th h i s horrors. C ruel enough n,)t to be disarmed by those naive and ardent caresses which the most delicate o f women lavished upon him, i t w a s a t t h e to rch o f lovf i tsel f that the villain lighted t h e torch o f vengeance.
As one can easily magine, however, Franval ' s attentions to ward Eugenie had not di minished. In the morning, while her mother was occupied with her toilet, Eugenie would meet her father at the far end of the garden, and from him she would receive the necess a ry instructions and the fav·)rs which she was far from willing to cede completely to her rival.
No more than a week a fter the i r a rrival in this retreat, Fran val l e a rned that Valmcln t's family was prosecuting him unremit tingly, and that the a ff ai r was going to be dealt with in a most serious manner. I t was becoming difficult, so they said, to pass i t off a s a duel, fo r unfortur ately there had been too many witne sses. Fu rthermo r e , so Franv It was i n fo rm e d , beyond any sha dow o f a doubt M a dame de Fa rn �ille was lea ding the p ack of her son-in-l aw's enemies, her cle a r inten tion being to compl ete his rui n by putting h i m behind bars o r oblig ing him to leave France, and thus to restore to her a s soon a s possibl e the two beloved creatures from whom s h e was presently separated.
Franval showed these missives to h i s wife. She a t once took out p en and paper to cal m her mother, to u rge her to see m a tters in a different l i ght, and to depict for her the happiness she had been enjoying ever since m i s f o rtune had succeeded in moll i fying the soul o f h e r poor husband. Fu rthermore, she a ssured her mother that all h e r efforts to force ler back to Paris with her daughter would be quite in vain, for she had resolved not to leave Valmo r until her husband's difficulti e s had been settled, and ended by saying that i f ever t h e malice o f h i s enemies or the absurdity o f h i s j u dges should cause a w a rrant for his arrest to be issued which was degrading to h i m , she had fully made up her mind to accomp any him into exit<;.
Franval thanked his wife. But having not the least desire to s i t and w a i t for the fa :e that was being p repared for him, he in formed her tha t h e wa:; going to spend some time in Swi tzerland. He would l eave Eugen i e in her care, and he begged both women,
Eugenie de Franval + 43 1
nay m a d e them promise, not to leave Valmor so long as his fate was still in doubt. N o m atter w h a t fate might decide for him, he said, h e would still r e tu rn to spend twenty-four hours with h i s dear wife, to consult w i th h e r a s to the means for r e tu rning to Paris i f nothing stood i n the w ay o r , i f for tune h a d turned against him, for l eavin g to go and live somewhere in s a fety.
Having taken these decision s , Franval, who h a d not for a moment forgotten th a t the sole cause o f h i s m i s fortunes w a s his wife's rash and imprudent plot with Valmont, and who was still consumed with a desire for revenge, sent word to his daughter that h e was waiting for h e r in the remote p a rt o f the park. He locked himself in an isolated summer house with her, and a fter having made her swe a r blind obedi ence to everything h e was going to order h e r to do, he kissed h e r and spoke to h e r in the following mann e r :
"You a re about to lose m e , my daughter, perhaps forever." And seeing tears welling up into Eugeni e ' s eyes : " C alm yourself, my angel, " h e s a i d to h e r , "our futu re happi
ness is in your hands, and in your!; alone. Only you can determine whether we can again find the happiness that once was ours, whether it be in France o r somewhere els,e. You, Eugenie, I trust are as persuaded as one can possibly be th a t your mother is the sole cause o f our m i s fortunes. You know tha t I have not l o s t sight o f my plans for revenge. If I have conce aled these plans from my wife, you have been aware of my reasons and h ave app roved o f them ; in fact ' twas you who helped m e fashion the blindfold with which i t seemed prudent t o cove r h e r eye s . The time h a s come t o act, Eugen i c , the end i s at hand. Y o u r fu tu re peace o f mind and body depends on i t , and what you a r e goi n g to undertake will assure mine forever a s well . You will, I trust, hear m e out, and you a r e too intelligent a girl to be in the least a l a rmed by wh a t I am about to p ropose. Yes, my child, the time h a s come to act, and act w e must, without delay a n d without remorse , and thi s must b e your work.
"Your mother h a s wished to make you miserabl e , she h a s defiled t h e bonds t o which s h e l ays claim, a n d b y so doing s h e h a s l o s t a l l rights t o them. Henceforth she i s n o t only no longer any thing more than an o rdinary woman for you , but s h e h a s even become your worst, you r mortal enemy. Now, the law of N a ture most d e eply graven i n our he a rts is that we must above all r i d our-
43 2 + T H E MAR Q L I S DE SADE
selves, i f w e can, of those who consp i r e against us. This sacred l aw , which constantly moves and insp i res us, does not instill within us the love o f our neighbor as being above the love we owe our selves. First ourselves, then the o thers : th i s is N a tu r e ' s order o f p rogression. Consequer dy, we m u s t show n o respect, no quarter for others a s soon a s they :lave shown that our misfo rtune or our ru in i s the object o f the i r desires. To act d i ff erently, my daughte r, would be to show pre ference for o thers above ourselves, and that would be absurd. Now, l e t me com e to the reasons behind the action 1 shall counsel you to take.
" I am obliged to l e ave, and you know the reasons why. I f I leave you w i th this wo man, Eugen i e , within the space of a month her mother will have enticed her back to Paris, and since, a fter the scandal that h a s just occurred, you can no longer marry, you can rest assured th a t these two cruel p e rsons will gain ascendancy over you only to send you to a convent, there to weep over your weakness and repent o f our p l e a sures. 'Tis your grandmo ther who hounds and pursues me, Eugen i e , ' :i s she who j oins hands with my enem i e s to compl ete my destruction. Can such z e a l , such methods have any purpose other than to -ega in possession of you, and can you doubt that once she has you s 1e will have you confined ? The worse things go with me, the more those who are p ersecuting and tormenting us will grow strong and increasingly influenti a l . Now, i t would be wrong to doubt that, : nwa rdly, your mother i s the brains behind this group, a s it would be wrong to doubt that, once I have gon e , s h e w i l l r e j o i n them. An d yet th i s faction desires m y r u i n only i n o r d e r to make y o u t h e m o s t wretched woman alive. Therefore w e m u s t l o s e n o t i m e i n weakening i t , a n d i t will be deprived o f i t s m o s t sturdy p i l l a r i f you r mother i s removed from i t . Can w e opt for another course o f a ction ? C a n 1 take you with me ? Your mother will be most annoyed, will run back to her mother, and from tha t day on, Eugeni e , we will never know another moment's peace. We will be persecuted and pursued from place to place, no country will have the right t o offe r us a sylum, no refuge on the face o f the e a rth will b e held sacn'd . . . inviolabl e , i n the eyes o f the monsters whose fury will pUrSUi! us. Do you have any idea how far these odious a rms o f despot sm and tyranny can stretch when they have the weight o f gold be 1ind them and are directed by malice ? But
Eugenic de Franval .. 433
with you r mother dead, on the contrary, M adam e d e Farneille, who loves her m o r e th an she loves you and who has acted solely for her sake i n this whole endeavor, seeing her faction deprived o f the only p e rson to whom she w a s really attached in the group , will abandon everything, will stop goading my enemies a n d a rousing them against me. A t th i s j unctu re, one o f two things will happen : e i ther the Valmont incident will be settl e d and we shall b e able to return to P a r i s in s a fety, o r else the case will become more serious, i n which case w e shall b e obl iged to leave France and go to another country, but a t l e a s t we shall b e s a fe from M a d a m e de Farneille ' s machina. tions. But as long as her daughter i s still alive, M a dame de Far neille will have but a single p u rp o s e in mind, and that will be our rui n , because, once again, she beli eves th a t her daughter' s happiness can b e obtained only a t the price o f our downfall.
" N a m a tter from wh a t angle we view our situ a ti o n , then, you will s e e th a t M a dame de Franval i s the constant thorn in the side o f our secu r i ty, and her l o a thsome p r e s ence i s the most certain obstacle to our happiness.
"Eugeni e , Eugeni e , " Franval continu e d warmly, taking his daughte r ' s hands i n his, "my dear Eugen i e , you do l ove me. D o you t h e r e fore consent to lose forever th e person who adores you, for fear o f a n act a s e ssential to o u r interests ? My dear a n d loving Eugeni e , you must decide : you can keep only one of us. You a r e obliged to kill one o f y o u r p a rents, only t h e c h o i c e o f which h e a rt you shall cho ose a s the target o f your d a gger yet remains. E i ther your mother must p e rish, o r else you must give m e up . . . . What a m I saying ? You will have to slit my thro a t . . . . Ala s, could I live wi thout you ? Do you think i t would be possible for me to live with out my Eugeni e ? C ould I endure the memory o f the p l e a sures I have tasted in these arms, these deligh tful p l e a sures that I shall have lost foreve r ? Your crime, Eugen i e , your crime is the same in e i ther c a s e : e i ther you must destroy a mother who loathes you and who lives only to make you unhappy, .or else you must murder a father whose every breath is drawn only for you. Choose, Eugenie, go a h e a d and choose, and if ' t i s I you condemn, then do not hesitate, ungrate ful daughter : show no p i ty when you p i e rc e this heart whose only wrong has been to love you too deeply j strike, and I shall bless
43 4 + T H E MARQ( IS OF. SADE
t h e blows you strike, and wi th my l a s t breath I shall s a y a g a i n how I a d o r e y O U . "
F r a n v a l fell s i l e n t , to h e a r w h a t h i s d a u gh t e r w o u l d r e p l y , bu t s h e s e e m e d to be l o s t in d e e p t h o u g h t . F i n a l l y s h e threw h e r s e l f i n to h e r f a t h e r ' s a rm s .
" O h , y o u , y o u wh'Jm I s h a l l l o v e a l l m y l i fe , c a n y o u d o u b t o f th e c h o i c e I s h a l l m ak e ? C a n you s u s p e c t m y cou r a g e ? A r m m e a t o n c e , a n d s h e who , b y h e r t e r r i bl e d e e d s a n d the t h r e a t s h e p o s e s to y o u r s a fety, i s p r o s : r i b e d w i l l s o o n f a l l b e n e a th my b l o w s . I n s t r u c t m e , F r a n v a l , te I me w h a t to do ; l e a v e , s i n c e y o u r s a fe ty d e m a n d s i t , a n d I s h a : I a c t w h i l e you a r e g o n e . I s h a l l keep you a p p r i s e d of e v e ry th i n g . B u t n o m a tt e r wh a t turn t h i n gs m a y take, o n c e our enemy has b e e n d i sp o s e d o f , d o not leave m e a l o n e i n th i s c h a te a u . . . . C o m e b a c k fo r m e , o r s e n d f o r me to come a n d j o i n you wherever y o u m a y b e . "
" My d a r l i n g d a u g h te r , " s a i d F r a n v a l , k i s s i n g th i s m o n s t e r who h a d shown h e r s e l f to be a n all too a p t p u p i l of h i s s e d u c t i o n s , " I knew t h a t I woul d fi n d i n you a l l the s e n t i m e n t s o f love a n d s t e a d fa s tn e s s o f p u rp o s e n ec e s� a ry to o u r m u t u a l h a p p i n e s s . . . . T ake t h i s box. D e a th l i e s w i t h i n i t s l i d . . . . "
E u g e n i e t o o k t h e f a t a l box a n d r e p e a t e d h e r p r o m i s e s to h e r f a t h e r . Ot h e r d e c i s i on:; w e r e t a k e n : i t w a s d e c i d e d t h a t E u g e n i e w o u l d a wa i t t h e o u t c o m e o f t h e t r i a l , a n d t h a t t h e d e c i s i o n a s to w h e t h e r t h e p roj e c t e d crime wou l d take place o r not would b e d e p e n d e n t u p o n w h e t h f r the d e c i s i o n w a s f o r o r a g a i n s t h e r f a t h e r . . . . They took l e a ve of e a c h o t h e r , Franval went to p ay a c a l l u p o n h i s w i f e , a n d t h e r e c a r r i e d a u d a c i ty a n d d e ce i t so f a r as to inun d ate he r w i th h i s tears, t h e while receiving f r o m th i s he avenly a n g el , w i t h o u t once g i v i n g h i m s e l f aw a y , the touc h i n g c a r e s s e s so full o f c a n d o r w h i c h s h e l a v i s h e d u p on h i m . Then , h a v i n g b e e n given h e r s o l e m n p ro m i s e t h a t s h e w o u l d m o s t a s s u redly r e m a i n i n A l s a c e w i th E u gen i e n o m a t t e r w h a t the ou tcome o f h i s c a s e , the s c o u n d r e l m o u n t e d h i s h o r s e a n d r o d e away, l e a v i n g b e h i n d h i m t h e i n n o c e n c e a n d v i r tu e w h i c h h i s c r m e s h a d sull i e d so l o n g .
Franval p ro c e e d ed to B a s e l , a n d t h e r e p ro c u r e d l o dgings, f o r a t B a s e l h e w a s s a fe from any l e g a l a c t i o n s t h a t m i g h t be i n s t i tuted agains t h i m a n d a t the s a m e t i m e w a s a s close to V a l m o r a s one c o u l d p o s s i bly b e , s o th a t his l e t t e r s m i gh t m a i n t a i n E u g e n i e i n t h e
Eugenic de Fra nval .. 43 5
frame o f mind he desired to keep h e r in while he w a s away . . . . B asel and Valmor were about twenty-five leagues apart, and although the road between them went through the B l a ck Forest, communications were e a sy enough , so that he was able to receive news of his daughter once a week. As a m e a sure of p recaution, Franval brought a n enormous sum o f mon ey with him, but more in p a p e r than in cash. Let us leave him then, getting settled in Swi tzer l an d , and return to h i s w i f e .
N o thing could h a v e b e e n purer o r more sincere t h a n t h i s excel lent woma n ' s intentions. She h a d promised her husband to remain in the country until he h a d given h e r fu rther orders, and nothing in the world could have m a de her change h e r mind, a s she was wont to assure Eugenie every day . . . . Unfo rtuna tely too far removed from her mother to place her trust in this wo rthy woman, still a p a rty to Franval' s injustice-the seeds of w h.ich he nourished by his l etters sent regul a rly once a week-Eu gen i e did n o t fo r a moment enter tain the thought th a t she could have a worse e nemy in the world than her m oth e r . And yet there w a s nothing her mother did not do to try and break down th e invinc ible antipathy th a t this ungrate ful child kept bu r i e d deep i n her h e a rt. She show'ered friendship and caresses on her, she exp ressed tende r satisfaction with her over her husband's fortunate change o f h e art, she even went so far i n her m a n i festations o f gentleness a n d m e ekness a s t o thank Eugenie a t t i m e s and g i v e h e r a l l the c r e d i t for t h e h appy conversion. An d then she would grieve at being the innocent cause of the new calamities that were threa tening Franval ; far from accusing Eugen i e, she put the entire onus on herself and, clasping Eugen i e to her heart, she would t e a r fully a sk her whether she could ever forgive h e r mother . . . . Eugen i e ' s h e a r t remained ha rdened to these angel i c advances, and her p e rverse soul ",'as de a f to the voice o f N a tu r e , for vice had cl osed off every avenue hy which o n e might reach her . . . . Coldly w i thdrawing from her moth e r ' s a rms, she would look a t her with eyes tha t were o ften wild and would say to herself, by way of encouragement : H o w fals e this w o m a n is . . . h o w full of decei t a n d treachery. The d a y she h a d m e abducted she caressed m e i n exac tly the same way. But these unj u s t reproaches were naught but the abominable sophisms with which crime steadies and supports itself whenever i t tries to smother the conscience. M adame d e Franval,
436 .. T H E M A R Q U I S DE S A D E
whose motives i n having Eugenie abducted were her own happiness and peace o f mind, and in the interest o f virtue, had, i t i s tru e , con cealed her plans. But such p retense is condemned only by the gui l ty p a r ty who i s deceived by i t , and in no wise offends p robity. Thus Eugen i e resisted all her moth e r ' s proffered tenderness because she wanted to commit a n ltroci ty, and not in the least because o f any wrongs on the p a r t o f < mother who h a d surely committed none with regard to h e r .
T o w a r d the end o f the first m o n t h o f their s t a y a t Valmor, M adame d e Farneille wrote to her daughter that her husband's case was becoming increasi:1gly s erious and that, in view of the f e a r o f an unfavorable decisic n b y t h e c o u r t , the r e turn of b o t h M a dame de Franval and Eugerie had become a matter o f urgent necessity, not only to make an impression on the publ i c , which was spreading the worst kind o f gos , i p , but also to j oin forces with h e r and to gether seek some sort of a rrangement that might be able to disarm the fo rces of justice, a nd answer for the culprit wi thout sacrificing him.
M a dame de Fra wal, who had resolved not to conceal any thing from her daught e r , immedia tely showed her this letter. Sta
' r
ing coldly a t her mot 'l e r, Eugen i e a sked h e r evenly what she in tended to do i n vi ew of this sad news ?
"I don ' t know , " M a dame de Franval replied. " B u t the fact is I wonder what good we are doing here ? Would we not be serving my husban d ' s interests far better by taking my mother's advice ? "
" 'Tis you who are in full charge, M a dam e , " Eugen i e repl i e d . " My r o l e i s to obey, a n d y o u m a y rest assured o f m y obedience . "
But M adame de Franval, clea rly s e e i n g from t h e c u r t manner o f her daughte r's repl y th a t sh e wa s dead set against i t , told h e r th a t s h e w a s going t o wait, th a t s h e would write again , a n d that Eugen i e could b e quit!: sure th a t i f ever she were to fail to follow Franval ' s intentions, it woul d only b e when she was completely certain that she could serve him b e tter i n Paris than a t Valmor.
Another month passed in this manner, du ring wh i ch Franval continued to write both to his wi fe and daughter, and from whom he received l e tters that could not help but please him, since h e saw in tho s e from his w i fe naught but the most p erfect acquiescence to h i s every desire, and i:1 those from h i s daughter a n unwavering de-
Eugeni e de Franval + 437
terminatio n to c a r ry o u t the proj ected c r i m e as s o o n a s the turn of events r e q u i r e d it, or whenever M a d a m e d e Franval seemed on t h e verge of complying with her m o t h e r ' s s o l i c i t a t i o n s .
F o r , a s E u g e n i e n o t e d i n o n e o f h e r l e t t e r s , " I f I s e e i n y o u r w i f e n a u g h t but the qu a l i t i e s o f h o n e s ty a n d c a n d o r , a n d i f t h e friends w o r k i n g o n your c a s e i n P a r i s succ e e d i n b r i n g i n g i t to a h ap p y conclu s i o n , I shall turn OVf: r to you t h e t a sk you h ave en t ru s t e d m e and you can accompl i s h i t you r s e l f when w e are togeth e r , i f you d e e m i t a d v i s a b l e t h e n . B u t o f c o u r s e i f you s h o u l d i n any c a s e o r d e r m e t o act, and should find it i n d i sp e n s a bl e t h a t I do s o , then I s h a l l a ssume t h e f u l l r e s p o n s i b i l i ty f o r i t by mys e l f , o f t h a t you m a y b e su r e . "
In h i s reply, Franval approved o f e v e rything s h e reported to h i m , a n d t h e s e w e r e the l a st two l e tters he r e c e i v e d a n d sent. The following mail brought h i m n o more. Franval grew worried. And w h en the succeeding mail p ro v e d e q u a lly u n s a t i s factory, h e grew desp e r a t e , a n d since h i s n a tu r a l re stl e ssness n o longer allowed h i m to w a i t f o r fu r t h e r m a i l s , h e i m m e d i a tely d e c i d e d to p a y a p e r sonal v i s i t to V a l m o r to ascertain the reasons for the delays i n t h e m a i l s th a t w e r e u p s e tting h i m so crueliy.
H e s e t o ff on h o r s e b a c k , followed b y a f a i thful v a l e t . H e h a d calcul a t e d h i s voy a g e to a r rive th e s e c o n d day, l a t e e n o u g h a t n i g h t n o t to b e r e c o gn i z e d by anyon e . At t h e e dge o f t h e w o o d s which surrounds t h e Valmo r chateau a n d which, t o the east, j oi n s t h e B l a ck Fore st, s i x well- a r m e d m e n stop p e d F r a n v a l a n d h i s s e rvant a n d d e m a n d e d the ir money. T h e s e r o g u e s had b e e n well i n fo rmed ; they knew w i t h whom they w e r e d e a l i n g a n d w e r e fully a w a r e t h a t F r a n v a l , b e i n g im pl i c a t e d i n a n u np l e a s a n t a ff a i r , n e v e r traveled without his paper money a n d i m m e n s e amounts o f gold . • • . The s e r v a n t resisted, a n d w a s l a i d o u t l i fel e s s at t h e f e e t o f h i s h o r s e . Franva l , d r a w i n g h i s swo rd, l e a p t to t h e ground and a t t a cked these scu rvy c r e a tu r e s . H e wounded three o f them , but found himself surrounded by t h e o th e r s . They s t r i p p e d h i m o f e v e rythi n g h e had, without howe ve r b e i n g a b l e to disarm h i m , a n d a s soon as they had d e s p o i l e d h i m t h e t h i e v e s escaped. Franval followed t h e m , but the b r i gands had v a n i s h ed s o swi ftly w i th their b o o ty a n d h o r s e s t h a t it w a s impossible to tell i n which di rection they had gone .
The w e a t h e r th a t n i g h t w a s m i s e r a b l e . T h e cutting b l a s t o f t h e
43 8 .. THE MARQUm DE SADE
north wind w a s accomp anied by a driving hail-all the elements seemed to b e conspiring against thi s poor wretch. There are perhaps cases in which N a ture, r evolted by the crimes o f the person s h e is pursuing, desires to ove rwhelm him with all the scourges at Her command before drawinl� him back again i n to her bosom . . . . Fran val, h a l f-naked but still holding onto his sword, d i rected his foot steps as best he coul d a way from this balefu l place, and toward Valmor. B u t a s h e was il l-acqu ainted with this estate, which he had visi t e d only the one tim,! we have seen him there, he lost h i s w ay on the d a rkened roads o f this forest with which he was totally unfami l i a r . . . . Compl e tely exhausted, and racked by p a i n and wo rry, tormented by th,! storm, h e threw himself to the ground ; and there the fi rst tears h e h a d ever shed in his l i fe flowed abun dantly from his eyes . . . _
" Ill-fated man," h(� cried out, "now is everything conspi ring to crush me at l a s t . ' . . to make me feel the pangs of remo rse . I t took the h a n d o f disas ter t o p i e rce m y h e a rt. Deceived b y the b l a n d i s h m e n t s o f g o o d f o r tun e , I shou l d h ave a l w a y s gone o n f a i l i n g to recogn i z e i t . Oh :'ou , whom I have outraged so grievously, you who a t this very moment are perhaps becoming the victim o f my fury and b a rbarous 'Jlans, you my adorable wife . . . does the world, vaingl o rious o f )'our existence, still possess you ? Has th e h a n d of He aven put a stop to my horrors ? . . . Eugeni e ! my too credulous daughter . . . too b asely seduced by my a b o m i n a b l e cun ning . . . has N a ture softened your heart ? . . . Has she suspended the cruel effects o f my ascendancy and your weakness ? I s there still time ? I s there still time, Just Heaven ? . . . "
Suddenly the p l a intive a n d maj estic sound o f several pealing bells, rising s a dly heave nward, came to add to the horror o f his fate . . . . H e was deeply a ffected . . . h e grew terrified . . . .
"What i s this I h ea r ?" h e cried out, getting to his feet. " B a r barous daughter . . . is i t death ? . . . is it vengeance ? . . . Are the Fu ries of hell come then to finish their work ? D o these sounds announce to m e . . . ? ' Where am I ? Can I hear them ? . . . Finish, o h H e aven , finish the ta� k o f destroying the culpri t . . . . "
And, p rostrating himsel f : "Almi ghty God, su ffer m e to j oi n my voice to those who at
this moment a r e implor ing Thee . . . s e e my remorse and Thy
Eugen ie de Franval + 439
power, and p a rdon me fo r di sowning Thee. I beseech Thee to grant me this p r aye r , the first prayer I d a r e to di rect a t Thee I Supreme B ei n g, preserve virtue, p rotect h e r who was Thy most beauti ful i m a ge on this e a rth . I pray th a t these sounds, these mournful sounds, may not be those I fe a r and d r e a d . "
A n d Franval , completely dis traught, no l o n g e r aware o f what h e was doing nor where h e was going, his speech but a n incoherent mumble , followed wha tever path he chanced across . . . . H e h e a r d someone . . . he regained control o f h i m s e l f and listened . . . . I t w a s a man on h orseback.
"Whoever you a r e , " Franval called out, advancing toward th is man, "whoever you may be, t ake p i ty on a poor wretch whom p a i n and sorrow has rendered distraught. I am r e a dy to take my own l i fe . . . . I nstruct me, help me, i f you are a man, and a man o f any compassion . . . deign t o save m e from myself."
"Good God I " rep l i e d a voice too well-known to p o o r Franval. "vVhat ! You h e r e ? . . . For the sake o f all that is holy, leave, go away I "
An d C l e rvil-fo r ' twas h e , this worthy mortal, who had escaped from Franval's prison, whom fate h a d sent towa rd this miserable creatu r e i n the s a ddest moment o f his l i fe-Cl e rvil j umped down off his horse and fell into the a rms o f his enemy.
"So 'tis you, Monsieur," Franval s a i d , cl a sping the honorable m a n to his breast, "you upon whom I h ave wrought s o m any hor rible acts which weigh so heavily on my conscience ? "
" Calm yoursel f, M o n s i e u r , you must c a l m yourself. I put away from me all the misfortunes that have recently surrounded me, nor do I remembe r those which you wished to inflict upon me when H e aven a l lows me to serve you . . . and I am going to b e of s e rvice to you , Monsieur, doubtless in a manner which will be r a th e r cruel, but necess a ry . . . . Here, l e t u s sit down a t the foot o f this cypress, for now i ts sinister boughs alone shall be a fi tting wreath fo r you . Oh, my dear Franval, what reverses o f fortune I must acqu a i n t you w i th ! . . . vVecp , my friend, for t e a r s will relieve you, and I must cause even more bitter tears t o flow from your eyes . . . . Your days of delight are over . . . they h ave vanished a s a dream. And all you h ave left to you are days of sorrow and gri e f . "
"Oh, Monsieur, I understand y o u . . . tho se bells . . . "
440 + THE MARQ U S DE SADE
"Those bells a r e bearing the homage, the prayers o f the i n habi tants o f Valmor t o the feet o f Almighty God, for He h a s allowed them t o know a n angel only so t h a t they might p i ty a n d mourn her all t h e more "
At which point Franval, placing the tip of his swo rd at his heart, was about to cut the frail thre a d o f his days, but Cl ervil fore stalled this desp e r a t e act :
" N 0, n o , my frien d , " h e cried, " 'tis not death that i s n e e ded, but rep a r a ti on. H e a r what I have to s ay, I have much to tell you , and to tell i t , an atmosp h e re o f calm is required."
"Very well , Mons i eur, speak. I am listening. Plunge the dag ger by slow degrees into my hea rt. I t is only just that he who h a s t r i e d to torment other! should i n his turn be oppressed."
" I shall be brief a s regards myself, M onsieur," Clervil said. "After several months o f the frightful detention to which you sub j ected me, I was fortu n a te enough to move my gua r d to p i ty. I strongly a dvised him meticulously to conceal the injustice which you committed r ega rding m e . H e will not reveal it, my de a r Franval, he will never reveal that s ecret. "
"Oh, Monsieur . . . " "Hear me out. I r �peat that I have much to tell you. Upon my
return to Paris I l e a rned o f your sorry a dventure . . . you r depar tu re . . . . I shared M a dame de Farneille's tears, which were more sincere than you ever believed. Together with th i s worthy l a dy, I consp i r e d to p e rsuade \1 a dame de Franval to bring Eugenie back to u s , her p r esence behg more necessa ry in Paris than i n Alsace . . . . You had forbidden h e r to leave Valmor . . . she obeyed you. She apprised u s o f the s e orders and o f h e r reluctance to contradict them. S h e hesitated a s long a s she could. You were found guilty, Franval , a n d the sentence still stands. You have been sentenced to death a s gu ilty o f a h i ghway murder. Neither M a dame de Far neille's entreaties n o r t he efforts of you r family and friends could alter the decision o f jmtice : you have been worsted . . . dishonored forever . . . you a r e ruined . . . all you r goods and estates have been seized . . . . " ( And i n response to a second, violent movement on Franval's p a r t : ) "Listen to me, Monsieur, h e a r me out, I say, I demand this of you in expi a tion o f your crime s ; I demand it too i n the name o f Heaven, which m a y still be moved t o forgiveness by
Eugenie de Franval .. 44 1
you r repe nta nce . At t h i s t i m e we w r o t e to M a da m e de Franval to a pp r i s e h e r o f a l l t h i s : h e r m o t h e r i n f o r m e d h e r t h a t , as h e r p res enc e had b e c o m e absolutely i n d i s p e n s a b l e , s h e w a s sending m e to V a l m o r to p e r s u a d e her once and for all to r e tu r n t o Pa r i s . I s e t o ff imme d i a tely a ft e r t h e l e t t e r w a s p o s t e d , b u t u n f o r tu n a tely i t r e a c h e d V a l m o r b e fo r e m e . W h e n I a r r i v e d , i t w a s a l r e a dy too l a t e ; your h o rrible p l o t h a d succe e d e d only t o o well ; I foun d M a da m e d e F r a n v a l dyi n g . . . . O h , M o n s i e u r , w h a t b a s e , w h a t f o u l villainy I . . . B u t I am touch e d by your a bj e c t s t a t e , I shall r e frain from r e p r o a c h i n g you any further f o r you r crimes. L e t m e tell you eve ry thing. Eugeni e was u n a b l e to b e a r the sight, and when I a r rived h e r r e p e n t a n c e w a s a l r e a dy exp r e s s e d by a fl o o d o f t e a r s and b i t t e r sobs . . . . O h , M on s i e u r , h o w c a n I d e s c r i b e to y o u t h e c r u e l e ff ec t o f t h i s v a r i e d sce ne . Y o u r w i f e , d i s fi gu r e d by convu l s i o n s o f p a i n , w a s dyin g . . • . E u g en i e , h a v i n g b e en r e cl a i m e d b y N a tu r e , w a s u t t e r i n g frightfu l c r i e s , con f e s s i n g h e r gu i l t , invoking d e a th , w a n t i n g to k i l l h e rs e l f , in turn f a l l i n g a t the f e e t o f t h o s e whom s h e w a s implo r i n g a n d f a s tening h e r s e l f to the b r e a s t o f h e r m o t h e r , trying d e s p e r a tely to r e v i v e h e r w i t h h e r own b r e a t h , to w a rm h e r w i t h h e r t e a r s , to m o v e h e r by t h e spectacle o f h e r r e m o r s e ; such, Monsieur, was t h e s i n i s t e r scene that s truck my eyes when I a r rived a t V a l m o r .
"When I entered th e h o u s e , M a d a m e d e F r a n v a l recogn i z e d m e . S h e p r e s s e d m y h a n d s i n h e r s , w e t t h e m w i t h h e r t e a r s , a n d u t t e r e d a few w o r d s which I h a d g r e a t d i ffi culty h e a r i n g , f o r t h ey c o u l d sca rcely e s c a p e from h e r c h e s t which w a s constricted from the e ff e c t s o f t h e p o i son. S h e forgave you . . . . S h e impl o r e d H e a v e n ' s f or give ne s s for y o u , a n d a b o v e a ll s h e a sk e d f o r h e r daughte r ' s forgiveness . . . • S e e t h e n , ba rbarous m a n , t h a t t h e fi n a l thoughts, the final p ra y e r s of t h i s w o m a n whose heart you broke a n d w h o s e v i r t u e you v i l i fi e d w e r e y e t f o r your h a p p i n e s s .
" I gave h e r e v e ry c a r e I could, a n d revive d the fl a gg i n g s p i r i t s o f t h e s e rvants to d o t h e s am e , I c a l l e d upon t h e m o s t c e l eb r a te d p r a c titioners o f m e d i c i n e a v a i l a b l e • • • a n d I employed all m y resources to c o n s o l e y o u r Eugeni e . Touched by the t e r r i b l e s t a t e s h e w a s i n , I felt I h a d n o r i g h t to refuse h e r my conso l a ti o n s . B u t n o t h i n g succee d e d . Y o u r p o o r w i f e gave u p the gho s t a m i d such convul s i o n s and torments as are i m p o s s i b l e to d e s c r i b e . At t h a t
442 .. T H E MARQ'JIS D E SADE
fatal moment, Monsif�ur, I w i tn e s s e d one o f the sudden e ffects o f r emorse which till thf'n h a d b e e n unknown t o m e . Eugen i e threw h e rs e l f on h e r mother and d i e d a t the s a m e moment a s she. 'rVe a l l thought s h e h a d m e re:.y f a i n t e d . . . • N o , all h e r facu l t i e s w e r e e x t i n gu i s h e d . The s i tu a t i o n h a d p roduced such a shock to h e r v i t a l o rga ns t h a t t h e y h a d dl c e a s e d si mul tan eously t o funct i o n , a n d s h e a c tu a lly d i e d f r o m th e vi olent impact o f r e m o r s e , g r i e f , a n d de s p a i r . • . • Yes, Monsieur, both a r e lost to you. And the bells w h i c h y o u y e t h e a r p e a l i n g H e c e l e b r a t i n g simultaneou sly t w o c r e a t u r e s , both o f whom w e r e b o > r n to make you h appy, w h o m you r h i de o u s c r i m e s h a v e m a d e t h e v i c t i m s o f the i r a ttachment to y o u , a n d w h o s e b l o o dy i m a g e s w i l l pu rsue you to y o u r grave.
" O h , my dear Franval , w a s I w r o n g then i n t i m e s past to try a n d s a v e you from the a b y s s into w h i c h your p a s s i o n s w e r e p l u n g i n g you 7 W i l l you s t i l l condemn , s t i l l cove r w i t h r i d i cu l e t h e v o t a r i e s o f v i rtue 7 A n d a r e v i rtu e ' s d i s c i p l e s w r o n g to b u r n i n c e n s e a t i t s a l t a r s w h e n t h e y s e e c r m e s o s u r r o u n d e d by t r o u b l e s a n d s c o u r g e s 7"
C l e rvil fe l l s i l ent, He gl a n c e d at F r a n v a l a n d s a w th at h e w a s p etrifie d w i th s o r row. His eyes w e r e fixed a n d from them t e a r s w e r e fl o w i n g , but no e xp r e s : ; i o n m a n a g e d to c r o s s h i s l i p s . C l e rv i l a s k e d h i m why h e h a d foune h i m i n t h i s h a l f-naked s t a t e . I n t w o w o r d s , F r a n v a l r e l a t e d to h i m wh a t h a d h a p p e n e d .
"Ah , M o n s i e u r , " c r i e d t h e g e n e r o u s C l e rv i l , "how h a p p y I a m , even in t h e m i d s t of a l l t h e h o r r o r s which su r ro u n d m e , to be able a t l e a s t to ease your s i tu a ti o n . I was o n my way to B a s e l i n s e a rch o f you , I w a s €;o i n g to a c qu a i n t you w i th a l l t h a t h a d h a p p e n e d , I w a s g o i n g t o o ff e r you the l i ttle I p o s s e s s . . . . Take i t , I b e g you to . As you know, I am n o t rich , but h e r e a r e a hun d r e d louis, my l i fe ' s s a v i n g s , t h e y a r e a l l I own. I d e m a n d t h a t you . . . "
" O h noble a n d g en e r o u s m a n , " Franval c r i e d , e m b r a c i n g t h e k n e e s o f th a t r a r e a r d h o n o r a b l e f r i e n d , " w h y m e 7 D o I n e e d anything, a ft e r t h e l o s s e s I h a v e s u ff e r e d 7 And f r o m you , y o u w h o m I h a v e t r e a t e d so m i s e rably, ' t i s you who fl y to my h e l p . "
" M u s t w e r e m e m b e r p a s t wrongs when m i s fortune over whe l m s h i m who has done th e m to u s 7 When t h i s h a p p e n s , t h e only revenge w e owe i s to a ll e v i a te his suffering. A n d w h a t point i s t h e r e i n a d d i ng t o h i s gri e f w h e n h i s h e a r t i s b u r d e n e d w i t h h i s o w n r e p r o a c h e s 7 . . . M o n s i e u r , t h a t i s t h e v o i c e o f N a tu r e . Y o u c a n s e e
Eugenie de Fran'IJal + 443
tha t the sacred cult of a Sup reme B eing does not run counter to i t a s y o u h a d supp osed, since t h e counsel o ff e r e d b y the o n e i s naught but the holy writ o f the other."
"N 0, " said Franva l , getting to his feet, "no, M onsieur, I no longer have need for a nything a t all. Since Heaven h a s left me this one l a s t possession," he went on, di splaying his sword, "teach me wh a t use I must put i t to . . . . " ( Looking a t the sword : ) "Th i s , my dear, my only friend, this is th e same sword that my saintly wife seized one day to plunge into her breast when I was overwhelming her with horrors and calumnies . . . . 'Tis the very same . . . . Per- haps I may even di scover traces of her sacred blood on it . . . blood which my own must efface . . . . Come, let us walk awhile, until we come to some cottages wherein I may info rm you o f my l a s t wishe s . . . a n d then w e shall take leave o f each other forever . . . . "
They began walking, keep i n g a look out for a ro a d that would lead them to some h abita tion . . . . N ight still enveloped the forest in its d a rkest veils. Suddenly the sound o f mournful hymns was heard, and the men saw several torches rending the dark shadows and lending the scene a tinge o f h o rror t h a t only sensi tive souls will understand. The pealing o f bells grew louder, and to these mou rn ful accents, which were still only scarcely audible, were j oined fl a shes of l i ghtning, which had h i therto been absent from the sky, and the ensuing thunder which mi ngled with the funereal sounds they had p reviously h e a rd . The lightning which fl ashed across the ski es, occa sionally eclipsing the sinister flames o f the torches, seemed to be vyi ng w i th the inhabitants o f the e a rth fo r the right to conduct to her grave this wom an whom the p rocession was accomp anying. Everything gave r i s e to horror, everything be to kened desol ation, and it seemed that N a ture hersel f h a d donned the garb o f eternal mourning.
"\Vh a t is this ?" said Franval , who was deeply moved. "Nothing, nothing," C l e rvil said, taking his friend's hand and
l e a ding him in another direction. "N othing ? No, you're misleading me. I want to see what it
. " I S . . . .
He dashed forward . . . and saw a coffin. " M e rciful Heaven , " h e cried. "There she i s ; I t I S she, i t I S
she. God has given me one l a s t occasion to see h e r . . . . "
444 .. T H E MARQ U I S DE S A D E
At the bidding of C l ervil, who saw th a t it was impossible to calm the poor man down , the priests departed in sil ence . . . . Com p l e tely di straught, Franv al threw himself on the coffin, and from it h e s e i z e d the sad rema i n s of the woman whom h e had so gravely offended. He took the body i n his a rm s and l a i d it a t the foot of a tree, a n d i n a state o f deliriu 11 threw himself upon it, crying i n utter despa i r :
"Oh you whose l i f e has been snu ffed out by my b a rba rous cruelty, oh tou ching crea tu re whom I still adore, s e e a t your feet your husband beseeching :lOu r p a rdon and you r forgiveness. Do not i m a gi n e th a t I a sk this i n order to outlive you . N o , no, 'tis i n order that the Almi ghty, touched by you r virtues, might deign to forgive m e a s you have done, if sllch be possible . . . . You must have blood, my swe et wife, you must have blood to be avenged . . . and avenged you shall b e . . . . Ah I fi rs': see my tears and witness my repentance ; I intend to follow you , bdoved shade . . . but who will receive my tortu r e d soul i f you do not intercede fo r i t ? Rej ected alike from the arms of God and fro m your h e a r t , do you wish to s e e i t con demned to th e h i d e ou s :ortu r e s o f Hell when i t is so sincerely repentant of i ts crimes ? Fo rgive , dear soul , forgive these crimes, and see how I avenge the m . "
W i th these words :;'ranval , eluding C l e rv i l ' s g a z e , plunged the swo rd he was holding twice through his body. His impure blood flowed onto his victim a:ld seemed to sully her much more than avenge h e r .
" O h m y fri end," h e s a i d to Clervil, " I am dying, but I a m dying i n the b o s o m o f remorse . . . . App r i s e t h o s e who remain behind both of my deplorable end and o f my crimes, tell them that is the way that a man who i s a miserable slave o f his passions must die, a man vile enough to h ave stifled in his heart the cry o f duty and o f N a tu r e . Do not d �ny m e h a l f of my wretched wife's co ffi n ; without my remorse I would not h ave been wo rthy o f sharing it, b u t now my remorse renders m e full worthy o f t h a t favor, and I demand i t. Adi e u . "
C l e rvil granted p o o r Franva l ' s dying wish, and the procession continu ed on i ts way. An eternal r e fuge soon swallowed up a hus b a n d and wi fe b o rn to ave each other, a couple fashioned for happiness and who would have savored it in its purest form i f crime
Eugen ie de Franval *' 445
and its frightful disorders had not, beneath the guilty hand of one of the two , intervened to change t h e i r li fe from a garden of deligh t into a viper's nest.
The wo rthy ecclesia stic soon carried back to Paris the frightful details o f these different calamities. No one was distressed by the death of Franval ; only his l i fe had been a cause o f gri e f . B u t h i s wi fe was mourned, bitterly mourned. A n d i n d e e d w h a t creature i s m o r e precious, more appealing i n t h e eyes o f m e n t h a n t h e p e rson who has cherished, respected, a nd cultivated the virtues of the e arth and, at each step of the way, has found naught but m i s fo r tune and gri e f ?
Justine, or good {9onduct 'Well {9hastised
(1791)
Th e m o s t fam o us of all Sade ' s w o rks is the n ove l J u s t i n e . I t is als o p r o bably t h e O nt� h e care d m o s t ab o u t-Sade dedicated it to t h e faithful c o mpanion of t h e las t twenty five y ears of his exis tence, Marie-Cons tance Quesne t . I t was als o the b o o k which caused him the m o s t difficulty wi th the au t h o ri ties during his life tim e .
Sade finis hed t h e firs t draft of t his "philo s o p hical nove l" w hile he was a pris oner in the Bas tille . Working unin terrup te dly over the two -week peri o d fro m June 23 to July 8, 1 787, in his cell ill t h e "Sec o n d Liberty , " Sade co mpleted the hundred-and- t hirty -eigh t-page m anus crip t, which h e en ti tled Les I n f o r t l.l n e s de la V e r t u . O riginally in tended t o b e c o m e a par t of the v o lu m e h e was then prepar ing, C o n t e s et fabl i aux du X V I I I" s i e c l e , t his "firs t Ju s t i n e" underwe n t c o n siderable revisi o n in the c o urse o f t h e fo ll o w ing y e ar, and Sade s o o n determined to s trike it fro m his lis t of tales and make it a w o rk u n t o itself.
Writing t o his lawyer-frien d R einaud o n June 1 2, 1 7 9 1 , a lit tle m o re than a y ear after the R evo lu tio tzary govern m e n t had rendered h i m his liberty, Sade n o ted : "A t t h e m o m e n t a n o ve l of mine is b eing printed, b u t it is a w o rk t o o im m o ral to be sen t to s o pious and s o de cent a man as y o urself. 1 needed m o ney, my p u b lis her said that h e wan ted i t well s p i c e d , and 1 gave i t t o him fi t t o plague the devil him self . I t is called Justine, or Good C o n duct Well C h a s t i s e d . Burn i t a n d do n o t r e a d it, i f perchance i t falls in t o y o ur hands . I am disclaiming the au t h o rs hip . . . . "
In fac t, t h e origin a l e diti o n of Justine-the au t h o r' s firs t w o rk p u b lis h e d during h i s life time-did no t bear his
+4 9
n a m e . Prin t e d in Pari s , c h e z G i r o u ard1 o n t h e r u e du B o u t du-M o n de , J u s t i n e ji.-s t a p p e a r e d in two o c tavo v o lu m e s , 'll.'i t h a fro n ti s p i e c e dt p i c t i n g F i r t l l e b e t w e e n L i c e n t i o u s n e s s a n d Irrelig i o n , a n d a ( t h e p lace o n t h e ti t le p a g e g e n era lly r e s e rv e d f o r t h e p u o li s h e r ' s i m prin t t h ere a p p e a r e d t h e v a g u e des crip t i o n : I n H o l l a n d , A t Asso c i a t e d B o oks e l l e r s .
JF h a t o f t h e a d m is s i o n by t h e a u t h o r t h a t h e wro t e t h e n o v e l t o o rder ? T h i s , as L e ly p o i n ts o u t, s e e m s h a rdly lik e ly . Firs t, t h e g e i u r a l o u t li n e a n d s o m b e r p e s s i m i s m o f t h e 1 7 9 1 J u s t i n e w e r e already evide n t i n t h e 1 78 7 v e r s io n . S e c o n d, t h e n o v e l d o e s jigure in t h e C a t a l o g u e r a i sonne w h i c h S a d e h i m s e lf d re w up r o u g h ly t h r e e y e ars b ef o r e i t s p u b li c a t i o n . A n d jin a l. 'y-p e r h a p s t h e m o s t c o n v i n c i n g a rgu m e n t o f all-S a d e dt dica t e d t h e n o v e l, as we h a v e n o t e d, to h i s d e a r fri e n d M ar i e - C o n s t a n c e Q u es n e t, atl i n di c a t i o n t h a t he h i m s e lf v a lu e d t h e w o r k h i g h ly , well u n ders t o o d i ts im p o r ta n c e , a n d w o u ld n ev e r h av e dared c o mpro m i s e t h e m eri t o f t h e w o r k by s p i c i n g i t t o s u i t t h e p u b li s h er's tas te .
"Will i t n o t be felt," wri tes S a d e in h i s dedica t i o n , " t h a t F i r t u e , h o w eve r b e a u tiful, b e c o m e s t h e w o rs t o f a ll p o s s i b le a t ti t u d e s w h e n i t is f o u n d t o o f e e b l e to c o n t e n d w i t h F i c e a n d t h a t , i 1 ! a n e n tirely c o rru p t e d a g e , t h e s afes t c o u rs e is to f o l l o w tl. e o th ers ?" If t h i s be t h e i m p r e s s i o n , s ay s S a d e , i t i s wro n g : t h i s w o rk is i n t e n d e d t o c o m b a t s l l c h "dan g e r o u s s o p h i s tr i e s , " s ti c h "fa ls e p h i l o s o p h y , " a n d s h o w h o w F i r t u e affli c t e d - n ay turn a t h o r o u g h ly depraved a n d c o rrup t s p i r i t wh erei 'l t h e r e y e t r e m a i n a f e w g o o d p r i n cip les, b a c k t o ward t h � p a t h o f righ t e o u s n e s s .
D u ri n g t h e d e c a de fo llo w i n g i ts p u b lica t i o n , J u s t i n e w e tl t t h r o u g h six p ri r. t i n g s ( o n e o f w h i ch , a c t u a lly d o n e i n Paris, b o re as t h e u n li k e ly p l a c e o f p u b l i c a t i o n : "Ph i ladel p h i a" ) , e lo q u e n t t es t i m o ny to i t s e a rly p o p u la r i ty . D o u b t less p r o m p t e d by i t s S ' J c c e s s , an e n t e rpris i n g Paris p u b li s h e r, N i c o l a s }'1 a s s e, b r o u p h t o u t, in 1 7 9 7, t h e m o n u m e n t a l t e n 'V o ili m e w o rk e n titlec: La N o u v e l l e J u s t i n e . . . s u i v i e de l ' H i s t o i r e de Jul i e t t e , s a s o e u r , w h i c h was f r e ely o ff e r e d , a t
1 Girouard 'W a s later t o perish, u nder t h e R e i g n 0/ T err o r, o n J a n uary 8, 1794.
4 5 0
leas t for a y ear fo llowing i ts pu b lica tion, in the leading Paris bookstores. The n, in the waning two years of the eigh teenth cen tury, s e arches and s e izures began, e n ding with the arres t, on March 6, 1 8 0 1 , o f the man who was purp orted t o be, b u t adam a n t l y denied he was, the author of b o th works. O n t h a t day, b o th Sade a n d Masse were arres ted o n the la tter's prem ises. A se arch of Masse's offices revealed a n u m b e r of m anuscrip ts in Sade's hand writing, as well as pri n ted volu mes of Justine and Jul i e tte a n n o tated in his h a n d. M assl, after being detained for twen ty-four h o u rs, was relea.lCd up o n c o n dition that h e reveal the whereab o u ts of his stock o f Juliette, and there i s evidence t o indicate t h a t the pu blis h er, to s ave hims elf, h a d den o u nced S a d e to t h e police. B e th a t as i t m ay , S ade was o n c e again incarcera ted, firs t in Sainte-Pelagic and then, two y e ars later, in the Charen t o n ,t/syium, where he was to re m ain a pris o n er u n til the end of his life.
4 5 1.
o t h o u my fri e n d ! The pros p eri ty of Cri m e is like un to the /i. c;h tning, wh o s e trai torous bril li an cies e m b ellish the a t m o sp here b u t for an instan t, i n order to h url into death's very dep ths the luckless one they h ave dazzled.
TO MY DEAR FRIEND
Yes, Cons tance, it is to thee I address this work ; at o n c e the example and h o n o r o f thy s ex, with a spirit of profoundest sensibility c o m bining t h e m o s t judicious and t h e m o s t e n ligh tened of minds, thou art she to wh o m I c o nfide my b o ok, which will acqu ain t thee with the sweetness o f the te ars Pirtue s ore b e s e t d o th s h ed and do t h caus e t o flow. D etes ting the s op h is tries of libertinage and of irreligion, in word a n d deed c o m b a t ting them u n wearingly, I fear n o t th a t t h o s e n e cessitated b y t h e o rder o f pers o n ages app e aring in th e s e M e m o ires will p u t thee in any p eril; the cynicism remarkable in certain p o r traits ( th ey were softened as much as ever th ey could be ) is n o m o re ap t to frigh t e n thee; f o r it is o n ly Pice that trem b les when Pice is found o u t, and cries scan dal im m edi a tely i t is a ttacked. To bigo ts Tartuffe was indebted for h is ordeal; Ius t i n e ' s will b e the achieve m e n t of lib ertines, a n d li t tle do I dread them : they' ll n o t b e tray m y i n t e n ti o n s, these t h o u shalt p erceive ; thy opinion i s suf ficien t to m a k e my wh o le glory a n d after h aving pleas ed thee I m u s t either pleas e u n ivers a lly or find c o n s o latio n in a general censure.
The scheme of this n ovel ( y e t, ' tis less a n ovel than one migh t supp o s e ) is d o u b tless new; t h e victory gained by Pirtue over Pice, the rewardi n g o f g o o d, the punis h m e n t of evil, such is the usual scheme i n every o ther work of this species : a h ! the less o n can n o t be to o often dinned in o u r ears !
B u t through o u t to pres e n t Pice triumpha n t and Pirtu e a victim of i ts s acrifices, to exhibit a wre tched creature wan dering fro m o n e mis ery tv the next; the t o y of villainy ; the targe t of every debauch ; exp o s e d to the m o s t barbarous, t h e m o s t m o n s trous caprices; driven witless by the most brazen, t h e most specious s o p h is tries ; prey to the m o s t cu n n ing s edu ctio ns, the m o s t irresis tible s u b o r n a-
4 5 5
4 5 6 + T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
tio n s ; for defe n s e again s t so m a ny disapp o i n t m e n ts , so m u c h b a n e a n d pes tile n c e , t o repu l! e s u c h a q u a n t i ty of co rrup tio n h aving n o th i n g b u t a s e n s i tiv e s o u l, a m i n d n a turally f o r m e d, and c o n s iderable c o u rage : briefly , t o e m " loy t h e b o ldes t s c e n es, t h e m o s t ex trao rdi n a ry s i t u a t i o n s , t h e m o s t dre adful m axims, the m o s t e n erge tic brush s tro k es, with the s o le o bj e c t of o b t a i n i n g fro m all th is o n e of the s u b li m e s t p arables ever p e n n e d f o r h u m a n e difica ti o n ; n o w, s u c h were, ' t will be allo wed, to s e e k to reach o n e ' s des t i n a t i o n by a r o a d n o t m u c h travele d h er e t o f o r e .
H ave I s u cceeded, C o n s tance ? W i l l a tear in thy ey e de term i n e my triu mph ? After h a� ing r e a d Justine, wilt s ay : " O h, h o w t h e s e r e n derings of crim e m a k e m e pro u d of my love for Vir t u e I H o w s u b li m e d o es i t app e a r t h rough t ears I H o w ' t i s e m b ellis h e d by m is f o r t u n e s I"
O h , C o n s t a n c e l m 1y t h e s e wo rds b u t escap e thy lips, a n d my lab o rs s h a ll be cro w n e d.
'7he v e ry m a s te r p i e c e of p h i l o s ophy would be to develop t h e 1 �e a n s Provi dence employs t o a r ri v e a t the e n d s s h e d e s i gn s
f o r m a n , a n d f r o m t h i s construction to deduce s o m e r u l e s o f conduct acqu a in t i n g t h i s wretched two-fo o t e d individual w i t h t h e m a n n e r w h e r e i n h e m u s t p ro c e e d a l o n g l i f e ' s tho rny w a y , f o r e w a r n e d o f t h e s t r a n g e c a p r i c e s o f t h a t f a t a l i ty t h e y denomi n a t e by twenty d i f f e r e n t t i t l e s , a n d a l l u n a v a i l ingly, f o r i t h a s n o t y e t b e e n scanned n o r d e fi n e d .
I f, t h o u g h f u l l o f respect for s o c i a l convent i o n s a n d n e v e r overstepping the bounds they draw round u s , i f , n o n e t h e l e s s , i t should come to p a s s t h a t w e m e e t w i t h n o t h i n g but b r a m b l e s and b r i a rs , w h i l e t h e wicked tread u p o n flowers, will i t n o t b e recko n e d - s a v e by t h o s e i n whom a fu n d o f i n c o e rcible v i r t u e s r e n d e r s d e a f to t h e s e r e m a rks-, will i t n o t b e d e c i d e d t h a t i t i s p re f e r a b l e t o a b a n d o n o n e s e l f to the t i d e r a t h e r t h a n to r e s i s t i t ? Will i t n o t b e felt th a t V i r tu e , however b e a u ti fu l , b e c o m e s t h e w o r s t o f all a tti tu d e s when i t is found too feeble to c o n t e n d with Vice, and t h a t , i n a n e n t i r e ly c o r r u p t e d a g e , t h e s a fe s t c o u r s e i s to follow along a ft e r t h e o t h e r s ? Somewhat better i n fo r m e d , if one wi s h e s , a n d a b u s i n g t h e knowl edge t h ey h ave a c qu i r e d , will they n o t say, a s d i d t h e a n g e l J e s r a d i n Zadig, t h a t t h e r e i s n o e v i l w h e r e o f s o m e g o o d i s n o t b o r n ? a n d will t h ey n o t decl a r e , t h a t t h i s b e i n g t h e c a s e , they c an give the mse l ve s over to evil since, i n d e e d , i t is but one o f the f a s h i o n s o f p ro du c i n g good ? Will they n o t add, that i t makes no d i ff e r e n c e to t h e gen e r a l p l a n w h e t h e r such-a n d-such a o n e i s by p r e fe r e n c e good o r b a d , t h a t if m i s e ry persecutes vi rtue a n d p r o s p e r i ty a ccomp a n i e s c r i m e , t h o s e things b e i n g as one in N a tu r e ' s v i e w , f a r b e t t e r to j o i n comp any with t h e w i c k e d w h o fl o u r i s h , than to b e counted amongst the v i r tu o u s who founde r ? Hence, i t i s im-
4 5 7
45 8 + T H E MARQUIS DE SADE
p or t a n t t o a n t i c i p a t e those d a n ge r o u s s o p h i s t r i e s of a false phi l o sophy ; i t i s e s s e n t i a l to show t h a t through exampl e s o f a fH i c t e d v i rtue p r e s en t e d to a d c : p r a v e d s p i r i t i n w h i c h , however, t h e r e r e m a i n a few g o o d p rinciples, i t i s e s s e n ti a l , I say, to show t h a t sp i r i t q u i t e a s s u r el y r e s t o r e d to ri ghteou sness by t h e s e m e a n s a s by p o rtraying t h i s v i r tu o u s c a r e e r o r n a te w i t h the m o s t glittering h o n o r s a n d t h e m o s t fl a t t e r i n g r e w a r d s . Doubtl e s s i t i s cruel to have to d e s c r i b e , on the o n e h a n d , a host o f ills overwhelming a swe et-tempe r e d and sensi tive woman w h o , a s b e s t s h e i s abl e , r e s p ects v i r tu e , a n d , on t h e o t h e r , t h e a fH u e n c e o f p r o s p e r i ty o f those who crush and m o r t i fy t h i s sa m e wonan. B u t w e r e t h e r e neverth e l e s s s o m e good engend e r e d of t h e d e monstra ti o n , would o n e have t o r e p e n t of m aking i t ? Ought one b e s o r ry fo r h a v i n g e s t a bl i sh e d a f a c t whence there resulted, for the w i s e m a n who reads to s o m e p u r p o s e , s o u s e ful a l e s s on o f subm i s s i on to p rovi denti a l d e c r e e s and t h e f a t e fu l w a r n i n g th a t i t i s o ften t o r e c a l l u s to o u r duti e s t h a t H e aven s t r i k e s down beside u s the p e rson who seems to u s best to h a v e ful fi l l e d his own ?
Such a r e t h e s en t i m ents w h i c h a r e going to di rect o u r l a bors , an d it is in c o n s i d e r a ti o n o f t h e s e i n t e n t i o n s t h a t we ask the r e a d e r ' s i n d u l ge nce fo r t h e e r rc,neous d o c t r i n e s w h i c h a r e t o b e p l a c e d in t h e m ou t hs o f our c h a r acters, a n d f o r t h e som e t i m e s r a t h e r p a i n ful s i t u a ti o n s w h i ch , out I)f love for t r u t h , w e have been obli ge d to dress b e f o r e his eyes .
M a d a m e la C om t e s s e de L o r s ange w a s one of t h o s e p r i e s t e s s e s o f Ve nus w h o s e fo rtune i s t h e p r o d u c t o f a p r e tty f a c e a n d m u c h m i s c o n d u c t , a n d who s e t i tl e s , p o m p o u s though t h e y a r e , a r e n o t to b e fou n d b u t i n the a rc h i v e s o f C y t h e r a , forged by the i m p e r t i n e n c e th a t s e e k s , a n d s u s t a i n e d by the f o o l ' s c r e d u l i ty t h a t b e s to w s , them ; b r u n e t t e , a fi n e fi g u r e , eyes o f a s i n gu l a r exp r e s s i o n , t h a t m o d i s h u n b e l i e f w h i c h , contribu t i n g o n e f u r t h e r s p i c e to t h e p a s s i o n s , c a u s e s t h o s e w(,men in whom i t i s s u s p e c t e d to be s o u g h t a f t e r t h a t much m o r e d i l i gently ; a tri fl e w i c k e d , u n fu rn i s h e d w i t h any p ri n c i p l e , a l l o w i n g evil to exi st i n n o t h i n g , l a ck i n g however th a t a m o u n t o f depravation i n the heart to have extingu i s h e d its s e n s i b i l i ty ; h a u ght y, l i b e rti n e ; s u c h w a s M a d ame d e Lo r s a n g e .
N e v e r t h e l e s s . th i s w o m a n h a d received t h e b e s t e d u c a tion ;
Jus tine -+ 4 5 9
daughter o f a very rich Parisian b anker, she h a d been brought up, together with a sister named Justine, by th ree years younger than s h e , in one o f the capital' s most celebrated abbeys where, until the ages o f twelve and fi fteen years, the one and the other of the two sisters had been den i e d no counsels, no masters, no books, and no poli te talents.
At this period crucial to the vi rtue of the two m a i dens, they were in one day made bereft o f everyth i n g : a frightful b a nkruptcy p recipitated the i r father into ci rcumstances so cruel that he perished o f grief. One month l a ter, h i s wife followed h i m into the grave . Two distant and h e a rtl e s s rel a t ives deliberated what should b e d o n e with the young orphans ; a hundred crowns a p i e c e was thei r s h a re o f a l e gacy mo stly swallowed u p b y credi tors. N o one caring to b e burdened with them, th e convent ' s door was opened, thei r dowry w a s p u t into their hands, a n d they were left a t liberty to become w h a t t h e y wished.
M adame d� Lorsange, a t th e time called Jul i ette, whose mind and character were to all intents and purposes a s completely formed then as a t thirty , the age she had attained a t the opening o f the tale we are about to rel a t e , seemed nothing but ove rj oyed to b e put at l a rge ; she gave not a moment's thought to the cruel events which had broken her chains. As for Justine, aged a s we have remarked, twelve , h e r s w a s o f a pensive and melancholy cha racter, which m a d e her far more keenly appreciate all the horrors o f h e r situa tion. Full o f ten derness, endowed with a surprising sensibi l i ty i n ste a d of with h e r sister' s a rt a n d finesse, she was ruled by a n ingenuousness, a c a n d o r that were to c a u s e h e r to tumble i n t o not a few p i tfalls. To so many qual i t i e s t h i s girl j o i n e d a sweet counte nance, absolutely unlike that with which N ature had embellished Jul i ette ; for all the artifice, w i l e s , coquetry one noticed i n the features o f the one , there were p roportionate amounts o f modesty, decency, and timidity to be adm i re d i n th e oth e r ; a virginal a i r, l a rge blue eyes very soul ful and appealing, a dazzling f a i r skin, a supple and resilient body, a touching voice, teeth of ivory and the lovel i e s t blond h a i r , there you have a sketch o f this charming creature whose naive graces a n d delicate traits a r e beyond our power to describ e .
They w e r e given twenty-four h o u r s t o l e ave t h e convent ; into
460 .. T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
their hands, together wi t h their five score crowns, was thrown the responsibili ty to p rovi d e �or themselves as they saw fi t. D e l i ghted to be her own mi stress, Jul i e tte spent a minute, perhaps two , wiping away Justine's tears, th,�n, observing i t was in vain, she fell to scolding inste a d of com:o rting her ; s h e rebuked Justine for her sensi tiveness ; she told her, with a p hilosophic acu i ty far beyond her years, that i n this we ri d one must not be affiicted save by what a ffects one p e rsonally ; th l t i t was p o ssible to find in oneself physical sensations o f a suffici enlly voluptuous p i quancy to extinguish all the moral a ffections whose shock could be p a i n ful ; that i t was all the more essenti al so to p roceed, since true wisdom consists infini tely more in doubling the sum of one's p l e asures than in increasing the sum of one's p a i n s ; th a t , in a word, there was nothing one ought not d o in order to deaden in oneself that perfidious sensibi l i ty from which none but others p r o fi t while to us it brings naught but troubl es. But i t is d i ffi cult to h a rden a gentle good heart, it resists the a rguments o f a tough ened bad mind, and its solemn satisfactions console it for the loss of t fle bel-espri t ' s false splendo rs.
Jul i ette, employing o ther resources, then s a i d to her sister, t h a t w i th the age and the: figure they both o f them had, they could n o t d i e o f hunger-sh e ci ted the example o f one o f their neighbors' daughters who, having e ,caped from her father's house, was pres ently very royally maintained and far happier, doubtless, than i f s h e h a d r emained a t hom e with h e r family ; one must, s a i d Juliette, take good care to avoid believing it i s ma rriage that renders a gi rl happy ; that, a captive under the hymeneal laws, she h a s , with much ill-humor to suffer, a very slight measure o f j oys to expect ; inste a d o f which , were S l e to surrender h e r s e l f to libe rtinage , she might always be able to protect herself against her lovers' moods, or b e comforted by the i r mmb e r .
These speeches horri fi e d Justine ; she declared s h e p r e ferred d e a th to i gnominy ; wha ':ever were her sister's reiterated u rgings, s h e adamantly r e fused 1 0 take u p lodging with h e r imme d i a tely she saw Jul i ette bent up c n conduct that caused her to shudder.
After e a c h had announced her ve ry different intentions, the two girls separate d witt out exchanging any p romises to see each another again. Would Juliette, who, so she a ffi rmed, intended to be come a l a dy o f consequ ence, woul d Juli e tte consent to receive a
Jus tine .. 4 6 1
l i t tl e girl who s e virtuous b u t b a s e i n c l i n a ti o n s m i g h t be able to b r i n g h e r into d i s h o no r ? a n d , on h e r s i d e , w o u l d J u s t i n e w i s h to j eop a r d i z e h e r m o r a l s in t h e soci e ty of a p er v e r s e c r e a tu r e w h o w a s bound to b e c o m e publ i c d e b auch e r y ' s toy a n d t h e l e w d m ob ' s vi c t i m ? A n d s o e a c h b i d a n e t e rn a l a d i e u t o t h e o t h e r , a n d they left t h e convent on t h e m o r r o w .
D u r i n g e a rly c h i l d h o o d c a r e s s e d by h e r m o t h e r ' s dressmaker, J u s t i n e believes this' woman w i l l treat her k i n dly n o w i n t h i s hour o f h e r d i s t r e s s ; s h e go e s i n s e a rc h o f t h e wom a n , s h e tells the tale o f h e r w o e s , s h e a sk s employment . . . s h e i s s c a rcely r e c o gni z e d ; a n d i s h a rshly d r iven o u t t h e do o r .
" O h H e a v e n I " c r i e s t h e p 0 0 1� l i ttle c r e a t u r e , " m u s t my i n i t i al s t e p s in t h i s w o r l d b e so q u i ckly s tamp e d w i t h ill-fortu n e ? T h a t woman once l o v e d m e ; w h y d o e s s h e c a s t m e a w a y today ? Al a s I ' t i s b e c a u s e I am p o o r a n d a n o r p h a n , b e c a u s e I h a v e n o m o r e m e a n s a n d p eopl e a r e n o t e s t e e m e d s a v e i n r e a son o f t h e a i d a n d b e n e fi ts on e i m a g i n e s m a y be h a d o f t h e m . " Wringing h e r h a n d s , Justine g o e s to fi n d h e r c u r e ; s h e describes her c i rcu m s t a n c e s with the vigorous c a n d o r prop e r to her years . . . . S h e w a s w e a r i n g a l i ttle w h i t e garme nt, h e r l ovely h a i r w a s n e gl i gently tucke d up under h e r bo nnet, her breast, w h o s e d e v e l o p m e n t h a d sca rcely begun, w a s h i d d e n b e n e a t h two o r t h r e e fol d s o f g a u z e , h e r p r e tty f a c e h a d s o m e w h a t o f p al l o r o w i n g to t h e u nh a p p i n e s s consuming h e r , a few t e a r s roll e d from her eyes a n d lent to them a n a d d i t i o n a l exp r e s s i v e n e s s . . . .
"Y ou o b s e rve m e , M o n s i e u r , " s a i d s h e to t h e s a intly eccl esi a s t i c . . . "Y es, yo u o b s e r v e m e i n what f o r a g i rl is a m o s t d r e a d fu l p o s i tion ; I h a v e l o s t my f a t h e r a n d m o t h e r . . . . H e aven h a s taken them from m e at a n a g e when I stand i n g r e a t e s t need of t h e i r a s s i stance . . . . T h ey d i e d ru i n e d , M o n s i eu r ; w e n o l o n g e r h a v e anything. The r e , " s h e continu e d , " i s a l l t h e y l e f t m e , " a n d s h e d i s p l a y e d h e r d o z e n l o uis, " a n d nowhe r e to r e s t my p o o r h e a d . . . • You will h a v e p i ty u p o n m e , M o n s i e u r , w i l l you n o t ? You a r e R e l i g i on ' s m i n i s t e r a n d R e l i g i o n w a s always my h e a r t ' s v i r t u e ; in t h e n a m e o f t h a t G o d I a d o r e a n d who s e o r g a n you a r e , tell m e , a s i f you w e r e a s e c o n d f a t h e r unto m e , w h a t m u s t I d o ? . • . w h a t must become of m e ? "
T h e c h a r i t a b l e p r i e s t cla p p e d a n i n qu i sitive eye u p o n Jus t i n e ,
4 6 2 + T H E M A R Q l J I S DE SADE
and m a d e her answer, s a y i n g that the p a ri s h was h e avily l o a d e d ; t h a t i t c o u l d n o t e a s i l y take n e w c h a rges u n to i t s b o s o m , b u t t h a t i f Ju s t i n e w i s h e d t o s e n " e h i m , i f s h e w e r e p r e p a r e d f o r h a r d t o i l , t h e r e woul d a lways b e a c r u s t o f b r e a d i n h i s ki tchen fo r h e r . A n d a s h e u t t e r e d t h o s e wo r d s , t h e go d s ' i n t e r p r e t e r chuck e d h e r u n d e r t h e c h i n ; t h e k i s s he g a v e h e r b e spoke r a t h e r too much worldl i n e s s f o r a m a n o f t h e c h u rc h , a n d J u s t i n e , who h a d u n d e r s t o o d o n l y t o o w e l l , thru s t h i m away. " M o n s i e u r , " s a i d s h e , " I a sk n e i th e r
' a l m s
o f you n o r a p o s i t i o n a s y o u r scul l i o n ; i t w a s all too recentl y I t o o k l e av e o f a n e s t a t e l o f : i e r t h a n t h a t which m i gh t make t h o s e t w o f a v o r s d e s i r a b l e ; I am n o t y e t r e d u c e d t o i m p l o r i n g them ; I a m s o l i c i t i n g a d v i c e w h e n o f my y o u t h a n d my m i s fo rtun e s p u t m e i n n e e d , a n d you woul d h a ve m e p u r c h a s e i t a t a n e x c e s s i v e l y i n fl a te d p r i ce . " A s h a m e d t h u s to h a v e b e e n u n m a s k e d , t h e p a st o r p romptly d rove t h e l i ttle c r e a tu ,e a w a y , a n d t h e u n h a ppy Justine, twic e re j ec t e d o n t h e first d a y ·)f her condemnation to i s o l a t i o n , now enters a h o u s e above w h o s e d o o r s h e spies a s h i n gl e ; s h e rents a s m a l l c h a m b e r o n the fourth fl o o r , p a y s i n a dvance fo r i t , a n d , once e s tab l i s h e d , gives h e r s e l f over t o l a m e n t a t i o n s a l l the more b i t t e r be cause she is sensitive a n d because h e r l i ttle pride h a s just b e e n com p ro m i s e d cruelly.
W e w i l l allow ou rselves to l e a v e h e r i n t h i s s t a t e for a short w h i l e i n order to r e t u rn t o J u l i e t t e a n d t o r el a te how, from the v e ry o r d i n a ry c o n d i t i o n in which s h e s e t s fo r t h , no b e t t e r fu rni s h e d w i t h r e s o u r c e s t h a n h e r s i s t e r , s h e neve rthel e s s a t t a i n s , o v e r a p e ri o d of fi ft e e n y e a r s , t h e p o s i t i o n o f a t i t l e d w o m a n , w i t h an in c o m e o f t h i rty t h ou s a n d p ou n d s , v e ry h an d s o m e j ewels , two or three houses i n the c i ty , as many i n t h e country and, a t t h e p re s e n t m o m e n t , t h e h e a rt , t h e f o r t u n e a n d t h e c o n fi d e n c e o f M o n s i e u r d e C o rv i l l e , Counci l o r t o t h e S t a t e , a n i m p o r t a n t m a n much e s t e e m e d a n d a b o u t to h a v e a m i n i s t e r ' s p o s t . H e r r i s e w a s n o t , there can b e n o qu e s t i o n o f i t , unattended by d i ffi cu l t i e s : 'tis by way o f t h e m o s t s h a m e fu l , m o s t o n e r o u s a p p r e n t i c e s h i p t h a t t h e s e l a d i e s a t t a i n t h e i r obj e c t i v e s ; a n d ' t i s i n a l l l i k e l i h o o d a v e t e r a n o f unnum b e r e d c a mp a i gn s o n e m a y fi n d t o d a y a b e d w i t h a Prince : p e r h a p s s h e y e t c a r r i e s t h e hum i l i a ti n g m a rk s o f the b r u t al i ty o f t h e l i b e r t i n e s i n t o w h o s e h a n d s h e r youth a n d i n e xp e ri e n c e fl u n g h e r l o n g a g o .
Upon l e aving t h e convent, J u l i e t t e went to fi n d a woman w h o s e
Jus tine .. 463
name she h ad once he a rd mentioned by a youthful friend ; p e r verted was what she desired to be and this woman was to pervert h e r ; s h e a rrived a t h e r house with a small p a rcel under her a rm , cl a d in a blue dressing gown nicely disarrayed, h e r h a i r straggling carelessly about, a n d showing the p rettiest face in the world, if i t i s true that fo r certain eye s indecency may have its c h a rm s ; she told her story to this woman and begged her to afford h e r the sanctu a ry she had p rovid e d her former friend.
"How old a r e you ?" M adame Duvergi e r demand e d . " I w i l l be fi fteen in a f e w days , M a da m e , " Juli ette replied. "And never h a th mortal . . . " the ma tron continue d . "No, M adame, I swea r i t , " answered Juliette. "But, you know, in those convents , " s a i d the old dame, "some
times a confessor, a nun , a comp anion . . . I must have conclusive evidence . "
"You h ave b u t t o look f o r i t , " Juli e tte repl i e d with a blush. And, having put on her spectacl e s , and h aving scrupulously
examined things here and there, the duenna decl a re d to the girl : "Why, you've only to remain here, p ay strict attention to what
I say, give proof of unending compl a i s ance and submissiveness to my p ractices, you n e e d but be cl ean, economical, and frank with m e , be p rudent with y o u r comrades and fraudulent w h e n d e a l i n g with men, and b e fo r e ten ye ars' time I shall have you fi t to occupy the best second-sto ry apartment : you'll have a commode, p i e r-gl a s s m i r rors b e fore you and a m a i d behind, and the art you will have acqu i r e d from me will give you wh a t you need to p rocure yourself the rest."
These suggestions having l e ft her lips, Duvergi e r l ays hands on Juliette ' s l i ttle p a rcel ; she a sks h e r whether she does not have some money, and Juliette h aving too candidly a dmitted she had a hundred crowns, the d e a r mother confiscates them, giving h e r new boa rding guest the assu rance h e r l i ttl e fortune will be chanced at the lottery for her, but that a girl must not h ave money. "It i s , " s a y s she, " a m e a n s to doing evil, a n d in a p e r i o d as corrupt a s ours, a wise and well-bo rn girl should carefully avoid all which might lure her into any sn a r e s . I t i s fo r your own goo d I speak, my l ittle one , " a d d s t h e duenna , "and you ought t o be grate ful f o r what I a m doing."
464 + T H E M A R Q U I S DE SADE
The s e rmon delh'ered , the newcome r is introduced to h e r coll e a gu e s ; s h e i s a s s i gn e d a room i n t h e house , a n d on t h e n e x t day her m a i de n h e a d is p u t en s a l e .
W i thin f o u r mon :hs the m e rc h a n d i s e i s s o l d successively t o a b o u t o n e hundred buy e r s ; some a re c o n t e n t w i t h t h e r o s e , o t h e r s m o r e f a s t i d i o u s o r mo re d e p r a v e d ( fo r the question h a s n o t y e t b e e n d e c i d e d ) w i s h to b r i n g to f u l l fl o w e r the bud t h a t grows a d j a c e n tly. Afte r each bout, D u v e r gi e r makes a few t a i l o r ' s re a d j u s tme nts a n d for f , ) U r months i t i s always the p ri s tine fru i t s t h e r a s c a l p u t s on the b l o c k . F i n a l l y , a t the end o f t h i s h a r a s s i n g novi t i a t e , Jul i e tte o b t a i n s a l ay s i s t e r ' s p a tents ; f r o m t h i s moment onwa r d , s h e i s a recogni z e d gi rl o f t h e h o u s e ; t h e r e a f t e r s h e i s to share i n i ts p ro fi t s a n d losses. Another a p p r e n t i c e s h i p ; if i n t h e fi r s t s c h o o l , a s i d e f r o m 1 few e x t r a v a g a n c e s , J u l i e t t e s e rv e d N a tu r e , s h e a l t o g e t h e r i gn o r e s N a tu r e ' s l a w s i n t h e second, w h e r e a com p l e t e s h a m bl e s is m a d e I)f w h a t she once had o f m o r a l b e h a v io r ; t h e t r i u m p h s h e o b t a i n s i n v i c e totally d e g r a d e s h e r soul ; s h e f e e l s th a t, h av i n g b e e n b o rn f o r c r i m e , s h e m u s t a t l e a s t c o mm i t i t g r a n dly a n d give o v e r l a n gu i s h i n g i n a sub a l te r n ' s r o l e , w h i c h , a l though e n t a i l i n g t h e s a n e m i scondu c t , a l though a b a s i n g h e r e q u a lly, brings her a s l i g h t e r , a much s l i gh t e r p r o fi t . S h e is found a g r e e able by a n e l d e rly gentlem an , much d e b a u ch e d , who a t fi r st has h e r come m e r ely t o a ttend to t h e a ff a i r s o f t h e momen t ; s h e has the skill to cause herself m a g n i kently to b e kep t ; it is n o t long b e fo r e she i s a p p e a ri n g a t t h e t h e l te r , a t p ro m e n a d e s , amongst t h e elite, the v e ry c o rd o n hieu of the Cyth e r e a n o r d e r ; s h e i s beheld, m e n t i o n e d , d e s i r e d , and the clever c r e a tu r e k n o w s so well how to m a n a g e h e r a ff a i r s t h a t in l e s s than four y e a r s s h e ruins six men , the p o o r e s t o f w h o m h a d a n annu i ty o f one hundred thousand crowns. N o th i n g m o r e i s n e e d e d to m a k e h e r reputation ; the b l i n d n e s s o f f a s h i o n a b l e p eo p l e i s such t h a t the m o r e one o f these c r e a t u r e s h a s demon s t r a t e d her d i s h o n e s ty , t h e more eager they a r e t o g e t upon h e r l i s t ; i t s e e m s th a t the d e g r e e o f h e r d e g r a d a t i on and h e r corruption b e c o m e s t h e m e a su r e o f t h e sentiments they d a r e d i splay f o r h e r .
Juli e tte h a d j u s t a t t a i n e d h e r twent i e th y e a r when a c e r t a i n C o m t e d e Lorsange, a gentl eman o u t o f Anj o u , about forty y e a r s o f a g e , b e c a m e s o c a p t i n t e d by h e r h e r e s o l v e d to b e s tow h i s n a m e u p o n h e r ; h e a w a r d e d h e r a n i n c o m e o f twelve t h o u s a n d p ounds a n d
Jus tine .. 4 6 5
assured h e r o f the rest of his fortune were he to b e the first to die ; h e g ave her, as well, a house, s e rvants, l ackeys, a n d the sort o f mundane cons i d e ration which, in the space o f two o r three years, succeeded in causing h e r b e ginnings to be forgot.
It was at this point the fell Juli e tte, oblivious of all the fine feelings that h a d been h e rs by b i rthrigh t and goo d education, warped by b a d counsel and dangerous books, spurred by t h e desire to enj oy h e rself, b u t alone , and t o have a name but n o t a singl e chain, bent h e r a ttentions to t h e culpable i d e a o f abridging h e r husband ' s days. T h e odious proj ect once conceived, s h e consoli d a t e d h e r scheme d u r i n g those dangerous moments w h e n the physical a spcct i s fired by e thical error, instants when one refuses onesel f much less, for then nothing i s opposed to the i rregularity o f vows o r to the impetuosity o f d e s i r e s , and the voluptuou sness one ex p eriences is s h a rp and lively only by reason of the numb e r o f the restraints whence one bursts free, o r their sanctity. The dream dissipated, were one to recover one's common-sense mood the thing woul d b e of but mediocre imp o r t , 'tis the story o f mental wrong doing ; everyone knows very well i t offends no one ; but, alas! one sometimes c a r r i e s the thing a l i ttle farther. What, one ventures to wonde r, what wou l d not be the i d e a ' s reali z a ti on, if i ts mere ab stract shape has just exalted, has just so p r o foundly moved one ? The accu rsed reverie i s vivi fi e d , a n d its existence is a crime .
Fortunately for h e rself, M a dame d e Lorsange execut e d i t i n s u c h secrecy that s h e was s h e l t e r e d f r o m all p u r s u i t a n d with h e r husband s h e bu r i e d a l l traces o f the f r i ghtful d e e d w h i c h p r e cipitated him into the tomb.
Once again b ecome free, and a countess, M a dame d e Lorsange returned to her fo rme r habits ; but, b e l ieving herself to have some fi gu r e in the world, she put somewh at less o f the indecent in h e r depo rtment. 'Twas no l onger a k e p t gi rl , ' twas a rich wi dow who gave p r e tty suppers a t which the Court and the C i ty were only too happy to b e inclu d e d ; i n a w o r d , we h a ve h e r e a correct woman who , all the same, would to b e d for two hundr e d l o u is, and who gave herself for five hundred a month .
Un til she reached the age o f twenty-six, M a dame de Lors ange made fu rther brilliant conqu ests : she wrought the financial down fall o f three fo reign amb a s s a d o r s , fou r Farmers-gen e r a l , two b i shops, a
4 6 6 + T H E MARQV lS DE SADE
c a r d i n a l , a n d t h r e e k n i g h t s of t h e K i n g ' s O r d e r ; bu t as it is r a r e l y o n e s t o p s a f t e r t h e fi r s � o ff e n s e , e s p e c i ally ,,, h e n i t h a s tu rned o u t v e r y h a p p i l y , t h e u n h l P P y Jul i e tte b l a ck e n e d h e r s e l f w i t h two a d d i t i on a l c r i m e s s i m i l a r to the fi r s t : one in o r d e r to p l u n d e r a l o v e r w h o h a d en tru s t e d a c c n s i d e r a b l e sum to h e r , o f w h i c h t h e m a n ' s f a m i ly h a d n o i n t e l l i gence ; t h e o t h e r i n o r d e r to c a p t u r e a l e g a cy o f o n e h u n d r e d tho u s a n d c r o w n s a n o t h e r o n e o f h e r l o v e r s g r a n t e d h e r i n t h e n a m e o f a t h i r d , who w a s c h a r g e d to p a y h e r t h a t a m o u n t a ft e r h i s d e a t h . To t h e s e h o r r o r s M a d a m e d e L o r s a n g e a d d e d t h r e e o r f o u r i n f a n t i c i d e s . Th e f e a r o f s p o i l i n g h e r p r e tty fi gu r e , t h e d e s i r e t o conce a l a d o u b l e i n t r i gu e , a l l c o m b i n e d to make h e r r e s o l v e t o sti fl e t h e p r o o f o f h � r d e b a u c h e s i n h e r womb ; a n d t h e s e m i s d e e d s , l i k e t h e o t h e r s , unknown, d i d n o t p revent o u r a d r o i t a n d a m b i t i o u s w o m a n f r o m fi n d i n g n e w dup e s e v e ry d a y .
I t i s h e n c e t r u e t h a t p r o s p e r i ty m a y attend conduct o f t h e v e ry w o r s t , and t h a t in t h e n r y t h i ck o f d i s o r d e r a n d c o r r u p t i o n , a l l o f w h a t m a n k i n d c a l l s h a p p i n e s s m a y s h e d i t s e l f bounti fully u p o n l i f e ; b u t l e t t h i s c r u e l and f a r a l truth c a u s e no a l a rm ; l e t h o n e s t folk be n o more s e r i o u s l y torm�nted by t h e e x a m p l e we a r e go i n g t o p r e s e n t o f d i s a s t e r e v e ry'vh e r e d o g g i n g the h e e l s o f V i r t u e ; t h i s c r i m i n a l f el i c i ty i s d e c e i , i n g , i t i s s e e m i n g only ; i n d e p enden tly o f t h e p u n i s h m e n t m o s t c e r t a i r ly r e s e rved by P r o v i d e n c e f o r t h o s e whom success i n crime has s e d u c e d , d o they n o t n o u r i sh i n the d e p t h s o f the i r s o u l a w o r m wh i c h u nc e a s i ngly gna w s , p r events them f r o m fi n d i n g j oy i n t h e s e fi c t i ve gl e a m s o f m e r e t r i c i o u s well-b e i n g , a n d , i n s t e a d o f d e l i g h t s , l e a v e s n a u gh t i n th e i r s o u l but t h e r e n d i n g m e m o ry o f the c r i m e s w h i c h h a v e l e d t h e m to w h e r e they a r e ? \V i t h wh a t r e g a r d s the l u ckl e � s o n e f a t e p e r s e c u te s , h e h a s h i s h e a r t fo r h i s c o m f o r t , a n d the i n t e r i o r e c s t a s i e s v i r t u e s p r o c u r e b r i n g h i m s p e e dy r e s ti t u t i o n f o r t h e i nj u s t i c e o f m e n .
S u c h w a s the s t a t e ) f a ff a i r s w i t h M a d a m e de Lo r s a n ge w h e n l\I o n s i e u r d e C o rv i ll e , , i fty, a notable w i e l d i n g t h e i n fl u e n c e a n d p o s s e s s i n g t h e p ri v i l e g e s d e s c r i b e d furt h e r a b o v e , r e s o l v e d e n t i rely to s a c ri fi c e h i m s e l f f o r t h i s w o m a n a n d to attach her t o h i m s e l f f o rever. vV h e t h e r than;\:s to d i l i g e n t a t tenti o n , w h e t h e r to m a n e u v e r , w h e t h e r t o p o l i c y o n the p a r t o f M a d a m e d e Lo r s a n g e , h e s u c c e e d e d , a n d t h e r e h a d p a s s e d fou r y e a r s d u r i n g w h i c h h e dwelt with h e r , entirely a s if w i t h a l e g i t i m a te w i f e , w h e n t h e a c qu i s i t i o n
Ius tin e 4- 4 6 7
o f a very handsome property n o t far f r o m M ontargis o b l i g e d both o f them to go and spend some time in the B ourbonnais.
One evening, when the excellence o f the weather h a d induced them to p rolong t he i r stroll beyond the bounds of their estate and toward Montargis, too fatigu e d , both, to attempt to retu rn home as they h a d left, they halted at the inn where the coach from Lyon stops , with the intention of sending a man by horse to fetch them a carriage. I n a cool , low-ceilinged room in this hou s e , looking out upon a courtyard, they took th e i r ease and were resting when the coach we just mentioned drew u p at the hostelry.
It i s a commonplace amusement to watch the arrival o f a coach and the p a ssengers' descent : one wagers on the sort o f p e rsons who are in it, and if one h a s gambled upon a whore, a n o ffi cer, a few abbots and a monk, one is almost certain to win. M a dame de Lorsange rises, Monsieur de C o rville follows her ; from the window they see the well-j olted company reel into the inn. There seemed to be no one l e ft i n the c a rriage when a n officer of the mounted constabul a ry, stepp ing to the ground, received in his a rms, from one o f his comrades poised high on top o f the coach, a girl o f twenty-six o r twenty-seven, dressed i n a worn calico j acket and swathed to the eyes i n a gre at black taffeta m antl e . She was bound hand and foot like a criminal, and in such a weakened state, she would surely have fallen had her gu ards not given her support. A cry o f surp r i s e and horror escaped from M a dame de Lo rsange : the gi rl tu rned and reve aled, together with the loveliest fi gure i m a g;inable, the most nobl e , the most agreeable, the most interesting visage, i n b r i e f, there were there all the charms o f a sort to please, and they were rendered yet a thou s and times more p i quant by that tender and touching a i r innocence contributes to the traits o f beauty.
Monsieur de Corville and his mistress could not suppress their interest i n the m i s e rable girl. They approach e d , they demanded of one o f the troopers what the unhappy creature had done.
"She i s accu s e d of three crimes, " rep l i e d the constabl e , " ' ti s a question o f m u r d e r , t h e f t and a r s o n j but I w i s h to t e l l you r lord· ship that my comrade and I h ave never been so reluctant to take a criminal into cu stody ; s h e ' s the most gentle thing, d'ye know, and seems to be the most honest too . "
"Oh, l a , " s a i d Monsieur d e C o rville , " i t mi ght e a sily be one
468 .. T H E MAR Q UI S DE SADE
o f tho se blunders so frequent in the lower courts . . . and where were these crimes comnitte d ?"
"At an inn sever ll leagues from Lyon, it's a t Lyon she was tried ; i n accordance wi th custom she's going to Paris for confirma tion of the sentence and then will be returned to Lyon to b e exe cuted."
M a dame de LOl sange, h aving heard these words , said i n lowered voice t o Monsieur d e Corville, t h a t s h e f a i n would have from the girl ' s own l i p s the story o f her troubl es, and Monsieur de C o rville, who was possessed o f the same desir e , exp ressed it to the pair o f gua rds and identi fi e d himself. The officers saw no reason not to oblige, everyor e decided to stay the night a t Montargi s ; comfortable accomo d a tions were called for ; Monsieur de C o rville decl a r e d h e would be r �sponsible for the prisoner, she was unbound, and when she h a d been given something to eat, Mad ame de Lor sange, unable to cont �ol her very great curiosity, and doubtless saying to herself, "This creature, perhaps innocent, i s , however, t r e a t e d l i k e a c r i m i n a l , w h i l s t a b o u t m e a l l i s p r o s p e r i ty . . . . I who am soiled with c r imes and horrors " ; M a dame de Lorsange I s ay, as soon as she obs erved the poor gi rl to be somewhat restored, to some measure reass Jred by the caresses they h astened to bestow upon h e r , besought he � to tell how it had fallen out th a t she, with so very swee t a face , found herself in such a dreadful plight.
"To recount you the story o f my life, Madame," this lovely one i n distress said t o the Countess, "is to offer you the most striking example o f innocence opp ressed, is to accu s e the hand of Heaven, i s to bear complaint against the Supreme Being's will, i s , in a s e n s e , to rebel a g a i n s t His s a c r e d designs . . . . I dare not . . . . " T e a r s gathered in th i s interesting girl ' s eyes and, a fter having given vent to them fo r a moment, she began her recitation in these terms.
Perm i t m e to conce al my name and bi rth, M adame ; without being illustrious, they a r e distinguished, and my origins did not destine me to the hum i l i a tion to which you see me reduced. vVhen very young I lost my p a rents ; provided with the slender inheri tance they had l e ft me, I th.)ught I could exp ect a suitable posi tion and, r e fusing to accep t all those which were not, I gradually spent, at P a r i s where I was bon, the l i ttle I possessed ; the poorer I became,
Jus tin e .. 469
the more I was despised ; the greater became my need o f support, the l e s s I was able to hope for i t ; but from amongst a l l the severi ti e s to which I was exposed a t the beginning of my wo e fu l career, from amongst all the terrible p rop osals that were m a d e m e , I will cite to you what b e fell m e a t the h ome o f M onsieur Dubourg, one of the capital's richest tra desmen. The woman with whom I had l o dgings had recommended him to m e as someone whose influence and wealth might b e able to melior�.te the h a rshness o f my situation ; after having waited a very long time in this man's antechamber, I was a dmitted ; Monsieur Dubourg, aged forty-eight, h a d j u s t risen out o f bed, and w a s wrapped i n a dressing gown which b a r ely hid h i s disorde r ; they were about to p repare his coiffure ; h e dismissed h i s servants and asked me what I wanted with h im .
"Al a s , Monsieu r , " I s a i d, g r e a tly confused, "I am a p o o r o r p h a n not yet fourteen y e a r s o l d and I h a v e already become famil i a r with every nuance of m i s fo r tune ; I implore your com miseration, have p i ty upon m e , I beseech you , " and then I told in detail o f all my ills, the difficulty I was having to find a place, p e r haps I even mentioned how p a inful i t was for me to have to take one, not having been born for a menial's condition. My suffering throughou t i t all, how I exhausted the little substance I had . . . failure to obtain work, my hope h e would facilitate m a tters and help m e find the wherewithal to live ; i n sum, I s a i d everything that i s dictated by the eloquence o f wretchedness, always swift to rise in a sensitive soul. . . . After having listened t o me with many dis tractions and much yawning, M onsieur Dubourg a sked whether I h a d always been well-behaved. " I should be neither so p o o r nor so e mbarrassed, Monsieur," I answered him, " h a d I wished to cease to be. "
" But," s a i d Dubourg upon h e a ri n g that, "but what right have you to exp ect the wealthy to reli eve you if you are in n o way useful to them ?"
"And o f what s e rvice a re you speaking, Monsieu r ? I a sked nothing more than to render those decency and my years will permit me fulfill."
"The services o f a child like you rself a r e o f no great use in a household, " Dubourg repl i e d to me. "You have neither the age n o r the appearance to find the place you are seeking. You would
4 7 0 .. T H E MAR Q U : S DE SADE
be b e tter a dvised to occupy yourself with giving men pleasure and to labor to d i scover someone who will consent to take care o f you ; the vi rtue whereof you make such a conspicuous display is worthle s s i n t h i s world ; in v a i n w i l l y o u genufl e c t b e f o r e i t s altars, i ts ridicu lous incense will nouri ,h you not at all. The thing which least fl a tters men, that which makes the l e a s t favorable impression upon them, for which they h" v e the most supreme contemp t, i s goo d be havi o r i n your sex ; h e r e o n e a rth, my child, nothing but what brings in gain or insures powe � is accounte d ; and what does the vi rtue o f women p r o fi t us I I t i s their wantonness which serves a n d amuses us ; bu t their chastity could not interest u s less. When, to be brief, per sons of our sort give, i t i s never e xcept to receive ; well, how may a l i ttle girl like yourself show gratitude for what one does fo r h e r i f i t i s not by the m o s t complete surrender o f all t h a t i s desired o f her body I "
"Oh, M onsieur," ] replied, grown heavy o f h e a r t and uttering a sigh, "then uprigh tn e s s and benevolence a r e to be found i n man n o longe r ! "
"Precious l i ttle, " Dubourg rej oined. " How can you expect them still to exist a fter all the wise things that have been said and written about them ? Vve have rid ourselves of this mania o f obliging others gratui tously ; i t was recogni z e d that charity's p l e a sures a r e nothing hlt sops thrown to pride, and we turned our thoughts to stronger sensations ; i t has been noticed, for example, tha t with a child like y o u , i t i s infinitely p re fe rable to extract, by way o f dividends upon o n e ' s investment, all the p l e a sures lechery i s able to o ff e r-much better these delights than the ve ry insipid and futile ones s a i d to c ome o f the disinterested giving o f help ; h i s reputation f o r b e i n g a l i b e r a l m a n , an alms-giving and generous man, i s not, even at the instant when h e most enj oys i t , comp a r able to the slightest sensu al pleasu r e . "
" O h , Monsieur, in t h e l i g h t o f s u c h p rinciples t h e miserable must therefore perish I "
" Does i t matte r ? We h ave more subj ects in France t h a n a r e n e e de d ; given t h e mech:tnism's e l a stic capacities f o r p roduction, the State can e a sily a fford :o be burdened by fewer people."
" B u t do you suppose children respect the i r fathers when they a re thus desp i s e d by the:n ?"
Jus t i n e + 47 1
"And what to a father is the love o f the children who a r e a nui sance to him ?"
"Would i t then have been better had th ey been strangled in the cradle ?"
" C e rtainly, such is the p ractice i n numerous countries ; i t was the custom o f the Greeks, i t i s the custom i n China : there, the o ffspring o f the p o o r are exposed, o r a r e put to death. What i s the good o f letting those creatures live who, n o longer able to count upon their pa rents' aid either b eco.u se they are without pa rents or because they a r e not wanted o r recogniz e d by them, henceforth are u s e ful for nothing and simply weigh upon the State : that much surplus commodity, you see, and the m a rket i s glutted already ; bastards, orphans, mal formed infants should be condemn e d to d e a th immed i a tely they are pupped : the first and the second be cause, no longer having anyone who wishes o r who i s able to take care of them, they are mere dregs which one day can have nothing but a n undesirable effect upon the society they contaminate ; the others because they cannot be o f any u s e fulness to i t ; the one and the other o f these categories are to society what a r e excrescences to the fl e s h , battening upon the healthy members' sap, degrading them, enfe ebli n g them ; or, i f you prefer, they are like those vegetable p a r a s i tes which, attaching themselves to sound plants, cause them to deteriorate by sucking up their nutritive juices. It's a s hocking outrage, these alms destined to feed scum, these most luxu riously appointed houses they have the rn a dness to construct quite as if the human species were so r a r e , so p recious one h a d to preserv e i t down t o i ts l a s t vile po rtion ! B u t enough o f politics whereof, my child, you a r e n o t l ikely to understand anything ; why l ament your fate ? for it is in your power, and yours only, to remedy it."
"Great He avens ! at the p rice o f what ! " "At th e price o f a n illusion, o f something that h a s none but the
value whe rewith your p ride invests it. \Vell , " continued this barbarian, getting to his feet and opening the door, "that i s all I can do fo r you ; consent to it, or deliver m e from your pre sence ; I have no fondness for beggars . . . . "
My tears fl owed fast, I w a s unable to check them ; would you believe it, M adame ? they irritated rather than melted this man. He shut the door and, s e i z ing my dress at the shoulder, he s a i d most
4 7 2 + T H E MAR Qt"IS DE SADE
brutally he was g o i n g to force from me w h a t I wou l d n o t a c c o r d h i m volun ta rily. A t this cruel m o m e n t my m i s e ry endowed m e w i t h cou r a ge ; I f r e e d mysel f from h i s g r a sp and rushed towa r d t h e d o o r :
" O d i o u s m a n , " s a i d I as I fl e d from h i m , " m ay the H e aven you h a v e s o grievously offended some d a y punish your execrable h e a rtlessness a s i t m e r i ts to be. You a r e worthy neither o f the r i c h e s you h a v e p u t to !.uch v i l e use, n o r o f the very air you breathe i n a world you d e fi l e w i t h y o u r b a rb a r i t i e s . "
I l o s t n o time telli n g my h o s t e s s o f the reception g i v e n m e by t h e p e rson to whom s h e had s e n t m e ; bu t what w a s my astoni shment t o h a v e this wre tch bel a b o r m e w i th reproaches rather than s h a r e m y s o r row.
"You i d i o t i c c h i t ! " s a i d s h e in a g r e a t r a g e , "do you i m a g i n e m e n a r e such g r e a t dup e s a s to d o l e o u t alms to l i t tl e girls s u c h a s y o u w i thou t re qui ring s o m e t h i n g f o r t h e i r money ? M o n s i e u r Dubou rg' s be ha vi o r w a s f a r too gentle ; i n h i s p l a c e I s h o u l d n o t have allowed y o u to l e a ve w i t h o u t h a v i n g h a d satisfaction f r o m you . B u t since you do n o t c a r e to p r o fi t from the a i d I o ff e r you, m a k e y o u r o w n a rrangements a s you p l e a s e ; y o u owe m e money : p a y i t t o m o r ro w ; o t h e r w i s e , i t ' s to j a i l . "
"
" M a da m e , h a v e p . ty-" " Y e s , y e s , p i ty ; o n e n e e d only h a v e p i ty and one s t a rv e s to
d e a t h . " " Bu t w h a t w o u l d y ou have m e do ? " "You m u s t go b a ck to Dubourg ; you m u s t a p p e a s e h i m ; y o u
m u s t bring home m o n ey to m e ; I w i l l v i s i t h i m , I will give h i m n o t i c e ; i f I am a bl e , I 'll rep a i r t h e d a m a ge y o u r s tu p i d i ty h a s c a u s e d ; I w i l l convey y ou r apologi e s , b u t k e e p i t i n m i n d , y o u h a d b e tt e r i m p r o v e y o u r conduct. "
A s h a m e d , d e sp e r � t e , knowing n o t which way to tu rn, s e e i n g mys e l f s a v a gely repuls � d b y everyone , I t o l d M a d a m e D e s r o c h e s ( th a t w a s my l a n d l a dy s n a m e ) t h a t I h a d d e c i d e d to do w h a t e v e r h a d to b e done t o s a t i s l:y h e r . S h e went to the fi n a n ci e r ' s h o u s e a n d up on h e r r e turn a d vi s e d m e t h a t s h e h a d fo u n d h i m i n a v e ry i rri table m o o d , t h a t i t h a d n o t b e e n w i t h o u t an e ff o r t s h e h a d m a n a g e d t o incl i n e h i m i n my favo r , t h a t b y d i n t o f suppl i c a tions s h e had a t least p e r s u a d e d h i m to s e e m e again t h e following
Jus tin e + 4 7 3
m o rn i ng, b u t t h a t I would h a v e to k e e p a s t r i c t watch o v e r my be havior, b e c au s e , w e r e I t o take it i n t o my head to d i sobey him a g a i n , h e himself would s e e t o it I was i m p r i s o n e d forever.
All a tremble , I arrived j Dubou r g w a s a l o n e a n d i n a state yet more i n d e c e n t t h a n o n the previous d a y . B ru t a l i ty , l i b e r t i n a g e , a l l t h e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f t h e d e b a u c h e e gli tt e r e d i n h i s cunni n g gl ances.
" Tha nk D e sroches , " h e said h a rshly, " fo r it is as a favor to her I i nte nd to s h o w you a n i n s t an t ' s kindness ; you mu s t surely be aware h ow l i ttle you d e s e rve it a f t e r y o u r p e r formance y e s t e r d ay . Un d r e s s you r s e l f a n d i f you once a g a i n m a n i f e s t t h e l e a s t r e s i stance to my desires, two m e n , w a i t i n g f o r you i n t h e n e x t r o o m , will conduct you to a p l a c e whence you will n e v e r eme rge a l i v e . "
" O h M o n s i eu r , " s a y I , w e e p i n g , clutchi n g the w i cked m an' s kne e s , "unbe nd, I b e s e e c h you j be so generous as to r e l i eve m e w i t h o u t r e q u i r i n g w h a t would b e s o c o s tly I s h o u l d r a t h e r o ff e r you my life than subm i t to i t . . . . Yes, 1 p re f e r to d i e a t h o u s a n d times o v e r than violate the p ri n c i p l e s I r e c e i v e d i n my childhood . . . . M o n s i e u r , M o n s i e u r , const r a i n m e n o t , I e n t r e a t you ; c a n you conceive of gle a n i n g happiness i n t h e d e p t h s o f t e a r s and d i s g u s t ? D a r e you s u s p e c t p l e a su r e w h e r e you s e e n a u g h t b u t l o a th i n g ? N o s o o n e r s h a l l you h a v e consumm a t e d your c r i m e than m y d e sp a i r w i ll overwhelm you w i t h remorse . . . . "
B u t the i n fa m i e s to w h i c h D u b o u r g a b a n d o n e d h i m s e l f p re vented m e from continuing ; that I w a s able to h ave b e l i e v e d myself capable o f tou c h i n g a m a n who w a s a l r e a dy finding, i n t h e v e ry s p e c t a c l e of my s u ff e r i n g , o n e fu r t h e r v e h i c l e f o r h i s h o rr i b l e p a s s i o n s l Would you b e l i e v e i t , M a da m e ? b e c o m i n g i n fl a m e d by t h e s h r i l l a ccents o f my p l e a d i n g s , s a v o r i n g them inhumanly, the w r e t c h d i s p o s e d h i m s e l f for h i s c r i m i n a l a ttempts I H e gets u p , a n d ex h i b i t i n g h i m s e l f to me in a s t a t e o v e r w h i c h r e a son i s seldom t r i umpha nt, a n d wherein the opposition o f the obj ect w h i c h c a u s e s r e a so n ' s down fall i s but an a dd i t i o n a l a ilment to del i r i u m , h e s e i z e s m e brutally, i m p e tuously sn a t c h e s a w a y the v e i l s which s t i l l conceal wh a t h e burns to e njoy ; h e c a r e s s e s m e . . . . O h ! what a p ic t u r e , G r e a t G o d I W h a t u n h e a rd-of m i n g l i n g o f h a r s h n e s s . . . a n d l ew dn e s s I I t s e e m e d t h a t the S u p r e m e B e i n g w i s h e d , i n t h a t fi r s t o f my encoun t e r s , to i m p r i n t f o r e v e r i n m e all the h o r r o r I w a s t o h a v e f o r a k i n d o f c r i m e w h e n c e t h e r e w a s to b e born the to r r e n t
4 7 4 + T H E MAR Q UI S DE SADE
of evils th a t have besl!t me since. But must I complain of them ? N o , needless to say ; to h i s excesses l owe my salvation ; h a d there been less debauchery ir him, I were a ruined gi rl ; Dubou rg's fl ames were extinguished i n d . e fury o f his enterprises, He aven intervene d in m y behalf against t h e monster before h e could commit t h e o f fenses he w a s readying for , and the loss of his powers, before the sacrifice could occu r , p 'eserved me from being i ts victim.
The consequence was Dubourg became nothing i f not more insolent ; h e laid upon me the blame for his weakness' mistakes, wanted to repair them with new outrages a n d yet more mo rti fying invectives ; there was Lothing h e did not say to me, nothing he did not a ttemp t, nothing h i s p e rfidious imagination, h i s adamantine character and the dep r avation of his manners did not lead him to undertake. My clumsiness made him impatient : I was fa r from wishing to p a rticip a te n the thing, to lend myself to i t was a s much as I could do, my remclrse remained lively. However, it was all for naught, submi tting to Lim, I ceased t o i n fl ame him ; in vain he pass e d successively f r o m tenc e rness to rigor . . . f r o m groveling to tyr anny . . . from an a i r of dece ncy to the p ro fl i ga t e ' s exce sses, i n vain, I s ay, there was nothing for i t , we were both exh austed, and happily he was unable to recov e r what he needed to deliver more dangerous assaults. He gave it up, made me promise to come the next day, an d to be s u r e o f me h e r<:fused absolu tely to give me anyth i n g above the sum l owed Desr och e s . Greatly hum i l i a ted by the adventure and fi rmly resolved, " h a tever might happen to me, not to expose myself a third time, I returned to where I w a s lodging. I announced my intentions to Desroches, p a i d her, and heaped maledictions upon the criminal capable o f so cruelly exploiting my misery. But my imprecations, far frorr drawing the wrath of God down upon him, only added to his goe d fortune ; and a week la ter I l e a rn e d thi s signal libertine had j u t obtained a general trusteeship from the Governmen t, ",:hich woul d augment h i s revenues by more than five hun dred thou sand pounds p e r annum. I was absorbed in the refl ec tions such unexp ected ncon sistenci es o f fate inevitably give rise to, when a momen tary ray o f hope seemed to shine i n my eyes.
Desroches carne to tell me one day that she h a d finally located a house into which I c ould be received with pleasure p rovi d e d my comportment rema ined of the best. " G reat Heaven, M a d am e , " I
Jus tin e + 47 5
cri e d , transp o r te d , throwing myse l f i n to h e r a r m s , " th a t condition is the one I would stipulate mysel f-you m ay imagine how h a ppy I a m to accept i t . " The man I w a s to serve was a famous Parisian u s u r e r who h a d b e c o m e rich, not only by l ending money upon col l a te r a l , but even by steali ng from th e publ i c eve ry time he thought h e coul d do so i n s a fety. H e lived in the rue Quincampoix, had a thi rd-story flat, and shared it with a creature o f fi fty years he called h i s wife and who was a t least a s wicked a s he.
"Therese , " this miser s a i d to m e ( such was the name I had taken i n o r d e r to hide my own ) , "Theres e , the p rimary virtu e in this house i s probity ; if ever you m ake off with the tenth p a rt o f a p enny, I 'll have you hanged, my child, d'ye s e e . The modest ease my wife and I enj oy i s the fru i t o f o u r immense labors, and o f our p e r fect sobriety . . . . D o y o u e a t much, l ittle one ?"
"A few ounces o f bread each d ay, Monsieu r , " I replied, "water, a n d a l i ttl e soup when I a m lucky enough to get it."
" Soup I Bleeding Christ ! Soup ! Behold, d e a ry , " said the usurer to his dame, "behold and tremble a t the p rogress o f luxury : i t' s looking for ci rcumstances, it's b e en dying o f hunger for a year, and now i t wants to e a t soup ; we sca rcely have i t once a week, on Sunday, we who wo rk like galley slave s : you'll h ave three ounces of bread a day, my d aughter, plus h a l f a bottle of river water, plus one o f my w i f e ' s old dresses eve ry e i ghteen month s , plus three crowns' wages a t the end o f e a ch year, if we a r e content with your s e rvi ces, if your economy responds to our own and if, finally, you make the house prosper through o rderliness and arrangement. Your duti e s a re mediocre, they' re done in jig time ; 'tis but a question of w a shing and cleaning this six-room a p a r tment thrice a week, of m aking o u r beds, answering the door, p owdering my wig, dressing my w i f e ' s h a i r , l o oking a fter the dog and the p a rakeet, lending a hand in the kitchen, washing the utensils, helping my wife whenever she prepares us a bite to eat, and daily devoting four o r fi v e hours to the w a shing, to mending s tockings , h a ts, and other li ttle house hold odds and ends ; you obse rve , Therese, 'tis nothing a t all, you will have ample free time to yourself, w e will permit you to employ it to you r own interest, provided, my child, you are goo d , discreet and, above all, thri fty, th a t ' s o f the essence . "
You may readily imagine, :M adame, th a t one h a d to be in the
4 7 6 + T H E M A RQ U I S DE S A D E
frightful state I indeed ,,'as i n to accept such a position ; not only was there infini tely more work to be done than my strength p e r m i tted me to undertake, c u t should I be able to live upon what was offered me ? Howeve r, I w a s c a r e ful to raise no difficulties and was installed that same eveni n g.
Were my cruel si tu a tion to permit m e to amuse you for an instant, M a d ame, when I must think of nothing but gaining your comp a ssion, I shou l d dare describe some o f the symptoms o f a v a r i c e I w i tnessed w h i l e n that house ; but a catastrophe so terrible for me was awai ting me :luring my second year there that i t i s by no means ea sy to linger over entertaining details be fore making you acquainted with my miseries.
Nevertheless, you 'vill know, M a dame, that, for light in Monsieur du H a rp i n ' s a J a rtm ent, there w a s never any but what h e got from the street lamp which, happily, was placed opposite his room ; never d i d 1'vfonsiellr o r M a dame u s e linen ; what I washed was hoarded away, i t was never touch e d ; on the sleeves of M on s i e u r ' s coat, as well as c p on M a dam e ' s dress, were old gauntle t c u ff s s e w n ove r the m a t e r i a l , and t h e s e I removed and washed every S a tu rday evening ; no sheets ; no towels, and that to avoid laundry expenses. Never was wine drunk i n her house , cle a r water being, declared M a d a m e du H a rp i n , the n a tu r a l drink o f man, the healthiest and l e a s t dan �erou s . Every time b r e a d was sliced, a b a sket w a s put beneath th e kni fe so that whatever fell would not b e lost ; i n t o t h i s conta i n e r w e n t , a l s o , and w i t h exactitude all the scraps and le avings th at m i gh t survive the meal , and this com pound, fried u p o n Sun d a y together with a l i t tl e butter, made a banquet for the day o f rf s t ; never was one to beat clothing or too ene rgetically dust the fu r n i ture for fear of wearing i t out, instead, very cautiou sly, one tickl e d about with a feather. M o n s i e u r ' s shoes, a n d M a d a m e ' s as well, " e re double-sol e d with iron, they were the same shoes th a t had served them o n the i r wedding day ; bu t a much more unu sual cu sto m ,vas the one they had me practice once a week : there was in the a p a rtm e n t a rather l a rge room whose walls were n o t p ap e r e d ; I w a s expec ted to take a kni fe a n d scrape and shave away a certain quanti ty c,f p l a ster, and this I next p a ssed through a fine s ieve ; what resulted from thi s operation became the powder wherewith every morning I sprinkled Monsieur's peruke and
Justin e .. 4 7 7
M adame's hair, d o n e up in a b u n . Ah I wouldst to G o d t h o s e had been the only turp i tudes o f which this evil pair h a d made habits 1 Nothing's more normal than the desire to conserve one' s property ; but what i s not normal i s the desire to augment i t by the accession o f the property o f others. And i t was not long before I perceived that i t was only thus du H a rpin acquired his wealth.
Above u s there lodged a solitary individu a l of considerable means who was the owne r o f some handsome j ewels, and whose belongings, whether because of the i r p roximity o r because they had p a ssed through my m a ster's hands, were very well known to him ; I o ften heard him express regrets to his wife over the loss of a certain gold box worth fi fty o r sixty louis, which a rticle would infallibly have remained h i s , s a i d he, had he proceeded with greater clever ness. I n order to console himself for the sale o f the said box, the good Monsieur du H a rp i n p roj ected i ts theft, an d it was to m e he entrusted the execution o f his plan.
After having delive red a long speech upon the indifference of robb e ry , upon, indeed, i t s u s e fulness i n the world, since i t maintains a sort o f equilibrium which totally confounds the inequality of p r o p e r ty ; u p o n t h e i n f r equence o f p u n i s hm e n t , s i n c e o u t o f e v e ry twenty thieves i t could be p roven that n o t above two d i e s on the gallows ; a fter having demonstrated to me, with a n erudition of which I had not dreamt Monsieur du H a rp i n capable, tha t theft was honored throughout Greece, that several races yet acknowledge it, favor it, and reward i t for a bold deed simultaneously giving proof o f cou rage and skill ( two virtues indispensable to a w a rlike n a tion ) , a fter having, i n a word, exalted his p e rsonal influence which would extricate m e from all embarra ssments i n the event I should be detected, Monsieur du H a rp i n tendered me two l ock picks, one to open the neighbor ' s front door, the other his secretary within which lay the box in question ; incessantly he enj oined me to get him this box and, in retu rn for so important a service, I coul d exp ect, for two years , to receive an additional crown.
"Oh Monsieur I" I excl aimed, shuddering at his p roposal, " i s i t p o ssible a m a s t e r d a r e thus corrupt his domesti c I W h a t p revents me from tu rning against you the weapons you put into my hands ?
4 7 8 + T H E MARQUIl DE SADE
and w h a t d e fe n s e will you have if s o m e d a y I m ak e you t h e v i c t i m o f y o u r own p r i nc i p l e s ? "
D u H a rp i n , much c o n fu s e d , fell b a c k u p o n a l a m e s u b t e r fuge : w h a t he w a s d o i n g , s a i d h e , w a s b e i n g d o n e w i t h t h e s i m p l e i n t en tion of t e s t i n g m e ; h o w fo r tu n a t e that I h a d r e s i s t e d this tempta tion, h e added . . . h o w I s h o u l d h a v e b e e n d o o m e d had I s u c c u m b e d , e t c . I s c o ff e d a t t h i s l i e b u t I w a s s o o n enough a w a r e o f w h a t a mi s t a k e it h a d b e e n to a n s w e r h i m w i t h s u c h a s p e r i ty : m a l e f a c t o r s d o n o t l i k e to fi n d r e s i s t a n c e i n t h o s e they s e e k to s e du c e ; u n f o r tun a te l y , t h e r e i s n o m i d dl e g r o u n d o r m e d i a n a tt i t u d e when o n e i s s o u n l u cky a s t o h av e b e e n a p p r o a c h e d b y them : o n e m u s t n e c e s s a r i l y t h e r e u p o n becomt e i t h e r t h e i r accomp l i c e s , w h i c h i s e xc e e d i n gl y d a n g e r o u s , or t h e i r e n e m i e s , w h i c h is even m o r e s o . H a d I b e e n a l i ttle e xp e ri en c e d , I w o u l d h a v e q u i t t h e h o u s e forthwi t h , b u t i t w a s a l r e a dy w r i t t e n i n H e a ve n t h a t every o n e o f t h e h o n e s t g e s t u r e s th a t w a s to e m a n a t e f r o m m e w o u l d b e answe r e d b y m i s f o r tu n e s .
M o n s i e u r du H a rp n l e t m o r e t h a n a m o n t h d r i f t b y , t h a t i s t o s a y , h e w a i t e d u n t i l the e n d o f my s e c ond y e a r w i th h i m , a n d w a i te d w i t h o u t s h o w i n g t h e l e a s t h i n t o f re s e n t m e n t a t t h e r e fu s a l I h a d g i v e n h i m , when o n e e H n i n g , h a v i n g j u s t r e t i r e d to my room t o t a s t e a few h o u r s o f repo s e , I suddenly h e a r d my d o o r b u r s t o p e n a n d t h e r e , n o t w i t h o u t k r r o r , I s a w M o n s i e u r du H a rp i n a n d fou r s o l d i e r s of t h e w a tch s t a n d i n g by my b e d .
" P e r f o r m y o u r d u t y , S i r r a h , " s a i d h e to the m e n o f t h e l a w, " t h i s w r e tch h a s s t o l e r from me a di amond w o r t h a t h o u s a n d c r o wn s , you w i l l fi n d i t i 1 h e r c h a m be r o r u p o n h e r p e r s o n , t h e f a c t i s c e r t a i n . "
" I h a v e r o b b e d you , M o n s i e u r I " s a i d I , s o r e t r o u b l e d a n d s p r i n ging f r o m my b e d , ' I ! G r e a t H e aven ! W h o k n o w s b e t t e r t h a n y o u t h e c o n t r a ry t o b e t r u e ! Who s h o u l d be m o r e d e eply a w a r e t h a n y o u to w h a t p o i n t I l o a t h e r o b b e ry a n d to w h a t d e g r e e i t i s u n th i n k a b l e I c o u l d h a v e c o m m i t t e d i t . "
B u t d u H a rp i n m a le a g r e a t u p r o a r t o drown o u t m y wo rds ; he c o n t i n u e d to o r d e r p e r q u i s i t i o n s , a n d t h e m i s e r ab l e r i n g w a s di scove r e d i n my m a ttrc:ss. To evi d e n c e o f t h i s s t r ength th e r e w a s n o t h i n g to reply ; I w a s :; e i z e d i n stantly, p i n i o n e d , a n d l e d to p ri s o n
Jus tine ,� 4 7 9
wi thout b e i n g a b l e to prevail u p o n the authorities t o listen to one word in my favor.
The trial o f an unfortun ate creature who has neither influ ence nor p rotection is conducted with dispatch in a land where virtue is thought incompatible wi th misery, where pove rty i s enough to con vict the accuse d ; there, an unj u s t prepossession causes i t to be supposed th a t he who ought to have committed a crime did indeed commi t i t ; sentiments are p roport ioned according to the gui l ty one ' s estate ; a n d w h e n once gol d or ti tl es are wanting t o establish h i s innocence, t h e impossibility t h a t he be innocent t h e n appears self evident.l
I defended myself, i t did no good, in vain I furnished the best m a terial to the l awyer whom a protocol of form required be given m e for an instant or two ; my employer accused me, the diamond had been di scovered i n my room ; i t was plain I had stolen it. When I wished to describe M onsieur du Harpin's awful traffic and prove that the misfortune that had struck me was naught but the fruit of his vengeance and the consequence o f his eagerness to be rid o f a creature who, through possession o f his secret, h a d become his master, these pleadings were interpreted a s so many recrimina tions, and I was informed that fo r twenty years Monsieur du Harpin had been known a s a man o f integrity, incapable o f such a horror. I was transferred to the Concierge r i e , where I saw myself upon the brink of having to p ay with my l i fe for h aving refused to p a rtici p a te in a crime ; I was sho rtly to perish ; only a new mi sdeed could save me : Providence willed th a t Crime serve at least once as an aegis unto Virtue, that crime mi ght preserve it from the abyss which is some day going to engulf j udges together with thei r imbecil i ty.
I h a d about me a woman, p robably fo rty years old, a s cele brated for her beauty a s for the vari ety and numbe r o f her vil lainies ; she was called Duboi s and, like the unlucky Therese, was on the eve of p aying the capi tal penalty, but as to the exact form o f it the judges were yet mi ghtily perplexed : having rendered h e r self guilty of every imaginable crime, they found themselves virtu ally obliged to invent a new torture fo r her, or to expose her to one whence we ordinarily exempt our sex. Thi s woman h a d become
1 0 ages yet to come ! You shall no longer b e witness to these horrors and infamies abounding !
4 8 0 .. T H E M A R Q U I S D E S A D E
interested in me, criminally interested without doubt, since the basis o f h e r feelings, a s I l e a r ned a fterward, was h e r extreme desire to make a p roselyte o f me.
Only two days from the time set for our execution, Dubois came to m e ; i t was a t n i gh t. She told m e not to lie down to sleep, but to stay n e a r her side. vVithout attracting attentio n , we moved as close a s w e could to the prison door. " B e tween seven and eight," she said, "the Conciergt rie will c a tch fire, I have seen to i t ; no question about it, m any people will be burned ; i t doesn' t matter, There s e , " the evil creature went on, "the fate o f others must always b e as nothing to u s wher our own lives a r e a t stake ; well, we are going to escape here, o f that you can be sure ; fou r men-my con federates-wil l j o i n u s and I gua rantee you we will be free . "
I h ave t o l d y o u , M a dame, that t h e h a n d of God which h a d j u s t punished m y innocence, employed c r i m e t o protect me ; t h e fire began, i t spread, the bla z e was horrible, twenty-one p e rsons were consumed, but we made a successfu l sally. The same day we reached the cottage o f a poacher, a n intimate friend o f our band who dwelt i n the forest o f B ondy.
"There you a r e , Th erese , " Duboi s says to me, " free. You may now choose the kind of l i fe you wish, but were I to have any advice to give you, it would be t � renounce the practice o f vi rtue which, as you have noticed, i s the courting o f disaster ; a m i splaced delicacy l e d you to the foo t o f th e scaffold, an appalling crime rescued you from i t ; have a look abO\; t and see how u s e ful are goo d deeds in this world, and whether i t i s really worth the trouble immolating your self for them. Therese, you are young and attractive, heed me, and i n two yea rs I 'l l have led you to a fortune ; bu t don ' t suppose I am going to guide you there along the p a ths of vi rtue : when one wants to get on, my d e a r girl, one must stop at nothing ; decide, then, we have no secu r i ty in this cotta ge, we've got to l e ave in a few hours."
" Oh M a dame , " I said to my benefactress, "I am greatly in debted to you , and am far from wishing to disown my obligations ; you saved my l i fe ; in my view, ' t i s fri ghtful the thing was achieved through a crime and, bt lieve me, had I been the one charged to comm i t it, I should have preferred a thousand deaths to the angu i sh o f p a rticipa ting in i t ; I am aware o f all the dangers I risk in trusting myse l f to the honest se 1timents which will always remain in my
Jus tine + 48 1
h e a r t ; but wha teve r be the thorns o f virtu e , M a dame, I prefer them unhesita tingly and always to the p e rilous favors which a r e c r i m e ' s accomp animent. There a r e religious p rinciples w i t h i n me which, may it please Heaven , will never desert m e ; if Providence renders di fficult my career i n life, 'tis i n order to comp ensate me in a better world. Tha t hope is my consolation, it swee tens my griefs, i t soothes me i n my sufferings, i t fo rtifies m e i n distress, and causes m e confi dently to face all the ills i t pleases God to v i s i t upon me. Th a t j oy should s t r a i gh tway be extingu i sh e d i n my soul were I p e rchance to besmi rch it with crime , and toge ther with the fear o f chastisements i n t h i s world I should h a v e t h e p a i n ful anticipation of torments in the next, which would not for one instant procu r e m e t h e tranquillity I t h i r s t a fter. "
"Those are absurd doctrines which will have you on the dung heap i n no tim e , my gi d , " s a i d Dubois with a frown j "believe me : forget God's j u s tice, H i s futur e puni shments and rewards, the l o t o f those platitu d e s l e a d us n o w h e r e but t o d e a th f r o m starvation. 0 Therese, the callousness o f the Hich l egitim a te s the b a d c o n duct o f t h e Poor ; l e t them o p e n their p u r s e t o o u r n e e d s , l e t humaneness reign in their h earts and virtues will take root i n ours ; but a s long a s our m i s fortune, our p a ti e n t endurance o f it, our good faith, our abjection only s e rves to double the weight o f our chains, our crimes will b e their doing, and w e will b e fools indeed to abstain from them when they can lessen the yoke wherewith their cruelty b e a r s us down. N a tu r e h a s caused u s all to be equals born, Therese j i f fate i s p l e a s e d to upset the p r i m a ry scheme o f the general law , i t i s u p t o us to correct i t s caprices a n d through our skill t o rep a i r the usurp a tions o f the stronge st. I love to hear these rich ones, these titl e d o n e s , these m a gi s trates and these priests, I love to s e e them preach v i rtue to us. I t i s not very d i ffi cult to forswea r theft when one h a s three o r four times wh;J. t one needs to live ; i t i s not very necessary to plot murder when o n e i s surrounded by nothing bu t adulators and thralls unto whom one's will i s l a w ; n o r i s it very h a r d to be temp e r a t e and sober when one has the most succulent dainties constantly within o n e ' s reach j they can well contrive to be sincere when there i s never any appa rent a dvantage i n falsehood . • . . B u t we, Therese, we whom t h e b a rb a r i c Providence y o u are mad enough to i doli z e , has condemned to slink i n the dust o f humiliation
482 4 THE MARQUIS DE SADE
as doth the serpent in gri S S , we w h o a r e b e h e l d with disdain only because we are p o o r , who are tyrann i z e d because we are weak ; we, who must quench our thi rst with gall and who, wherever we go , tre a d on the thistle alway ; , you would have us shun crime when i ts h an d alone opens up unto us the door to life, maintains us i n i t, and is our only p rotection wh en o u r l i fe i s threatened ; you would have it that, degraded and in f,erpetual abj ection, while this class domi nating us h a s to i tself all the blessings o f fortun e , we reserve for ourselves naught but pain, bea tings, suffering, nothing but want and t e a r s , b randings and the gibb e t . N o , n o , Therese, no ; e i ther this Providence you reverence i s made only for our scorn, o r the world w e s e e about us i s n o t a t a ll what Providence would have i t . B ecome b e tt e r acqu a i n t e d with y ou r Provi dence, my child, and b e con vinced that a s soon a s it F laces u s in a s i tuation where evil becom e s necessary, a n d while a t th e same time i t le aves u s the possibility o f doing i t , t h i s evil h a rmon i z e s quite a s well with i t s decrees a s does good, a n d Provi dence gains a s much by the one a s by the other ; the state i n which she h a s created u s i s equal i ty : he who di sturbs i s n o m o r e gui l ty than he who ;eeks to re-establ i sh the balance ; b o t h a c t i n accordance with receiv �d impul ses, both have to o b e y t h o s e i m pul s e s a n d enj oy them . "
I mu s t confess t h a t i f ever I w a s shaken i t w a s b y t h i s clever wom a n ' s s e ductions ; but 1 y e t stronger vo ice, that o f my heart to which I gave h e e d , combatted her sophistri e s ; I decl a r e d to Dubois t h a t I w a s determined neve r to allow myself to be corrupted. "Very well !" she repli e d , "become what you wish, I abandon you to your sorry fate ; but if ever Y O l get yourself hanged, which i s an end you cannot avo i d , th anks to the fatality which inevi tably saves the criminal by sacrificing the virtuous, a t l e a s t remember before dying never to mention u s . "
vV h i l e we were a rgu ing thus , Dubois' f o u r companions w e r e d rinking w i th the p o a che r, and a s w i n e d i s p o s e s t h e male facto r ' s h e a r t to new crimes and causes him to forget h i s old, our bandits no sooner l e arned of my resolution than, unable to make me t h e i r accomplice, t h e y d e c i d e d t o make m e their victim ; t h e i r principles, the i r manners, the d a rk retre a t we were in, the security they thought they enj oyed, th �ir drunkenne s s , my age, my innocence everything encouraged th �m. They get up from tabl e , they confer i n
J u s t i n e + 4 8 3
w h i s p e r s , t h e y c o n s u l t Dubo i s , doings w h o s e l u gu b r i o u s my s t e ry m a k e s me s h i v e r w i t h h o r r o r , a n d at l a s t th e r e c o m e s an o r d e r to me t h e n a n d t h e r e to s a t i s fy th e d e s i r e s of e a c h of t h e four ; i f I g o t o i t c h e e r fu l l y , e a c h w i l l give m e a c r own t o h e l p m e a l o n g my w a y ; if t h e y m u s t e m p l oy v i o l e n ce , t h e t h i n g w i l l be d o n e a l l the s a m e ; b u t t h e better to gu a r d t h e i r secret, o n c e fi n i s h e d w i t h me t h e y will stab me, and w i l l bu ry m e a t t h e foot o f yon d e r t r e e .
I n e e d n o t p a i n t t h e e ff e c t t h i s c r u e l p r o p o s i t i o n h a d u p o n m e , M a d a m e , you w i l l h a v e no d i ffi c u l ty u n d e r s t a n d i n g t h a t I s ank to my kn e e s b e f o r e D u bo i s , I b e s o u g h t h e r a s e c o n d t i m e to b e my p r o t e c t r e s s : the l o w c r e a tu r e d i d bu t l a u g h at my t e a r s :
" O h by G o d ! " q u o t h s h e , " h e r e ' s an u n h a ppy l i t t l e o n e . Wh a t ! you s h u d d e r b e fo r e t h e obl i g a t i o n to s e rve fo u r fi n e b i g boys o n e a ft e r a n o t h e r ? L i s t e n to m e , " s h e a d d e d , a f t e r s o m e r e fl e c t i o n , "my sway over th e s e d e a r l a d s is s u ffi c i e n tly g r e a t for m e to o b t a i n a r e p r i e v e f o r you u p o n c o n d i t i o n you r e n d e r you r s e l f w o r thy of i t . "
" Al a s ! M a d a m e , w h a t m u s t I do ?" I c r i e d through my te a r s ; "co m m a n d m e ; I am r e a d y . "
" J o i n u s , t h r o w i n y o u r l o t w i t h u s , a n d comm i t t h e s a m e d e e d s , w i t h o u t s h o w o f t h e l e a s t r e p u gnan c e ; e i t h e r t h a t , o r I c a n n o t s a v e y o u from t h e r e s t . " I d i d n o t t h i n k m y s e l f i n a p o s i ti o n t o h e s i t a t e ; b y a c c e p t i n g th i s c r u e l con d i t i o n I expo s e d mys e l f to fu r t h e r d a n g e r s , t o b e sure, b u t t h e y were t h e less i mm e d i a te ; p e r h a p s I m i g h t be a b l e to a v o i d t h e m , w h e r e a s n o t h i n g co u l d s a v e m e f r o m t h o s e w i t h w h i c h I w a s a c tu a l:y m e n a c e d .
" I w i l l go eve rywh e r e wi th y o u , M a d am e , " w a s my p r o m p t a n s w e r t o D u b o i s , " e v e ryw h e r e , I p r o m i s e you ; s h i e l d m e from t h e f u r y o f t h e s e m e n a n d I s h a l l n e v e r l e a v e y o u r s i d e w h i l e I l i ve . "
" C h i l d r e n , " Dubo i s s a i d to t h e f o u r b a n d i t s , " t h i s g i r l i s o n e o f t h e comp any, I a m t a k i n g h e r i n t o i t ; I ask y o u t o d o h e r no i l l , d o n ' t p u t h e r s t o m a c h o ff t h e mhier d u r i n g h e r fi r s t days i n i t ; y o u s e e h o w u s e fu l h e r a ge a n d f a c e c a n b e to u s ; l e t ' s e m p l o y t h e m to our a dv a n t a g e r a t h e r t h a n s a c r i fi c e t h e m to o u r p l e a s u r e s . "
B u t s u c h i s t h e d e g r e e o f e n e r gy i n m a n ' s p a s s i ons n o t h i n g c a n subdue t h e m . T h e p e r s o n s I w a s d e a l i n g w i th w e r e i n n o s t a t e t o h e e d r e a s o n : a l l f o u r s u r r o u n d e d m e , devou r e d m e w i t h t h e i r fi e ry glanc e s , m e n a c e d me in a s t i l l m o r e t e r r i b l e m a n n e r ; t h ey w e r e a b o u t t o l a y h a n d s o n m e , I w a s abolJt to b e c o m e their v i c t i m .
4 8 4 + T H E M A R Q I ' I S DE SADE
" S h e h a s got t o go t h r o u g h wi t h i t , " one of them d e cl a r e d , " i t ' s t o o l a t e f o r d i s c u > s i on : w a s s h e n o t tol d s h e m u s t give p r o o f o f vi r t u e s i n o r d e r to � e a d m i t t e d i n t o a b a n d o f t h i e ve s ? a n d once a l i ttle used, w on ' t she be quite a s serviceable a s s h e i s while a v i r g i n ? "
I a m s o f t e n i n g the i r exp r e s s i on s , you u n d e r s t a n d , M a d a m e , I a m sw e e t e n i n g t h e s c e n e i ts e l f ; a l a s ! t h e i r obscen i t i e s w e r e such that y o u r m o d e s ty mi ;�h t suffer a t l e a s t a s m u c h f r o m b e h o l d i n g t h e m u n a do r n e d as d i d my shyn e s s .
A d e fe n s e l e s s a n d trembl i n g v i c t i m , I s h u d d e r e d ; I h a d b a rely s t r e n g t h to b r e a t h e ; kn e e l i n g b e fo r e t h e q u a r t e t , I r a i s e d my f e e b l e a rm s as much t o supp l i c a t e the men a s to m el t D u b o i s ' h e a r t . . . .
"An i n s t a n t , " s a i d o n e w h o went by the n a m e o f C o e u r- d e - f e r a n d a p p e a r e d to be the b a n d ' s c h i e f , a m a n o f t h i r ty- s i x y e a r s , o f a bull ' s s t r e n g t h a n d b , ! a r i n g th e f a c e of a s a ty r ; " o n e m o m e n t , f r i e n d s : i t m a y b e p o s � , i b l e to s a t i s fy e v e ry o n e c o n c e r n e d ; s i n c e t h i s l i t t l e gi rl ' s v i r tu e i s s ( · p r e c i o u s to h e r a n d s i n c e , a s Dub o i s s t a t e s i t very well , t h i s q u a l i ty o t h e rw i s e p u t i n t o a c t i o n c o u l d b e c o m e w o r th s o m e t h i n g to m , l e t ' s l e ave i t to h e r ; but we h a v e g o t to be a p p e a s e d ; our mood is w a r m , Dubo i s , a n d i n t h e state we are i n , d ' y e kn o w , w e m i g h t J e r h a p s c u t you r own t h r o a t i f you w e r e t o s t a n d b e tw e e n u s a n d o u r p l e a s u r e s ; l e t ' s h a v e T h e rese i n s t a n tl y s t r i p a s n a k e d a s t h e d a y s h e c a m e i n t o th e w o r l d , a n d n e x t l e t ' s h a v e h e r a d o p t o n e a f te r t h e o t h e r a l l t h e p o s i t i o n s w e a r e p l e a s e d t o c a l l f o r , a n d m e anwh i l e D u b o i s w i l l s a t e o u r hunge r s , w e ' l l b u r n o u r i n c e n s e u p o n t h e , d t a r s ' e n t r a n ce t o w h i c h th i s c r e a tu r e r e f u s e s u s . "
" S t r i p n a k e d I " I excl a i m e d , " O h H e a v e n , w h a t is it thou d o t h r e q u i r e o f m e ? W h e r I s h a l l h a v e d e l i v e r e d m y s e l f t h u s to y o u r e y e s , who ,,, i l l be a b l e to a n s w e r f o r m e ? . . . "
B u t C o e u r- d e - f e r , who s e e m e d in no h u m o r e i t h e r to g r a n t m e m o r e o r t o s u s p e n d h i � d e s i r e s , b u r s t o u t w i t h an o a t h a n d s t ruck m e i n a m a n n e r s o b r u t a l th a t I s a w fu l l w e l l com p l i a n ce w a s my l a s t r e s o r t . H e p u t h i m s e l f i n Dub o i s ' h a n d s , s h e h a v i n g b e e n p u t by h i s i n a d i s o r d e r m o r e o r l e s s t h e e q u i v a l e n t o f m i n e a n d , a s s o o n a s I w a s as he d e s i r e d me to b e , h a v i n g m a d e me c r o u c h down upon a l l fou r s s o that I rel,embl e d a beast, Du b o i s t o o k i n hand a v e ry
Justine + 4 8 5
monstrous obj ect a n d l e d i t t o t h e p e ri s tyles o f first o n e a n d then the other o f N a tu r e ' s altars, and under her gu i dance the blows it delivered to m e h e r e and there w e r e like those o f a b a ttering ram thun dering a t the gates o f a besieged town in olden days. The shock of the initial assault drove me b a ck ; enraged, C o eur-de-fer threat ened me with h a rs h e r treatments were I to retreat from these ; Dubois is instructed to redouble h e r efforts, one of the libe rtines grasps my shoulders and p revents me from staggering b e fore the concu ssions : they become so fi e rc e I am i n blood and am able to avo i d not a one.
"Indeed," stammers Coeur-de-fe r , " i n h e r place I'd p refer to open the doors rather than s e e them ruined this way, but she won't have i t , and w e ' r e not f a r from the capitulation . . . . Vigorously . . . vigo rously, Dubois . . . . "
And the explosive eruption o f this debauche e ' s fl a m e s , almost a s violent a s a stroke o f l i ghtning, fl i ckers and dies upon ramparts ravaged without being breached.
The second h a d m e kneel between h i s l e gs and while Dubois a dministered to h i m a s she h a d to the other, two enterp rises ab sorbed h i s enti re attention : sometimes h e slapped, powerfully but i n a very n e rvous manner, either my cheeks o r my brea sts ; some times his impure mouth fell to sucking mine. In an instant my face turned purple , my chest red . . . . I was i n pain, I b e gged him to spare me, tears l e a p t from my eyes : they roused him, h e accelerated h i s activiti e s ; h e b i t my tongu e , and the two strawberries on my b r e a s ts were so bruised that I slippe d backward, but was kept from falling. They thrust m e toward h i m , I was everywhere more furi ously h a rassed, and his ecstasy sup e rvened . . . .
The thi rd bade m e mount upon and straddle two somewhat sepa rated ch a i rs and, seating himsel f b e twixt them, excited by Dubo i s , lying i n his arms, h e had me bend until h i s mouth was d i rectly below the templ e o f N a tu r e ; never will you imagine, M a dame, what this obscene m ortal took i t into h i s head to do ; willy-nilly, I w a s obliged to satisfy his every need . . . . Just Heaven I w h a t man, no matter how depraved, can taste an instant o f pleasure i n such things . . . . I did what h e wished, inundated him, and my complete submi ssion p rocu red th i s foul man an intoxication o f which h e w a s incap able without thi s infamy.
4 8 6 .. T H E M A R Q U S DE SADE
The fourth a t t a c h c : d strings to all p a rts of m e to which it w a s p o s s i b l e to t i e t h e m , h,! h e l d the e n d s in h i s h a n d and s a t down seven or eight fe e t from my body ; Dubo i s ' touc h e s and k i s s e s ex c i t e d him p r o d i gi o u sly ; I was s t a n d i n g e r e c t : ' tw a s by s h a rp tugs now on this string, now on some other that the savage i r r i t a t e d h i s p l e a s u r e s ; I swaye d , I l · ) s t b a l a n c e a g a i n a n d a g a i n , h e fl ew i n t o a n e c s t a s y e a c h t i m e I tottc: r e d ; finally, he p u l l e d a l l t h e cords a t once, I f ell to the floor i n front o f h i m : such w a s h i s d e s i gn : a n d my fore h ead, my b r e a s t , my c h e eks r e c e i v e d t h e p ro o fs o f a d e l i r i u m he owed to n o n e but t h i s m a n i a .
Th a t i s w h a t I suffe r e d , M a d a m e , but a t l e a s t m y h o n o r w a s r e s p e c t e d e v e n though my m o d e s ty a s s u r e dly w a s not. T h e i r calm r e s t o r e d , t h e b a n d i ts spoke o f regaining t h e road, and that same night w e reached Trembl a i wi th the i n tention o f a p p r o a c h i n g the w o o d s o f C h a n ti l ly, w h e r e it w a s thought a few good p r i z e s might b e a w a i t i n g us.
N o th i n g equaled my d e sp a i r a t b e i n g obliged to accomp any such p e r s o n s , a n d I w a s only d e t e rm i n e d to p a rt wi th them a s soon a s I c o u l d do s o wi tho'lt r i sk. The foll owing day we lay h a rd by Louvres , sle e ping u n d e r h ay s t a cks ; I fel t i n n e e d o f Dubo i s ' sup p o r t a n d w a n t e d to p a s s the n i gh t b y h e r s i d e ; b u t i t s e e m e d s h e h a d p l a n n e d to employ i t o t h e rw i s e t h a n p ro t ec t i n g m y vi rtue from t h e a t t a cks I d r e a d e d ; t h r e e o f t h e t h i e v e s s u r r o u n d e d h e r a n d b e fo re my v e ry eyes the abominable c r e a tu r e gave h e r s e l f to all t h r e e s i m u ltaneously. T h e f o u r t h a p p r o a c h e d m e ; i t w a s t h e c a p t a i n . " Lovely Th e r e s e , " s a i d h e , " I h o p e y o u s h a l l n o t r e f u s e m e a t l e a s t t h e p l e a s u r e o f spendi n g the n i g h t w i t h you ? " a n d a s h e p e r c e i v e d my extreme unwi l l i n gn e s s , " fe a r n o t , " h e went on ; " w e ' l l h a v e a c h a t toge t h e r , a n d I w i l l a ttempt n o t h i n g without you r c o n s e n t .
" 0 Th e r e s e , " c r i e d h e , fo l d i n g m e i n h i s a rm s , " ' ti s a l l fo olish n e s s , don' t you know, 1 : 0 b e so p re t e n t i o u s w i t h u s . Why a re you conce r n e d to gu a r d you : · pu r i ty i n o u r m i d s t ? Even were we to agree to r e s p e c t i t, could i t be comp a ti b l e w i t h the interests o f the b a n d ? No n e e d to h i d e i t from y o u , my d e a r ; for w h e n we s e t t l e down i n c i t i e s , w e count upon y c , u r c h a rms to s n a r e u s some du p e s . "
"Why, M o n s i eu r , " I rep l i e d , " since i t i s c e r t a i n I should p re f e r d e a th to t h e s e horrors, o f what use c a n I be to you, a n d why do you o p p o s e my fl i gh t ?"
Jus tin e .. 4 8 7
"We c e r t a inly do o p p o s e i t, m y girl, " C o eu r-de-fer r ej o i n e d , " y o u m u s t s e rve e i t h e r o u r p l e a s u r e s o r o u r i n t e r e s t s ; y o u r p ov e r ty i m p o s e s t h e y o k e u p o n y o u , a n d y o u h av e g o t t o a d a p t to i t . B u t , T h e r e s e , a n d well you k n o w i t , t h e r e i s n o t h i n g i n t h i s w o r l d t h a t c a n n o t b e s o m e h o w a r r a n g e d : s o l i sten to m e , a n d accept t h e m a n a ge m e n t o f y o u r o w n f a t e : a g r e e to l i v e w i t h m e , d e a r g i r l , con sent t o b e l o n g to me and b e p r o p e rl y my own, and 1 will sp a r e you t h e b a n e fu l role fo r w h i c h you are d e s t i n e d . "
" 1 , S i r , 1 b e c o m e t h e m i stress o f a-" " S ay the wo r d , T h e r e s e , out with i t : a scoun d r e l , e h ? O h , 1
a d m i t i t , but 1 h a ve no o t h e r titl e s to o ff e r you ; t h a t o u r s o r t d o e s n o t m a rry you a r e d o u b tl e s s well a w a r e : m a r r i a g e i s one o f the sacraments T h e r e s e , a n d full o f an u n d i s c r i m i n a t i n g contempt f o r t h e m a l l , w i t h n o n e do w e e v e r b o t h e r . Howeve r , b e a l i t tl e r e a son able ; t h a t sooner o r later you lose what i s s o dear to you i s an i n d i s p e n s a b l e n e c e s s i ty , h e n c e would i t n o t be better to sacrifice i t to a single man who t h e r e u p o n w i l l become your sup p o r t a nd p r o t e c to r , is t h a t not b e t t e r , 1 s a y , than to be p r o s t i tu t e d t o e v e ryone ?"
" Bu t why m u s t it b e , " 1 repl i e d , " t h a t 1 h a v e n o other a l t e r n a ti v e ? "
" B e ca u s e , T h e r e s e , w e h a v e got you , a n d b e c a u s e t h e stronger i s always the b e t t e r r e a son ; La F o n t a i n e m a d e t h e r em a rk ages a g o . T r u t h fully , " h e continu e d r a p i dly, "is it n o t a r i d i cul o u s e xt r a v a g a n c e to a ss i g n , a s you d o , such a g r e a t v a l u e to t h e m o s t fu t i l e o f a l l things ? H o w c a n a gi rl b e s o dull-w i t t e d a s t o b e l i eve that v i r tu e m a y depend upon t h e s o m e w h a t gre a t e r or l e s s e r d i a m e t e r o f o n e o f h e r p h y s i c a l p a r t s ? W h a t d i ff e r e n c e d o e s i t m a k e t o G o d o r m a n w h e t h e r t h i s p a r t b e i n t a c t o r tamp e r e d w i t h ? 1 will go fu rth e r : i t b e i n g t h e i n t e n t i o n of Nature t h a t each i n d i v i du a l fulfill on t h i s e a rth a l l o f t h e p u r p o s e s f o r w h i c h h e h a s b e e n f o r m e d , a n d w o m e n e x i s t i n g only t o p rovi d e p l e a su r e f o r m e n , i t i s p l a inly t o o u t r a g e h e r thus to r e s i s t t h e i n t e n t i o n she has i n your r e g a r d . I t i s t o w i s h t o b e a c r e a tu r e u s e l e s s i n t h i s world a n d c o n s e q u e n tly one contemp tibl e . T h i s chimerical p ro p r i e ty , w h i c h they h a v e had t h e absu r d i ty to p r e s e n t to y o u a s a v i r t u e a n d w h i c h , s i n c e i n f a ncy, f a r f r o m b e i n g u s e ful to N a tu r e a n d soci e ty , i s a n obvi ous d e fi a n c e o f t h e o n e a n d t h e o t h e r , t h i s p r o p r i e t y , I s a y , i s n o m o r e t h a n a r e p r e h e n s i b l e stubb o r n n e s s o f w h i c h a p e r s o n a s m e ttl e s o m e a n d full o f
4 8 8 + T H E MAR Q l ' l S DE SADE
intelligence as you should not wish to be guilty. No matter j con tinue to h e a r me out, dear girl, I am going to prove my desire to please you and to respect you r weakness. I will not by any means touch that phantom, Therese, whose possession causes all your delight ; a gi rl h a s mOl e than one favo r to give, and one can offer to Venus i n many a temple j I will b e content with the most mediocre ; you know, 'lly dear, n e a r the Cyprean altar, there i s s i tuate an obscu r e grot into whose solitude Love retires, t h e more ene rgetically to seduce u s : such will be the altar where I will burn my incense ; no disadv antages there, Therese ; if pregnancies a f fright you, 'tis not in t hi s manner they can come about, never will your p r etty figu r e b e d e fo rm e d this way ; the mai denhead so cher ished by you will be p reserved unimp ai red, and whatever be the use to which you deci d e to put it, you can propose it unattainted. N othing can betray a girl from this qu a rter, however rude or multipl e the a ttacks may be ; as soon a s the bee h a s left o ff sucking the pollen, the ros e ' s calix closes shut again ; one would n ever imagine i t h a d been opened. Th ere exi st girls who have known ten years o f pleasure this way, even with several men, women who were just a s much m a rried a s anyone else a fter i t all, and on their wed ding n i ghts they p rove d qu ite as vi rgin a s could be wished. How m any fathers, what a 'llultitude of brothers have thuswise abused the i r daughters and s is':ers without the l a tter having become o n that a ccount any the less worthy o f a later hymeneal sacrifice I How m a ny confessors have n o t employed the same route to satisfaction, without pa rents exp e r i,!ncing the mildest disquiet ; in one word, ' ti s t h e mystery' s a sylum, ' t i s there where i t connects itself w i t h love by ties o f p rudence . . . . Need I tell you fu rther, Therese, th a t although t h i s i s the m o s t s e c r e t t e m p l e i t i s howbeit t h e most voluptuous ; what i s ne cessary to happiness is found nowhere else, and that e a sy vastnes ; native to the a dj acent ape rture falls f a r s h o r t o f having t h e p i c u a n t charms o f a locale into which one does n o t enter without eftor:, where one takes up one's abode only a t the price of some troubl e ; women themselves reap a n advantage from it, and those whom rea ;;on compels to know this variety o f pleasure , never pine a fter the o t hers. Try it, Therese, try, and we shall both b e contented. "
"Oh Monsieu r , " :: repl i e d , " I have n o experi ence of t h e thi n g ;
Jus tine + 4 8 9
b u t I h ave h e a r d i t s a i d th a t this p e rversion y o u recommend out rages women in a yet more sensitive manner . . . . I t more grievously offends Nature. The hand of Heaven takes its vengeance upon it in this world, Sodom p rovi des th e example . "
"What innocence, m y d e a r , w h a t childishness , " t h e libertine retorted ; "who ever told you such a thing ? Y ct a little more atten tion, Then�se , l e t me p roceed to rectify your ideas.
"The wasting o f the seed destined to p e rpetuate the human species, dear girl, i s the only crime which can exist-such i s the hypothesis ; acco rding to it, this seed is put i n us for the sole purpose o f reproduction, and if tha t were true I would grant you that diverting it i s an offense. B u t once i t i s demonstrated that her situating this semen in our loins i s by no means enough to warrant supposing that N a tu r e ' s purpose i s to have all o f i t employed fo r reproduction, what then does it matt e r, Therese, whether it be spilled in one place o r in another ? Does the m a n who diverts i t p e r form a greate r e v i l t h a n N a ture w h o does not employ all o f i t ? Now, do not those n atural losses, wh ich we can imitate i f we please, occur i n an abundance o f instances ? Our very ability to p rovoke them, fi rstly, is an initial proof that they do not offend N a ture in the slightest. It would be contr a ry to all th e equity and pro found wisdom we everywh ere recogn i z e in her l aws for them to p e rmit what m i gh t a ff ront her ; secondly, those losses occur a hundred hundred million times every day, and she instigates them hersel f ; nocturnal pollutions, the inuti l i ty o f semen during the p e riods of woman's p regnancy, are they not au tho rized by her laws, enj oined by them, and do they n o t p rove that. very l i ttle concerned for what may r e sult from th i s l i quid to which w e so fooli shly attach a d i s proportio n a te valu e , she p e rm i ts us its waste with the same indiffer ence she herself causes i t every day to be waste d ; s h e tolerates re production, yes, but much is wanting to p rove rep roduction is one of her intentions ; she lets u s go ahead with our rep roducing to be sure. but it being n o more to her a dvantage than our abstaining therefrom, the choice w e happen to make i s as one to her. I s i t not cle a r that leaving u s the power to create, n o t to create, or to destroy, we will not delight her a t all or disappoint h e r any more by a do p ting towa r d the one o r the other the attitude which suits us best ; and wh a t could be more se' f-evi dent than that the course
4 9 0 + T H E MAR Q U I S D E SanE
we cho o s e , b e i n g but t h e r e s u l t of h e r power over u s and the influ ence upon u s of her a c tions, w i l l f a r more surely please than i t will r i s k o ff e n d i n g h e r . Ah, Therese I b e l i eve m e , N a ture frets v e ry l i ttle o v e r tho s e myste r i e s we a r e g r e a t enough fools to turn i n to w o r s h i p o f h e r . W h a t e v e r be the temple a t w h i ch o n e s a c r i fi c e s , immedi a tely s h e allows incer se to be burned the r e , o n e can be su r e the h o m a g e offe nds h e r i n no w i s e ; r e fu s a l s to p roduce, w a s t e o f the semen employed in p r oduction, the o bl i t e r a t i o n o f t h a t s e e d when it h a s g e rm i n a te d , the anni h i l a ti o n of t h a t germ even l o n g a f t e r i ts fo rm a ti on , all t h o s e , T h e r e s e , a re i m a g i n a ry c r i m e s wh ich a r e o f no i n t e r e s t to N a tu r e ane a t w h i c h s h e scoffs a s s h e d o e s a t a l l the rest o f o u r i n s t i tu t i o n s which offend m o r e o ften th a n t h e y s e rve h e r . "
C o e u r- d e - f e r w a xe d w a rm w h i l e exp o u n d i n g h i s p e r fi d i o u s m ax i m s , a n d I s o o n h e h e l d h i m a g a i n i n the s t a t e w h i c h h a d s o t e r r i fi e d m e the n i gh t b e f o r e ; i n o r d e r to g i v e h i s l e s son a d d i t i o n a l i m p a c t , h e w i s h e d i m t a n tly to j o i n p r a c t i c e to p rece p t ; a n d , m y r e s i s t a n c e s no twi t h s t a n d i n g , h i s h a n d s s t r a y e d t o w a r d t h e a l t a r i n to w h i c h t h e tra i to r w a n t e d t o p en e t r a t e . . . . M u s t I d e cl a r e , M a d a m e , t h a t , b l i n d e d by the wicked m a n ' s s e d u c t i o n s ; content, b y y i e l d i n g a l i ttl e , to s a v e wh a t s e e m e d t h e m o r e e s s e n ti a l ; r e fl e c t i n g n e i th e r u p on h i s c a su i s tr i e s ' i l l o g i c a l i t i e s n o r u p o n w h a t I w a s my s e l f a b o u t to r i sk s i r c e the d i s h o n e s t fellow, p o s s e s s i n g g i g a n t i c p r op o r t i o n s , h a d n o t even t h e p o s s i b i l i ty to s e e a woman i n the most p e r m i s s i b l e placf' a n d since, urged o n by h i s n a tive p e r ve r s i ty , h e m o s t a s s u redly h a d n o obj e c t b u t to m a i m m e ; my e y e s a s I s a y , p e r fe c tl y b l i n d to a l l t h a t , I w a s g o i n g to a b a n d o n mys e l f a n d b e c o m e c r i m i n a l t h r o u g h vi r t u e ; my o p p o s i t i o n w a s w e a k e n i n g ; a l r e ady m a s t e r of the t h r o n e , t h e i n s o l e n t conqu e r o r concen t r a t e d a l l h i s e ne rgi e s i n o r d e r to e s t a bl i sh h i m s e l f u p o n i t ; a n d t h e n t h e r e w a s h e a r d t h e s o u n d o f a c a r r i a ge m o v i n g a l o n g the h i ghway. Upon t h e i n s t a n t , C o e u r-de- f e r forsakes his p l e a s u r e s f o r his d u t i e s ; h e a s sembl e s h i s fol l o w e r s a n d fl i e s to new c r i m e s . N o t l o n g a ft e r w a rd, we h e a r c r i e s , a n d t h o s e b a n d i t s , a l l b l o o d i e d o v e r , r e tu rn t r i u mp h a n t a n d l a den w i t h sp o i l s .
" Le t ' s decamp sm a r tl y , " s ays C o eu r-de-fe r , " w e ' v e k i l l e d t h r e e m en , the c o r p s e s a r e c,n t h e r o a d , w e ' r e s a f e n o longe r . " T h e b o o ty i s d i v i d e d , C o e u r-de-f er w a n t s me to h a v e my s h a r e ; i t comes to twenty louis, w h i c h ] a m compelled to a c c e p t . I t r e m b l e a t the
Ju s tine ,� 49 1
obl i ga t i o n to take such money ; howeve r , we a r e in a h u r ry, eve ry o n e s n a tc h e s up h i s b e l ongings a n d o ff we g o .
The n e x t day we fi n d o u r s e l v e s o u t o f d a n g e r a n d i n t h e fo r e s t o f C h antilly ; du r i n g supp e r , t h e m e n r eckon w h a t the i r l a t e s t o p e r a ti o n h a s b e e n w o r th t o t h e m , a n d e v a l u a t e t h e t o t a l capture a t no m o r e than two hun d r e d louis.
" I n d e e d , " s ays o n e of them, " i t wasn't worth the trouble to commit three mu r d e r s fo r such a l i ttle sum . "
" S o ftly, m y f r i e n d s , " Dubo i s answe r s , " i t w a s n o t f o r the sake of thei r p u r s e s I e x h o r t e d you not to s p a r e th o s e t r a ve l e r s , i t w a s s o l e ly i n t h e i n t e r e s ts o f o u r s e cu r i ty ; t h e l a w' s t o b e b l a m e d f o r t h e s e c r i m e s , the f a u l t ' s n o t our s ; s o l o n g a s t h i e v e s a r e h a n g e d l i k e m u r d e r e r s , t h e fts s h a l l n e v e r b e com m i t t e d w i t h o u t a s s a s sina tions. The two misdeeds a r e punished equ ally ; why then abstain f r o m the second w h e n i t may c o v e r u p the fi r s t ? \Vh a t m a k e s you supp o s e , f u r t h e rmo r e , " the h o r r i d c r e a tu r e continu e d , "that two hun d r e d l o u i s are not w o r t h three k i l l i n g s ? One must never a p p r a i s e v a l u e s s a v e i n t e r m s o f o u r o w n i n t e r e s t s . The c e s s a ti o n o f the victims' existences i s as nothing comp a r e d to the continu a t i o n o f ours, not a m i t e d o e s i t m a t t e r to us wheth e r a ny i n d i v i d u a l is a l i v e o r i n t h e g r a v e ; con s e qu e n tl y , i f o n e o f t h e two c a s e s involves w h a t i n t h e s m a l l e s t w a y a ff ects o u r wel f a r e , w e m u s t , w i t h p e r f e c t unre morse, d e t e rm i n e the thing i n our own favo r ; f o r i n a completely i n d i ff e r e n t matter we should, if we h a v e any w i t s a n d a r e m a s t e r o f the s i t u a t i o n , u n do u b t e dly a c t s o a s t o t u r n i t t o the p r o fi t a ble s i d e , e n t i r e l y n e gl e c t i n g wh a te v e r m a y b e f a l l o u r a dve r s a ry ; f o r t h e r e i s n o r a ti o n a l commensu r a t i o n b e tw e e n wh a t a ff ects u s a n d w h a t a ff e cts o t h e r s ; the fi r s t we s e n s e phys i c a l l y , the o t h e r o n l y touches u s m o r a l l y , a n d moral f e e l i n gs are made to d e c e i v e ; n o n e but physi c a l s e n s a ti o n s are a u t h ent i c ; thu s , n o t only do two hundred l o u i s suffice f o r three m u r d e r s , but even t h i rty c e n t i m e s w o u l d have s u ffi c e d , f o r those th i r ty cen t i m e s would h a v e p r o cu r e d a s a t i s f ac t i o n w h i c h , a l t hough l i gh t , m u s t n e c e s s a r i l y a ff e c t us to a much more l ively d e g r e e than would three m e n m u r d e r e d , w h o are n o t h i n g to u s , and by the w r o n g s done whom we a r e not i n the l e a s t touched, n o , not even s c r a t c h e d ; o u r o rg a n i c f e e b l e n e s s , c a r e l e s s thinking, the a cc u r s e d p r e j u d i c e s i n which we w e r e brought u p , t h e vain t e r r o r s o f r e l i g i o n a n d l a w , tho s e a r e w h a t hamp e r i d i o t s a n d c o n f o u n d
4 9 2 + T H E M A R Q G I l DE S AD E
the i r criminal careers, those a re wha t prevent them from a r riving a t gre a tness ; but every sl rong and heal thy individu a l , endowed with an energetically organi z e d mind, who p r e ferring himself to others, a s h e must, will know h )w to weigh their interests i n the balanc e a g a i n s t h i s own, w i l l l a ugh God and mankind t o t h e d e v i l , will brave d e a th and mock a: the l a w , fully aware that i t i s to himsel f he must be f a i th ful, that by himself all must be measured, will sense th a t the vastest multitude of wrongs inflicted upon others cannot offset the least enj oymen t lost to himsel f o r be a s important a s h i s s l i ghtest p l e a su r e purch a s e d b y an unhea rd-of host o f v i l l a i n i e s . Joy p l e a s e s him, it is in him , it is h i s own, crime ' s effect touches him not, i s exter i o r to him ; well, I ask, what thinking man will not prefer w h a t causes his dclectat on to what i s alien to him ? who will not consent to comm i t thi s deed whereof he exp e ri ences nothing un p l e a s ant, i n order to p rocure what moves him most a gree ably ?"
"Oh M a da m e , " I s a i d to Dub o i s , a sking her leave to reply to h e r execrable sophi stri e s , " do you not a t all feel that your damna t i o n i s w r i t in w h a t yo u h a v e j u s t u t t e r e d ? At t h e v e ry m o s t , such p rinciples could only befit the p e rson powerful enough to h ave nothing to dread from a :hers ; but we, 1\1 a d a m e , perpetu ally in f e a r a n d hum i l i ated ; we, p rc,scribed b y all h o n e s t folk, condemned b y every law, s h o u l d we b e the exponents o f doctrines w h i c h c a n only whet the sword blade Sl spended above our h e a d s ? Would we find ourselves i n th i s unhapp:l position were we in the center of society ; were we to be where, that i s to s ay, we ought to b e , without our mi sconduct and delivered from our m i s e r i e s , do you fancy such maxims could be any me re fitting to us ? How woul d you have him not p e r i s h who through blind egoism wishes all alone to strive against the combined i n t e rests o f others ? I s not soci ety r i gh t never to suffer in its midst the man who decl a res himsel f hostile to i t ? And can the isolated indivi dll al fight against eve ryon e ? C a n he fl a tter himsel f h e i s h appy and tranquil i f , r e fusing to submit to the soci a l contract, h e d o e s n o t CO:l sent t o give up a l i ttle o f his happiness t o insure t h e rest ? Society i s m a i ntained only b y t h e ceaseless inter exch ange o f consi derati :ms and goo d works, those a r e the bonds which cement the edific( s ; such a one who instead o f positive acts offers n aught but crim e s , having th e r e fore to be dreaded, will n ecessarily be a ttacked f h e i s the strongest, laid low by the first
Justine + 493
he offends i f he i s the weakest ; but destroyed a t any rate, for there i s in man a powerful instinct which comp els him to s a fegu a r d his peace and qu i e t and to strike whosoever seeks to trouble them ; that i s why the long endurance o f criminal associations i s vi rtually impossibl e : thei r well-being suddenly confronted by cold steel, all the others must p romp tly unite to blunt the threatening point. Even amongst ourselves, M adame, I dare a d d ; how can you lull yourself into beli eving you can maintain concord amongst ourselves when you counsel each to heed nothing but his own self-interest ? Would you have any j ust complaints to make against the one of u s who wanted to cut the throats of the others, who did so in order to monopoli z e for himsel f what has been shared by his col l e a gues ? Why, 'tis a splendid panegyric to Virtue, to prove i ts necessity in even a criminal soci ety . . . to p rov,e for a certainty th a t this society would disintegrate in a trice were i t not sustained by Vi rtue I "
"Your obj ections, Theres e , " said Coeur-de-fe r, "not the th eses Dubois has b e en expounding, are sophistries ; our criminal frater nities are not by any means sustained by Virtue ; rather by self interest, egoism, selfishnes s ; this eulogy o f Virtue, which you have fabricated out o f a false hypothesis, miscarries ; i t is not a t all owing to vi rtuou sness that, believing myself, let us suppose, the strongest o f the band, I do not use a dagger on my comrades in order to appropriate their shares, i t i s because, th e reupon finding myse l f all alone, I would deprive myself o f the means which assure m e the fortune I expect to have with their help ; similarly, this i s the singl e motive which restrains them from l i fting their a rms against me. Now this motive, a s you , Therese, p e rfectly well ob serve, is pu rely selfish, and h a s not even the l e a s t appea rance of virtue j he who wishes to struggle alone against soci ety ' s interests must, you say, expect to perish ; will he not much more certa inly perish i f, to enable him to exi st therein, he has nothing but his misery and i s abandoned by others ? What one terms the interest o f society i s simply t h e mass o f individu a l interests u n i fi e d , but i t i s never o therwise t h a n by ceding that t h i s private interest can accom modate and blend with the gene r a l interest j well, what would you have him cede who h a s nothing he can relinqu i s h ? And he who had much ? Agree that he should see his error grow apace with the di scovery that he was giving infini tely more than h e w a s getting i n
494 + THE MARQ t r I S DE SADE
retu rn ; and, such being the c a s e , agree th a t the unfairness of the ba rgain should p revent him from concluding i t . Trapped in this dilemm a , the best thin�: remaining for thi s man, don' t you agree, i s t o quit thi s unj ust socifty , t o g o elsewhere, and to accord pre roga tives to a different soc: ety o f men who, p l a ced in a situation com p a rable to his, h ave t le i r interest i n combating, through the co o rd i n a ti on o f the i r less,�r powers, the broader authority that wished to extr a c t from the poo r man what li ttle he possessed in exchange for nothing a t all. But you will say, thence will be b o rn a state o f per p e tual warfare. Excelle nt ! i s th a t not the p e rpetual state of N a ture ? Is i t not the only state ':0 which we a r e really adapted ? All men a r e b o rn i sol a ted , envi ous, c r u e l and despotic ; w i s h i n g to have eve ry thing and surrender nothing, incessantly struggling to maintain either th e i r r i ghts o r achieve the i r ambition, the legislator comes u p and says to them : C e a s e thus to fight ; i f each were to retre a t a l ittle , calm would be -estored. I find no fault with the position implicit i n the agreemtnt, but I ma intain that two speci es o f indi viduals cannot and oug lt not submit to i t , eve r ; those who feel they a r e the stronger have no need to give up anything i n o r d e r to be h a ppy, a n d those who find themselves the weaker also find them selves giving up infinit ely more than what i s a ssured them. How ever, society is only composed o f weak p e rsons a n d strong ; well, i f the p a c t must p e r fo rco: displease both weak and strong, there i s g r e a t cause t o suppose i t will f a i l , t o s u i t soci ety, a n d the p reviously existing state of warfare must appear infini tely p referable, since i t p e rm i tted everyone t h e free exercise o f h i s strength a n d h i s in dustry, whereof h e wo uld d i scover himself deprived by a society's unjust pact which take , too much from the one and never accords enough to the other ; h ence, the truly intelli gent p erson i s h e who, indifferent to the r i sk o f renewing the state o f w a r that r e i gned prior to the contract, lashes out i n i rrevocable violation o f th a t contract, violates i t a s much a n d o ften a s he i s a b l e , full certain that what he will gain from the s e ruptu res will always be more i mp o rtant than what h e will l o s e if h e happens to be a memb e r of the weaker class ; for s uch h e w a s when he respected the treaty ; by breaking i t h e may become one o f the stronge r ; and if the laws r e tu rn him to the class whence he wished to emerge, the worst that can befall h i m i s the loss o f h i s l i fe, which i s a m i s fo rtune infinitely
Jus tin e + 4 9 5
l e s s grea t t h a n that o f eXl stmg in opprobrium and wretchedness. There are then two posi tions avail able to us : e i th e r crime, which renders us happy, o r the noose, which p r events us from being unhappy. I a sk whether the re can be any hesi tation, lovely Therese , a n d where will your l i ttl e m i n d fi n d a n a rgument a b l e t o combat that one ?"
"Oh Monsieur," I repl i e d wi th the vehemence a goo d cause inspires, "there a r e a thou sand ; hut must this l i fe b e m a n ' s unique concern ? I s th i s existence other than a passage each o f whose stages ought only, if he i s re asonahl e , to conduct him to t h a t eternal felicity, the p r i z e vouch sa fed by Virtu e ? I suppose together wi th you ( but this, howeve r, is rare, it con fl i cts with all reason's infor mations, but never mind ) , I will fo r a n instant grant you that the villain who abandons himsel f to crime may be rendered happy by i t in this world, but d o you imagine God's justice does n o t await that dishonest man, t h a t h e will not h ave t o p ay in another world for what he does in th i s ? Ah ! think not the contrary, Monsieur, be l i eve it not," T added, tears in m y eyes , " ' t i s the m i s fo rtun ate one's sole consolation, take i t not a way from us ; forsaken by man kind, who will avenge u s i f not God jl"
"Who ? N o one, Therese, absolutely no one ; i t i s in no w i s e necessary that the m i s fortunate be avenge d ; t h e y fl a tter themselves w i th the notion because they would like to be, the idea comforts them, but it is not on that account the less false : better still, it is essenti a l that the m i s fortuna t e suffer ; thei r humili ation, their anguishes are included i n what N a ture decrees, and thei r m i serable exi stence is u s e ful to the general scheme , a s i s th a t o f the p rosperity which crushes them ; such is the tru th which should sti fl e remorse i n the tyrant's soul o r in the m a l e facto r ' s ; l e t him not constrain himsel f ; let him blindly, unthinkingly deliver himself up to causing every hurt the idea for which may be born i n him, i t is only N a tu r e ' s v o i c e w h i c h suggests this i dea ; s u c h i s t h e o n l y f a s h i o n i n which she makes us her l aws' executo rs. When her secret inspi r a tions dis pose us to evi l , i t i s evil she wishes, i t is evil she requires, for the sum o f crimes not being complete, not sufficient to the l aws of equilibrium, the only laws whereby she i s govern e d , she demands that there b e crimes to dress the scales ; the r e fo r e l e t him not be a fr a i d , l e t him not p ause, whose brain i s d riven t o concerting ill ; let him
496 + THE MAR Q l IS DE SADE
unheeding commit wwng immedi a tely he discerns the impulsion, it i s only by l a gging and snu fH i n g he outrages N a ture. But let us i gnore ethics for a moment, si nce i t ' s theology you want. B e advi s e d then, y o u n g innocent, ":h at t h e rel i gion y o u f a l l b a c k upon, b e i n g n o t h i n g but the relationship between man and God, no thing but t h e reverence t h e creatu r e I:hinks himself o b l i g e d to s h o w his c r e a t o r , i s annihilated instantly th s creator's existence is itself p roven illusory.
" Primitive man, tt: rrified by the phenomena which harried him, h a d necessa rily to beli eve that a subl ime being unknown to him had the d i r ection o f the i r o p e r a tion and influence ; i t is na tive to we ak ness to suppose strength and to f e a r i t ; the human mind, then too much in i ts i nfancy to expl ore, to d iscove r in N a tu r e ' s depths the laws of motion, the unique springs o f the entire mechanism that s truck him with awe, found i t simpl e r to fancy a motor i n this N a tu re than to view N a ture a s her own mover, and wi thou t conside ring th a t h e would h ave to go to much more trouble to e d i fy , to define thi s gigantic ma ster, t h an through the study o f N a ture to find the cau�e o f what amazed him, h e acknowledged this sovereign being, he elaborated ri tu a l s to worship i t : from this moment each n a tion composed i tsel f a n overlord i n conformance with its peculi a r c h a racteristics, i t s kn01vledge, a n d i t s climate ; soon there w e r e a s many religions on e a rth a s r a c e s and p e o p l e s and not l o n g a fter, as many Gods a s famili e s ; neverthel ess, behind all these i dols i t was e a sy to recogn i z e the same absurd illusion, first f ru i t o f human blindness. They app a r e l e d it diffe rently, but i t was always the same thing. Well, tell m e , Therese, merely because these i d i o ts talk drivel about the erection of a wretched chimera and abou t the mode of serving him, must it follow that an intelligent man has got to renounce the certain and p resent h a ppiness o f l i fe ; like Aesop ' s dog, must he abandon the bone for the sha dow and renounce h i s real j oys for hallucinations ? N o , Therese, no, there is no God, N a tu r e sufficeth u n t o herself ; i n no wise hath she need o f a n author ; once supp o s e d , th a t author is naught but a decayed version of herself, i s merely w h a t w e descrihe in school b y t h e phrase , a begging o f the question. A God p r e di c a te s a creation, that i s to say, an instant when the r e was nothing, or a n instant when all was i n chaos. I f one o r the other o f these states was evil , why did you r God allow i t to subsi s t ? Was it good ? Then wh y d i d he change i t ? But i f all is now good a t
lus ti n e .. 497
l a s t , y o u r God h a s n o th i n g l e ft to do ; w e l l , i f h e i s u s e l e s s , how c a n h e be powe r fu l ? And i f h e i s n o t powe r fu l , h o w c a n h e b e God ? I f, in a w o r d , N a tu r e m o v e s h e r s e l f , w h a t do we w a n t w i th a m o to r ? a n d i f t h e m o t o r a c t s u p o n m a t t e r by c a u s i n g i t to move , how i s i t n o t i ts e l f m a t e r i a l ? Can you co nc e i v e t h e e ff e c t o f t h e m i n d u p o n m a t t e r a n d m a t t e r r e c e i v i n g m o t i o n from t h e m i n d w h i c h i t s e l f h a s no movemen t ? E x a m i n e fo r o n e col d-bl o o d e d i n s t a n t a l l t h e ri dicu l o u s a n d c o n t r a d i ctory qua l i t i e s wherewith t h e fabri c a t o r s o f t h i s execrable c h i m e r a h a v e b e e n o b l i g e d to c l o t h e h i m ; v e r i fy f o r your own s e l f h o w they c o n t r a d i c t o n e a n o t h e r , annul o n e a n o t h e r , and you will r e c o gn i z e th a t this deific p h a n to m , e n g e n d e r e d by t h e f e a r o f some a n d th e i gn o r a n c e o f a l l , i s n o t h i n g bu t a l o a t h s o m e p l a ti tu de w h i c h m e r i ts f r o m u s n e i t h e r a n i n s t a n t o f f a i t h n o r a m i nu t e ' s e x a m i n a t i o n ; a p i ti a b l e e x t r a v a g a n c e , d i sgu s t i n g to t h e m i n d , re v o l t i n g to t h e h e a r t , w h i c h ought n e v e r to h a v e i s s u e d from t h e d a rkn e s s save to plunge b a ck i n t o i t , fo reve r to b e d r o w n e d .
" M ay t h e h o p e o r f e a r o f a world to com e , b r e d o f t h o s e p ri m o r d i a l l i e s , t r o u b l e y o u n o t , T h e r e s e , a n d a b o v e a l l give ove r e n d e a v o r i n g to f o r g e r e s t r a i n ts fo r us o u t of t h i s s tu ff . F e e b l e p o r t i o n s o r a v i l e c r u d e m a t t e r , u p o n o u r d e a t h , t h a t i s to s a y , u p o n t h e conj o i n t u r e o f t h e e l e m e n t s w h e r e o f w e a r e comp o s e d w i t h t h e e l e m e n t s comp o s i n g t h e u n i v e r s a l m a s s , a nn i h i l a t e d f o r e v e r , r e ga r d l e s s o f w h a t o u r b e h a v i o r h a s b e e n , we w i l l p a s s f o r a n i n s t a n t i n t o N atu r e ' s c r u c i b l e t h e n c e to s p r i n g up a g a i n u n d e r o t h e r s h a p e s , a n d t h a t w i t h o u t t h e r e b e i n g a ny m o r e p re r o g a t i v e s fo r h i m who m a dly smoked up V i r tu e ' s e ffi gy , t h a n for the o t h e r who w a l l o w e d in t h e m o s t d i s g r a c e fu l exce s s e s , b e c a u s e t h e r e i s n o t h i n g by w h i c h N a t u r e i s o ff e n d e d a n d b e c a u s e a l l m e n , e qu a l l y h e r wom b ' s i s su e , du r i n g t h ei r te r m h a v i n g a c t e d n o t a t a l l s a v e i n acco r d a n c e w i th h e r i m pul s i o n s , wil l a l l o f them m e e t w i th a ft e r th e i r exi s t e n c e , b o t h t h e s a m e e n d a n d t h e s a m e f a te . "
I w a s o n c e a g a i n a b o u t t o rep ly to t h e s e a p p a l l i n g b l a s p h e m i e s wh en w e h e a r d t h e cl a t t e r o f a h o r s e m a n n o t f a r away.
"To a r m s I" s h o u t e d C o eu r - d e - f e r , more eager t o p u t his sys tems i n to a c t i o n than to consol i d a te the i r b a s e s .
T h e m e n l e a p t i n t o l i fe • . . a n d a n i n s t a n t l a t e r a luckl e s s t r a v e l e r w a s l e d i n to t h e cop s e w h e r e w e h a d o u r c a m p .
Q u e s t i o n e d upon h i s m o t i v e f o r t r a v e l i n g a l o n e a n d f o r b e i n g
498 .. T H E MARQU [S DE SADE
so e a rly a b ro a d , u p o n 'l i s a g e , h i s p r o fe s s i o n , t h e r i d e r a n s w e r e d t h a t h i s n a m e w a s S a i n t-Fl o r e n t , o n e o f the m o s t i m p o r t a n t m e r c h a n t s o f Ly o n , th a t h e w a s th i r ty-s i x y e a r s o l d , th a t h e w a s on h i s w a y b a c k f r o m Fl a n d e r s w h e r e h e h a d been c o n c e r n e d with a ff a i r s r e l a t i v e to h i s b u s i n e s s , th a t h e h a d n o t m u c h h a r d m o n e y u p o n h i s p e r s o n , b u t m a ny s e c u r t i e s . He a d d e d t h a t h i s v a l e t h a d l e f t h i m t h e p r e c e d i n g d a y a n d th a t , to a v o i d t h e h e a t , h e w a s j ou rn e y i n g a t n i g ht w i th t h e i n t e n t i on o f r e a c h i n g P a r i s the next d a y , w h e r e h e w o u l d s e c u r e a n e w d o m e s t i c , a n d w o u l d conclude s o m e o f h i s t r a n s a c t i o n s ; t h a t , m o reove r , h e w a s f o l l o w i n g a n u n f a m i l i a r r o a d , a n d , a p p a r e n t l y , h e m u s t h a v e l o s t h i s w a y w h i l e d o z i n g on h i s h o r s e . And h a v i n g s a i d t h a t , h e a sk e d f o r h i s l i f e , i n r e t u rn o ff e r i n g a l l he p o s s e s s e d . H i s p u r s e w a s e x a m i n e d , h i s m o n e y w a s c o u n t e d , t h e p r i z e coul d n o t h a v e b e e n be tte r . S a i nt-Fl o rent h a d n e a r u n t o a h a l f a m i l l i o n , p ay a b l e u p o n d e m a n d a t t h e c a p i tal , h a d a l s o a f e w g e m s a n d a b c u t a hu n d r e d g o l d IO llis . . . •
" F r i e n d , " s a i d C o eu r-de- f e r , c l a p p i n g h i s p i s to l to S a i n t-Flo r e n t ' s n o s e , " y o u u n d e r : ; t a n d , d o n ' t y o u , t h a t a ft e r h av i n g r o b b e d y o u , w e c a n n o t l e a v e y o u a l i v e . "
" O h M o n s i e u r , " I c r i e d , c a s t i n g mysel f a t the v i ll a i n ' s f e e t , " I b e s e e c h you n o t to : J r e s e n t m e the h o r r i bl e s p e c t a c l e , u p o n my r e c e p t i o n i n to your b a r d , of th i s poor m a n ' s d e a t h ; allow him to l i v e , d o not r e fu s e me t 1 i s fi r s t r e q u e s t I a sk o f yo u . "
A n d q u i ckly r e s o r t i n g t o a m o s t u n u s u a l r u s e , i n o r d e r t o j u s t i fy t h e i n t e r e s t I a p p e a red t o t a k e i n t h e c a p t i v e :
" The n a m e M o n s i e u r h a s j u s t g i v e n h i m s e l f , " I a d ded w i t h w a rm t h , " c a u s e s me to bel i eve we a re n e a rly rel a t e d . Be n o t a s t on i s h e d , M o n s i e u r , " I went on, n o w a d d r e s s i n g t h e vo y a g e r , "be not at a l l s u r p r i s e d to fi n d a k i n s m a n i n t h e s e ci r c u m s t a n c e s ; I will ex p l a i n i t all to you. I n t L e l i g h t of t h i s , " I continu e d , once again i m p l o r i n g o u r c h i e f , " i n t1e l i gh t o f th i s , M o n s i e u r , g r a n t m e t h e u n l u cky c r e a tu r e ' s l i f e , I w i l l s h o w m y g r a t i tu d e f o r the f a v o r by the c o m p l e t e s t devo t i on to a l l that w i l l b e a b l e to s e rve your inte r e s ts . "
" Y o u know u p o n wh a t c o n d i t i o n s I c a n a c c o r d y o u w h a t y o u a s k , T h e r e s e , " C o eu r-c e - f e r a n s w e r e d ; "you know w h a t I d e m a n d f r o m y o u . . . "
" A h , very w e l l , M o n s i e u r , I will do everyth i n g , " I c r i e d ,
Jus tine + 4 9 9
throwing mys e l f between Saint-Florent and o u r l e a d e r , who was still about to kill him. " Y e s . I w i l l do anythi ng ; spare him."
"Let him live," s a i d Coeu r-de-fe r , "but h e h a s got to j oi n us, that l a s t clause i s crucial, I can do nothing i f h e refuses to comply with it, my com rades would be against m e . "
Surprised, the m e rchant, und,erstanding nothing o f t h i s con sanguinity I was establishing, but observing his l i fe saved i f he were to consent to the proposal, s a w no cause for a moment' s hesita tion. He was p rovided with meat and drink, a s the men d i d not wish to l e ave the place until daybreak.
"Therese, " C oeur-de-fer said to me, "I remind you o f your promise, but, since I a m w e a ry tonight, rest quietly beside Dubois, I will summon you tow a r d dawn and i f you are not p rompt to come, taking th i s knave' s l i fe will be my revenge for your dece i t . "
" S l e e p , J\I onsieur , sleep well , " I repl i e d , " a n d believe th a t she whom you have fille d wi th gra titude has no desire but to repay i t . "
However, such was fa r f r o m m y d e s i g n , for i f e v e r I believed deception p e rmitted, it was certainly upon this occasion. Our ras cals, greatly overconfident, kept at the i r drinking a n d fell into slumber, leaving me enti rely at liberty beside Dubo i s who , drunk like the others, soon closed her eyes too.
Then seizing my oppo rtuni ty a s soon a s the bandits surround ing us were overcome wi th sleep :
" M on s i e u r , " I s a i d to the young Lyonn a i s , " the most atrociolls cata strophe has thrown me against my will into the midst o f these thi eves, I detest both them and the fatal instant that brought me into their company. In truth, I have not the honor to b e related to you ; I employed the trick to save YOll and to escape, i f you approve it, with you , from out o f these scoundrel s ' clutches ; the moment's propi tiou s , " I a dd�d, "let u s b e off ; I notice your p ocketbook, take it back, forget the money, it is in the i r pockets ; we could not recover it without danger : com e, Monsieur, let us quit this place. You see what I am doing for you , I put myself into your keeping ; take p i ty on me ; above all, be n o t more cruel than these men ; d e i gn to respect my honor, I entrust it to you, it i s my unique treasure, they have not ravished it away from me."
I t would be difficult to render the decl a r ations o f gratitude I h a d from S a in t-Florent. He knew not in what terms to express his
5 0 0 .. T H E MAR Q UI S DE S A D E
t h a nks ; b u t we had n o t i m e t o t a l k ; i t was a q u e s t i o n of fl i gh t . With a dextrous m o v e m e n t , I r e t r i ev e t h e p o cketbook, return i t t o h i m , a n d t r e a d i n g s o ftly w e w a l k t h r o u g h t h e c o p s e , l e aving t h e h o r s e f o r f e a r t h e s o u n d o f h i s h o o fs m i g h t r o u s e t h e m e n ; w i t h a l l p o s s i b l e d i sp a tc h we r e a c h t h e p a th w h i c h i s to l e a d u s o u t o f t h e fo r e s t . \Ve h a d t h e g o o d l u ck to b � o u t of it by d a y b r e a k , w i t h o u t h a v i n g b e e n f o l l o w e d by anyon e ; b do r e ten o ' cl o c k we w e r e i n Lu z a rc h e s a n d t h e r e , f r e e f r o m a l l a m i e ty , w e t h o u g h t o f n o t h i n g b u t r e s ti n g o u r s e l v e s .
T h e r e a r e m o m e n t s i n l i fe when o n e fi n d s t h a t d e s p i t e o n e ' s r i c h e s , w h i c h m a y b e g r e a t , o n e n e v e r t h e l e s s l a ck s w h a t i s n e e d e d t o l i v e ; s u c h w a s S a i n t - F l o r e n t ' s c a s e : fi v e h u n d r e d thou s a n d f r a n c s m i g h t b e a w a i ti n g h i m i n P a r i s , b u t h e n o w h a d n o t a c o i n o n h i s p e r s o n ; m i n d fu l o f t h i s , h e p a u s e d b e f o r e e n t e r i n g t h e i n n . . . .
" B e e a sy , M o n s i eu r , " I s a i d u p o n p e rc e i v i n g h i s em b a r r a s s m e n t , " t h e t h i eves h a v e : n o t l e f t m e w i thout m o n e y , h e r e a r e twenty l o u is , take them, p l e a s , ! , use them, give what remains to t h e p o o r ; n o t h i n g in t h e w o r l d co u l d m a k e me w a n t to keep g o l d a c qu i r e d by m u r de r . "
S a i n t-Fl o r e n t , w h o s e r e fi n e m e n t s o f c h a r a c t e r I a t t h e t i m e d i d n o t e x a c tl y a p p r e c i a t e , w a s a b s o l u tely u n w i l l i n g to a c c e p t w h a t I t e n d e r e d h i m ; h e a sk e d m e w h a t my e xp e c t a ti o n s w e r e , s a i d h e w o u l d m ak e h i m s el f h o u n d t o f u l fi l l t h e m , a n d t h a t h e d e s i r e d n o t h i n g b u t t h e p o w e r 1 0 a c q u i t h i m s e l f o f h i s i n d e b t e dn e s s t o m e .
" I t i s t o y o u l owe my l i fe a n d f o r tu n e , T h e r e s e , " h e a d d e d , k i s s i n g my h a n d s , " I c a n d o n o b e t t e r t h a n t o l a y t h e m b o t h a t y o u r f e e t ; r e c e i v e t h e m , I b e s e e c h you , a n d p e r m i t t h e G o d o f m a r r i a g e t o t i g h t e n th e kno ts o f =ri e n d s h i p . "
I k n o w n o t w h e t h e r i t w a s f r o m i n t u i t i o n o r c h i l l i n e s s o f t e m p e r , b u t I w a s so f i r f r o m b e l i ev i n g t h a t w h a t I h a d d o n e f o r t h e y o u n g m a n c o u l d m o t i v a t e s u c h s e n t i m e n ts a s t h e s e h e e xp r e s s e d f o r m e , t h a t I a l l o w e d h i m t o r e a d i n my c o u n t e n a n c e t h e r e f u s a l I d a r e d n o t a r ti cul a t e ; h e u n d e r s to o d , i n s i s t e d no furthe r , a n d l i m i t e d h i m s e l f t o a sk i n g w h a t h e c o u l d d o f o r m e .
" M o n s i e u r , " s a i C I , " i f my b e h a v i o r i s r e a l l y n o t wi thou t m e r i t in y o u r v i e w , f o : " my e n t i r e r e c o m p e n s e I a sk n o t h i n g m o r e t h a n to p r o c e e d t o Lyon w i t h you a n d t o h a v e you fi n d m e a p l a c e
Jus tin e .. 5 0 1
in some correct househol d , where my m o d e sty will h ave n o m o r e to su ff e r . "
"Y o u could do n o t h i n g b e t t e r , " s a i d S a i n t- Fl o r en t , " a n d no one i s i n a b e tter p o s i t i o n t h a n I t o render t h i s s e r v i c e ; I h a v e twenty r e l a tives i n the c i ty , " a n d the young t r a d e r t h e n b e s ought m e to divulge my reasons f o r having l e ft P a r i s w h e r e I had men tioned to h i m I w a s born. I told my s t o ry w i t h e q u a l amounts o f confi d ence a n d i n genu o u s n e s s .
" O h , i f i t i s but th a t , " s a i d the young m a n , " I will b e o f u s e to you b e fo r e we r e a c h Lyon ; f e a r no t , Therese, your troubl e s are o v e r ; t h e a ff a i r will b e hush e d ; you will not b e sought after and, c e r t a inly, l e s s i n t h e a sylum w h e r e I w i s h to leave you t h a n i n any o t h e r . A m e m b e r of my family dwells n e a r B ondy, a c h a rm i n g region n o t f a r f r o m h e r e ; I a m sure i t w i l l b e a p l e a su r e f o r h e r t o have you w i t h h e r ; I will i n tr o duce you tomo r r o w . "
I n my tu rn fi l l e d w i t h g r a t i t u d e , I a p p r o v e a p ro j ect which s e em s s o well suited to me ; we repose at Lu z a rc h e s for the rest of the day and o n the morrow, i t is our plan, w e w i l l gain B ondy, but six leagues d i s tant.
" T h e weather i s fine," S a i n t·Fl o r e n t says to m e , " trust me, T h e r e s e ; i t will b e most e n j oyable to go a fo o t ; we w i l l r e a ch my rela tive ' s estate, will tell of o u r a dv e n tu r e , a n d this manner of a r r i v i n g , I s h o u l d think, will m a k e you a p p e a r i n a s ti l l m o r e i n t e r e s t i n g l i g h t . "
H a v i n g n o t t h e f a i n t e s t s u s p i c i o n o f t h i s monste r ' s d e s i gn s , a n d f a r f r o m i m a g i n i n g t h a t I w a s to b e l e s s s a f e w i th h i m t h a n I h a d b e e n when in the i n fa m o u s company I h a d l e ft , I a g r e e to everything ; we d i n e togeth e r ; he n o t so m u c h as murmu r s when f o r the n i g h t I take a c h a m b e r s e p a r a te f r o m h i s , a n d a fter having waited until t h e w a r m e s t part o f t h e d a y i s past, certain o f w h a t h e tells m e , that four o r five h o u r s w i l l s u ffi c e to bring u s to h i s relati v e ' s , w e l e ave Lu z a rc h e s a n d s t r i k e o u t on foot f o r B o n dy.
It was t o w a r d four o ' c l o ck in t h e a f te rnoon when w e entere d the forest. Un til then S a i n t- Fl o r e n t h a d n o t once c o n t r a d i c t e d h i m s el f : a l w a y s the same p r o p r i e ty , a l w a y s the same e a g e r n e s s to prove his sentiments for m e ; I should not have thought mys e l f m o r e s e c u r e h a d I been w i t h m y f a th e r . The s h a d e s o f n i g h t b e g a n t o descend u p o n the fore s t a n d to i n sp i r e t h a t k i n d o f r e l i g i o u s horror
5 0 2 + T H E MAR Q U I S DE SADE
which at once causes the birth of fear in timorous spmts and criminal p roj ects in fer ocious h e a rts. We followed mere p a ths ; I was walking ahead, I turned to ask Saint-Florent whether these obscure trails were r e ally the ones w e ought to be following, whether pe rchance he h Id not lost his bea rings, whether h e thought we were going to a rrive soon.
"We have a rrived , who re , " the villain replied, toppling m e w i t h
. a b l o w o f his c a n e brought down u p o n m y head ; I f e l l un
conscIOus . . . . Oh, M a dame, I have no idea what that man a fterward s a i d o r
did ; but the state I w a � i n when I returned t o m y senses advised me only too well to what point I h a d been h i s victim . I t was d a rkest night when I awoke ; I w a s at the foot o f a tree, away from any ro ad, inj u re d , bleeding . . . dishonored, M adame ; such had been the reward of all I h a d just done for the unlucky man ; and carry ing i nfamy to i ts ultima te degree, the wretch, a fter having done to me all h e had wished, a f ter having abused me in every manner, even in th a t which most outrages N ature, had taken my purse . . . con taining the same money I had s o generously offered him. He h a d t o r n m y clothing, m o s t ) f i t lay i n shreds and ribbons about me, I wa s virtually naked, and several parts of my body were l acerated, clawe d ; you may apprec ate my s i tu a tion : there in the depths o f th e night, without resources , without honor, without hope, exposed to every peril : I wished to put a n end to my days : had a weapon been p resented to me, I wou: d h ave l a i d h ands on i t and abridged this unhappy l i fe full only of plagu e s for m e . . . the monster I What did I do to him, I a sked myself, to have deserved such cruel treatment a t his hands ? I save h i s life, restore his fortune to him, he snatches away what is most dear to me! A savage beast would have been less cruel l 0 man, thus are you when you heed nothing but your passions ! Tigers tha t d" ell i n the wildest jungles would quail before such i gnominies . . . these first p angs of suffering were succeeded by some few minu tes o f exh wstion ; my eyes, brimming over with tears, turn e d mechanically tow a r d the sky ; my heart did spring to the feet of the M a ster who dwdleth there . . . that pure glittering vault . . . that imposing stillne! s o f the night . . . that terror which numbed my senses . . . tha t i m a ge o f N a ture in peace, nigh unto my whelmed, di straught soul . • . all ::listilled a somber horror into me, whence
Ju s ti n e + 5 0 3
there was soon born the need to pray. I cast myself down, kneeling before that potent God denied by the impious, hope o f the poor and the downtrodden.
" Holy M a j esty, Saintly Om: , " I cried out in tears, "Thou Who in this dreadful moment deign to flood my soul wi th a celestial j oy, Who doubtless hath p revented m e from attemp ting my l i fe ; 0 my Protecto r and my Guide, I aspire to Thy boun ties, I implore Thy clemency, behold my miseri e s and my torments, my resignation, and hear Thou my entre aties : Pow erful God ! Thou knowst it, I am innocent and weak, I am betrayed and mistreated ; I have wished to do well in imitation o f Thee, and Thy will hath punished i t in me : may Thy will be done, 0 my God ! all i ts sacred effects a r e cherished by me, I respect them and cease to complain o f them ; but if how ever I am to find n aught but stings and nettles terrestri ally, is it to offend Th ee, 0 my Sovereign M aster, to supplicate Thy pui ssance to take me into Thy bosom, in order untroubled to adore Th ee, to worship Thee far away from thes.e perverse men who, alas ! have made me meet with evils only, and whose bloodi ed and perfid ious hands a t their pleasure drown my sorrowful days in a torrent of tears and in an abyss o f agoni es."
Pray e r i s the m i s for tun a t e ' s sweetest comfo r t ; strength re enters him once he has fulfilled thi s duty. My courage renewed, I raised mysel f up, I gathered togeth e r the rags the villain had left me, and I hid myself in a thicket: so a s to pass the night in less danger. The secu rity I believed I enjoyed, the satisfaction I h a d just tasted by communing with my God, all combined to help me rest a few hours, and the sun was already risen h i gh when I opened my eyes. For the wretched, the instant o f awakening i s hideous : th e imagination, refreshed by sleep ' s sweet ministrations, very rapi dly and lugubriously fills with the evils these moments of deceiving repose have smoothed into oblivion.
Very well, I said as I examined myself, i t i s then true that there are human crea tures Nature reduces to the l evel o f wild bea sts I Lurking in this forest, like them flying the sight of man, what difference now exists between them and me ? I s it worth being born for a fate so pitiabl e ? . . . And my tears flowed abundantly as I meditated in sorrow ; I had sca rcely finished with my reflections
5 04 + T H E M A R Q l ' I S DE S A D E
when I h e a rd sounds somewh e r e abou t ; li ttle by littl e , two men hove into view. I p rick e d up my ears :
" C ome , dear frier d , " s a i d one o f them, "this place will suit u s a dm i rably ; the cruel ar d fatal presence o f an aunt I abhor will not p revent m e from tasl ing a moment with you the p l easures I c h e ri s h , "
They d r a w n e a r , :hey station themselves squa rely i n front o f me a n d so p roximately th a t n o t o n e o f their words, n o t o n e o f their gestures is able to escape me, a nd I observe . . . Just Heaven, M a dame, said Therese, interrupting h e rself, i s i t possible that destiny h a s placed m e i n none but si tu a tions so cri tical that i t be comes quite as difficul t fo r Virtue to h e a r them recited a s for modesty to describe them ? That ho rrible crime which equally out rages both N a ture and soc i a l conventions, that h einous deed, in a word, which the h a n d o f God h a s so o ften smitten, rationalized, l e gitim i z e d by Coeur-:ie-fer, p roposed by him to the unhappy Therese, despite her wi:;hes consumm ated against her by the butcher who h a s just immolated her, i n brief, I did see that revol ting execra tion carried out before my own eyes, together with all the impure gropings and fumbling:;, all the frightfu l episodes the most m edi tated depravity can de1'i se. One o f the men, h e who gave himself, w a s twenty-fou r years o l d, o f such a b e a ring and pre sence one might suppose him of an ele\ ated degree, the other, o f about the same age, app e a r e d to b e one o f h i s domestics. The a c t was scandalous and p rolonged. B endinf; over, supported by his hands, leaning upon the crest o f a l i ttle hillo ck facing the thicket where I l ay, the young master exposed naked to his comp anion i n debauch the impious sacrificial altar, and the l a tter, whom the spectacle filled with ardor, c aressed the idol, r e a dy to immolate i t with a spear far more awful and far more colossal than the one wherewith the captain of the brigands o f B ondy h a d nenaced me ; but, i n n o wise intimidated, the young m aster seemed p r ep a re d unhesita tingly to brave the shaft that w a s presented to him ; h e teased it, he excited it, cove red i t w i t h kisses ; seized i t , p lunged i t into himself, was i n a n ecstasy a s h e swallowed i t up ; a roused b y criminal caresses, the infamous c r e a ture writhed and st�uggle d under the i ro n and seemed to regret i t was not yet more te rribl e ; h e withstood i ts blows, he rose t o anticipate t h e m , h e repelled t h e m . . . . A t e n d e r couple lawfully
Jus tine -+ 5 0 5
connected would n o t h a ve c a r e s s e d o n e a n o t h e r s o p a s s i o n a tely . . . t h e i r mouths w e r e p r e s s e d t o g e t h e r , th e i r sighs i n t e r m i n gl e d , th e i r t o n gu e s e n t wi n e d , a n d I w i t n e s s e d e a c h o f t h e m , d runk w i t h l u s t , b r i n g h i s p e r fi d i o u s h o r r o r s to com p l e t i o n i n t h e v e ry vo rtex of d e l i gh t . The homage is renewed, and i n o r d e r t o fire the i n c e n s e n o t h i n g i s n e gl e c t e d by h i m who c r i e s a l o u d h i s d e m a n d f o r i t ; k i s s e s , fi n g e r i n g s , p o l l u t i o n s , d e b a u c h e r y ' s m o s t a p p a l l i n g r e fi ne ments, e v e ry th i n g is emp l o y e d to revive s i nk i n g s t r e n g t h , a n d i t a l l succe e d s i n r e a n i m a ti n g t h e m five t i m e s i n swi ft s u cc e s s i o n ; b u t t h a t w i t h o u t e i t h e r o f t h e m c h a n g i n g h i s rol e . T h e y o u n g l o r d w a s c o n s t a n tly t h e w o m a n a n d a l th o u gh t h e r e w a s a b o u t h i m w h a t s u g g e s t e d the p o s s i b i l i ty h e c o u l d h a v e a c t e d t h e m a n in h i s tu rn, he h a d no t fo r o n e i n s t a n t even t h e a p p e a r a n c e o f w i s h i n g t o . I f h e v i s i t e d t h e a l t a r c o r r e sp o n d i n g to t h e o n e i n h i m w h e r e s a c r i fi c e s w e r e p e r fo r m e d , i t w a s i n t h e o t h e r i d ol' s b e h a l f , a n d t h e r e w a s n e v e r any i n d i c a tion t h e l a t t e r w a s t h r e a t en e d by a s s a u l t .
A h , how sl owly t h e t i m e s e e m e d to p a s s I I d a r e d n o t b u d g e f o r fe a r o f d e t e c t i o n ; a t l a s t , the c r i m i n a l a c t o r s i n t h i s i n d e c e n t d r a m a , n o d o u b t s u r f e i t e d , g o t up a n d w e r e p r e p a r e d to s t a r t a l o n g t h e ro a d t h a t w a s to take t h e m h o m e , w h e n t h e m a s t e r d r e w n e a r t h e b u s h w h i c h h i d m e ; my b o n n e t b e t r a y e d m e . . . he c a u g h t s i g h t o f i t . . . .
" J a s m i n , " s a i d h e to h i s v a l e t , " w e a r e d i scov e r e d . . . a g i r l h a s b e h e l d o u r myste r i e s . . . . C om e h i t h e r , fl u s h t h e b i t c h into t h e o p e n , l e t ' s fi n d o u t why s h e i s h e r e . "
I d i d n o t p u t t h e m to t h e t r o u b l e o f d r a gg i n g m e f r o m m y s a nctu a ry ; I s t epp e d f o rw a r d i mm e d i a tely a n d , f a l l i n g a t t h e i r fe e t ,
" O h , M e s s i e u r s ! " I c r i e d , s t r e tc h i n g my a rm s t o w a r d t h e m , " d e i gn t o h a v e p i ty u p o n a n u n h a p p y c r e a tu r e who s e f a t e m o r e d e s e rv e s y o u r comp a s s i o n t h a n y o u m a y t h i n k ; t h e r e a r e v e ry few m i s fo r t u n e s w h i c h can e q u a l m i n e ; d o not let the p o s tu r e w h e r e i n you d i s co v e r m e c a u s e any s u s p i c i o n to b e b o r n i n you ; i t i s r a t h e r t h e c o n s e q u e n c e o f my m i s e ry t h a n o f my f a u l t s ; do n o t a u gm e n t t h e i l l s w h i c h o v e r w h e l m m e , b e s o k i n d a s t o d i m i n i s h them by making a v a i l a b l e to m e t h e m e a n s to e s c a p e t h e fu r i e s that hound m e . "
T h e C o m t e d e B r e s s a c ( th a t w a s t h e n a m e o f t h e y o u n g m a n
5 0 6 .. T H E MAR Q UI S DE S A D E
into whose hands I had fallen ) possessed a mind containing a great fund of wickedness an d libertinage ; no very abundant amount of sympa thy dwelled in h i s h e a rt. Un fortunately, i t i s only too common to find men i n whom p i ty has been obl i terated by l ibertinage, whose ordinary effect i s to ha rden : whether i t b e th at the major p a rt of h i s excesses necessitate , apa thy in the soul, o r that the violent shock p a ssion imparts to the nervous system decreases the vigor of i t s a c t i o n , the fact always remains that a libe rtine i s r arely a man o f sensib i l i ty. B u t in add t i o n to this h a rshness na tive to t h e species whose cha racter I am sketching, there was also i n Monsieur de B ressac a di sgust for :>u r sex so inve terate, a hatred so powerful for a l l tha t di stingu i sh e s i t , that I encountered considerable diffi culty introducing the a ffections into h i s soul wherewith I strove to move him.
" My li ttle dove , " said the Count, severity in h i s tone, "if you a r e looking fo r dup e s , improve your styl e ; neither my fri end nor I ever sacrifice at your :;ex ' s impure templ e ; i f i t i s money you a r e b e gging, l o o k for p eople who a r e fond o f good works, we never p e r fo rm any o f that d � scription . . . . But, wretch, out with i t : d i d you s e e wh a t passed b( tween lVI onsi eur a n d me ?"
"I saw you conv( rsing together upon the swa r d , " I rep l i e d , "nothing more, Monsi e:u r , I assure you . "
" I should like t o beli eve i t, " s a i d the C ount, " fo r you r own good ; were I to imagi ne you h a d seen anything else, never would you emerge alive frorr where we a re . . . . Jasmin, i t i s e a rly, we h ave time to h e a r the �irl's a dventu r e s , and a fterward we will s e e what's t o be d o n e with h e r . "
Th e young m e n s i t down, t h e y o r d e r me t o s i t near them, and thereupon very ingenuou sly I make them a cqu ainted with all the wo e s th a t have a ffl i cted me from the day o f my bi rth.
"\Vell, J a smin , " :;aid Monsieur de B ressac a s soon a s I had finished, " fo r once l e t l i S be just : the equitable Themis has doomed this creatu r e , let us n o : suff e r the Goddess' designs to be thwarted so cruelly : let us exp o s e : the delinquent to the death penalty she has incurred : this l ittle murder, f a r from being a crime, will me rely take its place a s a r ep a r ation in the moral scheme ; since sometimes we have the misfortune to di stu rb th a t order, l e t u s at least cou ra geously make amends when the occasion ari ses . . . . "
Jus tine + 5 0 7
And t h e cruel m e n , having l a i d hands upon m e , dragged m e toward t h e wood, laughing a t m y tears a n d screams.
"We'll tie e a ch of h e r members to a tree-we need four trees placed in a rectangl e , " said B ressac, tearing o ff my clothes.
Then by means o f their cravats, the i r handkerch i e fs , their braces, they make cords wherewith I am tied instantly, in keeping with their plan, th a t i s to say i n the cruelest and most p a i n ful posi tion imaginable. I cannot exp ress to you what I suffered ; i t seemed they were rending m e limb from limb and that my belly, facing downward and strained to the utmost, was about to spl i t at any moment ; sweat drenched my fon�he a d , I no longer existed save through the violence of p a i n ; had .it ceased to compress my nerves, a mortal anguish would surely have seized m e : the vill a i n s were amused by my po s ture, they consi dered me and applauded.
"Well, that's enough , " B ressac said a t last, " fo r the time being she may get o ff with a fright.
"Therese , " h e continue d a s he unti ed my hands and com manded me to dress mysel f, " s how a littl e j udgment and come along with u s ; if you attach you rsel f to me you shall never have r e a son to regret it. My aunt requires a seco nd m a i d ; I am going to present you to h e r and, upon the basis o f your story, undertake to interest her i n you ; I shall make mysel f answerable for your conduct ; but should you abuse my kindness, werl� you to betray my confidence, or were you not to submit you rself to my intentions, behold these four trees, Therese, behold the plot of e a rth they encomp a s s : i t might s e rve you for a sepulcher : bear it i n mind that this dreadful place is n o more than a l e a gu e ' s di stance from the chiiteau to which I am go ing to l e a d you and that, upon the l e a s t provocation, I will bring you back here a t once . "
I forgot m y suffe rings instantly, I embraced t h e Count's kn ees, tears streaming down my cheeks, I swore to behave mysel f well ; but quite a s insensible to my j oy a s to my p a i n ,
"Let us b e o ff , " s a i d B ressac, "your actions w i l l s p e a k f o r you, they alone will govern your fate."
We a dvance ; J a smin and his maste r exchange whispered re m a rks ; I follow them humbly, wi thout saying a word. I n less than an hour we arrive a t M a dame la M a rqui se d e B ressac's chateau, whose magnificence and fhe multitude o f s e rvants i t contains make
5 08 .. T H E MARQU; S DE SADE
me s e e th a t w h a t e v e r t h � p o s t I m u s t h o l d in the h o u s e , it will s u rely be m o r e a dv a n t a g e o u s 1:0 m e t h a n t h a t of drudge to M o n s i e u r du H a r p i n . I a m m a d e t o w a i t i n a n o ffi c e where J a s m i n most o b l i g i n gly o ff e r s m e everyth i n g conducive t o m y c o m f o r t . The y o u n g C o u n t s e eks o u t h i s a u n t , a c q u a i n ts h e r w i t h w h a t h e h a s d o n e , a n d a h a l f h o u r l a t e r h i m s e l f c om e , to i n t r o du c e me to t h e M a r q u i s e .
M a d a m e d e B r e s s � c w a s a w o m a n o f f o r ty-s i x y e a r s , s t i l l v e r y b e au t i fu l , a n d who s e e m e d h i ghly r e s p e c t a b l e a n d s e n s i b l e , a l t h o u g h i n to h e r p ri n c i p l e s a n d r , !m a rks s o m e wh a t o f a u s t e r i ty h a d e n t r a n c e ; fo r two y e a r s s h e h a d b e e n t h e w i d o w o f the young C o u n t ' s uncl e , w h o h a d m a rr i e d h e r w . t h o u t a n y fortune beyond t h e fi n e n a m e h e b ro u g h t w i t h h i m . A l l t h e r i c h e s M o n s i e u r d e B r e s s a c w a s a b l e t o h o p e f o r d e p e n d e d u p o n t h i s a u n t ; w h a t h a d c o m e down t o h i m f r o m h i s f a t h e r b a rel:r g a v e h i m t h e w h e r e w i t h a l t o b u y h i s p l e a s u r e s : t o w h i c h i n c o m e M a d a m e d e B r e s s a c j o i n e d a c o n s i d e r a b l e a l l o w a n c e , b u t th a t s c a rcely s u ffi c e d ; n o t h i n g i s s o exp e n s i v e a s t h e d e l i g h t s to which t h e C ou n t w a s a d d i c te d ; p e r h a p s they a re p u r c h a s e d at a c h e a p e r r a t e t h a n o t h e r s , b u t they f a r m o r e r a p i dly m u l t i p l y . F i f ty t ho u s a n d crowns was the M a rqui s e ' s revenu e , a n d y o u n g M o n s i e u r d e B r e s s a c w a s i t s s o l e h e i r . A l l e ff o r t s to i n du c e h i m to fi n d a p r o fe s s i on o r a n o c cu p a ti o n h a d f a i l e d ; h e could n o t a d a p t h i m s e l f t o w h a teve r d i v e r t e d h i s a ttenti o n s f r o m l i b e r t i n a g e . T h e M a rq u i s e p a s s e d t h r e e m o n t h s o f t h e y e a r ' s twelve i n t h e c o u n try ; t h e r e s t o f t h , ! t i m e s h e l i v e d i n P a ri s ; a n d t h e s e t h r e e m o n t h s w h i c h s h e r e qu i re d h e r n e p h e w to s p e n d w i t h h e r , w e r e a k i n d o f t o r t u r e f o r a m a n w h o h a te d h i s a u n t a n d c o n s i d e r e d a s w a s t e d every moment h e p a s s e d o u t s i d e t h e c i ty w h i c h w a s t h e h o m e o f h i s p l e a s u r e s .
T h e y o u n g C ou n t J a d e m e r e l a t e t o t h e M a r qu i s e t h e m a tt e r w i th w h i c h I h a d j u s t m a d e h i m a c q u a i n t e d , a n d a s s o o n a s I w a s d o n e :
"You r c a n d o r a n d n aive t e , " M a d am e de B re s s a c s a i d to m e , " d o n o t p e r m i t m e t o t1ink y o u u n t r u t h ful . I w i l l i n q u i r e a ft e r n o o t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n s a v e w h a t w i l l a u th o r i z e m e t o b e l i e v e y o u a r e r e ally t h e d a u g h t e r o f t le m a n y o u i n d i c a t e ; i f i t i s s o , t h e n I knew your f a t h e r , and t h a t w 11 b e one more r e a s o n t o t ake a n i n t e r e s t in you. As for t h e du H a ,p i n a ff a i r , I will a s sume r e sp o n s i b i l i ty f o r s e t t l i n g i t w i t h two v i s i ts p a i d to t h e C h a ncello r ; h e h a s been m y
Jus ti n e + 5 0 9
f r i e n d for a g e s . In all t h e w o r l d t h e r e i s no m a n o f g r e a t e r i n t e g r i ty ; we h av e b u t to p rove y o u r innocence t o h i m : all t h e c h a rges l e v e l e d a g a i n s t you will crumble a n d be withdrawn. But consider well, Therese : wha t I p r om i s e you now will not b e yours save a t t h e p r i c e o f fl awle s s conduct ; thu s , y o u s e e t h a t t h e e ff e c t s o f t h e grati tu d e I r e qu i r e will a lways r edound to y o u r profit." I c a s t mysel f a t t h e M a rqui s e ' s f e e t , a s s u r e d h e r s h e would b e contented w i th m e ; w i t h g r e a t ki ndn e s s s h e r a i s e d me up a n d u p o n t h e s p o t gave m e t h e p o s t o f se cond c h a m b e rm a i d i n h e r s e rvi c e .
A t the e n d o f t h r e e d a y s , t h e i n fo r m a t i o n M a da m e d e B re s s a c h a d so ught f r o m P a r i s arrived ; i t c o r r e s p o n d e d w i t h w h a t I d e s i r e d ; the M a rqui s e p r a i s e d m e for h a v i n g i n n o w i s e impo s e d upon her, a n d e v e ry though t o f unhapp i ness v a n i s h e d from my m i n d , to b e r e p l a c e d by n o t h i n g b u t hope for the swe e t e s t consol a ti o n s it w a s p e rm i t t e d m e to exp ec t ; b u t i t d i d n o t conso r t w i th t h e d e s i gn s o f Heaven t h a t the p o o r T h e r e s e s h o u l d ever b e h appy, a n d i f for tu i tou sly t h e r e were born unto her some few m o m e n t s of calm, i t w a s only t o r e n d e r m o r e b i t t e r t h o s e o f d i s tr e s s t h a t w e r e t o suc ceed t h e m .
We w e r e n o s o o n e r a r r i v e d in P a r i s t h a n M a d a m e d e B re s s a c h a stened t o w o r k i n my b e h a l f : the fi r s t p r e s i d e n t j u dg e w i s h e d t o s e e m e , h e h e a r d w i t h i n t e r e s t t h e t a l e o f my m i s fortune s ; du H a r p i n ' s calumnie s w e r e recogn i z e d , b u t i t w a s in v a i n t h ey undertook to punish h i m ; h a v i n g made a g r e a t success o f tra fficking i n counter fe i t b ankn o t e s , w h e r eby h e r u i n e d t h r e e o r four f a m i l i e s , a n d w h e n c e h e a m a s s e d n e a rly two m i l l i o n s , h e h a d j u s t r e m o v e d t o England ; a s r e g a r d e d the burni n g o f t h e P a l a c e p r i so n s , t h e y w e r e convin c e d th a t a l though I h a d p r ofi t e d from the event , I w a s i n no way to blame for c a u s i n g it a n d the case a g a i n s t m e w a s dropped, the o ffi c i a ti n g m a g i s t r a t e s b e i n g agreed, so I w a s a s su r e d , that there w a s n o need t o employ fu r t h e r formali t i e s ; I a s k e d n o qu e s t i o n s , I w a s content to l e a rn w h a t I w a s t o l d , a n d you w i l l s e e s h o r tly w h e t h e r I was m i staken.
Y o u m ay r e a di l y i m a gi n e that a s a consequence of w h a t s h e d i d for m e , I b e c a m e v e ry fond o f M a da m e d e B re s s a c ; h a d s h e n o t s h o w n m e e v e ry k i n d n e s s a s w e l l , h a d n o t such s t e p s a s t h o s e s h e h a d t a k e n o b l i g a t e d m e f o r e v e r to t h i s p re c i o u s p rotectre s s ? However , i t w a s by no m e a n s t h e young C o u n t ' s intention t h a t I
5 1 0 .. T H E M A R Q UI S DE S A D E
become so intimately Htached to his aunt . . . . But this seems the moment for a portr a i t of the monster.
Monsieur de B r e ;;sac had the charms of youth and the most a ttractive countenance too ; if there were some defects i n his figu r e o r his features, i t was because they h a d a r a th e r t o o p ronounced tendency toward th a t nonchalance, that so ftness which properly belongs only to women ; it seemed that, in lending him the attributes of the feminine sex, K a ture had introduced its tastes into him as well . . . . Yet what a soul lurked behind those effemin a te graces ! All the vices which 6aracteri z e the villain's genius were to b e encountered in his : never h a d wickedness, vindictiveness, cruelty, a theism , debauchery, contempt for all duties and principally thos e o u t o f which N a ture i:. s a i d to fashion o u r delights, never h a d all these qualities been carried to such a n extreme. I n the midst o f all his faul ts· p redominated anoth e r : Monsieur de B ressac detested his aunt. The M a rqui s e did everything conce ivable to restore her nephew to the p a ths o f vi rtue ; perhaps she put too much rigorous ness into her a ttempts ; the result, however, was that the Count, further inflamed by th a t very rigor's effects, only the more impet uously gave himsel f uF to h i s p redilections and the poor M a rquise gained nothing from h e r persecutions bu t his redoubled hate.
" D o n o t imagine, " the C ount would o ften tell me, "that i t is o f her own accord my aunt acts in all th a t concerns you , Therese ; believe m e , were it not for my constant badgering she would quickly forget what she has p:'omised to do for you. She would have you feel indebted to her, hut all she has done is owing exclu sively to m e ; yes, Therese, exac tly, it is t o me alone you are beholden, and the thanks I exp ect from you should appear the more disinterested, for although you've a pretty face, i t i s not, and you know i t very well, a fter your favor:; I aspire ; no, Therese, the services I await from you are o f a rae ically different sort, and when you are well convinced of wh a t I nave accomplished in behalf o f your tran quillity, I hope I will 1nd what I think I have the right to expect from your spirit."
So obscure were these speeches I knew not how to answe r : however, reply to him I did, on a chance, a s it were, and perhaps with too great a facili ty. Must I confess i t ? Ala s ! yes ; to conceal my shortcomings would be to wrong your confidence and poorly to
Ju s tine + 5 1 1
respond to the interest my misfortunes have quickened in you . Hear then, M adame, o f the one deliberate fault with which I have to reproach myself . . . . Wh at am I saying, a faul t ? It was a folly, an extravagance . . . there h a s never been one to equal i t ; but at least i t is not a crime, i t i s merely a mistake, fo r which I alone have been punished, and o f which it surely does not seem that the equitable hand of H e aven had to make use in order to plunge me into the abyss which yawned beneath me soon a fterward. Whatever the foul treatment to which the Comte de B ressac had exposed me the first day I had met him, i t had, all the same, been impossible to see him so frequently wi thout feeling myself drawn toward him by an in superable and instinctive tenderne ss . Despite all my recollections of his cruelty, all my thoughts upon his disinclinations toward women, upon the depravity of his tastes, upon the gul f which separated us mo rally, nothing in the world was able to extinguish this nascent p a ssion, and had the Count called upon me to lay down my life, I would have sacrificed i t for him a thousand times over. He was far from suspecting my sentiments . . . h e was far, the ungrateful one, from divining the cause of the tears I shed every day ; nevertheless, i t was out o f the question for him to be in doubt of my eagerness to fly to do his every bi dding, to please him in every possible way, it could not have been h e did not glimpse, did not have some inkling of my attentions ; doubtless, because they were instinctive, they were also mindless, and went to the p oint o f serving his errors, o f serving them as far as decency p e rmitted, and always of hiding them from his aunt. This behavior had in some sort won me his confidence, and all that came from him was so precious to me, I was s o blinded by the l ittl e his heart offered me, that I sometimes had the weakness to believe he was not indifferent to me. But how promp tly his exces sive disorders disabused me : they were such that even his health was affected. I several times took the libe rty to represent to him the dangers of his conduct, he would hear me out patiently, then end by telling me that one does not break oneself o f the vice he cherished.
"Ah, Therese I " h e exclaimed one day, full o f enthusiasm, " i f only you knew this fantasy's charms, if only you could understand what one experiences from the swee t illusion o f being no more than a woman! incredible inconsistency ! one abhors that sex, yet one
5 1 2 ... T H E M A R Q U I S DE S A D E
wishes to imitate i t I Ah ! how sweet i t i s to succeed, Therese, how delicious i t i s to b e a slut to everyone who would have to do with you and ca rryin g deli rium and prostitution to th e i r ultimate period, successively, in the v e ry same day, to be the mi stress o f a porter, a ma rqu i s , a valet, a fria r, to be the beloved o f each one a fter the other, caressed, envi ed . menaced, beaten, sometimes victorious in their arms, sometimes a victim and a t the i r feet, melting them with caresses, reanimating them with excesses . . . . O h no, Therese, you do not understand what is this pl e a sure for a mind constructed like mine . . . . But, morals aside, i f you a r e able to imagine thi s divine whimsy ' s physical sens ltions, there i s n o withstanding i t , it i s a titillation so l ively, i t i s of so piquant a voluptuousness . . . one becomes giddy, one c e a s e s to reason, stammers ; a thousand kisses one m o r e tender than t he next do not i n fl ame u s with an ardor i n a n y w a y approaching t h e drunkenness into which t h e agent plunges u s ; enlaced i n h i s arms, our mouth glu e d to his, we would that our entire being were incorporated into his ; we would not m ake but a s i n gl e b e i n g with h i m ; i f we dare comp l a i n , ' t i s o f be i ng neglected ; we would have him, mHe robust than H e rcul e s , enla rge u s , pene trate u s ; we would h aye that precious semen, shot blazing to the depths of our entrails, cause, by its h e a t and its s trength, our own to leap forth into h i s hands . . . . Do not suppose, Therese, w e are m a d e like o ther men ; ' ti s a n entirely di fferent structure we have ; and, in creating u s , H eaven h a s ornamented the altars at which our C e l a dons sacrifice w i th that very same sensi tive membrane which lines your temp l e of Venu s ; we a r e , i n tha t sector, as certainly women a s you are in your generative sanctuary ; not one o f you r pleasures is unknown t) us, there is not one we do not know how to enjoy, but we have in a ddition to them our own, and it is this delicious combination which makes u s of all men on e a rth the most sensi tive to pleasure, t h e best created to experi ence i t ; i t is this enchanting combination which renders our tastes incorrigible, which would turn u s into enthusiasts and frenetics were one to have the s tup idity to punish u s . . . which makes u s worship, unto the grave itself, the charming Gc d who enthralls u s . "
Thus t h e Count expressed himself, celebrating h i s eccentric i t i e s ; when I s trove to :lp e a k to him o f the B eing to whom he owed everything, and o f the grie f such disorders caused h i s respectable
Justine + 5 1 3
aunt, I p e rceived nothing in him but spleen and ill-humor a n d especially imp a ti ence a t h a v i n g to see, i n s u c h hands and for so long, riches which, he would say, already ought to belong to him ; I saw nothing but t h e most invete rate h a tr e d for that so gentle woman, nothing but the most determined revolt against every n a t ural sentiment. I t would then b e t rue that when i n one ' s tastes one has been able so formally to transgress that law's sacred instinct, the necessary consequence o f this original crime is a frightful pen chant to commi t every other.
Sometimes I employed the means R e l i gion p rovide s ; almost always comforted by i t, I a ttemp ted to insinuate i t s sweetnesses i n to this perverse c r e a ture' s soul , more or less certain he could be re strained by those bonds were I to succeed in having him strike at the lure ; but the Count did not long tol erate my use o f such weap ons. A decl a red enemy of our most h oly myste r i e s , a stubborn critic of the p u r i ty of our dogm a s , an imp assioned antagonist o f the i d e a of a Supreme B eing's existence, M onsieur de Bressac, inste a d o f l e tting himself be conve rted b y m e , sought rather t o work my corrup tion.
"All religions start from a false p r emi s e , Therese, " he would say ; " e ach sup poses a s necessary the worship o f a C r e a to r , but that creator never existed. In t h i s connection, put yourself i n mind o f the sound precepts o f that certain C o e u r-de-fer who, you told m e , used to l a b o r over your mind a s I do ; nothing more j ust, nor more precise, than that man's principle5, a n d the degradation in which we have the stu p i d i ty to keep him do e s not deprive h i m o f the right to reason well.
"If all N a tu r e ' s p roductions are the resultant effects o f the l aws whereo f s h e i s a captive ; i f her p erpetu a l action and reaction suppose the motion necessary to h e r essence, what becomes o f the sove reign m a ster fools gratu i tomly give h e r ? tha t i s what your sagacious instructor said to you, d e a r girl. What, then, a r e religions if not the restraint wherewith the tyranny o f the mightier sought to ensl ave the weake r ? M o tivated by tha t design, he dared say to h i m whom h e cla i m e d the right to dominate, that a God had forged the i rons with which cruelty manacled him ; and the latter, bestial i z e d by h i s misery, indistinctly believed everything the former wished. Can religions, born o f th e s e rogu e r i e s , merit respect ? I s
5 1 4 .. T H E MAR Q U I S DE S A D E
t h e r e one of t h e m , T h e r e s e , w h i c h does not b e a r the s t a m p o f i m p o stu r e a n d o f s t u p i c i ty ? W h a t d o I d e s c ry i n t h e m a l l ? M y s t e r i e s w h i c h c a u s e r e ;J s o n to s h u d d e r , d o gm a s \v h i c h o u t r a g e N a tu r e , g r o t e s q u e c e r e m o n i e s w h i c h s i m p l y i n s p i r e d e r i s i o n a n d d i s g u s t . B u t i f a m o n g s t t h e m a l l t h e r e w e r e o n e w h i c h m o s t p a r t i cu l a rl y d e s e rv e s o u r s c o r n a n d h a t r e d , 0 T h e r e s e , i s i t n o t t h a t b a r b a r i c l a w o f t h e C h r i s t i a n i ty i n t o w h i c h b o t h o f u s w e r e b o r n ? I s t h e r e a n y m o r e o d i o u s ? o n e H h i c h so s p u r s b o t h t h e h e a r t a n d m i n d t o r evo l t ? H o w i s i t t h a t r a t i o n a l m e n a r e s t i l l a b l e to l e n d a n y c r e d e n c e t o t h e o b s c u r e m u t t e r i n g s , t o t h e a l l e g e d m i r a c l e s o f t h a
' t
a p p a l l i n g cul t ' s v i l e o r i g i n a t o r ? H a s t h e r e e v e r exi s t e d a r o w d y s c o u n d r e l m o r e w o r t h y o f p u bl i c i n d i gn a t i o n ! W h a t i s h e b u t a l e p r o u s J e w w h o , b o r n o f a s l u t a n d a s o l d i e r i n t h e w o rl d ' s m e a n e s t s t e w s , d a r e d f o b h i m s e l f o ff f o r t h e s p o k e s m a n o f h i m w h o , t h e y s a y , c r e a t e d t h e u n i v e r s e ! vV i t h s u c h l o fty p r e t e n s i o n s , y o u w i l l h a v e to a d m i t , Tll e re s e , a t l e a s t a f e w c r e d e n t i a l s a r e n e c e s s a ry . B u t w h a t a r e t h o s e o f t h i s r i d i cu l o u s Amb a s s a d o r ? \Vh a t i s h e g o i n g t o d o t o p ro v e h i s m i s s i o n ? I , t h e e a r t h ' s f a c e go i n g to b e c h a n ge d ? a r e t h e p l a g u e s \v h i c h b e s e t i t go i n g t o be a n n i h i l a t e d ? i s t h e s u n g o i n g t o s h i n e u p o n i t by n i g l t a s w e l l a s b y d a y ? v i c e s w i l l s o i l i t n o m o r e ? A r e w e g o i n g t o , e e h a p p i n e s s r e i gn a t l a s t ? . . . � o t a t a l l ; i t i s t h r o u g h h o c u s-p o cu s , a n t i c c a p e r s , a n d p u n s2 t h a t Go d ' s e n v o y a n n o u n c e s h i m s e l f t o t h f w o r l d ; i t i s i n t h e e l e g a n t s o c i e ty o f m a n u a l l a b o r e r s , a r t i s a n s , a n d s t r e e t w a l k e r s t h a t H e a v e n ' s m i n i s t e r c o m e s t o m a n i f e s t h i s g r a n d e m ; i t i s by d ru n k e n c a r o u s i n g w i t h t h e s e , b e d d i n g w i t h t h o s e , t h a t G o d ' s f r i e n d , G o d h i m s e l f , c o m e s to b e n d t h e t o u g h e n e d s i n n e r t o h i s l a w s ; i t i s by i n v e n t i n g n o t h i n g f o r h i s f a r c e s b u t w h a t c a n s a t i s fy e i d e r h i s l e w d n e s s o r h i s g o u rm a n d ' s gu t s t h a t t h e k n a v i s h f e l l o w d e m o n s t r a t e s h i s m i s s i o n ; h o w e v e r a l l t h a t m a y b e , h e m a k e s h i s f o r tL n e i a f e w b e e f- w i t t e d s a te l l i t e s g r a v i t a t e t ow a r d t h e v i l l a i n ; a s e c t i s f o r m e d ; t h i s c r o w d ' s d o gm a s m a n a g e t o s e du c e s o m e J e w s ; s l a v � s of t h e R o m a n p o w e r , t h e y j o y fu l l y e m b r a c e a r e l i g i o n w h i c h , ' i d d i n g t h e m o f t h e i r s h a ckl e s , m a k e s t h e m subj e c t t o n o n e b u t a m e t a p h y s i c a l t y r a n n y . T h e i r m o t i v e s b e c o m e e v i d en t , t h e i r i n do c i l i ty u n v e i l s i ts e l f , t h e s e d i ti o u s l o u t s a r e a r-
2 T h e M ar q u i s de B i e v r e n e v e r m a d e o n e qu i t e a. c l e v e r a. t h e N a z a r e n e ' . to h i . d i scip l e : " T h o u a r t P e t e r a n d u p o n t h i s R o c k I w i l l b u i l d my C h u rc h " ; a n d t h e y t e l l u s th a t wi tty l an g u a g e i s o n e · ) f o u r c e n tu r y ' s i n n o v a t i o n s !
Jus tine + 5 1 5
r e s t e d ; t h e i r c a p t a i n p e r i s h e s , b u t o f a d e a th doubtl e s s m u c h t o o m e r c i fu l f o r h i s s p e c i e s o f c r i m e , a n d through a n unp a r d o n a b l e l ap s e o f i n te l l i ge n c e , th i s u n c o u t h b o o r ' s d i s c i p l e s a r e a l l o w e d t o d i s p e r s e i n s t e a d o f b e i n g s l a u g h t e r e d c h e e k to j o wl w i t h t h e i r l e a d e r . F a n a t i c i s m g e t s m i n d s i n i t s gr i p , w o m e n s h r i e k , f o o l s s c r a p e a n d scuffi e , i m b e c i l e s b e l i e v e , a n d 10 I t h e m o s t c o n t e m p t i b l e o f b e i n g s , t h e m o s t m a l a d r o i t qu a ck s a l v e r , t h e clum s i e s t i m p o s t o r e v e r t o h a v e m a de h i s e n t r a n c e , t h e r e he i s : b e h ol d ! G o d , t h e r e ' s G o d ' s l i t t l e b o y , h i s p a p a ' s p e e r ; a n d n o w a l l h i s d r e a m s a r e c o n s e c r a t e d I a n d n o w a l l h i s e p i gr a m s a re b e co m e d o g m a s I a n d a l l h i s b l u n d e r s mys t e ri e s ! H i s f a b u l o u s f a t h e r ' s b r e a s t o p e n s t o r e c e i v e h i m a n d t h a t C r e a t o r , o n c e u p o n a t i m e s i m p l e , o f a s u d d e n b e c o m e s com p o u n d , t r i p l e , t o h u m o r h i s s o n , th i s l a d s o w o r th y of h i s g r e a tn e s s ; b u t d o e s t h a t s a c r e d G o d stick a t th a t ? N o , surely n o t , h i s c e l e s t i a l m i g h t i s go i n g t o b e s t o w m any a n o t h e r a n d g r e a t e r f a v o r . At t h e beck a n d c a l l o f a p r i e s t , o f , t h a t i:s t o s a y , a n o d d fellow foul w i th l i e s , t h e g r e a t G o d , c r e a t o r o f a l l we b e h o l d , is g o i n g to a b a s e him self t o t h e point of d e s c e n d i n g t e n o r twelve million t i m e s every m o r n i n g in a m o r s e l o f wh e a t p a s t e ; t h i s t h e f a i t h fu l devou r and a s s i m i l a t e , and G o d Alm i gh ty is l u g g e d t o t h e b o t t o m of their in t e s t i n e s where h e is s p e e d ily t r a n s m u t ed i nt o t h e vilest e x c r e m e n t s , a n d a l l t h a t f o r t h e s a t i s f a c t i o n o f t h e t e n d e r s o n , o d i o u s i n v e n t o r o f t h i s m o n s tr o u s i m p i e ty w h i c h h a d i ts b e g i n n i n g s i n a c a b a r e t s up p e r . H e s p a k e , a n d i t w a s o r d a i n e d . H e s a i d : t h i s b r e a d y o u s e e w i l l b e m y fl e s h ; you w i l l d i g e s t i t a s s u c h ; n o w , I a m G o d ; h e n c e , G o d w i l l b e d i g e s t e d by you ; h e n c e , t h e C re a t o r o f H e aven a n d E a rth w i l l b e c h a n ge d , b e c a u s e I h a ve s p o k e n , i n to t h e v i l e s t s t u ff t h e b o dy o f m a n c a n e xh a l e , a n d m a n w i ll e a t h i s G o d , b e c a u s e t h i s G o d i s g o o d a n d b e c a u s e h e i s omni p o t e n t . H o w e v e r , t h e s e b l a t h e r i n g s i n c r e a s e ; t h e i r g r o w t h i s a tt r i b u t e d to t h e i r a u t h e n t i c i ty , t h e i r g r e a t n e s s , th e i r subl i m i ty t o t h e p u i s s a n c e o f h i m w h o i n t r o du c e d t h e m , w h i l e i n t r u t h t h e c o mm o n e s t c a u s e s d o u b l e t h e i r e x i s t e n c e , f o r t h e c r e d i t e r r o r a c qu i r e s n e v e r p ro v e d a n y t h i n g b u t t h e p r e sence of swindlers o n t h e o n e side and o f i di o t s o n t h e other. T h i s infa m o u s religion fi n a lly a rr i v e s o n t h e thro n e , a n d it is a w e a k , cruel, i gn o r a n t a n d f a n a t i c a l emp e r o r who, envel o p i n g it i n t h e ro y al m a n tl e , soils t h e f o u r c o r n e r s o f t h e e a rth with it. 0 Therese, wh a t w e i g h t a r e t h e s e a rgume n t s to c a r ry w i th a n i n q u i r i n g a n d p h i lo-
5 1 6 .. T H E MAR Q U l S DE S A D E
sophie m i n d ? I s t h e s a g e a b l e to s e e a nyth i n g i n th i s a p p a l l i n g h e a p o f f a b l e s b u t t h e d i s gu s t i n g f r u i t o f a f e w m e n ' s i m p o s t u r e a n d t h e d i d d l e d c r e d u l i ty o f a V L s t numb e r ? h a d G o d w i l l e d i t t h a t w e h a v e s o m e r e l i g i o n o r o t h e r , � . n d h a d h e b e e n truly powe r fu l o r , t o f r a m e i t m o r e s u i tably, h a d t h t r e t r u l y b e e n a G o d , w o u l d i t h a v e b e e n b y t h e s e a b s u r d m e a n s h e � l O u l d h a v e i m p a r t e d h i s i n s t r u c t i o n s to u s ? W o u l d i t h ave b e e n t h r , )u g h t h e v o i c e o f a contemp t i b l e b a n d i t h e w o u l d h a v e s h o w n h o w i t w e r e n e c e s s a ry t o s e rve h i m ? W e r e h e sup r e m e , w e r e h e m i g h t:1, w e r e h e j u s t , w e r e h e g o o d , t h i s G o d y o u t e l l m e a b o u t , w o u l d i t b e t h r o u g h e n i gm a s a n d b u ff o o n e r i e s h e w o u l d w i s h t o t e a c h m e to s e rve a n d kno w h i m ? Sove r e i gn m o v e r o f t h e s t a r s a n d t h e h e a r t o f m a n , m a y h e n o t i n s t ruct u s by employ ing the one or convince liS by g r a v i n g h i m s e l f in the o t h e r ? Let h i m , o n e o f t h e s e d a y s , u p o n t h e S u n i n d i t e t h e l a w , w r i t o u t i n l e t t e r s o f fi r e, t h e l a w a s h e w a nts u s t o u n d e r s t a n d i t , i n t h e v e r s i o n t h a t p l e a s e s h i m ; t h e n f r o m o n e e n d o f t h e u n i v e r s e to t h e o t h e r , a l l m a n k i n d w i l l r e a d i t , w i l l b e h o l d i t a t o n c e , and th e r e a ft e r w i l l b e guilty i f t h e y o b e y i t n O l o B u t t o i n d i c a t e h i s d e s i r e s nowh e r e b u t i n s o m e unknown c o r n e r o f A s i a ; t o s e l e c t f o r w i tn e s s e s t h e c r a ft i e s t a n d m o s t v i s i o n a ry o f p , ! o p l e , fo r a l t e r ego t h e m e a n e s t a r t i s a n , t h e m o s t a b s u r d , h i m o f t h e g r e a t e s t r a s c a l i ty ; to f r a m e h i s d o c t r i n e s o c o n fu s e dly i t i s i m p o s s i � . I e t o m a k e i t o u t ; t o l i m i t kno w l e d g e o f i t t o a s m a l l g r o u p o f i n d i v i d u a l s ; t o l e a v e t h e o t h e r s i n e r r o r and t o p u n i s h t h e m f o r r e m a i n n g t h e r e . . . . W h y , n o , T h e r e s e , n o , t h e s e a t r o c i t i e s a r e n o t w h a t w e w a n t f o r o u r gu i d a n c e ; I s h o u l d p r e f e r t o d i e a t h o u s a n d d e a th s r a t h e r t h a n b e l i eve t h e m . W h e n a t h e i sm w i l l w i s h f o r m a r ty r s , l e t i t d e s i gn a te them ; my b l o
' o d i s r e a dy to b e
s h e d . L e t u s d e t e s t t h e s e h o r r o r s , T h e r e s e ; l e t t h e m o s t s t e a d f a s t o u t r a g e s c e m e n t t h e sco -n w h i c h i s p a tently t h e i r d u e . . . . M y eyes were b a rely o p e n w h e n ] b e g a n t o l o a t h e t h e s e coarse r e v e r i e s ; v e ry e a rl y I m a d e i t a l a w u n t o mys e l f to t r a m p l e them in the d u s t , I took o a th t o r e tu r n to them n e v e r m o r e ; if you w o u l d b e h a ppy, i m i t a t e m e ; a s d o I , h a t e , a bj u r e , p r o f a n e t h e f o u l obj ect o f t h i s d r e a dful c u l t ; a n d this c u l t t o o , c r e a t e d f o r i l l u s i o n , made l ike him t o be r e v i l e d by everyone w h c p r e tends to w i s d o m . "
" O h ! M o n s i eu r , " I r e s p o n d e d , w e e p i n g , " y o u w o u l d d e p r i v e a n u n f o r tu n a t e o f h e r f(,nd e s t h o p e w e r e you to w i t h e r i n h e r h e a r t t h i s r e l i g i o n w h i c h i s h e r w h o l e c o m f o r t . F i rmly a tt a ch e d to i t s
Jus tine .. 5 1 7
t e a c h i n g s , a b s o l u tely c o n v i n c e d th a t a l l t h e b l o w s l ev e l e d a g a i n s t i t a r e n o t h i n g b u t l i b e r t i n a ge ' s e ff e c t s a n d t h e p a s s i o n s ' , a m I t o s a c r i fi c e , t o bl a sp he m i e s , t o s o p h i s t r i e s h o r ri b l e to m e , m y h e a r t ' s s w e e t e s t s u s t e n a n c e ? "
I a d d e d a t h o u s a n d o t h e r a r gu m e n t s to t h i s o n e , t h e y m e r ely c a u s e d the C o u n t t o l a u g h , and his c a p t i o u s p r i n c ip l e s , n o u r i s h e d by a m o r e m a l e e l o qu ence , suppo r t e d by r e a d i n g s and s tu d i e s I, h a p p i l y , h a d n e v e r p e r fo r m e d , d a ily a t t a ck e d my o w n p ri n c i p l e s , w i th out s h a k i n g them. M a d a m e d e B r e s s a c , th a t woman fi l l e d w i th p i e ty a n d v i r t u e , w a s n o t u n a w a r e h e r n e p h e w j u s t i fi e d h i s w i l d b e h a v i o r w i t h e v e ry o n e o f t h e d a y ' s p a r a doxe s ; s h e t o o o ften s h u d d e r e d upon h e a r i n g t h e m ; and a s she c o n d e s c e n d e d t o a t t r i b u t e s o m e wh a t m o r e g o o d s e n s e t o m e t h a n t o h e r o t h e r w o m e n , s h e w o u l d s o m e t i m e s take m e a s i d e a n d s p e a k o f h e r c h a gr i n .
M e anwh i l e , h e r n e p h e w , c h a m p i n g a t t h e b i t , h a d r e a c h e d t h e p o i n t w h e r e h e n o l o n g e r b o t h e r e d t o h i d e h i s m a l i gn i n t e n t i o n s ; n o t only h a d h e s u r r o u n d e d h i s a u n t wi th all o f t h a t d a n g e r o u s can aille w h i c h s e r v e d h i s p l e a s u r e s , b u t he h a d e v e n c a r r i e d b o l d n e s s so f a r a s to d e cl a r e t o h e r , i n my p re s e n c e , t h a t w e r e s h e t o t a k e i t i n to h e r h e a d to fru s t r a t e h i s a p p e t i t e , h e w o u l d c o n v i n c e h e r o f t h e i r c h a rm by p r a c ti c i n g them b e f o r e h e r v e ry eyes.
I t r emble d ; I beheld thi s conduct w i t h horror. I s t r o v e t o r a t i o n a l i z e m y r e a c t i o n s by a tt r i b u t i n g t h e i r o r i gi n t o p e rs o n a l mo t i v e s , for I w i s h e d t o s ti fl e the u n h a p p y p a s s i o n w h i c h b u r n e d i n my s o u l ; but is love an i l l n e s s t o b e cur e d ? All I e n d e avo r e d t o o p p o s e t o i t m e r e l y f a n n e d i t s fl a m e s , a n d t h e p e rfi d i o u s C o u n t n e v e r ap p e a r e d m o r e l o v a b l e t o m e than when I h a d a s s embl e d b e f o r e me e v e ryth i n g which ought t o have i n d u c e d m e t o h a t e h i m .
I h a d r e m a i n e d f o u r ye a r s i n t h i s h o u s e h o l d u n r e l e n t i n gly p e r s ecu t e d by the s a m e s o r r o w s , f o r e v e r c o n s o l e d b y the s a m e swe e t n e s s e s , w h e n t h i s a b o m i n a b l e m a n , fi n ally b e l i e v i n g h i m s e l f s u r e o f m e , d a r e d d i s cl o s e h i s i n f a m o u s s c h e m e s . W e w e r e i n t h e c o u ntry a t t h e t i m e , I a l o n e a tt e n d e d u p o n t h e M a r q u i s e , h e r fi r s t m a i d-in-w a i t i n g h a d o b t a i n e d l e a v e t o r e m a i n i n P a r i s t h r o u gh t h e s u m m e r t o l o ok a ft e r s o m e o f h e r h u s b a nd ' s b u s i n e s s . One e v e n i n g s h o r tly a ft e r I h a d r e t i r e d , a n d a s I w a s taking s o m e a i r u p o n t h e balcony o f my r o o m , b e i n g u n a b l e to b r i n g mys e l f t o g o t o b e d b e c a u s e o f the extreme h e a t , I s u d d e nly h e a r d t h e C ou n t knock ; h e
5 1 8 .. T H E MAR Q U H , DE SADE
w i s h e d to have a word o r two with me. Al a s ! the moments t h a t c r u e l a u t h o r o f my ills a cc o r d e d m e o f h i s p r e s ence w e r e too p r e c i o u s fo r m e to d a r e r e fu s e h i m o n e ; h e e n t e r s , c a r e fully c l o s e s t h e d o o r a n d flings h i m s e l f i r to an a rm c h a i r .
" Li s ten to m e , T h e r e s e , " a n d t h e r e i s a note o f emb a r r a ssment i n his v o i c e , " I h a v e things o f the greatest importance to say to you ; swe a r to me you will n e v e r r e v e a l any of them . "
" M o n s i e u r , " I reply, " do you think m e c a p a b l e o f abusing your confidence ? "
" Y ou h a v e no i d e a w h a t you would b e ri sking w e r e you t o p rove to m e I h a d m a d e a m i stake i n t r u s t i n g y o u I"
"The m o s t frigh tfd o f all my w o e s should b e to l o s e your trust, I h a v e no n e e d o f �;re a t e r m e n a c e s . . . . "
"Ah t h e n , T h e r e s e , I h a v e condemned my aunt to d i e . • . a n d i t i s your h a n d I must employ. "
" My h a n d I " I c r i e c " r e c o i l i n g i n fright, " h a ve you been abl e , M o n s i e u r , t o conceive such proj ects ? . . . n o , d i s p o s e o f m y l i f e i f you must, but i m a g i n e not y o u will ever o b t a i n f r o m m e t h e h o r r o r you p r o p o s e . "
" H e a r m e , Therese , " says t h e Count, r e a soning with m e c almly, " I i n d e e d fore s a Vl ' you r d i s t a s t e f o r t h e i d e a but, a s y o u h a v e w i t an d verve , I fl a t t e r e d mys e l f w i t h t h e b e l i e f I could v a n q u i s h your feelings . . . could prove to you t h a t t h i s c r i m e , w h i ch s e e m s to you o f s u c h e n o r m i ty , i s , a t bottom, a v e ry b a n a l a ff a i r .
" T w o m i s d e e d s p r e H e n t themselves, Therese, to y o u r n o t very p hi l o s o p h i c scrutiny : t h e d e struction of a cre a ture b e a ring a resem blance to u s , a n d the evil w i t h which t h i s d e struction i s augmented w h e n t h e said c r e a tu r e i s o n e o f our near kinsmen. W i t h r e g a rd to the c r i m e of destroying one ' s fellow, b e p e r s u a d e d , d e a r girl, it i s purely h alluc i n a to ry ; m a n h a s n o t b e e n accorded t h e power to d e s troy ; h e has a t b e s t the c a p a c i ty to a l t e r forms, but l a cks t h a t r e qu i r e d to a n n i h i l a t e them : w e l l , every form i s o f e q u a l w o r t h i n N a tu r e ' s v i e w ; nothing : s l o s t i n t h e immense m e l t i n g p o t w h e r e v a r i a ti o n s a r e wrough t : all t h e m a t e r i a l m a s s e s which fall i n to i t s p r i n g ince ssantly forth i n o th e r s h a p e s , a n d w h a tso ever b e o u r i n te rventions i n th i s p r o c e s s , n o t o n e o f them, n e e d l e s s to say, out rages her, not o n e i s ca?able o f o ffending her. Our dep r e d a t i o n s revive h e r p ower ; they s t imul a t e h e r e n e r gy, but n o t one a ttenu a t e s
Ju s ti n e + 5 1 9
h e r ; s h e i s n e i t h e r i m p e d e d n o r t h w a r t e d by any . . . . Why I wh a t d i ff e rence d o e s i t make to h e r c r e a ti v e h a n d i f t h i s m a s s o f fl es h t o d ay w e a r i n g the conformation o f a b i p e d a l individu al i s r e p ro duced tomorrow i n the gu i s e of a h a n d fu l o f centip e d e s ? Dare o n e s a y th a t the construction o f t h i s two-l egged a n i m a l costs h e r a n y m o r e than t h a t o f a n e a rthwo rm, a n d th a t s h e s h o u l d t a k e a g r e a t e r i n t e r e s t i n t h e o n e than i n t h e o t h e r ? I f then t h e d e g r e e o f attach m e n t , or r a t h e r of i n d i ff e r e n c e , is the s a m e , what can it b e to h e r i f , b y o n e m a n ' s sword, anoth e r m a n i s t r a n s-speci a t e d i n t o a fl y o r a bl a d e o f g r a s s ? When they will h a v e convinced m e o f t h e sub l i m i ty of our sp e c i e s , when they will have demon s t r a t e d to m e t h a t i t i s r e ally s o important to N a tu r e , t h a t h e r l a w s a r e n e c e s s a rily violated by t h i s t r a n smu t a t i o n , then I will b e able t o believe that murder is a c r i m e ; but when the most thou ghtful and sober s tu dy h a s p roven to m e t h a t everything t h a t v e g e t a t e s u p o n t h i s globe i s o f e q u a l v a l u e i n h e r e y e s , I shall n e v e r concede t h a t t h e a l t e r a t i o n o f o n e o f t h e s e c r e a tu r e s i n t o a th o u s a n d o t h e r s c a n i n any sense u p s e t h e r inte ntions or s o r t i l l with h e r desires. I s ay to mysel f : a l l m e n , all a n i m a l s , a l l plants g r o w i n g , feeding, destroyin g a n d rep ro ducing themselves by the same m e a n s , n e v e r u n d e r g o i n g a r e a l d e a t h , b u t a s i m p l e v a r i a ti o n i n w h a t m o d i fi e s them ; a l l , I s a y , a p p e a r i n g today in o n e form and s e v e r a l y e a r s o r h o u r s l a t e r in a n o t h e r , all m a y , a t the will o f the being who wishes to move t h e m , c h an g e a thousand thou s a n d time s in a single day, without o n e o f N a tu r e ' s di r e c t i v e s being affected for o n e instant-wh a t d o I s a y ? w i th out t h i s t r a nsmu t e r h aving done anything but g o o d , since , by d i sm a n tl i n g t he i n d i v i d u a l s w h o s e b a s i c components a g a i n become n e c e s s a ry to N a tu r e , h e does n a u gh t by thi s action, improp e rly q u al i fi e d as c r i m i n a l , b u t r e n d e r h e r t h e c r e a ti v e e n er gy o f whi c h s h e i s n e c e s s ar i ly deprived by h i m w h o , t h r o u g h brutish i n d i ff e r e n c e , d a r e s n o t u n d ertake any shu ffl i ng, as i t w e r e , o f the deck . . . . o Therese , i t is m a n ' s p r i d e alon e e r e c t s m u r d e r a s a c r i m e . This v a i n c r e a t u r e , i m a gi n i n g h i m s e l f the m o s t sublime of the glob e ' s i n h a b i t a n t s , i t s m o s t essenti a l , t a k e s h i s departure f r o m th i s false principle i n order to a ffi rm t h a t t h e d e e d which results i n his un doing c a n b e n o th i n g but a n i n famy ; b u t his v a n i ty , his l u n a cy a l t e r t h e l a w s o f N a tu r e n o t o n e j o t ; n o p e rson e x i s t s w h o i n t h e depths o f his h e a r t does not feel t h e m o s t v e h e m e n t desire t o be r i d of
5 2 0 .. T H E MAR Q U l S DE SADE
those by whom he is ha mpered, troubled, or whose death may b e o f some advantage t o him ; a n d d o you suppose, Therese, that the difference between this desire and its effect is very great ? N ow, i f these impressions come ':0 us from N a tu r e , can i t be p resumed they i rritate h e r ? Would she inspire i n us what would cause her down fall ? Ah, be at e a s e , de:: r girl, we experience nothing that does not s e rv e h e r ; all the impulses she puts in u s are the a gents o f h e r decrees ; man's p a s sions are but t h e means she employs t o attain h e r ends. If she stands in need o f more individuals, she insp i re s lust i n us an d behold I there are creation s ; when destructions become necessary to her, she i n s e rts vengeance, avarice, lechery, ambition into our hea rts and 1 0 I you have murders ; but she has not ceased to labor in her own bd alf, and whatever we do, there can b e no question o f i t , we are the unthinking instruments o f h e r caprices.
"Ah, n o , Therese, no! N a tu r e doe s not leave in our hands the po ssibility o f committing crimes which would conflict with her economy ; h a s i t ever be �n known to happen that the weakest were able to offend the m i gh iest ? What are we i n compari son to her ? C a n s h e , when she ere, ted us, have placed in u s what would b e capable o f hurting h e r '? C a n t h a t idiotic supposition conso rt with the subli m e and sure m" nner in which we see her a ttain her ends ? Ah I w e r e murder not one o f the human actions which best fulfilled h e r intentions, would s h.e p e rm i t the doing o f murder ? May to imitate then b e to inj ure her ? Can she b e incensed to s e e m a n do to h i s brethren what she herself does to him every day ? Since it i s p roven that s h e cannot reproduce without destructions, i s i t n o t t o a c t i n h a rmony with h e r wishes t o multiply them unceasingly ? The m a n who moves i n thi s direction, who plunges ahead with a l l possible z e a l , w i l l incontestably b e the o n e who serves her best, since i t will b e h e who most co-op erates with the schemes she mani fests constantly. The p r i m a ry and most beautiful o f N a ture's quali ties is motion, which agitates h e r a t all times, but this motion is simply a p e rp e tual cons e quence o f crimes, she conserves i t by means o f crimes only ; the p erson who most n early resembles her, and ther e fo r e the most p erf:ct being, necessari ly will be the one whose most active agitation wi IJ become the cause o f many crim e s ; where a s , I repeat, the i nactive o r indolent p e rson, th a t is to say, the virtuous p e rson, must b(� in h e r eyes-ho w may there be a ny doubt
Jus tin e .. 5 2 1
o f i t ?-the l e a s t p e r fe c t s i n c e h e t e n d s only to a p a thy, t o l e t h a rgy, t o that i n a c t i v i ty which would imm e d i a tely plunge everything b a ck i n t o c h a o s w e r e h i s s t a r to be in t h e a s c e n d a n t . E qu i l i b r i u m m u s t b e p r e s e rv e d ; i t c a n o n l y b e p r e s e rv e d b y c r i m e s ; t h e r e fo r e , c r i m e s
. s e rve N a tu r e ; i f t h e y s e rv e h e r , i f �,h e d e m a n d s t h e m , i f s h e d e s i r e s t h e m , c a n t h e y o ff e n d h e r ? And w h o e l s e c a n b e o ffe n d e d i f s h e i s n o t ?
" B u t my a u n t i s t h e c r e a tu r e I am go i n g to d e s tr o y . . . • Oh, T h e r e s e , i n a p h i l o s o p h e r ' s view h o w f r i v o l o u s are these c o n s a n gu i n a ry t i e s I Fo r g i v e m e , b u t I do n o t even w i s h to d i s c u s s t h e m , s o f u t i l e a r e t h e y . T h e s e contemp t ibl e ch a i n s , f ru i t o f o u r l a w s a n d o u r p o l i t i c a l i n s ti tu t i o n s-c a n t h e y m e a n anyth i n g t o N a t u r e ?
" D e s e r t y o u r p r e j u d i c e s , T h e r e s e , l e av e t h e m b e h i n d , a n d s e rv e m e ; y o u r f o r t u n e i s m a d e . "
" O h M o n s i e u r I " I r e pl i e d , t e r r i fi e d b y t h e C o m t e d e B re s s a c , " y o u r m i n d i n v e n t s t h i s t h e o ry o f a n i m p a s s i v e , i n d i ff e r e n t N a tu r e ; d e i gn r a th e r to h e e d y o u r h e a r t , a n d you w i l l h e a r i t c o n d e m n a l l l i b e r t i n a g e ' s f a l s e r e a s o n i n g s . I s n o t t h a t h e a r t , t o w h o s e t r i b u n a l I r e c o m m e n d y o u , the s a n c tu a ry w h e r e t h i s N a tu r e y o u o u t r a ge w i s h e s to be h e a r d a n d r e s p e c t e d ? I f s h e e n g r a v e s u p o n i t the e x t r e m e h o r r o r o f t h e crime y o u m e d i t a t e , w i l l you grant m e i t is a d a m n a b l e o n e ? P a s s i o n s , I k n o w , a r e bl i n d i n g y o u a t t h e p r e s e n t m o m e n t , b u t once they subs i d e , h o w w i l l y o u n o t b e t o r n by r e m o r s e ? T h e g r e a t e r y o u r s e n s i t i v i ty , t h e m o r e c r u e l l y s h a l l i t s t i n g you . . . . O h M o n s i e u r ! p r e s e r v e , r e s p e c t t h i s ten d e r , i n v a l u a b l e f r i e n d ' s l i fe ; s a c r i fi c e i t n o t ; you w o u l d p e r i s h o f d e sp a i r I E v e ry d a y . . . a t e v e ry i n s t a n t y o u w o u l d be v i s i t e d by t h e i m a g e of t h i s c h e r i s h e d a u n t , s h e w h o m y o u r u n t h i n k i n g r a g e w o u l d h a v e h u r l e d i nto h e r t o m b ; y o u w o u l d h e a r h e r p l a i n ti v e v o i c e s t i l l p ronouncing t h o s e s w e e t n a m e s t h a t w e r e y o u r c h i l dh o o d ' s j oy ; s h e wou l d be p r e s e n t during your w a k i n g h o u r:; a n d a p p e a r t o t o r t u r e y o u in y o u r d r e a m s ; s h e w o u l d o p e n w i t h h e r b l o o d s t a i n e d fi n g e r s t h e w o u n d s w h e r e w i t h y o u wou l d h a v e muti l a t e d h e r ; t h e r e a f t e r n o t o n e h ap p y m o m e n t w o u l d s h i n e f o r you w h i l e you dwel t u p o n t h i s e a rth ; y o u w o u l d b e c o m e a s t r a n g e r t o p l e a s u re s ; y o u r e v e ry i d e a would b e o f t r o u bl e ; a c e l e s t i a l a r m , w h o s e m i gh t y o u d o n o t a p p r e c i a t e , w o u l d avenge t h e d ays y o u w o u l d h a v e o bl i te r a te d , by e n v e n o m i n g y o u r own, a n d w i t h o u t h a v i n g t a s t e d h a p p i n e s s f r o m
5 2 2 .. T H E MARQUIS DE SADE
your felonies, you would be slain by mortal sorrow for having dared a ccomplish them ."
As I uttered these: words tears returned to my eyes, I s ank to my knees before the Count ; by all that is most holy I d i d implore him to let fade into oblivion an infamous aberration I swo re to him all my l i fe I would con :eal. . . . But I did not know the man with whom I was d e a l ing ; ] knew not to what point p a ssions had en throned crime i n tha t F erverse soul. The C ount rose and spoke in a voice o f ice.
" I see very well I was mistaken, Therese, " said h e . " I regret it, perhaps a s much on your account a s on my own ; no matter, I shall di scover other me InS, and it will be much you shall h ave lost w i thout your mistress g a ining anything."
The thre a t change<j a l l my i d e a s ; by not accepting the criminal role p roposed to m e , I was exposing myse l f to great p ersonal risk and my p rotectress was infalli bly to p e r i sh ; by consenting to be his accomplice, I would shield myself from the Count' s wrath and woul d assuredly save hi s aunt ; an instant's refl ection convinced me I should agree to everyt hing. B u t as so rapid a reversal would h ave app e a r e d susp i cious, I ,trove to delay my capitulation ; I obl i ge d t h e C ount to repeat h i s sophistries o ften ; l i ttle b y l i ttle I took o n an a i r o f n o t knowing w h a t t o reply : B ressac beli eved me van quished ; I j u sti fi e d my weakness by the p otency of his art and in the end I surrendered. ��he C ount sprang into my a rms. Ah, how I should have been over oyed h a d h i s movement been insp i r e d by anoth e r mo tive . . . . \Vhat is it I am saying ? The time had p a s s e d : h i s h o r rible conduct, h i ll b a rba rous designs h a d anni hilated all the feelings my weakling heart had d a r e d conceive, and I saw in him nothing but a monster . . . .
"You a r e the first woman I have ever held in my a rm s , " s a i d the C ount, " and truly, i t i s w i t h all m y soul. . . . You
" a r e delicious,
my child ; a gleam o f 1\ i sdom seems to have penetrated into your mind ! That thi s c h a rming mind has lain in da rkn ess for so long ! Incredi ble . "
N ext, we c a m e to facts. In two o r three days, a s soon, that is, a s an opportuni ty Fesented itself, I was to drop a dose of p o i son-Bressac gave m e the p ackage that conta ined i t-into the cup o f choco l a te M a dame custom arily took in the morning. The
Jus tine -&0 5 23
Count assured my immunity against all consequences and di rectly I consummated the deed, handed me a contract p roviding me with an annu i ty of two thousand crowns ; h e signed these promises wi th out characterizing the state in wh ich I was to enjoy the i r benefits ; we separated.
I n the midst o f all this, something most singula r occu rred, something all too able to reveal the atrocious soul of the monster with whom I had to deal ; I must not interrupt myself for a moment for, no doubt, you are awaiting the denouement o f the a dventu r e i n which I h a d become involved.
Two days following the conclusion o f our criminal p act, the Count l e a rned that a n uncl e , upon whose succession h e had not in the least counted , h a d just l e ft him an income o f e ighty thou sand pounds. . . . " 0 Heaven I " I said to myself upon h e a ring the news, "is it then i n thu swise celestial j ustice punishes the basest consp i r a cy I " And straightway repenting this bla sp hemy spoken against Providence, I cast myself upon my kn ees and implored the Alm i ghty' s forgivene ss, and h appily supp osed that this unexpected development should a t least change the Count ' s plans . . . . What w a s my error !
"Ah, my d e a r Theres e , " he s a i d that same evening, h aving run to my room, "how p rosp e r i ty does rain down upon me I O ften I have told you so : the i d e a o f a crime or an execution i s the surest means to a ttract go od fortune ; none exists save fo r vill a i n s . "
"Wh a t I " I responded, " this unhop e d fo r bounty d o e s not persuade you, Monsieur, p a ti en tly to await the death you wished to h asten ? "
"Wa i t ?" the C ount repli e d sharply, " I do n o t i ntend to w a i t t w o minutes, Theres e ; are y o u not a w a r e I am twenty-eight ? vVell, it is hard to w a i t a t my a ge . . . . N o , let this affect our scheme not in the slightest, give me the comfort o f seeing everything brought to a n end b e fore the time comes for u s to retu rn to Paris . . . . To· morrow, a t the very latest the day a fter tomorrow, I beseech you. There has been delay enough : th e hour approaches for the p ayment o f the first quarter o f your annu i ty . . . for p e r forming the act which gu a r antees you the money . . . . "
As best I coul d, I disgu i s e d the fright th i s desperate ea gerness
5 24 + T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
inspired in m e , a n d I reLewed my resolution of the day before, well p e rsuaded t h a t if I weI e not to execute the horrible crime I h a d engaged to commit, the C o u n t would s o o n n o t i c e I was playing a trick upon him a n d tha t, i f I were to w a rn M a dame de B ressac, whatever would be her reaction to the project's disclosure, the young C ount, observing b.imself deceived one way o r another, woul d p romptly resort to more certain methods which, causing his aunt equally to perish, would also expose m e to all her nephew's venge ance. There remained the a l terna tive of consulting the law, but nothing i n the world could have induced me to adopt i t ; I decided to forewa rn the M a rqu i s e ; o f all possible measures, that seemed the best, and I elected i t .
" M adame , " I s a i d to her on the morrow o f m y l a s t interview with the Count, " M adame, I h ave something o f the highest im p ortance to reve a l , but howeve r vital i ts interest to you, I shall not broach it unless, before �and, you give me your word of honor to bear no resentment aga inst your nephew for what M onsieur has had the audacity to con cert . . . . You will act, M adame, you will take the steps p rudence enj oins, but you will say not a word. Deign to give m e your promise ; else I am silent."
M a dame de B re s s a c , who thought i t w a s but a question o f s o m e o f her nephew' s everyday extravagances , bound herself by the o a th I demanded, and I di sclosed everything. The unhappy woman burst into tears upon l e a rning o f the in famy . . . . "The monster I " she cried, "have I ever done a nything that was not fo r h i s good ? Had I wished to th wart his vices, or correct them, what other motive than his own happiness could have constrained m e to severity ! And is i t not thanks to m e he inherits this l egacy his uncle h a s just l e f t him ? Ah, Therese, Therese, prove to m e that i t i s true, thi s p roj ect . . . put m e in a way th a t will p revent me from doubting ; I need all that may a i d in extinguishing the sentiments my unthinking heart dares yet preserv e for the monster . . . . " And then I brought the p a ckage of poison into view ; i t were difficult to furnish better proof ; yet the M a rqu i s e wished to expe riment with i t ; we made a dog 5 wallow a light dose, shut up the animal, and a t the end o f two hours i t was dead a fter being seized by fri gh tful convulsions. Any lingering doubt by now dispelled, M adame de B ressac came to a deci1.ion ; she bade me give her the rest of the
Jus tine + 5 2 5
p o i son a n d i m m e d i a tely sent a cou r i e r with a l e tt e r t o the Due de Sonzeval, related to her, a sk i n g h i m to go d i rectly, b u t i n s e crecy, to t h e S e c r e t a ry o f State, a n d to exp o s e the a t r o c i ty of a nephew w h o s e victim s h e m i g h t a t any moment become ; to p rovide h i m s e l f w i t h a l e t tre d e cach e t ; to m ake all p o ssible h a s t e to come and deliver h e r from the wretch who h a d so cruelly p l o t t e d to take h e r l i f e .
B u t the a b o m i n a b l e c r i m e wa s to be consumm a te d ; s o m e in conceivable p e r m i s s i o n must have been g r a n t e d by Heaven t h a t v i r t u e m i g h t b e m a d e to y i e l d to villainy'S o p p r e s s i o n s : t h e a n i m a l u p o n which we h a d exp e ri m e n t e d n�v e a l e d everythi n g to t h e C o u n t : he h e a r d i t howli n g ; knowing of h i s a u n t ' s fondn e s s for the b e a s t , h e ask e d wh a t h a d b e e n done to i t ; t h o s e to w h o m h e s p o k e knew n o t h i n g o f t h e m a t ter a n d made h i m no c l e a r answer ; from t h i s moment, h i s s u sp i c i o n s began to take s h a p e ; he u t t e r e d n o t a word, b u t I s a w t h a t h e w a s d i s qu i e ted ; I m e n t i o n e d his s t a t e to the M a rq u i s e , s h e b e c a m e fu r t h e r u p s e t , but could think o f n o t h i n g to do save urge the cou r i e r to make yet gre a t e r h a s t e , and, if p o s s i b l e , still m o r e c a r e fully to h i d e the p u r p o s e o f h i s m i s s i o n . S h e a dvi s e d h e r n e p h e w t h a t s h e w a s w r i t i n f: to P a r i s to b e g t h e Duc d e S o n z e v a l to w a s t e n o t a m o m e n t to take u p t h e m a t t e r o f the rec ently dece a s e d u n cl e ' s i n h e r i t a n c e f o r if n o one w e r e to app e a r t o c l a i m i t , t h e r e w a s l i ti g a t i o n to b e f e a r e d ; s h e a d d e d t h a t s h e h a d r e q u e s t e d t h e D u k e to come a n d give h e r a comp l e t e account o f the affair, i n o r d e r t h a t s h e m i g h t l e a rn w h e t h e r o r n o t s h e and h e r n e p h e w woul d be o b l i g e d to make a j o u rney to Pa r i s . Too skill ful a p hy s i o gno m i s t to f a i l to n o t i c e the emba r r a ssment in h i s aunt' s face, to fail to o b s e r v e , a s well, some confu s i on w r i t t e n upon m i n e , the C o u n t smiled a t eve ryth i n g a n d w a s n o l e s s on h i s gu a r d . Under the p r e text o f taking a p ro m e n a d e , h ,e l e aves the c h a t e a u ; h e lies i n w a i t for t h e cou r i e r a t a p l a c e the m a n m u s t inevi tably p a s s . T h e m e s s e n g e r , f a r m o r e a c r e a tu r e o f the C o u n t than h i s aunt' s tru st wor thy m i n i o n , r a i s e s n o obj e c t i o n s when his m a s t e r demands to see the d i sp a tc h e s he is c a r rying, and B re s s a c , once convinced o f w h a t no doubt h e c a l l s my t r e a c h e ry, gives t h e c o u r i e r a hundred louis, toge t h e r w i t h instructions n e v e r to app e a r again a t the M a r qu i s e ' s . H e r e tu r n s to the c h a t e a u , r a ge i n his h e a rt ; however, h e r e s t r a i n s h i m s el f ; h e encount e r s m e , a s usual h e c aj o l e s me, a sks
5 2 6 .. T H E MA R Q UI S DE S A D E
whether i t shall not be t om o r r o w , p oi n t s o u t it i s es senti al the deed b e p e r fo rm e d before t h e Duke ' s a r rival, then goes to b e d with a tranquil a i r a b o u t which nothing is to be remarked. At t h e time I knew n o thing, I w a s t he d u p e of everything. Were the appalling c r i m e to b e committed--as the C o un t ' s actions informed m e l a t e r he would o f course h a v e to commit it himsel f ; b u t I d i d n o t know how ; I conj ectu r e d mu ch ; what good wou l d it do to tell you w h a t I i m a gi n e d ? R a th e r , l e t u s m o v e a h e a d to the c r u e l m a n n e r i n w h i c h I w a s p u n i s h e d fo r n o t h a v i n g w i s h e d to u n d e r take t h e t h i n g . O n t h e d a y a ft e r t h e m e s : l e n g e r w a s inte rcepted, M ad a m e d r a n k h e r chocol a t e a s s h e alwaYl; d i d , d r e s s e d , s e e m e d a g i t a t e d , a n d s a t down at t a bl e ; sca rcely was l o u t of the dining room when the C o u n t accosted m e .
"The r e s e, " a n d n o t h i n g could h a v e been m o r e phlegmatic than h is m a n n e r a s h e spoke , "I h av e found a m o r e reliable m e th o d than t h e o n e I p ro p o s e d to a t t a i n o u r obj ectives, but numerous details a r e involve d, a n d I d a r e n o t c o m e s o o ften t o your room ; a t pre c i sely fi v e o ' clock b e a t the c o r n e r o f the p a rk, I ' ll j o i n you, w e will take a walk t o ge t h e r in the w o o d s ; w h i l e o n o u r p r o m e n a d e I ' l l expla i n i t a ll . "
I w i s h t o a ffi rm , M a da m e , th a t , whether because o f t h e influ ence o f Provi dence, wl.ether owing to a n excessive candor, w h e th e r t o blindn e s s , n o t h i n g g iv e m e a h i n t o f t h e terrible m i s e ry awai ting m e ; I believed myself s o s a fe , thanks to the M a rq u i s e ' s s e c r e t a rrangements, t h a t I never for a moment i m a gi n e d t h a t t h e C o u n t h a d be e n a b l e to discover them ; n e v e r t h e l e s s I w a s n o t entirely a t e a s e .
" L e p a rj u r e e s t v e rtu q u a n d o n p r o m i t Ie crime , " one o f o u r t r a g i c p o e t s h a s s a i d ; but p e rj u ry i s always o d i o u s to a d e l i c a t e a n d s e n s i tive sp i r i t w h i c h fi n d s i t s e l f compelled to reso r t t o i t . M y role e mb a r r a s s e d m e.
Howe ve r th a t m �Ly b e , I came to the rendezvous ; the C o u n t w a s n o t l a te in getting there ; h e c a m e up to m e v e ry gay a n d e a sy , a n d w e s e t o ff i n t o the fores t ; the w h i l e h e b u t laughed banterin gly and j es t e d , as was h i s h a b i t when we were together. When I sought to gui d e t h e convers a t i o n to the subj ect which h e had d e s i r e d to d i s c u s s , h e told m e to wait yet a l i ttle, h e s a i d he f e a r e d we might b e observed, i t d i d n o t seem to h i m we were in a safe enough p l a c e ;
Justine + 5 2 7
very gradu ally, without my per ceiving i t , w e app roached the fou r trees to which I h a d been so cru elly bound long ago. Upon seeing the place, a quive r ran through me : all the horror of my fate rose up before my eyes, and fancy whether my terror w a s n o t double d w h e n I c a u g h t sight o f the p r e p a r a tions which h a d been made i n t h a t h o r rible p l a c e . R o p e s h u n g from o n e o f the trees ; h u g e mastiffs were l e a sh e d t o e a c h of the other three a n d seemed to b e waiting for nothing but m e i n order to fall to sating the hunger announced by their gaping foam-flecked j aws ; o n e of the Count's favo ri te s gu arded them.
Whereupon t h e p e rfidious creature c e a s e d to employ all but the v e ry foule s t e p i thets.
" Scum , " quoth he, " d o you recogn i z e t h a t bush whence I dragged you like a wild beast only to s p a r e a l i f e you deserved to lose ? Do you recogn i z e these trees unto which I threatened to l a s h yo u were you eve r t o give m e cause t o r e p e n t my kindnes s ? W h y d i d y o u agree t o p e rform the t a sk I d e m a n d e d , i f you i n t e n d e d to be tray m e to my aunt ? and how could you imagine it was virtue you served by imperiling the freedom of him to whom you owe all your happiness ? By necessity placed between two crimes, why have you chosen the more abominable ?"
"Ala s ! I d i d not choose t h e less . . . " " B u t you should have refused," the Count continue d , in his
rage s e i z i n g o n e of my a rms and shaking m e furiously, "yes, cer tainly, r e fu s e d , and n o t consented to betray m e . "
Then M onsieur d e B ressac t o l d m e h o w h e h a d gone about the intercep ti on of M a dame's messages, and how t h e suspicion h a d b e e n b o r n which h a d l e d him to deci� d e to s t o p them.
"Wh a t has your duplicity done f o r you, unworthy creatu r e ? You h ave risked your l i fe without having saved my aunt' s : the die i s c a s t , upon my return to t h e chateau I will find a fortune awai ting me, but you must p e rish ; b e fo r e you exp i r e you must l e a rn that the v i r tuous r o a d i s n o t always the s a fest, and t h a t there a r e ci rcum stances in this world when compl i c i ty in crime is p r e fe r able to i n fo rm i n g . " And without giving me time to reply, without giving evidence of the least p i ty for the frightfu l s i tu a ti o n I was in, he dragged me toward the tree destined for m e and by which his valet s t o o d expectantly. " H e r e s h e is," he said, "the c r e a ture who wanted
5 2 8 .. THE MARQ U I S DE SADE
to poison my aunt and who may already have committed the terrible crime in spite of my efforts to prevent i t ; no doubt, it would have been better to have pl: t her i�to the hands o f justice, but the law would have taken away her life, and I prefer to leave i t to her i n order th at she have 10:lge r to suff e r . "
T h e t w o v i l l a i n s t h e n lay h ands o n m e , i n an i n s t a n t they strip me naked. "Pret ty buttocks," said the Count in a tone o f cruelest i rony, brutally handling those obj ects, " superb fl e sh . . . e x cellent lunch for the do gs. " When no article o f clothing i s left upon me, I am secured to th e tree by a rope a ttached a round my waist ; so th at I may de fend myself as best I can, my a rms are left fre e , and enough slack i s p rovided for me to advance or retreat about two yards. The arrangements completed, the Count, very much moved. steps up to have a look a t my expression, he tu rns and passes a round m e ; his savage way o f l and ling me seems to say that his murderous fingers would like to di ;pute the rage of his masti ff ' s steel teeth . . . .
" C ome," says h e :o his lieutenant, " free the animals, the time h a s a r r i v e d . "
They a r e loosed, the C ount excites them, all three fling them selves upon my poor body, one would think they were sharing i t i n such w i s e t h a t n o t o n e o f i t s pa rts would be exempt from assault ; i n vain I d r i v e them b ack, they b i t e and tear m e w i th renewed fu ry, and throughout this hc rrible scene, Bressac, the craven B ressac, a s i f m y torments had ignited h i s p e rfidiou s lust . . . t h e bea stly man gives himself up , while h e regards m e , to h i s companion ' s criminal caresses.
"Enough , " s a i d he after several minutes had gone by, "that will do. Tie up the dog:; and let's abandon this cre ature to h e r sweet fate.
"Well indeed, Th e re s e , " says he a s he severs my bonds, "vir tue i s n o t to be p racticed at some expense ; a pension of two thou sand crowns, would th l t not have been worth more than the bites you are cove red with ?"
But i n my state I can sca rcely hear him ; I slump to the foot of the tree and am about to lose consciousness.
"It i s most gener,)us o f m e to save your l i f e , " continues the traitor whom my suffe �ings inflame, "at least take goo d care how you make use of this fa vor . . . . "
Jus tine + 5 2 9
Then h e orders m e t o ge t u p , dress, a n d q u i t the place a t once. As my blood is fl owing everywhere, in order that my few clothes, the only clothes I have , not b e stained, I gather some grass to wipe mysel f ; B ressac paces to and fro, much more p r eoccup i e d with his thoughts than concerned with m e .
My swollen fl e s h , t h e b l o o d t h a t continues to s t r e a m from m y multiple wounds, the a trocio u s pain I a m enduring, everything makes the operation of dressing well nigh impossible ; never once does the dishonest man who has j u s t put me into this horrible state . . . him for whom I once would have sacrified my l i fe , never once does he deign to show me the least hint o f sympathy. When at l ength I a m r e a dy :
" Go wherever you wish," says he ; "you must have some money l e ft, I will not take it from you, but beware of reappea ring at any one of my houses in the city o r the country : there are two excellent reasons f o r not doing so : you may just a s well know, fi rs t o f all, th a t the a ff a i r you thought finished i s not a t all over. They informed you tha t the law was done with you ; they told you what i s not true ; the warrant for your arrest still holds, the c a s e i s still warm : you were left in this s i tuation so that your conduct might be observed. I n the second place, you a r e going to pass, insofar a s the public is concerned, fo r the M a rqui s e ' s murdere r ; if she yet breathes, I am going to see to i t she carries this notion into the grave, the entire household will share i t ; a n d th ere you have two trials still to face instead o f one : instead o f a vile usurer, you have for a n a dversary a rich and powerful man who i s determined to hound you into Hell itself i f you misuse the l i fe his compassion l e aves to you . "
"Oh Monsieur ! " was m y response, "whatever h a v e b e e n your severities with me , fear n o t that I will retaliate ; I thought myself obliged to take steps against you when it w a s a question o f your aunt' s l i fe ; but where only the unhappy Therese i s involved, I shall never do anything. Adieu, M onsieur, may your crimes render you a s happy a s your cruelties have made m e to suffer ; and no matter what the fate reserved to me by Heaven, while i t shall p rolong my deplorable life, I shall only employ my days i n uttering p r ayers for you."
The Count raised his head ; h e could n o t avoid glancing a t me upon hearing these words, and, a s h e beheld me quavering and
5 3 0 + T H E M r\ R Q l " l S D E S A O E
covered with tears and doubtl e s s was a fraid l e st he be moved by w h a t h e saw, the cruel ,)ne went away, and I saw him nevermo re.
Enti rely deliverer' unto my agony, I fell back again and l ay by the tree ; th ere, giving free reign to my hurt, I m a de the forest resound wi th my gro a n s ; I pressed my stricken frame against the e a rth, and shed upon the sward all my te a r s .
" 0 my Go d , " I :ried out, "Thou hast so w i l l e d i t ; i t w a s g r a i n e d in Thy eternal decrees th at t h e innocent were to fall unto the guilty and were to be th eir p rey : di spose o f me, 0 Lord, I am yet f a r away from what Thou didst suffer for us ; may those I endu r e , as I adore Th e e , render me worthy someday o f what re wards Thou keepeth for the lowly, when he hath Thee before him i n his tribulations, and let his angu i shes be unto Thy greater glo rifi cation I "
N i ght w a s clo sing : i t w a s almost beyond my power to move ; I was sca rcely able to s t and erect ; I cast my eyes upon the thicket where four years e a rl i e r I had slept a night when I had been in ci rcumstances almost a s unhappy! I d r a gged mysel f along as best I could , and h aving r e ached the very same spot, tormented by my still bleeding wounds, overwhelmed by my mind' s anxieties and the sorrows o f my h e a r t , I passed the cruelest night imaginable.
By dawn, thanks ' : 0 my youth and my vigo rous temperament, some of my strength wc . s restore d ; greatly terrified by the p ro ximity of that baneful chhea l , I started away from i t withou t delay ; I l e ft the fo rest, and resolved at any price to gain the fi rst habitation which might c a tch my eye, I entered the town o f Saint- M a rcel , about five leagues dista n t from Pa ri s ; I demanded the address of a surgeon, one w a s giver� me ; I p resented my self and besought him to dress my wounds ; I told him that, i n connection with some affair at whose source : ay love, I had fled my moth e r ' s house, quit P a r i s , and during the night h a d been overtaken i n the forest by bandits who i n reveng( for my resi stance to their desires, had set their dogs upon m e . R.)din, a s thi s artist w a s called, examined m e with t h e greatest a tte 1tion, found nothing dangerous about my injuries ; h a d I come t(1 him directly, he s a i d , he would h ave been able to gu arantee that in the space o f a fortnight h e would h ave m e a s fresh a n d whole a s I h a d been before m y a dventure ; however , t h e
Ju s ti n e + 5 3 1
n i g h t p a ss e d in t h e o p e n a n d my w o r ry h a d i n fe c t e d my w o u n d s , a n d I c o u l d n o t exp e c t to b e w e l l i n l e s s t h a n a m o n t h . R o d i n fou n d s p a c e i n h i s o w n h o u s e to l o d g e m e , took a l l p o s s i b l e c a r e o f m e , a n d o n t h e t h i r t i e t h d a y t h e r e no l o n g e r exi s t e d u p o n m y b o dy a single vestige o f M o n s i e u r d e B r e s s a c ' s c r u e l t i e s .
As s o o n a s I w a s fi t t o take a l i ttl e a i r , my fi r s t c o n c e r n w a s t o fi n d i n t h e t o w n s o m e girl s u ffi c i ently a d r o i t a n d i n t e l l i g e n t t o go to t h e M a r qu i s e ' s c h a t e a u a n d fi n d o u t wh a t h a d taken p l a c e t h e r e s i n c e my d e p a r t u r e . Thi s a p p a r ently v e r y d a n g e r o u s i n q u i s i t i v e n e s s w o u l d w i t h o u t t h e s l i g h t e s t d o u b t h av e b e e n exce e d i ngly m i s p l a c e d ; b u t h e r e i t w a s n o t a q u e s t i o n o f m e r e c u r i o s i ty. vV h a t I h a d e a rn e d w h i l e w i t h t h e M a r q u i s e r e m a i n e d in my r o o m ; I h a d s c a r cely s i x l o u i s a b o u t m e , a n d I p o s s e s s e d above f o r ty a t t h e c h a t e a u . I d i d n o t sup p o s e t h e C o u n t w o u l d be u n k i n d e n o u gh to r e f u s e m e w h a t w a s s o l e gi ti m a tely m i n e . P e r s u a d e d t h a t , h i s fi r s t fu ry once p a s s e d , h e w o u l d n o t w i s h to do m e s u c h a n i n j u stice , I w r o t e a l e tt e r c a l cu l a t e d to t o u c h him as d e eply as p o s s i b l e . I was c a r e fu l to c o n c e a l my a d d r e s s a n d I b e gged h i m to sen d b a ck my o I d c l o t h e s t o ge th e r w i t h t h e s m a l l s u m t h a t w o u l d b e f o u n d i n my c h a mb e r . A l i v e l y and s p i r i t e d p e a s a n t g i r l o f twen ty-five u n d e r took to d e l i v e r m y l e t t e r a n d p r o m i s e d t o d o h e r b e s t to b r i n g m e back a l l t h e i n fo rm a t i o n s h e c o u l d g a rn e r u p o n t h e v a r i o u s subj e c t s a b o u t w h i c h I gave her to u n d e r s t a n d I n e e d e d t o b e enl i gh t e n e d . I i n s i s t e d , t h a t above all e l s e , s h e hide t h e name o f t h e place where I was, t h a t s h e not b r e a th e a w o r d of m e i n w h a tever form o r connection, a n d t h a t she s a y s h e had taken t h e l e t ter f r o m a m a n w h o had brought it from somewhere fi ft e e n l e a gu e s away. J e a n n e tte l e ft , a n d twenty- fou r h o u r s l a t e r s h e c a m e b a ck w i t h t h e r e p ly ; i t s t i l l exi s t s , I h a v e i t h e r e , M a d a m e , b u t b e f o r e y o u r e a d i t , d e i gn t o l e a rn w h a t h a d t r a n s p i r e d a t the C o u n t ' s c h a t e a u s i n c e I h a d b e e n o u t o f i t .
H a v i n g f a l l e n s e r i o u sl y i l l t h e very d a y I l e ft, t h e M a r q u i s e de B r e s s a c h a d b e e n s e i z e d by f r i g h t fu l p a i n s a n d convu l s i o n s , a n d h a d d i e d th e next m o r n i n g ; t h e f a m i ly h a d r u s h e d to t h e c h a t e a u a n d t h e n e p h e w , s e e m i ngly gripp e d i n t h e g r e a t e s t d e s o l a ti on , h a d decl a r e d t h a t h i s a u n t h a d b e e n p o i so n e d by a c h a m b e rm a i d w h o h a d t a k e n fl i gh t the s a m e d a y . I n q u i r i e s w e r e m a d e , a n d t h e y h a d the i n t e n t i o n to p u t t h e w r e tc h to d e a t h w e r e s h e to b e found ; a s for th e r e s t , t h e C o u n t d i s c o v e r e d t h a t t h e i n h e r i t a n c e h a d m a d e h i m
5 3 2 .. T H E M A R Q U I S DE SADE
much wealth i e r than he h a d ever anticipated he would b e ; the M a rqu i s e ' s strongbox pocketbook, and gems, all of them obj ects o f which n o one had known anything, put the nephew, a p a r t from h i s revenu es, in p ossl�ssion o f more than six hun dred thousand francs in cha ttcls or c� s h . B ehind his a ff ected grief, the young man had, it was s a i d , considerable trouble concealing his delight, and the rel atives, convoked fo r the autopsy demanded by the Count, a fter having l amented the u 1 h appy M a rqui s e ' s fate and sworn to avenge her should the culp rit fall i n to their hands, had l e ft the young man i n undisputed and p e acefu l possession o f his vill a i ny. Monsieur de B ressac himself hac spoken to Jeannette, he had a sked a numb e r o f questions t o which t h e g i r l h a d repl i e d w i t h such frankness a n d decision that he had re solve d t o give h e r his response without p ress ing her fu rth e r . The n : is the fatal letter, said Therese , handing i t to M a dame de Lorsallge, yes, t h e r e i t i s , M a d ame, sometimes my h e a r t has n e e d of i t a n d I will keep it until I d i e ; read it, read i t wi thout shuddering, i f you can.
M a dame d e Lo n ange, h aving taken the note from our lovely a dventuress' hands, re Id therein the following words :
The c r i m i n al capabl � of h a v i n g poisoned my aunt is b razen i n d e e d to d ar e thu s write to mt after h e r execrable deed ; bette r s t i l l i s the care with w h i ch s h e conceals hI r retreat ; f o r she may be sure she w i l l b e d i s c o m fi ted if she is d i scov e r e d . I : u t what i s i t she h a s the temerity to demand ? What are these refe rences t ) m o n ey ? Does what she l e f t b eh i n d equal the thefts she com m i t t e d , e i t h e ' d u ri n g her soj ou rn i n the house o r while cons u m m a t i n g h e r final c r i m e ? Let h e r a v o i d s en d i n g a s e c o n d r e q u e s t s i m i l a r t o this, f o r she i s a d y i s e d h e r ambassad o r w i l l be a r rested a n d h e l d u n ti l t h e law acqu aints i ts e l f with t h e place where the guilty p a r ty is taking cover.
Madame de Lo r s ange returned the note to Therese ; " C on tinue, my d e a r chi l d , " s a i d she, "the m a n ' s behavi o r is horrifying ; to be swimming i n go l d and to deny h e r l egitimate e a rnings to a poor c re a ture who me rely did not want to commit a crime, that i s a gratu i tou s i n famy enti rely without examp l e . "
Al a s ! M a dame, Therese continued, resuming h e r story, I was in tears for two d ays over th a t drea d ful lette r ; I was f a r more afR icted by the thou gh t o f the horrible deed it a ttested than by the r e fusal it contained. Then, I groaned, then I am guilty, here am
lustine .. 5 3 3
I a second time denounced t o j u stice fo r h a v i n g been ove rly resp e c t ful o f t h e l a w I So be i t , I repent nothing, I shall n e v e r know the least remo r s e so long a s my soul i s pure, a n d may I n e v e r b e responsibl e for a n y e v i l o t h e r t h a n t h a t o f h a v i n g too m u c h h e e d e d the e q u i t a b l e a n d v i rtuous sentiments w h i c h will n e v e r a b a n d o n m e .
I w a s , howe ve r, simply u n a b l e t o b e l i ev e t h a t the p u r s u i ts a n d i n qu i r i e s the C o u n t m e n t i o n e d were r e ally t ru e , for they s e e m e d h i ghly i m p l a u s i b l e : i t would be so dangerous for h i m to h ave m e brought i n to c o u r t t h a t I i m a g i n e d t h e r e w a s f a r gre a t e r r e a son for h i m to b e frightened a t the p r o s p e c t of having to confront m e , than I h a d c a u s e to tremble b e fo r e h i s m e n a c e s . T h e s e r e fl ections l e d me to d e c i d e to stay w h e r e I w a s a n d to r em a i n , if p o s s i b l e , until the a u g m e n t a t i o n o f my fun d s m i g h t allow m e to m o v e o n ; I commun i c a t e d my p l a n to R o d i n , w h o approved i t , a n d even sug gested I k e e p my c h a m b e r in h i s h o u s e ; b u t fi r s t of a l l , b e f o r e I speak o f w h a t I d e c i d e d to d o , it is n e c e s s a ry to give y o u an i d e a o f t h i s m a n a n d h i s entou r a g e .
R o d i n w a s fo r ty y e a r s o f a ge , d a rk-h a i re d , with s h a ggy eye brows, a sp a rkling b r i g h t eye ; t h e r e was about him w h a t bespoke s trength a n d h e a l t h bu t , a t the same time, l i b e rtina ge . In w e a l th he was ri s e n far above his n a tive s t a t i o n , p o s s e s s i n g from ten to twelve th o u s a n d pounds a y e a r ; owin g to which, if Rodin p r a cticed his surgical art, it was n o t o u t o f n e c e s s i ty , but out o f t a s t e ; h e had a very attractive h o u s e in S a i n t- M a rcel w h i c h , since the d e a t h o f h i s w i f e t w o y e a r s p reviously, h e s h a r e d with t w o g i r l s , who w e r e h i s servants , a n d w i t h a n o t h e r , who w a s h i s o w n daug hter. T h i s young p e r s o n , R o s a l i e by n a m e , had just reached her fourteenth y e a r ; i n h e r w e r e g a t h e r e d a l l the c h a r m s most c a p a b l e o f exc i t i n g a dmira t i on : t h e fi g u r e of a nymph , a n o v a l f a c e , c l e a r , lovely, extr a o r d i n a rily a n i m a t e d , d e l i c a t e p r e tty f e a tu r e s , v e ry p i qu a n t a s well , the prettiest m o u t h possible, v e ry l a rge d a rk eyes, soulful a n d full of feeling, c h e s tnut-brown hair falling to below h e r waist, skin o f an inc re dible w h i t e n e s s . . . a glow, smooth, a l r e a dy the most b e a u t i ful th r o a t i n all the world, and, furth e r m o r e , w i t , vivacity , a n d one o f t h e m o s t b e a u ti fu l s ouls N a tu r e h a s y e t c r e a t e d . With r e s p e c t to t h e c omp an i o n s w i th w h o m I w a s to s e rve i n thi s h o u s e h o l d , th ey w e r e t w o p e a sant girl s : one o f them w a s a governess, t h e o t h e r the
5 3 4 + T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
cook. She who held thf first post coul d have been twenty-five, the other eighteen o r twenty, and both were extremely attractive ; their looks suggested a delibe r a te choic e , a n d this in turn caused the bi rth of some suspicions as to why Rodin was pleased to accommo date me. What need has h e of a third woman ? I a sked myself, and why does he wish them all to be p r etty ? Assuredly, I continu ed, there is something i n all this th It l i ttle confo rms with th e regu l a r manners from which I wish never to stray ; we'll s e e .
In consequence, I besought M o n s i e u r R o d i n t o a l l o w me t o extend my convalescenc e a t h i s h o m e f o r yet another week, decl a r ing that, a t the end o f thi s tim e , he would have my reply to wh a t h e h a d very kindly p roposed.
I p rofited from th s interval by attaching mysel f more closely to Rosalie, determined to establish mysel f in h e r father's house only if there should p rove to be nothing about it whence I might be obl i ged to take umb ra ge . With these designs, I cast appraising gl ances in every di rectic,n, and, on the following day, I noticed that t h i s m a n e n j o y e d a n a r r I n ge m e n t w h i c h s t r a i gh tway p r ovoked i n m e furious doubts concerning h i s beh avi o r .
Monsieur R o d i n k �pt a school fo r children o f b o t h sexes ; dur ing his wi fe's l i fetime he had obtained the required charter and they h a d not seen fit to deprive him of i t a fter he had lost her. Monsieur Rodin's pupils were fe�; but select : i n a l l , there were but fourteen girls and fou rteen boys : he never accepted them under twelve and they were always sent a way upon reaching the age o f sixteen ; never had monarch p retti e r subjects than Rodin. If there were brought to him one who had some physical d efect or a face that l e ft some thing to be desired, h e knew how to invent twenty excuses for re j ecting him, all his a rgu:nents were very ingenious, they were always colo r e d by sophistries to which no one seemed able to reply ; thus, either his corps o f l i ttle day students had incomplete ranks, o r the children who filled them were always charming. These youngsters did not take the i r meals with him, but came twice a day, from seven to eleven in the morning, from four to e i ght in the a fternoon. I f until then I h a d not yet seen all o f this l i ttle troup e i t w a s because, having a rrived a t Rodin's during the holidays, his scholars were not a ttending classes ; towa �d the end of my recovery they reapp e a r e d .
R o d i n himself toc k cha rge of t h e boys' instruction, his gov-
Jus tine + 5 3 5
e r n e s s looked a ft e r t h a t o f the gi rl s , whom h e would v i s i t a s s o on as he h a d compl e t e d h i s own l e s s o n s ; he taught h i s young p u p i l s w r i ting, a ri t h m e t i c , a l i t t l e h i sto ry, d r a w i n g , m u s i c , a n d for a l l t h a t n o o t h e r m a s t e r b u t h i m s e l f w a s emp l o y e d .
I e a rly exp r e s s e d t o R o s a l i e my a stoni shment t h a t h e r f a t h e r , whil e p e r f o r m i n g h i s functions a s a docto r , coul d a t t h e s a m e t i m e a c t a s a schoolm a s te r ; i t s t ruck m e a s o d d , s a i d I , t h a t b e i n g a b l e t o l i v e comfortably w i t h o u t e x e r c i s i n g e i t h e r the one o r t h e o t h e r o f t h e s e p r o fe s si o n s , h e d e v o t e d h i m s e l f t o b o t h . R o s al i e , who b y n o w h a d b e c o m e v e ry fond o f me , fell to l au g h i n g a t my r em a rk ; the m a n n e r i n w h i c h s h e reacted t o w h a t I said only m a d e m e the more cu r i o u s , a nd I besought her to o p e n h e r s e l f enti rely to me.
" L i s t en , " said t h a t c h a rm i n g g i r l , speaking w i t h all the candor p r o p e r t o h e r a g e , a n d a l l t h e n aIve t e of her amiable c h a r a c te r ; " l i s te n to me , T h e r e s e , I am going to tell y o u eve rythi n g , f o r I s e e y o u a r e a w e l l b r o u gh t u p g i r l . . . i n c a p a b l e o f b e traying t h e s e c r e t I a m g o i n g to c o n fi d e to y o u .
" C e r t a i nly, d e a r f r i e n d , my f a t h e r c o u l d m a k e e n d s m e e t w i th out p u r s u i n g e i th e r of t h e s e two occu p a t i o n s ; and if he p ur su e s b o t h a t o n c e , i t i s b e c a u s e o f t h e two m o t i v e s I a m going to r e v e a l to you. H e p r a c t i c e s m e d i c i n e b e c a u s e he has a liking f o r i t ; h e takes keen p l e a su r e in u s i n g his skill to make n e w d i scove r i e s , he h a s m a d e s o 'm any o f t h e m , h e h a s w r i t t e n s o m a ny a u th o r i t a t i v e texts b a s e d upon his i n v e s t i g a t i ons t h a t h e is gen e r a lly acknowl e d g e d the m o s t accomp l i s h e d m a n i n France a t t h e p r e s ent time ; h e wo rked fo r twenty years i n P a r i s , and f o r the s a k e o f his amusements he r e t i r ed to t h e country. The real surgeon a t S a in t- M a rc e l i s someone n a m e d R o m b e a u whom h e has taken under h i s tut e l a g e a n d with whom h e coll a b o r a t e s u p o n exp e ri m e n t s ; a n d n o w , T h e r e s e , w o u l d y ou know why h e runs a s c h o o l ? • . • l ib e r t i n a g e , my c h i l d , l i b e rtin a g e a l o n e, a p a s s i on h e c a r r i e s to i t s extrem e s . M y father fi n d s i n h i s p u p i l s o f e i th e r s e x obj e c t s w h o s e dependence submits them to h i s incl i n a ti o n s , a n d h e explo i ts them . . . . B u t w a i t a moment • . • come w i t h m e , " s a i d R o s a l i e , " to d a y i s Friday, one o f the t h r e e days d u r i n g the week when h e corrects tho s e who have m i sbehaved ; i t i s in th i s kind o f p u n i shment my f a t h e r takes h i s p l e a su r e ; follow me, I �ell you , you shall see h o w he b e h a v e s . Everyth i n g i s v i s i b l e from a clo s e t i n m y r o o m w h i c h a d j o i n s t h e o n e w h e r e h e conclu d e s
5 3 6 + THE MAR Q UI S DE SADE
h i s busines s ; l e t ' s go t h e r e without making any n o i s e , and above all b e c a r e fu l not to say a word both about what I am telling you and a b o u t w h a t you are going to witness . "
I t w a s a m a tt e r ( , f such gre a t importance t o fami l i a r i z e my s e l f w i t h the customs :>f this p e r s o n who h a d o ff e r e d me a sylu m , t h a t I felt I could n e � ;l e c t n o th i n g which might d i s c o v e r them to m e ; I follow hard upon R o s a l i e ' s h e e l s , s h e s i tu a tes m e near a p a r t i t i o n , through c r a cks between i t s i ll-j o i n e d b o a r d s o n e can v i e w everyth i n g going on i n t h e n e i ghboring room .
H a rdly h ave we t lken up o u r p o s t when Rodin e n t e r s , l e a d i n g a fourte en-y e a r-old g i rl , blond a n d a s p r e tty a s Love ; the p o o r c r e a tu r e i s s o b b i n g a w a y , all too u n h appily a w a r e o f w h a t a w a i t s h e r ; s h e com e s i n with m o a n s a n d c r i e s ; she t h r o w s h e r s e l f down b e fo r e h e r implacable i n structo r , s h e e n t r e a t s him to spare her, but h i s v e ry ine xo r a b i l i ty fi r e s the fi r st s p a rks o f the unbending Rodin ' s p l e a s u r e , h i s h e a r t is a l r e a dy a glow, and h i s s avage gl ances spring alive w i t h a n i n n e r l i gh t . . . .
"Why, n o , no , " h e c r i e s , " n o t for one m i n u t e , t h i s h appens f a r too frequently, Ju l i e , I repent my forb e a rance and l e n i ency, th e i r sole result has b ee n r e p e a t e d m i sconduct on your p a rt, but could the gravi ty o f thi s most recent example o f it p o s s ibly allow me to show clemency, ever supp o s i n g I wished to ? A n o t e passed to a boy upon entering the d a ssroom I "
" S i r , I p r o t e s t to you , I d i d n o t-" "Ah I but I saw it my d e a r , I saw i t . " " D o n ' t b e l i eve a w o r d o f i t , " R o s a l i e whispered t o m e , " th e s e
a r e tri fl e s h e invents b y w ay o f pretext ; t h a t l i ttle c r e a tu r e i s a n a ngel , i t i s b e c a u s e s h e r e s i s ts h i m h e t r e a t s h e r h a rshly . "
M e anwh i l e , R o d i l l , gre a tly a ro u s e d , h a d s e i z e d t h e li ttle gi rl ' s h a n d s , t i e d them to a r in g fi tted h i g h u p o n a p i l l a r s t a n d i n g i n the m i d d l e of the puni s h m e n t room. Jul i e i s without any defense . . . any save the l ovely h c e l a n gu i s hi ngly turned toward h e r execu t i o n e r , her superb h a i r i n d i s a rray, and the tears which inundate t h e most b e a u ti ful face i n the world, the sweetest . . . the most in t e r e sting. Rodin dwel l : ; upon the p i c tu r e , i s fi r e d by i t, h e covers th ose supp l i c a ting eyes w i t h a blindfold, a p p r o a c h e s h i s mouth and d a r e s k i s s the m , Jul i e s e e s nothing more, now able to proceed a s h e w i s h e s , R o d i n r e m o v e � t h e v e i l s o f mode sty, h e r b l o u s e i s unbut-
Jus tine ... 5 3 7
t o n e d , h e r stays u n t i e d , s h e i s naked t o the w a i s t a n d y e t fu rther b e l o w . . . . Wh a t whi tenes s ! W h a t b e a u ty ! These a r e r o s e s s t rewn upon l i l i e s by the G r a c e s ' v e ry handH . . . what being i s so h e a rtl e s s , so c r u e l a s to condemn to tortu re c h a rm s s o f r e s h . . . s o p o i gn an t ? Wh a t is the m o n s t e r t h a t can seek p l e a su r e in the depths o f t e a r s an d s u ff e r i n g a nd w o e ? R o d i n cont emp l a t e s . . . h i s i n fl a m e d e y e rove s , h i s h a n d s d a r e p ro f a n e the fl o w e r s h i s c ru e l t i e s a r e a b o u t to w i t he r ; all t a k e s place d i r e ctly before us, n o t a detail c a n escape u s : n ow the l i b e r t i n e opens a n d p e e rs into, n o w h e clo s e s u p a g a i n th o s e d a i n ty f e a tu re s which e n c h a n t h i m ; h e o ff e r s them to u s u n d e r ev e ry form, b u t h e confines h i m s e l f to t h e s e only : a lthough the t r u e temp l e o f Love i s w i t h i n h i s r e a c h , R o d i n , f a i thful t o h i s c r e e d , c a s t s n o t so m uch a s a g l a n c e i n t h a t di r e c t i o n , to j udge by h i s b e h a v i o r , h e f e a r s e v e n the s i ght o f i t ; i f the c h i l d ' s p o s t u r e e xp o s e s t h o s e c h a r m s , h e c o v e r s t h e m over a g a i n ; t h e s l i gh t e s t di sturbance m i gh t upset his homage, h e would h a v e nothing distract him . . • finally, h i s mounting w r a t h exc e e d s a l l l i m i t s , a t fi r s t h e gives v e n t to i t through invective s , w i th m e n a ct:s a n d evil l a n g u a g e h e a ff r i ghts thi s p o o r l i t t l e w r e tc h trembli n g b e fo r e the blows w h e r e w i th she r e a l i z e s s h e is a b o u t to b e torn ; R o d i n is b e s i d e h i m s e l f , h e snatches u p a c a t-o'-nine-t a i l s t h a t has b e e n soaking i n a v a t o f vinega r to g i v e t h e thongs t a r t n e s s a n d sting. " We l l t h e r e , " says he, a p p r o ac h i n g h i s v i c t i m , " p r e p a r e you r s e l f , you h ave got to s u ff e r " ; h e swings a v i g o r o u s a r m , the l a s h e s a r e brought w h i s t l i n g down upon e v e ry i n c h of the b o dy exp o s e d to them ; twenty-five strokes a r e ap p l i e d ; the tender p i nk r o s i n e s s of this m a tchl e s s skin is i n a t r i c e run i n t o s c a r l e t .
Jul i e e m i t s c r i e s . . . p i ercing s c r e a m s w h i c h r e n d m e to the soul ; tears run down from b e n e a th h e r b l i n d fo l d a n d l i k e p e a r l s s h i n e upon h e r b e a u t i fu l c h e eks ; whereby R o d i n i s m a d e a l l t h e m o r e fur i o u s . . . . H e p u t s h i s h l l n d s u p o n the m o l e s t e d p a rt s , tou c h e s , s qu e e z e s , w o r r i e s them, s e e m s to b e readying them fo r further a s s a u l t s ; they follow f a s t upon the fi r s t , R o d i n b e g i n s a g a i n , n o t a c u t h e b e s tows i s u n a ccomp a n i e d by a cu r s e , a m e n a c e , a r e p r o a c h . . . b l o o d a p p e a r s . . . R o d i n i s i n a n ecstasy ; h i s d e l i gh t i s i m m e n s e a s h e m u s e s upon the e l o q u e n t p r o o f s o f h i s f e r o c i ty . H e can c o n t a i n h i m s e l f n o longer , t h e m o s t i n d e c e n t c o n d i t i o n m a n i fests his overwrought s t a t e ; h e fears n o t to b r i n g e v e ryth i n g o u t o f h i d-
5 3 8 + T H E M A R Q U I S D E S A D E
ing, Juli e cannot see it . . . h e moves to the breech and hovers there, he woul d grea tly like to mount as a victor, he dares not, instead, he begins to tyrannize ar ew ; Rodin whips with might and m a i n and finally manages, thanks to the l e a thern stripes, to open this a sylum of the Graces and of j oy . . . . He no longer knows who he is o r where ; his deli rium k s attained to such a p i tch t h e u s e o f reason i s n o longer available ':0 him ; he swears, he blasphemes, he storms, nothing i s exemp t from his savage blows, all he can reach i s treated with i dentical fury, bul the villain pauses nevertheless, h e senses t h e impossibili ty o f going further without risking the loss o f t h e p ow ers which h e must p r eH e rve for new operations.
" Dress yoursel f , " he says to Jul i e , loosening her bonds and readjusting h i s own c('stume, " a n d if you a r e once again gu i lty of similar misconduct, be u i t fi rmly in mind you will not get o ff quite so li ghtly."
Julie returns t o her cl ass, Rodin goes into the boys' and im m edia tely brings b a ck a young schol a r of fi fteen, lovely a s the day ; Rodin scolds him ; duubtless more at his ease with th e l a d , h e wheedles and kisses w h i l e l e cturing h im.
"You deserve to be puni shed," he observes, "and you a r e go ing to be."
Having uttered these wo rds, he oversteps the last bounds o f modesty w i th t h e chile ; f o r i n t h i s c a s e , everything i s o f interest to him, nothing is excluc ed, the veils are drawn aside, everything i s p alpated indi scrimin a t ely ; Rodin alternates threats, caresses, kisses, curses ; his impious fingers a ttempt to gen erate voluptuous senti ments in the boy and, in his turn, Rodin demands identical ministra tions.
" Very well , " c ri e s the satyr , spying h i s success, " there you are i n the state I forbade . . . . I dare swear that with two more move ments you ' d have the i mpudence to sp i t a t m e . . . . "
But too sure o f ' : h e titillations he h a s produced, t h e libertine a dvances to gather a 10mage, and his mouth i s the temple offered to the swee t incense ; l i s hands exci te i t to j et fo rth, he meets the spurts, devou r s them , and i s himself ready to explode, but he wishes to p ersevere to the end.
"Ah, I am going to make you pay for this stup i d i ty ! " says he and gets to his feet.
Jus tin e + 5 3 9
H e takes the you th's two hands, h e clutche s them tight, and offers himself enti rely to the altar a t which h i s fury would p e r fo rm a sacrifice. He opens i t , his kisses roam over it, his tongue drives deep into it, i s lost i n it. Drunk with love and ferocity, Rodin mingl e s the exp ressi ons and sentiments o f e ach . . . .
"Ah, little weasel I " h e cri es, "I must avenge myse l f upon the illusion you cre a te in m e . "
The whips are p i cked up, R o din fl ogs ; clea rly more excited by the boy than he w a s by the vestal, his blows become both much more powerful and far more numerous : th e child bursts into tears, Rodin i s i n seventh he aven, but n e w pleasures call, he releases the boy and flies to other sacrifices. A l i ttle gi rl of thi r teen i s the boy' s successor, and she is followed by another youth who is in turn abandoned for a gi rl ; Rodin whips nine : five boys, four girl s ; the last i s a l a d o f fourteen, endowed with a delicious countenance : Rodin wishes to amuse himself, the pupil resists ; o u t o f h i s mind with lust, he beats him, a n d the villain, losing all control o f himself, hurls h i s fl am e ' s scummy j ets upon h i s young ch arge ' s injured pa rts , he wets him from waist to h e el s ; enraged a t not having h a d s trength enough to hold himself i n check until the end, our corrector releases the c h i l d very testily , and a fter warning him a g a i nst such tricks i n t h e fu tu r e , h e s e n d s h i m b a ck t o t h e cl a s s : s u c h a r e t h e w o r d s I heard , those the scenes which I witnessed.
"Dear H e a ven ! " I s a i d to J;:os a l i e when this app alling drama came t o its end, " ho,v i s o n e a-)le to surrender oneself to such excesses ? How can one find pleasu re i n t h e torments one infli cts ? "
"Ah , " repl i e d R o s a l i e , "you do n o t know everything. Listen , " she s a i d , l e ading m e back into he r room, " w h a t you h ave seen has perhaps enabled you to understand that when my father d i scovers some aptitudes in his young pupils, he carries his horrors much further, h e abuses the girls in th � same manner he deals with the boy s . " Rosalie spoke o f t h a t :riminal manner of conj ugation whereo f I mysel f h a d believed I might be t h e victim with the brigands' captain into whose hands I had fallen a fter my escape from the C oncierge r i e , and by which I had been soiled by the merchant from Lyon. "By this means," Rosalie continu ed, " th e girls a r e not in t h e l e a s t di shonc r e d , there are no pregnancies to f e a r , and nothing p revents them from finding a husband ; not a y e a r
5 4 0 .. T H E MAR Q U I � DE SA D E
g o e s by w i thou t h i s c o r ru p ti n g n e a rly all the boys i n thi s way, and a t least half the other ch i l d r e n . O f the fou r t e e n g i r l s you have seen, e i gh t h ave a l r e a dy b e e n � po i l e d by t h e s e m e t h o d s , and h e h a s taken his p l e a s u r e with nine o f the boys ; the two women who s e rve him are sub m i t t e d to the s a m ! h o r r o r s . . . . 0 Therese ! " R o s a l i e a d d e d , c a s t i n g h e r s e l f i n t o my a r m s , " 0 d e a r girl, and I too, y e s I, h e s e d u c e d m e i n my e a rl i e s t y e a r s ; I w a s b a rely eleven when I be came his victim . . . wh e n , alas I I was unable to defend mys elf against h i m . "
" B u t M a demo i s elle , " I interrupted, h o r r i fi e d , " a t l e a s t Re l i gi on r e m a i n e d t o you . . . were you unable to consult a confessor a n d avow everyth i n g ?"
" O h , you do n o t know t h a t a s h e p ro c e e d s to p e rv e r t u s h e s t i fl e s i n e a c h o f u s t h e ve r y s e e d s o f beli e f, h e forbids u s a l l r e l i g i o u s devotion s , a n d , fu rthermo r e , could I h a v e done so ? h e h a d i n structed m e sca rcely a t a l l . The l i ttle h e h a d s a i d p e rtaining to these m a tt e r s h a d b e e n m o t i v ; . t e d by the f e a r t h a t my i gn o r a nce m i ght b e t r a y his i mp i e ty. B u t 1 had never been to confe s s i o n , I had n o t m a d e my F i r s t C o mmuni on ; s o de ftly d i d h e cover all these things with r i d i cu l e a nd insinuate his p o i sonous s e l f into even o u r small e s t i d e a s , t h a t h e b a n i s h e d f( , r e v e r all the i r duti e s o u t o f t h e m w h o m h e suborne d ; o r i f they a r e compelled b y th e i r famil i e s to fulfill the i r r e l i g i o u s duti e s , they do so w i t h such t ep i dn e s s , w i t h such compl ete i n d i ff e rence , t h a t h e has ! lo t h i n g to fear from the i r i n d i scretion ; but convince you r s e l f , There s e , l e t you r own eyes p e rs u a d e you, " s h e continued, v e ry qu i ckly d r a w i n g m e b a ck into the closet w h e n c e we h ad e m e rge d ; "come h t h e r : t h a t room where h e c h a s t i s e s his students i s the s a m e w h e r e i n h e enj oys u s ; the l e s sons a r e ove r now, it is the h o u r w h e n , warmed by the p r e l i m i n a r i e s , he i s going to c omp ensa te h i m s e l f f o r the r e s t r a i n t his p rudence sometimes i m p o s e s u p o n h i m ; go b a ck to w h e r e you w e r e , d e a r g i r l , and with y o u r own eyes behold it a ll . "
However slight m y cu r i o s i ty concerning these new abomina tions, it w a s by f a r the better course to leap b a ck into the closet r a t h e r than h a v e mys e l f s u r p r i s e d w i t h R o s a l i e during the c l a s s e s ; R o d i n would w i thout ql,estion h a v e become s u s p i c i o u s . And so I took my p l a c e ; s c a rcely w a s I at it when Rodin enters h i s daughte r ' s r o o m , h e l e a d s h e r i n t o t h e o t h e r , t h e t w o women o f t h e house
Jus tine + 5 4 1
arrive ; a n d thereupon the impudicious Rodin, all restraints upon his behavior removed, free to indulge his fancie s to the full, gives him self over in a leisu rely fashion and undisguisedly to comm itting all the i rregularities o f debauch e ry. The two p e asants, completely nude, are flogged with exceeding violence ; while he plies his whip upon the one the other p ays him back in kind, and during the inter vals when he p auses for rest, he smothers with the most uninhibited, the most disgusting caresses, the same altar in Rosalie who, elevated upon an armchair, slightly bent over, p r esents i t to him ; a t last, there comes this poor creatu r e ' s turn : Rodin ties her to the stake as he tied h i s scholars, and whi l e one a fter another and sometimes both a t once h i s domestics fl ay him, h e b e a ts h i s daughter, lashes her from her ribs to her knees, utterly transported by pleasure. His agita tion i s extreme : h e shouts, h e blasphemes, h e fl a gellates : h i s thongs b i t e d e e p everywhere, and wherever t h e y fall, t h e r e im media tely he presses his lips. Both the interior of the altar and his victim's mouth . . • everything, the before-end excep ted, everything i s devoured by his suckings ; without changing the disposition o f the others, contenting himself with rendering i t more p ropitious, Rodin by and by penetrates into pleasure ' s narrow a sylum ; meanwhile, the same throne is offered by the governess to his kisses, the other girl beats him with all h e r remaining strength, Rodin is in seventh heaven, he thrusts, he splits, he tea rs, a thousand kisses, one more passionate than the other, express h i s ardor, h e kisses wha tever is p resen ted to his lust : the bomb bursts and the libertine besotted dares taste the sweetest o f delights in the sink o f incest and in famy . . . .
Rodin s a t down to dine ; a fter such exploi t s he w a s i n need o f restoratives. Th a t a fternoon there were more l e ssons a n d furth e r corrections, I could h a v e observed new scenes h a d I desired, but I h a d seen enough to convince myself and to settle upon a reply to make to this villain's offers. Th e time for giving it approached. Two days a fter the events I h ave described, h e himself came to my room to ask for it. He surprised me in bed. By employing the excuse o f looking to see whether any traces of my wounds re mained, h e obtained the right, which I was unable to dispute, of pe rforming an examination upon me, naked, and as he had done the same thing twice a day for a month and had never given any offense
5 4 2 -+ T H E MARQU [ S DE S A D E
to m y m o d esty I did nc,t think my s e l f able to r e s i s t . But t h i s t i m e R o d i n h a d o t h e r p l a n s ; w h e n h e r e a c h e s t h e obj e c t o f h i s w o r s h i p , h e l o ck s h i s t h i g h s a b o u t my w a i s t a n d s qu e e z e s w i th s u c h f o r c e t h a t I fi n d m y s e l f , s o t o , p e a k , q u i t e d e f e n s e l e s s .
" T h e re s e , " s a y s h e , t h e w h i l e m o v i n g h i s h a n d s a b o u t in s u c h a manner a s t o e r a s e a l l d o u b t of his intents, "you are fully r e c o v e r e d , my d e a r , and n o w you c a n g i v e m e evidence of the g r a t i tu d e with which I have beheld you r h e a r t o v e r fl o w i n g ; n o t h i n g s i m p l e r t h a n t h e f o rm :rou r t h a n k s w o u l d t a k e ; I n e e d n o t h i n g b e y o n d th i s , " t h e t r a i t o r : o n t i nu e d , b i n d i n g m e w i t h all t h e s t r e n g t h at h i s comm a n d . " . . . Y e s , t h i s w i l l d o , m e r e l y th i s , h e r e i s my r e c o mp e n s e , I n e v e r d e m a n d anyth i n g else from women . . . bu t , " h e c o n t i n u e d , " ' ti s o n e o f . t h e m o s t s p l e n d i d I h a v e s e e n i n a l l m y l i fe . . . vVh a t r o u n dn e s s , f u l l n e s s ! . . . u n u s u a l e l a s t i c i ty ! . . . w h a t exq u i s i t e qu a l i ty i n the skin ! . . . O h my I I a b s o l u tely m u s t p u t t h i s t o u s e . . . . "
W h e r e u p o n R o d i n , a p p a r e n tly a l r e a dy p r e p a r e d to p u t h i s p ro j e c t s i n to execu t i o n , i s o b l i g e d , i n o r d e r t o p ro c e e d t o t h e n e x t s t a ge , to r e l a x h i s g r i p f o r a m o m e n t ; I s e i z e my o p p o r tu n i ty a n d e x t r i c a t i n g mys e l f from h i s c l u t c h e s ,
" M o n s i eu r , " I say, " I b e g you t o b e w e l l p e r s u a d e d t h a t t h e r e i s n o th i n g i n t h e e n t i r e w o r l d w h i c h c o u l d e n g a g e m e to c o n s e n t t o t h e h o r r o r s y o u s e e m 1 0 w i s h t o com m i t . M y g r a t i t u d e i s d u e to you, i n d e e d it is, b u t I w i l l n o t p a y my d e b t i n a c r i m i n a l coin. N e e d l e s s t o s a y , I a m p o o r a n d m o s t u n fo r tun a t e ; b u t n o m a tt e r ; h e r e i s t h e s m a l l s u m o f m o ney I p o s s e ss , " I c o n t i nu e , p ro d u c i n g m y m e a g e r p u r s e , " t a k e w ll a t y o u e s t e e m j u s t a n d a l l o w m e to l e a v e t h i s h o u s e , I b e g o f you , a s s o o n a s I a m i n a fi t t i n g s t a t e t o go . "
R o d i n , c o n f o u n d e d b y t h e o p po s i t i on h e l i t tl e exp e c t e d from a girl d e vo i d of m e am a n d w h o m , acco r d i n g t o a n i n j u s t i c e v e ry o r d i n ary a m o n g s t m e n he su p p o s e d d i s h o n e s t by t h e s i m p l e f a c t s h e w a s s u n k i n p o v e r ty ; R o d i n , I s a y, g a z e d a t m e a tt e n t i v e l y .
" T h e r e s e , " he r e su m e d a ft e r a m i n u t e ' s s i l e n c e , " T h e r e s e , i t i s h a r dl y a p p rop r i a te f o r you to p l a y t h e v i r g i n w i t h m e ; I h a v e , s o i t w o u l d s e e m t o m e , s o m e r i g h t t o y o u r compl a i s a n c e ; b u t , h o w e v e r , i t m a k e s l i ttle d i ff e r e n c e : k e e p you r s i l v e r b u t do n ' t l e a v e m e . I a m h i ghly ple a s e d to h a v e a well-b e h a v e d g i r l i n my hou s e , t h e c o n d u c t o f t h e s e o t h e r s I h a v e a b o u t m e b e i n g f a r from i mp ec c a bl e .
Jus tine + 5 4 3
. Since you show yourself so virtuous in this instance, you will be equ ally s o , I trust, i n every other. My interests would benefit there from ; my daughter i s fond of you, just a short while a go she came and begged me to persu a d e you not to go ; and so rest with us, if you will, I invite you to remain."
" Monsieu r , " I replied, " I should n o t b e happy here ; the two women who s e rv e you aspire to 0.11 th e affection you a r e able to give them ; they will not behold me without j ealou sy, and sooner or later I will be forced to l e ave you. "
" B e not apprehensive, " Rodin answe red, " fe a r n o n e o f the effects o f these women's envy, I shall b e quite capable o f keeping them in the i r place by mainta ining you i n you rs, and you alone will possess my confidence without any resultant danger to you rself. But in order to continu e to deserve i t , I beli eve i t would be well for you to know that the fi rst quality, the foremost, I requ i re i n you, Therese, is an unassailable discretion. M a ny things take place here, many which do not sort with you r virtuous principles j you must b e able to witness everything, h e a r all and never sp eak a syllable o f it . . . . Ah , Therese, remain w i th me, stay here, Therese, my child, i t will be a j oy to have you ; in the midst o f the many vices to which I am driven by a fi e ry temper, an unrestrainable imagina. tion and a much rotted hea rt, a t least I will have the comfort o f a virtuous being dwell ing close by, a nd upon whose breast I shall b e able to c a s t mysel f a s a t the feet o f a God w h e n , glutted b y my d ebauches, I . . . " "Oh Heaven ! " I d i d think at this moment, " then Virtue i s necessary, it is then indis pensable to man, since even the vicious one i s obl i g e d to find rea ssurance i n it and make u s e o f i t as o f a shelter. " An d then, recollecting Rosal i e ' s requests that I n o t l eave her, a n d thinking to di scern s o m e good principles in Rodin, I resolved to stay wi th him.
"Theres e , " Rodin said to me s everal days l a ter, " I a m going to install you n e a r my d a ughter j in this way, you will avoid all fric tions with the other two women, and I intend to give you three hundred pounds wages. "
Such a post w a s , i n my s i tu a tion , a kind o f godsend ; infl amed by the desire to restore Rosalie to righteousness, and p e rh aps even her father too were I able to attain some influence over him, I repented not o f w h a t I h a d j u st d one . . . Rodin , having h a d me
5 44 .. T H E MAR Q U l S DE S A D E
dress mysel f, conducted me a t once to where his daughter was ; Rosalie received me w i th effusi ons of j oy, and I was promp tly established.
E r e a week was gone by I had begun to l abor at the conver sions a fter which I th: rsted, but Rodin's intransigence defeated all my efforts.
" Do not believe , " was the response he made to my wise coun sels, "that the kind o f de ference I showed to the vi rtue in you proves that I either esl eem virtue o r have the desire to favor i t over vice. Think nothing o f the sort, Therese, ' twould be t o de ceive yoursel f ; on the basis of what I h ave done in your regard, anyone who was to m a i rltain, a s consequential to my behavior, the importance o r the necessity of virtue would fall into the very l a rgest error, and sorry I would be were you to fancy that such i s my fashion o f thinking . T h e rustic hovel to which I rep a i r for shelter when, during th,� hunt, the excessive heat o f the sun' s rays falls perpendicula rly u pon me, that hut is certainly not to be m istaken for a superior building : its worth i s m erely ci rcumstantial : I am exposed to some sort o f danger, I find something which affords protection, I use it, but i s this something the grander on that ac count ? can i t be the les�, contemptibl e ? I n a totally vicious soci ety, virtue would b e totally worthless ; our soci eties not being entirely of this speci e s , one musl absolutely either play with virtue or m ake use o f i t so a s to have less to dre a d from its fai thful followers. I f n o one adopts the virt uous way, i t becomes useless ; I a m then not mistaken when I a ffirm tha t it owes its necessity to naught but opinion or c i rcumstanc e s ; virtue is not some kind of mode whose value is incontestabl e , i t i s simply a scheme o f conduct, a way of getting along, which v:u i e s according to accidents o f geography and climate and which, consequently, has no reality , the which alone exhibits its futility. Or ly what i s constant i s r eally goo d ; wha t changes perpetually cannot claim that characteriz a tion : that i s why they have decl ared tha': immutability belongs to the ranks of th e E ternal ' s perfections ; b u t virtue i s completely without this qu ality : there is not, upon the entire globe, two races which a r e vi rtuous in the same manne r ; hence, vi rtu e i s not in any sense real, nor i n any wise intrinsically good and in no sort deserves our reverence. How i s it to b e employe d ? a . a prop, a s a device : i t i s poli tic to a dop t
Jus ti n e .. 5 4 5
t h e v i r t u e o f t h e country o n e i n h a b i t s , s o t h a t t h o s e who p ra c t i c e i t , e i t h e r b e c a u s e t h e y h a v e a t a s t e fo r i t o r who h av e t o c u l t i v a t e i t b e c a u s e o f th e i r s t a t i o n , will l e a v e you i n p e a c e , a n d s o t h a t t h i s virtue which h a ppens to b e r e s p e c t e d i n you r a r e a will gu a r a n t e e y ou, by i ts conventio n a l p r e p o n d e r a n c e , a g a i n s t the a s s aults de l i v e r e d by them w h o p ro fe s s v i c e . B u t , once a g a i n , all t h a t i s a t the dictation of v a ri able ci rcumstances , a n d nothing i n a l l that a s signs a r e a l m e r i t to v i r t u e . T h e r e are, fu r t h e rm o r e , such v i rtues a s are impossible to certain m e n ; now, how are you go i n g to p e rsuade m e t h a t a v i r tu e i n c on fl i c t o r i n c o n t r a d i c t i o n w i t h t h e p a ssions i s to b e fou n d i n N a tu r e ? And if i t is n o t i n N a tu r e and n a t u r a l , how can it b e g o o d ? I n those m e n w e are speaking of there w i l l c e r t a i nly be v i c e s o p p o s e d to these v i r tu e s , a n d t h e s e v i c e s will be p r e fe r r e d by t h e s e m e n , s i n c e they w i l l b e t h e only m o d e s . . . t h e o n l y schemes o f b e i n g which will be thorou ghly a g r e e a bl e to thei r p e cu li a r p hy s i c a l constitutions o r to t h e i r uncommon o r g a n s ; i n t h i s hyp o t h e s i s , t h e r e would then b e some very u s e ful v i c e s : w e l l , h o w c a n vi rtue b e u s e fu l i f you demonstrate to m e t h a t w h a t i s contrary to vi rtu e is u s e ful ? In reply to t h a t , o n e h e a r s t h a t v i rtue is u s e ful to o t h e r s , a n d that i n t h i s sense i t is good ; for i f it i s p o s i t e d that I m u s t do only w h a t i s good to o t h e r s , in my turn I w i l l r e c e i v e only good. And this a rgument is pure s o p h istry : i n r e tu r n for the s m a l l amount o f g o o d I r e c e i v e a t the h ands o f o th e r s t h a nks to the vi rtu e they p r a c t i c e , my o b l i g a t i o n to p r a c t i c e v i r tu e in my turn c a u s e s m e t o m ak e a m i l l i o n s a c r i fi c e s f o r w h i c h I a m i n n o w i s e com p en s a t e d . R e c e i v i n g less than I give, I hence conclude a v e ry d i s a dv a n t a g e o u s b a rg a i n , I e xp e ri e n c e much m o r e ill from t h e p ri v a tions I e ndure i n o rd e r to b e v i r t u o u s , t h a n I exp e r i en c e good from those who do it to m e ; the a r r a n gement being not a t all e q u i t a bl e , I th e r e f o r e m u s t n o t subm i t t o i t , a n d c e r t a i n , b y b e i n g v i r tu o u s , n o t to c a u s e o t h e r s a s much p l e a s u r e a s I receive p ai n by comp elling myself to b e goo d , would it n o t b e b e t t e r to give u p p ro c u r i n g them a h a p p i n e s s which must c o s t m e s o much d i s t r e s s ? There now re mains t h e h a rm I m a y do o t h e r s by being vicious and the evil I myself would s u ff e r w e r e e v e ryone to resemble m e . We r e we to a cknowledge an e ffi c i e n t ci rcul a t i o n of v i c e s , I am c e r t ainly running a grave d a n g e r , I concede i t ; b u t t h e g r i e f e xp e ri e n c e d by what I r i sk i s o ff s e t by t h e p l e a s u r e I receive from c a u s i n g o t h e r s to b e
5 4 6 .. T H E MAR Q U I S DE SADE
m e n a ce d : and t h e r e , YOll s e e , e q u a l i ty is r e - e s t a bl i s h e d : and e v e ry one is m o r e or l e s s e q u a l ly h a p p y : w h i c h is not the c a s e and c a n n o t b e t h e c a s e i n a s o c i e ty W 1 e r e s o m e a r e go o d a n d o t h e r s a r e b a d , b e c a u s e , f r o m th i s m i x tu r e , p e rp e t u a l p i t f a l l s r e s u l t . a n d no p i t f a l l s e x i s t i n t h e o t h e r i n s t a n c ( : . I n t h e h e t e r o g e n e o u s s o c i e t y , a l l i n t e r e s t s a r e u n a l i k e : t h e r e you h a v e t h e s o u r c e o f a n i n fi n i t e n u m b e r o f m i s e r i e s ; i n t h e c o n t r a ry a s s o c i a t i o n , a l l i n t e r e s t s a r e i d en t i c a l , e a c h i n d i v i d u a l c o mp o s i n g i t i s fu r n i s h e d w i t h t h e s a m e p r o c l i v i t i e s . t h e s a m e p en c h a n t s , e a cL o n e m a rc h e s t o g e t h e r w i t h all t h e o t h e r s a n d t o t h e s a m e g o a l ; t h e y a r e a l l h a ppy. B u t , i d i o ts compl a i n t o y o u , e v i l d o e s n o t m a k e f o r h a p p i n e s s . N o , n o t w h e n e v e r y o n e h a s a g r e e d to i d ol i z e go o d ; b u t m e rely c e a s e t o p r i z e , i n s t e a d d e fl a te , h e a p a b u s e u p o n w h a t y o u c a l l g o o d , a n d y o u w i l l n o l o n g e r r e v e r e a n y t h i n g b u t w h a t f o r m e rly you h a d t h e i d i ocy t o c a l l e v i l ; a n d e v e ry m a n w i l l h a v ( t h e p l e a su r e of comm i t t i n g i t , n o t a t a l l b e c a u s e i t w i l l b e p e rm i t t e d ( th a t m i gh t b e , u p o n o cc a s i o n , a r e a s o n f o r t h e d i m i n i sh m e n t o f i t s a p p e a l ) , b u t b e c a u s e t h e l a w w i l l n o l on g e r p u n i s h i t, a n d i t i s t h e l a w , t h r o u gh t h e f e a r i t i n s p i r e s . w h i c h l e s s e n s t h e pl e a s u r e N a tu r e h a s s e e n to i t w e t a k e i n c r i m e . I v i s u a l i z e a s o c i e ty wh e n : it w i l l be gen e r a lly a dm i t t e d t h a t i n c e s t ( l e t u s i n c l u d e t h i s o ff e n s e t o g e t h e r w i t h a l l t h e o th e r s ) , t h a t i n c e s t , I s ay , i s c r i m i n a l : t h o s e who c o m m i t i n c e s t w i l l b e u n h a p p y , b e c a u s e o p i n i o n , l a w s , b el i e fs , e v( · ry t h i n g w i l l c o n c e r t t o c h i l l t h e i r p l e a s u r e ; t h o s e w h o d e s i s t f r o m d o i n g t h i s e v i l , t h o s e who , b e c a u s e o f t h e s e r e s t r a i n ts , w i l l n o t d a r e , w i l l b e e q u ally u n h appy : t hu s , t h e l a w t h a t p ro s c r i b e s i n c e s t w i ll h a v e d o n e n o t h i n g b u t c a u s e w r e tc h e d n e s s . N o w , I v i s u a l i z e a rco t h e r s o c i e ty n e i gh b o r i n g the fi r s t ; in t h i s o n e i n c e s t i s n o c r i m e a t a l l : t h o s e w h o d o n o t d e s i s t w i l l n o t b e u n h a pp y , a n d t h o s e w h o d e s i r e i t w i l l b e h a ppy. H e n c e , t h e s o c i e ty w h i c h p e r m i t s t h i s a c t w i l l be b e t t e r s u i t e d to m a n k i n d t h a n t h e o n e i n w h i c h t h e a c t i s r e p r e s e n t e d a s a c r i m e ; t h e s a m e p e r ta i n s t o a l l o th e r d e e d s clum s i ly d e n o m i n a t e d c r i m i n a l ; r e g a r d them f r o m t h i s p o i n t o f v i e w , a n d you c r e a t e c r o w d s o f u n h a p p y p e r s o n s ; p e rm i t t h e m , a n d n o t �. compl a i n t i s to be h e a r d j f o r h e who c h e r i s h e s this a c t , w h a teH r i t happens to b e , g o e s a b o u t p e r fo r m i n g i t i n p e a c e a n d qu i e t , a n d h e who d o e s n o t c a r e f o r i t e i th e r r e m a i n s in a k i n d o f n e u t r a l i n d . ff e r e n c e t o w a r d i t , w h i c h i s c e r t a i nly n o t p a i n fu l , o r fi n d s r e s t i t u t i o n fo r t h e h u r t h e m ay h a v e su s t a i n e d by
.Ius tint' ,4 5 4 7
r e s o r t i n g t o a h o s t o f o t h e r inj u r i e s w h e r e w i th i n h i s turn h e b e l a b o r s w h o s o e v e r h a s a g g r i e v e d h i m : t h u s e v e r y o n e i n a c r i m i n a l s o c i e ty i s e i t h e r v e ry h a p p y i n d e e d , o r e l s e i n a p a r a d i s e o f u n c o n c e rn ; c o n s e qu ently, th e r e ' s n o t h i n g g o o d , n o t h i n g r e s p e c t a b l e , n o t h i n g t h a t c a n b r i n g a b o u t h a p p i n e s s i n w h a t t h e y c a l l v i rtue . L e t t h o s e w h o f o l l o w t h e v i r t u o u s t r a c k b e n o t b o a s ti n gly p r o u d o f t h e conce s s i o n s w r u n g from u s by t h e s t r u c tu r a l p e cul i a r i t i e s o f o u r s o c i e ty ; ' t i s purely a m a tt e r o f c i rcu m s t a n c e , a n a c c i d e n t o f convention t h a t t h e h o m a g e s d e m a n d e d o f u s t a k e a v i rtuous form ; b u t in f a c t , t h i s w o r s h i p is a h a l l u c i n a t i o n , a n d t h e v i r t u e w h i c h o b t a i n s a l i t t l e p i o u s a t t e n t i o n f o r a m o m e n t i s n o t o n t h a t a c c o u n t t h e m o r e n o bl e . "
Such w a s t h e i n f e rnal l o g i c o f R o d i n ' s w r e t c h e d p a s s i o n s ; b u t R o s a l i e , gentl e a n d l e s s c o r r u p t , R o s a l i e , d e t e s t i n g t h e h o r r o r s to which she was s u bm i t t e d , was a m o r e docile auditor a n d m o r e re c e p t i v e t o my o p i n i o n s . I had t h e m o s t ardent d e s i r e t o bring her t o d i s c h a rge her p r i m a ry r e l i g i o u s d u t i e s ; but w e w o u l d h a v e b e e n o b l i g e d to c o n fi d e i n a p r i e s t , a n d R o d i n w o u l d n o t h a v e o n e i n the h o u s e ; h e b e h e l d t h e m , a n d t h e b e l i e fs t h ey p r o f e s s e d , w i t h h o r r o r : n o t h i n g i n t h e w o r l d w o u l d h a v e i n d u c e d h i m to s u ff e r o n e to come n e a r h i s d a u ghte r ; to l e a d t h e g i r l to a confe s s o r w a s e q u a l l y i m p o s s i bl e : R o d i n n e v e r a l l o w e d R o s a l i e to g o a b ro a d un l e s s h e accomp a n i e d h e r . W e were t h e r e f o r e c o n s t r a i n e d to b i d e o u r t i m e u n t i l s o m e o c c a s i o n m i g h t p r e s en t i t s el f ; a n d w h i l e w e w a i t e d I i n s t r u c t e d t h e young p e r s o n ; by g i v i n g h e r a t a s t e fo r v i r tu e , I i n s p i r e d i n h e r a n o t h e :c f o r R e l i g i o n , I r e ve a l e d to h e r i t s s a c r e d d o gm a s a n d i t s subli m e mys te r i e s , a n d I s o intima tely a t t a c h e d t h e s e two s e n ti m e n t s to h e r you thful h e a r t t h a t I r e n d e r e d them i n d i s p e n s a b l e t o h e r l i f e ' s h a p p i n e s s .
" 0 M a de m o i s e ll e , " I s a i d one d a y , my e y e s w e l l i n g w i th t e a r s a t h e r compunction, " c a n m a n b l i n d h i m s e l f t o t h e p o i n t o f b e l i e v i n g th a t h e i s n o t d e s t i n e d to s o m e b e t t e r e n d ? I s n o t t h e f a c t h e h a s b e e n e n d o w e d wi th the c a p a ci ty o f consci o u s n e s s o f h i s G o d s u ffi c i e n t e v i d e n c e t h a t t h i s b l e s s i n g h a s n o t b e e n a c c o r d e d h i m s ave t o m e e t the r e s p o n s i bi l i t i e s it i m p o s e s ? Well, w h a t may b e the fou n d a t i o n of the v e n e r a t i o n w e o w e t h e E t e rn a l , if it is n o t t h a t v i r t u e o f w h i c h H e i s t h e exampl e ? C a n t h e C r e a to r o f s o m a ny wonders have other than good laws ? And c a n o u r h e a rts be p l e a s-
5 4 8 .. T H E MAR Q U I S DE SADE
ing u n to Him i f t h e i r e l e m e n t is not go o d ? It s e e m s t o me t h a t , f o r s e n s i t i v e s p i r i t s , t h e o n l y v a l i d m o t i v e s for l o v i n g th a t S u p r e m e B e i n g m u s t b e t h o s e gra t i t u d e i n s p i r e s . I s i t n o t a f a v o r t h u s t o h a v e c a u s e d u s to e n j o y t h e b e a u t i e s o f t h i s Un i v e rs e ? a n d do w e n o t owe H i m s o m e g r a t i t u d e in r e t u r n fo r s u c h a b l e s s i n g ? But a y e t s t r o n g e r r e a so n e s t a bl i s h e s , c o n f i r m s the u n i v e r s a l c h a i n o f o u r duti e s ; why s h o u l d w e r e f u s e to f ulfill t h o s e r e qu i r e d by H i s d e c r e e s , s i n c e t h e y a r e t h e v e ry s a m e w h i c h conso l i d a t e o u r h a p p i n e s s a m o n g s t m o r t a l s ? I s i t n o t s w e e t to feel t h a t o n e rend e r s o n e s el f w o r thy o f t h e Sup reme B e i n g s i rr ply b y p r a c t i c i n g t h o s e v i r tu e s w h i c h m u s t b ri n g a b o u t o u r conten tment o n e a r t h , a n d t h a t t h e m e a n s w h i c h r e n d e r u s w o r thy to l i v e a m o n g s t o u r b r e t h r e n a r e the i d e n t i c a l o n e s w h i c h give u s t h e a ss u r a n c e o f a rebi r t h , i n t h e l i fe s t i l l to come , c l o s e by t h e t h r o n e o f G o d ! A h , R o s a l i e ! how b l i n d a r e they who w o u l d s t r i v e to r a v i s h a w a y t h i s o u r h o p e ! Mistaken, b e n i g h t e d , s e d u c e d by t h e i r w r e tc h e d p a s s i o n s , t h e y p r e fe r t o d e n y e t e r n a l v e r i t i e s r a t h e r t h a n a b a n d o n w h a t m a y r e n d e r t h e m d e s e rv i n g o f t h e m . T h e y w o u l d r a t h e r s a y , ' T h e s e p e o p l e d e c e i v e u s , ' t h a n a d m i t th ey d e c e i v e t h e m s e l ve s ; t h e l i n g e r i n g t h o u gh t o f w h a t they a re p r e p a r i n g t h e m s e l v e s t o l o s e troubles t h e m i n t h e i r l o w r i o t a n d s p o r t ; i t s e e m s t o t h e m l e s s d r e a d ful t o a nn i h i l a t e h o p e o f H e a v e n , t h a n t o b e de p r i v e d o f wh a t woul d a c q u i r e i t f o r t h e m ! B u t w h e n t h o s e ty r a n n i c a l p a s s i o n s fi n a l l y w e a k e n a n d f a d e i n t h e m , w h e n t h e v e i l i � t o r n a w a y , ",· h e n t h e r e i s n o l o n g e r any t h i n g l e f t in t h e i r d i s l : a se-e a te n h e a r ts to c o u n t e r t h e i m p e r i o u s v o i c e o f t h a t G o d t h e i r d e l i r i u m d i s re g a r d i n gly m i s p r i z e d , O h R o s a li e ! w h a t m u s t i t b e , t h i s c r u e l awakeni n g ! a n d h o w m u c h i t s a c c o m p a n y i n g r e m o r s e m u s t i n fl a t e t h e p r i c e to be p a i d f o r the i n s t a n t ' s e r r o r that blin d e d t h e m ! S u c h is t h e condition wherein m a n h a s g o t t o b e i n o r d e r to c o n s t r u e h i s p r o p e r conduct : ' ti s n e i th e r w h e n i n drunkenn e s s , n o r w h e n i n t h e t r a n s p o r t p r o d u c e d by a b u r n i n g feve r , he ough to be b e l i e v e d or h i s s a y i n g s m a rk e d , b u t w h e n h i s r e a so n i s c a l r 1 e d a n d enj oys i ts f u l l l u c i d e n e rgy h e m u s t s e e k a f t e r t h e t r u t h , ' t s t h e n h e d i v i n e s a n d s e e s i t. ' T i s t h e n w i t h a l l o u r b e i n g w e y e a rr. a f t e r th a t S a c r e d One o f W h o m w e w e r e o n c e so n e gl e c t fu l ; we • mplo re H i m , H e beco m e s o u r w h o l e s o l a c e ; we p r ay to H i m , He h e a r s o u r e n t r e a t i e s . Ah , why t h e n s h o u l d I deny H i m , why s h o u l d I be u n h e e d i n g o f t h i s Obj ect so n e c e s s a ry to
Justine + 5 49
happiness ? Why should I prefer to say with the misguided man, There is no God, while the heart o f the reasoning p a rt o f human kind every instant offers me p roofs o f this Divine Being's exi stence ? I s it then better to dream amongst the m a d than righ tly to think with the wise ? All de rives nevertheless from this initial principl e : immedia tely there exists a God, this God deserves to be worshiped, and the primary basis of this worship indisputably is Virtu e . "
F r o m t h e s e elementary t ruths I e a sily deduced t h e others and the deistic Rosalie was soon made a C hristian. But by wh at means, I repe a t, could I j oin a l ittle pra ctice to the morality ? Rosalie , bound to obey her father, could at the very most do no more than display her disgu s t for him, a nd with a man like Rodin might that not become dangerous ? He was intractabl e ; not one of my doctrines p revailed against him ; but although I did not win him over, he for his part a t l e a s t did not shake me.
Howeve r, such an academy, dangers so p e rmanent, so real, caused m e to tremble for Rosalie, so much so in fact that I could not find myself in any wise gu ilty in engaging her to fly from this p e rverse household. It seemed to me that to snatch her from her incestuous father were a lesser evil. than to l e ave her p rey to all the r isks she must run by staying with him. I had already delicately hinted at the idea and perhaps I was not so v e ry far from success when all o f a sudden Rosalie vanished from the house ; all my efforts to find out where she was failed. �Then I interroga ted his women or Rodin himself I was told she h a d gone to pass the summer months with a relative who lived ten l eagues away. When I made inqui ries a round the n e i ghborhood, they w e r e a t fi rs t astonished to hear such a question from a member o f the household, then, as had Rodin and his domestics, they would answer th at she had been seen, everyone had bade her farewell the day before, the day she had left ; I received the same replies everywhere. I a sked Rodin why this depa r ture had been kept secret from me ; why had I not been al lowed to a ccomp any my mistress ? He a ssured me the uniqu e reason had been to avo i d a scene difficu l t for both Rosalie and me, and that I would certainly see the p erson I loved very soon. I had to be content with these answers, but it was more difficult to be con vinced of their t ruth. Was it presumable tha t Rosalie-and how gre a t was her affection for me I-could have consented to l eave me
5 5 0 + T H E MARQ UIH DE SADE
without so much as one word ? and according to what I knew o f Rodin's character, w a s t here n o t much to f e a r f o r t h e p o o r girl ' s fate ? I resolved t o empl oy every device to l e a rn wha t had become o f her, and in order to find out, every means seemed j ustifiable.
The following day, noticing I was alone in the house, I c are fully investigated every :orner o f it ; I though t I caught the sound of moans emanating from a very obscure cell a r . . . . I approached ; a pile of fi rewood seemed to be blocking a narrow door at the end of a passageway ; by removing the obstructions I am able to a d- vance . . . fu rther noise:; a r e to b e heard . . . I beli eve I detect a voice . . . I listen more ca r e fully . . . I am i n doubt no longer.
"Theres e , " I hear at last, "0 Therese, i s i t you ?" "Yes, my dear, my most tender fri end , " I cry, recognizing
Rosal i e ' s accents . . . . "Yes, 'tis Therese Heaven sends to your r escue . . . "
And my numerous questions scarcely allow this interesting gi rl time to reply. At l ength I l e a rn that several hours before her dis a p p e a rance, Rambeau , I:odi n ' s friend and colleague, h a d examined her naked and that she h a d received an order from her father to ready herself to undergo, at R ombeau's hands, the same horrors Rodin exp osed h e r to every day j that she had resi s ted j that Rodin, fu rious, had seized her and himself presented her to h i s com panion's frantic a ttacks j that, next, the two men h a d spoken to gether in whispers for a very long time, leaving her naked the whil e , and periodically renewing their p robings, they h a d con tinued to amuse thems el ves with her in the same criminal fashion and had maltreated her in a hundred different ways ; that, a fter this session, which had l a s ted four or five hours, Rodin had fi nally s a i d he was going to send h e r to the country to visit one o f her family, but that she mt st leave a t once and wi thout spe aking to Therese, for reasons he would explain the day a fterward, for he i n tended to j o i n h e r immedia tely. He had given Rosalie to under stand he meant to ma rry her and this accounted for the examination R ombeau had given her which was to determine whether she were cap able of becoming a m o ther. Rosalie had indeed left under an old woman's gu ardianship j ,he had crossed through the town, in p ass i n g s a i d farewell to sel' eral acquaintance s ; but immedia tely night h a d fal l e n , her conductress had led her back to her fath e r ' s house ;
Justine 5 5 1
she h a d entered a t midnight. Rodin, who was waiting for her, h a d s e i z e d h e r , h a d clapped h i s h and o v e r h e r mouth to sti fl e her voice and, without a word, h a d plunged her into thi s cellar where, in tru th , she h a d been decently well fed and looked a fter.
" I have everything to fea r , " the p o o r thing added ; "my f a ther's conduct tow a r d me since he put me here, his di scou rses, wha t p receded Romb e a u ' s examination, everything, Therese, eve ry· thing suggests that these monsters a r e going to u s e me in one o f t h e i r exp e riments, a n d t h a t your p o o r Rosalie i s doomed."
After copious tears h a d flowed from my eyes, I a sk e d the unhappy girl whether she knew where the key to the cellar w a s kep t ; s h e did not ; but she d i d not believe t h e i r custom was to take i t with them. I sought for i t everywhere ; i n vain ; and by the time the hour a rrived for me to retu rn upstairs I had been able to give the dear child no more by way o f aid than consoling words, a few hopes, and m a ny t e a rs. S h e made me swe a r to come b a ck the next day ; I promised, even assuring her that i f by that time I had dis covered nothing satisfactory regarding her, I would leave the house d i rectly, fetch the police and extricate her, at no m a tter wha t price, from the terrible fate threatening h e r .
I w e n t up ; Rombeau was diniing w i t h Rodin that evening. De termined to stick at nothing to cl arify my mistress' fate, I h i d myself n e a r the room where the two friends were a t table, and th e i r conversa tion w a s m o r e t h a n enough t o convince m e o f t h e horror o f the p roject wherewith both were occu p i e d .
I t w a s R o d i n who was sp e aking : "Anatomy will n e v e r re ach its ultimate state of perfection until an examination has been per formed upon the vaginal canal o f a fourteen- or fi fteen-year-old child who has expired from a cruel death ; it i s only from the contingent contraction we can obtain a complete analysis o f a so h ighly interesting part."
"The same holds tru e , " Rombeau r eplied, " fo r the hymeneal membrane ; w e must, o f course, find a young girl for the dissection. Wh at the deuce i s th ere to be seen a fter the age o f puberty ? noth ing ; the menstrual discha rges rupture the hymen, and all r e s e a rch is necessarily inexact ; your daughter i s p recisely what we need ; al though she i s fifteen, she is not yet m a tu r e ; the manner in which we have enj oyed her has done no damage to the membranous tissue,
5 5 2 .. T H E MARQU1 S DE SADE
and we will be able to handle her with complete immuni ty from interference. I am delig hted you have made up your mind at last."
"Oh, I certainly have," Rodin rej oined ; " I find i t odious tha t futile considerations ch,�ck t h e p rogress o f science ; did great men ever allow themselves t ::> be enslaved by such contemp tible chains ? And, when M ichelangel o wished to render a Christ a fter N a ture, did h e make the crucifix o n of a young man the occasion for a fi t o f remorse ? W h y no : he cop i e d the b o y i n h i s death agonies. But where i t i s a question o f the advance o f our art, how absolutely essential such means become I And how the evil in permitting them dwindles to insignificance ! Only think of i t I you sacrifice one , but you save a million, perhaps ; may one h esitate when the price is so modest ? Is the murder operated by the law o f a speci es differ· ent from the one we are going to perform ? and is not the purpose o f those laws, which a r e commonly found so wise, t h e sacrifice o f one i n order to save a thousand ?"
" B u t what other ,>Jay can one approach the problem ?" Rom beau demanded ; "then is certainly no other by which to obtain any i n fo rmation. In tho le hospitals where I worked as a young man I saw similar exp erimerts by the thousand ; but in view of the ties which attach you to thi l creature, I must confess I was afraid you would hesitate."
"What! because she i s my daughter ? A capital reason ! " Rodin roared, "and what rank do you then fancy this title must allot her i n my heart ? I place rO Jghly the same value ( weighing the matter very nic ely ) upon a litde semen which has hatched i ts chick, and upon that I am pleased to waste while enj oying myself. One h a s the power to take b a ck what one has given ; amongst no race that has ever dwelled upon earfl has there been any disputing the right to dispose o f one's children a s one sees fit. The Persians, the M edes , the Armenians, the Gre eks enjoyed this right in its fullest l atitude. The constitution decree d by Lycurgu s , that p a ragon o f l awgivers, not only accorded fathers every right ove r thei r offspring, but even condemned to death those children pa rents did not care to feed, o r thos e which were di sC(Jvered malfo rmed. A great p ropo rtion o f savage peoples kill thei r young immediately they a r e born. N e a rly all the women of Asi a , Africa, and America p ractice abortions, and are not for tha t reason covered wi th discredit ; Cook di scovered
Jus tin e .. 5 5 3
t h e custom w i d e s p r e a d in all t h e S o u th S e a i s l a n d s . Romulus p e r m i t t e d i n f a n t i c i d e ; the l a w o f the twelve tables s i m i la rly tol e r a te d i t a n d until t h e e r a o f Constantine t h e R o m a n s exp o s e d o r killed the i r c hil dre n with impunity . Ari stotle recommended t h i s p r e tended c r i m e ; t h e S t o i c s e c t regarded i t a s p r a i seworthy ; i t is still v e ry much i n use i n C h i n a . E v e ry day o n e counts, lying i n t h e streets and fl o a ti n g i n t h e canals of Peking, m o r e than ten thous a n d individuals immol a t e d o r abandoned by t h e i r p a r e n t s , a n d i n that w i s e ly governed emp i r e wha tever be t h e c h i l d ' s a g e , a f a t h e r n e e d but p u t i t i n to the h a n d s o f a j udge to b e r i d o f i t . Acco rding to t h e l a w s o f t h e P a rt h i a n s , o n e k i l l e d o n e' s s o n , one ' s d a u g h t e r , o r o n e ' s b r o t h e r , e v e n a t t h e a g e o f n u b i l i ty ; C a e s a r d i s c o v e r e d t h e c u s t o m universal amongst t h e G a u l s ; s e v e r a l p a s s a gc:s i n the Pentateuch p rove t h a t a m o n g s t t h e ch i l d r e n o f G o d o n e w a s allowed t o kill o n e ' s children ; a n d , fi n a lly, G o d H i m s e l f o r d e r e d Ab r a h a m to do j us t t h a t . I t w a s l o n g b e l i e v e d , d e cl a r e s a c e l e b r a t e d m o d e rn a u t h o r , t h a t t h e p r o s p e r i ty of e m p i r e s d e p e n d s upon the slavery of children ; this opinion i s s u p p o r t e d by the h e a l t h i e s t logic. Why I a m o n a rch will fancy h i m s e l f a u t h o r i z e d to s a c r i fi c e twc:nty or thi rty tho u s a n d of h i s subj ects i n a s i n gl e d a y to a c h i e v e h i s o w n e n d s , a n d a f a t h e r i s n o t t o b e a l l o w e d , whe n h e e s t e e m s i t p ro p i t i o u s , to become t h e m a s t e r o f h i s c h i l d r e n ' s l i v e s I W h a t absurdi ty I 0 folly I Oh w h a t i s t h i s i n c o n s i s tency, t h i s f e e b l e n e s s i n t h e m upon w h o m such c h a i n s a r e bin d in g I A f a t h e r ' s autho r i ty o v e r h i s c h i l d r e n , the only r e a l o n e , t h e on e th a t s e rv e s a s b a s i s to e v e ry o t h e r , th a t autho r i ty i s dictated to u s by t h e v o i c e of N a tu r e h e r s elf, a n d t h e intelligent study o f h e r o p e r a t i o n s p rovi d e s examp l e s o f i t a t e v e ry turn a n d i n s t a n t . Cz a r P e t e r w a s i n n o d o u b t a s to thi s r i g h t ; h e u s ed i t h a b i tu ally a n d a dd r e s s e d a publ i c d e cl a r a ti o n to all the o rd e r s of h i s e mp i r e , i n w h i c h h e s a i d t h a t , according to l a w s hum a n a n d divine , a f a t h e r h a d t h e e nti r e a n d a b s o l u t e right to s e n t e n c e h i s c h i l d r e n to d e a th , w i t h o u t a p p e a l a n d w i thou t consulti n g the o p i n i o n o f a nyone a t a l l . I t i s n o w h e r e but i n o u r o w n b a rb a r o u s F r a n c e t h a t a f a l s e a n d ludic r ous p i ty h a s p re s u m e d to sup p r e s s t h i s p r e r o ga tive. N o , " R o d i n p u r s u e d w i t h gre a t feeling, " n o , m y f r i e n d , I will n e v e r u n d e r s t a n d h o w a f a t h e r , who h a d t h e k i n d n e s s to p rovide i t w i t h l i f e , may n o t b e a t l i b e rty to b e s tow d e a th upon h i s i s s u e . ' T i s the r i d i c u l o u s v a l u e w e a t tach to t h i s l i fe w h i c h eterna l ly m a k e s us
5 5 4 .. THE MAR Q l ' I S DE SADE
s p e a k drivel about the kind of d e e d to which a man r e s o r t s i n o r d e r to d i sencumbe r h i m s e l f o f a f e l l o w c r e a t u r e . B e l i eving t h a t exi s t ence is the g r e a t e s t of all go o d s , we stupidly fancy we a r e doing s o m e t h i n g c r i m i n a l wh en we convey someone away from i t s enj oy ment ; but the c e s s a t i o n of t h i s existence, or at l e a s t w h a t follows it, is no more an evil than l i fe i s a good ; o r rather, if nothing d i e s , i f n o t h i n g i s d e s troyed , i f n o t h i n g i s l o s t to N a tu r e , i f all the d e comp o s e d p a r ts o f any b o d y w h a t s o e v e r m e r e l y a w a i t d i s solution to r e a pp e a r i m m e d i a te ly u n d e r new forms, how i n d i ff e rent i s this a c t o f murder ! a n d how d a r e one find any evil in i t ? In t h i s connec t i o n I ought to a ct accc rding to nothing but my own whim ; I ought to r e g a r d t h e t h i n g a l i very s i m p l e indeed, e speci ally so when it becomes n e c e s s a ry to an a c t o f such vital importance to m a nkind . . . when it c a n fu rni s h such a w e a l t h o f knowl edge : henceforth it i s a n e v i l no l o n g e r , my f r i e n d , i t i s no longer a c r i m e , n o , n o t a p e tty m i s d e m e a n o r , i t i s the b e s t , t h e w i s e s t , the m o s t u s e ful of a l l a c t i o n s , and c r i m e wou l d exist only i n r e fu s i n g o n e s e l f the p l e a su r e o f comm i t t i n g i t . "
" H a ! " s a i d Romheau , full of enthu s i a sm for t h e s e a p p a l l i n g m a x i m s , " I appl a u d y ' ) U , my d e a r f e l l o w , you r w i s d om ench a n t s m e , b u t your i n d i ff e rence i s a s ton i sh i n g ; I t h o u g h t you were amo rous-"
" I ? in love w i t h 1 g i rl ? . . . Ah, Rombeau ! I supp o s e d you knew m e b e t t e r ; I e rr ploy those c r e a tu r e s when I have n o t h i n g b e t t e r to h a n d : the ex :reme p e n c h a n t I h a v e for p l e a s u r e s o f t h e v a r i e ty you h a ve w a t c h e d m e t a s t e makes very p r e c i o u s to m e a l l t h e t e m p l e s a t which t h i s s o r t o f i n c e n s e c a n be o ff e r e d , a n d t o m u l t i p l y my d e v o t i o n s I s o m e t i m e s a s s i m i l a t e a l i ttle gi rl i n to a p r e tty l i t t l e boy ; but :;hould o n e of t h e s e f e m a l e p e r s o n a g e s un h a p p i ly n o u r i s h my i lusion for too long, my d i sgu s t becomes e n e r g e t i c ally m a n i f e s t , and I h a ve never found bu t o n e means to s a t i sfy it d e l i c i ously . . . you u n d e r s t a n d me , Romb e a u ; C h i l p e r i c , t h e m o s t voluptuous o f Franc e ' s k i n g s , h e l d the s a m e v i e w s . H i s b o i s t e r o u s o r g a n p r o cl : t i m e d a l o u d tha t i n an eme rgency o n e could m a k e u s e o f a w o m a n , but u p o n the exp r e s s c o n d i t i o n o n e extermi n a ted h e r i m m e d i a tely o n e h a d done with her.3 For fi v e years this
a Cf. a work e n t i t l e d T h e 1 -suits in F i n e FeWe.
Jus tine .. 5 5 5
l i ttle wench has been serving my pleasures ; the time h a s come for h e r to pay fo r my loss o f interest by the loss o f h e r existenc e . "
The meal e n d e d j f r o m those t w o m a dmen's behavi o r, from thei r w o r d s , th e i r a c t i o n s , thei r preparations, f r o m their very state, w h i c h b o r d e r e d u p on delirium, I was v e r y w e l l able to see th at there was not a moment to be lost, a n d that the hour o f the unhappy Rosal i e ' s des truction h a d been fixed for that evening. I rushed to the cell a r , resolved to deliver her o r die.
"0 d e a r frien d , " I cried, " there is n o t an instant to waste . . . the monsters . . . it is to be toni ght . . . they are going to come . . . . "
And upon saying that, I mak e the most violent efforts to b a tter down the door. One o f my blows dislodges something, I reach out my h and , i t is the key, I seize i t , I h asten to open the door . . . I embrace Rosalie, I u rge her to fly, I p romise to follow her, she springs forwa rd . . . Jus t Heaven I It was a gain decreed that Vi rtue was to succumb, and that sentimen ts of the tenderest commiseration were goi ng to be brutally punished j l i t by the governess, Rodin and Rombeau appeared of a sudden, the former grasped h i s daughter the i nstant she crossed the threshold o f the door beyond which, a few steps away, lay deliverance.
"Ah , wretch, where are you going ?" Rodin shouts, bringing her to a halt while Rombeau lays h ands upon me . . . . "Why , " he continues, glancing a t me, "here's the rascal who has encouraged your fl i gh t ! Therese, now we behold the results o f your great virtu ous p rinciples . . . the kidnaping of a daughter from her father I "
" C ertainly , " w a s m y steadfast reply, " and I must d o s o when that father is so b a rba rous as to plot against his daughte r's life."
"vVell, weIl l Espionage and seduction, " Rodin pursued ; " all a servant's most dangerous vices ; upsta irs, up with you, I say, the case requires to b e judged . "
Dragged b y the two villains, Rosalie and I are brought back to the apa rtments ; the doors are bolted. Th e unlucky daughter of Rodin is tied to the posts of a bed, and those two demoni acs turn all thei r r a ge upon me, thei r language is of the most violent, the sentence pronounced upon me appalling : i t is nothing less than a question o f a vivi section i n order to inspect the beating of my hea rt, and upon this o rgan to make obse rvati ons which cannot p r acti cably
5 5 6 .. THE MARQUW DE SADE
be made upon a cadaver. M e anwhile, I am undressed, and subj ected t o the most impudicious fondl ings.
" B e fore all else , " says Rambeau , "my opinion i s a stout attack ought to be delivered u p on the fortress your lenient p roceedings h ave respected . . . . W hy, 'tis superb ! do you m a rk that velvet texture, the whiteness o f : h o s e two hal f-moons defending t h e portal ! never was there a virgin o f such freshness."
"Vi rgin ! but so sh(� i s , o r nearly, " says Rodin, "once raped, a n d then i t w a s despite her wishes ; since then, untouched. Here, let m e take the wheel a m oment . . . " and the cruel one added to Rambeau ' s h i s homage made up o f those harsh and savage caresses which degrade rather tha n honor the i dol. Had whips been available I should have been cruell y dealt with ; whips were indeed mentioned, but none were found, they limited themselves to what the bare hand could achieve ; they s e t me afire . . . the more I struggled, the more rigi dly I was held ; when however I saw them about to undertake more serious matters, I flung myself p rostrate b e fore my execu tioners and o ff e r e d them my l i fe .
" B u t when you are n o longe r a virgin , " said Rombeau, "what i s the difference ? Wha t are these qualms ? we a r e only going to violate you as you have been already and not the least peccadillo will sit on your consci �nce ; you will have been vanquished by force . . . " and comfoning me in this manner, the i n famous one placed m e on a couch.
" N o , " spoke u p Rodin, interrupting his coll eagu e ' s effer vescence , of which I was on the brink o f becoming the victim, "no, let's not waste our powers with this creature ; remember w e cannot furth e r postpone the operati ons schedule d for Rosalie, and our vigor is necessary to carry them out ; l e t' s punish this wretch in some other manner."
Upon saying which , Rodin put a n i ron i n the fi re. "Yes," he went on, "let's punish h er a thousand times more than we would were we to take her l i fe, let's brand h e r ; this disgrace, j o in e d to all the sorry business about :ler body, will get her hanged i f she does not fi rst die of hunge r ; unt! then she will suffer, and our more pro longed vengeance will be come the more delicious."
Wherewith Rambe au seized m e , and the abomin able Rodin
Jus tine .. 5 5 7
applied behind my shoulder the red-hot i ro n with which thieves are marked.
"Let her dare app e a r in public, the whore, " the monster con tinued, exhibi ting the i gnominious l etter, "and I 'll sufficientl y justify my reasons fo r sending her out o f the door with such secrecy and p rompti tud e . "
T h e y bandage m e , d r e s s me , a n d fo rtify me w i t h a f e w drops of brandy , and under the cover o f night the two scientists conduct me to the fo rest' s edge and abandon me cruelly there a fter once again having sketche d what dange rs a recrimination would expose me to were I to dare bring complaint in my p resent state o f dis grace.
Anyone else might h ave been little impressed by the menace ; what would I h ave to fear as soon as I found the means to p rove that what I had j u s t suffered had been the work not of a tribunal but of criminal s ? But my weakness, my n a tu ral timidity, the fright ful memory o f . wh at I h a d undergone at Paris and recollections of the chateau de Bressac-i t all stunned me, terrified m e ; I thought only o f fl i ght, and was far more stirred by angu i s h at having to abandon an innocent victim to those two villains, who were without doubt ready to immolate her, than I was touched by my own ills. More i r r i t a t e d , m o r e a ffi i c t e d m o rally than i n p hys i c a l p a i n , I set off at once ; but, completely unoriented, never stopping to ask my way, I did but swing i n a circle a round Paris and on the fourth day of traveling I found I had got no furth er than Li eursaint. Knowing this road would lead me to the southern p rovinces , I re solved to follow i t and try to reach tho se distant regions, fancying to myself that the peace and calm so cruelly denied me i n those p a rts of France where I h a d grown u p were, perhaps, awaiting me in others more remote ; fatal erro r ! h ow much there remained of gri ef and p a i n yet to experi ence.
Whatever had been my trials until that time, at least I was i n possession o f my innocence. M e rely the victim o f a few monsters' a ttempts, I was still able to consider mysel f more o r less in the c ategory o f a n honest girl . The fact was I had never been truly soiled save by a rape operated five years earlier, and its traces had healed . . . a rape consummated at a n instant when my numbed state had not even left me the faculty of sensation. Other than that,
5 5 8 .. T H E MARQ t l S DE SADE
what w a s there with w tIich I could reproach mysel f ? Nothing, oh I nothing, doubtless ; and my heart was chaste , I was overweeningly p roud of i t , my p rest mption wa s to be punished ; the outrages awaiting me were to be such th a t i n a short while i t would no longe r be possible, however s i g h t h ad been my pa rticipation, for me to form the same comfo r t i n g ideas in the depths of my heart.
This time I h a d my entire fortune about me ; that i s to say, about a hundred crowns, comp rising the total of what I had saved from B ressac's clutches and e a rned from Rodin. I n my extreme misery I was able to fed gl a d that this money, at least, had not been taken from me ; I fl a ttered myself with the notion that th rough the frugality, temperance, and economy to which I was accustomed, this sum would amply suffice until I was so situated as to be able to find a place o f some sort. The execration they h a d j u s t stamped upon my flesh did not :;how, I imagined I would always b e able to disgu i s e it and th at this brand would be no bar to making my living. I was twenty-tw o yea rs old, i n good health, and had a face which, to my s o r ro w , ,, ' a s t h e obj e c t o f eulogi e s a l l t o o frequen t ; I possessed some virtues which, although they h a d brough t me un remitting i nj u ry , nevertheless, as I have just told you, were my whole consol a tion anc caused me to hope that Heaven would finally grant me, if not rewa rds, a t least some susp ension o f the evils they had d rawn clown upon me. Ful l o f hope and cou rage, I kept my ro a d until I g a ined Sens, where I rested several days. A week o f this a nd I w a s enti rely restored ; I might perhaps h ave found work in that cit:, but, p enetrated by the necessity o f getting further away, I resurIH'd my j ou rneying with the design of s eekin g m y fortune in Dauphine j I had heard this p rovince much spoken o f, I fancied happiness a ttended m e ther e , and w e are going to s e e w i t h w h a t succe ss I s o u g h t i t out.
N eve r, not in a single one of my l i fe ' s ci rcumstances, had the sentiments o f Religion deserted me. Despising the vain casuistries o f strong-h e a d e d think,�rs, believing them all to emanate from liber tin age rather than con ;equent upon fi rm persuasion, I had dressed my conscience a n d my heart against them and, by means o f the one and the other, I had fo und what was needed i n order to make them stout reply. By my m i s fortunes o ften forced to neglect my pious
Ius tine + 5 5 9
duties, I would make r eparation for these faults whenever I could find the opportunity.
I had just, on the 7th o f August, left Auxerre ; I shall never forget that date. I had walked abou t two l e a gues : the noonday heat beginning to incommode m e, I climbed a l ittle eminence crowned by a grove of trees ; the place was not far removed from the road, I went there with the purpose of refreshing myself and obtaining a few hours o f sleep without having to pay the expense o f an inn, and up there I was i n greater sa fe ty than upon the high way. I establ i shed myself at the foo t o f an oak and, a fter a frugal lunch, I dri fted off into sweet sleep . Well did I rest, for a consider able time, and in a state o f complete tranquillity ; and then, opening my eyes, it was with gre a t pleasure I mused upon the landscape which was visible for a long distance. From out o f the m iddle of a fo rest that extended upon the right, I thought I could detect, some three o r four leagues from where I was, a Ii ttle bell tower rising modestly into the air . . . . " B eloved sol i tude," I murmured, "what a desire I have to dwell a time in thee ; and thou a f a r , " said I, ad dressing the abbey, " thou must b e the a sylum of a few gentle, virtuous recluses who are occupied. with none but God . . . with naught but their pious duties ; o r a retre at unto some holy hermits devoted to Religion alone . . . men who, far removed from that p e rnicious society where incessant crime, brooding heavily, threat fully over innocence, degrades i t, annihilates i t . . . ah I there must all vi rtue s dwell, of that I am certain, and when mankind's crimes exile them out o f the world, 'tis thith er they go i n that i solated place to commune with the souls of those fortunate ones who cher ish them and cultivate them every day."
I was absorbed in these thoughts when a girl o f my age, keeper of a flock o f sheep grazing upon the plateau, suddenly appeared before my eyes ; I question her about that habitation, she tells me what I see i s a B enedictine monastery occupi e d by four solitary monks of peerless devo tion, whose continence and sobriety are wi th out example. Once a year, s ays the girl, a pilgrimage is made to a miraculous Virgin who is there, and from Her pious folk obtain all their h e arts' desire. Singu l a rly eager immedi a tely to go and implore aid at the feet o f this holy Mother of God, I a sk the girl
5 6 0 + T H E MARQt I S DE SADE
whether she would l ike to come and pray with me ; ' t i s impossible, she repli es, fo r her mother awa i ts h e r ; but the road there is easy . She indicates i t to m e , s h e as sures m e t h e supe rior o f the h o u s e , the most respectabl e, the most s a i n tly o f m en, will receive me with p e r fect goo d grace and will offer me all the aid wh ereof I can poss ibly stand in need. " Dom Severino, so h e is call e d , " continues the girl, "is an I talian c losely related to th e Pop e , who overwhelms him with kindnesse s ; he is gentl e , honest, correct, obliging, fi fty-fi ve years old, and has spen t above two-thi rds o f his l i fe in France . . . you will be satisfied with h i m , M a d emoi sell e , " the shepherdess concluded, "go and edi :=y yourself in that sacred q u i e t , and you will only return from i t imp roved."
This recital only i n fl amed my zeal the more, I be c a m e unable to resist the violen.t desire I felt to pay a vi sit to this hallowed church and there , by a few acts of piety, to make restitution for the neglect whereo f I ,"as gu ilty. However great was my own n e e d of chariti es, I g a v e th e g i rl a crown, a n d set o ff d o w n the road l e a d i n g to S a i n t M a ry -in-th e-Wood, a s w a s c a l l e d t h e m o n a s t e ry towa rd which I d i rectd my step s.
When I h a d descended upon the plain I could see the spire n o more ; f o r gt;ide I hac nothing b u t t h e forest a h e a d o f m e , a n d before long I began t o fe ar t h a t t h e distance, of wh i ch I had for gotten to i n form mysel f, was f a r greater than I h a d estimated a t first ; b u t w a s i n nowise discouraged. I a r rived a t the edge o f the forest and, some amou n t o f daylight still remaining, I decided to forge o n , considering I should be able to reach the monastery before nightfall . Howe ver, not a hint of human l i fe presented itself to my gaze, not a hous e, and all I h a d for road was a beaten p a th I followed virtually at random ; I h a d already walked at least five l ea gu e s without seeing a thing when, the Star having completely ceased to light the univ erse, i t seemed I heard the tolling o f a bell . o 0 0 I h a rken, I move toward the sound, I h a s ten, the path widens ever so littl e , a t l a s t I perceive several hedges and soon a fterward the monastery ; than thi s isolation nothing coul d be wilder , more rustic, there i s n o neighboring habi tation, the nearest i s six l e a gues removed, and dense tracts of forest surround the house on all sides ; it was situated in a depression, I h a d a goodly distance to descend i n order to get to it, and this was the rea son I had lost sight of the
lus tine .. 5 6 1
tower ; a gardene r ' s c abi n nestled a g a i n s t the m o n a s t e ry's walls ; i t w a s th e r e o n e appl i e d b e fo r e e n t e r i n g . I d e m a n d e d o f t h i s gate keeper w h e th e r i t were p e rm i tt e d t o speak to t h e sup e r i o r ; h e asked to b e i n fo rm e d of my e r r a n d ; I a dvi s e d h i m th a t a religious duty had d rawn me to this holy r e fu g e a n d th a t I would b e well r ep a i d f o r a l l t h e trouble I h a d exp e r i e n c e d t o g e t t o i t w e r e I a b l e t o kneel a n i n s t a n t b e f o r e t h e f e e t o f t h e m i r a cu l o u s Virgin a n d t h e s a intly eccl e s i a stics i n w h o s e h o u s e t h e divine i m a g e w a s p r e s e rv e d . The g a r d e n e r r i n gs a n d I p e n e t r a t e into the m o n a s t e ry ; b u t a s the h o u r i s a dv a n c e d a n d t h e f a t h e r s a r e at supp e r , he i s some t i m e i n returning. A t l a s t h e r e a p p e a r s wi th o n e o f t h e m onks :
" M a d e m o i s e l le , " says h e , " h e r e i s D o m C l e m e n t , steward to t h e h o u s e ; he h a s c o m e to s e e w h e t h e r w h a t you d e s i r e m e r i ts i n ter rup t i n g the sup e r i o r . "
C l e m e n t , w h o s e n a m e could n o t conceivably h a v e b e e n l e s s d e s c r i p ti v e o f h i s phys i o gnomy, w a s a m a n o f f o r ty- e i g h t y e a r s , o f a n e n o r m o u s bulk, o f a g i a n t ' s s t a tu r e ; s o m b e r w a s h i s exp r e s s i o n , fi e rce h i s eye ; t h e o n l y words h e s p ok e w e r e h a r s h , a n d they w e r e exp e l l e d by a raucou s v o i c e : h e r e w a s a s a ty r i c p e r s o n a g e i n d e e d , a tyr a n t ' s exterio r ; h e m a d e me tremble . . . . And t h e n d e s p i t e all I c o u l d do to sup p r e s s i t , t h e remembrance o f m y o I d m i s e r i e s r o s e to s m i t e my t r o u bl e d m e m o ry i n t r a i ts o f b l o o d . . . .
" W h a t d o you w a n t ( " the monk a s k e d m e ; h i s a i r w a s surly, his mien g r i m ; "is t h i s the hour to come to a church ( • . . I n d e e d , you h ave the a i r o f a n a dventu r e s s . "
" S a intly m a n , " s a i d I , p r o s t r a ti n g myself, " I b e l i e v e d i t w a s always t h e h o u r t o p r e s e n t o n e s e l f a t Go d ' s d o o r ; I h a v e h astened from f a r o ff to a rr i v e h e r e ; full o f fervor a n d devotion, I a s k to c o n f e s s , if it i s possible, a n d when w h a t my conscience contains i s known t o y o u , you will s e e whethe r o r n o t I a m w orthy t o humble myself at t h e f e e t o f t h e holy i m a g e . "
" B u t t h i s i s n o t the t i m e for c o n f e s s i on , " s a i d t h e m o n k , h i s m a n n e r s o f t e n i n g ; " w h e r e a r e y o u g o i n g to spend t h e n i g h t ? W e h av e n o h o s p i c e . . . i t w o u l d h a v e b e e n b e t t e r to h a v e come i n the morning." I gave h i m the r e a so n s w h i c h had prevented m e from d o i n g s o and, without reply i n g , C l e m e n t w e n t t o rep o r t to the sup e r i o r . S e v e r a l m i n u t e s la t e r the church was opened, Dom
5 6 2 + T H E MARQ G . S DE SADE
Severino himself appro< ched me, and invited me to enter the temple with him.
Dom Severino, o f whom i t would be best to give you an idea a t once, was, a s I h a d :>een told, a man o f fi fty-five, but endowed with handsome feature:;, a still youthful quality, a vi go rous phys i qu e , herculean limbs, and all that without harshn ess ; a certain elegance and pliancy re gned over the whole and suggested th a t in his young years h e mu:;t have possessed all the traits which con stitute a splendid man. There were in all the world no finer eyes than his ; nobili ty shont i n his features, and the most genteel, the most courteous tone was there throughout. An agreeable accent which colored every o n e o f his words enabled one to i dentify h i s Italian origin a n d , I a d m i t it, t h i s monk's outward graces did much to dispel the alarm the other h a d caused me.
" My dear girl," said h e very graciously, " although the hour is unseasonable and thou g h i t i s not our usage to receive so l a te , I will however hear your con:=ession, and a fterward we will confer upon the means whereby you may pass the night in decency ; tomorrow you will be able to bow down b e fore the sacred image which brings you here. "
We enter the chu r ch ; the doors are closed ; a lamp is l i t near the confessional. Severino bids me a ssume my place, he sits down and requests me to tell him everything with complete confidence.
I was p e r fectly a t ease with a man who seemed so mild mannered, so full of g entle sympathy. I disguised nothing from him : I con fessed all Illy sins ; I related all my miseries ; I even uncovered the shameful m a rk wherewith the barba ric Rodin had branded me. Severino li stened to everything with keenest attention, he even h a d me repeat several details, wearing always a look of p i ty and o f interest ; bl t a few movements, a few words b etrayed him nevertheless-ala s ! it was only a fterward I pondered them thoroughly. Later, wh e n able to reflect calmly upon this inte rview, i t was impossible not to remember th a t the monk had several times permi tted h imsel f cert<.in gestures which dramati z e d the emotion th at had he avy entranc e into many o f the questions he put to m e , and those inquiries not only halted complacently and lingered lovingly over obscene details, but had borne with noticeable in sistence upon the following five points :
Justine *' 5 6 3
1 . Wheth er i t w e r e really so that I were an orphan a n d h a d b e e n born in P a r i s . 2 . Whether i t were a certa inty I were b e r e f t o f k i n a n d h a d neither friends, n o r protection, n o r , in a word, anyone to whom I could write. 3. Whether I had confi ded to anyone, other than to the shepherdess who had p ointed out the monastery to me, my purpose in going there, and whether I h a d not arranged some rendezvous upon my retu rn . 4. Whether it were certain that I h a d known n o one since m y r a p e , and whether I w e re fully s u r e t h e man who had abused m e had done s o on the side N a ture condemns as well a s on the side s h e p e rmits. 5. VV"hether I thought I had not been followed and whether anyone , according to my belief, m i gh t have observed me enter the monastery.
After I had answered these questions in all modesty, with gre a t sincerity, and most naively :
"Very well , " s a i d the monk, r i sing and taking me by the hand, "com e, my child, tomorrow I shall procure you the sweet satisfac tion of communing a t the feet of the image you have come to visi t ; let u s begin by supplying your primary needs," and he l e d me toward the depths o f the church . . . .
"Why I " s a i d I , sensing a vagu e i n quietude arise in me despite myself, "what i s this, Father ? Why a r e we going inside ?"
"And where else, my charming pilgrim ?" answered the monk, introducing m e into the sacristy. "Do you really f e a r to spend the night with four saintly anchorites ? Oh, w e shall find the means to succor you, my dearest angel, and if we do not procure you very gre a t p l e a sures, you will at least s e rve ours in the i r most extreme amplitude." These words sent a thrill o f horror through me ; I burst o u t in a cold sweat, I fell to shivering ; it was night, no light guided our footsteps, my terri fied imagi n a tion raised up the specter o f death brandishing its scythe ove r my head ; my kn ees were buck ling . . . and a t this point a sudden s h i ft occurred in the monk' s speech. He j e rk e d me upright and hissed :
"Whore, pick up your feet and get along ; no complaints, don't try resi stance, not here, i t would b e useless."
These cruel words restore my strength, I sense that i f I falter I am doomed, I straigh ten myself. " 0 Heaven I " I say to the traitor, "must I then be once again my good sentiments' victim,
5 64 .. T H E MARQU IS DE SADE
must the desire to app roach what is most respectable In Religion be once again punished as a crime I . . . "
We continue to walk, we enter obscure byways, I know not where I am, where I am going. I was advancing a pace ahead of Dom S everino ; his bre athing was labored, words flowed incoher ently from h i s lips, one might have thought he was d runk ; now and again h e stopped me, tNined his left a rm about my waist while his right hand, sliding ben.!ath my ski rts from the rear, wandered im pudently over th at uns� emly p a r t of ourselves which, likening us to men, i s the unique obj e : t o f the homages of those who prefer that sex for their shameful pleasures. Several times the libertine even dared apply h i s mouth to these areas' most secluded l a i r ; and then we recommenced our march. A stairway appears before u s ; we climb thi rty steps o r f o rty, a door opens, brightness dazzles my eyes, we eme rge into a cha rmingly appointed, magnificently illu minated room ; there , I see three monks and four girls group ed a round a table served ' )y four other women, completely naked. At the spectacle I recoil , t re mbling ; S e v e r i n o shoves me forward over the threshold and I am in the room with him.
" Gentlemen, " say , he a s we enter, " allow me to present you with one of the veritable wonders of the worl d , a Luc retia who simultaneously carries upon her shoulder the mark sti gma tizing gi rl s who are of evi l npllte, and, in her consci ence, all the candor, all the naivete o f a viq;in . . . . One lone violation, friends, and that six years ago ; hence, p ractically a vestal . . . indeed , I do give her to you a s such . . . the most beauti ful, moreover . . . Oh Clement ! how that chee rless Coulltenance of yours will light up when you fall to work on those handsome masses . . . what elasticity, my good fellow I what rosiness I "
"Ah, fuck I " cried the half-intoxicated Clement, getting t o his feet and lu rching tow< rd me : "we are pleas antly met, and l e t us verify the facts."
I will leave you fo r the briefest possible time in suspense about my situation, Madame, said Therese, but the necessity to portray these other p ersons i n whose midst I discovered myself obliges me to interrup t the thread of my story. You have been made acquainted with Dom Severino, y ou suspect what may be his predilections ;
Justine + 5 6 5
alas I i n these a ff a i rs h i s depravation was such h e h a d never tasted o th e r p l e a su r e s-and what an inconsis tency in N a tu r e ' s operations was h e r e I for with the b i z a rr e fantasy o f choosing none but the straiter p a th , thi s monster w a s outfitted with faculties so gigantic that even the b r o a d e s t thoroughfares would still have a p p e a r e d too n a rrow for h i m .
As for C l ement, h e h a s b e en drawn for y o u alre a dy . To t h e sup erficies I h a ve d e l i n e a t e d , j o i n f e ro c i ty, a d i s p o s i t i o n t o s a r c a s m , the most dangerous roguishness, intemp erance i n every p o i n t , a mordant, s a t i r i c a l mind, a corrupt h e a r t , the cruel tastes Rodin displayed with h i s young charges, no feelings, no delicacy, no reli gion, the temperament o f one who for five y e a r s had n o t been i n a state to procure h i m s e l f o t h e r j oys than those fo r w h i c h s a v a gery gave him an appeti te-and you h ave there the most complete c h a r a cteri z a tion o f t h i s horri d m a n .
Antoni n , the third protagonist in these detestable o r g i e s , w a s forty ; s m a l l , s l i g h t o f f r a m e but very v i g o r o u s , a s f o r m i d ably organi z e d a s Severino and almost a s wicked a s Clement ; a n enthu s i a s t o f that coll e a gu e ' s p l e a su r e s , b u t giving h i m s e l f over to them with a somewh a t less m a l i gnant intention ; f o r while C l ement, when exerc ising th i s curious m a n i a , had no obj ective but to vex, to tyran nize a woman, a n d could not enj oy her i n any other way, Antonin using i t w i t h delight in all its n a tu r a l p u r i ty , had recou r s e to the fl a gellative aspect only i n o r d e r to give a dditional fire a n d fu rther ene rgy to her whom h e w a s h on o r i n g with his favo r s . I n a word, one w a s brutal by t a s t e , the other b y refine ment.
Jerome, the eldest o f the four reclu s e s , was also the most de bauch e d ; every t a s t e , every p a ss i o n , every one o f the most bestial i rregul a r i t i e s were combined in th i s monk ' s soul ; to the caprices rampant i n the o t h e r s , h e j o ined t h a t o f loving to receive w h a t his comrades d i stributed amongst the girls, and i f h e gave ( wh i c h fre quently happene d ) , it was always upon condition of being treated likewise i n h i s turn : all the temples o f Venu s were, w h a t w a s more, a s one to h i m , but h i s powers were beginning to decl i n e and for several y e a r s h e h a d preferred that wh ich, requ i ring no effort of the agent, l e f t to the p a tient the task o f a rousing the sensations and o f producing the ecstasy. The mouth was h i s favorite templ e , the shrine where he liked best to o ff e r , and while h e w a s i n the pursu i t
5 66 .. T H E MARQU: S Df: SADE
of those choice pleasur.!s, he would keep a second woman active : she warmed him with t b e lash. Thi s man's character was quite a s cunning, qui te a s wicked a s t h a t o f t h e others j in whatever shape o r aspect vice could exh b i t itself, certain i t was immedi a tely to find a spectator in thi s infernal household. You will understand i t more easily, M adame, i f I e� plain how the society was organi zed. Pro digious fund s h a d been Joured by the Order into this obscene insti tution, i t had been i n exi stence for above a century, and h a d always been inhabited by the fc,ur rich e s t monks, the most powerful i n the Order' s hierarchy, they of the highest birth and o f a libertinage of sufficient moment to require burial in this obscure retreat, the disclosure o f whose secr e t was well provi ded against as my further explanations will cause you to s e e in the sequel j but let u s return to the portraits.
The eight girls who were present at the supper were so much separated by age I canr.ot describe them collectively, but only one by one j that they were ; 0 unlike with respect to their years aston ished me-I will speak �rst of the youngest and continue in order.
This youngest one of the girls was sca rcely ten : pre tty but i rregu l a r features, a look of humil i a tion because o f her fate, a n a i r o f s o r r o w and trepidation.
The second was fi fteen : the same trouble wri tten over her countenance , a quality of modesty degraded, but a bewi tch ing face, of considerable interest all in all.
The third was twenty : pretty a s a picture , the loveliest blond h a i r j fine, regular, gentl e features j she app eared less restive, more b roken to the saddle.
The fou rth was thirty : she was one of the most b e auti ful women imaginable j candor, quality, decency in her bearing. a n d a l l a gentle spirit's virtues.
The fi ft h was a girl of thirty-six, six months pregnant j da rk haired, very lively, with beautiful eyes , but having, so it seemed to me, l o s t all remorse, all decency, all restraint.
The sixth w a s of the same age : a tall creature o f grandiose propo rtions, a true giantess, fair o f face but whose fi gure was a l r e a dy ruined in excess fl e s h j when I first saw her she was naked, and I was rea dily able to notice that not one p a rt o f her body w a s
Jus tine + 5 6 7
unstamped b y signs o f t h e brutality o f those villains whose pleasures h e r unlucky star had fated her to serve.
The seventh and eighth were two very lovely women o f about forty.
Let us continue with the story o f my a rrival i n this impure place.
I did tell you th at no sooner had I entered than each one approached me : Clement was the most brazen, his foul lips were soon glued to my mouth ; I twi sted away in horror, but I was ad vised all resistance was pure a ffectation, pretense, and useless ; I should do best by imitating my companions.
"Y ou may without difficulty imagine, " declared D om Severino, " that a recalcitrant a ttitude will be: to no purpose in this inaccessible retreat. You have, you say, undergone much suffering ; but that greatest o f all woes a virtuous girl can know i s yet missing from the c atalogu e o f your troubles. I s it not h igh time that lo fty pride be humbled ? and may one still expect to be nearly a virgin a t twenty two ? You see about you companions who, upon entering here, like you rself thought to resist and who, as p rudence will bid you to do, ended by submitting when they noticed tha t s tubbornness could lead them to incur p enalties ; for I might just as well declare to you , Th erese ," the superior continued , showing me scourges, fe rules, withes, cords, and a thousand other instruments of torture, "yes, you mi ght just a s well know i t : there you see wha t we use upon unmanageable girls ; decide whether you wish to be convinced. What do you expect to find here ? M ercy ? we know it not ; humaneness ? our sole pleasure i s the violation of i t s laws. Religion ? 'tis as naught to us, our contempt for it grows the better acquainted with i t we becom e ; allies . . . kin . . . friends . . . judge s ? there's none of that in this place, dear girl, you will di scove r nothing but cruelty, egoism, and the most sustained debauche:�y and impiety. The completest submissiveness i s your lot, and that i s all ; cast a glance about the impenetrable a sylum which shelters you : never has an outsider inva ded these premises : the monaste ry could be taken, searched, s acked, and burned, and this retreat would still be perfectly safe from discovery : we are in an isolated outbuilding, a s good as buried within the six walls o f incredible thickness surrounding us enti rely, and here you are, my child, in the midst of four libertines who
5 6 8 + THE MARQ U I S DE SADE
surely have no inclinati ::m to spare you and whom your entreaties, your tears, your speeches, your genufl ections, and your outcries will only further inflame. To whom then will you have recou rse ? to what ? Will i t b e to th a t God you h ave j u s t implored with such earnestness and who, hr way o f reward for you r fervo r, only p re cipitates you into further snares, each more fatal than the l a s t ? to that illu sory God we ou rselves outrage all day long by insulting h i s v a i n commandments ? . . . A n d s o , Therese, y o u conceive t h a t there i s n o power, o f whatever species you may suppose, which could possibly deliver you ou t o f o ur hands, and there i s neither in the c ategory of things real nor i n that of miracles, any sort o f means which might p e rmit you successfully to retain this virtu e you yet glory in ; which might, in fine, p revent you from becoming, in every sense and in every manner, the p rey of the libidinous excesses to which w e , all fou r o f W I , are going to abandon ourselves with you . . . . Therefore, li ttle slut, off with your clothes, offer your body to our lusts, let i t be soiled by them instantly or the severest treatment will prove to you wha t risks a wre tch like you rself runs by dis obeying u s . "
This h a rangue . . . t h i s terrible o r d e r , I felt, left me n o shi fts, but would I not have been gu ilty h ad I failed to employ the means my h e a r t p rompted i n me ? my s i tu ation left m e this l a s t resource : I fall a t Dam Severino ' s feet, I employ all a desp a i ring soul ' s elo quence to supplicate him not to take advantage o f my state o r abuse i t ; the b i tterest tears spring from my eyes and inundate his kne es, all I imagine to b e o f th e strongest, all I beli eve the most p a thetic, I try everything with thi , man . . . . Great God I what was the use ? could I h ave not known that tears m erely enhance the obj ect of a libertine's cove ting ? how wa s I able to doubt that everything I at tempted in my efforts t(1 sway those savages had the unique effect o f arousing t h e m . . . . "Take t h e bitch," said S everino in a rage, " s e i z e h e r , Clement, let her be n a k e d in a minute, and let her learn that i t i s not in persons l i k e ou rselves that comp assion sti fles N a ture." M y resistance h a d anim a ted Clement, he was foaming at t h e mouth : h e took h o l d o f me, his a r n shook n ervously ; interspersing h i s actions with appalling blasphemies, h e had my clothing torn away in a trice.
"A lovely creatu r e , " came from the superior, who ran h i s
Jus tin e + 5 69
fingers over my fl anks, "may God blast me i f I 've ever seen one better made ; friends, " the monk pursued, "let' s put order into our procedure s ; you know our formul a for welcomin g n ewcomers : she m i gh t be expos e d to the entire ce remony, don' t you think ? let's omit nothing ; and let' s have the eight other women stand a round u s to supply our wants and to exci te them . "
A ci rcle i s formed immedia tely, I am placed in its center and there, for more than two hou rs, I a m inspected, consi dered, handled by those four monks, who, one a fter the other, p ronounce either encomiums or criticisms.
You will permit me, M adame, our lovely prisoner said w i th a blush, to conceal a p a r t o f the obscene details of this odious ritual ; allow your imagination to figure all that debauch can dictate to villains in such instance s ; allow it to see them move to and fro b e tween my companions and me, comp aring, confronting, contrast ing, airing opinions, and indeed it still will not h ave but a faint i d e a o f what w a s d o n e in t h o s e i n i t i a l orgies, very m i l d , to b e s u r e , when m a tched against all the horrors I was soon to experience.
" Le t ' s to it," says Severino, whose p rodigiously exalted desires will brook no furthe r restraint and who in this dreadful state gives the impression o f a tiger about to devour its p r ey, "let each o f us a dvance to take his favorite pleasure." And placing m e upon a couch in the p ostu r e expected by hi s execrable p roj ects and causing m e to be held by two o f his monks , the infamous man a ttempts to satisfy himself in that criminal and p e rverse fashion which m akes us to resemble none but the sex we do not possess while degrading the one w e have ; but eith e r the shameless creature i s too strongly p roportioned, or N a ture revolts i n me at the mere suspicion o f these pleasures ; Severino cannot overcome t h e obstacles ; he p re sents himself, and he i s repulsed immedia tely . . . . He spreads, he presses, thrusts, tears, all his efforts are i n vain ; in his fury the monster lashes out a gainst the altar at which he cann o t speak his p r ayers ; he strikes it, h e pinches it, he b i tes i t ; these brutalities a re succeeded by renewed challenges ; the chastened fl e s h yields, the ga te cedes, the ram bursts through ; terrible screams rise from my throat ; the entire mass is swi fty engulfed, and darting i ts venom the next moment, robbed then o f its strength, the snake gives
570 + THE MARQUIS DE SADE
ground before the movements I make to expel it, and Severino weeps with rage. Never in my l i fe have I suffered so much.
Clem en t steps forward; he is arme d with a cat-o'-nine- tails; his perfidious designs gl i tter in his eyes .
" ' T i s I," says h e to Severino, " 'tis I w h o shall avenge you, Father, I shall correct thi s silly d rab for having resisted your pleasures." H e has no need o f anyone else to hold me; with one a rm he enlaces m e and f orces me, belly down, across h i s knees; what i s going to s e rve his cn rices is n icely discovered. At first, he tries a few blows, i t seems they are merely intended a s a prelude ; soon inflamed by lust, the beast strikes with all his force; nothing i s exempt from h i s ferocity; everything from the small o f m y back to the lower part of my thighs, the traitor l ays cuts upon i t all ; daring to mix love with these moments of cruelty, he fastens h i s mouth to mine and wishes to inhale the sighs a gony wrests from me . . . my tears fl ow, he laps then up, now h e kisses, now he thre a tens, but the rain o f blows continues ; while h e operates, one o f the women excites him; kneeling hefore hi m, she works with each hand a t diverse t asks; the greater her success, the more violent the strokes delivered me; I am nig h to being rent and nothing yet announces the end of my suffering! ; h e has exhausted ev ery possibility, still h e drives on ; t h e end I awa i t is t o b e t h e work o f h i s delirium alone ; a new cruelty stiffens him : my brea sts are a t the b rute's me rcy, h e i rri tates them, uses his teeth u p o n them, t h e cannibal snaps, bi tes, this excess determines the crisis , the incense escapes him. Frightful cries, terrifying blaspht mies, shouts characteri ze its spu rtings, and the monk, enervated, t� rns m e over to Jerome.
" I will be no more of a thre a t to your vi rtue than Clement was," said this libertine a s h e caressed the blood-spattered altar a t which Clement h a d j u st sacrificed, "but I should indeed like t o kiss the furrows where the plow passed; I too am worthy to open them , and should like to p ay �hem my modest respects ; but I should l ike even more, " went on th,: old saty r , inserting a finger where Severino h a d lodged himself, "I should like to have the hen lay, and 'twould be most agreeable to d,!vour its egg .. . does one exi st ? Why, yes indeed, by God! • • . Oh, my dear, dear l ittle girl I how very s o ft . . . "
His mouth takes th e place of his finge r . . . I am told what I
Jus tine 4- 5 7 1
have to do, full of disgust I do it. In my si tuation, alas, am I per mitted to refuse? The infamous one is delighted . . . h e swallows, then, fo rcing me to kneel before him, he glues himself to me in this position; his ignominous p assion is appeased in a fashion tha t can not justify any complaint on my part. While he acts thus, the fat woman /logs him , another puts herself directly above his mouth and a cqui ts herself of the same task I have jus t been obliged to execute .
. , 'Ti s not enough ," says the monster, " e ach one of my hands has got to contain ... for on e cannot get one's fill of these goodies." The two prettiest girls a pproach; they obey : there you have the excesses to which satiety h a s led }tSrome. At any rate, thanks to impuri ties he i s happy, and at the end of half an hour, my mouth finally receives, with a loathing you must rea dily appreci a te, thi s evil man's disgusting homage.
Anton in appe ars. "\Vell , " s ays he, " l e t's have a l ook at this so very spotle s s virtue; I wonder whether, damaged by a s ingle assault, it i s really what the girl maintains." His we apon is raised and trained upon m e j he woul d willingly employ Cl ement' s devices: I have tol d you that active fl agellation pleases him qui te as much as it does the other monk but, as he i s in a hurry, the state in which his coll e a gue h a s put me suffices him : h e examines this s tate, relis hes it, and l eaving me in tha t attitude of which they a r e all so fond. he spends an instant p awing the two hemispheres poi sed at t h e en trance ; in a fury, he ra ttles the templ e ' s porticos, he i s soon a t the sanctua ry j al though quite as violen t as Severino' s, An tonin's as s aul t, l aunched against a less n a r row p a ssage, is not a s p a i nful to endure j the energetic a thlete seizes my haunches and, supplying the movements I am unable to make, he shakes m e , pull s me to him vivaciously ; one might j udge by this Hercules' r edoubling efforts th a t , not content to be master of the place, h e wishes to reduce it to a shambles. Such terrible a ttacks, so new to m e , cause me to succumb j but unconcerned for my pain, th e cruel victor thinks of nothing but increasing h i s ple a sure ; everything embraces, every thing conspires to his voluptuousness; facing h i m , raised upon my flanks, the fifteen year-old girl, her l egs spread open , offers h i s mouth t h e a l t a r a t which h e sacrifice s i n me : leisurely, h e pumps that precious n a tural jui c e whose emission Na ture has only lately
572 .. T H E MARQUI S D E SADE
granted the young child ; on her knees, one of the older women bends towa rd my vanquisher's loins, busies hersel f about them and with her impure tongue animating his desires, she p rocures them their ecstasy whil e , to i nfl ame himself yet fu rther, the debauchee excites a woman with e i ther hand ; there is not one of his senses which is n o t tickled, not one which does not concu r in the perfection of his delirium ; he attains it, but my unwave ring horror for all these infamies inhibits :ne from sha ring i t . . . . He arrives there alone ; his j ets, his cries, everything p roclaims i t and, despite myself, I am flooded with the p roofs o f a fire I am but one of six to light ; and the reupon I fall ba:k upon the throne which h a s j u s t been the scene of my immolatior, no longer conscious o f my existence s ave through my pain and m�' tears . . . my desp a i r and my remo rse.
However, Dom Severino orders the women to bring me food ; but far from being qu ickened by these a ttentions, an access of furi ous grief assails my soul . I, who located all my glory, all my feli c i ty in my virtue, I who thor ght that, provided I remained well-behaved at all tim es, I could be consoled for all fortune's ills, I cannot bear the horrible i d e a o f see ing mysel f so cruelly sull i e d by those from whom I should have been able to expect the gre atest comfort and a i d : my tears flowed i n abundance, my cries made the vault ring ; I rolled upon the floor, I lacerated my breast, tore my hair, invoked my butchers, begged 6em to be stow death upon me . . . and, M a dame, would you b e l ieve i t ? this terrible sight exci ted them all the more.
"Ah I " s a i d S everi no, " I 've never enj oyed a finer spectacle: behold, good friends, SI!e the state it puts me in ; it is re ally unbe l i evable , what feminine lnguish obtains from me."
"Let's go back to work," quoth C lement, "and in o rder to teach her to bellow a t ;ate, let the bitch be more sha rply handled in this second assault."
The proj ect i s no wone r conceived than put into execution ; up steps Severino, but his speeches notwithstanding, his desires require a fur th e r degree o f i r ritation and it is only a fter having used Clement's cruel measur,!s that he succeeds in ma rshaling the forces necessary to accomplish his newest crime. Great God I What excess of ferocity I C ould it be that those monsters would carry it to the point of selecting the instant of a crisis o f moral agony a s violent
Justine .. 5 73
as th a t I was unde rgoing, in order to submit me to so barbarous a physical one I " 'Twould b e an inj ustice to this novice," said Clement, "wer e we not to employ in its m ajor form what served us so well in its m erely episod i c dimension, " and ther eupon he be gan to act, addin g : " My word upon it, I will tre a t her no better than d id you." "One instant," said Antonin to the sup erior whom h e saw about to l ay h and s upon me again ; "while your zeal is ex haled into this pretty maid en's posterior p arts, I might, it seems to me, m ake an offering to the contrary God ; we will h ave her between u s two."
The position was so arranged I could still provide Jerome with a mouth ; Clement fi tted himself between my h ands , I w as con strained to a rouse him ; all the priestesses surrounded this frightful group ; each lent an actor what she knew was apt to stir him most profoundly ; however, i t was I supported them all, the entire weight bore down upon m e alone ; S evel�ino gives the signal , the other three follow close a fter h im and there I am a second time infa mously defiled by the p roofs of those blackgu a rd s ' disgusting luxury .
"Well, " c r i e s the superior , " that should be adequate for the fi rst d ay ; we must now h ave h er rema rk that her comrades are n o better treated th an she." I am placed upon an elevated a rmchair and from there I a m compelled to witness those other horrors which are to terminate the o rgie s .
T h e monks stand in queue ; a U the sisters file before them and receive whiplashes from e ach ; next, they a r e obliged to excite their torturers with their mouths while the latter torment and shower invectives upon them.
The youngest, she o f ten, i s pl aced upon a divan and each monk steps forw a rd to expose her t o the torture of his choice ; near her i s the gi rl o f fi fteen ; it i s with her each monk, a fter having meted out punishment, takes his pleasure; she is the butt ; the eldest woman i s obliged to stay in close attend ance upon the monk p resently per forming, in ord e r to be of service to him either in this operation or in the act which concludes i t. Severino uses only his hands to molest what i s offered him a nd speed s to engulf himself i n the sanctu a ry o f his whole delight and which she whom they h ave posted nea rby presents to him ; a rm e d with a hand ful of nettles, the eldest woman
574 .. THE MARQnS DE SADE
r e t a l i a te s upon h i m for w h a t he h a s a moment a go done to the c h i l d ; 'tis i n t h e depth:; o f p a i n fu l t i t i l l a ti on s t h e l i b e r ti n e ' s t r a ns ports are born . . . . C onsult h i m ; will h e c o n f e s s to c r u e l ty ? Bu t he h a s done n o t h i n g h e doc:s not endure i n his turn.
C l em e n t l i ghtly p i nches the l i ttle gi rl' s fl e s h ; the enj oyment o ff e r e d w i t h i n is beyond h i s c a p a b i l i t i e s , b u t h e is t r e a t e d as h e has dealt with t h e gi rl, and at t h e feet of t h e i do l h e l e a v e s t h e i n c e n s e h e l a ck s t h e strength to fl i n g i n t o i ts s an c tu a ry.
Anto n i n enter t a i n; h i m s e l f by kn e a di n g the fl e s h i e r p a r t s o f t h e v i cti m ' s bo dy ; fi r e d b y h e r convul s i v e struggl i n g , h e p r e c i p i t a t e s h i msel f i nto t h e d i s t r i ct- o ff e r e d t o h i s c h o s e n p l e a s u r e s . I n h i s turn h e is maul e d , b e a t e n , and e c s tasy is the f ru i t of his torments .
O l d Jerome employs h i s t e e t h only, b u t e a c h b i t e l e aves a wound whence bloo d l eap s i n s ta n tly fo rth ; a ft e r r e c e i v i n g a d o z e n , th e t a r g e t t e n d e r s h i m h e r o p e n m o u th ; t h e r e i n h i s f u ry i s a p p e a s e d w h i l e h e i s h i m s e l f b i t ten qu i t e a s s e v e rely a s h e d i d bit e .
T h e s a i n tl y f a t h e r:; d r i n k and r e c o v e r t h e i r strength. The t h ir ty-s ix-year- o l d wom an, s ix months pregnant, a s I h a v e
t o l d you , i s p e r c h e d upon a p e d e s t a l e i g h t f e e t h i gh ; u n a b l e t o p o s e but o n e l eg , s h e i s o bl i ged to k e e p the o t h e r i n the a i r ; round about her, on t h e flo o r , are m a t t r e s s e s g a r n i s h e d three f e e t d e e p w i th th o r n s , spl i n e s , holly ; a fl exibl e r o d is given to h e r t h a t s h e m a y keep herself e r e c t ; it i s e a sy t o see, o n t h e o n e h a n d , th a t it i s to her in terest not t o tumbl e , �nd o n t h e other, t h a t s h e cannot p o s sibly r e t a i n h e r b al a n c e ; the a l t e rn a t i v e s d i v e r t the monks ; all f o u r o f t h e m clu s t e r a ro u n d h e r , du r i n g t h e spectacle e a c h h a s o n e o r two w o m e n t o e xc i t e h i m in d i v e r s m a n n e r s ; g r e a t w i th c h i l d as she i s , t h e luckl e s s c r e a tu r e rema i n s in th i s a t t i tu d e for n e a rly a qu a r t e r o f a n h o u r ; a t l a s t , s t r ength d e s e r t s h e r , s h e f a l l s upon the t h o rn s , and our villai n s , w i l d w i th lust, o n e l a st time step f o rw a r d to lavish upon her b o dy t h e i r feroc i t y ' s abom i n ab l e h o m a g e .. . the comp any r e tires.
Th e super i o r pu t m e i nto t h e k e e p i n g of the t h i r ty-ye a r- o l d gi r l o f whom I m a d e m e n t i o n ; h e r n a m e w a s Omph a l e ; s h e w a s c h a r g e d to i n struct m e , t o s e t t l e m e i n my new d o m i c i l e . But tha t n i g h t I n e i th e r saw no)' h e a r d a ny t h i n g. Ann i h i l a t e d , d e s p e r a t e , I thought o f n o t h i n g but to c a p t u r e a little r e s t. In the r o o m wh e r e I h a d b e e n installed I noticed othe r women who h a d not been a t the
Justine .. 575
supp e r ; I postponed consideration of these new obj ects until the following day, and occupied myself with naught else but repose. Omphale left me to myself; she went to put herself to bed; sca rcely had I stepped into mine when the full horror of my ci rcumstances presented i tself t o me in yet more lively colors : I could not di spel the thought of the execrations I h ad suffered, nor of those to which I had been a witness. Alas I if a t certain times those pleasures had occurred to my wandering imagina tion, I had thought them chaste, as i s the God vVho inspires them, given by Nature in order to com fort human b eings ; I h ad fancie d them the product of love and delicacy. I had been very far from beli eving that man, a fter the example of savage beasts, could only relish them by causing h i s com p anion to shudder . . . then, returning to my own black fate . . . "0 Just Heaven, " I s a i d to myself, " i t i s then absolu tely certain that n o vi rtuous act will emanate from my h e a rt without being an swered a t once by an a gonizing echo! And of what evil was I gui l ty, Great God ! in desiring to come to accomplish some religious duties in this monastery ? Do I offend He aven by wanting to pray? In comp rehensible decrees of Provi dence, dei gn," I continued, "deign to open wide my eyes, cause me to see i f you do not wish me to rebel against you ! " B i tterest tean, foll owed these musings, and I w a s still inundated with them when dayl i g h t app e ared; then Omphale approached my bed.
"Dear companion," she said., " I come to exhort you to be courageou s ; I too wept during my first days, but now the thing has become a h abit ; a s have I, you will become accustomed to i t all ; the beginnings a re terrible : i t i s not simply the necessi ty to sate these debauchees' hunge rs which i s our Ii fe's torture, i t i s the loss of our freedom, i t is the cruel manner in which we are handled in this terrible house."
The wretched take comfort in seeing o ther sufferers about th em. Howev e r trenchant were my anguishes, they were assuaged fo r an instant ; I b egged my companion to inform me o f the ills I h a d to expect.
"In a moment," my instructress said, "but first get up and let m e show you about our retreat, observ e your new companions ; then we'll hold o u r conve rsation."
Following Omp h a l e ' s suggestion, I began by examining the
576 ... THE MARQUS DE SADE
chamber we were in. It was an exceedingly la rge chamber, contain ing eight l i ttle beds covered with clean calico spreads ; by each bed was a partitioned dressing room ; but all the windows which lit bo th th ese closets and the rlom itself we re raised five feet above the floor and b a rred inside and out. In the mi ddle of the room was a l a rge table, secured to the fio)r, and it was intended for e a ting or work ; three doors bound and braced with i ron clo sed the room ; on our side no fittings or keyhol es were to be seen ; on the other, enormous bolts.
"And thi s is our prison ?" "Al a s! yes, my dear," Omphale replied ; " such i s our unique
dwelling place ; not far from here, the ei ght other girls have a simil a r room, and we never communicate with each other save when the monks are pleased to assemble us all at one time."
I peered into the a lcove destined for me ; it was eight feet square, daylight ente reli it, a s in the great room, by a very high window fitted all over with iron. The o nly furnitu re was a bidet, a l avatory ba sin and a chaise percee. I re-emerged ; my compani ons, eager to see me, gathe red round in a circle : they were seven, I made the ei ghth . Omphale, in 1abiting the other room, was only in this to indoctrinate me ; were I to wish it, she would remain with me, and one o f the others would take her place in her own chamber ; I a sked to have the a r rangement made. But before coming to Omphale's story, it seems to me ess enti al to describe the seven n ew comp anions fate had given me ; I will proceed according to age, a s I did with the others.
The youngest w a s twelve years old : a very animated, very spirited physiognomy, the loveliest h a i r , the pretti est mouth.
The second was si xteen : she was one o f the most beautiful blondes imaginable, wit:1 truly delicious features and all the grace, all the sweetness o f her 1ge, mingled with a certain interesting qual ity, the product o f her! adness, which rendered her yet a thousand times more beautiful.
The third w a s twenty-three ; very p r etty, but an excessive e f frontery, too much i mp'ldence degraded, so I thought, the cha rms N ature had endowed he:: with.
The fou rth was twenty-six : she had the fi gure o f Venus ; but perh aps her forms were rather too pronounced ; a dazzling fair
Justine .. 577
skin ; a sweet, open, laughing countenance, beautiful eyes, a mouth a tri fle large but admirably furnished, and supe rb blond h a i r .
T h e fi fth was thirty-two ; she was f o u r months pregnant; with an oval, somewhat melancholic face, l arge soulful eyes ; she was very pale, her health w a s delicate, she h a d a harmonious voice but the rest seemed somehow spoiled. She was naturally libertine : she was, I was told, exhausting hersel f .
The s i x t h was thi r ty-three: a tall strapping woman, t h e loveli est face in the world, the loveliest Hesh.
The seventh was thi rty-ei ght ; a true model o f figure and be auty : she wa s the superintendent o f my room; Omphale fore warned m e of h er malicious temper and, principally, of her taste for women.
"To yield i s the best way o f pl ea sing her," my comp anion told me ; "resist her, and you will bri.ng down upon your head every misfortune tha t can b e fall you in thi s house. B e ar it i n mind . "
Omphale a sked p ermi ssion o f Ursule, w h i c h was the superin tendent's name, to instruct me ; Ursule consented upon condition I kiss her. I appro ache d : her impure tongue sought to a ttach i tself to mine, and me anwhile her fingers labored to determine sensations she was far indeed from obta ining. However, I h a d to lend myself to everything, my own feelings notwithstanding, and when she be li eved she h a d triumphed, she sent me b ack to my closet where Omphale spoke to me in the following manner :
"All the women you saw y�sterday, my dear Therese, and those you have just seen, are divided into four classes, each con taining four girls; the first is calh:d the children ' s class : it includes girls ranging from the most tende r age to those of sixteen ; a white costume distinguishes them.
"The second class , wh ose color i s green, is called the youthful class; it contains girls of from sixteen to twenty-one.
"The third i s the cl ass o f the age o f rea son; i t s vestments a re blue ; its ages are from twenty-one to thirty, and both you and I belong to i t .
"The fou r th cl ass, dressed in reddish brown , i s intended for those of ma tur e years; it is composed of anyone over thirty.
"These girls a r e e i ther indiscriminately mingled at the Rever. end Fath ers' suppers, o r they appe a r th ere by class : it all depends
5 7 8 4 THE MARQUIS DE SADE
upon the whims o f the monks but, when not at the meals, they are m ixed in the two dorm i t')ries, as you a r e able to j u dge by those who are l odged in ours.
"The instruction I h ave to give you," said Omphale, "divides und e r the headings o f:our primary a rticles ; in the fi rst, we will treat o f what p e rtains tc.J the house ; in the secon d we will place wh a t regards t h e behavior of the gi rls, the ir puni shment, the i r feeding h abi ts, e tc ., e tc., etc. ; the third a rticle will in form you o f the a r rangement o f these monks' pleasures, o f the manner in which the gi rls se rve them ; the fou rth will con tain observ a tions on p e rson nel change s.
"I will not, There se, describe the envi rons o f this fri ghtful house, for you are as fami liar w i th them a s I ; I will only discuss the interior ; they have sho\\n i t all to me so that I can give a picture o f i t t o newcom ers, whose c:ducation i s one o f m y chores, and i n w hom, by means of thi s accoull':, I a m expected to dash all hope of escape. Yesterday Severino exp ained some of i ts features and h e did not d e c e i ve y o u , m y d e a r. T h e church and t h e pavilion form what is properly called the mOlustery ; but you do not know where the building we inhabit is situ a ted an d how one gets here ; 'tis thus: in the dep ths o f the sacristy, behind the altar, i s a door h i dden in the wainscoting and opened by a spring ; this door is the en trance to a narrow p assage, quite �.s dark a s it i s long, whose windings you r terror, upon entering, p revented you from noticing ; the tunnel descends a t fi rst, becaw.e i t must pass beneath a moat thi rty feet deep, then i t mounts a ft� r the moat and, leveling out, con tinues at a depth o f no m o r e than ;ix feet beneath the surface ; thus it arrives a t th e b a s em ents o f our pavilion having traversed the qu a rter of a l e a gu e from the churd ; six thick enclosures rise to baffle all a t tempts to see this buildi 19 from the outside, even were one to climb into the chu rch ' s towe r; t h e reason for this inv isib i l i ty is simple : the p avilion hugs the ground, i ts height does not attain twenty-five feet, and the compounded enclosures, some stone ,valls, others liv ing p alisades formed b:r trees growing in stra i t p rox i m i ty to each o ther, are, all of them , at least fi fty feet high : from whatever di rection the place is observed it can only be taken for a den se clump of trees in the fo rest, never for a habi tation ; i t i s, hence, a s I have said, by mean s of a trap door opening into the cellars one emerges
Justine + 579
from the obscu re corridor of which I gave you some idea and of which you cannot possibly have any recollection in view of the state you must have b e en while walking through it. This pavilion, my dear, has, in all, no thing but basem ents, a ground floor, an entresol, and a first floor; above it there is a very thick roof cove red with a l a rge tray, lined with le ad, filled with e a rth, and in which are planted evergreen sh rubberies which, blen ding wi th the screens su r rounding us, give to cv crything a yet more realistic look o f solidity; the basements form a la rge hall in the middle, a round i t are dis tributed eight sm aller rooms o f which two s e rve a s dungeons for gi rls who have merited incarceration, and the other six are reserved for p rovisions ; above are loca ted the dining room, the kitchens, p antries, and two cabinets the monks enter when they wish to isol ate the i r pleasures and taste them with u s out of th ei r col l e a gues' sight: the intervening story i s compo sed of e i ght chambers, whereof fou r have each a closet : these are the cells where the monks sl eep and introduce u s when their lubricity destines us to share th eir beds ; the four oth e r rooms are those o f the serving fria rs, one o f whom is our j ai l e r, another the monks' valet, a third the docto r , who has in his cell all h e needs fo r emergencies, and the fourth i s the cook ; these four friars are deaf and dumb ; i t would be difficult to expect, as you obse rve, any com fort o r aid from them; furthermore, they neve r pass time in our comp any a n d it i:; forbidden to accost o r attempt to communicate w i th them. Above the entresol are two seraglios: th ey are i dentical ; as you see, each is a l a rge chamber edged by eight cubicles; thus , you understand, dear girl, that, supposing one were to break through the bars in the casement and descend by the win dow, one woul d still be f a r from being able to escape, since there would remain five palisades, a stout wall, and a broad moat to get past : and were one even to overcome these obstacles, where woul d one b e ? I n the monastery's courtyard which, i tself securely shut, would not afford, at the first moment, a very safe egress. A perhaps less perilous means o f escape would b e , I admit, to find, somewhere i n o u r basements, the opening to the tunnel that leads out ; but how are w e to explore these underground cella rs, p e rpetu ally locke6 up as we are ? were one even to be able to get down there, th i s open·· ing would still not be found, for it enters the building in some hidden corner unknown to u s and itself ba r ricaded by grills to which
580 .. THE MAR Q U :S DE SADE
they alone have the ke:, . However, were all these difficulti es van quished, were one i n th,! corri dor, the route would still not be any the more certain for us, for i t i s strewn with traps with which only they are fam i l i a r and into which anyone who sought to traverse the p a s sageways would ill( v itably fall without the gui d ance o f the monks. And so you mus1 renounce all thou ght o f escape, for i t is out of the question, There�e ; believ e me, were it thinkable, I should long have fled this dete stabl e place, but that canno t be. They who come here n ev e r l e av e save upon their death ; an d thence i s born this i mp udence, this cru elty, this tyranny these villains use with us ; nothing infl ames them, nothing stimul ates their imagination like the impunity gua ranteed them by this impregnable retre a t ; c e rtain never to have o ther witnesses to their excesses than the very victims they feast upon, sure indeed the i r perve rsiti es will never be re vealed, they carry them to the most abhorrent extrem es ; delivered of the law's restraints, h aving burst the checks Religion imposes, unconscious o f those of remorse, there i s no atrocity in which they do not indulge themselves, and by this criminal ap athy their abomi nable p a ssions are s o much more agreeably p ricked that nothing , t h e y say, incenses them: ike solitude a n d sil ence, l i k e h elplessness o n o n e h a n d a n d impunity on the other. Th e monks regula rly sleep every night i n this pavil on, they r eturn here at five in the a fternoon and go to the monaster:, the following m o rning a t nine, except for one o f the fou r, chosen ,:la ily, who spends the day here : he i s known as the Officer of the D a y. We will soon s e e what his du ties a r e . As for the four subaltern fri a rs, they never budge from here ; in each chamber we h av e a b elJ which communicates with the j ailer's cell ; the superintendent alone has the right to ring for him but, when she does so in time of h e r need o r o u rs, eve ryone comes running instantly ; when they re'urn each day, the fathe rs themselves bring the necessary victu als and give them to the cook, who prepares our meals in accordance witl their instructions ; there i s an artesian well i n the basements, abund ant wines o f every variety in the cellars. We pass on to the second article which relates to the girls' manners, bearing, nourishment, pmishment, etc.
"Ou r numbe r is .lways maintained constant ; affairs are so managed that we are a: ways sixteen, eight in e ith e r chamber, and, as you observe, always it the uni fo rm of our p a rticular class ; before
Justine + 581
the day is over you will be given the habit appropriate to the one you are entering ; during the day we wear a light costume o f the color which belongs to u s; in the evening, we wear gowns of the same col o r and dress our hair with all possible elegance. The su p erintendent of the chamber has complete authority over us, dis obedi ence to her i s a crime ; her dUity i s to inspect u s before w e go to the orgie s and if things a r e not in the desi red state she is punished a s well a s we. The errors we m ay commit a r e o f several kinds. Each h a s i ts p articu l a r punishment, and the rules, together with the list o f what i s to be expected when they are broken, are displayed i n each chamber ; the Officer o f the Day, th e pe rson who comes, a s I explained a moment ago, to give us orders, to designate the girls for the suppe r , to visit our living quarters, and to hear the supe rin tendents' complaints, this monk, I :, ay, is the one who, e a ch evening, metes out punishment to whoeve r has merited i t : here are the crimes together with the punishments exacted for them.
"Failure to rise in the morning a t the prescribed hour, thi rty strokes with the whip ( for it i s almost always with whipping we are punished ; i t were per fectly to be expected that an episode in these libertines' pleasures would have become their p referred mode o f correction ) . T h e pre sentation du ring t h e pleasu r able a c t , either through misunderstanding o r for whatsoever may b e the r e a son, of one part o f the body instead o f some o ther which was desired, fi fty strokes ; improper dress o r an unsuitable coiffure, twenty strokes ; failure to have given prior no tice of incap acitation due to m enstruation, sixty stroke s ; upon the d ay the surgeon confirms the exi stence of a pregnancy, one hundred strokes a r e administered ; negligence, incompetence, or refusal i n connection with luxurious p roposals, two hundred strokes . And how o ften their infernal wi ckedness finds u s wanting on th a t head, without our h aving made th e least mistake ! How frequently i t happens that one o f them will su ddenly demand what h e very w ell knows we h ave j ust accorded another and cann o t immediately do again! One undergoes the pun i s hment nonetheless ; our remonst rances, our pleadings a r e never heede d ; one must either comply or suffer the consequences. Imper fect behavior in the chamber, or di sobedience shown the supe rin tendent, sixty strokes ; the app e arance of tears, chagrin, sorrow, re morse, even the look o f the sli ghtest return to Religion, two
582 + THE MARQUIS DE SADE
h u n d r e d strokes. I f a monk .selects you as h i s p a r tn e r when h e w i s h e s to t a s t e t h e l a s t c r i s i s o f pl e a s u r e a n d i f h e i s unable t o a c h i eve i t , w h e th e r t h e f a u l t b e h i s , w h i c h i s m o s t common, o r w h e t h e r i t b e you r s , UpO l t h e spo t, t h r e e hundred strokes ; the l e a s t h i n t o f r e vu l s i o n a t t h e monks' propo s i t i o n s, o f wha tever n a tu r e t h e s e propo si ti o n s m a y ')e , t w o h u n d r e d s t rokes ; a n a ttempted o r concerted e s c a p e o r revolt, n i n e d a y s ' confinement i n a dungeon , e n t i r e l y n a k e d , a n d thret h u n d r e d l a s h e s e a ch day ; caballing, the i n s t i g a t i o n o f p l o t s , the s o w i n g o f u n r e s t , e tc . , i mm e d i a tely upon d i s covery, th r e e hundred s t roke s ; proj ected s u i c i d e , r e fu s a l to e a t the stipu l at e d f o o d o r the pl'Oper q u a n t i ty , two hundred stroke s ; d i s re spect s h own tow a r d the monks, one hundred ei ghty s troke s . T h o s e only a r e c r i m e s ; beyond w h a t i s m e n t i o n e d t h e r e , w e c a n do w h a t e v e r we pl e a s e , s l e e p tog e th e r , qu a rr e l , fight, c a rry d runkenn e s s , r i o t a n d gou r m a n d i z i n g t o t h e i r fu rthest extre m e s , swe a r, bla s p h e m e : none of t h a t m akes the f a i n t e s t d i ffe r e n c e , w e may comm i t th o s e faults a n d n e v e r a w o r d w i l l be s a i d to u s ; w e a r e r a t e d f o r n o n e b u t t h o s e I h ave ju : ; t m e ntio n e d. But i f they wis h , t h e sup e rin tendents can s p a r e us many of t h e s e unpl e a santnesse s ; h o w e v e r , t h i s prote c t i o n , u n f o r tun ately, c a n be purch a s e d only b y c o m placenci e s f r e qu ently more d i s a g r e e able th a n the s u ff e r i n g s f o r w h i c h they a r e subs ti tu t e s ; t h e s e women, i n both c h ambe r s , h a ve the s a m e t a s te , and i t i s only by a c c o r d i n g them o n e ' s favo r s that o n e enters i n t o their go o d graces. S p u rn o n e o f th e m , and s h e n e e d s n o a d d i ti o n a l m o ti v e to exagge r a te h e r r e p o rt o f your m i s d e e d s, the monks th e s u p e r i n tertdents s e rve double thei r p o w e r s , a n d f a r f r o m r e p rim a n d i n g t h e m fo r th e i r i n j u st i c e , unce a s i ngly encou r a g e i t i n them ; they a r e themselves b o u n d b y a l l t h o s e regul a t i o n s and are t h e more s e v e r ely cha s t i s e d if they a r e s u s p e c t e d o f l eni ency : n o t th a t t h e lib e r t i n e s n e e d a l l th a t in o r d e r to vent th e i r fury upon us, but they welcome excu s e s ; t h e l o o k o f l e g i t i m a cy that may be given to a p i e c e of viciou s n e s s r e n d e r s it more a g r e e able i n thei r ey e s , a d d s to i t s p i q u a nc;" i t s c h a r m . Upon arriving h e r e e a c h o f u s i s provi d e d w i t h a l i ttle s t o r e o f l i n e n ; we a r e given everyth i n g by the h a l f-do z e n , a n d o u r suppl i e s a r e renewed every yea r , but we a r e obl i g e d to s u rrender w h a t we b r i n g h e r e w i th u s ; we a r e not permi tted t o k e e p the le�st t h i n g. The compl a i n ts of the four fri a rs I spoke of a re h e a r d j u s t as a re the supe rintendents ' ; the ir m e r e
Justine + 583
delation is sufficient to p rocure our puni shment; but they a t least ask nothing from us and there is l e s s to be feared from that quarter than from the superintendents who, when vengeance informs their maneuvers, a r e very demanding and very dange rous. Our fo od is excellent and always copious ; were i t not that their lus t derives benefits thence, thi s a rticle might not be s o s a tis factory, but as their fi lthy debauches p rofit the reby, they spare themselves no pains to stuff u s with food: those who have a bent fo r flogging seek to fatten us, and those, as J erome phrased it yesterday, who like to see the hen lay, are assured by means o f abundant feeding, o f a greater yield o f eggs. Consequ ently, we e<�t four times a day; a t breakfast, between nine a n d ten o ' clock we are regularly given 'Volaille au riz , fresh fru i t or compo tes, t e a , co ffee, o r chocolate; at one o ' clock, dinner i s served ; each table o f eight i s served alike; a very good soup, four entrees, a roast o f some kind, four second cou rses, des sert i n every sea son. A t five-thi rty an a fternoon lunch o f pastries and fru i t a rrives. There can be no doubt of the evening meal's ex cellence if it is taken with the monks ; when we do not j oi n them a t table, as o ften happens, since b u t four o f us from each chamber are allowed to go , we are given three roast plates and four entremets ; each of us has a d aily ration of one bottle of white wine, one of red, and a n h a l f-bo ttle o f brandy; they who do n o t drink that much a r e a t libe rty to di stribute th e i r q u o t a to the others ; a m o n g us are some great gou rmands who drink astonishing amounts, who get regula rly d runk, all of which they do without fear of reprimand; and there a r e , a s w e l l , s o m e for w h o m t h e s e four meals s t i l l do n o t suffice; they have but to ring, and what they ask fo r will be brou gh t them a t once.
"The superintendents requin� that the food be consumed, and if someone p e rsists in n o t wishing to eat, for wh a tever reason, upon the third infraction that p e rson will b e severely punished; the monks' supper is composed of three roast dishes, six entrees fol lowed by a cold plate and e i ght entremets, fruit, three kinds o f wine, c o ff e e a n d l i queurs : sometimes all eight o f us a r e at table with them, sometimes they oblige fou r of us to wait upon them, and these four dine a fterward; it also happens from time to time that they take only fou r girls for supper; they are, ordina rily, an entire class; when our number is eight, there are always two from each
584 + THE MARQU::S DE SAnE
class. I need h a rdly tell you that no one ever vi s i ts u s ; under no c i r c u m s tances is any outsider ever a d m i tted into t h i s pavilion. I f w e f a l l i l l , w e a r e entrusted t o the surgeon f r i a r o nly, and i f we d i e , we l e ave thi s world wi thout any r e l i g i o u s m i n istrations ; o u r bodies are flung i n t o o n e of the spaces between the c i rcumvalla t i o n s , a n d tha t's an e n d to i t ; but, a n d the c ru elty is s i gnal, i f the s i c k o n e ' s condi tion b e comes too grave or if there i s fe a r o f contagion, they d o n o t w a i t until w e a r e d e a d to d i s p o s e o f us ; though still ali v e , w e a r e c a r r i ed o u t a n d dropp e d i n the p l a c e I mentioned. D u r i n g t h e e i gh t e e n y e a rs I h a v e b e e n h e re I have seen m o re t h a n ten instance s o f this u nexampled f e r o c i ty ; conce rning which they declar e i t i s b e t t e r to lose o n e t h a n endanger sixteen ; the l o ss o f a g i r l , they con t i nu e , i s of very m o de s t import, and it m a y b e so e as i ly r ep a i re d t h e r e i s s c a n t c a u s e to r e g r e t i t . L e t us m o v e on t o t h e a r r ange m e n ts concerning the monks' p l e as u r e s and to all of wh a t p e r t a i ns to t h e subj e c t .
"We r i s e a t exactly n i n e every morning, and i n every s e ason ; we r e ti r e a t a l a te r o r �.n e a rl i e r h o u r , depending u pon t h e monks' supp e r . I m m e d i a tely we a re up, t h e Officer of the D a y comes o n his rounds ; h e s e a ts hins e l f i n a l a rg e a rmch a i r and e a ch o f us i s obliged t o a dv a n c e , s t a n d b e f o r e h i m with our skirts r a i s e d u p o n the side h e p r e f e r s ; h e touch e s , h e kisses, h e examin e s , a n d when eve ry o n e h a s c a r ri e d out th i s duty, he i d e n tifies t h o s e who a r e t o p a r tici p a te at the evening's eXf!rci s e s : he p r e sc r ibes the s t a t e in which they m u s t b e , he l i s te n s to t.1e s up e ri n tendent's r e p o r t, a n d the punish m e n ts are i m p o s e d . R a r ely does t h e o ffi c e r l e ave w i thout a luxu rious scene i n which all e i ght: usually find roles. The superintendent di rects t h e s e l i b i d i n ous activi t i e s , a n d the most entire submissi o n on our p a r t r e i gns during them. B e f o r e breakfast it often occurs t h a t o n e o f the R e v e r end Fa t h e rs h a s o n e o f us c a l le d f r o m b e d ; t h e j a i l e r fri a r b r i n gs a c ard b e a r i n g the n a m e o f t h e p e rson desired, t h e O ffi c e r o f the D ay sees to i t s h e i s s e n t , n o t even h e has the r i g h t to withhold h e r , s h e l eaves a n d returns when dismi ssed. This fi r s t c e r e m o ny conclud e d , w . ! b r e a k fa s t ; from this moment till evening we have n o more t o de ; but at s e ven o ' cl ock i n summer, a t six i n w i n t e r , they come for those who h a v e b e e n des i gn a te d ; the j a iler fria r h i m s e l f esco rts them , a n d a fte r the supp e r they who have n o t b e e n r e t a i n e d f o r t h e night come b a ck t o t h e se r a gl i o . O f t e n , a l l
Justine .. 585
return ; other girls have been selected for the night, and they are advised several hours i n a dvance in what costume they must make their appea rance ; sometimes only the Girl s o f the Watch sleep out o f the chamber."
" Gi rls of the W a tch ?" 1 inte rrupted. "What function this ?" "1 will tell you , " my historian replied. " Upon the first day o f every month each monk adopts a girl
who must serve a term as his servant and a s the target o f his shame ful desire s ; only the superintendents are exempted, for they h ave the task o f governing thei r chambers. The monks can neither ex change girls during the month, nor make them s e rve two months i n succession ; the r e is nothing more cruel , more taxing than this drudgery, and I h ave no idea how you will bear up under it. When five o ' clock strikes, the Girl of the 'Watch promptly descends to the monk she serves and does not leave his side until the next day, at the hour he sets off for the m ona stery. She rejoins him when he comes back ; she employs these few hours to eat and rest, for she must remain awake all night throughout the whole o f the term she spends with her master; 1 repeat to you, the wretch remains con stantly on hand to serve as the object of every caprice which may enter the libe r tine ' s head ; cuffs, slaps , beatings, whippings, hard language, amusements , she h a s got to endure all o f i t ; she must r emain standing all night long in her p atron' s bedroom, a t any in stant ready to offer hersel f to th e p a ssions which may stir that tyrant ; but the cruelest, the most i gnominious aspect of this servi tude is the terrible obligati on she is under to provide her mouth or her breast for the relie f o f the one and the other o f the monster's needs : he never uses any other vase : she h a s got to b e the willing recipient of e verything and the least hesitation or recalcitrance i s straigh tway punished b y t h e m o s t savage reprisals. During all the scenes o f lust these a r e the girls who gua rantee pleasure's success , who gu ide and manage the monks' j oys, who tidy up whoever has become cove r e d with filth : for example, a monk dirties himself while enj oying a woman : it i s his aide's duty to rep a i r the disorder ; he wishes to be excite d ? the task o f rousing h i m falls to the wretch who accompanies him eve rywhere, dresses him , undresses him, is ever at his elbow, who is always wrong, always at fault, always beaten ; at the suppers her place is behind her master's chair o r ,
586 .. THE MARQUIS DE SADE
like a dog, at his feet tinder the table, or upon her knees, between his thighs, exciting him with her mouth; sometimes she serves as his cushion, his seat, his torch; at other times all four of them will be grouped around the ta"Jle in the most lecherous, but, at the same time, the most fatiguing attitudes.
"If they lose their balance, they risk e i ther f alling upon t h e thorns placed nea. by, c r breaki ng a l i m b , or being kille d, such c a s e s h a v e b e e n known ; a n d m e anwh i l e t h e villains m ake merry, e n a c t d e b a u ch e s , p eacefully g e t drunk upon meats, wines, lust, and up on cruelty. "
"0 H e aven I" sai d 1 to my comp a n i o n , trembl ing with horror, " i s it p o s s i b l e t o b e tr ansported to such e xc e s s e s I W h a t i n fernal pla ce is thi s!"
" L i s t e n to m e , There se, listen, my child, you h av e n o t y e t h e ard i t all, not by a n y m e a n s , " s a i d Omp h a l e . " Pregn a ncy, rever enced in the worl d , is the very certitude of repro b a t i o n amongst t h e s e vi lla i n s ; here, t h e pregn a n t woman i s given no d i s p e n s a t i o n s : b r u t a lities, punishm en t:;, a n d w a t c h e s c o n tinu e ; on t h e c o n t r a ry, a gra v i d condi tion is t h e .:ert a i n w a y to procure o n e s e l f troubl e s , s u f ferings, hum il i a ti o n s , sorrows j how o ften do they n o t by d i n t o f b l o w s c a u s e a b o r t i o n s i n them w h o s e fru i t s they d e c i d e n o t to h a rv e s t , and when i n deed they d o allow the fru i t to ripen, it is in ord e r to sport with i t : 'vh a t 1 a m telling you now should b e enough to w a rn you to pre s e rve yours e l f from this state as best you p o s s i bly c a n."
"But i s one a b l e t o ? " " O f c o u r s e , t h e r e a r e c e r t a i n devi c e s, s p o n g e s . . . Bu t i f An
tonin p e rc e i v e s w h a t y o u are u p to , beware of h i s w r a th; the s a f e s t way i s to s m o t h e r whatever m i ght b e the n a tu r a l i m p r e s s i o n by s t r i ving to u n h i n g e the imaginati on , which w i th m o n s t e r s l i k e these is n o t d i ffi cu l t .
" W e h ave h e r e a : l wel l , " m y i n s tru c t r e s s continued, "cert a i n dependenc i e s a n d a l l i arc e s o f w h i c h you probably k n o w very l i ttle a n d o f w h i c h it were 'veIl you had s o m e idea j a l though this h a s m ore to do wi th t h e fou rth a r t i cl e-wi th, t h a t i s t o s a y , t h e o n e t h a t tre a t s o f o u r recru; tings, o u r retrench m e n t s , a n d o u r exchanges -I a m going t o a n ti c i p a t e for a moment i n order to i n s er t the fol lowing d e t a i l s .
Justine .. 587
"Y ou are not unaware, Therese, that the four monks com posing this brotherhood stand at the head of their Order; all be long to distinguished familie s , all four a r e themselves very rich : independently of the considerable funds allocated by the Benedic tines for the maintenance of this bower o f bliss into which everyone hopes to enter in his turn, they who do a rrive here contribute a l a rge propo rtion of their prope rty and possessior.s to the founda tion already established. These two sources combined yield more than a hundred thousand crowns annually which is devoted solely to finding recruits and meeting the hous e ' s expenses ; they have a dozen discreet and reliable women whose sole task i s to bring them eve ry month a new subj ect, no younger than twelve nor older than thirty. The conscriptee mu st be free of all defects and endowed with the grea test possible number of quali t:es, but princip ally with that of eminent birth. These abductions, well p a i d for and always effected a great distance from here, bring no consequent discomfitures ; I h ave never heard of any that resul t e d in legal action ; their extreme caution p rotects them against everything. They do not absolutely confine themselves to vi rgins : a girl who has been seduced already or a married woman may p rove equally pleasing, but a forcible abduction has got to take place, rape must b e involved, and it mu st be defini tely verifie d ; this ci rcumstance a rouses them ; they wish to be certain their crimes cost tears ; they would send away any gi rl who was to come here voluntarily ; h a d you not made a p rodigious defense, had they not recognized a veri table fund of virtue in you, and, consequently, the possibility o f crime, they would not have kept you twenty-fou r hours. Everyone here, Therese, comes of a dis tinguished line ; my dear friend, you see before you the only daughter of the Comte de * * * , c;arried off from Paris at the age o f twelve and destined one day to have a dowry of a hundred thousand c rowns : I was ravished from the arms of my governess who was taking me by carriage, unoccupi e d save for ourselves, from my father's country seat to the Abbey o f Pan themont where I was brough t up ; my gu a rdian disappeared ; she was in all likeli hood bough t ; I was fetched hither by post chaise. The same ap plies to all the others. The girl of twenty belongs to one o f the noblest families o f Poi tou. The one sixteen years old i s the daughter of the B a ron de * * * , one o f the greatest o f the Lorra ine squires ;
5 8 8 + THE MARQUIS DE SADE
C o u n t s , D u k e s , a n d Margraves a r e the f a t h e r s o f th e g i r l s o f twe n ty- th r e e , twe l v e , a1d t h i r ty-two ; i n a w o r d , t h e r e i s n o t o n e w h o c a n n o t c l a i m t h e l o fti e s t t i tl e s , n o t o n e w h o i s n o t t r e a t e d w i t h the g r e a t e s t i gn o m i n y . But t h e s e d e p r a v e d m e n a r e n o t c o n t e n t to s t o p a t t h e s e h o r ro r s j they h a v e w i s h e d to b r i n g d i s ho n o r i n to t h e v e ry b o s o m o f thei r own f a m i l y . T h e young l a dy o f twenty- s i x , w i t h o u t doubt o n e o f th.e m o s t b e a u t i fu l amongst u s , i s Clement' s d a u g h t e r; s h e o f t h i r�'-six is t h e n i e c e o f Jerom e .
" A s s o o n a s a n e 'l" g i r l h a s a r r ived i n thi s clo a c a , a s s o o n a s s h e h a s b e e n s e a l e d i n h e r e forever to b e c o m e a s t r a n g e r to t h e w o r l d , a n o t h e r i s i mffil!d i a tely r e trench e d : s u c h i s o u r s u ff e r i n g s ' c o m p l e m e n t j t h e cruel est o f o u r a ffl i c t i o n s i s to b e i n i g n o r a n c e o f w h a t h a p p e n s t o u s dur n g t h e s e t e r ri b l e a n d d i s q u i e ti n g d i s m i s s a l s . I t i s a b s o l u tely i m p o s sible t o s a y w h a t b e c o m e s o f o n e u p o n l e a v i n g t h i s p l a c e . From a l l the e v i d e n c e w e i n o u r i so l a t i o n a r e a b l e to a s s embl e , it seems a s if t h e girls t h e m onks r e t i r e f r o m s e r v i c e n e v e r a p p e a r a g a i n ; th.!y themselves w a rn u s , they d o n o t conce a l from u s that this retre:lt i s our tomb, but d o they assassinate us? G r e a t H e a v e n I Would mu r d e r , t h e m o s t execrable o f c r i m e s , would m u r d e r b e f o r t h em wha t it was f o r tha t c e l e b r a t e d M a r e c h a l d e R e t z ,· a s p e c i e s o f entic e n t e r t a i n m e n t w h o s e c r u e l ty , e x a l t i n g t h e i r p e r fi d i o u s i m a gimti o n s , w e r e a b l e t o plunge th e i r s e n s e s i n t o a m o r e i n t e n s e d runke1n e s s ! Accu s t o m e d to e x t r a c t i n g j oy f r o m s u ff e ri n g only, to k n o w n o d e l e c t a t i o n s a v e w h a t i s d e r i v e d from inflicting t o r m e n t a n d a n gu i s h , would it b e possible they w e r e d i s t r a c t e d to t h e p o i n t o f b e l i ev i n g tha t by r e d o u b l i n g , b y a m e l i o r a ti n g t h e d e l i r i um ' s pri m a ry c a u s e , o n e w o u l d inevi tably r e n d e r i t m o r e p e r fe c t; a n d t h a t , w i t h o u t p r i n c i p l e s a s w i t h o u t f a i t h , w a n t i n g m an n e r s a s they a r e lacki n g i n v i r tu e s , t h e s c ou n d r e l s , exp l o i ting t h e m i s e r i e s i n t o w h i c h their e a r l i e r crimes p l u n g e d us, w e r e a ble t o fi n d s a t i s fa c t i o n i n l h e later o n e s w h i c h s n a tch o u r l i v e s away f r o m u s . . . . I do n ' t know . . . . I f o n e questions t h e m upon the m a tt e r , they m u m b l e urci ntell i g i b i l i t i e s , sometimes responding n e g a t i v e l y , s o m e t i m e s i n thf a ffi rm a tive j w h a t i s c e r t a i n i s t h a t n o t o n e o f t h o s e who h a s l e ft , d e sp i te t h e p ro m i s e s s h e m a d e u s to d e n ounce th e s e m e n to t h e a u thori t i e s and t o s t r i v e t o procure o u r l i b e r a t i o n ,
"See L'Historie d e Bretag' ... by Dom Lobineau. (Mariehal de Ret.: Gilles de Rais, marshal of Charles VII's army.-Tr. )
Justine .. 5 8 9
n o t one, I s ay , h as ever kept h er word . . . • Once again: d o they placate us, dissuade us, or do they eliminate the possibility of our p r eferring charges ? What we ask those who a rrive for news of them who h ave gone, they never h ave any to communicate. What becomes of these wretche s ? That i s what torments me, The rese, tha t i s the fatal incertitude which makes for the great unhappiness of our existence. I h ave been i n this house for eighteen years, I h ave seen more than two hundred girls depart from it . . . . Where are they ? All o f them h aving sworn to help u s , why h as n o t one kept her vow ?
"N o thing, furth e rmore, justi:fies our retirement; age, loss of looks, thi s is n o t wha t counts : caprice is the i r single rule. They will dismiss today the girl they most caressed yesterday, and for ten years they will keep another of whom they are the most weary: such i s the story o f this chamber's supe rintendent ; she has been twelve years i n the house, and to pr eserve her I have seen them get r i d o f fi fteen-yea r-old children whose b eauty would h ave rendered the very Graces j e alous. She who left a week ago was not yet six teen ; lovely a s Venus he rself, they had enj oyed her fo r less than a year, but she became pregnant and, as I told you The rese, that i s a great sin in this establishment. Last month they retired one of six teen , a year ago one o f twenty, eight months pregnant ; and, re cently, anoth e r when she began to feel the first pangs of childbi rth. D o not imagine that conduct has any bearing upon the m a tter : I h ave seen some who flew to do their every bidding and who were gone within six months' time ; o thers sullen, p eevish, fantastical whom they kept a great number of years ; hence, i t is useless to prescribe any kind of behavio r to our newly a rrived; those mon sters' whimsy bursts all circumscriptions, and caprice forms the unique law by which thei r actions a re determined.
"When one i s going to b e dismissed, one is n o ti fi e d the same morning, never earlier : a s usual, the Officer o f the D ay makes his appe a rance a t nine o ' clock and says, l e t us suppose, 'Omph ale, the monastery is sending you into retir ement ; I will come to take you this evening. ' Then he continu e s about his business. But you do not p resent yourself for his inspection; he examines the others, then he l eaves ; the person about to be released embraces her comrades, she makes a thousand p romises to st rive in their behalf, to b ring
5 9 0 .. T H E MA R Q 1 J 1 S DE SADE
cha rges, to brui t abro a d what transpires in the monaste ry : the hour strikes, the monk appc:ars, the girl i s led away, and not a word is h e a rd of her. Suppe r takes place in the usual fashi on; we have simply been able to re n a rk that upon these days the monks ra rely reach pleasure ' s ultirr,ate episodes, one might say they proceed ginge rly and with unwonted care. However, they drink a great deal more, sometimes even to inebri ation ; they send u s to our chamber a t a much earlier hour they take no one to bed with them, even the Girls o f the Wa tch are relegated to the seraglios."
"Very wel l , " I say to my comp anion, " i f no one has helped you it is because you h ave had to deal with frail, intimidated crea tures, o r women with children who dared not a ttempt anything for you. That they wi: l kill us is not my fear ; a t least, I don't be lieve they d o : that rea soning beings could ca rry crime to that point . . . i t i s unthinkable . . . I know that full well . . . . After what I have seen and unde rgc n e I perhaps ought not de fend mankind as I do, but, my dear, i t i�; simply inconceivable that they can execute horrors the very i d e a of which defies the imagination. Oh dear companion ! " I pursued with great emotion, "would you like to exchange that promise which for my part I swear I will fulfill ! . . . D o you wish i t ? "
"Ye s . " " A h , I s w e a r to y o u i n t h e n a m e o f all I h o l d m o s t holy, i n
the n a m e o f t h e God Wrho m a k e s m e t o breathe a n d Whom only I a dore . . . I vow to you I will either die in the undertaking or destroy these infamies . . . will you promise me the same ?"
"Do not doubt i t , " Omphale repli ed, "but be certain of these promises' futility ; oth !rs more embi ttered than you, stauncher, no less resolute and not ! o scrupulous, in a word, friends who would have shed their last d rop of blood for us, have not kept identical vows ; and so, dear T he rese, and so allow my cruel experience to consider ours equally 'lain and to count upon them no more . "
"And the monks , " I said, " d o they also vary, do n e w ones o ften come here ?"
"No," answered Omphale, "Antonin h a s been here ten years, C l ement eighteen, ]e rc1me thi r ty, Severino twenty-five. The superior was born i n I taly, h e is closely allied to the Pop e with whom he i s i n intimate contact ; only since h i s a rrival have t h e so-called miracles
Jus tine .. 5 9 1
o f the Virgin a s s u r e d t h e m o n a stery ' s repu t a t i o n a n d prevent e d s c a n dalmonge r s from o b s e r vi n g too c l o s ely w h a t t a k e s p l a c e here ; but when he c a m e t h e h o u s e w a s a l r e a dy furn i s h e d a s p r e s en tly you s e e it to b e ; it has subs i s ted i n t h e same style a n d upon this foo ting for a b o v e a c e ntury, a n d a l l t h e supe r i ors w h o h a v e governe d it h av e p erpe tu a t e d a system w h i c h s o a m i c a bly s m i l e s u p o n t h e i r p l e a sure s . Severi n o , t h e m o s t l i bertine m a n o f our t i m e s , h a s only i n s t a l l e d h i m s e l f here i n ord e r t o l e a d a l i fe consonant with h i s t a s t e s . H e i n t e n d s to m a i n t a i n t h i s abbey' s s e c r e t p r i v i l e g e s a s l o n g a s h e p o s s i bly c a n . W e b e l o n g to the d i o c e s e o f Auxerre, but whether or n o t t h e b i s hop is i n f o r m e d , w e never s e e him, never does h e s e t fo o t i n t h e m o n a s t e ry : generally s p e aking, v e ry f e w o u t s i d ers c o m e h e r e except t o w a r d t h e t i m e o f t h e festival w h i ch i s t h a t o f N otre Dame d'Aoii t ; a c c o r d i n g to the monks, ten p e r s o n s d o not a rrive at t h i s h o u s e over the p e r i o d of a twelvemonth ; h o wever, it is v e ry l i kely t h a t w h e n s t r a n g e r s do p r e s en t t h e m s e l v e s , t h e sup e r i o r t a k e s care t o r e c e i v e t h e m w i t h h o sp i t a l i ty ; by a p p e a r a n c e s o f religion a n d a u s t eri ty h e i m p o s e s u p o n t h e m , t h ey go a w a y content, t h e m o n a s t e ry i s eulogi z e d , a n d t h u s t h e s e v i l l a i n s ' i m p u n i ty i s e s t a b l i s h e d upon the p e o pl e ' s g o o d f a i t h a n d the credu l i ty o f t h e devou t . "
Omp h a l e h a d s c a rcely conclu d e d h e r i n s truction w h e n n i n e o ' clock toll e d ; t h e supe rintendent c a l l e d u s to c o m e q u i ckly, a n d t h e O ffi c e r o f t h e D a y d i d i n d e e d e n t e r . ' Tw a s Anton i n ; a c c o r d i n g t o c u s t o m , w e d r e w o u r s e l v e s up i n a l i n e . H e c a s t a r a p i d gl a n c e upon t h e group, counted us, a n d sat down ; t h e n , o n e by one, w e w e n t fo r w a r d a n d l i fted o u r ski r t s , o n t h e o n e s i d e a s h i g h a s t h e n a v e l , o n t h e o t h e r u p t o t h e m i ddle o f t h e b a c k . Antonin g r e e t e d t h e h o m a g e w i t h t h e b l a s e u n c o n c e r n o f s a t i e ty ; t h e n , c l a p p i n g a n e y e upon m e , h e a s k e d h o w I l i k e d t h i s n e w e s t o f my a dv e n tur e s . G e t t i n g no r e s p o n s e b u t t e a r s , " S h e ' l l m a n a g e , " h e s a i d w i t h a l augh ; "in a l l of Fra n c e t h e r e ' s n o t a single h o u s e where g i r l s a re finished as n i c ely a s they are i n th i s . " From the superi n t e n d e n t ' s h an d s he took the list o f girls w h o had m i s b e h a v e d , t h e n , a ddre s s i n g h i m s e l f to m e a g a i n , h e caused m e to shudde r ; each g e s ture, each movement which s e e m e d to oblige m e t o subm i t mysel f t o these l i b ertines w a s f o r m e a s a sentence o f d e a t h . Antonin commanded m e t o s i t on t h e edge o f a b e d a n d when I w a s i n t h i s p o s tu r e h e b a d e t h e su p e r i n tendent uncover my bre a s t a n d r a i s e my skirt to above my w a i s t ; h e
5 9 2 + THE MAR Q U I S DE SADE
h i m s e l f s p r e a d my legs as far a p a r t as p o s s i bl e , he s e a t s h i m s elf before th i s p ro s p e c t , O!1e of my c o m p a n i o n s c o m e s a n d takes u p the same pose on top of m e i n such a w a y t h a t it is the altar of g e n e r a t i o n i n s t e a d o f m y v i s a g e w h i c h i s o ff e r e d t o An tonin ; w i th t h e s e c h a rm s r a i s e d t o t h e l e v e l o f h i s m o u th h e r e a d i e s h i m self f o r p l e a s u r e. A third girl k n e e l i n g b e f o r e h i m , begins to e x c i t e h i m w i t h h e r h a n d s , a n d a fou r t h , comple tely n a k e d , w i t h h e r fi n g e r s i n d i c a t e s w h e r e h e m u s t s t r i k e my b o d y . G r a d u a lly, t h i s gi rl b e g i n s t o a r o u s e m e a n d wha t s h e d o e s t o m e A n t o n i n d o e s a s well , w i t h b o t h h i s h a n d s , t o t w o o t h e r g i r l s on h i s l e f t and r i g h t . One c a n n o t i m a gi n e the l a n gu a g e , l:he obscene s p e e c h e s by which t h a t d e b a u c h e e s t i m u l a te s h i m s el f ; a t l a s t h e i s i n the s t a t e he d e s i r e s , h e i s l e d t o m e , b u t e v e ry o n e foll o w s h i m , m o v e s w i th h i m , endeavors t o i n fl a m e h i m y e t fu r t h e r w h i l e he t a k e s h i s p l e a su r e ; h i s n a k e d h i n d p a r t s a re e xp o s e d , Omp h a l e t a k e s p o s s e s s i o n o f them a n d neglects nothing i n order to i r ri t a t e h i m : rubbings, kisses, p o l l u t i o n s , she employs them all ; completely a fi r e , Antonin leaps t o w a r d m e . . . . " I w i s h t o s tu ff h e r t h i s tim e , " h e s ays , b e s i d e h i m s e l f . . . . T h e s e m o r a l devi a t i o n s d e t e r m i n e t h e physi c a l . Anton i n , w h o h a s the h a b i t o f u tt e r i n g t e r r i b l e c r i e s d u ri n g t h e fi n a l i n s t a n t s o f d runkenne s s , e m i t s d r e a d fu l o n e s ; e v e ryone s u r r o u n d s , everyone s e r v e s h i m , e v e ryone l a b o r s to enrich his ecs t a sy , a n d t h e l i b e r t i n e attains it i n the m i d s t o f t h e m o s t b i z a r r e e p i so d e s o f luxury and d e p r a v a t i on.
T h e s e groupings ',vere f r e q u en t ; f o r when a monk indulged in w h a t e v e r form of p l e a s u r e , a l l t h e g i r l s regula rly s u r r o u n d e d h i m i n o rd e r to fire a l l h i s : ) a r t s ' s e n s a t i o n s , th a t voluptuou s n e s s m i g h t , i f o n e m a y b e f o r g i v e n t h e exp r e s s i o n , m o r e su rely p e n e t r a t e i n t o h i m t h r o u gh e v e ry p o r e.
An tonin l e ft , breakfast w a s brought i n ; my c o m p a n i o n s forced m e to eat, I d i d s o t o p l e a s e them. W e had n o t qu i te finished when t h e s up e r i o r e n t e r e d : ! eeing us s t i l l a t table, h e dispensed u s from c e r e m o n i e s w h i c h w e r e : t o h a v e b e e n identical w i t h t h o s e we had j u s t executed f o r Ant( l n i n. "We m u s t give a thought t o d r e s s i n g h e r , " s a i d h e , l o ok i n g a t m e ; a n d then h e opened a w a r d r o b e a n d t h r e w u p o n my b e d s e v e r a l g a r m e n t s o f the c o l o r a p p r o p r i a t e to m y cl a s s , a n d s e v e r a l bund l e s o f l i n e n a s well.
"Try that o n , " h e s a i d , "and give m e what belongs t o you. " I donn e d t h e n e w :lothes a n d s u r r e n d e r e d my o i d ; but, in a n t i c-
Ju s ti n e .. 5 93
i p a ti on o f h aving to give them up, I h a d , during the night, p ru dently removed my m oney from my pockets and h a d concealed it in my hair. With each a r ticle of clothing I took o ff , S everino's ardent stare fell upon the feature newly exposed, and his h ands wandered to it a t once . At length, when I was half-naked , the monk seized me, put m e in the position favo rable to his pleasure, that i s to say, in the one exactly opposite to the a ttitude Antonin h a d made me a ssume; I wish to ask him to spare me, but spying the fury already kindl e d in his eyes, I decide the obedient is the s a fer way; I take my place, the o thers form a ring around me, Severino i s able to see nothing bu t a multitude of th ose obscene altars in which h e delights ; his h a n d s converge u p o n :nin e , his m o u t h fastens upon it, his eyes devou r i t . . . h e is a t the su mmit of pleasure.
With your approval , Madame, s a i d the beauti ful Therese, I shall l i m i t mysel f to a foreshortened account o f the fi rst month I spent in that monastery , that is, I will confine myself to the period's principal anecdote s ; the rest would be pure repetition ; the monot ony o f th a t sojourn would make my recital tedious ; immedia tely a fterward, I should, it seems to m e, move on to the events which fi nally p roduced my emergence from this ghastly sewer.
I did n o t a ttend supp er th a t first day ; I h a d simply been selected to pass the night with Dom C lement. In accordance with custom, I was outside his cell some few minutes before he was expected t o return to i t ; the j a iler opened the door, then locked it when I h a d gone i n .
Clement a rrives a s w a rm with wine a s l u s t , he is followed by the twenty-six year-ol d girl who, a t the time was o ffi c i a ting as his w a tch ; p reviou sly informed o f wha. t I a m to d o , I fall to my knees as soon a s I hear him coming; he nears me, considers m e in my humbled posture, then commands me t o rise and kiss him upon the mouth ; he savors the kiss for several moments and impa rts to i t all the expression . . . all the amplitude one coul d p o ssibly conceive. M e anwhile, Armande, as his thrall w a s named, undresses me by stages; when the lower part o f the loins, with which she h a d begun, is exposed, she bids me turn around and display to her uncle the area his tastes cherish. Clement examines it, feels it, then, reposing himself i n an a rmchair, orders me to bring it close so tha t he can kiss i t ; Armande is upon her kne e s , rousing him w i th her mouth,
5 9 4 * T H E MA R Q I J I S DE S A D E
Clement places his a t :he s a nctu a ry o f the temple I present to him and his tongue strays into the p a th s i tu a te a t i ts center ; his hands fasten upon the corresponding altar in Armande but, as the cloth ing the girl is still wearing impedes him, he commands her to be rid of it, this is soon don e , and the docile creature returns to her uncle to take up a p o sil ion in which, while exciting him with o nly the hand, she finds herself better within reach o f Clement' s . The im pure m onk uninterrup :edly occupied with m e in like fashion, then tells m e to give the l a r gest possible vent to whatever winds m ay b e hovering i n m y bowels, a n d the s e I am to direct i n t o h i s mou th; t h i s eccentricity struck me a s revolting, b u t I was at the time far from perfect acqua intance with all the i rregula rities of debauch : I obey and straightway feel the e ffect of this intemperance. More excited, the monk becomes mo ,e impassioned : h e suddenly appl i e s bites to six different places upo n the fleshy globes I have put at h i s disposal ; I emit a cry and start f o rward involunta rily, whereat he stands, ad vances toward m e , raE:e bl azing in h i s eyes , and demands whether I know what I am r i sk n g by unsettling h i m . . . . I m a k e a thou sand apologies, he grasps t h � corset still about my torso, rips it away, and my blouse too, i n less rime than i t takes to tell. . . . Ferociously he seizes my breasts, srouting invectives as he squeezes, wrings, crushes them; Armand e undresses him, and there we are , all three o f us, naked. Upon Armande h i s attention comes to bear for a mo ment : h e deals her savage blows with h i s fi sts ; kisses her mouth ; nibbles her tongue and lips, she screams ; pain now and again sends the gi rl into uncontrolhble gales o f weeping ; he has her stand upon a cha i r and extracts from her just what he desired from m e . Armande satisfies h i m , w i t h o n e h a n d I excite him, a n d , during t h i s luxury, I w h i p him gently with the o t h e r , h e a l s o bi tes Armande, but she holds herself s omehow i n check, not daring to stir a hair. The monster's tooth-m a rks are soon printed upon the lovely gi rl ' s flesh; they a r e to be sel:n in a number o f places ; brusquely wheeling upon m e: "The rese , " h e says, "you are going to suffer cruelly" he had no need to te ll me so, for his eyes declared it but too emphatically. "You are going to be lashed eve rywhere," he con tinues, "everywhere, wi thout exception," and as he spoke he again laid hands upon my breasts and mauled them brutally, he brui sed their extrem i ti e s with ;. is fingertips and occasioned me very sharp
Jus tin e + 5 9 5
pain ; I dared not say a word for fear o f irri tating him yet more, but swea t bathed my fore h e a d and, willy-nilly, my eye s filled wi th tears ; he turns me about, makes me kneel on the edge of a chair upon whose back I must keep my h ands without removing them for a single instant ; he promises to inflict the gravest penalties upon me if I li ft them ; seeing me ready and well wi thin range, he orders Armande to fetch him some birch rods, she presents him with a h andful, slender and long ; C lement snatches them, and recommend ing tha t I not stir, he opens with a score of stripes upon my shoulders and the small of my back ; he leaves me for an instant, returns to Armande, brings her back, s h e too i s made to kneel upon a chair six feet from where I am ; h e declares h e i s going to flog us simultaneously and the first of the two to release her grip , u tter a cry, or shed a tear will be exposed on the spot to wha tever torture he is pleased to i n fl i ct: he bestows the same number of s trokes upon Armande h e has j ust given me, and positively upon the i dentical places, h e re turns to me, kisses ,everything he h a s just l e ft off molesting, and raising h i s sticks, says to me, "Steady, l i ttle slut, you are going to be used l ike the l a s t of the damned." Whereupon I receive fifty s trokes , all o f them d irected between the region bor dered by the shoulders and the small of the back. He dashes to my comrade and treats her likewi se: we pronounce not a word ; nothing may be h e ard but a few stifled groans, we have enough strength to hold back our tears. There was no indication a s to what degree the monk's pa ssions were infl amed ; h e periodically excited himself b r i skly, but nothing rose. Returning now to me, h e spent a moment eyeing those two fa tty globes then still intact but about to undergo torture in their turn; h e - h andled them, he could not prevent himself from prying them apart, tickling them , kissing them another thou sand times. "Well, " s a i d he, "be coura geous . . . " and a hail of blows descended upon these masses, l acerating them to the thighs. Extremely animated by the starts, the leaps, the grinding of teeth, the contorti ons the pain drew from me, examining them, battening upon them rap turously, he comes and expresses, upon my mouth which h e ki sses with fervor, the sensations agitating him . . . . "This girl enterta ins m e , " h e cri es, "I h ave never fl ogged another wi th as much p l e a sure , " and he goe s back to h i s niece whom h e treats with the same barbari ty; there remained the space between the upper
5 9 6 + T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
thigh and the calves and this he struck with identical vehem ence: first the one o f us, then the other. "Ha I " he said, now approaching me, "let's change hand ; and visit this place here" ; now wielding a cat-o'-nine-tails he giv( s me twenty cuts from the middle o f my belly to the bottom of my thighs ; then wrenching them apart, he slashed at the interior of the lair my position bares to his whip. "There i t is," says h e . "th e bird I am going to pluck" : several thongs h aving, through the p recautions he had taken, penetrated ve ry deep, I could not !.uppress my screams. "\Vell, well ! " said the vill ain, " I must have found the sensi tive area at last ; steady there, calm yourself, we'll vi s . t it a l i ttle more thoroughly" ; however, h i s niece i s p u t in t h e same posture a n d treated in t h e s a m e manne r ; once again h e reaches the most delicate region of a woman's body ; bu t whether th rough h"bit, or cou rage, o r dread of incurring treat ment yet worse, she h a s enough strength to master he rsel f, and about her nothing i s v i s ible beyond a few shivers and sp asmodic twitchings. Howeve r, there was by now a sl ight change in the liberti n e ' s physical a s p e c t , a n d a l t h o u g h thin g s w e r e s till l a cki n g i n substance , thanks to s trokings and sh akings a gradual imp rove ment was being registered.
"On your knees," the monk said to me, " I am going to whip your tittie s . "
" My titties, o h m y Father I " "Yes, those two l ubricious masses which never excite m e but
I wish to use them thm , " and upon saying this, he squeezed them, h e compressed them violently.
"Oh Fath e r ! Thev are so delicate \ You will kill me \ " " N o m a tter, m y clear, p rovi ded I a m satisfied," a n d h e applied
five o r six blows which, happily, I parried with my hands. Upon observing that, he bind:; them behind my back ; nothing remains with which to implore his me rcy but my countenance and my tears, for h e h a s h a rshly ordered m e to b e silent. I strive to melt him . . . but i n vain, he strikes ou·: savagely at my now unprotected bosom ; terrible bruises are immedi a tely writ out in black and blue ; blood appears as his ba tte ring continues, my suffering wrings tears from me, they fall upon th e vestiges l e ft by the monster' s rage, and render them, says he, y et a thousand times more interesting . . . he kisses those m a rks, he devours them and now and again returns to
Justine .. 5 9 7
m y mouth, to m y eyes whose t e a r s he licks up w i t h l e w d delight. Armande takes her place, her hands are ti ed, she presents breasts of alabaster and the most beauti ful roundness ; Clement pretends to kiss them, but to bite them is what he wishes . . . . And then he l ays on and that lovely flesh, so whi te, so plump, i s soon nothing more in its butcher's eyes but lacerati ons and bleeding stripes. "Wait one moment," s ays the berserk monk, " I want to flog simul taneously the most beautiful of behinds and the softest of breasts." H e leaves me o n my kn ees and, bringing Armande towa rd m e , makes her stand facing m e with her legs spread, in such a way that my mouth touches her womb and my breasts are exposed between her thighs and below her behind ; by this means the monk has what he wants b e fore him: Armande's buttocks and my titties in close p rox imi ty: fur iously he beats them both, but my companion, in order to sp are m e blows which a r e becoming far more dangerous for me than for her, has the goodness to l ower herself and thus shield me by receiving upon her own person the l a sh e s that woul d inevitably have wound e d me. C lement detects the trick and separates us : "She'll gain n o thing by that, " he fumes, " and i f today I have the graciousness to spare that part o f h er , ' twill only be so as to molest some o ther a t least a s delicate." As I rose I saw that all those infam ies h a d not been in vain: the debauchee was in the most bril l i ant state j and i t made him only the more furious j he changes weapons-opens a cabinet where s f:ver a l m a rtinets are t o b e found and draws out one a rmed with i ron tips . I fall to trembling. "There, There s e , " says he showing m e the m artinet, "you'll see how de licious it is to be whipped with this . . . you'll feel i t , you'll feel it, my rascal, but for the instant I p r e fe r to u s e this other one . . . " It was comp osed o f small knotted cords, twelve i n all j a t the end o f e a c h was a knot somewh a t la rger t h a n t h e others, a b o u t t h e s i z e o f a plum pit. " C ome there I U p I T h e cavalcade I . . . the caval cade I " says h e to his niece j she, knowing what is meant, quickly gets down on all fours, h e r rump raised as high as p o ssible, and tells m e to imitate her ; I do. Clement leaps upon my back, riding facing my r e a r ; Armande, her own presented t o him, finds herself directly a h e a d of Clement: the villain then d iscovering u s both well within reach, furiously cuts at the charms we offer him; but, a s this positi o n obl i ge s us to open as wide as possible that delicate part of
5 9 8 .. T H E M A R Q U 1 S D E SADE
ourselves which distinguishes our sex from men' s , the barbarian aims stinging blows i n this direction : the whip' s long a n d supple strands, penetrating i n to the interior with much more facility than could withes or ferule!., l e ave deep traces of his rage ; now he strikes one, now his bkws fly at the other ; as skilled a horseman a s h e i s an i n trepi d fl agdlator, h e several times changes his mount ; we are exhausted, and 1 he pangs of pain are of such violence that i t is almost impossible to bear them any longer. "Stand up, " he tells u s , catching up the martinet again, "yes, get up and stand in fear of me"-h i s eyes gli tter, foam fl ecks his lips-like p e rsons distracted, we run about the room, h ere, there , he follows a fter us, indiscrimina tely striking Armande, mysel f ; the villain brings us to blood ; a t last h e traps u s both b e tween the bed and the wall : the blows are r edoubled : d e unhappy Armande receives one upon the breast which staggers l: er, this last horror determines his ecstasy, and while my back is fl a iled by its crue l effects, my loins are Hooded by the proofs of a deliri um whose results are so dange rous.
"We a r e going to bed," C l ement finally says to me ; " that has perhaps been rather too much for you , Therese, and certainly not enough for m e j one ne'Ter tires of this mania notwi thstanding the fact it i s a very p a l e image o f what one should really like to do ; ah, d e a r girl ! you have no idea to what l engths this depravity leads us, you cannot imagine t he drunkenn ess into which it plunges u s , the violent comm otion i n l he electrical fluid which results from the irri tation produced by the suffering o f the obj ect that s e rves our p a s s i ons ; how one is n e edled by i t s agon i e s ! The desire to increase them . . . ' ti s , I know, :he reef upon which the fantasy i s doomed to wreck, but i s this p{ ril to be dreaded by him who cares not a damn for anything ? "
Although Clemen t ' s mind w a s still i n t h e grip of enthusiasm, I observed th at h i s senses were much more calm, and by way of reply to what h e had just said, I dared reproach him his tastes' deprava tion, and the manner i l which this libertine justified them merits inclusion, i t seems t o m e , amidst the confessions you wish to h ave from me.
"Without question the silliest thing in the world, my dear Therese," C l ement s a i d to me, "is to wish to dispute a man's tastes, to wish to contradict, thwart, discredit, condemn, or punish them if
Jus ti n e + 5 9 9
they do not con form e i ther with the laws o f the country he inhabits on with the prej udices o f social convention. Why indeed ! Will it never be unders tood that there i s no vari e ty o f taste, however biza rre, however outlandish, however criminal it may be supposed, which does not derive di rectly fmm and depend upon the kind of organ i z a tion we have individually received from N a ture ? That posed, I ask with what right one man will dare require another either to curb o r get rid o f h i s ta s te s or model them upon tho se of the social order ? With what right will the law i tself, which is created for man's h appiness only, dare pursue him who cannot mend h i s ways, o r who would succeed in altering h i s behavio r only a t the p rice o f forgoing that happiness whose protection the law is obliged to gu a rantee him ? Even were one to desire to change those t a s tes could one do so ? Have we the power to remake ourselves ? C an we become other than what we are ? \Vould you demand the same thing from someone born a ,:rippl e ? and i s this incon formi ty of our tastes anything in the moral sphere but what the ill-made man's imperfection i s i n the physical ?
" Shall we enter into details ? \Vhy, very well . The keen mind I recognize in you, Therese, will enabl e you to appreci ate them. I believe you have been arrested by two irregularities you have re m arked in u s : you are astonished at the piqu ant sensation exp eri enced by some o f our friends where i t is a question o f matters commonly beheld a s fetid o r impu r e , and y o u a r e similarly surprised that our voluptuous faculties a re s u sceptible of powerful excitation by actions which, in your view, b,e a r none but the emblem o f fe rocity j let u s analyze both these tastes and a ttempt, i f ' t i s possible, to convince you that there is nothing simpler o r more normal in this world th an the pleasures which are their result.
"Extraordinary , you decl a r e , that things decayed, noi some, and filthy a r e able to p roduce upo n our senses the i r r i t ation e ssen tial to p recipitate their complete delirium j but before allowing onesel f to be startl e d by this, i t would be better to realiz e , Therese, that obj ects have no value for us save that which o u r imagination impa rts to them j it is therefore very possibl e , bearing this constant truth well in mind, tha t not only the most curious but even the vilest and most appalling things may a ffect us very appreciably. The human imagination is a faculty o f man's mind whereupon, through
6 0 0 .. T H E MARQ U I S D E SADE
the senses' a gency, obj e cts are painted, whereby they are modified, and wherein, next, idea i become formed, all i n reason o f the initial glimpsing o f those exte rnal obj ects. But this imagination, itself the result of the p ecul i a r organi z ation a p articular individual i s en dowed with, only adopts the received objects i n such-and-such a manner and a fterward only creates ideas according to the effects p roduce d by p erceived (,bjects' impact : let me give you a comp arison to help you grasp what I am exposing. The rese, have you not seen those differently formed mirrors, some o f which diminish obj ects, o thers of which enlarge them ; some give b ack frightful images of things, some beautify things ; do you now imagine that were each o f these type s o f mirrors to possess both a crea tive and an obj ective faculty, they would not each give a completely different portrait o f the same m a n who stan Js before them, a n d would n o t that portrait be di fferent thanks to the manner in which each mirror had per ceived the object ? I f to the two faculties we have j u st ascribed to the mirror, there were added a third o f sensation, would not this man, seen by it in such-an d-such a manner, be the source o f that one kind o f feeling the m i r 'or would be able, indeed would b e obliged, to conceive for the S O l t o f being the mirror had pe rceived ? The mirror sees the man as )eauti ful, the mirror loves the man ; another mirror sees the man a s frightful and hate s him, and i t i s always the same being who produc e s various impressions.
" Such is the hum�.n imagination, The rese ; the same obj ect i s represented t o i t unde r as many forms as that imagination has various facets and mo ods, and according to the effect upon the imagination received from whatsoever b e the obj ect, the imagina tion i s made to love o r to hate i t ; i f the pe rceived object' s imp act s trikes i t i n an agreea Jl e manner, the obj ect i s loved, preferred, even i f this obj ect h a s nothing re ally attractive about it ; and i f the obj ect, though o f a certain high value in the eyes o f someone else, has only struck in a d sagreeable m anner the imagination we are discussing, hostility wil l be the result, because not one of our senti ments i s formed save i n reason of what various obj ects p roduce upon the imagination ; these fundamentals once grasped, should not by any means b e cause for astonishment that what distinctly pleases some is able te· displease others, and, conversely, that the
Jus ti n e + 6 0 1
most extraordinary thing is able to find admirers . . . . The cripple also discovers certain mirrors which make him handsome.
"Now, if we a dm i t th a t the senses' j oy i s always dependent upon the imagination, always regulated by the imagination, one must not be amazed by the numerous vari ations the im agination is apt to suggest during the pleasu rable episode, by the infinite multi tude of different tastes and p a ssions the imagination's various extravagances will bring to light. Luxurious though these tastes may be, they are never intrinsically strange ; there is no reason to find a mealtime eccentricity more o r less extra o rdinary than a bed room whim ; a n d in the one and the other, i t is not more a s tonishing t o idolize wh a t the common run o f m ankind holds detestable than it is to love something generally recognized as pleasant. To like what others like p roves organic con formity , but demonstrates noth ing in favor of the beloved obj ect. Three-qu arters of the universe may find the rose's scent delicious wi thou t that serving either as evidence upon which to condemn th,! remaining qu arter which might find the smell offensive, or a s proof that this odor is truly agreeable.
"If then in this world there exi st persons whose tastes conflict with accepted p rejudices, n o t only must one not be surprised by the fact, not only must one not scold these dissenters o r punish them, but one must a i d them, procure them contentment, remove obstacles which impede them, and afford them, if you wish to b e j ust, all the means to satisfy themselves wi thout risk ; because they are no more responsible for having this curious taste than you are responsible for being live-spirited o r dull-wi tted, p rettily m a de o r knock-kneed. It is i n the mother's womb that there a r e fashioned the organs which must render u s susceptible o f such-and-such a fantasy ; the first obj ects which we encounter, the first conversations we overhear determine the p a ttern ; once tastes are formed nothing in the world can destroy them. Do what i t will, education i s incapable o f altering the p attern, and h e who has got to b e a villain just as surely becomes a vill ain, the good education you give him notwithstanding ; quite a s he, however much h e has l a cked good example, flies unerringly toward virtue if his organs dispose him to the doing of good. B o th have acted in accordance with their organic s tructu re, i n accordance with the impressions they have received from N a ture, and the one is n o more deserving o f punishment than the other i s o f reward.
6 0 2 .. T H E MA R Q U I S DE SADE
"Curiously enough , so long as it i s merely a question of trifles, we are neve r i n the l.east a stonished by the differences existing among tastes ; but let ':he subj ect take on an erotic tincture, and l isten to the word sp rea :l about I rumors fly, women, always thought ful of gu arding their ri �hts-women whose feebleness and inconse quence make them especially p rone to seeing enemies eve rywhere about-, women, I say a re all constantly trembling and quivering lest something be sna tched away from them and i f, when taking one's pleasure, one u n f ortuna tely puts practices to use which con fl i c t with woman-wors� ip, lo ! there you have crimes which meri t the noose. And what a 1 injustice I Must sensual pleasure render a man better than l i f e ' s other pleasures ? In one word, must our p enchants be any more :oncen trated upon the temple o f generation, must i t necessa rily more certainly awaken our desires, than some other part o f the body t:ither the most contrary to or a t the furthest remove from i t ? than s ome emanation o f the body either the most fetid or the most disgusting ? It should not, i n my opinion, appear a n y m o r e a ston i s h i ng 1 0 s e e a m a n i n t ro d u c e s i n gu l a r i ty into his libe rtine pleasu res than i t should appear strange to see him employ the uncommon in any a ,her o f life's activities. Once again, in either case, his singul arity is t1e result of his o rgans : is i t his fault i f what a ff ects you i s naught to him, o r i f he i s only moved by what repels you ? What living man would not instantly revise h i s tastes, his affections, his penchan ts and bring them into ha rmony with the general scheme, wh at man, rather than continue a freak, would not prefer to be like everyone else, were it i n his power to do so ? It is the most barbarous and most s tup i d intolerance to wish to fly at such a man's thro at ; he is no more gui l ty toward society, regardless o f what may be his ext ravagances , than is, as I have just said, the pe rson who came blind and lame into the world. And i t would be qu ite a s unj ust to puni!.h o r deride the latter as to affi ict o r berate the other. The man en :lowed with uncommon tastes is sick ; i f you prefer, he is like a wuman subj ect to hysterical vapors. Has the idea to puni sh such a p erson ever occurred to us ? let us be equally fair when dealing with the man whose caprices startle u s ; p erfectly like unto the ill man or the woman suffering from vapors, he is deserving o f symp a thy and not o f blame j th at is the moral apology for the persons whom we are discussing j a physical explanation will
Jus tine .. 603
without doubt be found a s e a sily, and when the study o f anatomy reaches perfection they will without any trouble be able to demon strate the relationship of the human constitution to the tastes which it a ffects. Ah, you pedants, hangmen, turnkeys, l awmakers, you sh avepa t e rabbl e , what will you do when we h ave a r rived there ? what i s to become o f your laws, your ethics, your religion, you r gallows, your Gods and you r Heavens and your Hell when i t shall be proven that such a flow of liquids, this variety of fibers, that degree of pungency in the blood or i n the animal spirits are sufficient to make a man the obj ect o f your givings and your takings away ? We continu e . C ruel tastes astonish you.
"What i s the aim of the man who seeks his j oy ? is i t not to give his senses all the irritation o f which they are susceptible in order, by this means, better and more warmly to reach the ultimate crisis . . . the precious crisis which characterizes the enj oyment as good or bad, depending upon the greater o r lesser activity which occu rs during the crisis ? Well, is one not guilty of an untenable sophistry when one dares a ffi rm i t i s necessary, i n order to amel iorate it, that it be shared with the woman ? Is it not plain enough that the woman can share nothing with u s without taking something from u s ? and th a t all she makes away with must necessa rily be had by her at our expense ? And what then is this necessity, I ask, that a woman enj oy herself when we are enjoying ou rselves ? in this a r rangement i s there any sentiment but p ride which may be fl a t tered ? and does one not savor thi s proud feeling in a f a r more piquant manner when, on the contrary, one harshly constrains this woman to abandon her quest for pleasure and to devote herself to making you alone feel it ? Does not tyranny fl a tter the pride in a fat more lively way than does beneficence ? In one word, is not h e w h o imposes much more su rely the m a s t e r t h a n h e w h o shares ? But how could i t ever have entered a reasonable man's head that delicacy is o f any value during enj oyment ? 'Tis absu rd, to maintain i t is necessary a t such a time ; i t never adds anything to the pleasure o f the senses, why, I contend th a t i t detracts th ere from. To love and to enjoy are two very different things : the proof whereof is that one loves every day without enj oying, and that even more o ften one enj oys wi thou t loving. Anything by way of consideration for the woman one stirs into the bro t h has got to dilute its strength
604 + T H E MARQUI S DE SADE
and i mp a i r its fl a v o r fo r the m a n ; s o l o n g as the l a t t e r spends h i s t i m e g i v i n g enj oyment, h e a s s u r edly d o e s n o t h i m s e l f d o any enj oy ing, or h i s enj o ym e n t is -ne rely i n t e l l e c tu a l , that is to say, c h i m e r i c a l a n d f a r i n f e r i o r t o s en s u a l enj oyment. N o , T h e r e s e , n o , I will n o t c e a s e rep e a ti n g i t, t h e r e i s a b s o l u tely n o n e c e s s i ty th a t , i n o r d e r to b e keen, a n enj o ym e n t must b e s h a r e d ; a n d i n o rd e r that t h i s kind of p l e a s u r e m a y b e rendered p i qu a n t t o the u t m o s t , it is, on t h e c o n t r a ry , v e ry e s s e n t i a l t h a t the m a n n e v e r take h i s p l e a s u r e s a v e a t t h e e x p e n s e o f the w o m a n , t h a t h e take from h e r ( wi t h o u t r e g a r d fo r t h e s e n s a t i o n s h e m a y e x p e r i e n c e t h e reby ) everything w h i c h m a y i n any way imp r o ve o r i n c r e a s e t h e volu p t u o u s exerci s e h e w a n t s t o r el i s h , a n d t h i s w i t h o u t t h e s l i g h t e s t concern fo r w h a tever m a y b e t h e e ff e c t s of a l l th i s u p o n t h e wom a n , for p reoccup a t i o n of t ha t s o r t will p ro v e bothersome to h i m ; h e e i t h e r w a n t s t h e woman t o p a rtake o f p l e a s u r e , md t h e r eu p o n h i s j oy s a r e a t a n end ; o r he fe a r s lest s h e will suffer, a n d he i s h u r l e d into c o n fu s i o n , a l l ' s b r o u g h t to a s t o p . I f e : g o i s m i s N a tu r e ' s fun d a m e n t a l command m e n t , it is v e ry s u r ely most of a l l during our l u b r i c i o u s d e l i gh t s t h a t t h i s c e l e s t i a l M o t h . ! r d e s i r e s u s to b e m o s t absolu tely u n d e r i ts r u l e ; why, i t ' s a v e ry s m a l l e v i l , i s i t n o t , t h a t , in t h e i n t e r e s t s o f t h e a u gm e n t a t i o n o f the: m a n ' s l e c h e r o u s delights h e h a s g o t e i t h e r t o n e g l e c t o r u p s e t d: e w o m a n ' s ; f o r i f t h i s u p s e tting o f h e r p l e a s u r e c a u s e s h i m t o g a i n a n y , w h a t i s l o s t t o t h e obj e c t w h i c h s e rv e s h i m a ff e c t s h i m i n n o w i s e , s a v e p ro fi tably : i t m u s t b e a m a t t e r o f i n d i ff e r e n c e t o h i m w h e t h e r th a t o b j e c t i s h a ppy o r un h a p p y , p ro v i d e d i t b e d el e c t a b l e to h i m ; i n truth, t h e r e i s n o rela t i o n a t all b e tw e e n thaI: obj e c t a n d himself. H e would hence b e a fool to trouble h i m s e l f a b o u t the obj e c t ' s s e n s a t i o n s a n d forget h i s own ; h e w o u l d b e e n t i r ely m a d i f, i n o r d e r to m o d i fy t h o s e s e n s a t i o n s fo r e i gn t o h i m , h e w e r e t o renounce i m p r o v e m e n t o f h i s . T h a t m u c h e s t a b l i s h e d , i f th e i n d i v i d u a l i n q u e s t i o n i s , unhappily, o r g a n i z e d i n such a f a s h i o n h e c a n n o t b e s t i r r e d s a v e by p r o d u c i n g p a i n fu l s e n s a t i o n s i n t b.e obj e c t employe d , you w1ll a d m i t h e i s fo r c e d t o g o ruthlessly t o work, s i n c e t h e p o i n t o f i t a l l i s t o h a v e t h e b e s t p o s s i b l e t i m e , t l e c o n s e qu e n c e s for t h e obj e c t b e i n g enti rely exclu d e d from c o n s i d e r a t i o n . . . . W e will r e tu rn to the p r oblem ; l e t u s c o n t i n u e i n a n o r d e r ly f a s h i o n .
" I s o l a t e d enj oym e l t t h e r e f o r e h a s i ts ch a rm s , i t m a y t h e r e f o r e
Jus tine + 6 0 5
h ave m o r e o f them t h a n a l l o ther kinds ; why ! i f i t w e r e not so, how should the aged and so many deformed or defective p ersons be able to enj oy themselves ? for they know full well they are not loved nor lovabl e ; perfectly certain it i s impossible to share what they experience, is their j oy any the less powerful on that account ? Do they desire even the illusion ? B (:having with utter selfishness in their riots, you will observe them seeking pleasure, you will see them sacrifice everything to obtair.. it, and in the obj ect they put to u s e never other than p assive properties. Therefore, it i s i n no wise necessary to give pleasures in ordl�r to receive them ; the happy or unhappy s i tu a tion of the victim o f our debauch is, therefore, abso lu tely as one from the point o f vi ew of our senses, there is never any qu estion of the state in which his h e a r t or mind may be ; i t m atters n o t o n e whit, th e obj ect may be pleased b y what you d o to it, the obj ect may suffer, i t may love o r detest you : all these con siderations are nullified immedi ately it is only a qu estion o f you r sensation. Women, I concede, may establish contrary theo ries, but women, who are nothing but machines designed for voluptuousness, who ought to be nothing but the targets of lust, are untrustworthy authorities whenever one has got to construct an authentic doctrine upon this kind o f pleasure. I s there a singl e reasonable man who i s eager t o have a whore pa rtake of h i s j oy ? And, howeve r, a r e there not millions of men who amuse th emselves hugely wi th these crea tu res ? Well, there you have th at m any individuals convinced of what I am u rging, who unhesitatingly put it into practice, and who scorn tho s e who use go od p rinciple s to legitimate their deeds, those ridiculous fools, the world i s stuffed to overflowing with them, who go and come, who do this and that, who eat, who digest, without ever sensing a thing.
" H aving p roven that solitary pleasures a r e a s del i cious a s any others and much more likely to delight, it becomes perfectly cl e a r that this enjoyment, taken in i n dependence o f the obj ect we employ, is not merely o f a nature very remote from what could be pleasur able to tha t obj ect, bu t is even found to be inimical to that obj ect's pleasure : what i s more, it may become an imposed suffering, a vexa tion, o r a torture, and the only thing that results from thit abuse i s a very certain increase o f pleasure for the desp o t who d oes the tormenting or vexing ; let us a ttempt to demonstrate thi s.
6 0 6 .. T H E MAR Q U l S DE SADE
"Volup tu o u s e m o t i o n i s n o t h i n g but a kind o f v i b r a t i o n p ro d u c e d i n our soul by sh ocks which the i m a g i n a t i on, i n fl a m e d by the r e m e m b r a n c e of a l u b r i ri o u s obj e c t , r e g i s t e r s upon our s e n s e s, e i t h e r through t h i s obj e c t ' s p r e s ence, o r b e t t e r s t i l l b y th i s obj e c t ' s b e i n g e xp o s e d to th a t p a r t i cu l a r k i n d o f i r r i t a t i o n which m o s t p r o foundly s t i r s u s ; thus, our voluptuous transpo rt-t h i s indescribable convul sive n e e d l i n g which d r i v e s u s wild, which l i fts u s to the h i g h e s t p i tch of h a p p i n e s s at which r1an is a b l e to a r rive-is never ignited save by two c a u s e s : e i t h e r by t h e p e rc e p t i o n i n the o b j e c t we u s e of a r e a l o r i m a gi n a ry b e a u ty, t h e b e a u ty i n w h i c h we d e l i g h t the m o s t, o r b y t h e s i g h t o f t h a t obj e c t J n d e r g o i n g t h e strongest p o s s i bl e s e n s a t i o n ; n o w, t h e r e is no m o r e l i vely s e n s a t i o n t h a n t h a t of p a i n ; i t s impres sions are certain a n d d . ! p e n dable, they never deceive a s m a y those of t h e p l e a su r e women p e rpetu a l ly f e i gn a n d a l m o s t n e v e r exp e ri e n c e ; a n d, furth e r m o r l ! , h o w much s e l f-co n fi d e n c e , youth, v i go r, h e a l t h a re n o t n e e d e d in o r d e r to be sure o f producing t h i s dubi o u s a n d h a r dly v e r y s a t i s fy i n g i m p r e s s i on o f p l e a su r e i n a w o m a n . T o p r o du c e t h e p a i n fu l i m F e s s i on, o n the contra ry, r e qu i r e s n o v i rtu e s a t a l l : t h e m o r e d e fect:; a m a n m a y h a ve, the o l d e r h e i s , the l e s s l o v a b l e , t h e m o r e r e s o l n d i n g h i s succe s s . W i t h w h a t r e g a r d s t h e obj e c tive, i t will b e f a r m o r e c e r t a i nly a t t a i n e d s i n c e we a r e e s tab l i sh i n g the fact that o r e never b e t t e r touches, I wish to s ay, t h a t o n e n e v e r b e t t e r i r r i t a t e s o n e ' s s e n s e s th an when t h e g r e a t e s t p o s s i b l e i m p r e s s i o n h a s been p ro du c e d i n the e m p l o y e d obj ec t, by no m a t ter what d e v i c e s ; t h e r e f o r e, h e who w i l l cause the m o s t tumu l tu o u s i m p r e s s i o n to b e b o rn i n a w o m a n , h e who will m o s t thoroughly convul s e thi s wom a n ' ! e n t i r e f r a m e , v e ry d e c i d e dly will h av e m a n a ge d to p r o c u r e h i m s e l f the h e av i e s t p o s s ible dose o f voluptu o u s n e ss, b e c a u s e the shock resultant upon u s by the i m p r e s s i o n s o t h e r s exp e r i ence, w h i c h s h o c k i n t u r n i s n e c e s s i t a t e d b y the i m p r e s s i on w e h a v e o f those o t h e r s , will n e c e s s a r i l y be m o r e v i g o r o u s i f t h e i m p r e s s i o n these · ) th e r s receive b e p a i n ful, than i f the i m p r e s s i o n they r e c e i v e b e sw ! e t a n d m i l d ; a n d i t f o l l o w s t h a t the volup tuous egoi s t, who is p e rsu a d e d his p l e a s u r e s will be keen only i n s o f a r as they are enti r e , will t h e r e f o r e impo se, when h e has i t in his power to do so, t h e strongest p o s s i bl e d o s e o f pain upon the employed obj ect, fully certain t h a t w h a t by way o f voluptuous
Jus ti n e ,� 6 0 7
pleasure he extr acts will be his only by dint of the very lively impression he h a s p roduced."
"Oh, Father, " I said to Clement, " these doctrines are dread ful , they lead to the cultivation of cruel tastes, horrible tastes. "
"Why, what does it m a t te r ?" demanded the b a rbarian ; " and, once again, have we any control over our t a s te s ? Must we not yield to the dominion o f those N a ture has inserted in u s as when befo r e the tempest's force the p roud oak bends its head ? W e r e N a ture o ffended by these p roclivi ties, she 'Would not have inspired them in u s ; tha t we can receive from her hands a sentiment such as would outrage her is impossibl e , and, extremely certain of thi s, we can give ou rselves up to our passions, wha tever their sort and o f what ever thei r violence, wholly sure tha t all the di scomfi tu res their shock may occasion a r e naught bu t the designs o f N a ture, o f whom we are the involuntary instruments. And what to us are these pas sions' consequences ? When one wishes to delight in any action whatsoever, there is never any question o f consequences."
" I am not speaking to you o f ,:onsequence s , " I put i n abruptly, "bu t of the thing itsel f ; if indeed you are the s tronger and if through atrocious principles of cruelty you love to take you r pleas u r e only by means o f causing suffering with the intention o f aug menting you r sensations, you will gradually come to the point of p roducing them wi th such a degree o f violence that you will cer tainly risk killing the employed obj ect."
"So be i t ; that is to say that, by means o f tastes given me by N a tu r e , I shall have carried o u t the intentions o f N a ture who, never affecting her creations save th rough destructions, never in spires the thought of the latter in me save when she is in need o f t h e forme r ; t h a t i s t o say t h a t from an oblong portion o f matter I shall have formed three or four thousand round or s qu a r e ones. Oh Therese, i s there any crime here ? I s th is the name with which to designate what serves N a ture ? Is it in man's power to comm i t crimes ? A n d w h e n , pre ferring h i s o w n happiness to that o f others, he overthrows o r destroys wh atever he finds in his p ath, has he done anything but s e rve N a ture whose primary and most imperious insp i r a tions enj oin him to pursue h i s happiness a t no m a tter whose expense ? The doctrine o f brotherly love i s a fiction we owe to C hristiani ty and not to N a tu r e ; the exponent of the N a z a rene's
608 + T H E MAR Q U I S DE SADE
cult, tormented, wretched and consequently in an enfeeble d state which prompted him to cry out for tolerance and compassion, had no choice bu t to allege t hi s fabulous relationship between one per son and another ; by gai 1ing acceptance for the notion he was able to save his life. But th,! philosopher does not acknowledge these gigantic rapports ; to hi�. consideration, h e is alone in the universe, h e j udges everything s lbj ectively, h e only i s o f importance. If h e i s thoughtful o f o r C Hesses anothe r for one instant, i t i s neve r but in strait connection with what profit he thinks to draw from the business ; when h e i s no longer in n eed of others, when h e can forcefully assert his em pire, he then abj ures forever those pretty hum anitarian doctrines 'Jf doing goo d deeds to which he only sub mi tted himself for rea �;ons of policy ; he no longer fears to b e selfish , to reduce everyone about h i m , and h e s a t e s h i s app etites without inquiring to kno w wh a t h i s enj oyments may cost others, and without remors e . "
" Bu t t h e man y o u d escribe i s a monste r." "The man I describe is in tune with N a ture." "He i s a savage beast." "Why, i s not the ti 5;er o r the leopard, o f whom this man is, if
you wish, a replica, like man created by N a ture and created to p rosecute N atu re's inte ntions ? The wolf who devours the lamb accomplishes wh at thi s common mother designs, just as does the male factor who destroYB the obj ect of his revenge o r his lubricity. "
"Oh, Father, say what you will, I shall never accept this destructive lubri c i ty."
" B ecause you are afraid o f becoming its obj ect-there you have i t : egoism. Let's exchange our roles and you will fancy i t very nicely. Ask the lamb, and you will find he does not understand why the wolf is allowed to devou r him ; ask the wol f wha t the lamb i s for : to f e e d me, he will reply. Wolves which ba tten upon lambs, lambs consumed by wolves, the strong who immolate the weak, the weak victims of the stro ng : there you have N ature, there you have her intentions, there yO ] have her scheme : a perpetu a l action and reaction, a host o f vice�;, a host of virtues, i n one word, a perfect equilibrium resulting from the equali ty of goo d and evil on ea rth ; the equilibrium essential to the ma intenance o f the stars, o f vegeta tion and, lacking which, everything would be instantly in ruins. 0
Jus tin e .. 6 0 9
Therese, mightily astonished she would b e , this N a ture, were she to be able to converse with us for a moment and were we to tell her that these crimes which serve her, these a trocities she demands and insp ires in u s a r e punished by laws they assure u s a r e made in imi tation o f hers. ' I diots' she would reply to u s , 'sleep, e a t , and fe a rl e ssly comm i t whatever crimes you like whenever you like : every one o f those alleged i nfami es pleases m e , and I would have them all, since it i s I who insp i r e them i n you. It is within your province to r egul ate what annoys me and wh a t delights, indeed! be advised that there i s nothing i n you which i s not my own, nothing I did not place i n you fo r reasons it is not fi tting you be acqu a inted with ; know that the most abomina b l e o f your deeds is, like the most virtuous o f some o ther, but one o f the manners o f s e rving me. So do not restrain you rself, flout your laws, a fi g for your soci al con ventions and your Gods ; l i sten to :me and to none other, and believe that if there exists a crime to be committed against m e it i s the resistance you oppose, in the forms o f s tubbornness o r casuistries, to what I insp i r e i n you . ' "
"Oh, Just H eaven ! " I cried, "you make me shudder ! Were there no crimes a gainst N a ture, whence would come that Insur mountable l o a thing we exp e r i ence for certain misdeeds ?"
" That loathing i s not dictated by N a tu r e , " the villain repli e d with feeling, " i ts one source i s i n the total lack o f h abi t ; does n o t t h e same hold t r u e for c e r t a i n foods ? Al though t h e y a r e excellent, i s not our repugnance me rely c au s ed by o u r being unaccustomed to them ? would you dare say, upon the basis o f your p rejudices o r i gnorance, that t h e y are go od o r b a d ? I f we m a k e t h e e ff o r t , we will soon become convinced a n d will find they su i t our palate ; we have a hostility toward medicaments, do we not, although they are salu tary ; in the same fashion, let us accustom ourselves to evil and i t will n o t b e long before w e find i t cha rming ; this momentary revul sion is certainly a shrewdness, a kind of coquetry on the part o f N a ture, rather than a w a rning t h a t t h e thing ou trages her : thu s she p repares the pleasures o f our triump h ; she even m a n a ges thus to augment those of the deed i tself : better still, Therese, better still : the more the deed seems appalling to us, the more it i s in contradiction with our manners and customs, the more it runs head long against restraints and shatters them, the more it conflicts with
6 1 0 + T H E M A R Q U J ; DE S A D E
social conventions and a tronts them, the more i t clashes wi th what we mi stake for N a ture's laws, th en the more, on the contra ry, it is u s e ful to this same N at' l re . I t i s never but by way o f crimes that she regains possession of the rights Vi rtue incessantly steals away from her. If the crime i s slight, i f it is a t no grea t vari ance with Virtue, its weight will be less in re-establishing the balance indis pensable to N a ture ; but the more capi tal the crime, the more dea dly, the more it dre�,ses the scales and the better i t offsets the influence o f Virtue whi c h , without this, would destroy everything. Let him then cease to h � in a fright, he who meditates a crime or h e who has just commit :ed one : the vaster his crime, the better i t will serve Nature."
These frightful thwri e s soon led me to think of Omphale's doubts upon the mann e r in which we left the terrible house we were i n . And it was ther I conceived the plans you will see me exe cute in the sequel. How( ver, to complete my enligh tenment I could not p revent myself from putting yet a few more questions to Father Clement.
"But surely," I said, "you do not keep you r p a ssions' unhappy victims forever ; you surely send them away when you are wearied of them ?"
" C e rtainly, Theres e , " the m onk repl ied ; "you only entered this establishment in orier to le ave i t when the four of us agree to grant you r reti rement. Which will most certa inly be granted."
" B u t do you not fe a r , " I continu ed, "lest the younger and less discreet girls sometimes go and reveal what i s done here ? "
" 'Tis impossibl e . " " I mpossible ?" "Absolutely . " " C ould y o u expl ain . . . " "N 0, that's our secret, but I can assure you of this much : th at
whether you are discre e t o r indiscreet, you will find i t perfectly impossible ever to say a word about what i s done here when you a re here no longer. An d thus you see, Therese, I recommend no discretion to you, j u s t as my own desires are governed by no re straining p olicy . . . . "
And, h aving uttte r d these words, the monk fell asleep. Fron that moment onward, ] could no longer avoid realizing that the
Justine + 6 1 1
most violent m e a su r e s were used with those unhappy ones o f u s who w e r e retrenched and that thi s terribl e security they boasted of was only the fruit o f our de ath. I was only the more confirmed in my resolve ; we will soon see its effect.
As soon as Clement was aslet:p , Armande came near to me. "He will awake shortly , " s he said ; "he will behave like a
madman : N ature only puts his !,enses to sleep in order to give them, a fter a little rest, a much greater energy ; one more scene and we will have peace until tomo rrow. "
" But you , " I s a i d to my companion , " a ren't you going to sleep a Ii ttl e whi le ?"
"How can I ?" Armande replied, "when, were I not to remain awake and standing by h i s side, and were my negli gence to be per ceived, he would be the man to stab me to death."
" 0 Heaven ! " I sighed, "why ! even a s he sleeps the vill ain would that those a round him remain i n a state o f suffering I "
"Yes," my companion responded, "it i s th e very barba rity o f t h e idea which p rocures the furious awakening y o u a r e going t o witness ; u p o n t h i s he is l i k e unto those perverse writers w h o s e cor ruption i s so dangerous, so a ctive, that their single aim is, by causing their appalling doctrines to b e printed, to immortalize the sum of their crimes a fter their own lives a re at a n end ; they themselves can do no more, but thei r accursed writings will instigate the com mission o f crimes, and they carry this sweet idea with them to their graves : it comforts them for the obl i gation, enj oined by de ath, to relinqui sh the doing of evi l . "
"The monsters ! " I c r i e d . • . . Armande, who was a very gentl e creature, kissed m e a s she
shed a few tears, then went back to p acing about the rou e ' s bed. Two hours p a ssed and then the monk did indeed awake in a
p rodigious a gitation and sei zed me with such force I thought he was going to strangle me ; his resp i r ation was quick and labored, h i s eyes glittered, he uttered incoherent words which were exclu sively bla sphemous or libertine exp ressions ; he summoned Ar mande, call e d for whips, and started in again with his fl ogging o f us both, but in a yet more vigor aus manner than before having gone to sleep. It seemed as if he wi shed to end matte rs with me ; shrill cries hurst from his mouth ; to abridge my sufferings, Armande
6 1 2 .. T H E MAR Q U I S DE SADE
excited him violently, h e lost h i s head entirely, and finally made rigid by the most violenl sensations, the monster lost both h i s ardor and his desires together with smoking fl oods o f semen.
Nothing transp i rec during the rest o f the night ; upon getting up, the monk was content to touch and examine each o f us ; and as he was going to say M a ss, we returned to the seragl i o . The super intendent could not be prevented from desi ring me in the infl amed state she swo re I must b e in ; exhausted I indeed was and, thus weakened, how could ] de fend mysel f ? She did all she wished, enough to convince m e that even a woman, in such a school, soon losing all the delicacy a nd restraint native to her sex, could only, a fter those tyrants' examp l e , become obscene and cruel.
Two nights l a te r , [ slept wi th Jerome ; I will not describe his horrors to you ; they Wf re still more terrifying. vVh a t an aca demy, gre a t God ! by week's end I had finally made the ci rcuit, and then Omphale a sked me whether it were not true that of them all, Cle ment was the one about whom I had the most to complain.
"Al a s ! " was my r e sponse , " i n the midst o f a crowd of horrors and messes o f filth whi ch now di sgust and now revolt, i t is ve ry difficult to p ronounce u pon these villains' individual odiousness ; I am mortally weary o f them all and would that I were gone from here, whatever be the hte that awa i ts me."
"It might be p osBible that you will soon be s a ti s fi e d , " my comp anion answere d ; ' we a r e n e a ri n g the period o f the festival : this ci rcumstance ra rely takes place without bringing them victims ; they either seduce girl� by means o f the confessi onal, o r , i f they can, they cause them to disappe a r : which means so many new recru i ts , each of whom always suppo ses a re trenchment."
The famous hol i d lY a rrived . . . will you be able to believe, M a dame, what monstrc us imp i e t i e s the monks were gui l ty of during this event ! They fanci,:d a visible mi racle would double the bril l i ance o f thei r reputatio n ; and so they dressed Flo rette, the youngest of the girls, in all the Yirgin's attire and a do rnments ; by means of concealed strings they tied her against the wall of the niche and ordered her to elevate her a rms very suddenly and with compunc tion towa rd heaven simultaneously the host was raised. As the l i ttle creature was threatene,i with the cruelest ch astising if she were to speak a s ingle word 0 . · mismanage in h e r role, she carried i t off
Jus tine + 6 1 3
m a rvelously well, and the fraud enjoyed all the success th at could possibly have been expected. The people cried alou d the miracle, l e ft rich offerings to the Vi rgin , and went home more convinced than ever o f the e ffi c acity o f the cel e sti a l Mother's merci es. In order to incre a s e thei r impi ety, our lihertines wanted to have Florette app e a r at the o rgies that evening, dressed in the same costume that h a d attracted so many homages, and each one inflamed his odious desires to submit her, i n this gui s e , to the irregul a rity o f h i s caprices. Arou sed by th i s initi al crime, the 5acrilegious ones go con side rably further : they have the child strip ped naked, they have her l i e on her stomach upon a l a rge tabl e ; they light candles, they place the image o f our S aviour squarely upon the little gi rl ' s b a ck and upon her buttocks they dare consummate the most re doubtable o f our mysteries. I swooned away at this horrible spectacle, 'twa s im possible to bear the si ght. Severino, seeing me unconscious, says th at, to bring me to h e el, I must se rve a s the altar in my tu rn. I am seized ; I a m placed where Flo rette was lying ; the sacrifice i s con summated , and the host . . . that sacred symbol of our august Religion . . . Severino catche s i t up and thrusts it deep into the obscene locale of his sodomistic pl e a sures . . . crushes it with oaths and insults . . . i gnominiou sly drives it further with the intensified blows o f his monstrous d a rt and a�: he blasphemes, spurts, upon our S aviou r ' s very B o dy, th e impure floods o f his lubricity' s torrents . . . .
I was insensible when they drew me from h i s hands ; I had to be carried to my room, where for a week I shed uninte r rupted te ars over the hideous crime for which, against my will, I h a d been employed. The memory still gnaws at my soul, I never think back upon tha t scene without shudde ring . . . . In me, Religion i s the effect of sentiment ; all that offend.s o r outrages it makes my very h e a rt bleed.
The end o f the month was close at hand when one morning toward nine Severino entered our chamb e r ; he app eared greatly a roused ; a certain crazed look hove red in h i s eyes ; he examines u s , one a fter the other, places us i n h i s cherished attitude, and especi ally lingers over Omphale ; for several minutes he stands, contemplating her in the p osture she has a s sumed, he excites him self, mutters dully, secretly, kisses what i s offered him, allows every one to see he i s in a state to consummate, and consummates nothing ;
6 1 4 + T H E M A R Q U B DE S A D E
next, he has her straigh ten up, casts upon her glances filled with rage and wickedness ; then, swinging his foot, with all his strength he kicks her in the bell V' she reels backward and falls six yards away.
"The company i s r e trenching you , whore , " he says, "we are ti red o f you, be ready by this a fternoon. I will come to fetch you myself." And he leaves.
When h e is gone Omphale gets up and, weeping, casts herself into my a rms.
"Ah ! " she s ays, "hy the infamy, by the cruelty of the pre liminaries . . . can you st H blind yoursel f a s to what follows ? Great God ! wh a t i s to become o f m e ?"
" B e easy, " I say to the miserable girl, "I have made up my mind about everything ; I only aw a i t the opportuni ty ; it may per haps p resent i tself sooner than you think ; I will divulge these horrors ; if i t i s true the m e asures they take are as cruel as we have reason to believe, strive to obtain some delays, postpone i t , and I will wrest you from thei r clutches."
In the event Omp � ale were to be relea sed, she swore in the same way to aid me, and both o f u s fell to weeping. The day passed, nothing happened du ring i t ; a t five o ' clock Severino returned.
"Well," he asked Omph ale, "are you ready ?" "Yes, Fathe r, " sh.: answered between sobs, "permit me to
embrace my friends." " 'Tis useless," repl i e d the m onk ; "we have no time for lachry
mose scenes ; they are waiting for us ; come. " Then she a sked whether she were obligd to take her belongings with her.
"No," said the sur e r i o r ; " does not eve rything belong to the house ? You have no ft:rther need o f any of i t" ; then, checking himself, as might one who has s a i d too much :
"Those old cl othes have become useless ; you will have some cut to fi t you r s i z e , they will be more becoming to you ; be content to take along only wh a t you are wearing."
I asked the monk Nheth e r I might be allowed to accomp any Omphale to the door of the house ; his reply was a glance that made m e recoil in terror . . . . Omphale go es out, she turns toward us eyes filled with uneasiness and tea rs, and the minute she i s gone I fling mys elf down upon t h e bed, desperate.
Justine + 6 1 5
Accu stomed to these occurrences o r blind to their significance, my companions were less a ffected by Omphale's departure than I ; the superior returned an hour later to l e a d away the supper's girls o f whom I was one-we were only four : the girl of twelve, she of sixteen, she o f twenty-thre e , and me. Everything went more or less a s upon other days ; I only noticed that the Girls o f the Watch were not on hand, that the monks often whispered i n each other' s ears, that they drank much, that they limited themselves violently to exciting desires they did not once consumma te, and that they sent us away a t an e a rly hour withou t retaining any of u s for their own beds . . . . I deduced what I could from what I observed, because, under such ci rcumstances, one keeps a sharp eye upon everything, but what did this evidence augur ? Ah, such was my perpl exity that no clear idea p resented itself to my mind but i t was not immediately offset by anothe r ; recollecting Clement's words, I felt there was everything to fe a r . . . of course ; but then, hope . . . that treacherous hope which comforts u s , which b linds us, and which thus does us almost as much ill a s good . . . hope finally surged up to reassure me . . . . Such a quantity of horrors were so alien to me that I was simply unable to conceive o f them. In this terrible state o f con fusion, I lay down in bed ; now 1 was persuaded Omphale would not fail to keep her word ; and the: next instant I was convinced the cruel devices they would use against her would deprive her of all power to help us, and that was my final opinion when I saw an end come to the third day o f having h eard nothing at all.
Upon the fourth I found m yself again called to supp e r ; the company was numerous and select : the e i ght most beautiful women were there that evening, I had been paid the honor of being included amongst them ; the Girls o f the \Va tch a ttended too. Immedi ately we entered we caught sight of our new companion.
"Here i s the young l a dy the: corporation h a s destined to re place Omphale, M esdemoi selles , " said Severino.
And a s the words escaped his lips h e tore away the mantlets and lawn which covered the gi rl's bust, and we beheld a maiden of fi fteen, with the most agreeable and delicate face : s h e raised her lovely eyes and graciously regarded each o f u s ; those eyes were still moist with tears, but they contained the liveliest expression ; her figure was supple and light, her s,kin of a dazzling whiteness, she
6 1 6 .. T H E MAR Q U : S D E SADE
had the world's most � eauti ful hair, and there was something so seductive about the whc l e tha t i t was impossible not to feel onesel f automatically drawn to her. Her name was Octavi e ; we were soon i nformed she was a gi r l o f the highest quality , born in Paris, and had just emerged fron a convent in order to wed the Comte de * * * : she h a d been kidnaped while en route in the company of two governesses and th ree lackeys ; she did not know what had become o f h e r retinu e ; i t had been toward nightfall and she alone had been taken ; a fter h aving been blindfolded, she had been brought to where w e vrere and it had not been possible to know more of the matter.
A s yet n o one had ;poken a word to her. Our libertine quartet, confronted by so much charm, knew an instant of ecstasy ; they had only the strength to admire her. Beauty ' s dominion comm ands re spect ; despite h i s heart essness, the most corrup t villain must bow b e fo r e it o r else suffer :he stings o f an obscu re remorse ; but mon sters of the breed with which we had to cope do not long languish under such restraints.
" Come, pretty chil d , " quoth the superior, impudently drawing her toward the chair i'1 which h e was settled, "come hither and let's h ave a look to see whether the rest o f your cha rms m a tch those N a ture h a s so p ro fusely distributed in your counten ance . "
And as the lovely €;irl was sore troubled, as she flushed crimson and strove to fend him off, Severino grasped her rudely round the waist.
"Understand, my artless one , " h e said, "understand that what I want t o tell you is sim ply this : get undressed. Strip. Instantly."
And thereupon th,! libertine slid one hand beneath her ski rts while he grasped her with the other. Clement approached, he raised Octavi e ' s clothes to abclve her waist and by this maneuver exposed the so ftest, the most af'p etizing features i t i s possible anywhere to find ; Severino touches, p e rceives nothing, bends to scrutinize more narrowly, and all fOUl agree they have never seen anything as beautifu l . However, thl: modest Octavie, l ittle accustomed to usage o f this sort, gushes te a ·s, an d struggles.
"Undress, undress , " cries Antonin, "we can't s e e a thing thi s way."
He assi sts S eve rino and in a trice we have displayed to u s all
Jus tin e .. 6 1 7
the maiden's unadorned charms. Never, wi thout any doubt, was there a fairer skin, never were there more h app ily modeled forms . . . . God ! the crime o f i t ! . . . So many beauties, such chaste fresh ness, so much innocence and daintiness-all to become p rey to these barbarians ! C overed with shame, Octavie knows not where to fly to hide her charms, she finds naugh t bu t hungering eyes everywhere about, nothing but brutal hands which sully those treasures ; the c ircle closes a round her, and, a s did I , she rushes hither and thithe r ; the savage Antonin lacks the strength to resist ; a cruel attack deter mines the homage, and the incense smokes at the goddess' feet. Jerome compares h e r to our young colleagu e of sixteen, doubtless the seragl i o ' s pretti e s t ; h e places the two altars o f his devotion one next to the o ther.
" H a ! wh a t whiteness ! wha t grace I " s ays he a s he fingers Octavi e , "but what gentility and freshness may be discerned in this other one : indeed, " continues the monk all a fi re , "I am uncertain" ; then imprinting his mouth upon the charms h i s eyes behold, "Oc tavi e , " h e cries, " to you the apple , it belongs to none but you, give me the precious fru i t of this tree m y heart adores . . . . Ah, yes ! yes, one o f you , give it me, and I will forever assure be auty's prize to who serves me sooner."
Severino obs e rves the time has come to meditate on more seri ous m a tters ; absolutely i n no cond ition to b e kept w a iting, h e lays hands upon the unlucky child, places her a s h e desires her to be ; not yet being able to have full confidence i n Octavie ' s aid, h e calls fo r C l ement to lend h i m a hand. Octavie weeps and weeps unheeded ; fire gleams in the impudicious monk's gl ance ; master o f the terrain, one might say h e casts about a roving eye only to consider the dvenue s whereby h e may launch the fi e rcest assault ; no ruses, no prep a rations are employed ; will h e be able to gather these so charm ing roses ? will h e be able to ba ttle past the thorns ? Whatever the enormous disproportion between the conquest and the assailant, the l a tter i s not the less i n a swea t to give fight ; a piercing cry an nounces victory, but nothing mollifies the enemy's chilly h e a r t ; the more the captive implores mercy, the less qu arter is granted her, the more vigo rously she i s presse d ; the i ll-starred one fences in vain : s h e i s soon transp i e rced.
"N ever was laurel with greater difficu l ty won , " says Severino,
6 1 8 ... T H E MARQU I S DE SADE
r e t r e a ting, "I thought i n d e e d t h a t for the fi rs t time in my l i fe I would fall b e fo r e t h e gde . • . ah I ' tw a s n e v e r so n a rrow, th a t way, nor s o h o t ; 'tis the God' s own Ganym e d e . "
" I h a d better brin�� h e r round t o the sex you h av e j u s t s o i l e d , " cries Anton i n , s e i z in g Octavi e w h e r e s h e i s , a n d n o t wishing to l e t h e r s t a n d up ; " th e r e ' s m o r e t h a n o n e b r e a c h to a r a m p a r t , " says he, a n d p roudly, boldly m a rching u p , he carries t h e day a n d i s within th e s a n c tu a ry i n n o tim( a t a l l . Fu rth e r s c r e a m s a r e h e a r d .
" P r a i s e b e to G o d , " q u o t h t h e i n d e c e n t m a n , " I t h o u g h t I w a s a l o n e ; a n d w o u l d h a v e d o u b t e d o f my s u c c e s s w i t h o u t a g r o a n o r two from the v i c t i m ; b u t m y triumph i s s e a l e d . D o you observe ? B l o o d a n d t e a r s . "
" I n tru t h , " s a y s Clement, w h o s t e p s up w i t h w h i p i n h a n d , " I 'll n o t d i s tu rb h e r s w ! e t p o s tu r e e i th e r , i t i s too f a v o r a b l e to m y d e s i r e s . " Jerom e ' s G i rl o f t h e W a tc h a n d the twe n ty-y e a r-old g i r l h o l d Octavi e : C l e m e n t c o n s i d e r s , fingers ; t e r r i fi e d , t h e l i ttle girl b e s e e c h e s him, and i s n o t l i s t e n e d to.
"Ah, my f r i e n d s 1" s a y s t h e exalted monk, "how a r e we t o a vo i d fl o gging a school �i rl w h o exh i b i t s an a s s o f such splendo r l "
The a i r i m m e d i a te l y resounds t o t h e w h i s t l e o f l a s h e s and t h e t h u d o f s t r i p e s sinking i n t o lovely fl es h ; Octavi e ' s s c r e a m s m i n gl e w i th t h e sounds o f l e a th e r , t h e monk ' s c u r s e s reply : w h a t a scene for these l i b e r t i n e s s u r rend e ri n g themselves to a t ho u s a n d obscen i t i e s i n t h e m i d s t o f u s ali I T h ey appl a u d h i m , t h e y c h e e r h i m o n j how ever, Octavi e ' s skin c h : mges c o l o r , t h e b r i ghtest tints i n c a r n a d i n e j o i n the l i l y sp a rkl e ; bl l t w h a t m i g h t p e r h a p s d i v e r t Love for an i n s t a n t , w e r e m o d e r a t i on to h a v e di rection o f the s a c r i fi c e , be c o m e s , thanks to s e v e r t ty , a frightfu l c r i m e a g a i n s t Love ' s laws ; n o t h i n g stops or slows t h e p e r fi d i o u s monk, t h e m o r e the young student compl a i n s , the more the p r o f e s s o r ' s h a r s h n e s s expl o de s ; f r o m t h e b a ck to the b . e e , everyth i n g i s t r e a t e d in t h e s a m e way, a n d it is a t last u p o n hi� b a rb a r i c p l e a s u r e s ' blood-drenc h e d v e s t i g e s t h e s a v a ge quenches h i s fl am e s .
"I s h a l l b e l e s s im p o l i t e , I think , " s a y s J e rome , l a y i n g h a n d s u p o n t h e lovely t h i n g and a d j u s t i n g h i m s e l f between h e r c o r a l l i p s ; "where i s the temp l e w h e r e I would s a c r i fi c e ? Why, in t h i s en c h a n ting m o u t h . . . . "
Justine + 6 1 9
I fall silent . . . . 'Tis the impure reptile withering the rose my figu r e o f speech relates i t all .
The rest o f the s o iree would have resemble d all the others had i t not been for the beauty and the touching age o f this young maiden who more than usu ally inflamed those villains and caused them to multiply their infamies ; i t was satiety rather than com miseration that sent the unhappy child back to h e r room and gave her, for a few hours at least, the rl�st and qui e t she needed .
I should indeed have liked to have been able to comfo r t her that first night, but, obliged to spend i t with Severino, i t may well h ave been I on the contrary who stood in the greater need of help, for I h ad the misfo r tune, no, not to please, the word would not be suitable, no, but in a most lively manner to exci te that sodomite' s infamous passions ; a t this period h e desired m e almost every night ; being exhausted on this p a rticul a r one, he conducted some re s e a rches ; doubtless a fr a i d the appalling sword with which he was endowed would not cause me an adequate amount o f p a in, he fanci ed, this time, he might p e rforate me with one o f those a rticles o f fu rniture usually found i n nunneries, which decency for bids me from naming and which was o f an exorbitant thickness ; here, one was obliged to be ready for anything. He himself made the weapon penetrate into his beloved shrine ; thanks to powerful blows, i t was driven very deep ; I s creamed ; the monk was amused, a fter a few backward and forwa rd p a sses, he suddenly snapped the instrument free and plunged h i s own into the gulf he had just dug open . . . what whimsy ! I s t h a t not posi tively the contrary of everything men a r e able to desire I B u t who can define the spiri t o f libertinage ? F o r a long time w e h a ve realized this to be an enigma of N a ture ; she has not yet pronoun ced the magic word.
In the morning, feeling somewhat renewed, h e wanted to try out another torture : he produced a f a r more massy machine : this one was hollow and fitted with a high-pressure pump th a t squirted an incredibly powerful stream o f water through an orifice which gave the jet a circumference o f over three inches ; the enormous in strument i tself w a s nine inches a round by twelve long. S everino loaded it with steaming hot water and prepared to bury it in my front end ; terrified by such a project, I throw myself a t his knees to ask for me rcy, but he is in one of those accursed situations where
6 2 0 + T H E MAR Q U I S DE S A D E
p i ty cannot be heard, wllere far more eloquent passions stifle i t and substitute an o ften excee dingly dangerous cruelty. The monk threat ens me with all h i s rage i f I do n o t acquiesce ; I have to obey. The p e r fi dious m a chine pene trates to the two-thi rds mark and the tear ing i t causes combined ';yith i ts extreme heat are about to deprive m e o f the use of my senses ; meanwh ile, the superior, showering an uninterrupted stream o f invectives upon the p a rts he is molesting, has himself exci ted by h s followe r ; aft e r fi fteen minutes of rubbing which lacerates me, he releases the spring, a quart o f nearly boiling water i s fi re d into the la st depths o f my womb . . . I fall into a faint. Severino was i n a n ecst asy . . . he was in a delirium a t least the equal o f my a gony.
"Why, " s a i d the l raitor, " that's nothing at all. When I re cover my wits, we'll tre a t those charms much more ha rshly . . . a salad o f thorns, by Jes �s I well peppered, a copious admixture o f vinegar, a l l tha t tampe,:l i n w i t h t h e p o i n t of a kni fe, that's what they need to buck them up ; the next mis take you make, I condemn you to the treatment," � aid the vill ain while he continued to handle the obj ect o f his worshi p ; but two o r three homages a fter the pre ceeding night's debauch,:s h a d near worked him to death, and I was sent p a cking.
Upon retu rning to my chamber I found my new comp anion in tears ; I did what I coul d to sooth e her, but it is not e a sy to adjust t o s o frightful a change o f situation ; this girl had, fu rthermore, a great fund of religious feeling, o f virtue, and of sensitivity ; owing to it, her state only appeared to her the more terrible. Omphale h a d been r i ght when s h e told m e seniority in no way influenced re tirement ; that, simply by the monks' caprice, o r by their fear o f ulterior inquiries, o n e could undergo dismissal a t t h e e n d o f a week as easily a s at the end of twenty years. Octavie had not been with u s four months when Jerome came to announce her depa rtu re ; al though ' twas he who had most enj oyed her during her soj ourn at the monastery, he who had seemed to cherish h e r and seek her more than any other, the poor child left, making u s the same p romises Omphale had given ; s h e kept them j u s t a s p oorly.
From that momer t on, my every thought was bent upon the plan I h a d been devi sin � since Omphale's departure ; determined to do everything possible to escape from this den of savages, nothing
Justine + 62 1
tha t might help me succeed held any terror s for me. Wha t was there to dre a d by putting my scheme into execution ? Death. And were I to remain, o f what could I be certain ? Of death. And suc cessful fl i ght would save m e ; there could be no hesitation for there was n o alternative ; but it were necessary that, b e fore I l aunched my enterprise, fatal examples of vice rewarded be yet again rep ro duced before my eyes ; it was inscribed in the great book o f fate, i n that obscure tome whereof no mortal has intelligence, ' twas set down there, I say, that upon all those who had tormented me, hu miliated me, bound me in iron chains, there were to be heaped un c e asing bounties and rewards fo r what they h a d done with regard to me, as i f Providence had a ssum ed the task o f demonstrating to m e the inutility of vi rtue . . . . B al.eful lessons which however did not correct me, no, I wavered n o t ; lessons which, should I once again escape from the blade p o i s e d above my head, will not prevent me from forever remaining the slave of my heart's Divinity .
O n e mo rning, quite unexpectedly, Antonin appeared in our chamber and announced that the F:everend Fa ther Severino, allied to the Pop e and h i s protege, had just been named General o f the B enedictine Order by His Holines s. The next day that monk did in effect dep a rt, without taking his leave of us ; 'twas said another was expected to replace him, and he would be far superior in de b auch to all who r emained ; additional reasons to hasten ahead with my plans.
The day following Severino's departure, the m onks decided to r etrench one more of my comp anions ; I chose for my escape the very day when sentence was p r onounced against the wretched girl, s o that the monks, p reoccupied with her, would p ay less a ttention to me.
l t was the beginning o f spring ; the length o f the ni ghts still somewhat favored my designs : for two months I had been prepar ing them, they were completely unsuspected ; li ttle by l i ttle I sawed through the bars over my window, using a dull pair o f scissors I had found ; my head could already pass through the hole ; with sheets and linen I had made a cord of more than sufficient length to c arry me down the twenty or twenty-five feet Omphale h ad told me was the building's height. When they had taken my oid belongings, I had been careful, as I told you, to remove my l ittle fortune which
6 2 2 + T H E MA R Q V I S DE S A D E
came to about six io u i r , and these I had always kept hidden with extreme caution ; as I l e ft, I put them into my hair, and nearly all o f our chamb er having l e ft for tha t night's supper, finding no one about but one of my nmp anions who had gone to bed a s soon as the others h a d descend ed, I entered m y cabin et ; t h e r e , cl earing t h e hole I h a d scrupulousl) k e p t cove red at all times, I knotted m y cord to one of the undamaged bars, then, sliding down outside, I soon touched the ground- twa s not thi s part which trouble d me : the six enclosures of stone and trees my comp anion had mentioned were wha t intrigued me far more.
Once there, I discovered that each concentric space between one barrier and the next w a s no more than eight feet wide, and it was this p r oximity wr ich assured a casual gl ance that there was nothing in the area but a dense cluster o f trees. The night was very d a rk ; a s I turned round the first alley to di scover where I might not find a gap in the palisade, I p assed beneath the dining hall, which seemed deserted ; my inquietude increased ; however, I . con tinued my sea rch and :hus at l a s t came abreast the window to the m a i n underground roe m , located di rectly below th a t in which the orgies were staged. lYJ uch l i ght flooded from the ba sement, I was bold enough to app r o a ch the window and had a p erfect view o f the interior. My poor comJanion was stretched out upon a trestle tabl e , h e r h a i r in disarray ; s he was doubtless destined fo r s o m e terrible torture by which she � a s going to find freedom, the eternal end of her miseries . . . . I sht ddered, but what my gl ances fell upon soon a stonished me more : Omphale had e i ther not known everything, or h a d not told all she kn ew ; I spied four naked girls in the basement, and they certainly did not belong to our group ; and so there were other victims of these nonsters' l echery in this ho rrible a sylum . . . other wretches unkno\{n to us . . . . I fl e d away and continued my circu i t until I was on :he side opposite the ba sement window ; not yet having found a bre ach, I resolved to make one ; all unobserved, I had furnished myself with a long kni fe ; I set to work ; despite my gloves, my hands were soon scra tched and torn ; but nothing daunted me ; the hedge was two feet thick, I opened a p a ssage, went through, and entered the second ring ; there, I was surprised to find nothing but s o ft e a rtb underfoo t ; wi th each step I sank in ankle deep : the further I advanced into these copses, the more p ro found
Justine .. 6 2 3
t h e d a rkness became. Curious to kn ow whence c a m e t h e change o f te rrain, I felt about with m y hands . . . 0 Jus t Heaven ! m y fingers seized the head o f a cadaver ! Great God! I thought, whelmed with horror, this must then b e the cemetery, as indeed I w a s told, into which those murderers fl in g their victims ; they have sca rcely gone to the bother of covering them with e a rth ! . . . this skull perhaps belongs to my d e a r Omphale, perhaps i t i s that o f the unhappy Octavi e , so lovely, so sweet, so good, and who while she lived w a s l i k e u n t o t h e r o s e o f which h e r charm s were t h e i m a g e . A n d I , a l a s ! m i g h t that this h a v e been m y resting place ! Wouldst t h a t I h a d submitted to m y fate ! What h a d I to gain by g o i n g on in pursuit o f new pitfalls ? H a d I not committed evil enough ? Had I not been the occasion o f a number of crimes suffici ently vast ? Ah ! fulfill my destiny ! 0 E a rth, gape wide and swallow me u p ! Ah, 'tis madness, when one is so forsaken, so poor , so utterly abandoned, m a dness to go to such pains in order to vegetate yet a few more in stants amongst monsters ! . . . Bw: no! I must avenge Virtue in i rons . . . . She expects i t o f my cou rage . . . . Let her n o t be stru ck down . . . lct us a dvance : it is essential that the universe be ridded o f vill ains a s dange rous a s these. Ought I fear causing the doom of th ree or four men in order to save the millions o f i ndividu als the i r policy or their feroci ty sacrifice ?
And th erewith I p i e rc e the next hedge ; this one was thicker than the first : the fu rther I p rogressed, the stouter they became. The hole was made, however, but there was fi rm ground beyond . . . nothing more betrayed the same horrors I had just encountered ; and thus I a rrived a t the brink of the moat wi thout having met with the wall Omp h a l e had spoken of ; indeed, there tu rned out to be none at all, and i t i s likely th a t the monks mentioned i t merely to add to our fear. Less shut i n when beyond the sextuple enclosu r e , I was better able to disti nguish obj ec ts : my eyes at once beheld the church and the bulk of the adj acent building ; the moat bordered each o f them ; I w a s careful not to a ttempt to cross i t at this point ; I moved along the edge and finally di scovering myse l f opposite one o f the forest roads, I resolved to make my crossing there and to dash down that road a s soon a s I had climbed up the other side of the di tch ; it was v e ry deep but, to my good fortune, dry and lined with brick , which eliminated all possibilities o f slipping ; then I
6 2 4 + T H E MAR Q U I S DE SADE
l e a p t : a l i ttl e d a z e d by my fall, i t w a s a few moments b e f o r e I got to my feet . . . I w e n t a h e a d , got to t h e furth e r side wi thout m e e ti n g any o b s t a cl e , b u t h o w w a s I to c l i m b i t ! I spent some t i m e s e eking a means a n d a t last fot; n d one w h ere s e v e r a l broken bricks a t once gave m e t h e o p p o r tu n i t y to u s e t h e o t h e r s a s steps and to d i g f o o t h o l d s in o r der to moun t ; I h a d a l m o s t r e a c h e d the top when some thing gave way b e n e a th my weight a n d I fell b a ck i n t o t h e m o a t u n d e r t h e d e b r i s I d r a l �ged wi th m e ; I thought mys e l f d e a d; t h i s involun t a ry f a l l h a d b c ! e n m o r e s e v e r e t h a n the o t h e r; I w a s , a s wel l , e n t i r e l y c o v e r e d w i t h t h e m a te r i a l w h i c h h a d followed m e ; s o m e h a d struck my he ad . . . i t w a s cut a n d b l e e d i n g . 0 G o d ! I c r i e d o u t in d e s p a ir, go no fu r t h er; stay there ; ' t i s a w a rn i n g sent from H e aven; God does n o t w a n t m e to go on : perhaps I a m de ceived i n my i d e a s , p erha p s evil i s u s e fu l on e arth, a n d when Go d ' s h a n d d e s i r e s i t, p e r h a p s i t i s a s i n to r e s i s t i t ! B u t , s o o n revo l t e d by t h a t d o c t r i n e , t h e t o o wre tched fru i t o f the corru p t i on which h a d surroun d e d m e , I extr i c a t e d mys e l f from the p i l e o f rubble on top of me a n d fi n d i n g it e a l ; i er to c l i m b by the b r e a c h I had j u s t m a d e , f o r n o w th ere w e r e n e w h o l e s , I t r y o n c e a g a i n , I t a k e cou r a g e , a m o m e n t l a ter I fi n d mv s e l f at t h e cre s t . B ec a u s e of a l l t h i s I h ad s t r a y e d a w a y from th � p a th I h a d s e en, b u t h a v i n g taken c a r e fu l n o t e o f i t s p o s i ti on, I f o u n d i t a gain, a n d b e g a n to run. B e f o r e day b r e a k I r e a c h e d t h e fo r e s t ' s edge a n d w a s soon upon th a t l i ttle h i l l from w h i ch, s i x l o n g m o n t h s b e fore, I h a d , to my s o rrow, e s p i e d t h a t fri ghtful m o n a ste ry ; I r e s t a few m i n u t e s, I am b a t h e d i n p e r s p i r a t i on; my fi r s t t h o u g h t i s to f a l l upon my kn e e s a n d b e g G o d to forgive the s i n s I u : l w i l l i n gl y commi t t e d in t h a t o d i o u s a sylum o f crime a n d impurity ; tears o f regret soon flowed fro m my eye s . Al as! I s a i d, I w a s f a r J e s s a criminal when l a s t y e a r I l e ft th i s s a m e r o a d , gui d e d by a d e v o u t p ri n c i p l e so fata lly d e c e i v e d t 0 God t In what state m a y I now behold mysel f! These l u gubri o u s r e fl e c t i o n s w e r e i n s o m e w i s e m i t i g a t e d by the p l e a sure o f di scovering I w a s free ; I continu e d along the r o a d toward D i j on, supp o s i n g i t w o u l d only b e i n t h a t , : ap i tal m y compla i n t s could b e l e g i t i m a tely l o dge d . • . •
At t h i s point M �. d a m e d e Lo rsange p e r s u a d e d Therese to c a tch her b r e a th for a few m i n u t e s a t least j s h e needed the rest ; the
Jus tin e 4- 6 2 5
emotion s h e put i n t o her narrative, t h e wounds these dreadful re citals reopened in her soul, eve ryth ing, i n short, obliged h e r to re sort to a bri e f resp i t e . Monsieur de C o rville had re freshments brought in, and a fter collecting h e r force s , our h e roine s e t out again to pursue her deplorable a dventu r e s in great detail, a s you shall see.
CD y the s e c o n d d a y a l l my i n i t i a l fe a rs o f p u r s u i t h a d d i s s i p a t e d ; D t h e w e a t h e r w a s extremely w a rm a n d , following my t h r i fty h a b i t , I l e f t the r o a d to find a s h e l t e r e d p l a c e w h e r e I could e a t a l i gh t m e a l t h a t woul d f o r t i fy m e t i l l evening. Off the r o a d to t h e r i g h t s t o o d a l i ttle grove o f t r e e s through w h i c h wound a l i m p i d s t r e a m ; thi s s e e m e d a g o o d s p o t for my lunch. M y t h i r s t quenched by thi s pure cool water, nou r i s h e d 'Jy a li ttle bread, my b a ck l e a n i n g a g a i n s t a t r e e trunk, I b r e a th e d d e e p d r a u ghts o f cl e a r , s e r e n e a i r which r e l a x e d m e a n d w a s s o o t h i n g . R e s t i n g t h e r e , my thoughts dwel l e d upon t h e a l m o s t unexamp l e d f a t al i ty which, d e s p i t e the thorns s t rewn t h i ck along the c a r e e r o f V i r tu e , r e p e a t e dly brought m e b a ck, w h a t e v e r m i gh t h ap p e n , to t h e w o r s h i p o f that D i v i n i ty a n d to acts of love a n d r e s i gn a ti on towa r d t h e Sup r e m e B e i n g from Whom Vi r tu e e m a n a t e s a n d of \Vh om it is the image. A k i n d of e n th u s i a sm c a m e a n d took p o s s e s s i o n of m e ; a l a s ! I s a i d to myself, H e a b a n d o n s me n o t , t h i s G o d I adore, f o r even a t th i s i n s t a n t I fi n d the m e a n s to r e c o v e r my stren gth. Is i t n o t to H i m l owe this m e rc i fu l f a vo r ? And a r e t h e r e no t p e r s o n s i n the w o r l d to whom it is r e f u s e d ? I a m then n o t comple tely un fortun a t e because there are some who have m o r e to compl a i n o f than I . . . . A h ! a m I not much less s o t h a n the unlucky o n e s I l e f t i n t h a t d e n o f i n i q u i ty an d v i c e from w h i c h G o d ' s k i n d n e s s c a u s e d m e t o e m e r g e a s i f b y s o m e sort o f m i r a c l e ? . . . A n d f u l l o f g r a t i t u d e I t h r e w m y s e l f u p o n m y kn e e s , r a i s e d my e y e s , a n d fi x i n g the sun, f o r i t s e e m e d to m e the D i v i n i ty' s most s p l en d i d a c h i evement, t h e o n e which best m a n i f e s t s H i s g r e a t n e s s , I w a s d r a w i n g from t h a t S t a r ' s subli m i fy new mo tives f o r p r a y e r and good wo rks when all of a sudden I felt mys e l f s e i z e d by t w o m e n w h o , h a v i n g c a s t s o m e t h i n g over my h e a d t o
6 2 7
6 2 8 .. T H E MAR Q U [ S DE SAD E
p revent me from seeing and crying out, bound me like a criminal and dragged me away w i thout uttering a word.
And thus h a d we walked for n e a rly two hours du ring which I knew not whither my ('scorts were taking me when one of them, h e a ring me gasp for a i r , proposed to his comrade that I be freed o f the s a ck cove ring m�' head ; h e agreed, I drank in fresh air and observed th a t we were i n the midst o f a forest through which we were traveling along a fairly broad although l ittle frequented road. A thousand d a rk i d e a s rushed s t r a i g h tway into my mind. I fea r e d I w a s being l e d hack to th e i r odious monastery .
"Ah , " I say to o n . : o f my guides, " a h Monsieur, w i l l y o u tell me where I a m being conducted ? M ay I not a sk what you intend to d o with m e ?"
" B e at ease, my child," the man replied, "and do not let the p recauti ons we are obl iged to take cause you any frigh t ; we are l e a ding you to a good rr aster ; weighty consi dera tions engage him to procure a maid for his wife by means o f this mysterious process, but never fea r , you will find yourself well o ff . "
"Ala s I Messieurs , " I answe red, " i f ' ti s m y wel fare f o r which you labor i t i s to no purpose I am cons trained ; I a m a poor o rphan, no doubt much to be commiserate d ; I ask for nothing but a place and since you are giving me one, I have no cause to run away, do I ? "
" She's right," s a i ( i one o f my escorts, "let's make her more comfortable ; untie ever ything but her hands."
They do so and w.: resume o u r m a rch. Seeing me calmed, they even respond to my que stions, and I finally learn tha t I am destined to have for m a ster one Comte de G e rnande, a n a tive o f Paris, but owning consi derable p r operty in this coun try and rich to the tune of five hundred thou sand pounds a ye a r , all of which he consumes alone-so s a i d one of rry gu ides.
"Alone ?" "Yes, he is a solit� ry man, a p hilosophe r : he never sees a soul ;
but on the other hand b e i s one o f Eu rope ' s gre a test epicures ; there i s not an eater i n all tt e world who can hold a candle to him. But I 'll say no more about i l " ; you'll see. "
" B ut what do the:;e cautious measures s i gnify, Monsieur ?" "Well, simply thi:;. Our master has the misfo rtune to h ave a
wife who h a s become insane ; a strict w a tch must be kep t over her,
Jus tine .. 6 2 9
she never leaves h e r room, no o n e wishes to be her s e rvant j it would have done no goo d to propose the work to you, for h a d you been forewarned you ' d never have accep ted it. We a re obliged to c arry girls off by force in order to have someone to exercise this un· pleasant function."
" Wh a t ? I will be made thi s lady ' s cap tive ?" "Why, fo rsooth, yes, you will , and that's why we have you
tied thi s way j but you'll get on . . . don't fret, you'll get on per fectly j apart from this annoyance, you'll l ack nothing."
"Ah ! Mercifu l Heaven ! wh a t thralldom ! " " Come, come , m y child, courage , you'll g e t out o f it someday
and you'll have made your fortune . " My gui d e h a d no sooner fi n ished speaking than we caught
s i ght of the chateau. It was a superb and vast building isolated in the mi ddle o f the fo rest, but this gre a t edifice which could have accommodated hundreds o f p ersons, seemed to be inhabited ha rdly at all. I only noticed a few signs of life coming from kitchens si tu ated in the vaults below the central p a r t of the structu r e j all the rest was a s deserted a s the chate a u ' s site was l onely. N o one was there to greet u s when we entered ; one o f my guides went o ff i n t h e direction o f t h e kitchens, the o ther p resented me to t h e Count. He was at the far end of a sp acious and superb a p artment, his body enveloped in an oriental s a tin dressing gown, reclining upon an ottoman, and having hard by him two young men so indecently, or r a ther so ridiculously, costumed, their hair dressed with such ele gance and skill, that at first I took them for girls ; a closer inspection allowed me to recogn i z e them for I:WO youths, one of about fi fteen, the other p e r h a p s sixteen. Their faces struck me a s charming, but in such a state of dissipated s oftness and weariness, tha t at the outset I thought they were ill.
" My Lord, here i s a girl," said my guide, "she seems to us to be what might suit you : she i s properly bred and gentl e and a sks only to find a situation ; we hope you will be content with her."
" 'Tis well , " the Count s a i d with scarcely a gl ance in my di rection j "you, Saint-Louis, will clo s e the doors when you go out and you will say tha t no one i s to enter unless I ring."
Then the Count rose to h i s feet and came up to examine me. While he makes a detailed investigation I can describe him to you :
6 3 0 4- T H E MAR Q U l i ; DE S A D E
the portrait's singul arit:1 m e rits an instant's attention. Monsieur de G e rnande was a t tha t time a man o f fi fty, almost six feet tall and monstrously fat. Nothin g could be more terri fying than his face, the length of h i s nose, his wicked black eyes, h i s l a rge ill-fu rnished mouth, his fo rmi dable high fo rehead, the sound o f his fe a r ful raucous voice, his enorm J U S hands ; all combined to m ake a gigantic individual whose presence inspired much more fear than reassu r ance . We will soon be a b l e to decide whether the morals and actions of thi s sp ecies o f centau r were in keeping with h i s awesome looks. After the most abrupt arLd cavalier scrutiny, the C ount demanded to know my age.
" I am twenty-th ree, Monsieur," I replied. And to this first question he added some others o f a personal
natu r e . I made him pri,'y to everything tha t concerned me ; I did not even omit the brand [ had received from Rodin, and when I had r6presented my misery to him, when I had proven to him that un happiness had constantly dogged my footsteps :
" S o much the bette r," the dreadful man replied, "so much the better, i t will have made you more pliable-a daptability counts heavily toward success ill this household- ; I see nothing to regret in the wretchedness that hounds an abj ect race o f plebeians N ature h a s doomed to grovel L t our feet throughou t the period allotted them to live on the same ea rth a s we. Your sort is more energetic and less insolent, the p ressures o f adversity help you fulfill your duties toward u s . "
" But, Monsieur, I :old y o u t h a t I am not o f mean birth . " " Y e s , y e s , I have 1eard that b e fore, they always p a s s them
selves off for all kinds of things when in fact they a re nothing o r miserable. O h indeed, p:'ide's illusions a r e o f the highest usefulness to console fortune ' s ills, and then, you see, i t i s up to us to beli eve what we please about t!- ese lo fty estates bea ten down by the bl ows of destiny. Pish, d'ye k now, it's all the same to me if you fancy yourself a p rincess. To my consideration you have the look and more o r less the costurr e of a servant, a nd a s such you may enter my hire, if it suits you . However , " the ha rd-h e a rted man continued, "your welfare, you r happiness-they are your concern, they depend on your per formance : a li ttle p a tience, some discretion, and in a few years you will be s e n t forth in a way to avo id fu rther service."
Jus t i n e + 63 1
Then he took one a fter the other o f my a rms, rolled my sleeves to the elbows, and examined them a ttentively while a sking me how many times I had been bled.
"Twice, Monsieu r , " I told him, rather surprised a t the ques tion, and I mentioned when and under what ci rcumstances i t had h appened. H e pressed h i s fingers against the veins a s one does when one wishes to i n fl a te them, and when they were swollen t o the desired point, he fastened h i s lip!; to them and sucked. From that instant I ceased to doubt libertinage was involved in this dreadful person's h abits, and tormenting anxieties were awakened in my h e a r t.
" I h ave got to know how YOli are made," continu e d the Count, staring a t m e in a way th a t set m e to trembling ; "the post you are to occupy precludes any corporeal defects ; show m e what you have about you . "
I recoiled ; b u t t h e Count, a ll h i s facial muscles beginning to twi tch with anger, brutally in form ed me th a t I should b e ill-advised to play the prude with him, for, said he, there are infallible methods o f bringing women to thei r senses.
"Wh a t you have related to me does not betoken a vi rtue of the highest order ; and so your resistance would be quite a s mis placed a s ludicrou s . "
Whereupon he m a de a s i gn t o h i s young boys w h o , approach ing immed i a tely, fell to undressing m e . Against pe rsons as en feebled, as enervated as those who surrounded me, it is certainly not difficult to de fend onesel f ; but what good would i t have done ? Th e cannibal who h a d cast me into their h ands could have pulver i z e d me, had h e wished to, with one blow of his fist. I therefore understood I h a d to yield : a n instant later I was unclothe d ; 'twas scarcely done when I p e rceived I was exciting those two Ganymedes to gales o f laughter.
"Look ye, friend , " s a i d the younger , " a girl ' s a pretty thing , eh ? But what a shame there ' s that cavity ther e . "
"Oh I " crie d the o t h e r , "nothing nastier t h a n that h o l e , I ' d not touch a woman even were m y fortune a t stake . "
And while m y f o r e e n d was t h e subj ect o f t h e i r sarcasms, the Count, an intimate p a rtisan o f the behind ( unhappily, alas I like every l i b ertine ) , examined mill(: with the keenest interes t : he
6 3 2 + T H E MARQUl S DE SADE
h a n d l e d it b r u tally, he b ro w s e d about with a v i d i ty ; taking h a n d fuls of flesh b e tween h i s fi n ge r s , h e rubb e d a n d kn e a d e d them to t h e p o i n t o f d r awing b l o o d . T h e n h e m a d e m e walk away from h i m , h a l t, walk b a ckwa r d i r h i s d i r e c t i o n , keeping m y b e h i n d turn e d towa r d h i m w h i l e h e dwell e d u p o n the s i ght o f i t . W h e n I h a d r e t u rn e d t o h i m , h e m a d e m e b e n d , s t o o p , s q u a t , s t a n d e r e c t , s qu e e z e a n d s p r e a d . N ow a n d a g a i n h e s l i p p e d to h i s kn e e s b e fo r e tha t p a r t which w a s h i s s o l e c o m e r n . H e a pp l i e d k i s s e s t o s e v e r a l d i ff e r e n t a re a s o f i t , even a few u p o n th a t m o s t s e c r e t o r i fi c e ; b u t all h i s k i s s e s w e r e distingu i s h e d by sucti o n , h i s l i p s f e l t l i k e l e e c h e s . While h e w a s applying t h e m h e r e a n d t h e r e a n d eve rywhe r e h e s o l i c i t e d nu m e r o u s d e t a i l s concerning w h a t h a d b e e n done to m e a t the m o n a s te r y o f S a i n t M a ry-in-the-Wo o d , a n d w i t h o u t noticing t h a t m y r e c i t a ti o n s doubl e d h i s warmth, I w a s c a n d i d enough to give t h e m all w i t h n aiv e t e . H e s u m m o n e d u p o n e o f h i s youths a n d p l a c i n g h i m b e s i d e m e , h e u n t i e d the bow securing a gre a t r e d ribbon w h i c h g a t h e r e d i n white g a u z e p a n t a l o o n s , a n d b r o u g h t to l i gh t all t h e c h a rm s t h i s g a r m e n t c0 1 c e a l e d . A f t e r s o m e d e f t c a r e s s e s b e s t o w e d u p o n th e s a m e a l t a r a t which , i n m e , the C o u n t h a d s i g n a l e d h i s devo t i o n , h e suddenly exc h a n g e d the obj e c t a n d fell to s u c k i n g t h a t p a r t which c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e c h i l d ' s sex. H e continu e d t o fi n g e r m e : w h e t h e r b e c a u s e o f h a b i t in t h e y o u t h , w h e t h e r b e c a u s e o f t h e s a ty r ' s dexte r i ty , i n a v e ry b r i e f sp a c e N a tu r e , v a n qu i s h e d , c a u s e d the r e t o fl o w i n t o t h e rr ou t h o f t h e o n e w h a t w a s ej e c t e d f r o m t h e m e m b e r o f the o t h e r . T h a t w a s h o w t h e l i b e r t i n e e x h a u s t e d the un fo r tu n a t e c h i l d r e n h e ke ? t i n his house, w h o s e numb e r we will s h o rtly s e e ; ' tw a s thus h e s a p p e d t h e i r strength, and th a t was w h a t c a u s e d th e l a n g u o r i n w h i c h I :> e h e l d them to b e . And now l e t u s s e e h o w h e m a n a g e d t o keep women i n the s a m e s t a t e o f p ro s t r a ti o n and wha t w a s t h e true cause o f h i s own v i g o r ' s p r e s e rv a t i o n .
T h e h o m a g e t h e C o u n t r e n d e r e d m e h a d b e e n p r o t r a c t e d , b u t during i t n o t a t r a c e 0 f i n fi d el i ty t o h i s chosen temple h a d h e re v e a l e d ; n e i th e r his gl a n c e s , n o r his k i s s e s , n o r his hands, n o r h i s d e s i r e s s t r a y e d a w a y f ro m i t f o r a n i n s t a n t ; a f t e r h aving sucked the o t h e r l a d a n d h a v � n g i n likewi s e gathered an d devou r e d h i s s p e rm :
" C o m e , " he s a i d to m e , d r a w i n g me i n t o an a dj acent r o o m
Jus ti n e + 6 3 3
b e fo r e I could gather up m y clo t h e s , " com e , I a m going to show you h o w we m a n a ge . "
I w a s u n a b l e to d i s s i m u l a t e m y anxi e ty , i t w a s t e r r i b l e ; b u t th e r e w a s n o o th e r w a y to p u t a d i ff e r ent a s p e c t u p on my f a t e , I h a d t o qu a ff to t h e l e e s t h e p o ti o n i n t h e c h a l i c e t e n d e r e d to m e .
Two o t h e r b o y s o f s i x t e e n , quite a s h a n d s o m e , quite a s p e ak e d a s the fi r s t two w e h a d l e f t i n the s a l o n , w e r e working u p o n a t a p e s try when we e n t e r e d t h e r o o m . Upon o u r e n t r a n c e they r o s e .
" N a r c i s s e , " s a i d the C o u n t t o o n e o f t h e m , " h e r e i s the C o u n t e s s ' n e w c h a m b e rm a i d ; I m u s t t e s t h e r ; h a n d me t h e l a n c e t s . "
N a rc i s s e o p e n s a cupbo a r d a . n d i m m e d i a tely p r o du c e s a l l a surge o n ' s g e a r . I allow y o u r i m a g i n a t i o n to f a ncy my s t a t e ; my execu t i o n e r sp i e d my emb a r r a s sm e n t , and i t m e rely exci ted h i s m i rth.
" Pu t her i n place, Z ep h i re , " M o n s i e u r d e Gernande said to a n o t h e r of the you t h s , and this boy app r o a c h e d m e with a s m i l e .
" D o n ' t b e a fr a i d , M a demo i s e l l e , " s a i d h e , " i t c a n only do y o u the gre a t e s t g o o d . Take y o u r p l a c e h e r e . "
I t w a s a q u e s t i o n o f k n e e l i n g l i ghtly u p o n t h e e dge o f a tabou r e t l o c a t e d in the m i ddle o f t h e r o o m ; o n e ' s a r m s w e r e ele va ted and attached to two b l a ck straps w h i c h descended from the c e i l i n g .
N o s o o n e r h a v e I a s s u m e d the p o stu r e t h a n the C o u n t s t e p s u p scalpel i n h a n d : h e c a n s c a rcely b r e a t h e , h i s eyes a r e alive w i t h s p a rk s , h i s f a c e s m i t e s m e w i t h t e r r o r ; h e t i e s b a n d s a b o u t b o t h my a r m s , and i n a fl a s h he h a s l a n c e d ,�ach of them. A cry bursts f r o m b e twe e n h i s t e e t h , i t i s accomp a n i ,� d by two o r t h r e e b l a s p h e m i e s w h e n h e c a tc h e s s i g h t o f my b l o o d j h e r e t i r e s t o a d i s t a n c e o f s i x f e e t a n d s i t s down. T h e l i gh t g a r m e n t cove r i n g h i m i s s o o n de p l o y e d j Zephi r e kneels b e tween his thighs and sucks h i m j N a rc i s s e , h i s f e e t p l a n t e d on h i s m a s t e r ' s a r m c h a i r , p r e s e n t s t h e s a m e obj ect t o h i m to su ckl e h e i s h i m s e l f h a v i n g d )· a i n e d by Z e p h i r e . G e r n a n d e gets his h a n d s u p o n t h e boy' s loins, s qu e e z e s t h e m , presses them to h i m , b u t qu i t s t h e m l o n g enough to c a s t h i s i n fl a m e d e y e s t o w a r d m e . M y b l o o d i s e s c a p i n g i n fl o o d s a n d i s f a l l i n g i n t o t w o white b a s i n s s i tu a t e d u n d e r n e a t h m y a r m s . I s o o n f e e l mysel f g r o w i n g f a i n t .
" M on s i e u r , M o n s i e u r , " I c r y , " h a v e p i ty o n m e , I a m a b o u t to collap s e . "
6 3 4 .. T H E MAR Q U [ S D E SADE
I sway, totte r, am held up by the straps, am unable to fall ; but my a rms having shi fted , and my head slumping upon my shoulder, my face i s now washed with blood. The Count is drunk with j oy . . . however, I s e e nothing like the end o f h i s operation approaching, I swoon before he reache s his goal ; he was perhaps only able to a t tain i t upon seeing me in this state, perhaps h i s sup reme ecsta sy depended upon this mo rbid p icture . . . . At any rate, when I re. turne d to my senses I found myself in an excellent bed, with two old women standing nt,ar m e ; a s soon a s they saw me open my eyes, they brought me a cup o f bouillon and, at three-hour interval s, rich broths ; this con tim ed for two days, a t the end o f which M on sieur de G e rnande sent : 0 have me get up and come for a conve rsa tion in the same salon w here I h a d been received upon my a rrival. I was led to him ; I w a s ,till a li ttle weak and giddy, but o therwise well ; I a r rived.
"Therese , " said the Count, bidding me be seated, "I shall not very often repeat such (Xercises with you, your person is useful fo r o t h e r pu rp o s e s ; b u t i t was of t h e h i gh e s t i m p o r t a n c e I a c qu a i n t y o u wi th m y tastes a n d t h e manner in which y o u will expire in this house shoul d you betra y me one o f these days, should you be un lucky enough to l e t YOl:fsel f b e suborned by the woman i n whose society you a re going to be placed.
"That woman belongs to me, Therese, she i s my wife and that title i s doubtless the m Js t baleful she could have, since i t obliges her to lend herself to the biza rre passion whereof you have been a recent victim ; do not slIppose it i s vengeance that prompts me to treat her thus , scorn, 0 ; ' any sentiment o f hostility o r hatred ; it i s me rely a question o f pa , s i a n . Nothing equals t h e pleasure I exp eri ence upon shedding her blood . . . I go mad when i t flows ; I have never enjoyed this WOrr an in any other fashion. Three years ha ve gone by since I married her, and for three years she has been regu l a rly exposed every foUl days to the treatment you have unde rgone. Her youth ( sh e i s not yet twenty ) , the special care given her, all this keeps h e r a right ; and a s the reservo i r i s repleni shed a t the same rate it is tapped, l;he has been in f a i rly good health since the regime began. Our rehtions being what they are, you p e rfectly well apprec i a te why I ca n neither allow her to go out nor to receive visitors. And so I repre ,ent h e r a s insane and h e r mother, the only
Jus tin e .. 63 5
l iving member of her family, who resides in a chateau six leagues from here, i s so fi rmly convinced of her derangement that she dares not even come to see her. Not infrequently the Countess implo res my m e rcy, there i s nothing she omits t o do in order to soften me ; but I doubt whether she shall ever succeed. My lust decreed her fate, it i s immutable, she will go on i n this fashion so long as she i s able ; while she lives she will want nothing and a s I a m incredibly fond of what can b e drained from her living body, I will keep her alive a s long a s possibl e ; when finally she c a n stand i t no more, well, tush, N a ture will take its course. She's my fourth ; I 'll soon have a fi fth. Nothing di sturbs me less than to lose a wife. There a r e so m any women about, and it is so pleasant to change.
"In any event, Therese, your task i s to look a fter her. Her blood i s let once eve ry ninety-six hours ; she loses two bowls of i t e ach time and nowadays no longe r faints, having got accustomed to it. H e r p rostra tion lasts twenty-fou r hours ; she is bedridden one day out of every fou r , b u t during t h e remaining three s h e gets on tole rably well. B u t you may e a s ily understand this l i fe d i spleases her ; a t th e outset there was nothing she would not try to deliver herself from it, nothing she did not undertake to acquaint her mother with her real s i tu a tion : she seduced two o f her m a i d s e rvants whose maneuvers were detected e a rly enough to defeat their success : she w a s the cause o f these two unhappy cre a tures' ru in, today she repents what she d i d and, recognizing the i r remedi able character o f her destiny, she is co-operating cheerfully and has p romised not to make con federates o f the help I hire to care for her. But this secret and what becomes of those who conspi r e to be tray m e , these m a tters, Therese, obl i ge m e to put no one in her neighborhood but p ersons who, like you rself, have been impressed ; and thus inquiries are avoided. N o t having c a r r i e d you o ff from anyone's house, not h aving to render an account of you to anyone at all, nothing stands i n the way of my punishing you, if you deserve to be, in a manner which, although you will be deprived of mortal breath, cannot nevertheless expose me to interrogations o r embroil m e in any unple a s antnesses. A s of the present moment you inhabit the world no longer, since the least impulse o f my will can cause you to disapp e a r from it. Wha t can you exp ect a t my hands ? Happi ness if you behave properly, deatn if you seek to play m e false.
6 3 6 + T H E MAR Q U I S DE SADE
Were these alternatives not so cle a r , were they not so few, I would a sk fo r your response ; hut in you r p resent situation we can dispense with questions and answers. I have you, Therese, and hence you must obey me . . . . Let 1 1 S go to my wife's apa rtment."
Having nothing to obj ect t o a discourse as precise as this, I followed my master : we traversed a long gallery , as dark, as soli t a ry a s the rest o f the chateau ; a doo r opens, we enter an ante chamber where I recoJ;ni z e the two elderly women who waited upon m e during my com a and recovery. They got up and introduced us into a superb apa rtment where we found the unlucky Countess doing tambour brocade a s she reclined upon a chaise longu e ; she rose when she saw h e r h u sband.
"B e seated," the Count said to her, "I p ermi t you to li sten t o m e thu s . H e r e a t l a s t we h ave a m a i d for you , M a dame," he con tinued, " and I trust you will remember what has befallen the others -and that you will not try to plunge thi s one into an i dentical mis for tune."
"I t would b e useless, " I said, full eager to be o f help to this p o o r woman and wishir g to disguise my designs, "yes, M adame, I dare certi fy in your p resence th a t i t would b e to no purpose, you will not speak one wor d to me I shall not report immediately to his Lordship, and I sha l l certainly not j eopardize my life in order to serve you . "
" I w i l l undertake nothing, M a demoiselle, which might force you into tha t position, ' said this poor woman who did not yet grasp my motives for speaking in this wise ; "rest assured : I solicit nothing but your care."
" I t will be entirely your s , M adame , " I answered, "but beyond that, nothing."
And the Count, erchanted with me, squeezed my hand a s h e whispered : "Nicely don e , Therese, y o u r prosperity is gu a ranteed i f you conduct yourself a s you s a y y o u will . " T h e Count then showed m e to my room which a dj oined the Countess' and he showed me as well tha t the entirety 0 : this apa rtment, closed by stout doors and double grilled a t every window, left n o hope of escap e .
"And here you ha'le a terrace, " Monsieur de Gernande went on, lead ing me out intc a l i ttle ga rden on a level with the apart ment, "but i t s elevation above the ground ought not, I believe, give
Justine + 63 7
you the idea o f measu ring the walls ; the Countess is p e rmitted to take fresh a i r out here whenever she wishes, you will keep h e r company . . . adieu . "
I returned t o m y mistress and, a s a t fi r s t w e spent a few moments examining one another without spe aking, I obtained a goo d picture o f h e r-bu t let me paint i t for you.
M adame de Gernande, aged nineteen and a half, had the most lovely, the most noble, the most maj estic figu r e one could hope to see, not one of her gestu res, not a single movement was without gracefulness, not one o f her glances lacked depth o f senti ment : nothing could equal the expression o f her eyes , which were a beautifu l dark brown although her h a i r was blond ; but a certain languor, a lassitude entailed by h e r misfortunes, dimmed their eclat, and thereby rendered them a thousand times more interesting ; h e r skin was ve ry fair, h e r h a i r very rich ; h e r mouth was very small, perhaps too small, and I was l ittle surprised to find this d e fect in h e r : ' twas a pretty rose n o t yet i n full bloom ; but teeth so white . . . lips of a vermillion . . . one might h ave s a i d Love had colored them with tints borrowed from the goddess o f flowers ; her nose was aquiline, straight, del i c ately modeled ; upon h e r brow curved two ebony eyebrows ; a perfectly lovely chin ; a visage, in one word, o f the finest oval shap e , over whose entirety reigned a kind o f a ttractiveness, a n aive te, a n o p enness which migh t well have made one take this adorable face for a n angelic rather than mortal physiognomy. Her arms, her breasts, her fl anks were of a splendo r . . . o f a round fullness fi t to sern as models to an artist ; a black silken fl eece covered her m o ns v e n eris, which was sustained by two superbly cast thighs j and what astonished m e was that, despite the slenderness of the Countess' fi gure, despite her sufferings, nothing had impaired the fi rm quality o f her fl esh : her round, plump but tocks were a s smooth, as ripe, a s fi rm a s if her figure were heavier and a s i f she had always dwell ed in the depths o f happiness. H ow ever, frightfu l traces of her husband's libertinage were scattered thickly abou t ; but, I repeat, nothing spoiled, nothing damaged . . . the very image o f a beautiful lily upon which the honeybee has inflicted some scratches. To s o many gi fts M a dame d e Gernande a dded a gentle n a ture, a romanti c and tender mind, a heart o f such sensibility I . . . well-educated, wi th talents • . . a na tive art for
63 8 .. T H E M A R Q ( I S DE S A D E
seduction which no on e but her infamous husband could resist, a .charming timb r e in her voice and much piety : such was the unhappy wife o f the Comte de Gernande, such was the heavenly creature against whom h e h a d p l o tted ; i t seemed that the more she inspired ideas, the more she inflamed h i s feroci ty, and that the abundant gi fts she had received from N a ture only became fu rther motives for that villain's cruelties.
"When were you l a s t bled, M a dame ?" I a sked in order to have her understand I was acquainted with everything.
"Three days a go, " she s a i d , " a nd i t is to be tomo r row . . . . " Then, with a sigh : " . . . yes, tomorrow . . . M a demoiselle, tomorrow you will witness the pre tty scene . "
"And M a dame is not growing weak ?" "Oh, Gre a t Heaven ! I a m not twenty and am sure I shall be
no weaker at seventy. Hut it will come to an end, I fl a tter myself in the belief, fo r i t i s p e r :ectly impossible for me to live much longe r this way : I will go to my Father, in the a rms of the Supreme Being I w i l l s e ek a pl a c e of r c s t m e n h ave s o c r u e l l y d e n i e d m e on e a rth . "
These words clove my heart ; wishing to maintain my role, I disguised my trouble , but upon the instant I made an inward p romise to lay down rry l i fe a thousand times, i f necessary, rather than leave this ill-starred victim in the clutches o f this monstrous debauchee.
The Countess wa!, on the point of taking her dinne r. The two old women came to tell me to conduct her into her cabinet ; I trans mi tted the message ; she was accustomed to i t all, she went out at once, and the two wom en, aided by the two valets who had carried me o ff , served a sump :uous meal upon a table a t which my place was set opposite my mistress. The valets retired and the women i n fo rmed me that they would not sti r from the antechamber so a s to b e near at hand to rco:ive wha tever might b e M adame's orders. I relayed this to the Countess, she took her place and, with an a i r o f friendliness a n d affability which enti rely won m y heart, invited m e to j oin h e r . There w e r , : a t l e a s t twenty dishes upon t h e table.
"With what rega ods this aspect of things, Mademoiselle, you see that they tre a t m e well."
"Yes, M a dame," I replied, " and I know i t i s the wish of Monsieur I e C omte th:lt you l ack nothing."
Jus ti n e .. 6 3 9
"Oh yes ! But as these a ttentions a r e motivated only b y cruelty, my feelings are sca rcely o f gratitude."
Her constant state o f debilita tion and perpetual need o f what would revive h e r s trength obliged M adame d e G e rnande to eat copiou sly. She desired p a r tridge and Rouen duckling ; they were brought to h e r in a trice. After the meal, she went for some a i r on the terrace, but upon rising s h e took my arm, fo r she was quite unable to take ten steps without someone to lean upon. I t was at this moment she showed m e all those p a rts o f h e r body I have just described to you ; she exhibited h e r a rms : they were cove red wi th small scars.
"Ah, he does not confine himself to that," she said, " there is not a single spot on my wretched person whence h e does not love to see blood flow. "
And she allowed me to see her feet, h e r neck, the lower p a r t o f her breasts and several o t h e r fl eshy areas equally speckled with healed punctures. That first day I limited myself to murmuring a few sympa thetic words and we retired for the night.
The morrow was the Countess' fatal day. Monsieur de Ger nande, who only p erform e d the operation a fte r. his dinner-which h e always took before his wi fe ate hers-ha d m e j oin him a t table ; i t was then, M a dame, I beheld tha t ogre fall to in a manner so terri fying that I could h a rdly believe my eyes. Fou r domestics, amongst them the pair who had l e d m e to the chateau, served this amazing feast. I t deserves a thorough description : I shall give it you w i thout exaggeration. The meal wa s certainly not intended simply to overawe m e . What I witnessed then was a n everyday a ff a i r .
T w o soups were brought o n , one a consomme fl avored with sa ffron, the o ther a ham bisqu e ; then a sirloin o f English roast beef, e i ght hors d' oeuvres, five substantial entrees, five others only ap p a rently l i ghter, a boar's head in the midst o f eight braised dishes which were relieved by two services o f entremets, then sixteen plates o f frui t ; ices, six brands of wine, four varieties o f liqueur and coffee. Monsieur de Gernande attacked every dish, and several were polished off to the last scrap ; he drank a round dozen bottles of wine, four , to begin with, of Bu rgundy, fou r of C h ampagne with the r o asts ; Tokay, Mulseau, Hermitage and M adeira were downed
640 -to T H E M AR Q U I S DE SADE
with the fru i t. He finis l e d with two bottles of West Indies rum and ten cup s of coffee.
As fresh a fter this perfo rmance a s he might have been h a d he just waked from sleep, Monsieur de Gernande said :
"Off we go to bleed your mistress j I trust you will let me know if I manage as nicely wi :h her as I did with you. "
T w o young boys I l a d not hitherto s e e n , a n d w h o w e r e o f th e same age as the others, were awai ting at the door of the Countess' apartment j it was then the Count informed me he had twelve minions and renewed th em every year. These seemed yet prettier than the ones I had seen hitherto j they were livelier . . . we went i n . . . . All the ceremon ies I am going to describe now, M a dame, were part o f a ritual fr om which the Count never devi ated, they were scrupulously obser ve d upon each occasion, and nothing ever changed except the place wher e the incisions were made.
The Countess, dressed only in a loose-floating muslin robe, fell to her knees instantly the Count entered.
"Are you ready ?" her husband inqu i red. " Fo r everything, Monsieur," was the humble reply j "you
know full well I am �oUl victim and you have but to command me." Monsieur d e Gern:.nde thereupon told m e to undress his wife
and l e a d h e r to him. \V ll a tever the loathing I sensed for all these horrors, you understanc , Madame, I had no choice but to submit with the most entire res ignation. In all I have still to tell you , do not, I beseech you, d o not at any time regard me a s anything but a slave j I complied simp y because I could not do otherwi se, but never did I act willingly i n anything whatsoever.
I removed my misl ress' simar, and when she was naked con ducted h e r to her husband who h a d already taken h i s place in a l arge a rmchai r : a s p a r t o f the ritual she perched upon this armchair and herself p resented to h i s kisses that favorite p a rt over which he h a d made such a to-do ",ith me and which, regardless o f person or sex, seemed to affect hirr, in the same way.
"And now sp read d Iem, M a dame," the Count s a i d brutally. And for a long tirr e h e rollicked abou t with wha t he enj oyed
the sight of j he had i t assume various positions, he opened i t , h e snappe d i t shut j with t.)ngu e a n d fingertip h e tickled t h e na rrow aperture j and soon ca rried away by his p a ssions' ferocity, he
Jus tin e + 64 1
plucked up a p inch o f flesh, squeezed it, scratch e d it. Immedia tely he p roduced a small wound he fastened his mouth to the spot. I held h i s unhappy victim during these p reliminaries, the two boys, com pletely naked, toiled upon him in relays ; now one, now the other knelt between Gernande ' s thighs and employed h i s mouth to exci te him. It was then I noticed, not without astonishment, that this giant, this species of monster whose aspect alone was enough to strike te rror, was howbeit barely �. man ; the most meager, the most minuscule excrescence o f flesh or, to make a j u ster comp a r i son, what one might find in a child o f three was all one discovered upon thi s so ve ry enormous and otherwis e so cn rpulent individual ; but its sensa tions were not for that the less ke en and each pleasurable vibration was as a spasmodic attack. After thi s p rologue he stretched out upon a couch and wanted his wife, seated astride h i s chest, to keep her behind poised over his visage while with her mouth she rende red him, by means of suckings, the same serVice h e had just received from the youthful Ganymedes who were simultaneously, one to the left, one to the right, being exci t e d by him ; my hands me anwhile worked upon his behind : I titillated i t, I polluted it i n every sense ; this phase o f activi ties l asted mo r e than a quarter of an hour but, producing no results, h a d to be given u p for anothe r ; upon her husband's instructions I stretched the C ountess upon a chaise longu e : she l ay o n her back, her legs spread as wide as p ossible. The sight o f what she exposed put her husband in a kind o f rage, h e dwelt u p o n t h e p e rspective . . . his e y e s bl a z e , h e curses ; l ike one crazed h e leaps upon his wi fe, with h i s scalpel pricks her in several places, but these were all sup erficial gashes, a drop or two of blood, no more, seeped from each. Thes e minor cruelti es came to a n end a t last ; others b e gan. The Count s i ts down again, h e allows h i s wi fe a moment' s respite, and, turning his attention to h i s two l i ttle followers, he now obliges them to suck each other, and now he arranges them i n such a way that while he sucks one, the other sucks him, and now again the one he sucked first brings round his mouth to render the same service to him by whom h e was sucked : the C ount received much bu t gave little. Such was h i s satiety, such his impotence that the extremest efforts availed not at all, and he remained in his to rpor : h e did indeed seem to experience some very vi olent reverberations, but nothing manifested i ts el f ; h e several
642 + T H E M A R Q U l S DE SADE
t i m e s o r d e r e d m e to suc k h i s l i ttle f r i e n d s and i m m e d i a tely to con vey t o h i s m o u t h wha te'rer i n c e n s e I d r a i n e d from them ; fi n ally h e fl u n g them o n e a ft e r t h e o t h e r a t t h e m i s e r a b l e C ou n t e s s . T h e s e y o u n g m e n a c c o s t e d h e r i n s u l t e d h e r , c a r r i e d i n s o l e n c e to t h e p o i n t o f b e a ti n g h e r , s l a p p i n g h e r , a n d t h e m o r e t h e y m o l e s t e d h e r , t h e m o r e l ou dly t h e C ou n t p r a i s e d a n d e g g e d t h e m o n .
T h e n G e r n a n d e tu rn e d to m e ; I w a s i n f r o n t o f h i m , m y b u ttocks a t t h e l e v e l o f h i s f a c e , a n d h e p a i d h i s r e s p e c t s to h i
' s
G o d ; b u t he d i d n o t a b u s e m e ; n o r do I know why he d i d n o t to r m e n t h i s G a ny m e d e s ; h(' c h o s e to r e s e rve all h i s u n k i n d n e s s for the C ou n t e s s . Perhaps the h :m o r of being a l l i e d to h i m e s tabl i s h e d on e ' s r i gh t to s u ff e r m i s t r e a tm e n t a t h i s h a n d s ; p e r h a p s h e w a s m o v e d t o c r u e l ty only by a ttachrr e n t s w h i c h c o n t r i b u t e d ene rgy t o h i s o u t r a g e s . O n e c a n i m a g i n e anything a b o u t such m i n d s , a n d a l m o s t always s a fely w a g e r th a t w h a t s e e m s m o s t a p t t o b e c r i m i n a l i s w h a t w i l l i n fl a m e t h e m m o s t . At l a s t h e p l a c e s h i s y o u n g f r i e n d s a n d m e b e s i d e h i s w i fe � n d e n l a c e s o u r b o d i e s ; h e r e a m a n , t h e r e a w o m a n , e t c . , a l l fou r dn s s i n g t h e i r b e h i n d s ; he t a k e s h i s s t a n d s o m e d i s t a n c e away a n d m u s e s u p o n the p a n o r a m a , then h e c o m e s n e a r , t o u ch e s , f e e l s , comp a re s , c a r e s s e s ; the y o u t h s a n d I w e r e n o t p e rs e c u t e d , b u t e a c h t i m e h e c a m e to h i s w i f e , h e fu s s e d a n d b o t h e r e d a n d vexed h e r i n s o m e 'lIay o r o t h e r . Aga i n the scene c h a n g e s : h e h a s t h e C o u n t e s s l i e b e l l: r down u p o n a d i v a n a n d taking e a ch boy i n tu r n , h e i n t r o d u c e s e a c h o f t h e m into t h e n a rrow avenue M a d a m e ' s p o s t u r e exp o s e s : h e a l l o w s them t o b e c o m e a ro u s e d , b u t i t i s n o w h e r e b u t i n h i s m o u t h t h e s a c r i fi c e i s t o b e consumm a te d ; a s o n e a ft e r a n o t h e r t h ey e m e :'ge h e s u c k s e a c h . Wh i l e o n e a c t s , h e h a s h i m s e l f s u cke d by t h e othe r , a n d h i s tongue w a n d e r s to t h e t h r o n e o f v o l u p tu o u s n e s s t h e a � ;ent p r e s e n t s t o h i m . T h i s a c t i v i ty c o n t i n u e s a l o n g t i m e , i t i r r i t a t e s t h e C o u n t , h e gets to h i s f e e t a n d w i s h e s m e t o take the C o u n t e s ! . ' p l a c e ; I i n s t a n tly beg h i m n o t to r e qu i r e i t o f m e , b u t he i n s i s t s . He l ay s h i s w i f e upon h e r b a c k , h a s m e sup e r i m p o s e mysel f Up O :1 h e r w i th my fl a nks r a i s e d i n h i s d i rection and thereupon h e o r d e r s his a i de s to plumb m e by t h e f o r b i d d e n p a ss a g e : h e b r i n g s t h em u p , h i s h a n d s gu i d e th e i r i n t r o d u c t i o n ; m e anwh i l e , I h a v e got to s t i mu l a te t h e C o u n t e s s w i th my fi n g e r s a n d k i s s h e r m o u t h ; a s f o r t h e C o u n t , h i s o ff e r to ry i s s t i l l the s a m e ; a s e a ch o f t h e boys c a n n o t a c t w i t h o u t e x h i b i t i n g to h i m one of the
Jus tine + 643
sweetest obj ects of his venera tion, h e turns it all to his profit and, a s with the Countess, he who has just perforated me is obliged to go, a fter a few lunges and retreats, a n d spill into h i s mouth the incense I have warmed. When the boys are finished, seemingly in clined to replace them, the Count glu e s himsel f to my buttocks.
" Superfluous efforts ," he cries, " this is not what I must have . . . to the business . . . the business . . . however piti able my state . . . I can hold back no longer . . . come, Countess, your a rms I "
He seizes h e r ferociou sly, plac e s h e r a s I w a s placed, a rms suspended by two black straps ; mine is the task of securing the bands ; h e inspects the knots : finding them too loose, he tightens them, "So that," he says, " the blood will spurt out under greater pressure " ; h e feels the veins, and l a nces them, on each arm, a t almost the s ame moment. Blood I eaps f a r : he i s i n a n ecstasy ; and adjusting himself so that he h a s a cle a r view of th ese two fountains, he has m e kneel between h i s legs so I can suck him ; he does a s much for first on e and then the other of his l i ttle friends, incessantly eyeing the j ets of blood which inflame him. For my p a rt, certain the instant at which the hoped for cri sis occu rs will bring a conclusion to the Countess' torments, I bring all my efforts to b e a r upon pre cipitating this denouement, and I become , as, M a dame, you ob serve, I become a whore from kindness, a l ibertine throu gh virtue . The much awaited moment a rrives a t last ; I am not fami l i a r with its dangers or violence, for the l a s t time i t had taken place I had been unconscious . . . . Oh, M a dame ! what extravagance ! Gernande remained delirious for ten minu t e s , fl ailing his a rm s , staggering, reeling like one falling in a fi t o f epilepsy, and uttering screams which must have been audible for a l e ague a round ; his oaths were excessive ; l a shing out a t everyone a t hand, his strugglings were dre a d ful. The two li ttle on es are sent tumbling head over heels ; he wishes to fly a t his wife, I restrain him : I pump the last drop from him, his need of me makes him rf spect me ; at l a st I bring him to h i s senses by ri dding him of that fiery l i quid, whose heat, whose vi scosity, and above all whose abundance puts him in such a frenzy I believe he is going to expire ; seven or eight tablespoons would scarcely have contained the discharge, and the thickes t gruel woul d h a rdly give a notion o f i t s consis tency ; a n d with a l l that, n o appear ance of an erection at all, r a ther, the limp look and feel of ex-
644 * T H E MAR Q U I ; DE SADE
haustion : there you have: the contrarieties which, better th an might I, explain a r tists o f the Count's breed. The C ount a te excessively and only dissip a te d each time he bled h i s wife, every fou r days, that i s to s ay. Would thi s be the cause o f the phenomenon ? I have no i d e a , and not daring to ascribe a reason to what I do not under stand, I will be content to relate wh a t I saw.
Howeve r, I rush to the Countess, I stanch h e r blood, untie her, and deposit her upon a couch in a state of extreme we akness ; bu t the Count, totally indifferent to her, without condescending to cast even a glance at thi s victim stricken by his rage, abrup tly goes out with his aides, leav ing me to put things i n whatever order I please. Such i s the fatal apathy which better than all else charac teri z e s the true libertine soul : if he i s me rely carried away by p a ssion's heat, limned vrith remorse will be his face when, calmed again, h e beholds the baleful effects o f deli rium ; but if his soul is u tte rly corrup t ? then such consequences will a ff right him not : he will observe them with � s li ttle trouble as regret, p e rhaps even with s o m e o f t h e e m o t i o n o f t h o s e i n f amou s l u s t s which p roduced them.
I p u t M a dame de ']ernande to bed. She had, so she said, lost much more this time than she ordinarily did ; but such good care and s o many restoratives w ere lavished upon her, that she appeared well two days l a ter. Th at same evening, when I had compl eted all my chores i n the C ounte ss' apa rtment, word arrived that the Count desired to sp eak to me ; G e rnande was taking supper ; I was obliged to wait upon him while he fed with a much greater intemp er ance than at dinner ; fou r o f his pretty li ttle friends were seated round the table with him anc there, every evening, he regula rly dr ank himself into d runkenn e s s ; but to that end, twenty bottl e s of the most excellent wine w e r e sca rcely su ffi c i ent and I o ften saw him empty thirty. And ever y evening, p ropped up by his minions, the debauchee went to bed, and took one o r two of the boys with him ; these were nothing but vehicles which disposed him for the great scene.
B u t I h a d discovf red the secret o f winning this man's very highest esteem : he fra nkly avowed to me that few women h a d pleased him so much ; Lnd thereby I acquired t h e r i g h t t o h i s con fi dence, which I only enloited in order to serve my mistress.
One morning Gemande called me to h i s room to inform me of
Jus tine + 6 4 5
some new libertine schemes j a fte r h aving l i stened closely and ap proved enthusiastically, and seeing him in a relatively calm state, I unde rtook to persuade him to mitigate h i s poor wife's fate. " I s it possible, Monsieu r , " I said to him, "that one may treat a woman in thi s manner, even setting aside a ll the ties which bind you to her ? Condescend to reflect upon h e r sex's touching graces."
"Oh Therese I " the Count a.nswered with alacrity, "why in order to pacify me do you bring m e a r guments which could not more p ositively a rouse m e ? Li ste:'l to me, my dear girl, " he con tinu ed, having me take a place beside him, " and whatever the in vectives you may h e a r m e utter against your sex, don't lose your temper j no, a rea soned discussion j I 'l l yield to your arguments i f they're logically sound.
"How are you j u stified, pray tell me, Therese, i n asserting that a husb and lies under the obligation to make his wife happy ? and what titles dares this woman cite in order to exto rt thi s happi ness from her husband ? The necessity mutu ally to render one an other happy cannot l e gitimately exist save between two persons equally furnished with the capaci ty to do one another hurt and, consequently, between two p ersons o f commensurate strength : such an associ ation can never come into being unless a contract is imme d i a tely fo rmed between the se two p ersons, which obligates each to employ against the oth e r no kind of force but what will not be inj urious to either j but this ridiculous convention assuredly can never obtain between two persons one o f whom is strong and the other weak. What entitle s the l atter to require the former to treat kindly with him ? and what sort o f a fool would the stronger have to be in order to subscribe to such an agreement ? I can agree not to employ force against him whos,e own strength makes him to be feared j but what could motivate me to moderate the effects of my strength upon the being N ature subordinates to me ? Pity, do you say ? Tha t sentiment is fitting for no one but the person who re sembl es me and as he is an egoist too, p ity' s effects only occur under the tacit circumstances in which the individual who inspires my commiseration h a s sympathy for me in his turn j but i f my superi ority assures m e a constant ascendancy over him, his sympathy becoming valueless to me, I need never, in order to excite i t, consent to a ny sacrifice. Would I not be a fool to feel p i ty for the chicken
646 + T H E MARQ U I ! . D E SADE
they slaughtered for my dinne r ? That obj ect, too inferior to me, l a cking any relation to m e , can never excite any feelings in m e ; well, the r el a tionships o f a wi fe to her husband and that o f the chicken to myself are o f i d entical consequence, the one and the other are household ch a ttels which one must use, which one must employ for the purpose indicated by Nature, without any differenti ation what soever. But, I ask, h a d i t been N a tu r e ' s intention to create your sex fo r the happiness c·f ours and vice versa, would this blind N a ture have caused the existence o f so m any ineptitudes in the construction of the one and the other o f those sexes ? Would she have implanted faults so grave in each th a t mutual estrangement and antip athy were bou nd infallibly to be thei r result ? Wi thou t going any furth e r in s e a rch o f examples, be so good as to tell m e , Therese, knowing my organiz a ti on to be what it is, w h a t woman could I render happy ? a 1d , reversibly, to what man can the enj oy ment of a woman be sweet when he is not endowed wi th the gigantic proporti ons necessary to satisfy h e r ? In your opinion, will they be moral qualities which will compensate his physical sho rtcomings ? And what thinking being, upon knowing a woman to her depths, will not c ry with EuriF ides : 'Th a t one amongst the Gods who brought women into the world may boast of having p roduced the worst o f all creatures aLd the most a fH icting to man.' I f then i t is demonstrated that the two sexes do not a t all sort agree ably with each other and th a t there i s n o t one well-founded grievance o f the one which could not eC1u ally and imme diately be voiced by the other, i t i s therefore fal se, from this moment, to say that Na ture created them fo r their reciprocal happiness. She may h ave per mitted them the desire to attain each other's vicinity in order to conj ugate in the interest s o f propagation, but in no wise in order to form attachments with the design o f di scovering a mutual felicity. The weaker ther efore h aving no right to mouth complaints with the obj ect o f wrest ing p i ty from the stronger and no longe r being able to raise the o bj ection that the stronger depends for h i s happiness u p o n her, t h e weaker, I say, h a s no al ternative b u t t o submi t ; and a s , despite the difficulty o f achieving t h a t bilateral h appiness, i t i s natural that individuals of both sexes labor a t noth ing but to procure it f'Jr themselves, the weaker must reconcile herself to distilling from her submissiveness the only dose o f happi-
Justin e + 647
ness she can possibly hope to cull, and the stronger must strive a fter his by whatever oppressive methods he i s pleased to employ, since it i s p roven that the mi ghty's sole h appiness i s yielded him by the exercise of his strong faculti es, by, that is to say, the most thorough going tyranny ; thus, that happiness the two sexes cannot find with e ach other they will find, one in blind obedience, the other in the most ene rgeti c exp ression of his domination. Why! were it not Nature's i ntenti on that one of the sexes tyranni z e the other, would she not have created th em e qually strong ? By rende ring one in every p a rticul a r inferior to the o ther, has she not adequately indi cated that she wills the mightie r to exploit the ri ghts she has given him ? th e more the latter broadens his authority, th e more, by means o f his preponder ance, he worsens the misery o f the woman enthralled by her destiny, the b etter h e answers N atu re's inten tions ; the frail being's complaints do not p rovi de a correct basis for analyzing the process ; j udgments thus come by would be nothing i f not vicious, since, t o reach them, y o u would h a v e to approp r i a te none but the feeble's i d e a s : the sui t must be j udged upon the stronger p arty's power, upon the scope he has given to his power, and when this powe r's effects a re brought to bear upon a woman, one must examine the question, What i s a woman ? and how has this con temptible sex been viewed i n anci ent times and in our own by seventy-five per cent of the p eoples of this e a rth ?
"Now, what do I obse rve upon coolly p roceeding to thi s in vestigation ? A puny cre atu re, always inferior to man, infinitely less a ttractive than he, less ingenious, less wise, constructe d in a dis gusting m anner enti rely opposite to wha t is capable of pleasing a m an, to what is able to deli ght him . . . a being three-qu a rters o f h e r l i fe untouchable, unwholesome, unable t o sati s fy h e r m ate throughout the enti re period Nature constrains her to childbea ring, o f a s h a rp tu rn of humor, shrill, shrewish, bitter, and thwa rt ; a tyrant i f you allow her privileges, mean, vile, and a sneak in bond age ; always false, forever mischievous, constantly dangerou s ; in short, a being so perverse th at during several convocations the question was very soberly a gitated at the C ouncil of M acon whether o r not this p ecul i a r cre ature, a s di stinct from man a s is man from the ape, had any rea sonably legitimate p retensions to classification as a human ; but this quandary might b e merely an
648 .. T H E MA RQUl S DE SADE
error of the times ; w e r e women more favorably viewed in earlier ages ? Did the Persians , the Medes, the B abylonians, the Greeks, the Romans honor this odious sex we are abl e to dare make our idol today ? Ala s ! I see it oppressed everywhere, eve rywhere rigo r ously banished from a ffairs, contemned everywhere, vilified, se questered, locked up ; v/omen treated, in a word, like beasts one stables in the barn and F uts to use when the need arises. Do I pause a moment a t Rome ? th en I hear the wise C a to exclaim from the heart o f the ancient worl d ' s capi tal : 'Were women l acking to men, they would yet hold cor.ve rsation with the Gods.' I hear a Roman censor begin his harangue with these words : 'Gentlemen, were we ever to find a means t) live without women, the reupon unto us should true happiness b,: known . ' I h e a r the Greek theater resound to these lines intoned : "i) Zeus ! what reason was i t obl i ged thee to c re a te women ? couldst not have given being to humankind by better devices and wise:-, by schemes which in a word would have spared u s this fem ale p estilence ?' I see this same Greek race hold t h a t sex i n s u c h h i gh contemp t l e g i s l a tio n w a s n e e d e d to obl i ge a Spa rtan to reproduce, lnd one of the penalties decreed in those enlightened republics was to compel a male factor to g a rb himsel f in a wom an's a ttire, th a t is to say, to wear the raiments o f the vilest and most scorned creature of which man h a d acqua intance.
"But without inqu iring for examples in ages at such a great remove from ours, with what sort o f an eye is this wretched sex still viewed upon the earth's surface ? How is it dealt with ? I be hold it imprisoned thrc ughout Asia and serving there a s slave to the b a rbarous whims 0 : : a despot who molests it, torments i t, and turns i ts sufferings into a game. I n America I find a naturally humane race, the E ski 11 0 S , p racticing all possible a cts of benef icence amongst men and treating women with all imaginable s everity : I see them h umiliated, prosti tuted to strangers in one p a r t of the world, used a s currency i n another. In Africa, where without doubt the i r sta tion i s yet fu rther degraded, I notice them tolling in the manner o f beasts o f burden, tilling the soil , fertil i z ing it and sowing seed, and s e rving thei r husbands on the i r knees only. Will I follow Captain Cook in his newest discoveries ? Is the cha rm ing i sle of Tahiti , where pregna ncy is a crime sometimes meri ting death for the mother and almost always for the child, to offer me
Justine + 649
women enjoying a happier lot ? In the other islands this same mari ner charted, I find them beaten, h a r assed by their own offspring, and bulli e d by the husband himself who collaborates with his family to torment them with additional rigor.
"Oh, Therese ! l e t not all this astonish you, nor b e more sur p r i s e d by the general p re-eminence accorded men over the i r wives i n all epochs : the more a people i s in h a rmony w i th Nature, the better will be its use of her laws ; the wi fe can have no relation to her husband but that o f a slave to his master ; very decidedly she has no right to p r e tend to more ch,erished titles. One must not mis take for a p r e rogative the ridiculDus abuses which, by degrading our sex, momentarily elevates yours : the cause for these travesties must b e sought out, enunciated, and a fterwa r d one must only the more constantly return to reason's sagacious counsels. Well, The rese, here is the cause of the tempor a ry respect you r s ex once upon a time enj oyed and which it still misuses today while they who p e rpetuate it a r e unaware of what they a r e doing.
"In the Gaul of long ago, that is to say, i n that one part of the world where women were not total ly treated as slaves, women had the habit o f p rophesying, o f predicting the ha ppy event : the people fanc i e d they plied their trade successfully only because o f the inti m a te commerce they doubtle s s had w i th the Gods ; whence they were, so to speak, associated with the sacerdotal and enj oyed a measure o f the consi deration lavished upon p riests. French chivalry was founded upon these inanities and finding them favorable to its spirit, a dopted them : but what ha ppened next w a s what h appens always : the causes became extinct, the effects were preserved ; chivalry vanished, the prejudices i t nouri shed p ersevered. This ancient veneration accorded for n o sound reason could n o t i tself b e annihilate d when what founded the illusion had dissipate d : we no longer stand i n awe o f witche s , bu t we reverence whores and, wh at is worse, w e continue to kill each other for them. M ay such platitudes cease to influence these o u r philosophers' minds, and restoring women to thei r true position, may the intelligent sp irit conceive them, a s N ature indicates, a s the wisest peoples acknowl edge, to be nothing but indivi du als created for thei r pleasures, sub m itted to their caprices, obj ects whose frailty and wickedness make them deserving of naught but contempt.
6 5 0 .. T H E MARQUl S DE SADE
"But not only, Thc:rese, did all the peoples of the ea rth enjoy the most extensive rights over the i r women, there were even to be found certain races whi,:h condemned women to death immedi ately they were born into the wo rld, and of thei r numbers retained only thos e few necessary to the race's reproduction. The Arabs known as Koreish interred thc : i r daughters at the age of seven upon a mountain n e a r M ecca, because, said they, so vile a sex appe a red to them unworthy of seein g the light; in the seraglio of the King o f Achem, t h e most appall ing tortures a re applied as punishment for the mere suspicion of in fi d elity, for the slightest disobedience in the service of the p rince ' s lusts, or a s soon as his women inspire his dis taste; upon the banks of the River Ganges they are obliged to immolate themselves o"e r their husb ands' a shes, for they a re es teemed of no fur ther pc rpose in the world once their lords are able to enjoy them no more in oth e r regions they are hunted like wild beasts, ' tis an honor to kill a quantity of them; in Egypt they a r e s acrificed t o the Gods; l h ey are trampled und er foot i n Formosa if they become p r e gn ant ; ' ::; e rman l a w condemned the m an w h o kil l e d a foreign woman t o pay a fine o f about t e n crowns, nothing at all if the woman w a s his O W '1 or a courtesan; eve rywh e r e , to be b rief, everywhere, I repeat, I see wom en humiliated, molested, every where s acrifi ced to the superstition of priests, to the savage ry of husb ands, to the playfu lness of libe rtines. And because I h ave the misfortune to live amiut a people still so uncouth as not to dare abolish the most ludic rous of prejudices, I should deprive myself of the rights N a ture has granted me ! I shoul d forgo all the pleasures to which these p rivil eges give birth ! . . . Come, come, The rese, that's not just, no . ' tis unfair : I w·ill conceal my beh avior be cause I must, but I will be comp ensated, in the retreat where I have exil ed myself, and sil ently , for the absurd ch ains to which I am condemned by legisl a tion, and here I will treat my wife a s I like , for I find my right to do se lettered in all the universe' s codes, graved in my h e a rt, and sealed in N a ture . "
"Oh Monsieur, " said I , "your conversion is impossibl e." "And I a dvise ye·u not to a ttempt it, Theres e , " Gernande
answe red; "the tree is too long ou t of the nursery; a t my age one can a dvance a few step s in the c a r e e r of evil , but not one toward good. My p rinciples an·! my tastes h a ve brou ght me j oy since child-
Justine + 6 5 1
hood, they have always been the unique bases o f m y conduct and actions : I will , who knows ? go fu rther , I have the feeling it could b e done, but return ? neve r ; I have too grea t a horror for mankind's prejudices, I too sincerely hate their civilization, their virtue and their Gods ever to sacrifice my penchants to them. "
From t h i s moment I s a w very clearly t h a t no thing remained fo r me, in order e ithe r to extricate mysel f from this house o r to save the C ountess, but the employment of s trategems and j oint action with h e r .
During the y e a r I had spent i n the h o u s e , what I had allowed her to read in my heart was more than sufficient to dispel any doubts she m i ght have of my desire to serve her, and now she could not fail to divine wh a t had a t fi rst prompted me to act differently. I became less gu arded, then spoke ; she assented ; we settled upon a plan : i t was to in form her mother, to expose the Count's infamies to her eyes. M adame de Gernan d e was certain that unfortunate l a dy would hasten wi th all expedition to sever h e r daughter's bonds ; but how were we to approach her ? for we were so secu rely im prisoned, so closely watched ! Accu s tom ed to coping with rampa rts, I gauged those upon which the terrace was raised : th e i r height was sca rcely thirty feet ; th ere was no other enclosure i n sigh t ; once at the foot of the wall I thought one woul d find oneself already on the road through the fo rest ; but the C ountess, having been brought to this apa rtment at night and never h aving l e ft it since, was unable to confi rm my ideas. I agreed to attempt the descent ; the letter Ma dame de Gernande wrote to her mother could not have been better phrased to melt and p e rsuade her to come to the rescue o f her most unh appy daughte r ; I slipp ed the l e :ter into my bosom, I embraced that dear and a ttractive woman, then, a s soon as night had fallen, aided by our b e d linen , I slid to the ground outside the fo rtress. What h a d become o f me, 0 Heaven ! I di scovered that instead of being outside the enclosure I was simply in a park, and in a p a rk girt by walls which the quantity ;J.nd dense foli age o f trees had camou fl aged from sight : these b a t tlements were more than forty feet high, all o f them garnished at t he top with broken glass, and of a prodigious thickness . . • wh a t w a s to become o f m e ? Dawn was n o t far off : what woul d they think when I was found in a place into which I could not have come without a certain plan o f escape ?
6 5 2 + T H E MAR Q U I S DE SADE
Would I be able to k e e p the Count's fury at bay ? Was it not very likely that ogre would d rink my bloo d to punish such an o ff ense ? To return was out of the luestion, the Countess had d rawn back the sheets ; to knock a t the door would be still more certa inly to betray mysel f ; a li ttle more and I would hav e lost my head altogether and ceded to the violent efft cts of my desp a i r . Had I been able to recog ni z e some p i ty in the Count's soul, I might perhaps have been lull ed into hop e fulness, but , tyrant, a b a rbarian, a man who detested women and who, h e s a i d , had long been seeking the occasion to im molate one by draining away her blood drop by drop in order to find out how m any hours sh e would be able to last . . . N o doubt about i t, h e was going to put m e to the test. Knowing not wh a t would hap p en o r what to d o , disc'lVering dange r s eve rywhe r e , I threw myself down beside a tree, de termined to await my fate and sil ently re signing mysel f to the E ternal's will . . . . The sun rose a t l a s t ; merci ful He aven ! the fi rst ohj ect to present itself to m e . . . i s the Count himsel f : i t had been f rightfully warm during the ni ght, he had stepped out to take a breath o f a i r . He beli eves he i s in error, he supposes this a specte r , h e recoils, ra rely i s cou rage a traitor's virtu e : I get trembling to my feet, I fling mysel f a t h i s knees.
"Therese! What a re you doing here ?" h e demands. "Oh, Monsieur, F u nish me," 1 reply, " I am gu ilty and have
nothing to answer you . " Unh appily, in m y fright I had forgotten to destroy the Count
ess' lette r : he suspects i ts existence , asks for i t , I wish to deny I have i t ; but Gernande s ees the fatal letter pro truding above my ker chief, snatches, i t , read , it, and o rders me to follow him.
We enter the chat � a u , descend a hi dden stai rway lea ding down to the vaults : the most p r o found stillness reigns there below ground ; a ft e r several d etours, the Count opens a dungeon and casts m e into it.
" Impudent gi r l , " 'lays he, " I gave you w a rning that the crime you have just committed is punished here by death : the refore pre pare yourself to undergo th e penalty you have been pleased to incu r . When tomo rrow I rise from dinner I am going to dispatc h you . "
Once again I fall prostrate before h i m but, sei zing m e b y the hair, h e drags m e alon � the ground, pulls m e several times around
Jus ti n e .. 6 5 3
m y p ri s o n , and ends b y hurl i n g m e a g a i n s t the w a l l i n such a m a n n e r I a m nigh to having my b r a i n s d a s h e d o u t.
"You d e s e rv e to h a v e me o p e n y o u r four v e i n s t h i s i n s t a n t , " s a y s he as he cl o s e s the d o o r , " an d i f I p o stpone y o u r d e a th , b e v e r y s u r e i t i s o n l y i n o r d e r to r e n d e r i t the m o r e h o r r i bl e . "
H e h a s l e ft ; I a m i n a s t a t e o f t h e m o s t v i o l e n t a g i t a t i o n ; I s h a l l n o t d e s c r i b e the n i gh t I p a s s e d : my tormented i m a g i n a t i o n to gether w i th the p h y s i c a l hurt done me by the m o n s t e r ' s i n i t i a l c ru e l t i e s m a d e i t o n e o f t h e m o s t d r ,e a d fu l I h a d e v e r g o n e through. One h a s n o conception o f w h a t angu i s h is suffered by the w r e tch who from hour t o hour a w a i ts his o r d e a l , from whom hope h a s fl e d , a n d w h o knows n o t whether t h i s b r e a th h e draws m a y n o t b e h i s l a s t . Unce r t a i n o f the torture, he: p i c t u r e s i t i n a thou s a n d f o r m s , o n e m o r e f r i gh t fu l than the o t h e r ; the l e a s t n o i s e h e h e a r s m a y b e t h a t o f h i s a p p r o a c h i n g a s s a s s i n s ; the b l o o d f r e e z e s i n h i s v e i n s , h i s h e a r t g r o w s f a i n t , a n d the b l a d e w h i c h i s to p u t a p e r i o d to h i s d a y s i s l e s s c r u e l t h a n t h o s e t e r r i bh: i n s t a n t s swo l l e n w i t h t h e men a c e of d e a t h .
I n a l l l i k e l i h o o d the C o u n t b e g a n by revengi n g h i m s e l f u p o n h i s wi fe : y o u w i l l b e a s convinced o f i t a s I by the event which saved m e . Fo r t h i r ty-six h o u r s I lingered i n the critical condition I h a ve j u s t d e s c r i b e d ; during t h a t time I w a s brought no r e l i e f ; a n d then my d o o r w a s o p e n e d a n d the C o u n t a p p e a r e d : h e w a s a l o n e , f u r y gl i t t e r e d i n h i s e y e s .
"You m u s t b e f u l l y c o gn i z a n t o f the d e a t h you a r e g o i n g to u n d e rgo : thi s p e rv e r s e blood has got to b e made to s e e p o u t of you : you will be b l e d t h r e e t i m e s a d a y , I w a n t to s e e h o w long y o u c a n s u r v i v e the t r e a tm e n t . ' T i s a n exp e riment I h a v e b e e n a l l a fi re to make, you know ; my thanks to you f o r fu r n i s h i n g m e the m e a n s . "
A n d , f o r t h e t i m e b e i n g occupyi n g h i m s e l f w i t h n o p a s s i o n b u t h i s v e n g e a n c e , the m o n s t e r m a d e m e stretch f o r th an a rm , p ri cked i t and stopped the wound a fter he h a d d r awn two bowls o f blood. H e h a d s c a rcely finished when cries w e r e h e a r d .
" O h , my Lord, my L o r d I " exc l a i m e d o n e o f the s e rvants who came run n i n g u p t o him, "come a s q u i ck as ever you can, M a d ame i s dying, s h e wishes to s p e a k to you b e fo r e s h e gives u p h e r sou1 . "
And t h e o l d w o m a n turned a n d fl e w b a ck to h e r m i s tr e s s . H o w e v e r h a b i tu a t ed one may be to crime, i t i s r a rely that news
6 5 4 .. T H E MARQU I S DE SADE
of its accomplishment does not strike terror into him who h a s com mi tted i t ; this fear avenges Virtue : Virtue resumes possession of i t s rights : Gernande goe 3 ou t in alarm , he forgets to secure the dun geon's doors ; althou[h enfeebled by a forty hours' fast and the blood I have lost, I eYpl o i t my opportunity, leap from my cell, find my way unimpeded, :raverse the cou rt, the park, and reach the fo rest without having been p e rceived. Walk, I say to myself, walk, walk, be cou rageous ; f the mighty scorn the weak, there is an om nipotent God Who s hi elds the latter and Who never abandons them. My head croweled with these ideas, I advance with a stout h e a r t and befo r e nigh : closes I find myself in a cottage four leagues from the chateau. Some money remained to me, my needs were at tended to, i n a few hou rs I was rested. I left at daybreak and, re nouncing all plans to register old or new complaints with the authori ties, I asked ':0 be di rected toward Lyon ; the road was pointed out to me and on the eighth day I reached that city, very weak, suffering much, but happy and unpursued ; once arrived, I turned all my t h o u gh t ; to recove ry b e f o r e s t r i k i n g o u t fo r Grenoble where, according to one o f my persi stent notions, happiness awaited m e .
O n e d a y m y e y e fell u p o n a gazette p rinted in s o m e distant place ; wh a t was my m rprise to behold crime crowned once again and to see one o f the p rincipal authors of my miseries a rrived a t the pinnacle of success. Rodin, the surgeon of Saint-Michel, that infa mous wretch who had punished me with such cruelty for having wished to sp a r e him the murder of his daughter, had j u st, the news p a p e r decl a red, been named First Surgeon to the Empress of Rus sia with the considerable emoluments accompanying that post. M ay h e prosper, the v:i1lain, I muttered to mysel f, may he be so whilst Providence so wills i : ; and thou , unhappy creature, suffer, su ffer uncomplainingly, sinn i t i s decreed that tribulations and pain must b e Vi rtu e ' s frigh tful �;hare ; no matter, I shall never lose my taste for it.
But I was far from done with these striking examples of the triumph of vice, example s so disheartening for Virtue, and the flourishing condition of the p ersonage whose acquaintance I was about to renew was surely to exasperate and amaze me more than
Jus tine .. 6 5 5
any o the r , s i n c e i t w a s th a t o f o n e o f t h e m e n a t whose h a n d s I h a d e n d u r e d t h e b l o o d i e s t o u t r a g e s . I w a s exclu s i vely b u s i e d w i t h p r e p a r i n g my d e p a r t u r e w h e n o n e e v e n i n g a l a ckey c l a d i n gray a n d com p l e te l y unknown t o me b r o u g h t m e a n o t e ; upon p r e s en t i n g it, he s a i d his m a s t e r had c h a r g e d him to obt a i n m y r e s p o n s e without fail. T h e m i s s i v e was w o r d e d this W�Ly : " A man who has somew h a t w r o n g e d you , w h o b e l i e v e s h e r e c o gni z e d you i n t h e Pl a c e d e B el l e c o u r , i s m o s t d e s i r o u s t o s e e you a n d t o m a k e a m e n d s fo r h i s c o n duct : h a sten to c o m e t o m e e t h i m ; h e h a s things t o t e l l y o u w h i c h m ay help l i qu i d a te h i s e n t i r e i n d e b t e d n e s s t o y ou . "
T h e m e s s a ge c a r r i e d n o s i g n a t u r e a n d t h e l a ckey o ff e r e d n o exp l a n a t i o n s . H a v i n g d e c l a r e d I w a s r e s o l v e d to m a k e n o a n s w e r a t a l l l e s t I w a s i n f o r m e d o f who h i s m a s t e r w a s :
" H e i s M o n s i e u r de S a i n t- Fl o r e n t , M a de m o i s e ll e , " t h e l ackey s a i d ; "he has h a d t h e honor to know y o u f o r m e rly in t h e n e i gh b o r h o o d o f P a r i s ; you r e n d e r e d h i m , hl� m a i n t a i n s , s e rv i c e s f o r which h e b u rn s t o a t t e s t his g r a t i t u d e . Pre s e n tly risen t o a p o s i ti o n o f u n d i s p u t e d e m i n e n c e i n t h i s c i ty ' s c:omm e r c i a l c i r cl e s , h e a t once enj oys t h e c o n si d e r a t i o n a n d t h e m e �L O S which put him i n a p o s i ti o n t o p r o v e h i s r e g a r d f o r you . H e awa i ts you . "
My d e l i b e r a ti o n s w e r e s o o n comp l e t e d . I f t h i s m a n h a d o th e r t h a n g o o d i n te n t i o n s , I s a i d to myseL f , w o u l d h e b e a p t t o w r i t e t o m e , to h a v e m e s p o k e n t o i n t h i s f a s h i o n ? H e r e p e n t e d h i s p a s t i n f a m i e s , w a s c o v e r e d w i t h r e m o r s e , i t w a s w i th h o r r o r h e r e m em b e r e d having t o r n from m e w h a t I c h e r i s h e d m o s t and, by i n a u gu r a t i n g a s e qu e n c e o f n i g h tm a re s , h a � v i n g r e d u c e d m e t o t h e c r u e l e s t c i r cu m s t a n c e s a w o m a n m a y know . .. . y e s , y e s , no d o u b t o f i t , t h i s i s r e p e n t a n c e , I s h o u l d be culp a b l e b e f o r e the S u p r e m e B e i n g w e r e I n o t to c o n s e n t t o a s s u a g e h i s s u ff e r i n g s . Am I i n a p o s i ti o n , fu r t h e rm o r e , to spurn the s u p p o r t th a t i s p ro p o s e d h e r e ? R a th e r , o u g h t I n o t e a g e rly sn a tc h a t a l l t h a t: i s o ff e r e d to r e l i e v e m e ? T h i s m a n w i s h e s to s e e m e i n h i s t o w n h o u s e : h i s p r o sp e r i ty m u s t s u r round h i m w i t h s e rv a n t s b e fo r e whom he w i l l h a v e to a c t w i t h e n o u gh d i g n i ty to p r event h i m from d a ri n g to f a i l m e a g a i n , a n d i n my s t a t e , G r e a t G o d I c a n I inspi re anyth i n g b u t symp athy i n h i m ? T h e r e f o r e I a s su r e d S a i n t-Fl o r ,ent' s l a ckey t h a t u p o n t h e m o r row at e l e v e n o ' cl o c k I would take t h e p r i v i l e ge o f g o i n g to s a l u t e h i s m a s t e r ; th a t I c o n g r a tu l a t e d h i m u p o n h i s go o d fo r t u n e , a n d
6 5 6 + THE MARQ U I S DE SADE
a d d e d th a t luck had t r e a t e d m e i n nothing a p p r o a c h i n g the s a m e m a n n e r .
I r e t u r n e d to my r o o m , b u t I w a s s o p r eoccup i e d w i t h w h a t th i s m a n m i gh t w i s h to s a y to m e t h a t I s l e p t n o t a w i n k a l l n i gh t ; t h e n e x t d a y I a rr i v e d a t the i n d i c a t e d a d d r e s s : a superb m a n s i o n , a t h r o n g o f d o m e s t i c s , t h a t i n s o l e n t canaille' s contemptu o u s gl ances at t h e p o v e rty it s c o r n e d , e v e ry th i n g a ffl icts m e a n d I a m a b o u t r e a dy to r e t r e a t w h e n u p c o m e s t h e s a m e l i v e rym a n who h a d s p ok e n to m e the p revi o u s evening, a n d , r e a s s u ring m e , he conducts m e i n t o a s u mp tu o u s drawing r o o m where, a l though i t is nine years since I h a v e set e ye s on h i m , I p e r fectly recogn i z e my butcher who has n o w reached the a g e of f o r ty-five. H e d o e s n o t r i s e u p o n m y e n t r a n c e , b u t g i v e s the o r d e r w e b e l e f t a l o n e , a n d g e s tu r e s m e t o c o m e a n d s e a t mys e l f n e a r the v a s t a rm ch a i r w h e r e he i s e n t h r o n e d .
" I w a n t e d t o s e e you a g a i n , my chil d , " s a y s h e with a humili a ti n g tone o f supe r i o r i ty , "not t h a t I thought I had much wronged you , not t h a t a troubl e s o m e recollection b i d s m e m a k e r e s t i tu t i o n s from w h i c h I b e l i eve my p o s i tion e x e m p t s m e ; bu t I r e m e m b e r t h a t , h o w e v e r b r i e f w a s o u r a c q u a i n t a n c e , you e x h i b i t e d s o m e p a r t s d u r i n g i t : w i t a n d c h a r a c t e r a r e n e e d e d f o r wh a t I h a v e to p ro p o s e t o you a n d i f you accep t , the n e e d I w i l l then h a v e o f you will i n s u r e you r d i scovery o f t h e r e s o u rc e s which a r e nece s s a ry to you , and upon which i t s h o u l d b � i n vain you w e r e t o count wi thou t s i gn i fying y o u r a g r e e m e n t . "
I wi s h e d t o r e p l y w i th s o m e r e p r o a c h e s fo r the l e v i ty o f t h i s b e gi n n i n g , b u t S a i n t-Fl o r e n t i m p o s e d s i l ence upon m e .
" 'Ti s w a t e r u n d e r t h e b r i d ge , " s a y s h e , " a p u rely e m o t i o n a l e p i s o d e , a n d my p ri n c i p l e s supp o r t t h e b el i e f I h a v e , t h a t n o b r a k e s h o u l d be appl i e d to p a s s i o n ; when t h e a p p e t i t e s s p e a k , t h e y m u s t b e h e a rd : t h a t ' s m y l a w . W h e n I w a s c a p tu r e d by the thieves w i t h whom you w e r e , d i d you s e e m e b u r s t i nto t e a r s ? S w a l l o w the b i t t e r p i l l a n d a c t w i t h d i l i gence i f o n e i s w e a k , enj oy a l l o ne ' s ri ghts i f p o w e r fu l : t h a t ' s m y d o c t r i n e . Y o u w e r e young a n d p r e t ty, Th e r e s e , w e f o u n d o u r s e l v e s i n the m i d d l e o f a fo r e s t , n o thing s o a ro u s e s m e s e n s u a l l y a s t h e r a p e o f a y o u n g v i r g i n gi rl ; such y o u w e r e , I r a p e d you ; I m i g h t p e r h a p s h a v e done w o r s e h a d w h a t I a ttemp t e d n o t m e t with succ e s s a n d h a d you p u t up a n y r e s i s ta n c e . B u t I r a p e d
J u s t i n e + 6 5 7
you, then left you naked a n d robbed in the middle o f the night, upon a perilous r o a d : two motives gave rise to that further villa iny : I needed money and h a d none ; a s for the other reason which drove m e to do this , ' twould b e i n vain were I to explain it, Therese, i t would surp ass your understanding. Only tho se spirits who a r e deep l e a rned in the h e a r t of man, who have studied i ts' innermost re cesses, gained access to the most impene trable nooks o f this dim-l i t l abyrinth, they a l o n e m i ght be a b l e to account for t h i s consequence o f an aberration . "
"What, M onsieu r ! t h e money I g a v e you . . . the s e rvice I h a d j u s t rendered y o u . . . t o b e p a i d for wh a t I d i d in y o u r b e h a l f by the blackest treachery . . . that m ay, you think, be understood, justified ? "
"Why yes, Therese ! yes i n d e e d I t h e proof an explanation exi sts fo r all I did i s that, h aving j us t pillaged you , molested you . . . ( for, Therese, I d i d beat you, you know ) , why ! having taken twenty steps, I s toppe d and, meditating upon the state in which I had left you, I at once found strength in these ideas, enough to perpetrate a ddition a l outrages I m i ght not have committed had it not been fo r that : you had lost but one m a i denhead . . . . I turned, retraced my steps, and made short work o f the other. . . . And so it i s tru e that i n certain souls lust may be born from the 'womb of crime ! What do I say ? it i s thus true that only crime awakes and stiffens lust and that there i s not a single volup tuous pleasure it d.oe s not inflame and improve . . . . "
" O h M onsieur ! what h o r r o r i s th i s ? " " C ou l d I not h ave acquitted myse l f o f a s t i l l greater ? I w a s
close enough to i t , I confess, but I was amply sure y o u w e r e going to be reduced to the last extremi ties : the thought s a tisfied m e , I left you . Well, Therese, l e t ' s leave the subj ect a n d continue to my r e a son for desi ring to s e e you .
" M Y incredible a ppeti te fo r both o f a Ii ttle girl's m a i denheads h a s not deserted m e , Therese , " Sai nt-Florent pursued ; "with this i t is a s with all libertinage's o ther extravagances : the older you g�ow, the more deeply they take root ; from former misdeeds fresh desires are born, and new c rimes from these desires. There would be nothing to the matter, my dear, were not the means one employs to succeed exceedi ngly culp abl e . Bllt as the desire of evil i s the
6 5 8 + T H E MA R Q U I S DE S A D E
pri m u m m o bile of our c a p r i c e s , t h e more c r i m i n a l t h e thing we a r e l e d to do, t h e b e t t e r o u r i r r i t a ti o n . 'V hen one a r r i v e s a t t h i s s t a g e , o n e m e rely comp l a i n s o f t h e m e d i o c r i ty o f the m e a n s : the m o r e e n comp a s s i n g th e i r a t r o : i o u s n e s s , t h e m o r e p i q u a n t o u r j oy becom e s , and t h u s o n e s i n k s i n t h e qu a g m i r e w i t h o u t the s l i g h t e s t d e s i r e t o e m e r g e .
"Th a t , T h e r e s e , i s my own h i s tory : t w o young c h i ldren a r e n e c e s s a ry f o r my d a i l y s a c r i fi ce s ; h a v i n g once enj oyed t h e m , n o t only do I n e v e r a g a i n s e t eyes u p o n t h e s e obj e c t s , b u t i t even b e c o m e s e s s e n t i a l to m:r f a n t a s i e s ' e n t i r e s a t i s f a c t i o n t h a t they i n s t a ntly l e a ve t h e c i ty : I s h o u l d n o t a t a l l s a v o r the f o l l o w i n g d a y ' s p l e a s u r e s w e r e I to i m a g i n e t h a t y e s t e r d a y ' s v i c t i m s s t i l l b r e a t h e d t h e s a m e a i r I i n h a l e ; t h e m e t h o d f o r b e i n g r i d o f t h e m i s n o t c o mp l i c a t e d . Wou l d yOU b e l i eve i t , T h e r e s e ? They a r e my d e b a u c h e s w h i c h popul a te L a n g u e d o c a n d P r ovence w i t h t h e m u l t i t u d e o f obj ects o f l i b � r t i n a g e wi th w h i c h t h o s e r e g i o n s a r e t e e m i n g :5 o n e h o u r a ft e r t h e s e l i t t l e g i r l s h a ve s e rved m e , r e l i a b l e e m i s s a r i e s p a ck them o ff a n d s e l l t h e m to t h e m a tc h m a k e r s o f M o n tp e l l i e r , T o u l o u s e , N im e s , A i x , a n d M a r s e i l l e s : t h i s t r a d e , two-thi r ds o f w h o s e n e t p r o fi t s go to m e , amply r e c o m p e n s e s t h e o u t l a y r e q u i r e d to p ro c u r e my subj e c t s , a n d t h u s I s a t i s fy two of my mm t c h e r i s h e d p a s s i o n s , l u s t a n d g r e e d ; b u t r e conno i te ri n g a n d s e d u c t i o n a r e b o t h e r s o m e . Fu r t h e r m o r e , t h e k i n d o f subj e c t i s o f i n fi n i t e i m p o r t a n c e t o my l u b r i c i ty : I m u s t h a ve t h e m a l l p ro c u r e d from t h o s e a sy l u m s o f m i s e ry w h e r e t h e n e e d t o l i v e a n d t h e i m p o s s i b i l i ty o f m a n a g i n g t o do so e a t a w a y c o u r a g e , p r i d e , d e l i c a cy , fi n a l l y r o t t h e s o u l , a n d , i n t h e h o p e o f an i n d i sp e n s a b l e s u b s i s te n c e , s t e e l a p e rson to u n d e r t a k e w h a teve r a p p e a r s l i kely t o p r o v i d e i t . I h a v e a l l t h e s e n e s t s r a n s a c k e d , a l l t h e s e dungh e a p s combed p i t i l e ssly : you 've n o i d e a w h a t t h ey y i e l d ; I wou l d even go fu r t h e r , T h e r e s e : I s a y t h a t c i v i l a c t i v i ty , i n dustry, a l i t t l e so c i a l e a s e would d e f e a t my subo rn a t i o ns a n d d i v e s t m e o f a g r e a t p r o -
5 L e t t h i s n o t b e m i s t a k e r f o r a f a b l e : t h i s w r et c h e d fi g u r e e x i s t e d i n t h i s s a m e Lyon. W h a t i s h e r e i n r e l a t c · d o f h i s m a n e u v e r s i s e x act a n d a u t h e n tic : h e c o s t t h e h o n o r o f b e t w e e n fi f t e e n a n d t w e nty t h o u s a n d u n h a ppy l i t t l e c r e a t u r e s : u p o n t h e c o m p l e t i o n o f e a c h o p e r a t i o l l , t h e v i c t i m w a s e m b a r k e d o n t h e R h o n e , a n d f o r t b i r ty y e a r s the a b o v e - m e n t i o n e d c i t i e s w e r e p e o p l e d w i t h the obj ects of t h i s v i l l a i n · s d e b a u c h e ry, w i t h gi r l s u n d o n e by h i m . T h e r e i s n o t h i n g ficti t i o u s a b o u t t h i s e p i s o d e b u t t h e g e nt l e m a n ' s n a m e .
Jus tin e + 6 5 9
portion o f m y subj ects : I comba t these perils with the influence I enjoy in this city, I promote commercial and economic fluctuations or instiga te the rise o f prices which, enlarging the poverty-stricken class, depriving it, on the one hand, of possibilities of work and on the other rendering difficult those of survival, increases according to a p redictable ratio the total number of the subj ects misery puts into my clutches. The stra tegy i s a familia r one, Therese : these scarcities o f fi rewo od, dearths o f wheat and of other edibles where from Paris has been trembling for so many years, have been created for the identical purposes which animate me : avarice, libe rtinage : such are the p a ssions which, from the gilded halls o f the rich, extend a multitude of nets to ensnare the poor i n their humble dwellings. But wha tever skill I employ to press h a r d in this sector , if dexte rous hands do not pluck nimbly in another, I get nothing for my troubles, and the machine goes quite a s ba dly a s i f I were to cease to exhaust my imagination in devising and my credit in operating. And so I need a clever wom an, young and intelligent, who, h aving herself found h e r way through misery's thorny p a thways, i s more famili a r t h a n anyone e l s e w i t h t h e m e thods fo r debauching t h o s e w h o are i n the toils ; a woman whose keen eyes will descry a dversity i n i ts d a rkest caves and a ttics, whose suborning intelligence will deter mine destitu tion ' s victims to extricate themselves from oppression by the means I make available ; a spirited woman, i n a word, un scrupulous and ruthless, who will stop a t nothing in order to suc ceed, who will even go to the p oint of cutting away the scanty reserves which, still bolstering up those wretches' hopes, inhibit them from taking the final step. I h a d an excellent woman and trustworthy, she h a s j u s t died : i t cannot b e imagined to what l engths that brilliant creature car ried effronte ry ; not only did she use to isolate these wretches until they would be forced to come begging on their knees, but if these devices did not succeed in ac celerating their fall, the impatien t villain would h asten m a tters by kidnaping them. She was a treasu r e ; I need but two subj ects a day, she would have got me ten had I wanted them. The result was I u s e d to b e able to make better selections, and the superabundance o f raw material consumed b y m y operations reimbursed m e f o r inflate d l a b o r costs. That's t h e woman I h a v e g o t to replace, my dear, you'll have four people under your command and ten thousand crowns
6 6 0 + T H E M A R Q U I S DE S A D E
wages fo r your troubl e ; I have had my say, Therese ; give m e your answer, and above all d(t not let your illusions prevent you from ac cepting happiness when ·:hance and my hand offer i t to you . "
"Oh Monsieu r , " I lay to thi s dishonest man, shuddering a t h i s s p e e c h , " i s i t possible ye u have b e e n a b l e to conceive s u c h j oys a n d that y o u dare p ropose t na t I se rve them ? \V h a t h o r r o r s y o u have just u ttered in my hear n g ! C ruel man, were you to be miserable for but two days, you would see these doctrines upon humanity swif tly obli terated fron your heart : i t is prosperity blinds and hardens you : m i ghtily )lase you are before the spectacle of the evils whence you supp ose yourself sheltered, and because you hope never to suffer them, YOt consi der you have the right to inflict them ; may happiness never co ne n i gh unto me i f i t can produce this de gree o f corruption I 0 Ju st He aven ! not merely to be content to a bu s e the m i s fortuna t e ! To drive audaci ty and ferocity to the point o f increasing it, o f p rolo nging it fo r the unique gratification of one's desires ! \Vhat cruelty, \1onsieur ! the wildest animals do not give us the example o f a compa rable b a rb a r i ty. "
"You a r e m i s taken , Therese, there i s no rogu e ry the wolf will not i nvent to draw the lamb into h i s clutche s : these are natural ruses, while benevolence has nothing to do with N a ture : charity is but an appu rtenance o f the weakness recommended by the slave who would propitiate tis master and dispose him to leniency ; i t neve r proclaimed itself n man save i n two cases : i n t h e event h e i s weak, o r in t h e even t he fears he will become weak ; t h a t this alleged vi rtue i s not natural is {, roven by the fact it is unknown to the man who lives in a state of N a ture. The savage exp resses his con temp t for charity when p i tile ssly he massacres his brethren from mo tives of either revenge or cupi d i ty . . . would he not respect th a t vi rtue were i t etched in h i s heart ? b u t never does i t appear there, never will it be found wherever men are equal. C ivilization, by weeding certain individuals o u t o f society, by establishing rank and cl ass, by giving the rich man a gl impse of the poor, by making the former dread any change o f ci rcumstances which might p recipitate him into the latter's mis ery, civi l i z a tion immedi ately puts the desire into h i s head to relieve the poor in order that he may be helped in h i s turn should h e chan :e to lose h i s wealth ; and thus was benevo lence born, the fru i t o f civi l i z a tion and fe ar : hence it is me rely a
Justine + 6 6 1
circumstanti al virtue, but nowi se a sentiment originating i n N a ture, who never inserted any other desire in u s but that o f satisfying our selves a t no m a tter what the p rice. I t i s thus by confounding every sentiment, it is by continually refusing to analyze a single one of them tha t these people are able to linger i n total darkness about them all and deprive themselves of every ple a su rable enj oyment."
"Ah, Monsieu r , " I interrupted with grea t emotion, "may there b e one any sweeter than the succoring of m i s fortune ? Leaving aside the dread lest someday one have to endure suffe ring oneself, is there any more substantial satisfaction than that to b e had from obliging others ? . . . from relishing gratitude's tearfu l thanks, from p a r taking of the well-being you h ave j u s t distributed like manna to the downtrodden who, you r own fellow creatures, nevertheless want those things which you take a irily for granted ; oh! to hear them sing your praise and call you the i r father, to restore serenity to brows clouded by failure, destitution, and despai r ; no, Monsieur, not one o f this worl d ' s lewd pleasures can equal this : i t i s that of the Divinity Himself, and the happiness H e p romises to those who on earth will serve Him, is naught other than the possibility to be hold or m ake h appy creatures i n Heaven. All virtues stem directly from that one, Monsieu r ; one is a better father, a better son, a better husband when one knows t h e charm o f alleviating m i s for tun e ' s lot. One might say that like tmto the sun's rays, the chari table man's p resence sheds fertility, sweetness, and j oy everywhere about and upon all, and the miracle o f N ature, a fter this source of celes tial light, i s the honest, delicate, and sensitive soul whose supreme felicity consists in laboring in behal f o f that of others."
" Fe eble Phoebus stuff, Therf:se , " Saint-Florent smiled ; "the character o f man's enj oyment i s determined by th e kind of organs he has received from N a tu r e ; a we ak individual's, and h ence every woman's, incline in the direction of p rocuring moral ecstasies which are more keenly felt than any o ther by thes e p ersons whose p hysical constitution happens to b e entirely devo i d of energy ; quite the opposite i s the case for vigorous spirits who are far more delighted by powerful shocks imparted to what surround them than they would b e by the delicate impressions the feeble creatures by whom they are surrounded inevitably p refer, as befits their constitution ; similarly the vigorous spirits delight more in wh a t affects o thers pain-
6 6 2 ,.. T H E MARQ U I :> DE SADE
fully than i n what a ffects them agreeably : such is the only difference between the cruel and j he meek ; both groups a r e endowed with sensibility, but each i s endowed wi th i t in a special manner. I do not deny that e a ch cl ass knows its pleasures, but I , together with a host o f philosophers, maintain of course tha t those of the indi vidual constructed i n th e more vigorous fashion are incontestably more lively than all h i s l dversary' s ; and, these axioms established, there may and the re must be men o f one sort who take a s much j oy in everything cruelty suggests, a s the other category o f persons tastes delight in benevol!nce ; but the pleasures of the l a tter will be mild, those o f the form,!r keen and strong : these will be the most sure, the most reliable, <l nd doubtless the most authentic, since they cha racte r i z e the penchants of every man who is still a cre a ture of N a tu r e , and indeed o f lll children before they have fallen under the sway of civilizati on ; th e others will me rely be the effect o f this civil i z a tion and, consequently, of deceiving and vapid delights. Well, my child, since W'! a r e met not so much in order to philos oph i z e as to conclude a ha rgain, be so kind as to give me you r final decision . . . do you or dc, you not accep t the post I p ropose to you ?"
"I very decidedly reject it, Monsieur, " I replied, getting to my feet, " . . . indeed I am poor . . . oh yes l very poor, Monsieur ; but richer in my heart's sent ments than I could be in all fo rtune's bless ings ; never will I sacri fi :e the one in order to possess the other ; I may die in indigence, but I will not bet ray Virtu e . "
" Get out, " t h e del estable man said to me, " and, above all, should I have anything to fea r from you r indiscretion, you will be p romptly conveyed to a )lace where I need dread it no longe r . "
N o thing heartens Yirtue l i k e the fear of vice ; a g o o d d e a l l e s s timorous th an I should have thought, I dared, upon promising h e would have nothing to d r e a d a t m y hands, remind h i m o f w h a t h e h a d stolen f r o m me in t he fo rest o f Bondy a n d apprise h i m o f my p resent ci rcumstances w 1ich, I said, made this money indispensable to m e . The monster gan me harsh answer, decla ring it was up to me to e a rn i t and that I h a d r e fused.
" N 0 M onsieur, no," I repl i e d fi rmly, "no, I repeat, I would rather perish a thousan,:l times over than preserve my l i fe a t tha t price. "
"And a s for mysel f," S aint-Flo rent rejoined, " there i s i n the
Jus ti n e + 6 6 3
s a m e w a y nothing I w o u l d not p refer t o the chagrin o f disbursing unearned money : despite the r e fusal you h ave the insolence to give me, I should relish p assing another fi fteen minutes i n your company ; and so i f you please, we will move into my boudo i r a n d a few mo ments of obedience will go far to stra ighten out your pecuni a ry difficulti es. "
"I am no more eager to se rve your debauches i n one sense than in another, Monsieu r , " I p roudly retorte d ; "it i s not charity I a sk, cruel man ; no, I should not procure you the pleasu r e of i t ; what I demand i s simply what is my due : that i s what you stole from me i n the most infamous manner . . . . Keep it, cruel wretch, keep it if you see fit : unpityingly obse rve m:r tears ; h e a r , i f you a r e able , hear without emotion need's s orrowing accents, but bear in mind that if you commit this newest outrage, I will h ave bought, fo r the price i t costs me, the right t o scorn you foreve r."
Fu rious, S a i nt-Fl orent ordered me to l e ave and I was able to read in his dre a d ful countenance that, had it not been for what he had confided i n me and were h e not a fraid l e st it get abroad, my bold plain speaking might perhaps have been r ep a i d by some bru tality . . . . 1 l e ft. At the same instant they were bringing the deb auchee one of the luckless victim$ of his sordid profligacy. One o f thos e women w h o s e h orrible state h e h a d suggested I share w a s l e a ding into t h e h o u s e a p o o r little girl o f about n i n e w h o displayed every attribute o f wretchedness and dereliction : she sca rcely seemed to h ave enough strength to keep e rect . . . . 0 Heaven ! I th ought upon beholding this, is it conceivable that such obj ects can inspire any feelings but those o f pity ? 'Voe unto the depraved one who will be able to suspect pleasures in the womb want consumes, who will seek to gather kisses from lips withered by hunger and which open only to curse him!
Tears spilled from my eyes ; [ should have liked to sn atch th at victim from the tiger awaiting her ; I dared not. Could 1 have done i t ? 1 returned di rectly to my hotel, quite a s humiliated by the mis fortune which attracted such proposals a s revolted by the opulence which ventured to make them.
The following day I left Lyon by way of the road t o Dauphine, still filled with the mad fa ith which allowed m e to believe happiness awaited m e in that province. Traveling a foot a s usual, with a p a i r
6 6 4 .. T H E M A R Q U S DE S A D E
o f blouses and some ha ndkerchi e fs in my pockets, I had not p ro ceeded two l eagues when I met an old woman j she approached me with a look of suffe rin�; and implored alms. Far from having the m i serliness of which 1 1.ad just received such cruel examples, and knowing no greater wor I dly happiness than what comes of obliging a poor p erson, I instan :ly drew forth my purse with the intention of selecting a crown and giving i t to thi s woman j but the unwo rthy creature, much quicke r than I, although I had at first j u dged her a ge d and crippled, leaps nimbly a t my purse, seizes it, aims a power ful blow of h e r fi s t at m y stomach, topples me, and the next I see of h e r , she h a s put a hundred yards betwixt u s j there she is, su r rounded by four rascals who gesture threateningly and warn me not t o come near.
"Great God I " I CI i e d with much b i tterness, " then i t i s impos sible for my soul to giH vent to any vi rtuous impulse without my being instantly and very seve rely punished for it I" At this fatal mo ment all my courage deserted me j today I beg Heaven's forgive ness in all since rity, for I faltered j but I was blinded by desp a i r . I felt myself ready to gi" e up a career beset with so many obstacles. I envi sioned two altern atives : that o f going to j oin the scoundrels who had just robbed m e , or that o f retu rning to Lyon to accept S a i n t-Flo rent's offer. God had me rcy upon me j I did not succumb, and though the fresh lope He quickened in me was misleading, since so many adve rs i t i es yet lay in store for me, I nevertheless thank Him f o r h aving held me upright : the unlucky star which guides me, al though inr ocent, to the gallows, will neve r lead me to wo rse than death j other supervision might have brought m e to in famy, and the one i s far less cruel than the other.
I continue to direc � my steps toward Vienne, having decided to sell what remains to me in o rder to get on to G renobl e : I was walk ing along sadly when, a t a qu arter l e a gu e ' s distance from this ci ty, I spied a plain to the r ight of the h ighway, and in the fields were two riders busily tram pling a man beneath their horses' hooves ; a f t e r having left him br dead, the p a i r rode off a t a gallop. This appalling spectacle mel :ed me to the point o f tears. "Al a s I " I said to myself, " there i s an 1lnlucki e r p erson than I j health and strength at least remain to me, ] can earn my living, and if that poor fellow is not rich, what i s to become of him ?"
Jus ti n e .. 6 6 5
Howeve r much I ought t o have forbidden myself t h e self indulgence o f sympa thy, however perilou s i t was for me to sur render to the impuls e, I coul d not vanquish my extreme desire to approach the man and to lavish upon him what care 1 could offer. 1 rush to his side, 1 aid h i m to inhale some spirits 1 had kept about m e : at last h e opens his eyes and h i s first accents are those o f grati tude. S till more eager to be of use to him, 1 tear up one o f my blouses in order to bandage h i s wounds, to stanch h i s blood : I sacri ficed for this wretched man one of the few belongings 1 still owned. These first a ttentions completed, I give him a l ittle wine to drink : the unlucky one has completely come back to h i s senses, I cast an eye upon him and observe him more closely. Although traveling o n foot and without baggage, he had some valuable effects-rings, a watch, a snuff box-but the latter two have been b a dly damaged during his encounter. As soon as he i s able to spe ak h e a sks me what angel of charity has come to his rescue and wha t h e can do to ex press his gratitude. Still having th,e simplici ty to believe that a soul enchained by indebtedness ought to be eternally beholden to me, I j u dge i t s a fe to enj oy the sweet pleasure o f sha ring my tears with him who has just shed some i n my a rms : 1 instruct him o f my nu merous reverses, he l i s tens with interest, and when I have concluded with the l a te s t c a t as t r ophe tha t ha:; befallen me , the recital p rovides h i m with a glimps e of my poverty .
"How h appy I am , " h e excl aims, " to be a b l e a t l e a s t to ac knowledge all you h ave j u s t done for m e ; my name i s Roland , " t h e a dventu rer continues, "I am t h e own e r o f a n exceedingly fine chateau in the mountains fi fteen leagu e s hence, I invite you to fol low me there ; and that this propo sal cause your delicacy no a l a rm , 1 am going t o explain immedia tely in what w a y y o u will b e o f service to me. I am unwedded, but I have a siste r 1 love passionately : she h a s dedicated herself to sharing my solitude ; I need someone to w a i t upon h e r ; we have recently lost the p e rson who held tha t office u n t i l n o w , I offer her post to you . "
I thanked my p rotector a n d took t h e liberty t o a s k h i m h o w i t chanced that a m a n such as h e exposed himself t o t h e dangers o f j o u rneying alone, and, as h a d j u s t occurred, to being molested by bandits.
"A stout, youthful, and vigo rous fellow, for seve ral years,"
666 ... T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
s a i d Roland, "I h ave bew in the habit of traveling thi s way between the place where I reside a nd Vienne. My health and pocketbook bene fi t from walking. I t i s nc t that I need avo i d the expense of a coach, for I am wealthy, and you will soon see proof of i t i f you are good enough to retu rn home with m e ; but thri ftiness never hurts. As for those two men who inSllted me a short while ago, they are two woul d-be gentlemen of this canton from whom I won a hundred lo uis last week in a gaming house at Vi enne ; I was content to ac cept their word o f hone r , then I met them today, a sked for wh a t they o w e me, a n d y o u w : tnessed i n wh a t c o i n they paid m e . "
Togethe r with this man I was deploring the double misfortune o f which he was the victim when h e p roposed we continue our way.
"Thanks to you r at tentions I feel a l i ttle better, " said Roland ; "night is approaching, l,!t's get on to a house which should be two l eagues away ; by means of the horses we will secure tomorrow, we might be able to a r rive a t my chateau the same a fte rnoon. "
Absolutely resolved t o p r o fi t from t h e a i d H eaven seemed t o h a v e sent m e , I help Rol and to ge t up, I give h i m m y a rm while we walk, and indeed, a fter p rogressing two leagu e s we find the inn he had mentioned. We take supp e r together, 'tis very proper and nice ; after our meal Roland e ntrusts me to the mistress of the place, and the following day w e set off on two mules we h ave rented and which a re led by a boy from th e inn ; we reach the frontier of D auphine, ever hea ding into the highlands. We were not yet a t our destination when the da:' ended, so we stopped a t Virieu, where my patron showed me the s� m e consideration and provided me with the same care ; the next morning we resumed our way towa rd the moun tains. W e arrived a t the r foot toward four in the a fternoon ; there, the road becoming almc·st impass abl e , Roland requested my mule teer not to l e ave me fo r fe a r of an accident, and we penetrated into the gorge s . vVe did but t u rn, wind, climb fo r the space o f more than fou r leagues, and by thell we had left all habita tions and all travel ed roads so f a r behind u s I thought myself come to the end o f the worl d ; despite myself, I was seized by a twinge o f uneasiness ; Roland could not avoid seeing it, but he s a i d nothing, and I was made yet more uncomfc rtable by h i s silence. \Ve finally came to a c a stle p e rched upon the crest o f a mountain ; i t beetled over a dread ful p recipice into wh ich it seemed ready to plunge : no road seemed
Jus ti n e + 6 6 7
to lead up to i t ; the one we h a d followed, frequently by goats only, strewn with pebbles and stones, however did at l a s t take us to this awful eyri e which much more resembled the hide away o f thieves than the dwelling place of virtuous folk.
"That i s where I live," said Roland, noticing I was gazing up at his castl e .
I con fessed m y astonishment to see that h e l i v e d in s u c h i sola tion.
" I t suits m e , " was his abrup t reply. This response redoubled my forebodings. Not a syllable i s lost
upon the mise rable ; a word, a shift o f infl ection and, when 'tis a question of the speech o f the person upon whom one depends, 'tis enough to sti fl e hope o r revive i t ; but, being completely unable to do anything, I held my tongue and waited. We mounted by z i g z a gs ; the strange pile suddenly loomed up before us : roughly a qu arter o f a l eague still separated i t from us : Roland dismounted and h a v ing told me to do likewi s e , he returned both mul e s to the boy, paid him and ordered him to retu rn. This l a test maneuver was even more displeasing to me ; Roland observed my anxiety.
"What i s the troubl e, Therese ?" he demanded, u rging me on toward his fortress ; "you are not out of France ; we are on the D a u p h i n e bo r d e r a n d w i t h i n the b i s h o p r i c of G r e n o bl e . "
"Very well, M onsieu r , " I answered ; "but why did it ever occu r to you to take up your abode in a place befi tting brigands and robbers ?"
" B ecause they who inhabit i t a r e not very honest p eopl e , " s a i d Roland ; " i t might b e altogether possible you will not be edified by thei r conduct."
"Ah, Monsieu r ! " said I wit h a shudder , "you make me trembl e ; where then a re you l e ading me ?"
" I am leading you into the service o f the counte rfeiters o f w h o m I am t h e chi e f , " said Roland , grasping m y a rm and driving me over a l i ttle drawbridge that was lowered a t our approach and raised immedi a tely we had traversed i t ; " do you see that well ?" he continued when we had entered ; he was pointing to a l a rge and deep grotto s i tuated toward the back o f the courtyard, where four women, nude and man acled, were turning a wheel ; " there are your comp anions and there your task, which involves the rotation of
6 6 8 .. T H E MA R Q UI S DE S AD E
that wheel fo r ten hc u rs each day, and which also involves the satisfaction o f all the ,:aprices I am pleased to subm i t you and the other ladies to ; for which you will be granted six ounces of black bread and a pl a te o f ki :lney beans without fail each day ; as for you r freedom, forget i t ; y o u will never recover it. When you are dead from overwork, you will be flung into that hole you notice beside the well, where the remains o f between sixty and eighty other ras cals o f your breed av; a i t yours, and your place will be taken by somebody else . "
" O h , G r e a t God I " I exclaimed, ca sting myself a t Roland's feet, "deign to remem ber, M onsieur, that I saved your life, that, moved by gratitu d e fe r an instant, you seemed to offer me happi ness and that it i s by p recipitating me into an eternal abyss o f evils you reward my services. I s what you are doing j u s t ? and has not remorse already begun to avenge me in the depths o f your heart ?"
"What, p r ay tell, do you mean by this feeling of gratitude with which you fancy you have captivated me ?" Roland inqui red. " B e more reasonable, wretched creature ; wh at were you doing when you came to my rescu e ? B etween the two possibilities, of continuing on your way and of coming up to me, did you not choose the l a tter as an impulse dictated by your h e a r t ? You therefore gave yourself up to a pleasure ? How in the devil' s name can you maintain I am obliged to recompense you for the j oys i n which you indulge your sel f ? And how did you ever get i t into you r head that a man like my self, who is swimming in gold and opulence, should condescend to lower himself to owinf something to a wretch of your species ? Even had you resurrected me, I should owe you nothing immediately i t were plain you h a d aced o u t o f selfi shness only : t o work, slave, to work ; l e a rn that thou gh civi l i z a tion may overthrow the principles o f N a ture, it cannot however divest her of her rights ; in the be ginning she wrought s trong beings and weak and intended that the l owly should be forever subordinated to the gre a t ; human skill and intelligence made var ious the positions o f individuals, i t was no longer physical force alone that determined rank, ' twas gol d ; the richest became the mightiest man, the most penurious the weakest ; i f the causes which est ablish power are not to be found in N a ture's o rdinations, the p r i o r i ty o f the mighty h a s always been inscribed therein, and to N a tu re i t made no diffe rence Vi h e th e r the weak
Justine ... 6 6 9
danced a t t h e e n d of a leash h e l d b y the richest o r t h e m o s t ener getic, and l ittle she cared whether the yoke crushed the poorest or the most enfeebl e d ; but these grateful impulses out o f which you would forge chains for me, why, Therese, N a ture recogni z e s them not ; it has never been one o f her laws that the pleasure whereunto someone surrenders when he acts obligingly must become a cause fo r the recipient o f his gratuitous kindness to renounce his rights over the donor ; do you detect thes e sentiments you demand in the animals which serve u s as example:> ? When I dominate you by my wealth or might is i t n a tural for me to abandon my rights to you, either because you have enj oyed yourself while obliging m e or be cause, being unhappy, you fancie d you had something to gain from your action ? Even were service to be rendered by one equal to an other, never would a lofty spirit's pride allow him to stoop to ac knowledge i t ; is not h e who receives always humil i a te d ? And is this humiliation not sufficient p ayment for the benefactor who, by this alone, finds himsel f superior to the other ? I s it not pride's deligh t to be raised above one's fellow ? I s any other necessary to the person who obliges ? And if the obligation, by causing humilia tion to him who receives , becomes a burden to him, by what right is h e to b e forced to continue to shoulder i t ? Why must I consent to let myself be humiliated every time my eyes fall upon him who h a s obliged m e ? I n s t e a d o f b e i n g a vice, ingratitude i s a s certainly a virtue in proud spirits a s gratitu de i s one in humbl e ; l e t them do what they will for me i f doing i t gives them pleasure, but l e t them expect nothing from m e simply be cause they have enj oyed them selves. "
Having uttered these words, to which Roland gave me no op portunity to reply, h e summoned two valets who upon his instruc tions seized m e , despoiled m e , and shackle d me next to my com p anions, so was I set to work at once, without a moment's rest a fter the fatiguing j o u rney I had just m a d e . Then Roland approaches me, h e brutally handles all those p a rts of m e designation o f which modesty forbids, heaps sarcasms upon m e , makes impertinent refer ence to the damning and l i ttl e merited brand Rodin printed upon me, then, c a tching up a bull' s pizzle always kept i n readiness nearby, h e applies twenty cuts to my behind.
" Th a t is how you will be treated, bitch , " says he, "when you
6 7 0 + T H E M A R Q I J I S DE S A D E
lag at the j ob ; I 'm nol giving you this fo r anything you've already done, but only to show you how I cope with those who make mis take s . "
I screamed, struggl e d against m y manacles ; m y contortions, my cries, my tears, th,� cruel expressions of my pain merely enter tained my executioner. . . .
"Oh, l i ttle whore, you'll s e e other things , " says Roland, "you' r e not by a long shot a t t h e end o f your troubles and I want you to make the acqua ntance of even the most barbaric refinements of misery."
He leaves m e . Loc ated in a c a v ( on t h e e d g e o f t h a t v a s t w e l l w e r e six d a rk
kennel s ; they were bared like dungeons, and they served us a s shelters f o r t h e night, which a rrived n o t long a fter I w a s enl isted i n this dreadful chain gang. They came t o remove m y fetters and my companions ' , and a ftu we had been given the ration of water, beans, and dry bread Roland had mentioned, we were locked up.
I was no sooner alone than, un distracted, I abandoned mysel f to contemp l a ting my si tuation in all its horror. Is it possible , I won dered, can it be that there are men so hardened as to have stifled in themselves their capacity for gratitude ? This virtue to which I surrender myself with such cha rm wheneve r an upright spirit gives m e the chance to feel it . . . can this virtue be unknown to certain beings, can they b e ut :er strangers to i t ? and may they who have supp ressed it so inhumanly in themselves be anything but monsters ?
I w a s absorbed i n these musings when suddenly I heard the door to my cell open j ' tis Roland : the villain has come to complete his outraging of me by making me serve his odious eccentriciti e s : you may well imagine, M a dame, th a t they were to be as ferocious a s his other proceedings and that such a man's love-makings are necessarily tainted by 1is abhorrent cha racter. But how can I abuse your p a tience by relating these new horrors ? Have I not already more than soiled your imagi n a tion with in famous recitations ? Dare I h a z a rd additional o n e s ?
"Yes, Therese, " Monsieur de C o rville put in, "yes, we insist upon these details, yo u veil them with a decency that removes all thei r edge o f horror ; there remains only what i s useful to who ever seeks to perfect t i s understanding of enigmatic man. You may
Jus tin e 4- 67 1
not fully apprehend how these tableaux help toward the develop ment o f the human sp i rit ; our b a ckwardness in this branch o f learn ing may very well be due to the stupid restraint o f those who ven ture to write upon such matters. Inhibited by absurd fears, they only discuss the puerilities with which every fool is famil i a r , and dare not, by addressing themselves boldly to the investigation of the human heart, offer its gigantic idiosyncrasies to our view."
"Very well, Monsieur, I shall procee d , " Therese resumed, d eeply affected, "and proceeding a s I have done until this point, I will strive to offer my sketches in th e least revolting colors."
Roland, with whose portrait I ought to begin, w a s a short, hea vy-set man, thirty-five years old, incredibly vigorous and as hi rsute as a bear, with a glowering mien and fi e rce eye j very d a rk, with m asculine features, a long nose, bearded to the eyes, black, shaggy brows ; and in him that p a rt which differenti a tes men from our sex was of such length and exorbitant circumference, th at not only h a d I never l a i d eyes upon anything comp a rable, but was even absolu tely convinced N atu re r..ad never fashioned another as p rodigious ; I could scarcely surround it with both hands, and its l ength m a tched that o f my forearm. To thi s physique Roland j oined all the vices which may b e the issue of a fi e ry temp erament, of con siderable imagination, and o f a luxurious l i fe undisturbed by any thing likely to distract from one's ldsure pursuits. From h i s father Roland h a d inherited a fortune ; very e arly on i n l i fe h e had become surfeited by o rdinary pleasures, and begun to resort to nothing but horrors j these alone were able to r'�vive desires in a p erson j a ded by excessive pleasu r e ; the women who s e rved him were all employed in his secret debauches and to s a ti s fy appetites only sli ghtly less dishonest within which, nevertheless , this libe rtine was able to find the criminal spice wherein above all h i s taste delighted j Roland kept h i s own sister as a mistress, and it was with her h e brought to a climax the p assions h e ignited i n ou r company.
He was virtu ally naked when h e entere d ; his inflamed visage was evidence simultane ously o f the epicurean intemp erance to which h e had just given himself ove r , and the abominable lust which con sumed h i m ; for an instant he considers me with eyes that unstring my limbs.
"Get out o f those clothes," says he, himsel f tearing o ff what I
6 7 2 + T H E MAR Q U I S D E SADE
was wearing to cover me during the night . . . "yes, get rid of all th a t and follow me ; a li ttl e while ago I made you sense what you risk by laziness ; but should you desire to betray us, as that crime woul d b e o f gre a te r m a gnitude, its punishment wou l d have to be p roportionally heavier ; come along and see o f what sort it would be."
I was i n a state di fficult to describe, but Roland, affording my spirit no time in which ro burst forth, immedi a tely grasped my arm and dragged me out ; h e pulls me along wi th his right h and, in h i s l e ft he holds a li ttle lan tern t h a t e m i t s a feeble light ; a fter winding thi s way and that, we reach a cellar door ; he opens it, thrusts me ahead of him, tells me to descend while h e closes this first barrier ; I obey ; a hundred pace!. furth er, a second door ; he opens and shuts it in the same way ; bu t a fter thi s one there i s no stairway, only a n arrow p a ssage h ewn in the rock, filled with sinuosities, whose downward slope i s ext remely abrupt. Not a word from Roland ; the silence a ffri ghts me still more ; he lights u s along with h i s lan tern ; thus we travel for about fi fteen minutes ; my frame o f mind makes m e yet more sensi tive to these subterranean passages' terrible humidity . At la st, we had descended to such a depth that it i s with out fear o f exaggera tic,n "I assure you the place at which we were to arrive must have bef n more than a fu rlong below the surface of the e arth ; on either side o f the path we followed were occasional niches where I saw cofl·ers containing those criminals' wealth : one last bronze door appeared, Roland unlocked it, and I nearly fell backward upon percei1ring the dreadful place to which this evil man had brought me. S e eing me falter, h e pushed me rudely ahead, and thus , without wishing to be there, I found mysel f in the mi ddle o f that appalling sepul cher. Imagine, M adame, a ci rcul a r cavern, twen ty-five feet in di,.meter, whose walls, hung in black, were decorated by none but the most lugubrious objects, skeletons o f all s i z e s , crossed bones, s everal heads, bundles of whips and collec tions o f ma rtinets, sabf rs, cutlasses, poignards, firearms : such were the horrors one spi e d on the walls illumin ated by a three-wicked oil lamp suspended in one corne r o f the vault ; from a transverse beam dangled a rope which f ell to within eight or ten feet o f the ground in the center of this dungeon and which, as very soon you will see, was there for no other purpose than to facilitate dreadful expedi-
Jus tine .. 6 7 3
t i o n s : to t h e r i g h t w a s an o p e n c o ffi n w h e r e i n gl i n t e d a n e ffi gy o f d e a th b r a n d i s h i n g a t h r e a tful scythe ; a p r a y e r s t o o l w a s b e s i d e i t ; above i t w a s v i s i b l e a c r u c i fi x b r a c k e t e d by c a n dl e s o f j e t ; to t h e l e ft, the w a x e n d u m m y o f a n a k e d w o m a n , s o l i f e l i k e I w a s f o r a long t i m e d e c e i v e d by i t ; s h e w a s a tt a c h e d to a c r o s s , p o s e d w i t h h e r c h e s t f a c i n g i t s o t h a t o n e h a d a full v i ew o f h e r p o s t e r i o r a n d c ru elly m o l e s t e d p a r t s ; b l o o d s e e m e d t o o o z e from s e v e r a l w o u n d s a n d to fl o w d o w n h e r t h i gh s ; s h e h a d t h e m o s t b e a u t i ful h a i r i n all t h e world, her lovely head w a s tu rn e d towa rd u s a n d seemed to i m p l o r e our m e rcy ; a l l of s u ff e r i n g ' s c o n t o r t i o n s were p l a inly wrought upon her lovely f a c e , a n d there were even t e a r s fl o w i n g d o w n h e r c h e e k s : t h e s i g h t o f t h i s t e r r i b l e i m a ge w a s a g a i n e n o u g h to m a k e m e t h i n k I w o u l d col l a p s e ; t h e fu r th e r p a r t o f t h e c a v e r n wa s fi l l e d b y a v a s t b l a ck d i v a n w hi c h e l o qu e n tl y b e spoke a l l t h e a tr o c i t i e s w h i c h occu r r e d in t h i s i n f e r n a l p l a c e .
"And h e r e i s w h e r e you w i l l p e r i s h , T h e re s e , " q u o t h R o l a n d , " i f e v e r y o u c o n c e i v e t h e f a t a l n o t i on o f l e a v i n g my e s t a b l i s h m en t ; y e s , i t is h e r e I w i l l my s e l f p u t you to d e a t h , h e r e I w i l l m a k e you reverb e r a t e to the a n gu i s h e s i n fl i c ted by everything of t h e m o s t a p p a l l i n g I c a n p o s s i bly devi s e . "
A s h e g a v e v e n t to th i s t h r e a t R o l a n d b e c a m e a ro u s e d ; h i s a g i t a t i o n , h i s d i s o r d e r m a d e h i m r e s e m b l e a t i g e r a b o u t to s p r i n g upon i t s p re y : ' t w a s t h e n h e b ro u g h ': t o l i g h t t h e f o r m i d a b l e m e m b e r w h e rewi t h h e w a s o u t fi t t e d ; h e h a d. m e touch i t , a s k e d m e w h e t h e r I h a d e v e r b e h e l d i t s p e e r .
" S u c h a s y o u s e e i t, who r e , " s a . i d h e i n a r a g e , " i n t h a t s h a p e i t h a s , howeve r , g o t to b e i n t r o d u c e d i n t o t h e n a r r o w e s t p a r t o f y o u r b o dy even i f I m u s t s pl i t you i n h a l f ; m y s i s t e r , c o n s i d e r ably y o u r j u n i o r , m a n a ge s i t i n t h e s a m e s e c to r ; n e v e r d o I enj o y women i n a n y o t h e r f a s h i o n , " a n d s o a s to l e av e m e i n n o doubt o f t h e l o c a l e h e h a d i n m i n d , h e i n s e r t e d i n t o i t t h r e e fi n g e r s a rm e d w i t h e x c e e d i n gly l o n g n a i l s , t h e w h i l e s aying :
" Y e s , ' t i s t h e r e , T h e r e s e , i t w i l l be s h o rtly into t h i s h o l e I will drive t h i s m em b e r w h i c h a ff ri ghts you ; i t w i l l be run every inch o f t h e w a y i n , it w i l l tear you , you ' l l bleed a n d I w i l l b e b e s i d e mys e l f . "
F o a m fl e ck e d h i s l ip s a s h e spoke t h e s e wo r d s i n t e r s p e r s e d w i t h revol t i n g o a th s a n d b l a sp h em i e s . T h e h a n d , w h i c h h a d b e e n
6 74 + T H E MARQ F I S DE S A D E
p r y i n g o p e n the s h r i n e he seemed to w a n t to attack, n o w strayed o v e r a l l the a d j acent p a t s ; he s c r a t c h e d them, he did a s much to my b r e a s t , h e c l a w e d m e s,) b a dly I w a s not to get over the p a i n for a f o r tn i gh t . N e x t , he pI a c e d me on the edge of the c o u c h , rubbed alcohol u p o n that m o s � , y ton s u r e w i t h which N a tu r e ornaments the a l t a r w h e r e i n our sp e :i e s finds regen e r a ti o n ; he set it a fi r e and b u r n e d it. His fi n g e r s cl o s e d upon th e fl e s hy p r o t u b e r a n c e which s u rmounts t h i s same a ' t a r , h e s n a tched a t i t a n d s c r a p e d rou ghly, then he i n s e r t e d his fi n � ;e r s w i th i n and his n a i l s r i p p e d the m e m b r a n e w h i c h l i n e s i t . Losing all control over h i m s e l f , he told m e t h a t , s i nce h e h a d m e i n h i s l a i r , I m i g h t j u s t a s well n o t l e ave i t , fo r t h a t w o u l d s p a r e h i m t 1 e n u i s ance o f b r i n g i n g me b a ck down a g a i n ; I fell to my k n e e s a n d j a r e d r e m i n d him a g a i n of w h a t I h a d d o n e i n h i s b e h a lf . . . . I o b ; e r v e d I b u t further exc i t e d h i m by h a rp i n g a g a i n u p o n the r i gh t s to h i s p i ty I f a n c i e d w e r e m i n e ; he told m e to b e s i l e n t , b r i n ging u p h i s kn e e a n d g i v i n g m e a tremendous b l o w i n the pit of tht stomach w h i c h s e n t m e s p r a w l i n g o n the fl a g s t on e s . H e s e i z e d a h a n d ful of my h a i r and j e rked m e e r e c t .
" V e ry w e l l ! " he s a i d , " c o m e now ! p r e p a r e y o u r s e l f ; i t i s a c e r t a i nty, I am g o i n g tc k i l l you . . . . "
" O h , M o n s i eu r ! " "N 0, n o , y o u ' v e g ) t to d i e ; I do n o t w a n t to h e a r you r e p r o ach
m e w i th y o u r g o o d l i ttl e d e e d s ; I d on ' t l i k e o w i n g anything to any b o dy, o th e r s h a v e got to rely upon m e f o r everyth i n g . . . . Y ou ' re g o i n g to p e r i s h , I tell } OU , g e t i n to th a t c o ffi n , l e t ' s s e e i f i t fi t s . "
He l i fts m e , thru s l s me i n t o it a n d shuts i t , then q u i t s the cavern a n d g i v e s m e t h e i m p r e s s i o n I have been l e f t th e r e . N e v e r h a d I thought my s e l f so n e a r to d e a t h ; a l a s ! i t w a s noneth e l e s s to be p r e s e n t e d to m e u n d e r a yet m o r e r e a l a sp e c t . R o l a n d r e t u rn s , h e fe tch e s m e o u t o f the w ffi n .
" Y o u ' l l b e w e l l o ff i n t h e r e , " s a y s h e , " o n e w o u l d s a y ' tw a s m a d e f o r you ; b u t to l ! t y o u fi n i s h p e a c e fully i n th a t box w o u l d b e a d e a th too s w e e t ; I ' m go i n g t o e x p o s e y o u to one o f a d i ff e r ent v a r i e ty w h i c h , all the same, w i l l h a v e i ts agreeable qu a l i t i e s ; s o i m p l o r e y o u r G o d , w l o r e , p r a y to h i m to come p o s t h a s t e a n d avenge you i f he r e a l ly h a s i t i n him . . . . "
I c a s t mysel f dow 1 upon the prie-di e u , a n d w h i l e a l o u d I o p e n my h e a r t to the E t e r n a l , R o l a n d i n a s t i l l c r u e l e r m a n n e r i n t en s i fi e s ,
Jus tin e + 6 7 5
upon t h e hindqua rters I expose to h i m , h i s vexations a n d his torments ; with all h i s strength h e fl o gs those p a rts with a steel tipped m artinet, each blow draws a gu sh of blood which springs to the walls.
"Why , " he continued with a curse, "he doesn ' t much aid you, you r God, does h e ? and thus he allows unhappy virtu e to suffer, he abandons i t to villa iny' s hands ; a h ! what a bloody fine God you 've got there , Therese, wh a t a superb G o d he i s ! Come," h e says, "come here, whor e , your p rayer should be don e , " and a t the same time he places me upon the divan a t the back o f th a t cell ; " I told you Therese, you h a ve got to d i e I"
He seizes my a rms, binds them , to my side, then he slips a black silken noose about my nec � ; h e holds both ends o f the cord and, by tightening, h e can strangle and di spatch me to the other world either quickly o r slowly, depending upon his pleasure.
"This torture i s sweeter than you may imagine, Therese," says Roland ; "you will only approach death by way of unspe akably pleasurable sensations ; the pres�;u re this noose will bring to bear upon your nervous system will se t fire to the organs o f voluptuous ness ; the effect i s certai n ; were all the people who are condemned to this torture to know in wha t an intoxication of j oy it makes one d i e , less terrified by thi s retribution for th e i r crimes, they would commit them more o ften and with much greater sel f-assur ance ; this delicious operation, Therese, by causing, as well, the contraction of the locale i n which I am going to fi t mysel f, " he a dded a s he p resented himsel f to a criminal avenue so worthy o f such a vill ain, " i s also going to doubl e m y pleasure . "
He thrusts, he sweats, 'tis in vain ; he prepares t h e ro a d , ' t i s fu tile ; h e i s t o o monstrously p ropo rtioned, h i s enterprises are re p e a tedly fru strated ; and then his wrath exceeds all limits ; his nails, his hands, h i s feet fly to revenge him upon the opp osition N a ture puts up against h i m ; he returns to the a ssault, the glowing blade slides to the edge o f the n eighboring canal and smiting vigo rously, penetrates to nigh the midway m,] rk ; I utter a cry ; Roland, enraged by his mistake, withdraws petulantly, and this time hammers at the other gate with such force the moi stened dart plunges i n , rending me. R o l a n d exploits thi s fi rst sally' s success ; h i s efforts become more violent ; he gains ground ; as he advances, h e gradu ally
6 7 6 + T H E MA R Q U I S DE SADE
tightens the fatal cord he h a s p a ssed round my n eck, h i deous screams burst from my lips ; amused by them, the ferocious Roland u rges me to re doubl e my howlings, for he i s but too confident o f the i r insuffici ency, he i s p e r fectly able t o put a stop to them when h e wishes ; th e i r shrill sharp notes infl ame him, the noose's pre ssure i s modul a ted by his degfel�s o f delight ; li ttle by l i ttle my voice waxes faint ; the tightenings no" become so i n tense that my senses weaken al though I do not lose the power to feel ; brutally sh aken by the enormous instrument wi t h which Roland is rending my entrails, despite my frightful circumstances, I feel myself flooded by his lust's j etted outpourings : I still h e a r the cries he mouths as he di sch arge s ; an instant of s tupo r followed, I knew n o t what h a d h a p p e n e d to me, but S O O l m y e y e s open a g a i n to the l i ght, I find myse l f free, unti ed, and :ny sensory organs seem to come back to l i fe .
"Well , Therese," s ays m y butche r , " 1 d a r e swe a r t h a t i f you ' ll tell the truth you'll say you felt pleasure only ?"
" Only h o r r o r , M o n s i e u r , only d i s gu s t , only a n gu i s h a nd desp a i r . "
" Y o u are lying, I am fully acquainted w i t h t h e effects y o u have just experienced, but wha t does it matter wh a t they were ? I fancy you alre a dy know me wel enough to be damned certain that when I undertake something w . th you, the j oy you reap from it concerns me infinitely less than m� ' own, and th is volup tuo usness I seek h a s been so keen that i n an i n s tant I am going t o procure s o m e more o f it. I t i s now u p o n yoursel f, Therese, " decl ares this signal liber tine , " i t i s upon you alone you e life is going to depen d . "
Whe reupon h e hitches about m y neck t h e r o p e th a t h angs from the ceiling ; he has me stand upon a st ool , pulls the rope taut, secures it, and to the stool he a ttaches a string whose end he keeps in his hand a s he �its down in an armch a i r facing me ; I am given a sickle which I am to use to sever the rope at the moment when, by means o f the s tring, he j e rks the stool from bene a t h my feet.
"Notice, Therese , " he s ays when all i s ready, " th a t though you may miss your blow I ' ll not miss mine ; and so I am not mis taken when I say your l i f e depends upon you . "
He excites himsel f ; i t i s at h i s intoxication ' s critical moment h e
Justine .. 6 7 7
i s t o snatch away t h e s tool which, removed, will leave me dangling from the beam ; h e does everyth ing possible to pretend the instant has come ; he woul d b e beside himsel f were I to miss my cue ; but do wha t h e will, I divine the crisis, the violence o f h i s ecstasy be trays him, I see him make the telltale movement, the stool fl i e s away, I cut the r o p e and f a l l to the groun d ; t h e r e I am, completely detached, and although five yards divide us, would you believe i t , M a da m e ? I f e e l m y entire body drenched w i t h the evidence o f h i s deli rium and his frenzy.
Anyone but I, taking a dvantage o f the weapon she clutched in her hand, would doubtless h ave leapt upon that monster ; but what might I have gained by thi!> brave fe a t ? for I did not have the keys to those subterranean p a ssages, I was i gnorant o f their scheme, I should have p erished before being able to eme rge from them ; R oland, fu rthermo re, was a rm e d ; and s o I got up, leaving the sickle on the ground so that he might not conceive the sligh test suspicion o f my intentions, and indeed he had non e , for he had savored the full extent o f pleasure and, f a r more content with my tractabil i ty, with my resign a tion, than with my a gility, he s i gnaled to me and we l e ft.
The next day I cast an app r a i sing eye upon my companions : t h o s e fou r gi rl s r a n ge d from tw enty-fiv e to th i rty years of a ge ; a l though besti alized and besotted by misery and warped by exces sive drudgery, they still had the remnants o f beauty ; their fi gures were handsome, and the youngellt, called Suzanne, still had, to gether with charming eyes, very fine h a i r ; Roland had seized her in Lyon, he h a d deflowered h e r, and a fter having sworn to h e r family he would m arry h e r , h e h a d brought h e r to this frightful chateau, where she h a d been three years his slave, and du ring that period she h a d been especi ally singl e d out to be the obj ect o f the monster' s feroci ties : by dint of blows from the bull' s pizzle, h e r buttocks h a d become a s calloused a n d toughened a s would be cow' s h i d e dried i n t h e sun ; she h a d a cancer u p o n her left breast and a n abscess in her m atrix which caused h e r unspeakable sufferin g ; all that was the perfidious Roland's achi evement ; each o f those horrors was the fru i t o f h i s lecherie s .
I t was she w h o informed me Roland was on the e v e o f de p a rting for Venice if the considerable sums h e had very recently
6 7 8 .. T H E MAR Q U I S DE SADE
s h i p p e d to Sp a i n could be conve rted i n to l e tters of c r e d i t h e n e e d e d f o r I taly, f o r h e d i d n o t w a n t to t r a n s p o r t h i s gold e a s t a c r o s s t h e Alps j n e v e r d i d h e s e n d a n y i n th a t d i rection : i t w a s i n a d i ff e re n t c o u n t ry from th e o n e h e h a d d e c i d e d to i n h a b i t t h a t h e c i rcul a t e d h i s f a l s e c o i n s j by t h i s d e v i c e , r i c h to b e s u r e b u t o n l y i n the b a nk n o t e s of a n o t h e r k i ngdom, h i s r a sc a l i t i e s could n e v e r b e detected i n t h e land w h e r e h e planned to take u p his next a b o d e . B u t every t h i n g coul d be overthro" n w i t h i n the s p a c e of an i n s t a n t a n d the r e t i rement h e envi s i o n e d w h o l l y d e p e n d e d upon th i s l a te s t trans action i n which the bulk of his treasure w a s comprom i s e d . Were C a d i z to accept his f a l s e pias ters, s e quins, a n d louis, a n d a g a i n s t t h e m s e n d h i m l e t t e r s neg o t i a b l e i n Ven i c e , R o l a n d w o u l d b e e s tab l i s h e d f o r the rest of his days j were the fraud to b e detected, one s i ngle d a y w o u l d suffice to demol i sh the fragile edifice o f his fortu n e .
"Al a s ! " I rema rked upon l e a rn i n g t h e s e deta i l s , " Provi dence will b e just fo r once. I t w i l l n o t countenance the success of s u c h a m o n s t e r , a n d a l l o f u s will be r e v e n g e d . . . . "
G r e a t G o d ! in v i e w of the experience I h a d acqu i r e d , how w a s I a b l e t h u s t o r e a son !
To w a r d noon we were given a two- hour r e s p i t e , w h i c h we a l w a y s u s e d to good a dv a n t a ge to go for a l i ttle i n d i v i d u a l r e s t a n d food i n o u r c e l l s j a t t w o o ' cl o ck w e were r e a t t a c h e d to t h e w h e e l a n d w e r e m a d e to wo rk t i l l n i gh t f a l l ; n e v e r w e r e we a l l o w e d t o enter the c h a t e a u ; i f 've were naked, 'twas n o t only because of t h e h e a t, b u t so a s better to be able to receive t h e bul l ' s p i z z l e b e a t i n g s o u r s a v a ge m a s t e r p e r i o d i c a l ly c a m e to i n fl i c t upon u s j i n w i n t e r w e w e r e g i v e n p a n t a l o o n s a n d a l i g h t swe a t e r w h i c h s o c l o s e l y h u g g e d t h e ski n t h a t our b o d i e s w e r e n o t the l e s s exp o s e d to t h e b l o w s o f a v i l l a i 1 w h o s e u n i que p l e a sure w a s t o b e a t u s h a l f-se n s e l e s s .
A w e e k p a s s e d d u r i a g w h i c h I s a w no s i gn o f R o l a n d j on the n i n th day h e v i s i te d u s a t work a n d m a i n t a i n e d S u z a n n e a n d I were i m p rope rly applying o u r s el v e s to o u r t a sk ; h e d i s t r i bu t e d t h i rty cuts w i t h the p i z z l e upon e a c h of u s , s l a s h i n g u s from b a ck to c a l f .
At m i d n i gh t on th a t s a m e day, the evil m a n c a m e to get m e i n my kennel a n d , w a rm e d by t h e s i g h t o f w h a t h i s c ru e l t i e s h a d p ro d u c e d , h e o n c e a g a i n i n t roduced h i s t e r r i b l e blu dgeon i n to t h e s h a dowy l a i r I exp o s e d b y t h e p o s tu r e h e m a d e me a s sume i n o r d e r
Jus tine .. 6 7 9
t o inspect th e vestiges o f his r a g e . When h i s hungers w e r e appeased I thought to profit from his momen tary calm to supplicate him to mitigate my lot. Alas 1 I w a s unaware th a t in such a geniu s , whereas the delirious interlude stimula tes the penchant for cruelty into gre ater activity , the subsequ ent reflux does n o t by any means restore the honest man's pacific virtues to i t ; 'tis a fi re more or less quick ened by the fuel whe rewith it is fed, but one whose embers, though cove red with cinder , burn nonethdess.
"And what right h ave you , " Roland replied to m e , "to expect me to sweeten you r ci rcumstance s ? B ecause o f the fantasies I am pleased to put into execu tion with you ? But am I to throw myself a t your feet and implore you to accord favors for the granti ng o f which you c a n implore some recompense ? I a sk nothing from you , I take , and I simply do not see that, because I exercise one ri ght over you, i t must result that I have to abstain from demanding a second ; there i s no love in what I do : l ove i s a chivalric sentiment I hold in sovereign contempt and to whose a ssaults my heart i s always impervious ; I employ a woman out of necessity, a s one employs a round and hollow vessel for a different purpose but an analogous need ; but never according this individu a l , which my money and authority make subj ect to m e , e i ther esteem o r tenderness, owing to myself what I get from her and never exacting from her a ny thing but submission, I cannot be constrained, in the light of all this, to acknowledge any gratitude towa r d her. I ask them who would like to compel m e to be thankful whether a thi e f who snatch es a man's purse in the woods because h e , the thi e f , i s the stronger o f the two , owes this man any gratitu d e for the wrong h e has just done him ; the same holds true for an outrage committed against a woman : it may justi fy a repetition o f the abu s e , but never i s it a sufficient rea son to grant her comp ensation."
"Oh, M onsieu r , " I said to him, "to what limits you do carry you r villa iny 1 "
"To the ultimate periods , " Roland answere d ; "there i s not a single extravagance in the world in which I h ave not indulged, not a crime I have not committed, and not one that my doctrines do not excuse o r legitimate ; unceasingly, I have found in evil a kind of a ttractiveness which always redounds to my lust's a dvantage ; crime i gnites my appetites ; the more frightful i t i s , the more i t
6 8 0 + T H E MAR Q U m DE SADE
s t i m u l a t e s ; in comm i tting it, I enjoy the same sort of p l e a su r e o rd i n a ry folk t a s te i n naught b u t l i b r i c i ty , a n d a hundred t i m e s I h a v e d i s c o v e r e d m y s e l f , w h i l e thinking o f c r i m e , w h i l e s u r r ender i n g t o i t , or just a ft e r h a vi n g e x e c u t e d i t, i n p r e c i s e l y t h e s a m e state in which o n e i s w h e n cc·n f r o n t e d by a b e a u t i ful n a k e d w o m a n ; i t i r ri t at e s m y s e n s e s i n t h e s a m e w a y , a n d I h ave comm i tt e d i t i n o rd e r t o a ro u s e my s e l f a s , when o n e i s fi l l e d w i t h i m p u d i c i o u s d e s i gn s , o n e a p p r o a c h e s 1 b e a u t i fu l o b j e c t . "
" O h , M o n s i eu r ! ' t s f r i g h t fu l , w h a t y o u s a y , but I h a v e b e h e l d example s o f i t . "
"The r e a r e a thou s a n d , T h e r e s e . I t m u s t n o t be supp o s e d t h a t i t i s a w o m a n ' s b e a u ty \\ h ich b e s t s t i r s a l i b e rtine m i n d , i t i s r a t h e r t h e sp e c i e s o f c r i m e t h a I : t h e l a w h a s a s s o c i a te d w i t h p o s s e s s i o n o f h e r : the p r o o f o f which s t h a t t h e m o r e c r i m i n a l t h i s p o s s e s s i o n t h e m o r e o n e i s i n fl a m e d by i t ; t h e m a n w h o enj oys a woman h e s t e a l s f r o m h e r h u s b a n d , a d a L g h t e r h e s n a tch e s f r o m h e r p a r en t s , knows a far g r e a t e r delecta t i o n , n o doubt of it, than does the h u s b a n d w h o enj oys n o o n e b u t i1 i s wi fe , a n d t h e m o r e t h e t i e s o n e b r e a k s a p p e a r t o b e r e s p e c t e d , t h e m o r e t h e v o l u p tu o u s n e s s i s c o mp o u n d e d . I f ' t i s o ne ' s m o t h e r , o r :>n e ' s d a u g h t e r , s o many a d d i t i o n a l c h a rm s t o t h e p l e a su r e s e xp e r i e nc e d ; w h e n y o u ' v e s a v o r e d a l l t h i s , then y o u truly would h a v e i n t e r d i c t i o n s fu r t h e r incre a s e i n order t o give the v i o l a t i o n o f the m a d d e d d i ffi c u l ty a n d g r e a t e r c h a rm ; now, if p l e a s u re-taking i s s e a o n e d by a c r i m i n a l fl avoring, crime, dis s o c i a t e d f r o m t h i s p l e a s u r e , m a y b e c o m e a j oy i n i ts el f ; there will then b e a certain del i g h t i n naked crime. W e l l , i t i s i m p o s s i bl e th a t w h a t contributes t h e s a l i n e t a n g n o t i t s e l f b e v e ry s a l ty . T h u s , l e t m e i m a gi n e , t h e a b d u c t i o n o f a g i r l o n o n e ' s o w n a c c o u n t w i l l g i v e a v e r y lively p l e a s u � e , b u t a b d u c t i o n i n t h e i n t e r e s t s o f s o m e o n e e l s e will g i v e all t h a t p l e a s u r e w i t h which the enjoyment o f t h i s g i r l i s i m p r o v e d by r a p e : ; the t h e ft o f a w a tch, the r a p e o f a p u r s e w i l l a l s o give the s a m ! p l e a s u r e , a n d i f I have a c c u s t o m e d my s e n s e s t o b e i n g moved b y the rape of some girl q u a r a p e , that s a m e p l e a su r e , t h a t s a me deli �ht will b e found a g a i n i n th e s e i z i n g o f the w a tc h o r of t h e p u r s e , c : tc . ; a n d that exp l a i n s the ecc e n t r i c i ty i n so m a ny h o n e s t folk who s �e a l w i t h o u t n e e d i n g to s t e a l . N o th i n g m o r e common ; from thi s m o m e n t o n , o n e both t a s t e s the g r e a t e s t
Jus tin e + 6 8 1
pleasure in everything criminal, and, by every imagi nable device, one renders simple enjoyments a s criminal as they c a n possibly be rendered ; by conducting onesel f in t h i s s tyl e , one but a dds to en j oy ment the dash o f salt which w a s wanting and which became indis pensable to happiness' perfection. These doctrines l e a d f a r , I know ; perhaps, Thcri:se, I shall even show you how f a r before too long, but what m a tter ? enjoyment' s the thing. W a s there, for example, dear gi rl, anything more ordinary or more n a tural than for me to enjoy you ? But you oppose i t , you ask t h a t i t stop ; i t would seem that, in the light o f my obligations towa rd you, I ought to grant what you request ; however, I surrender to nothing, I listen to nothing, I slash through all the hots that bind fools, I submit you to my desires, and out of the most elementary, the most monotonous enj oyment I evolve one tha t i s re ally delicious ; therefore submit, Therese, submit, and i f ever YOIl a r e reincarnated and retu rn to the worl d i n the guise o f the m i g h ty, expl o i t your privileges i n the same way and you will know every one of the most lively and most piquant p l e a sures."
These words gone out o f hi s mouth, Roland went away and left me to ponder thoughts whi c h , as you m ay well believe, pre sented him in no favorable aspect.
I had been six months in this household, from time to time serving the vil l a i n ' s disgracefu l d<:bauch e s , when one night I beheld him enter my p rison with Suzanne ..
" Come, Therese, " said h e , " ' t i s already a long time, I find, since I took you down to that cavern which impressed you so deeply ; both of you are going to a ccompany m e there, but don ' t expect t o climb back together , fo r I absolutely m u s t l eave o n e o f you behind ; well, we'll s e e which o n e fa te design a te s . "
I get to m y feet , cast a l a r m e d gl ances a t m y comp anion, I see tears rolling from her eyes . . . an d we set off.
When we were locked into the underground vault, Roland examined each o f u s with ferocious eyes ; he amused himself by reite r a ting our sentence and per:mading us both that one of the two would certainly remain there below.
"Well , " said he, seating himself and having u s stand directly before him, "each of you take your turn a n d set to work exo rcising
6 8 2 .. T H E MARQUH DE SADE
this disable d obj ect ; the r e ' s a devil in it keeps it limp , and woe unto the one o f you who restores i ts ene rgy."
" 'Tis an i nj ustice, " quoth Suz anne ; " s h e w h o arouses you most should b e the one to obtain your mercy."
"N o t a t all , " Roland reto rted, " once i t i s manifest which of you a rouses m e most, i t i s establi shed which one's death will give m e the greater ple a sure . . . and I'm it l m : n!:. _ c pleasure, nothing else. M o reover, by sp a r i l1 g her who infl ames me the more rapidly, you would both p roceed with such industry that you might perhaps plunge my senses into their ecstasy b e fore the sacrifice were con summated, and that must not h appen . "
" 'T i s t o w a n t evil f o r evi l ' s s a k e , Monsieur," I said t o Roland, " th e completion o f y o u r ecstasy ought to b e the only thing you desire, and if you a ttain it without crime, why do you want to commi t one ?"
"B ecause I only deli ciously reach the critical stage in this way, and because I only came :lown here in order to commit one. I know perfectly well I might su cceed without it, but I want it in order to succeed."
And, during this dialogue, h aving chosen me to begin, I start exciting h i s behind with one hand, his front with the other, while h e touche s a t his leisure every part o f my body offered him by my nakedness.
" You've still a long way to go, Therese, " said h e , fingering my buttocks, "before this f ne flesh is in the state of petrified cal losity and mortification app a rent in Suz anne ' s ; one might light a fire under that d e a r gi rl s cheeks without her feeling a thing ; but you, Therese, you . . . t� ese are yet roses bound in lilies : we'll get to them in good time, i n �;ood time . "
Y o u simply have n e i d e a , M adame, how much t h a t threat set me at e a s e ; Roland doubtless did not suspect, as h e uttered it, the peace i t sent flooding th �ough me, for was it not clear that, since h e planned to expose me to furth e r cruelti es, h e was not yet eager to immolate me ? I hav,: told you, M adame, that everything the wretched hear drives home, and thenceforth I was reassured. An other increase of happiness ! I w a s performing in vain, and that enormous m a s s telescop e d into itself resisted all my s hakings ;
Justine .. 6 8 3
S u z anne w a s in the s a m e p o s t u r e , s h e w a s p a l p a t e d in the s a m e a r e a s , but a s h e r fl e s h w a s t o u g h e n e d i n a v e ry d i ff e r e n t w a y , R o l a n d t r e a t e d i t w i t h much l e s s con s i d e r a t i o n ; however, S u z a n n e was younge r .
" I am convin c e d , " our p ers ecu tor w a s s a y i n g , " th a t the m o s t awesome w h i p s would P 0 W fail to d r a w a drop o f blood f r o m that a s s . "
H e m a d e e a c h o f u s b e n d o v e r a n d , o u r a n g l e o f inclin ati o n providing h i m w i th t h e fou r avenue:, o f p l e a s u r e , h i s t o n g u e d a n c e d w r i g gl i n g into t h e two n a r r o w e s t ; the vill a i n sp a t i n to the o t h e r s ; he tu rned us about, h a d us kne e l b e tw e e n h i s thighs in such a m a n n e r o u r b r e asts f o u n d them s e l v e s a t a l '�vel w i t h w h a t o f h i m w e w e r e s timul a t i n g .
" O h ! a s r e g a r d s b r e a s ts , " s a i d R o l a n d , "you've got to y i e l d to Su z an n e j n e v e r h a d you such fi n e t e a t s j now then , l e t ' s take a l o o k at th i s n o b l e endowme n t . "
A n d w i th t h o s e w o r d s h e p r e s s e d t h e p o o r g i rl ' s b r e a s t s t i l l , b e n e a t h h i s finge r s , t h e y w e r e cove r e d w i th b r u i s e s . At t h i s p o i n t i t w a s no l o n g e r I w h o w a s exc i t i n g h i m , S u z a n n e h a d r e p l a c e d m e j s c a rcely h a d s h e f a l l e n i n t o h i s clu t c h e s w h e n h i s d a r t , s p r i n g i n g from i t s qu i v e r , b e g a n to m e n a c e eve ryth i n g surrou n d i n g i t .
" S u z a n n e , " s a i d R ol a n d , " b e h o l d a n a p p a l l i n g triump h . ' t i s you r d e a th d e c r e e d , S u z a n n e j I f e a r e d a s muc h , " a d d e d t h a t f e r o c i o u s m a n a s h e n i pp e d a n d cl a w e d h e r b r e a s t s .
As for m i n e , h e o n l y suck e d and c h e w e d t h e m . At l e n g t h , h e p l a c e d S u z a n n e o n h e r kn e e s a t t h e e d g e o f t h e s o f a , h e m a d e h e r b e n d h e r h e a d a n d i n t h i s a t t i tu d e h e e n j o y e d h e r a c c o r d i n g t o t h e f r i ghtful m a n n e r n a t u r a l t o h i m ; a w a k e n e d b y n e w p a i n s , S u z a n n e struggl e s and Rol a n d , who s i mply w i s h e s to ski r m i s h , i s content w i th a b r i sk p a ss a g e o f a r m s , a n d com e s to take r e fuge i n m e a t t h e s a m e s h r i n e a t w h i c h h e h a s s a c r i fi c e d i n my comp a n i o n whom he d o e s not c e a s e to vex and molest t h e w h i l e .
"T h e r e ' s a w h o r e w h o exc i t e s m e cru elly, " h e s ays to m e , " I don ' t know w h a t t o d o w i t h h e r . "
" O h , M on s i e u r , " s a y I , " h ave pity u p o n h e r ; h e r s u ff e r ings could n o t b e m o r e i n t en s e . "
" O h , b u t you ' r e wrong I " t h e vill a i n r e pl i e s , " o n e m i g h t . . . a h ! i f only I h a d w i t h m e t h a t c e l e b r a t e d Emp e r o r K i e , o n e o f t h e
6 8 4 + T H E MA R Q l T l S DE S A D E
g r e a t e s t sco u n d r e l s ev,:r t o have sat o n the C h i n e s e t h r o n e ,6 w i th Ki e w e ' d r e a l l y be abh to p e r fo r m wo n d e r s . B o t h he a n d h i s w i f e , t h e y s a y , i m m o l a t e d v i , : t i m s d a i l y a n d w o u l d h a v e t h e m l i v e twen ty f o u r h o u r s in d e a t h ' s : ru e l e s t a g o n i e s , a n d i n s u c h a s t a t e o f su f fe r i n g t h a t t h e y w e r e c on s t a n tly o n t h e v e r g e of ex p i r i n g but n e v e r q u i t e a b l e t o d i e , f o r t h o s e m o n s t e r s a d m i n i s t e r e d t h a t k i n d o f a i d w h i c h m a d e t h e m fhi tt e r b e tw e e n re l i e f a n d t o r t u r e a n d o n l y b r o u g h t t h e m b a c k to l i fe f o r o n e m i n u t e i n o r d e r to k i l l t h e m t h � n ext . . . . I , T h e r e s e , I a m t o o g e n tl e , I know n o t h i n g o f t h o s e a r t s , I ' m a m e r e a p p r e n ti c e . '
R ol a n d r e t i r e s w th o u t compl e t i n g t h e s a c r i fi c e a n d h u r t s m e a l m o s t a s m u c h by t h i s p r e c i p i to u s w i t h d r a w a l a s h e h a d u p o n i n s e r t i n g h i m s e l f . H e t h ro ws h i m s e l f i n t o S u z a n n e ' s a rm s , a n d j o i n i n g s a rc a s m t o o u t r a g e :
" Am i ab l e c r e a tu r e , " h e a p o s troph i z e s , " w i t h s u c h d e l i g h t I r e m e m b e r t h e fi r s t i n s t a n t s o f o u r u n i o n ; n e v e r h a d w o m a n given m e s u c h t h r i l l i n g p l e a s u r e s , never had I loved o n e a s I did you . . . l e t u s e m b r a c e , S u z a nn e , f o r w e ' r e g o i n g t o p a r t , p e r h a p s t h e s e a s on o f o u r s e p a r a t i on w i l l b e l a n g . "
" M o n s te r ! " my mmp a n i on r e t o r t s , t h r u s t i n g h i m a w a y w i t h h o r r o r , " b e gon e ; to t h e t o r m e n t s you i n fl i c t u p o n m e , j o i n n o t t h e d e sp a i r o f h e a r i n g Yo J [ t e r r i b l e r e m a rks ; s a t e y o u r r a g e , t i g e r i s h o n e , b u t a t l e a s t r e s p e c t m y s u ff e r i n gs . "
R o l a n d l a i d h a n d s o n h e r , s t r e tc h e d h e r u po n t h e couch , h e r l e g s w i d e s p r e a d , a n d t h e w o rk s h o p o f gen e r a t i o n i d e a l l y w i t h i n r a n g e .
"Temp l e o f my a n c i e n t p l e a s u r e s , " t h e i n f a m o u s c r e a t u r e i n t o n e d , " y o u w h o p m : u r e d m e d e l i gh t s so s w e e t w h e n I p l u ck e d y o u r fi r s t r o s e s , I m w ; t i n d e e d a d d r e s s t o you m y f a r e w e l l s . . . . "
Th e v i l l a i n ! h e I l r ove h i s fi n g e rn a i l s i n to i t a n d , rum m a g i n g
6 K i f , t h e E m p e r o r o f C h i n a , h a d a w i f e a s c r u e l a n d d e b a u c h e d a s h e ; b l o o d s h e d w a s a s n a u g h t to t h e m , a n d f o r t h e i r <, < el u s i v e p l e a s u r e t h e y s p i l l e d r i v e r s of i t e v e r y d a y ; w i t h i n t h e i r p a l ace t h t y h a d a s e c r e t c h a m b e r w h e r e v i ct i m s w e r e p u t to d e ath b e f o r e t h e i r e y e s and w h i l e t h e y e n j oy e d t h e m s e l v e s . Theo, one o f this P r i n c e ' s suc c e s s o r s , had, l i k e him, a n ry b l oo d t h i r sty w i f e ; t h e y i n v e n t e d a brass col u m n and t h i s great cyl i n d e r t h e y wOl l d heat r e d h o t ; u n l ucky p e r s o n s were b o u n d to i t w h i l e t h e r o y a l co u p l e l o o k e d o n : ' T h e P r i nc e s s , " w r i t e s t h e h i s to r i a n f r o m w h o m w e h av e b o r r o w e d t h e s e t o u c h e s , " ' v as i n fi n i tely e n t e r t a i n e d by t h e s e m e l a nc h o l y victi m < c o n t o r t i o n s a n d s c r e a m . ; , h e w a s n o t c o n t e n t u n l e s s h e r h u sb a n d g a v e h e r t h i s s p e c t a c l e f r e q u e n t l y . " His/. d es Co nj. v o l . 7, p a ge 4 3 .
Jus tin e + 6 8 5
about i n s i d e fo r a few m i n u t e s w h i l e s c r e a m s bu r s t from S u z a n n e ' s m o u t h , he d i d not w i t h d r a w t h e m until t h e y w e r e cove r e d w i th b l o o d . Glutted a n d w e a r i e d by t h e s e h o r r o r s , a n d feeling, i n d e e d , h e c o u l d r e s t r a i n himsel f n o l o n ge r :
" C o m e , T h e r e s e , come , " he s a i d , " l e t ' s conclude a l l t h i s w i t h a l i ttle scene o f funambu l i sm : i t ' l l b e c u t-th e-co r d , 7 d e a r gi rl . "
T h a t w a s t h e n a m e he gave th a t d e a dly l e ge r d e m a i n o f w h i c h I gave y o u a d e s c r i p ti o n w h e n I m e n t i o n e d Ro l a n d ' s c a v e rn fo r the fi rs t time. I mount the three-legged stool, the e v i l fellow fi t s the h a l t e r about my neck, h e takes h i s p l a c e opp o s i t e m e ; a l though i n a f r i g h t ful s t a t e , Suz anne exci t e s h i m m a n u ally ; a n i n s t a n t p a s s e s , t h e n h e s n a p s the s to o l from bem: a th m e , but e q u i p p e d w i t h t h e s i ckl e , I s e v e r the c o r d imme d i a tely a n d fall uninj u r e d to t h e ground .
" N i cely d o n e , very n e a t , " says R o l a n d , " y o u r tu rn, S u z a n n e , t h e r e i t i s , a n d I ' l l sp a r e you, i f you m a n a g e a s cleverly."
Suzanne takes my place. O h , M a d a m e , a l l o w m e to pass over that d r e a d fu l scen e ' s details . . . . The p o o r t h i n g did not recover from i t .
" A n d now o ff we go, T h e r es e , " s a y s R o l a n d , " y o u ' l l not re turn t o this pl a ce u n t i l your time h a s com e . "
" W h enever y o u like , M o n s i eu r , whenever y o u l i ke , " I reply ; "I p r e fe r d e a t h to t h e f r i g h t ful l i fe you h a v e me l e a d . Are t h e r e w r e t c h e s s u c h a s we for whom l i fe c a n be v a l u a bl e ? . . "
And R o l a n d l o cked me into my c e l l . The next d a y my com p a n i o n s a sk e d w h a t h a d become of Su z a nne and I told them ; they were h a rdly su rp r i s e d j a l l were a w a i t i n g the same fate and e a c h ,
7 T h i s g a m e , d e scribed above, w a s i n g r e a t u s e amo ngst t h e C e l t s from whom w e a r e d escended ( se e M o n s i e u r P e l o u t i e r ' . H i,.lo ;r,' des CrltfS ) ; v i r t u a l ly a l l t h e s e e x t r a v agances o f d e b a u c h e ry, t h e s e extr a o r d i n a ry l i bertine p a s s i o n s , s o m e p a r t o f w h ich a r e d e scribed i n t h i s book a n d w h ich, h o w r i d i c u l o u s l y ! today a w a k e n t h e l a w ' s atte ntion, w e r e , i n d ay s bygone, e i t h e r o u r ancestors' s p o r t s , g a m e s f a r s u p e r i o r to o u r contempor a ry a m u s e m ents, o r l e g a l i z ed c u stom s , o r a g a i n , r e l i g i o u s ceremoni e s ; c u r rently, they a r e t r a n sformed i n to crimes. In h o w m a ny pious ritu a l s d i d not the pagans e m p l oy fl a ge l l ati o n ! Several p e o p l e used t h e s e identical tortu res, or p a ssions, to i n it i a te their w a r r i or s ; t h i s was known a s h uscanaver ( viz., t h e r e l igiou s c e r e m o n i e s of e v e ry r ace o n e a r th ) . These p l e a s a ntries, whose m a x i m u m i nconve n i e nce m ay be at the very most the d e ath o f a slut, are c a p :. t a l crimes at the moment. Three c h e e r s f o r t h e p r o g r e s s of civi l i z a ti o n ! How it c o n s p i r e s t o t h e h a p p i n e s s of m a n , and h o w m u c h m o r e f o r t u n ate t h a n o u r forebears w e a r e !
6 8 6 .. T H E M A R Q J I S DE S A D E
l i k e m e , seeing therein a term to th e i r suffering, p a s s i o n a tely longed fo r i t .
A n d t h u s t w o y e : t r s w e n t b y , R o l a n d indulging in h i s custom a ry debauch e ry , I ling ering o n with the prospect of a cruel d e a t h , when one d a y the ne" s went about the chateau th a t not o n l y w e r e o u r m a s te r ' s exp e c ta t i ons s a t i s fi e d , n o t o n l y h a d he r e c e i v e d t h e immense quantity o f Ven e t i a n fu nds h e h a d w i s h e d , but t h a t h e h a d even o b t a i n e d a hrther o r d e r for another six m i l l i o n s i n coun t e r f e i t c o i n for whicL h e would b e r e i m b u r s e d i n I taly when he a rr i v e d to c l a i m p ayment ; the scoundrel could not p o ssibly have enjoyed b e tt e r luck ; t e w a s going to l e a ve with an income of two m i l l i o n s , not to mentic,n his hopes of getting more : this was the new p i e c e of evidence Provi dence had p r e p a r e d for me. This was the l a te s t manner in whirh i t w i s h e d to convince me t h a t p r o s p e r i ty belongs to C r i m e only and indi gence to Vi rtu e .
M a tt e r s were a t thi s stage when Roland c a m e to t a k e m e t o h i s cavern a t h i r d t i m e . I r e c o l l e c t w h a t h e threatened m e with on my previous visit, I s hJ d d e r . . . .
" R e s t a s s u r e d , " h e says, "you 've n o t h i n g to f e a r , ' t i s a question of somethin�: which concerns me alone . . . an uncommon j oy I ' d like to taste and from which you will incur no r i sks . "
I fol l o w h i m . When t h e doors a r e shu t : "Therese , " s a y s R o l a n d , " th e r e ' s no one in the house but you
to whom I dare confide the p r oblem ; I ' ve got to h ave a woman of impeccable honesty . . , . I ' ve no one about but you, I confess that I p r e fe r you to my s i s t e r . . . .
Taken ab ack, I n t r e a t h i m to cla r i fy h i m s el f. "Then l i s te n , " s ays h e ; " my fo r tune is m a d e , but whatever
b e the favors I have received from fate, i t can desert m e a t any instant ; I m a y b e traf'p e d , I could b e caught while transpo rting my bul l i o n , and if that m i s fo r tune occu r s , Therese, i t ' s the rope th a t ' s w a i ti n g f o r m e : ' t i s t 1 e s a m e delight I a m p l e a s e d to h a v e women savor : t h a t ' s the one will s e rve a s my undoing ; I a m a s fi rmly p e r su a d e d as I c a n p o s sihly be th a t thi s d e a th is infini tely sweeter than cruel ; b u t a s the w Jmen upon whom I h av e tested i t s i n i t i a l a n gu i shes h ave n e v e r r e ally wished to t e l l m e the t r u t h , i t i s i n p e rson I wish to b e : n a d e acqu a i n t e d w i t h the s e n s a t i o n . By w a y o f the exp e r i ence i t s d f I want to fi n d o u t wheth e r i t i s not very
Justine + 6 8 7
certain this asphyxiation impels, i n the individual who undergoes it, the erectory nerve to produce an ej a culation ; once convinced this death is but a game, I 'll brave i t with far gre ater courage, for i t is not my existence's cessation terrifies m e : my p rinciples are deter mined upon that h e a d a n d well persuaded m a tter can never become anything but matter again, I have no greater dread of H ell than I have expectation o f Paradise ; but a cruel death's torments make me apprehensive ; I don' t wish to suffer when I p e r i sh ; so let's have a try. You will do to me everything I did to you ; I 'll strip ; I'll mount the stool, you'll adjust the rop e , I 'll excite myself fo r a moment, then, a s soon as you see things assume a certain consistency, you'll j e rk the stool free and I 'll remain hanging ; you 'll l e ave m e there until you either discern my semen' s emission o r symptoms o f death's thro e s ; i n the l a tter case, yot; 'll cu t m e down a t once ; i n the other, you'll allow N a ture to take her course and you'll not detach me until a fterwa rd. You observe, Therese, I'm putting my l i fe in your hands ; your freedom, your for tune will b e your goo d conduct's rewa rd."
"Ah, Monsieur, there's folly in the proposition." "N 0 , Th erese, I insist the thi n g be don e , " he answered, un
dressing himself, "but behave yourself well ; behold what p roo f I give you o f my confidence and high n:gard I "
W h a t possibili ty o f hesi tation h a d I ? W a s he not m y maste r ? Fu rthermore, i t seemed to me the evJ I was going to do him would be immedia tely offset by the extreme care I wou l d take to save his l i fe : I was going to be mistress o f th a t li fe, but whatever might be his intentions with respect to me , i t would certainly only b e in order to restore it to him.
We take our stations ; Roland i s stimul ated by a few o f his usual caresses ; he climbs upon the stool, I put the halter round his neck ; he tells me he wan ts me to curse him during the process, I am to reproach him with all his l i fe ' s horrors, I do so ; his dart soon rises to menace Heaven, he himsel f gives m e the sign to remove the stool, I obey ; would you believe it, M a dame ? nothing more true than what Roland h a d conj ectured : nothing but symptoms of pleasure ornament his countenance and a t practically the same in stant rapid j e ts o f semen spring n i gh to the vault. When 'tis all shot out without any assi stance whatsoever from me, I rush to cut
6 8 8 .. T H E MAR Q l:' I S DE SADE
him down, he falls, un,:onscious, but thanks to my ministrations he quickly recovers h i s senses.
"Oh Therese !" hi! excl aims upon opening his eyes , "oh, those sensations are not to be described j they transcend all one can p ossibly say : l e t them now do what they wish with m e , I stand unflinching before Themis' sword I
"You' r e going to find me guilty yet another time, Therese," R oland went on, tying my hands behind my back, "no thanks for you , but, dear girl, w'1at can one expect ? a man doesn' t correct himself a t my age . . . . B eloved creature, you have just saved my l i fe and never have I so powerfully conspired against yours j you lamented Suzanne's fate j ah well, I 'll arrange for you to meet again ; I'm going to p' unge you alive into the dungeon where she expired."
I will not describf my state of mind, Madame, you fancy wh a t i t was j in v a i n did I w e e p , gro an, I was not heeded. Roland opened the fatal dunge on, he hangs out a l amp so that I can still better discern the multitude o f corpses wherewith i t i s filled ; next, h e p a s s e s a c o r d u n d e r m r a rms wh ich, as you know, are bound behind my back, and by mean:; o f this cord he lowers me thirty feet : I am twenty more from the bottom o f the p i t : in this posi tion I suffer hideously, it i s a s i f my arms are being torn from their sockets. With what terror was I not seized I what a prospect confronted my eye s ! H e a p s o f b o d i e s in thf m i d s t of which I was going t o fi n i s h my l i fe and whose stench wa � already infecting me. Roland cinches the rope abou t a stick fitt ! d above the hole then, brandishing a kni f e , I h e a r him exciting himself.
"Well , Therese," he cri es, "recommend your soul to God, the instant my delirium su p e rvenes will be that when I plunge you into the e ternal abyss awa ting you ; ah . . . ah . . . Therese, ah . . . " and I feel my h e a d cO'lered with proof of h i s ecstasy j but, h appily, h e has not p arted the r ope : he li fts m e out.
" H a , " says he, "were you a frai d ?" "Oh, Monsieur- -" " 'Tis thus you 'll die, be sure o f it, Therese, be sure of i t , and
' twas pleasant to famii arize you with your egress. " We climb back t o the light . . . . Was I to compl ain ? or be
thankful ? What a reward for what I had just done for him I But
Jus tin e + 6 8 9
h a d t h e m o n s t e r n o t been i n a p o s i tion t o d o m o r e ? C o u l d h e n o t h a v e k i l l e d m e ? O h , w h a t a m a n !
R o l a n d p r e p a r e d h i s d e p a r tu r e ; on the eve o f s e t t i n g out h e p ays m e a v i si t ; I fall before his feet, m o s t u r g e n tl y I b e g h i m to free m e and to give me w h a te v e r l i ttle sum of money h e w o u l d l i k e , t h a t I m i g h t be able to r e a c h Grenobl e .
" G renoble I C e r t a inly n o t , ThfTe s e , you' d denounce u s when you go t t h e r e . "
.
"Very w e l l , M o n s i eu r , " I say, sp rinkl i n g h i s kne e s w i t h my t e a r s , "I swe a r to you I ' l l n e v e r go t h e r e a n d , to be s u r e o f m e , condescend to t a k e m e t o Venice w i t h you ; I w i l l p e r h a p s fi n d gentler h e a rts t h e r e t h a n i n my na tive l a n d , a n d o n c e you a r e s o k i n d a s t o s e t m e f r e e , I s w e a r to you by all t h a t i s h o l y I will n e v e r impo rtune you . "
" I 'll n o t a i d yo u , n o t a p e nnyworth o f a i d w i l l you g e t f r o m m e , " th a t p e e rl e s s r o g u e a n s w e r e d ; " e v e ry t h i n g conn e c t e d w i t h p i ty , commi s e r a ti o n , g r a t i t u d e i s s o a l i e n t o my h e a r t t h a t w e r e I three times as rich a s I a m , they' d n o t s e e me give o n e crown to t h e p o o r ; the s p e c t a c l e o f m i s e ry i r r i t a t e s m e , a m u s e s m e , a n d w h e n I a m u n a bl e to do evil mys elf, I have a d e l i c i o u s t i m e enjoying t h a t accomp l i s h e d by t h e h a n d o f d e s t i ny. Upon all thi s I have p r i n c i p l e s t o w h i c h , The r e s e , I a dh e r e f a i thfully ; p o v e r ty i s p a r t o f the n a tu r a l o r d e r j b y c r e a ti n g m e n of d i s s i m i l a r strength, N a tu r e has convin c e d u s o f h e r d e s i r e t h a t i n e qu a l i ty b e p r e s e rv e d e v e n i n t h o s e m o d i fi c a tions o u r cultu re m i ght b r i n g to N a tu r e ' s l a w s . To r e l i e v e i n d i gence is t o v i o l a te t h e e s tabl i s h e d o r d e r , to imperil i t , it i s to enter i n to revolt against t h a t which N a tu r e h a s d e c r e e d , i t i s t o u n d e r m i n e t h e e q u i l i b r i u m t h a t i s fu ndamental t o h e r subl i m e s t a r ran gements j i t i s t o s t r i v e t o e r e c t a n e q u a l i ty v e ry p e rilous t o s o c i e ty, i t i s t o encou r a g e i n dolenc e a n d fl a tte r dron e s , i t i s to t e a c h the poor to rob the rich m a n w h e n t h e l a t t e r is p l e a s e d to re fus e the f o rm e r a l m s , fo r i t ' s a d a ng:e r o u s h a b i t , and g r a tu i t i e s en courage i t . "
" O h , M on s i e u r , h o w h a r s h th e s e p r i n c i p l e s a r e I Would you speak thus had y o u not always been wealthy ?"
"Who knows, There s e ? e v e ryone h a s a r i g h t to h i s o p i n i o n , tha t ' s m i n e , a n d I ' ll n o t c h a n g e i t . They comp l a i n a b o u t b e gg a r s i n France : i f t h e y w i s h e d t o b e r i d o f them, t h e t h i n g coul ll s o o n b e
6 9 0 + T H E MARC : U I S DE SADE
d o n e ; hang s even o r d g h t thousand o f ' em a n d t h e i n f a m o u s b r e e d w i l l v a n i s h o v e rn i gh t . The B o dy Pol i t i c s h o u l d b e gov e r n e d by t h e s a m e r u l e s th a t a p p l y to t h e B o dy Phy s i c a l . Woul d a m a n devo u r e d by v e r m i n a l l o w t h e m to f e e d u p o n h i m o u t o f sym p a thy ? I n o u r g a r d e n s do w e n o t u ? r o o t t h e p a r a s i ti c p l a n t w h i c h h a rm s u s e fu l v e g e t a t i o n ? W h y t h e n s h o u l d o n e c h o o s e to a c t o t h e r w i s e i n thi s c a s e ? "
" B u t R e l i g i o n , " I exp o s tu l a t e d , "benevolence, M o n s i e u r , hu- m a n i ty . . . "
" . . . a r e the chopping blocks o f a l l who p r e t e n d to h a p p i n e s s , " s a i d R o l a n d ; " i f I h a v e consol i d a t e d my o w n , i t i s only u p o n t h e d e b r i s o f a l l t h o s e i n famous p r e j u d i c e s o f m a nk i n d ; ' t i s by m o ck ing l aw s human a n d d i v i n e ; ' t i s by c o n s t a n tly s a c r i fi c i n g the w e a k w h e n I fi n d t h e m i n m y p a th , ' t i s by a b u s i n g t h e p u bl i c ' s g o o d f a i t h ; ' t i s by ruining t h e p o e . r a n d s t e a l i n g from the r i c h I h a v e a rr i v e d a t t h e summi t o f th a t p r e c i p i c e whereupon s i t s t h e templ e s a c r e d t o the d i v i n i ty I a d o r e ; why n o t imitate m e ? T h e n a rrow road l e a ding t o t h a t s h r i n e i s a s p l a i n ly o ff e r e d t o y o u r e y e s a s m i n e ; t h e h a l l u c i n a t o ry v i r t u e s you h avt: p r e f e r r e d to i t , have they c o n s o l e d you fo r you r s a c r i fi c e s ? ' T i s t o o l a t e , luckl e s s o n e , ' ti s t o o l a t e , weep f o r you r s i n s , s u ff e r , a n d s t r i v e t o fi n d i n t h e d e p t h s o f t h e p h a n toms y o u w o r s h i p , if any fi n d i n g t h e r e is to b e d o n e , w h a t the reverence you h a v e s h o wn them has c a u s e d y o u to l o s e . "
W i t h t h e s e w o r d s , t h e c r u e l R o l a n d l e a p s u p o n m e a n d I a m a ga i n f o r c e d t o s e rv(: t h e unworthy p l e a su r e s o f a m o n s t e r I h a d s u c h g o o d r e a s o n to a b h o r ; thi s t i m e I thought h e would s t r a n gl e m e ; w h e n h i s p a s s i o n s w e r e s a t i s fi e d , he c a u g h t up t h e b u ll ' s p i z z l e a n d w i t h i t s m o t e m e a b o v e a h u n d r e d b l o w s a l l o v e r m y b o dy, t h e w h i l e a ss u r i n g m e I w a s fo rtun a t e h e l a ck e d t h e t i m e to d o m o r e .
O n t h e m o r row , b e f o r e s e tt i n g o u t , the w r e tch p r e s e n t e d u s w i t h a n e w s c e n e o f c r u e l ty a n d o f b a rba r i ty w h e r e o f no exampl e i s fu rn i s h e d by t h e a n n a l s of Andro n i cu s , N e r o , Tibe r i u s , o r Wencesl a u s . E v e ryone a t t h e c h a t e a u suppo s e d R o l a n d ' s s i s t e r w o u l d l e av e w i th h i m , a n d h e h a d i n d e e d to l d h e r to d r e s s a n d r e a dy h e r s e l f fo r t h e j ou r n e y ; a t the m o m e n t of mounting h i s h o r s e , h e l e a ds h e r tow a r d u s . "The r e ' s y o u r p o s t , v i l e c r e a tu r e , " says h e , o rd e r i n g h e r to take o ff h e r clo t h e s , " I w a n t m y c o m r a d e s t o re member m e by l e avir. g t h e m as a token t h e woman f o r whom they
Jus tine + 6 9 1
thought I had a fancy ; but as we need only a certain number and as I am going to follow a dangerous road upon which my weapons will perhaps be u s e ful, I must try my p i stols upon one o f these r a scal s . " Whe reupon he l o a d s o n e o f h i s guns, a i m s i t a t e a c h o f o u r breasts, and comes a t last to h i s sister. " O ff you go, whore , " says he, blast ing out h e r brains, "go advise th e devil that Roland, the richest vill ain on e a rth, is h e who mosr insolently taunts the hand of H eaven and challenges Satan's own! " The poor girl did not expire a t once : she writhed in her d e a th th roes for a conside rable period : ' tw a s a hideous spectacl e : that infamous scoundrel c almly con si dered it and did not tear h i s eyes away until he had left u s for ever .
Everything changed the day a fter R o l a n d w e n t away. H i s succe ssor, a gentle and v e r y reasonable man, h a d u s released a t once.
"That i s ha rdly fi t work for a frail and delicate sex , " h e s a i d t o u s with kindness ; " animals should be employed a t t h i s machine ; our trade i s criminal enough wi tho u t further o ff ending the Supreme B e ing with gratu i tous atroci ti e s . "
He installed u s in t h e chateau a n d , without requ i ring m e to d o s o , suggested I a ssume possession o f t h e d u t i e s Roland' s sister had pe rformed ; the other women were busied cutting out counter feit coins, a much l e s s fa tiguing task, no doubt, and one for which they were rewarded, as w a s I, with good lodgings and excellent food.
At the end of two months, D alville , Roland's successor, in formed us o f his coll e a gu e ' s h appy a rrival at Venice ; there he h a d establ i shed himself and there realized h i s fortune a n d there he enj oyed i t i n peace and qui e t, w h olly content, full of the felicity he h a d antici p a te d . The fate o f th e man who replaced him was o f a distinctly different character. T h e unfortunate Dalville w a s h o n e s t i n h i s profession, i n d e e d , e v e n more h o n e s t than w a s neces s a ry in order to be destroyed.
One day, while all was calm at the chateau, while, under the di rection o f tha t go od master, th e work , al though criminal, was however being carried on with gaiety, one day t h e gates were stormed, the moats bridged and the house, b e fore our men h a d a moment's oppo rtuni ty to look to their defense, found itself invaded
6 9 2 + T H E M A R Q U ' S DE S A D E
by soldiers of the cons tabul a ry, sixty strong. Surrender wzs our sole alterna tive ; we we r e s h a ckled l i ke bea sts ; we were attached to the horses and m a rc! es down to G r enobl e . "0 He aven ! " I said to myse l f a s we entered, " ' t i s then the scaffold des tiny holds for me i n this city wherein I wildly fancied my h appiness w a s to b e born . . . . Oh ! how deceived i s man b y his intuitions I "
T h e court was not long tarrying o v e r t h e counterfei ters' case ; they were all sentenced :0 the gallows ; when the m a rk that branded m e was detected, they sca rcely gave themselves the trouble of interrogating me and ] was about to b e hanged along with the others when I made a last effort to obtain some p i ty from that famous magi strate whc p roved to b e an honor to his tribunal, a j udge o f i n tegrity, a b eloved citizen, an enlightened philosopher who s e wisdom and bem volence will grave h i s name for all time i n l e tters o f g o l d u p o n Th emis' temple . He l i stened t o m e ; convinced of my good faith and :he authenticity of my wretched plight, he deigned to give my case a li ttle more a ttention than his coho rts saw fi t to l av i s h u p o n i t . . . . 0 gre a t m a n , ' ti s to t h e e l o w e an h o m a g e : a miserable creature's f;ratitude would n o t s i t onerou sly with thee and the tribute she o ff e rs thee, by publishing abro ad thy goodness of h e a rt, will always be 1 e r sweetest j oy.
M onsieur S * * * himself became my advocate ; my testi mony was h e a rd, and his m ak eloquence illumined the mind o f the court. The general deposi tion s o f the false coiners they were going to execute forti fi e d the zeal o f the man who h a d the kindness to take an interest i n m e : I W(l S decl a r e d an unwilling p arty to crime, in nocent, and fully a c qui tted o f all charges, was set a t complete liberty to b ecome what I wishe d ; to those se rvices my protector added a collection h e h a d taken for my relief, and i t totaled more than fi fty l o u i s ; I began to s e e a dawning of happiness at last ; my p res entiments seemed iinally about to be realized and I tho ught I had reached an end o f my tribulations when i t pleased Provi dence to convince me they we r e still far from their definitive cessation.
Up on eme rging from j a i l I took up lodgings a t an inn facing the Isere bridge on tfl l : side o f the fau b o u rgs where, I h a d been assured, I m i ght find p roper quarters. M y plan, suggested by the a dvice of M onsieur S H *, was to stay there awhile in order to try to find a situati on in the town ; in the event the letters of recom-
Justine + 6 9 3
mendation Monsieur S * * * h a d so kindly given m e produced no results, I was to return to Lyon. On the second day I was dining a t my inn-'twas what is called table d ' hote-when I noticed I was being closely scrutiniz e d by a tall, very handsomely attired woman who went under a baroness' ti tle ; upon examining her in my turn, I believed I recognized h e r ; we "both rose and approached e a ch other, we embraced like two people who once knew each other but cannot remember under what 6 rcumstances.
Then the baroness drew m e aside. "Therese," s ays she, "am I in error ? are you not the person I
saved from the Conciergerie ten y e ars ago ? have you enti rely for gotten your Duboi s ?"
Little fl a ttered by this di scovery, I however repli e d to i t with politeness, but I was dealing with the most subtle, the most adroit woman in contemporary France ; t b.ere w a s no way of eluding her. Dubo i s overwhelmed me with attentions, she said that she, like the enti re town, had taken an inte rest in my fate but tha t had she known who I really was, she would have resorted to all sorts of m e a sures and m a de many a representati on to the magistrates, amongst whom, she decl a red, she had several friends. As usual, I was weak, I permitted mysel f to be led to this woman's room and there I related my sufferings to her.
" My dear friend , " s a i d she, r,�newing her embraces, "if I have desired to see you more intima tely, i t is to tell you I h ave made my fortune and that all I possess is at your disposal ; look here," she said, opening some caskets brim:ning with gold and diamonds, " these are the fruits o f my industry ; had I worshiped Virtue like you, I should be in p ri son today, o r hange d . "
" 0 M a dame," I c r i e d , " i f y o u o w e a l l that to naught but crime, ProvideNce, which eventu ally is always j u s t, will not suffer you to enj oy it for long."
"An erro r , " said Duboi s ; "do not imagine that Providence invari ably favors Virtue ; do not let a b ri e f interlude of p rosperity blind you to this point. It i s as one to the m a intenance o f Provi dence ' s scheme whether ' ti s Peter o r Paul who follows the evil career while the other surrenders himself to goo d ; N a ture must h ave an equ a l quantity o f each, and the exercis e o f crime rather than the commission o f good i s a matter o f you've no idea what
6 9 4 .. T H E MAR Q U W DE SADE
i n d i ff e r e n c e t o h e r ; l i s t e n T h e r e s e , p ay a l i ttl e a t t e n t i o n to m e , " con t i n u e d that c o r ru p t o r , s e l ti n g h e r s e l f a n d b i dding m e t a k e a n e a rby c h a i r ; "you h a v e s o m e VIi t , my c h i l d , and you r i n t e l l i gence w i l l b e speedily convi n c e d .
" ' T i s n o t m a n ' s e l e = t i o n o f V i r tu e w h i ch b r i n g s h i m h a p p i n e s s , d e a r g i r l , fo r V i r tu e , l i k e v i c e , i s n o t h i n g b e y o n d a s c h e m e o f getting along i n t h e w o rl d ; 'ti� not, hence, a q u e s t i o n o f adopting o n e c o u r s e r a t h e r t h a n a n o th e r ; ' t i s m e rely a m a t t e r o f f o l l o w i n g t h e r o a d g e n e rally taken ; l e e w h o w a n d e r s a w a y f r o m i t i s a l w a y s w r o n g ; i n a n e n t i r e l y v i r tu o u s w o r l d , I w o u l d recommend v i r t u e t o you , b e c a u s e w o r l dly r e w a r d s b e i n g a s so c i a t e d t h e r e w i t h , h a p p i n e s s w o u l d i n f a l l i bly b e conn e c t e d w i t h i t too ; i n a totally c o r r u p t w o r l d , I would n e v e r a d v i s e a : 1ythi n g b u t v i c e . H e who d o e s n o t w a l k a l o n g w i t h o t h e r s h a s i n evi tably to p e ri sh ; everyone h e encoun t e r s h e c o ll i d e s w i t h , a n d , : l S h e i s w e a k , h e h a s n e c e s s a rily to b e c r u s h e d . I t i s i n v a i n the : a w w i s h e s t o re-e s t a b l i s h o r d e r a n d r e s t o r e m e n t o r i gh t e o u sn e s s ; t o o u nj u s t t o u n d e rtake t h e t a s k , too i n s u ffi c i e n t to succe e d i n i i , t h o s e l a w s w i l l l u r e you a w a y f r o m t h e b e a t e n p a t h , b u t only tempo r a r i ly ; n e v e r w i l l they m a k e m a n a b a n d o n i t . W h i l e t h e gl � n e r a l i n t e r e s t o f m ankind d r i v e s i t to c o r rup t i o n , he who d o e s n o t w i s h to be c o r r u p t e d w i th t h e r e s t will th e r e fo r e be fi g h t i n g a g a i n s t t h e g e n e r a l i n t e r e s t ; w e l l , what happi ness c a n h e exp e c t who i s i n p e rp e t u a l c o n fl i c t w i t h the interest of e v e ryon e e l s e ? A r e you � o i n g to t e l l m e i t i s v i c e w h i c h i s a t o d d s w i th m anki n d ' s w e l f a r e � I I w o u l d g r a n t t h i s t r u e i n a w o r l d com p o s e d of e q u a l p ro p o r f ons of good and bad p e o p l e , b e c a u s e in this i n s t a n c e , the i n t e r e : ; t of the one c a tegory would be i n cl e a r c o n t r a d i c t i o n w i t h t h a t o f t h e oth e r ; h o w e v e r , t h a t d o e s n o t hold t r u e i n a comple tely c o r ru p t s o c i e ty ; i n i t , my vices outrage the vicious only a n d p ro voke i n t h e m other vices which they u s e to s qu a r e m a tt e r s : a n d thus a l l of us are h a ppy : t h e v i b r a t i o n b e c o m e s g e n e r a l : w e h a v e a m ll l t i t u d e o f c o n fl icts a n d mutual i n j u r i e s w h e reby e v e ryo n e , i m m t : d i a tely r e c o v e r i n g w h a t h e h a s j u s t l o s t , i n c e s s a n tly d i scovers h i rr s e l f i n a h a p p y p o s i t i o n . V i c e i s d a n g e r o u s to n a u gh t b u t V i r tu e w 1 i c h , f r a i l a n d t i m o r o u s , d a r e s u n d e rtake n o t h i n g ; but when i t s h a l l n o longer exi s t o n e a r t h , w h e n its w e a r i s o m e r e i gn s h a l l r e a c h i t s e n d , v i c e th e r e a fte r o u t r a g i n g n o o n e but t h e v i c i o u s , will c a u s e o t h e r v i c e s to b u r g e o n b u t w i l l c a u s e n o
Jus t i n e ... 6 9 5
further d a m a g e to the virtuous. H o w could y o u h e l p but h ave foundered a thousand times over in the course of you r life, Therese ? for have you not continually driven up the one-way street all the world has crowded down ? Had you turned and abandoned your self to the tide you would h ave m a d e a s a fe port a s well a s 1. Will h e who wishes to climb upstream cover as much distance in a day as he who moves with the current ? You constantly talk about Providence ; h a ! wh a t p roves to you this Providence is a friend of order and consequently enamored o f Virtu e ? Does I t not give you uninterrupted examples of Its inj ustices and I ts i rregulariti e s ? Is it by sending m a nkind war, plaglles, and famine, i s i t by h aving formed a universe vicious i n every one o f its pa rticul ars I t manifests to your view Its extreme fondnes:; o f good ? Why would you have it that vicious individu a l s displ ea:; e It since Providence I tself acts only through the intermediary of vices ? since all i s vice and corruption i n Its works ? since all i s crime and disorder in what It wills ? M oreover,
· whence do w e derive those impul ses which lead us
to do evil ? is it not Providence's h an d which gives them to u s ? is there a single one o f our sensati o;1s which does not come from I t ? one of our desires which i s not It� a rtifact ? is it then reasonable to say that I t would allow u s or give us penchants for something which migh t be harm fu l to It or useless ? if then vices s e rve Provi dence, why should we wish to disown them, disclaim them, resist them ? wh a t would j u s t i fy o u r labors to destroy them ? a n d whence comes the right to s ti fl e their voice ? A. l i ttle more philosophy i n the world would soon restore all to o rder and would cause magistrates and legisla to r s to see that the crimes they condemn and punish with such rigor sometimes h ave a far greater degree of utility than those virtu e s they preach without p racticing and without eve r re w a rding."
" Bu t when I become sufficiently enfeebled, M a dame , " I re plied, "to be able to e mbrace your appalling doctrines, how will you manage to suppress the feelings of guilt in my heart whose b irth they will cause at every instant ?"
"Guilt is an illusion , " Dubo i s answered ; " my dear Theres e , it
it naught but the idiotic murmuring o f a soul too debilitated to dare annihila te i t . "
"Annihilate i t ! M ay one ?"
6 9 6 + T H E MAR Q U I S DE SADE
" N othing simpl e r one repents only o f what o n e i s not i n the h a b i t of d o i n g ; frequently r e p e a t what m a k e s you remo r s e fu l a n d y o u ' l l q u i ckly h a v e done w i th t h e b u s i n e s s ; a g a i n s t y o u r q u a l m s o p p o s e t h e torch o f yo u r p a ss i o n s a n d s e l f- i n t e r e s t ' s p o t ent l aws : they'll be p u t to rout in a t r i c e . R e m o r s e is no index o f c r i m i n a l i ty ; i t m e r ely denotes an e a s i l y subj u g a t e d s p i r i t ; l e t s o m e a b s u r d com mand b e given you, whi : h f o rb i d s you to leave this room, a n d y o u ' l l n o t d e p a r t w i t h o u t gu i l ty feelings h o w e v e r c e r t a i n i t i s y o u r d e p a r t u r e will c a u s e no one any h a rm . And so it is n o t true t h a t it i s excl u s i vely c r i m e w h i c h exc i t e s remo r s e . B y convincing y o u r s e l f o f c r i m e ' s null i ty , o f i t s n e , : e s s i ty w i th w h a t r e g a r d s N a tu r e ' s u n i v e r s a l schem e , i t would the r e f o r e b e a s p o s s i b l e to v a n q u i s h the gu i l t o n e would s e n s e a ft e r h a vi 1g c o m m i t t e d i t a s i t would b e to throttle th a t which would b e b o : ·n from y o u r l e a ving t h i s room after having received t h e i l l e g a l o r d e r to s t a y h e r e . One m u s t b e g i n w i t h a p r e c i s e a n a l y s i s o f everyth i n g m a n k i n d denomi n a t e s a s c r i m i n a l ; by con vincing o n e s e l f that i t i s m e rely t h e in fraction o f i ts laws a n d n a ti o n a l m a nn e r s they : h a r a c t e r i z e thu s , th a t w h a t i s c a l l e d c r i m e i n F r a n c e c e a s e s to b e ( ri m e t w o hundred l e a gu e s a w a y , t h a t t h e r e i s no a c t r e a ll y c o n s i d t r e d c r i m i n a l eve rywh ere upon e a r t h , none which, v i c i o u s o r crimir-al here, is n o t p r a i seworthy a n d v i r t u o u s a few m i l e s h e n c e , t h a t i t is a l l a m a t t e r of o p i n i o n a n d of geograp hy and t h a t it is t h e r e f o r , � a b s u r d to t i e o n e s e l f down to p r a c t i c i n g v i r tu e s w h i c h a r e o n l y v i c e s somewh e r e e l s e , and to fl y i n g f r o m c r i m e s w h i c h a r e excel l e n t d e e d s i n a n o t h e r cl i m a te-I a s k y o u n o w i f , a ft e r these r e fl e :tions, I c a n s t i l l r e t a i n a n y f e e l i n g s o f gu i l t f o r h aving comm i t t e d , e i th e r f o r t h e s a k e o f p l e a s u r e o r o f s e l f i n t e r e s t , a crime in Fra nce which is n o t h i n g b u t a v i r t u e in C h i n a ? or i f I ought to m a k e myself v e ry m i s e r a b l e or be p r o d i g i o u sly troubl e d about p r a c t i c i : 1 g a c t i o n s i n France which would h ave me b u r n e d i n S i a m ? Now, if remorse exi s t s only i n reason of p r o h i b i t i o n , i f i t i s n e v e r b u t b o rn o f the wreckage o f the i n h i b i t o ry c h e ck a n d in no w i s e of the committed a c t , is it so v e ry w i s e to allow the impulse i n i t s e l f to sub s i s t ? i s i t n o t s tu p i d not to exti rp a t e i t at once ? Let one b e c o m e a ccu stomed to c o n s i d e r i n g a s i n c o n s e qu e n t i a l the a c t which h a s j u s t exc i t e d r e m o r s e ; l e t the scrupulou sly m e d i t a t e d s t u dy o f the m a n l e r s and c u s t o m s o f a l l the w o r l d ' s n a t i o n s culmin a t e in o n e ' s j u d�:ing the a c t i n d i ff e r en t ; a s a r e s u l t o f t h i s
Jus tin e + 6 9 7
research, let one r ep e a t t h i s act, whatever i t i s , a s o ften a s possibl e ; o r , better still, l e t one commit more powerful versions of the act one i s concerting so as better to habitu a te oneself to i t , do this, and famil i a r i ty together with reason will soon destroy remorse for i t ; they will rapidly annihilate this shadowy, furtive impulse, issue o f naught b u t i gnorance a n d education. O n e will strai ghtway feel that there being nothing really criminal i n anything whatsoever, there is stupidity i n repentance a n d pu sillanimity i n not daring to do everything that may b e u s e ful or agreeable to us, whatever be the dikes one must breach, the fences one must topple in order to do it. I am forty-five, Therese ; I committed my first crime at four teen. Tha t one emanci p a te d me from all the bonds that hampered m e ; since then I have not ceased to chase fortune throughout a career sown w i th crimes , there's not a single one I've not done or h a d done . . . and never have I known any remorse. However that m ay be, I am reaching my term, yet another two o r three neat strokes and I p a s s from the mediocre condition wherein I was to h ave spent my life, to an income of above fi fty thousand a year. I repeat, my dear, never upon this happily traveled road has remorse made me feel its stings ; a cata s trophic miscarriage might this instant plunge m e from the pinnacle into the abyss, I ' d not feel remorse, n o : I would lament my want of skill o r accuse men, but I should always be a t peace with my conscienc e . "
"Very well, " I r eplied, "very w e l l , Madame, but let's s p e n d a moment reasoning in terms o f your own principles : wh a t right h ave you to require that my conscience be as impregnable a s yours when since childhood it has not been accustomed to vanquishing the same prejudices ? By what title do you require that m y mind, which i s not constituted like your own, be able to adopt the same systems ? You acknowledge sums o f goo d and evil in N a ture, you a dmit that, in consequence, there must be a certain qu antity o f beings who practice goo d and another group which devotes itself to evil ; the cou rse I elect i s h ence n a tural ; therefore, how would you be able to demand that I take leave of the rules N a ture prescribes to m e ? You say you find happiness i n the career you pursu e ; very well, M adame, why should it be that I do not also find i t in the career I pursu e ? Do not suppose, furthermore, that the law's vigilance long leaves i n peace him who violates its codes, you have j u s t h a d a striking example of
6 9 8 + T H E MARQ UI S DE SADE
the contrary ; of the fifteen scoundrels with whom I was l iving, fourteen p e ri sh i gnomin iously . . . . "
"And i s tha t what 'rou call a misfortune ?" Dubo i s asked. " Bu t w h a t d o e s this ignominy m e a n t o h i m who h a s principles no longer ? When one h a s trespassed every fronti er, when in our eyes honor i s no more than a halluci nation, reputation of pe rfect indifference, religion an illusion, de" th a total anni hilation ; i s i t then not the same thing, to die on th( scaffold o r in bed ? There are two varieties o f rascals i n the worl d Therese : the one a powe rfu l fortune or p rodigious influence shdters from this tragic end ; the other one who i s unable to avo i d it when taken. The latter, born unprovided with possessions, must have but one desire i f he has any espri t : to become rich a t no matte:- what price ; if he succeeds, he obtains what h e wanted and should be: content ; i f h e is put on the rack, what's he to regret since he has nothing to lose ? Those laws decreed against banditry are null i f they are not extended to apply to the powerfu l bandi t ; that t h e law insF i r e a n y dread in t h e miserabl e i s impossible , f o r the s w o r d is t h e miserable man's only resource . "
"And d o y o u beli'�ve, " I broke i n , " that i n another world C elestial Justice does nc,t await him whom crime h a s not a ffri ghted i n this one ?"
" I believe, " thi s d angerous woman answered, " that i f there were a God there would be less evil on e a rth ; I bel i eve that since evil exists, these disorders are either exp ressly ordained by this God, and there you hav e a barbarous fellow, o r h e i s incapable of p reventing them and right away you have a feeble God ; i n either case, an abominable being, a being whose lightning I should defy and whose laws contemr .. Ah, Therese ! is not atheism p referable to the one and the o th e r o f these extremes ? that's my doctrine, dear lass, it's been mine sinc � childhood and I ' l l s urely not renounce it while I live."
"You make me shu dder, M adame," I said, getting to my feet ; "will you p a rdon me ? f J r I am unable to li sten any longer to your sophistries and blaspher1ie s . "
" On e moment, Th :rese, " said Dubois, holding m e b ack, " i f I canno t conqu er your re ason, I m ay a t least captivate your heart. I have need o f you, do not refuse m e your a i d ; here are a thousand l o u is : they will be yours as soon a s the blow i s struck."
Jus tin e + 6 9 9
Heedless o f a l l b u t m y p enchant for doing good, I immediately asked Dubois what was involved s o a s to forestall, i f ' twere p o s sible, th e crime she was getting ready to commit.
"Here i t i s , " she s a i d : "have you noticed that young tradesman from Lyon who has been taking his meals here fo r the past four or five days ?"
"Who ? Dubreuil ?" " Precisely. " "Well ?" "He is i n love w i th you , he tol d m e so in confidence, your
modest and gentle air pleases him i nfinitely, he adores your candor, your virtue enchants h i m ; this romantic fellow has eight hundred thousand francs in gold o r paper, i t' s all i n a l i ttle coffer he keeps near his b e d ; let m e give the man to understand you consent t o hear him, whether that b e true or not ; for, does i t m a tte r ? I ' ll get him to propose you a drive, you'll take a carriage out o f the town, I ' ll pe rsuade h i m h e will a dvance m a tters with you during your prome nade ; you'll amuse him, you'll keep him away a s long as possible, me anwhile I 'l l rob him, but I 'l l not fl e e ; h i s belongings will reach Turin before I quit Grenobl e , we will empl oy all im aginable art to dissuade h i m from settling h i s eyes upon u s , we'll pretend to assist h i s se arche s ; however, my departure will be announced, he'll not be surprised thereby, you'll foHow m e , and the thousand l o u is will be counted out to you immedi a t ely we get to the Piedmont."
"Agreed, M a dame , " I s a i d to Dubois, fully determined to warn Dubreuil o f the concerted thdt, "but consi der," I added in o rder more tho roughly to deceive this villain, " that if Dubreui l i s fond o f me, by revealing the busine ,s o r by giving myself t o him, I m i gh t get much more from him th�,n you offer me to be tray him . "
" B ravo , " repl i e d Dubo is, " th a t' s what I call an adept scholar, I ' m beginning to beli eve Heaven gave you a greater talent for crime than you p retend : ah well , " she continued, picking up a quill, "here's my note for twenty t housand crowns, now dare say no to m e . "
" N at for the w o r l d , M a dame," quoth I , taking h e r n o t e , "but, a t least, my weakness and my wrong in surrendering to your seduc tions a re to be a ttributed only to my impecunious circumstances."
" I ' d prefer to i n terpret i t a s a meritorious a c t o f your
7 0 0 + T H E M A R Q U S DE S A D E
intelligence , " said Duboi s , "but if you p re fer me to blame your pove rty, why then, as you like ; serve me and you will always be conten t . "
Everything was a rranged ; the s a m e evening I b e g a n in e a rnest to play my game with Dubreuil, and indeed I d i scovered he had some taste for m e .
N o thing coul d have b e e n more emba rrassing t h a n m y situa tion : I was without an:, doubt far from lending mysel f to the pro posed crime even had it been worth ten thousand times as much gol d ; but the idea o f cenouncing this woman was also painful for me ; I was exceedingly l oa th to expose to death a creature to whom I h a d owed my freedom ten years before. I should have liked to have been able to find a way of preventing the crime without having it punished, a n d with anyone else but a consummate villain like Dubois I should have succe ede d ; here then is what I resolved to do, all the while unawa:'e that this horrible woman's base maneuvers would not only topple the entire edifice o f my honorable schemes but even punish m e for having dreamt of them.
Upon the day fixed for the proj ected outing, Duboi s invites us b o th to dine i n h e r rO(lm, we accep t, and the meal over, Dubreuil a n d I descend to sumn.on the carriage that has been prepared fo r u s ; Duboi s does not a :comp any u s , I find mys elf alone with Du breuil the moment before we set out.
" M onsieu r , " I say, speaking very rapidly, "li sten closely to me, don't be a l a rmed, no n o i s e , and above all pay strict a ttention to wh a t I am going to r ecommend ; have you a reliable friend a t this hotel ?"
"Yes, I have a young associate upon whom I can count with absolute confidence. "
"Then , Monsieur, g o p romptly a n d o rder him n o t t o leave your room for a second while we are on our drive . "
" B u t I have t h e key to t h e room ; what does t h i s excess o f p recaution signify ?"
" I t i s more essential than you believe, Monsieur, I beg you to employ it, or else I shal l not go out with you ; the woman with whom we dined i s a bandit, � he only arranged our outing i n order more ea sily to rob you while we are gone ; make haste, M onsieur, she is watching us, she i s dar.gerous ; quickly, turn your key over to your
Jus tin e .. 7 0 1
fri e n d , h a v e h i m g o a n d install h i m s e l f i n your room a n d l e t h i m n o t b u d g e u n t i l w e ' r e b a ck. I ' l l exp l a i n the r e s t a s s o o n a s we a r e i n t h e c a r r i a g e . "
D u b r e u i l h e e d s m e , p r e s s e s m y h a n d i n token o f t h a n k s , fl i e s to give o r d e r s r e l a t i v e t o t h e w a r n i n g h e h a s received, a n d r e turns ; we l e a v e ; when en r o u t e , I disclose the e n t i r e a dventu r e to h i m , I r e c i t e m i n e a n d i n fo r m h i m of the unhappy ci r cu m s t a n c e s in my l i f e which have c a u s e d me to m a k e the acqu a i n t a n c e o f such a woman. T h i s correct a n d s e nsible young m a n exp r e s s e s the deepest gratitude for t h e s e rvice I h a v e just s o kindly rendered h i m , h e takes a n i n t e r e s t i n my m i s fo rtun e s , a n d p r o p o s e s to all evi a te t h e m w i t h t h e b e s towal o f h i s h a n d .
" I a m o n l y too h a p py to be a b l e to m a k e you restitution for t h e w r o n g s f o r t u n e h a s done you , M a d e m o i s e l l e , " says h e ; " I a m my own m a s t e r , d e p e n d e n t u p o n n o o n e , I am g o i n g on to Geneva to m ak e a con s i d e r a b l e investment w i t h the fu n d s your timely w a r n i n g h a s s a v e d m e from l o s i n g ; accom p 8 ny m e to Swi t z e r l a n d ; when w e a rrive t h e r e I s h a l l become your hu:.b a n d a n d you will n o t a p p e a r i n Lyon u n d e r a n y o t h e r t i t l e , o r , i f y o u p r e fe r , M a demo i s e l l e , i f you have any m i s g i v i n g s , it will only b e i n my own coun try I w i l l give you my n a m e . "
S u c h a n o ff e r , so v e r y fl a tt e r i n g, w a s o n e I d a r e d n o t r e f u s e ; b u t it d i d n o t on the o t h e r h a n d become me to accep t i t w i th o u t m a k i n g Dubreuil a w a r e o f a l l t h a t : n i g h t c a u s e h i m to r e p e n t i t ; h e w a s g r a t e ful f o r my d e l i c acy a n d o n l y i n s i s t e d t h e m o r e u rgently . . . unhappy c r e a tu r e t h a t I w a s ! ' tw a s n e c e s s a ry that h a p p i n e s s be o ff e r e d m e only in o r d e r t h a t I be m o r e d e e ply p en e t r a t e d with gri e f a t n e v e r being a b l e to seize i t ! i t w a s then ordained t h a t no vi r tu e could b e b o rn i n my h e a r t without p r e p a ri n g torments for m e l
O u r conve r s a t i o n h a d a l r e a dy taken u s two l e a gu e s from the c i ty , a n d w e were about to d i smoun t i n order to enj oy t h e fresh a i r a l o n g t h e b a nk o f t h e I s e r e , w h e n a l l o f a s u d de n Dubreuil t o l d m e h e felt very i l l . . . . H e got down , h e w a s s e i z e d by d r e a d ful vomit i n g s ; I h a d h i m climb i n t o the c a r ri age a t once a n d we fl e w b a ck p o s t h a s te to G renob l e . Dubreuil i s so s i ck he h a s to be b o r n e to h i s room ; h i s c o n d i t i o n s t a rtl e s h i s a ss o c i a t e w h o m we fi n d t h e r e and who , i n a c c o r d a n c e with i n s t r u c t i o n s , has n o t s t i r r e d from the
7 0 2 .. T H E M A R Q U I S DE S A D E
chambe r ; a doctor corr es, Just Hea ven ! Dubreuil has been poi soned ! I no sooner l e a rn the ::atal news than I dash to Dubois' apa rtment ; the infamous creature ! she's gone ; I ru sh to my room, my a rmoire h a s been forced open, the l i ttle money and odds and ends I possess have been removed ; Dubois, they tell m e , left three hours ago in the di rection of Tu rin. There was no doubt she was the author o f this multitude of crimes ; � he h a d gone to Dubreu il's door ; annoyed to find his room occupied, she revenged herself upon m e and had envenomed Dubreuil a t dinner so that upon our return, i f she h a d succeeded with h e r th �ft, that unhappy young man wou l d be m o r e bu sied w i t h his o w n hiling l i fe t h a n concerned to p u r s u e h e r who had made off with his fortune and would let her fly in sa fety ; the accident o f h i s death, occu rring, so to speak, while h e was in my a rm s , would make me: appear more suspect than hersel f ; nothing di rectly informed u s {of the scheme she had contrived, but could it h ave been different ?
And then I rush back to Dubreuil's room ; I am not allowed to app roa ch h i s bedside " B u t why ?" I d e m a n d a n d am given t h e reason : the poor man i s expi ring and i s n o longer occupied with anyone save h i s God. However, he exonerates me, he gives a ssur ance o f my innocence ; he exp ressly forbids that I be pursued ; he dies. Ha rdly has h e dosed his eyes when h i s associ ate h a s tens to bring m e t h e news and begs me to be easy. Al a s I how could I b e ? how was I not to wee p bitterly for the loss of a man who had so generously offered to extricate me from mi sery ! how was I not to deplore a theft which forced me back into the wre tchedness whence I had only a moment before emerged ! Frightful creatu r e ! I cried ; if 'tis to this your p r inciple s l e a d you, is i t any wonde r they are abhorred and that horest folk punish them ! But I was a rguing from the inj ured pa r ty's v ewpoint and Dubois, who had only reaped happiness there from and saw nothing but h e r interest i n what she h a d unde rtaken, Dub( ,is, I s ay, h a d doubtl ess reached a very di ffer ent conclusion.
To Dubreuil's a!.sociate, whose name was Valbo i s , I divulged everything, both whal had been concerted against the man we had lost and what had happened to me. He symp athized with m e , most sincerely regretted Dubreuil and blamed the overly nice scruples which had prevented m e from lodging a complaint instantly I had
Jus tine + 7 03
been a d vi s e d of Dubo i s ' scheme s ; we a g r e e d t h a t t h i s monster who needed but four hours to get to a n o t h e r country a n d secu r i ty would a rrive there b e f o r e we would b e a b l e to o rg a n i z e h e r p u r su i t , that to follow her would involve c o n s i d e r a b l e exp e n s e , t h a t the inn k e e p e r , h e avily compromi s e d by the p r o c e e di n g s we would l aunch, by de fen d i n g h i m s e l f with v e h e m e n c e might p e r h a p s e n d by h av i n g m e c r u s h e d , I . . . who s e e m e d to b e l i v i n g i n G renoble a s one who h a d missed the gallows by a h a i rsb r e a d t h . T h e s e r e a sons convinced m e a n d even t e r ri fi e d m e to the p o i n t I resolved to leave the town without even saying fa rewell to my p rotector, M on s i e u r S * * * . Dubreu i l ' s friend app roved t h e i de a ; h e d i d n o t conc e a l from m e that i f the e n t i r e a dventure w e r e to b e r e v e a l e d h e w o u l d b e obliged t o m a k e d e p o s i ti o n s w h i c h , h i s p recautions notwithstanding, would involve me a s much by my i n t i m a cy w i t h Dub r e u i l a s i n r e a s o n o f my l a s t o u t i n g w i t h h i s friend ; i n t h e l i gh t o f w h i c h h e u rged m e to l e a ve a t once without a w o r d to anyo n e , a n d I could b e p e r f ectly sure t h a t , o n h i s s i d e , h e would n e v e r take s t e p s a g a i n s t m e , w h o m h e believed i n n o c e n t , a n d , i n a l l t h a t h a d j u s t occu rred, whom he could only accuse of weakne s s .
Upon p o n d e r i n g Valbois ' opi n i o n s , I recogn i z e d t h e y w e r e t h a t much b e t t e r t h e m o r e c e r t a i n i t a p p e a r e d I would b e b e h e l d w i t h suspicion ; t h e l e s s my gu i l t , the w i s e r h i s suggestion s ; th e o n e thing t h a t s p o k e i n my b e h a l f , the recommen d a t i o n I h a d m a d e to Dubreuil at the o u t s e t of our p r om e n a d e , which had, s o they told m e , been u n s a t i s factorily exp l a i n e d by t h e a r ticle o f his d e a t h , would n o t a p p e a r s o conclu s i v e a s I m i gh t h o p e ; w h e r eupon I p romp tly m a d e my decision ; I i m p a rted i t to Valbo i s .
"Woul d , " s a i d h e , " th a t m y f r i e n d h a d c h a r g e d m e w i t h some d i s p o s i ti o n s favorable to you , I should c a r ry out such requests with the greatest p l e a su r e j I a m s o r ry indeed h e d i d n o t tell m e ' tw a s to you h e owed the a dvice to gu a r d his room ; but h e s a i d nothing o f t h e s o r t , n o t a w o r d d i d I h a v e from h i m , a n d consequently I a m obl i g e d t o l i m i t mys e l f t o mer ely complying with h i s o r d e r s . What you h a v e s u ff e r e d by h i s l o s s would p e rs u a d e me to do something i n my own n a m e were I able to, M a d e m o i s e l l e , but I a m j u s t setting up i n bu s i n e s s , I a m young, my fortune i s not boundle s s , I am com p e l l e d to r e n d e r an account of D u b r e u i l to his family and wi thout delay ; allow me then to confine my s e l f to t h e one l i ttle service I b e g
7 04 + T H E MARQ U I S DE SADE
you t o a ccep t : h e r e a r e five lo uis and I have h e r e as well a n h o n e s t m e rc h a n t from C h a l o n - s u r-S a o n e , my n a ti v e c i ty ; s h e i s going t o r e tu r n t h e r e a ft e r a d a y a n d a n i ght ' s stop a t Lyo n where s h e i s c a l l e d b y bu s i n e s s m a t tus ; I p u t you i n t o h e r k e e p i n g . "
" M a d a m e B e rt r a n d , " V a l b o i s continu e d , " h e r e i s the y o u n g l a dy I spoke o f ; I recommend h e r to you, s h e w i s h e s to p rocure h e r s e l f a s i tu a ti o n . Wi th t h e s a m e e a rn e s t n e s s which would apply w e r e s h e m y o w n s i s t e r , I beg you t o take a l l p o s s ible steps t o fi n d s o m e t h i n g i n o u r c i ty w h i c h w i l l b e s u i t a b l e t o h e r p e r s o n , h e r b i r t h , a n d h e r upbringing ; t h a t un til s h e i s p ro p e rly i n s t a l l e d s h e i n c u r n o ex p e n s e ; d o see t o her r e q u i r e m e n t s and I shall r e i m b u r s e you im m e d i a tely I am h o m e . "
Valbo i s b e s ought m e l e a v e t o e mb r a c e m e . " A d i eu , M a de m o i s e ll e , " h e continu e .:] , " M a d a m e B er t r a n d s e t s o ff t o m o r row at d a y b r e a k ; accompan:r her a n d m a y a l i ttle m o r e h a p p i n e s s a ttend you i n a c i ty where I � hall p e r h a p s s o o n h ave t h e s a t i s fa c t i o n o f s e e i n g you a g a i n . "
T h e courtesy o f t h i s young m a n , w h o w a s i n n o s o r t indebted t o me, brought tears to my e y e s . Kind t r e a tm e n t i s swe e t indeed w h e n f o r s o l o n g o n e h a s e xp e r i e n c e d naught but t h e m o s t o di o u s . I a c c e p t e d h i s g i f t s , a t t h o : s a m e t i m e s w e a r i n g I w a s going to work a t n o th i n g b u t t o p u t mys e l f i n a w ay to b e a b l e s o m e d a y t o recip ro c a t e . Alas I I thought a s I r e t i r e d , though the exerci s e of yet a n o t h e r v i rtue h a s j u s t fl u n g m e i n to d e s t i tu t i o n , a t l e a st , f o r t h e fi r s t t i m e i n m y l i f e , the h o p e o f c O ls01ation l o o m s o u t o f t h i s a p p a l l i n g p i t o f evil i n t o which V i r tu e h l S c a s t m e a g a i n .
T h e h o u r w a s n o t a dv a n ce d ; I n e e d e d a b r e a t h o f a i r a n d s o w e n t d o w n to t h e I s e r e embankment, d e s i r i n g to s t r o l l t h e r e f o r s e v e r a l i n s t a n t s ; a n d , a s a l m o s t a l w a y s h a p p e n s u n d e r s i m i l a r c i r cum s t a n c e s , my though t s , a b s o r b i n g m e enti r ely, l e d m e f a r . F i n d i n g m y s e l f , a t l ength, i n a n i s o l a te d p l a c e , I s a t down, m o r e l e i surely t o p o n d e r . However, n i g� t d e s c e n d e d b e f o r e I thought to r e tu rn ; o f a s u d d e n I f e l t mysel f s e i z e d by t h r e e m e n : one c l a p p e d a h a n d o v e r m y m o u t h , the o t h e r t , v o p r e c i p i t a te d m e into a c a r r i a g e , climbed i n , a n d f o r t h r e e full h ou r s w e s p e d along, during which t i m e n o t o n e o f t h e s e b r i g a n d s d d g n e d e i t h e r to s a y a w o r d to m e o r respond t o a ny of m y q u e s t i o n s The b l i n d s w e r e d r a wn down, I s a w n o th i n g ; the c a r r i a ge came to a halt b e f o r e a h o u s e , gates swung w i d e ,
Jus tin e + 7 0 5
w e ente red, the gates clanged t o immedia tely. My abducto rs pick me up, l e a d me through several unl i t a p artments, and finally l e ave m e i n one n e a r which i s a room wherein I p e rceive a light.
"Stay h e r e , " s ays one of my ravishers a s h e withdraws with his comp anions, "you ' r e soon going to see a n old acquaintance."
And they disappea r , carefully shutting all the doors. At almost the same time, that l e a ding into the room where I had spi e d illumi n a tion i s opened, and c a rrying a candle in her hand, I s e e emerge . . . oh, M a dame, fa ncy who i t was . . . Dubois . . . Dubois herself, that frightful monster, devoured, no question o f i t , by the most a rdent desire to be revenge d.
"Hither, charming girl , " s a i d she i n a n a r rogant tone, "come here and receive the reward for th e virtues . i n which you indulged yourself at my exp ense . . . . " And angrily clutching my hand : " . . . a h , you wretch I I ' l l teach you to b e tray m e I "
"N 0 , M adame, n o , " I say i n g r e a t h a s t e , " I b etrayed y o u n o t a t all : in form yoursel f : I uttered not one word which could cause you any inquietude, no, I spoke not the least word which migh t comp romise you . "
" But did y o u n o t offer resistance to the c r i m e I meditate d ? have you not thwarted i t s execution, worthless cre a tu r e ! You've go t to be c h astened . . . . "
And, a s we were entering, she h a d no time to s ay more. The apa rtment into which I was made to pass was lit with equ a l sumptu ousness and magnificence ; at the furth e r end, reclining upon a n ottoman, w a s a man o f about forty, wearing a billowing taffeta dressing robe.
" Monseign eu r , " said Dubo i s , p resenting m e to him, "here i s t h e young l a dy y o u wanted, s h e in w h o m a l l Grenoble h a s become interested . . . the celebrated Therese, to b e brief, condemned to hang with the counte rfeiters, then delivered thanks to her innocence and her virtue. Acknowledge that I s e rve you with skill, M on seigneur ; not four days ago you evinced your extreme desire to immola te h e r to your p a ssions ; and today I put h e r into your hands ; you will perhaps prefer her to that p r e tty l i ttle pensionna i re from the B en e dictine convent at Lyon you also desired and who should b e a rriving any minute : the l a tter has he r p hysical and moral integrity this one here h a s nothing but a sentimental chastity ; but
7 0 6 �� T H E M A R Q l I S DE S A D E
i t i s deep-grained in he r being and nowhere will you find a creature more he avily ball asted with candor and honesty. They are b o th a t y o u r disposition, Monseigneu r : you 'll e i t h e r dispatch e a c h t h i s evening, o r o n e t o d a y � nd the o t h e r tomorrow. A s for myself, I a m l e aving you : your kindnesses in m y regard engaged me t o make you privy to my Greno jle adventure. One man dead, Monseigneur, one dead man ; I must fly-"
"Ah no, n o , charming woman I" cried the master of the place ; "no, stay, and fear not ning while you have my pro tection ! You a re as a soul unto my plea sures ; you alone possess the art of exciting and satisfying them, and the more you mul tiply your crimes, the more the thought of you inflames my mind . . . . But this Therese i s a pretty thing . . . . " and addressing himself to me : "what i s your age, my child ?"
"Twenty-six, M onseigneu r , " I replied, "and much gri e f . " " H a , y e s , grie f i n d e e d , lots o f distress, excellent, I ' m familiar
with all th a t , hugely amusing, j u s t what I like ; we're going to straighten everything out, we'll put a stop to these tumble s ; I gu arantee you that in twen ty-four hours you 'll be unhappy no longer , h a ! . . . " and, with that, dreadfu l fl i ghts of l aughter . . . " ' tis tru e , eh, Dubo i� ? I 've a sure method fo r ending a young girl ' s m i s fo r tunes, hav. : n ' t I ?"
" Indeed you d o , " the odious creature replied ; "and if Therese weren ' t a friend o f mille, I ' d neve r have brought her to you ; bu t i t i s only f a i r I reward h e r f o r what s h e d i d f o r m e . You ' d never imagine how u s e fu l this dear thing was to me during my l a test enterprise a t Grenobl e ; you, M onseigneur, have h a d the kindness to accep t my expression o f gratitude, and, I p ray you , repay what l owe h e r with interest . "
T h e opaque ambi�u i ty o f these phrases, what Dubois h a d said to me upon entering, t 1e sp ecies o f gentleman with whom I had to do, this other girl whose forthcoming appea rance h a d been an nounced, all this instantly troubled my imagination to a degree it would be difficult to d :scribe. A cold swe at seeped from my pores and I was about to fall i n a swoon-' twas a t that instant this man's proj ects finally became cle a r to me. He calls me to him, begins with two o r three kisses w 1ereby our mouths are obliged to unite ; he seeks my tongue, finds and sucks i t and his, running deep into my
Jus ti n e + 7 0 7
throat, seems t o be pumping the very breath from m y lungs. H e h a s me bend m y h e a d upon h i s chest, he l i fts m y h a i r a n d closely ob serves the nape of my neck.
"Oh, 'tis delicious I" he cri es, squeezing i t vigorously ; " I've never seen one so ni cely attached ; ' twill be divine to make it j ump free. "
This last remark confirmed all my intimations ; I saw very clea rly I was once again in the clutches o f one o f those libertines moved by cruel passions, whose most cherished delights consist in enj oying the agonies or the d e a t h o f the luckless victims procured them by money ; I observed I wa�, in danger of losing my l i fe.
And then a knock at the door ; Dubois leaves and an instant later ushers in the young Lyonnaise she had mentioned sho rtly before. I 'll now try to sketch the two personages i n whose comp any you are going to see me for a while. The Monseigneur, whose name and estate I never di scovered, was, a s I told you, a man o f forty years, slender, indeed slight of frame, but vigorou sly constituted, sinewy, with his muscles almost constantly tensed, powerful biceps showing upon a rms that were covered with a growth of thick black hair ; everything about him prodaimed strength and good health ; his face was animated, his ga z e ardent, his eyes small , black, and wicked, there were splendid white teeth i n his mouth , and liveliness in h i s every feature ; his height was above average, and this man's ama tory goad, which I was to have but too frequent occasion to see and feel, was roughly a foot lon g and above eight inches a round. This incisive, ne rvous , constantl ), alerted and oozing instrument, ribboned with great purple veins that rendered i ts aspect still more formidable, was levitated throughout the seance, which lasted five o r six hours ; never once did i t sink o r falter. I h a d never before o r since found a more hi rsute man : h e resembled those fauns described i n fables. His powerful hands ended in fingers whose s trength was that of a vice ; as for his character, i t seemed to me harsh, abrupt, cruel , his mind was inclined to that sarcasm and teasing o f a sort calculated to redouble the suffe rings one was per fectly well able to see one had to expect such a man would strive to inflict.
The little Lyonnaise was called Eulalie. A glimpse o f her was enough to convince one of h e r distingui shed b irth and virtue : she
7 0 8 + T H E MAR Q U I S DE SADE
was t h e d a u g h t e r of o n e )f t h e c i ty ' s fo r e m o s t fami l i e s from w h o s e h o u s e Dubo i s ' c r i m i n a l h i relings h a d a b d u c t e d h e r u n d e r t h e p r e te x t o f convey i n g h e r to a r e n d e z v o u s w i t h t h e l o v e r s h e i dol i z e d ; to gether w i th a n enchanting fo r t h r i g h tn e s s a n d n aiv e t e , s h e p o s s e s s e d o n e o f t h e m o s t d e l i g h t ful countenances i m a gi n a b l e . B a r ely s ixteen years o l d , E u l a l i e had t h c ! f a c e of a genu i n e M a donna ; her f e a t u r e s w e r e embelli s h e d by a n envi a b l e innocence and m o d e s ty ; s h e h a d l i ttle c o l o r b u t w a s only t h e m o r e f e t c h i n g fo r th a t ; a n d the s p a rkle i n her sup e rb eyes endo''Ved h e r p r e t ty f a c e w i t h a l l t h e fire and w a rm t h w h e r e o f , at fi rs t gl a n c e , this pallor seemed to deprive h e r ; h e r r a th e r generous mOl th w a s fi l l e d w i t h t h e p r e t t i e s t t e e t h , h e r a l r e a dy fully m a tu r e d b re a s t s s e e m e d y e t w h i t e r t h a n h e r com p l e x i o n ; but she was n o ,ense l a ck i n g i n plumpne s s : her form w a s round a n d well furn i s h e d , a l l h e r fl e s h w a s fi rm , s w e e t, a n d succu lent. Dubois a s s e r t e d it vTere i m p o s s i b l e t o behold a more b e a u ti fu l a s s : l i t tl e expert i n t h e s � m a t t e r s , you w i l l p e r m i t m e to a b s t a i n from j u dging h e r e . A fi n e m o s sy g r o w t h s h a d o w e d h e r fo r e end ; m a j e s t i c blond h a i r fi o a tc ! d a b o u t a l l t h o s e c h a rm s , r e n d e r i n g t h e m s till m o r e p i qu a n t ; a n d t o comp l e t e t h e m a s te r p i e c e , N a tu r e , w h o s e e m e d t o h av e cr e a t e d i t f o r p l e a s u r e , h a d e n d o w e d h e r w i th t h e s w e e t e s t a n d m o s t l o v a b l e temp e r a m e n t . T e n d e r a n d d e l i c a t e fl o w e r , t h u s w e r e you to g r a c e t h e world fo r b u t a n i n s t a n t i n o r d e r m o r e swi ftly to b e w i th e r e d !
" O h , M a da m e ! " s h e s a i d u p o n r e c o gn i z in g Dubo i s , " i s i t i n t h i s w a y y o u h a v e d e c e i v e d m e I . . . Ju s t H e aven I w h e r e h a v e you brought m e 7"
"You shall see, my chi l d , " put i n th e m a s t e r o f the h o u s e , abrup tly s e i z i n g E u l a l i e , d r a w i n g h e r to h i m a n d f o r thwi t h b e gin ning his k i s s e s w h i l e , u p o n his o rd e r s , I exci t e d him with o n e h a n d .
E u l a l i e s o u g h t t o p ro t e c t h e r s e l f, b u t , t h r u s t i n g the g i rl t o w a r d the l i b e r t i n e , D u b o i s e l i m i n a t e d a l l p o s s i b i l i ty o f h e r e s c a p e . The sitting was l o n g ; fo r v e ry f r e s h , new-blown w a s that fl o w e r , a n d t h e h o r n e t ' s d e s i r e to d r a i n i t s p o l l e n w a s comm e n s u r a tely gre a t . H i s i te r a t e d suckings w e r e s u c c e e d e d b y a n i n s p e c t i o n o f E u l a l i e ' s n e ck ; b e t i m e s , I p a l p a t e d h i s m e m b e r a n d felt i t throb w i t h growing i n s i stence.
"Well , " said M on s e i gn e u r , " h e r e are two v i c t i m s w h o shall fill my cup o f j oy to o v c : r fl owing : Duboi s , you s h a l l b e well p a i d ,
Jus tin e + 7 0 9
f o r I am well served. L e t ' s move into my boudoi r ; follow us, d e a r woman, come," he continu e d as he l e d u s away ; "you'll leave to night, but I need you for the p a rty."
Dubois resigns herself, and w e pass into the debauchee's pleas ure chamber, where we are stripped naked.
Oh, M a dame, I shall not a ttemp t to represent the infamies of which I was at once victim and witness. This monster's pleasures were those o f the executioner ; his unique j oy consi sted in decapitat ing. My luckless companion . . . oh, no I M a dame . . . no I do not require m e to finish . . . I was about to share her fate ; spurred on by Dubo i s , the villain h a d decided to render my torture yet more horrible when both experienced a need to revive their strength ; whereupon they s a t down to e a t . . . . What a debauch I But ought I complain ? for d i d it not save my l i fe ? B esotted with wine, ex hausted by overeating, both fell dead drunk and slumbered amidst the I i tter tha t remained from thei r feast. No sooner do I see them collapse than I leap to the skirt and mantle Duboi s had just re moved in order to appear more immodest in her p a tron ' s view ; I snatch up a candle and spring toward the stairway : this house, di vested, o r nearly so, o f servants, contains nothing to frustrate my escape, I do encounter someone, I put on a terrifi e d air and cry to him to make all haste to relieve hi:> m a ster who is dying, and I reach the door without meeting further obstacl e s . I h ave no acquaintance with the roads, I ' d not been allow ed to see the one whereby we had com e , I take the first I see . . . 'tis the one l e a ding to Grenobl e ; there i s nothing denied u s when fortune deigns momentarily to smile upon u s ; a t the inn everyone was still abed, I enter secre tly and fly to Valbois' room, knock, Valboi s wakes a n d scarcely recognizes me i n my disordered state ; he demands to know what has befallen me, I relate the horrors whereo f I was simultaneously an observer and obj ect.
"You c a n have Dubois arrested," I tell him, "she's not far from here, I m i ght even b e able to point out the way . . . . Quite apart from all her other crimes, the wretch h a s taken both my clothing and the five louis you gaye me."
"0 Therese, " says Valbois, " there's no denying it, you are without doubt the unluckiest girl on earth, but, nevertheless, my honest creature, do you not perceive, amidst all these afflictions
7 1 0 + T H E MA R Q U I S DE SADE
which beset you, a celestial arm that saves yOU ? may that be unto you as one additi onal mo tive for perpetual vi rtuousness, for never do good deeds go unrewa rded. We will not chase a fter Dubo i s , my r e a sons fo r l e tting her fO in peace a r e the same you expounded yesterday, let us simplY 'ep a i r the h a rm she has done you : here, first o f all, i s the money ,he stole from you. I n an hour' s time I'll have a s eamstress bring two complete outfits for you, and some linen.
" B u t you have got t.> l e ave, Therese, you must leave this very day, B ertrand expects YO J , I 've p e rsu aded h e r to delay her dep a r ture a few hours more, j o i n h e r . . . . "
"0 virtuous young n a n , " I cried, falling into my benefacto r ' s a rms, " m a y Heaven som�day r e p a y y o u for t h e kindness y o u have done m e . "
"Ah , Therese," s a i d Valbois, embracing me, " the happiness you wish me . . . I 've en: oyed it already, 'tis presen tly mine, since your own i s my doing . . . fa re thee well."
And thus i t was I Ie ft G renobl e , M a dame, and though I had n o t found in that c ity all the felicity I h a d imagined was awaiting m e there, at least I had 'leve r m e t in another so many kindly and goodhearted people a ssembled to symp athize with o r assu a ge my woes.
My conductress and I were i n a small covered carriage drawn by one horse we drove fwm within ; we had with us, beside M adame B e rtrand's b a ggage, her Jaby girl o f fi fteen months whom she was s till suckling and fo r wh.)m I straightway, to my vast m i s fortune, formed an attachment qu i te as deep a s w a s th a t o f the mother who had brought the infant into the world.
She was, this B e r t �and, an una ttractive person, suspicious, gossipy, noi sy, monotonous, and dull-wi tte d. Every night we regula rly emp t i e d the cat riage a n d transported everything into our inn and then went to sleep in the same room. Until Lyon, everyth ing went along very smoothl y, but du ring the th ree days this woman needed for h e r business dealings, I fell upon someone I was far from expecting to encour ter in that city.
Together w i th girls from the hotel whom I h a d got to accom p a ny me, I would take walks on the Rhone quay ; one day I all of a sudden espied the Reve rend Father Antonin forme rly o f Saint
Jus ti n e .. 7 1 1
Ma ry-in-the-Wood, now superior in cha rge o f his order's establi sh ment located in that city . Th a t monk accosted me and a fter r ebuk ing me in a very low and still sharper tone fo r my fl ight, a n d having given m e to understand I would be running gre at risks of recapture were h e to relay information t o the B u rgundian monaste ry, h e added, so ftening his manner, tha t he would not breathe a w o r d i f I should be willing that very instant to come to visit him i n his new quarters and to bring with m e the girl I was with, who struck him a s worth having ; then repeating his proposal aloud, and t o this other creatu r e : "We shall rewa rd you h andsomely, both o f you , " quoth the monster ; "there a r e t e n o f u s i n o u r house, a n d I p romise you a minimum o f one l o u is f:om each i f your complacency is unlimi ted . " I flush crimson upon hearing these words ; I spend a moment trying to convince the monk he h a s made a m i stake ; failing a t that, I attemp t to use signs to i nduce him to be silent, but nothing p revails with this insolent fellow, and his solicitations become only the more h e a te d ; at last having received rep e a t e d refusals, he de mands to know our address ; in order to get rid of him, I immedi ately give a fictitious one, he writes it down, and l e aves us with the assurance w e will soon meet again.
Upon retu rning to our inn I expl ained a s best I could the hi story o f thi s unfo rtun ate acquaintance ; but whether my com panion was not at all satisfied by what I told h e r , or whether she may perhaps have been exceedingly annoyed by my virtuous p e r formance which deprived her of an a dventure wherefrom she might have e a rned much, she waggled her tongu e , the effects o f which were only too pla inly reve aled by Bertrand' s rema rks upon the occasion of the deplorable catastrophe I a m going to relate to you in a momen t ; however, the monk never did reapp e a r , and we left Lyon.
Having quit the city late, we could get no further than Ville franche that day, and there we stopped for the night ; ' twas i n tha t town, M a dame, there took place the horrible event which today causes m e to app e a r before you i n a criminal gui s e , a lthough I was no more a malefactor in that one of my life's fateful ci rcumstances than in any other o f those where you have observed m e so unjustly a ssaulted by the blows of fate ; and as in many another instance, s o
7 1 2 + T H E MAR Q U W DE SADE
this time I was flung into the abyss by nothing other than the good ness o f my heart and the wickedness o f men.
Having made Ville franche towa rd six o ' clock in the evening, we supped i n haste and retired directly, that we might be able to undertake a longer stage on the morrow ; we h a d not been two hours i n bed when a dreadful Hmell o f smoke roused us from sleep ; con vinced the fl ames are nea a t hand, we get instantly from bed. Just He aven ! the havoc wrOl gh t by the fire was already but too fright ful ; half-naked, we open our door and all a round us h e a r nothing but the fracas of collaps: ng walls, the noise of burning timbers and woodwork and the shrie k.s o f those who h a d fallen into the bl a z e ; surrounded by devou rinj::: fl ames we have no i d e a in which di rection to run ; to escape their 1'iolence, we rush past them and soon find ourselves lost i n a milling crush of wretches who, like ourselves, are seeking salvation in fl i ght ; a t thi s point I remember that my con ductress, more concerned for h e r own than for h e r child's s a fety, h a s not thought o f preserving i t from d e a th ; without a word t o the woman, I fly to our chamber, having to p ass through the confl agra tion and to sustain burns in several places : I sna tch up the poor little creature, spring forward to restore her to her mother : I a dvance along a half-consumed beam, miss my footing, instinctively thrust out my hands, this n a tural reflex forces me to release the precious burden in my a rms . . . i t slips from my grasp and the unlucky child falls into the inferno be fore i ts own mothe r ' s eyes ; at this instant I am myself s e i z e d . . . carried away ; too upset to be able to dis tinguish anything, I am unaware whether 'tis aid o r peril which surrounds me but, to my gri ef, I am but too fully enlightened when, flung into a post chaise, I discove r myself beside Dubo i s who, clap ping a pi stol to my hea d , threatens to blow out my brains if I utter a syllable . . .
"Ah, li ttle villain," says she, " I 've go t you now and this time for goo d . "
"Oh, M a da m e I YOl l ? " I excl aim. "Here ?" "Everything that h a s just transpired is my doing, " the monster
repli es, " ' twas by a rson I saved your l i fe ; and by a fi r e you ' r e going to lose i t : in o rder to c a tch you I'd have followed you to Hell had i t been necessary. Momeigneur was fu rious, beli eve me, when he found out you had escaped ; I get two hundred louis for every gi rl
Jus ti n e + 7 1 3
I p rocure him, and not only d i d h e not want to pay me for Eula l i e , but he m e n a c e d me wi th all his a n g e r c o u l d p roduce w e r e I to f a i l to bring you b a ck . I di scove red I ' d missed y o u by two h o u r s a t Lyon ; yesterday I r e a c h e d Villefranche a n hour a fter y o u r a rrival, I h a d the hotel burned by the henchmen I always h ave i n my em ploy, I wanted to incinerate you o r get you b a ck ; I 've got you, I ' m r e tu rning y o u to a h o u s e y o u r fl ight h a s plunged i n t o trouble and unqui et, and I'm taking you there,. Therese, to be treated in a cruel manner. Monseigneur swo re h e ' d not h ave tortures terrible enough fo r you, and we'll not step from this carriage until we are a t his seat. Well , Th erese, what is your present opinion o f Virtu e ? "
" O h , M a dame ! tha t i t is very frequently crime's prey ; that i t i s happy when triumphan t ; b u t t h a t i t ought t o b e the unique obj ect o f the Heavenly God's rewards even though human atrocities bring about its downfall upon earth."
"You've n o t long to w a i t before you know, Therese , whether there i s r eally a God who punishes o r recompenses the deeds o f mortals . . . . A h I i f, in the eternal inexistence you a r e sho rtly go ing to enter, if ' twere possible to cogi tate in that state o f annihilation, how much you would regret the fruitless sacrifices your inflexible stubbornness has forced you to make to phantoms who have never doled out any but the wages of s o rrow . . . . Therese, there i s yet time l e ft to you : if you wish to be my accomplice I'll save you , for, I avow, 'tis more th an I can bear to see you break down ever and ever again upon Virtu e ' s routes all be:;et by perils. Wh a t ! are you not yet sufficiently punished for your good behavior and false p rinci pies ? What kind o f m i s e ry do you have to know i n order to be persuaded to mend your ways ? 'Nha t then are the example s you require in order t o be convinced the a ttitude you have adopted is the worst of all and that, a s I h ave told you a hundred times over, one must expect nothing but calamity when, breasting the crowd' s h e a dlong stampede, one wishes to be virtuous and alone in a com pl etely corrupt society. You count upon a n avenging God ; cease to be a gull, Therese, disabuse yoursel f, the God you fabricate for yourself is bu t a fiction whose stup i d existence i s never found else where but i n the h e a ds o f the crazed ; 'tis a phantom invented by human wicke dness ; the sol i t a ry purpose of this illusion is to deceive mankind o r to create armed divisions among men. The greatest
7 1 4 .. T H E MAR Q U H DE SADE
s e rvice it were possible 1 :0 render humankind would have been in stantly to cut the th roat of the first impostor who took it into his head to speak o f God to men. How much blood that one murder would have spared the u 1iverse! Get on, get on wi th you, Therese, p e rp e tually a c tive N a ture, Nature acting always, has n o need o f a master for h e r governm ent. And if indeed this master d i d exist, a fter all the faults and sins with which he has stuffed creation, would he, t hink you, would he merit anything from u s but scorn and out rage ? Ah, if he exists, yo u r God, how I do hate him ! Therese, how I abhor him I Yes, were this exi stence authentic, I a ffi rm that the mere pleasure of perpetl ally irritating whatever I found that bore his impress or bespoke 1is touch would become for me the most p recious comp ensation fe r the necessity in which I would find mysel f to acknowledge some bel e f in him . . . . Once again, Therese , do you wish to become my confderate ? A superb possibility p resents i tself, with courage we can execute the thing ; I ' ll save your life i f you'll undertake it. This Monseigneur t o whose house we are going, and whom you know, lives al,me in the country house where he gives his p a rties ; their speci es, wi t h which you are famil i a r , requires isola tion ; a single valet lives with him when he takes up resi dence there for the sake o f his pleai,ures : the man riding ahead o f the coach, you and I , dear girl, that's three o f us against two ; when that libertine i s inflamed by h : s leche ries, I'll snatch away the saber with which h e decapitates his victims, you'll hold him, we'll kill him, and m e anwhile my man will have done in the valet. Th ere's money h i dden in th a t house ; more than ei gh t hundred thousand francs, Therese, I ' m sure o f it the thing's well worth the trouble . . . . Choose, clever creature, decide : death o r an alliance ; i f you betray m e , if you expose my plall to him, I 'll accuse you o f having contrived it alone, and don ' t doub : fo r a moment that the confidence h e has always h a d in m e will ti p the bal ance my way . . . think carefully b e fore you give me you r answe r : this man i s a villain ; hence, by assassinating him we m e r ely aid the law whose rigorous treatment h e deserves. A day doe s no t go by, Therese, without this rascal murdering a girl ; i s it d en to outrage Vi rtue by punishing C rime ? And does the reasonabl, ; proposition I make you still alarm your wild p rinciples ?"
"Be certain o f i t , Madame , " I answered ; "it is not with the
Jus tine + 7 1 5
obj ect of chastening. crime you propose this deed, i t i s rather with the sole intention of committing one yourself j consequentl y t h e r e c a n n o t b e but gre a t evil in doing w h a t you sugge s t , a n d n o sem blance o f l e g i t i m a cy can a pp e a r thereupon j better still, even w e r e you to intend to a v e n g e hum a n i ty fo r t h i s m a n ' s h o r r o r s , you would still b e committing evil by doing so, for this i s not a prob l e m which concerns you : there are laws decreed to punish the gu i l ty j let those l a w s take t h e i r cou r s e , i t i s n o t unt,o our feeble hands the Supreme B e ing h a s entrusted t h e i r sword, n ev e r m i g h t w e w i e l d t h a t blade without a ff ronting j u stice . "
"Well, t h e n y o u ' l l h a v e t o di e , worthless c r e a tu r e , " retorted the fu rious Dubo i s , "you'll d i e j do n ' t tease yourself with hop e s o f escaping you r f a t e . "
"What m a tters i t to m e ?" I calmly answe r e d , " I shall b e delivered o f a l l the i l l s th a t a s s a i l me ; d e a th h o l d s n o terrors f o r m e , ' t i s l i f e ' s l a s t sl e e p , ' t i s the downtro d d e n ' s h a v e n o f r e p o s e . . . . "
And, upon these wo r d s , t h a t s a v a g e b e a s t sprang at m e , I thought she w a s going to strangle m e ; s h e struck s e v e r a l blows upon my breast, but r e l e a s e d me, h owever, i m m e d i a tely I cried out, for she feared lest the p o s t i l i o n h e a r m e .
We w e r e moving along a t a b r i sk p a c e ; the m a n w h o w a s r i d i ng a h e a d a r r a n ge d f o r n e w h o rs e s a n d we s top p e d o n l y l o n g enough t o c h a n g e t e a m s . As the new p a i r w a s b e i n g h a rn e s s e d , Dubo i s suddenly r a i s e d h e r weapon a n d cl a p p e d i t to my h e a r t . . . w h a t w a s she about to do ? . . . I n d e e d , my exh a u s t i o n a n d my situation h a d b e a t e n me down to the p o i n t of p r e ferring d e a t h t o t h e o r d e a l o f keeping i t a t bay.
We were then p r e p a r i n g to enter D a u p h i n e , o f a sudden six h o rsemen, galloping a t top speed behind our coach, overtook it a n d , w i th d r a wn cutl a s s e s , forced o u r driver to h al t . T h i r ty feet o ff the hi ghway w a s a cottage to which these c a va l i e r s , whom we soon i d e n t i fi e d a s constabl e s , o r d e r e d the d r i v e r t o l e a d the c a r r i a ge ; when we w e r e alongside i t , we w e r e t o l d to get out, a n d all three of u s entered the p e a s a n t ' s dwelling. W i t h a n effrontery unthinkable in a woman s o i l e d w i t h unnumb e r e d c r i m e s , D u bo i s , who fou n d h e r s e l f a r r e s t e d , a rchly d e m a n d e d o f t h e s e o ffi c e r s w h e t h e r s h e w e r e known to t h e m , and with w h a t r i ght they com po r t e d themselves thus w it h a wom a n of her r a nk.
7 1 6 .. T H E M A R Q U I S DE S A D E
"We have not the honor of you r acqua intance, M a d ame, " re plied the officer i n cha rge o f the squadron ; "but we a r e certain you have in your carri age the wretch who yesterday s e t fire to the principal hotel i n Vill efranche" ; then, eyeing me closely : "she answers the description, M a dame, w e a r e n o t i n error ; have the kindness to surrender r e r to u s and to inform us how a p erson as respectable a s you appl: a r to be could have such a woman in you r keeping."
"\Vhy, 'tis very r � adily accounted for , " replied Dubois with yet greater insolence, "and, I decl a r e , I 'll neither hide her from you n o r take her side i n tb e m a tter if 'tis certain she i s guilty of the h o r rible crime you Spf ak of. I too was staying a t tha t hotel i n Vill e franche, I l e ft in t h e midst of a l l t h e comm otion a n d as I am getting into my coach, this girl runs up, begs my compassion, says she has just lost ev e rything i n the fi r e , and implores m e to take her with me to Lyon where she hopes to b e able to find a place. Far less a ttentive to my rea son than to my heart's p r omptings, I acqui e sc e d , c o n s e n t e d to fetc h h e r a l o n g ; once i n t h e c a r r i a g e s h e o ff e r e d herself a s my se rvant ; once again imprudence l e d m e to a gree to everything and I have been taking her to Dauphine where I have my prope rties and fami ly : 'tis a lesson, assuredly, I presently recog nize with u tmost cl aritr all o f p i ty's shortcomings ; I shall not again be gui l ty of them. There she is, gentlemen, there she i s ; God forbid that I should be intere!;ted in such a monster, I abandon her to the law's severest penaltie! , and, I beseech you, take every step to p re vent i t from being known tha t I commi tted the unfortunate mistake of l ending an instant's :redence to a single word she uttered."
I wished to d e fe n. d myself, I wanted to denounce the true vill ain ; my speeches v'ere interpreted a s calumniatory recrimina tions to which Duboi s opposed nothing but a contemptuous smile. o fatal effects o f miSt ry and biased p repossession, o f wealth and of insolence I \Vere it thinkable th a t a woman who h a d herself called M a dame l a B a ronne de Fulconis, who p rocl aimed a high degree and di splayed ' )pulence, who asserted she owned extensive holdings and a rrogated a family to herself ; were it to be conceived that such a p ersonage could be gui l ty o f a crime where from she d i d not appe a r t o h a v e th � slightest thing to gain ? And, on t h e other
Jus tin e + 7 1 7
hand, d i d not everything condemn me ? I was unprotected, I was poor, 'twas a very sure thing I'd done a fell deed.
The squ adron officer read me the ca talogue o f B e rtrand's deposed charges. 'Twas she h a d a ccu sed m e ; I'd set the inn a fi re to pill a ge her with greater e a s e , and :,he'd been robbed indeed to her l a s t p enny ; I ' d flung her infant into the flames i n order that, blinded by the desp a i r wi th which this eve n t would overwhelm her, she'd forget all else and give not a thought to my maneuvers ; and, furthe r more, Be rtrand h a d added, I was a girl o f suspect virtue and bad habits who had escaped the gallows at Grenoble and whom she h a d only taken in charge, very foolishly, thanks to the excessive kindness she had shown a young man from her own district, my lover, no doubt. I had publicly and in broad d aylight solicited monks in Lyon : in one wo rd, there was nothing the: unworthy creature had not ex ploited in order to seal my doom, n o thing that calumny whetted by desp a i r h a d not invented in o rd,�r to besmirch me. Upon the woman's insistence, a j u ridical examination h a d been conducted on the p remises. The fire h a d begun in a hayloft into which several p ersons had taken o a th I h a d entered the evening of that fatal day, and that was true. S e a rching fo r a water clo set to which I had not been very cl ea rly directed by a maid I had consulted, I had entered this loft h aving failed to locate th e sought a fter place, and there I h a d remained long enough to make what I was accused o f plausible, o r a t least to fu rnish p robabilities 0 f its truth ; and 'tis well known : i n this day and age those are proofs. And s o , do what I could to defend myself, the o ffi c e r ' s single response w a s to ready his mana cles.
"But, Monsieu r , " I expostulated b e fore allowing him to put m e i n i rons, "if I robbed my traveling comp anion a t Villefranche, the money ought to be found upon my person ; search me."
This ingenuous defense me rely excited laughte r ; I was assured I'd not been alone, that they were certain I had accomplices to whom, a s I fled, I h a d transferred the s tolen funds. Then the malicious Dub o i s , who knew of the brand which to my misfortune Rodin had burned upon my flesh long a go , in one instant Dubois put all sympa thy to rout.
" M onsieu r , " s a i d she to the o fficer, "so many mistakes are committed every day in affairs of this sort that you will forgive me
7 1 8 1- T H E M A R Q J I S DE S A D E
for the idea tha t occu -s to me : if this girl is guilty o f the a trocity she is accused o f i t i s lmrely not h e r first ; the character required to execute crimes o f this variety is not attained in a night : and so I beg you to examine this girl, Monsieur . . . were you to find, by chance, something up('n her wretched body . . . but if nothing de- nounces h e r , allow m( to de fend and protect h e r . "
The o ffi c e r agree d to the verifica tion . . . i t was about t o be carried out . . .
"One moment, :l\1onsieu r , " said I , "s tay ; th is s e a rch i s to no purpose ; M a dame lm)ws full well I bear the frigh tful mark ; she also knows very well wh a t misfo rtune caused i t to be put on me : this subte rfuge o f her ; i s the crowning horror which will, together with all th e rest, b e revealed at Themis' own temp l e . Lead me away, Messieu r s : hen: are my hands, load them with chains ; only C rime blu shes to c arry them, stricken Virtu e is made to groan there by, but is not terri fi e d . "
"Truth to tell , " quoth Dubo i s , " I ' d never h a v e d r e a m t my i d e a would have such success ; but as this creature repays my kind ness by insidious inculp a tions, I am willing to return with her if you deem it necessary."
"There's no neec whatsoever to do so, M a dame l a B a ronn e , " rejoined the officer, " t h i s girl i s o u r qua rry : h e r avowals, t h e m a rk branded on h e r body, i t all condemns her ; we need no one else, and w e beg your p a rdon � thousand times over for having caused you this p rotracted incom eni ence. "
I w a s h andcuffed immedia tely, flung upon the crupper o f one of the constables' mounts, and Dubois went off, not before she had completed h e r insults by giving a few crowns to my gu ards, which generously bestowed silver was to aid me during my mel ancholy soj ourn while awaiting trial.
o Vi r tue ! I cried when I p e rceived myself brought to this dreadful humiliation ; couldst thou suffer a more penetrating out rage ! Were i t possibk that C rime might da r e affront thee and van quish thee with so much insolence and impun i ty!
We were soon come to Lyon ; upon a r rival I was cast into the keep reserved for criminals and there I was inscribed as an arsonist, h a rlot, child-murderer, and thief.
Seven p e rsons h l d been burned to death in the hotel ; I had
Ills t i ll e ,� 7 1 9
mys e l f thought I m i g h t b e ; I h a d been o n the verge o f p e ri sh i n g ; but s h e who h a d been the c a u s e of t h i s h o r r o r w a s eluding the l a w ' s vigilance and H e a v e n ' s j u s ti c e : she w a s triump h a n t , s h e w a s fl y i n g o n to n e w crimes wh e r e a s , i n n o c e n t a n d unlucky, I h a d n a u g h t f o r p rospect but d i s h o n o r , c a s t i ga t i o n , and d e a th .
For s u c h a l o n g t i m e h a b i tu a te d to c a l u m n y , i n j u s t i c e , and wretchedness ; destined, since childhood, to a c qu i t my s e l f o f not a single vi rtuous d e e d o r feel a si ngl e r i ghteous sentiment without suffering instant retribution therefor, my a n gu i s h w a s rather mute a n d blunted than rending, and I s h e d fewer t e a r s t h a n I m i g h t have sup p o s e d . . . howeve r , a s 'tis instin ctive i n the distressed c r e a ture to seek a ft e r every possible device to extri c a t e h i m s e l f from the chasm into which his i l l-fortu n e has plunged h i m , Fath e r Antonin came to my m i n d ; whatever t h e mediocre r el i e f I could hope from him, I did n o t deny to mys e l f I was anxious to see h i m : I asked for h i m , h e a p p e a r e d . H e h a d n o t been i n f o r m e d of by whom h e was d e s i r e d ; h e a ff e c t e d not to r e c o gn i z e me ; whe reupon I told the tu rn key th a t it was i n d e e d p o s s i b l e h e bd forgo tten me, h a v i n g been my confessor only when I was very young, but, I continued, i t w a s a s my soul ' s d i r e c t o r I s o l i c i t e d a p rivate i n terview w i t h h i m . 'Twas agreed by b o th p a rt i e s . As soon a s 1 w a s alone with t h i s holy man I c a s t mysel f a t his kn e e s , rained t e a rs u p o n them a n d besought him to save m e from my cruel situation ; I p r o v e d my innocence to h i m ; I d i d n o t conceal th a t the culp a bl e p r o p o s a l s he h a d m a d e m e some d a y s b e fo r e h a d p rovoked my young comp a n i on ' s enmity , a n d p r e s ently, s a i d I , s h e accused m e o v t o f s p i t e . The monk l i stened attentively.
"Therese , " said h e when I wa s done, " d o n ' t l o s e control of you rsel f a s you custom a rily d o when someone cont ra dicts your damnable p rej u d i c e s ; you notice t o what a pass they ' v e brought you, and you c a n a t p r e sent r e a dily convince yoursel f that it's a hund r e d t i m e s b e t t e r to be a r a s c a l a n d h a ppy than well-behaved and unprosperou s ; your c a s e i s a s b a d a s i t p o s s i bly could b e , d e a r girl , there' s nothing t o b e gained b y hi ding t h e f a c t from you : th i s Dubois y o u s p e a k o f , having t h e l a rg e s t benefits t o r e a p from your doom, will unqu e s ti onably labor behind the scene to ruin you ; B e r trand will accuse y o u , all a p p e a r a n c e s stand a g a i n s t you, a n d , these d a y s , a p p e a r a n c e s a r e sufficient grounds f o r d e c r e e i ng t h e d e a th
7 2 0 + T H E M A R Q I T I S DE S A D E
sentence : you are, her ce , lost, 'tis plain : one singl e means migh t save you : 1 get on well with the bailiff, he has considerable influ ence with this city's magistr l ture ; I'm go ing to tell him you a re my niece, and that by this titl e 1 am claiming you : he'll dismiss the entire bu siness : I'll a sk to sen d you back to my family ; I'll have you taken away, but ' twill be to O .1 r monastery and incarceration there, whence you'll never emerge . . and there, why conceal i t ? YOll , Therese , will be t h e bounden sb ve o f my caprices, you'll sate them a l l with. out a murmu r ; a s wel l , you will subm i t you rsel f to my col l e a gues : in a word, you will be as utte rly mine a s the most subo rdinated of victims . . . you heed me : the task i s hard ; you know what a r e the passions of libertines I)f our variety ; so make up you r mind, and m ake m e prompt answer . "
" Begone, Father, " 1 replied, horror-struck, "begone, y o u a re a monster to dare so c:-uelly take advantage o f my ci rcumstances in order to force upon m e : the al ternatives of death o r in famy ; I shall know how to die, i f die 1 must, but ' twill be to d i e sinless."
"As you like , " quoth the cruel man a s he prepared to with· draw ; "I have never been one to impose happiness upon reluctant p eople . . . . Virtue has so handsomely served you until the present, Therese, you are quite right to worship a t its altar . . . good.bye : above all, let it not occ ur to you to ask for me again."
He was l e aving ; an unconquerable impulse drew me to his kn ees yet anoth e r tim( .
"Tiger ! " I excla med through my tears, "open your granite h e a rt, let my appallinE misadventu res melt it, and do not, in order to conclude them, do not impose conditions more dreadful to me than death i tself . . . . '
The violence o f T1y movements had disturbed what veiled my breast, i t was naked, ny di shevel ed h a i r fell in cascades upon it, i t was wetted thoroughl y b y m y tears ; I quicken desires in t h e dis· honest man . . . desi n : s he wants to satisfy on the sp ot ; he dares di scover to m e to what point my state a rouses them ; he dares dream o f pleasures lying in t he middle o f the chains binding me and be neath the sword which is poised to smite me . . . I was upon my knees . . . he fl ings me backward, leaps upon me, there we lie upon the wretched straw I 1lse for a bed ; I wish to cry out, he stuffs his handkerch i e f into my mouth ; he ties my a rms ; master o f me, the
Ius tine + 7 2 1
in famous c r e a t u r e e x a m i n e s m e eve rywh e r e . . . everyth i n g b e com e s p rey t o h i s g a z e , h i s fingerings, h i s p e r fi d i o u s c a r e s s e s ; a t l a s t , h e a p p e a s e s h i s d e s i r e s .
" L i s t e n to m e , " s a y s h e , untyi n g m e a n d r e a dj u s t i n g h i s cos tum e , "you do n o t want m e to b e help ful , all v e ry well ; I a m l e a v i n g you ; I ' ll n e i th e r a i d n o r h a r m you , but i f i t e n t e r s you r h e a d t o b r e a t h e a w o r d o f w h a t h a s j u s t h a p p e n e d , I w i l l , by c h a r gi n g you w i th yet more e n o r m o u s c r i m e s , i n s t a n tly d e p r i v e you of a l l m e a n s o f d e f e n d i n g y o u r s el f ; refl e c t c a r e f u lly b e fo r e j a b b e r i n g . . . I a m t a k e n fo r y o u r c o n fe s s o r . . . now h a r k : w e a r e p e rm i tt e d to reve a l anyth i n g a n d a l l w h e n ' t i s a q u e s t i o n o f a c r i m i n a l ; fully approve what I a m g o i n g t o s a y t o y o u r w a r d e n , o r e l s e I'll crush you like a fl y . "
He k n o c k s , t h e j a i l e r a p p e a r s . " M o n s i e u r , " says the t r a i t o r , " t h e n i c e y o u n g l a dy i s i n e r r o r ;
s h e w i s h e d to sp e a k to a Father A n t o n i n who is n o w in B o rdeaux ; I h a v e no acqu a i n t a n c e of h e r , n e v e r h a v e I even s e t eyes u p o n h e r : she be sought me to h e a r h e r c o n f e s s i o n , I d i d s o , I s alute you a n d h e r a n d s h al l a l w a y s b e r e a dy t o p r e s ent m y s e l f w h e n my m i n i s try i s e s t e e m e d i m p o r t a n t . "
U p o n u t t e r i n g t h e s e w o r d s , A n t o n i n d e p a rt s a n d l e a v e s m e a s m u c h bew i l d e r e d by h i s f r a u dulence a s revolted by h i s l i b e rtinage a n d insolence.
My s i tu a t i o n w a s s o d r e a d ful that, wha tever it m i ght b e , I cou l d i l l a ffo r d n o t to employ e v e ry m e a n s at my d i sp o s a l ; I recol l ec t e d M on s i e u r d e S a i nt-Fl o r ent : i n t h e l i gh t o f my behavi o r t o w a r d h i m , I w a s i n c a p a b l e o f b el i ev i n g thi s m a n could u n d e r e s t i m a t e my c h a r a c t e r ; once l o n g a go I h a d r e n d e r e d h i m a m o s t i m p o r t a n t s e rv i c e , h e h a d d e a l t m o s t c r u e l l y w i t h m e , a n d t h e r e f o r e I i m a g i n e d h e c o u l d n o t , i n my p r e s ently c r i ti c a l p l i gh t , v e ry w e l l re fuse to m ak e r e p a r a ti o n for the wrongs h e h a d done me ; n o , I w a s s u r e he w o u l d at l e a s t h a v e to acknowl e d g e , as b e s t he w e r e abl e , what I h a d s o g e n e r o usly done i n h i s b e h a l f ; p a s s i o n s ' h e a t might h a v e b l i n d e d h i m u p o n t h e t w o o c c a s i o n s I h a d h el d com m e rc e w i th h i m ; there had b e e n some sort o f excu se fo r his f o rm e r h o r r o r s , but i n t h i s i n s t a n c e , i t s e e m e d to m e , n o f e e l i n g 5 h o u l d p re v e n t h i m f r o m c o m i n g to my a i d . . . . W o u l d h e r e n e w h i s l a s t p ro p o s a l s ? to the a s s i s tance I w a s going to r e q u e s t from him would
7 2 2 + T H E MA R Q l I S DE S A D E
he a ttach the condi tio 1 I must agree to the frightful employments he had outlined to me before ? ah, very well ! 1'd accept and, once free, I should ea sily di scover the means to extri cate mysel f from the abominable kind 0 ; existence into which h e might have the base ness to lure m e . Full o( these ideas, I write a letter to him, I describe my miseries, I beg hirr, to v i s i t me ; but I had not devoted a d equate thought to analyzing t h i s man's soul when I supp osed i t susceptible o f infil tration by beneli cence ; I e i ther did not su ffi c i ently remembe r h i s appalling theories, or my wretched weakness constantly fo rcing me to u s e my own he� rt a s the standard by which to j u dge others, fancied th i s m a n was bound to comport himsel f toward me a s I should certa inly have done toward him.
H e arrives ; and, a s I h ave a sked to see him alone, he i s freely introduced into my ce I . From the marks o f respect showered pro fu sely upon him it w� s easy to determine the eminent position he held i n Lyon.
"Why, it's you !" said he, c a sting scorn ful eyes upon me, "I w a s d e c e i v e d by the l d te r ; I thou gh t i t w r i tten b y a w o m a n mo r e honest than you and whom I would have helped with all my heart ; but what woul d you have me do fo r an imbecile of your breed ? \Vhat ! you ' r e guilty o f a hundred crimes one more shocking than the other, and when s omeone suggests a way fo r you to e a rn your l ivelihood you stubbornly reject the p roposal ? N ever has stupidity been carried to these l ength s . "
"Oh, Monsieu r ! " I cried, " I am not in the least gui l ty." "Then what the devil must one do in order to be ?" the h a rsh
creature sha rply rej oi led. "The first time in my l i fe I cl apped eyes on you, th ere you were, in the thick o f a pack o f bandits who wanted to assa ssinate me ; an, I now i t i s in the muni cipal pri son I di scove r you, accused o f three o r four new crimes and wearing, so they tell me, a m a rk on your shoulder wh ich proclaims your fo rmer mis deeds. I f that i s what you designate by the word honest, do in form me of what i t would r �quire not to b e . "
"Just H e aven, l\ 1onsieur ! " I r e p l i e d , "can y o u excoriate that period in my li fe whe l I knew you, and should i t not rather be for m e to m ake you blus 1 at the memory of wh a t p assed then ? You know very well , M o nsieur, the bandits who captured you, and amongst whom you f ound me, kept me with them by force ; they
Jus t i n e + 7 2 3
wanted to kill you, I saved your l i fe by facilitating your escape while making mine ; and what, cruel man, did you do to thank me fo r my a i d ? i s it possibl e you can recall your actions w i thout horro r ? You you rself wanted to murder m e ; you dazed me by terrible blows and, profiting from my half-unconscious state, you snatched from me what I prized most hi ghly ; through an unexampled refinement of cruelty , you plundered me o f the little money I possessed qui te a s i f y o u h a d d e s i r e d to summon humiliation and misery to complete your victim ' s obliteration! And g;r e a t was your succes s , barbaric one ! indeed, i t h a s been entire ; ' tis you who p recipitated me into desola tion ; ' t i s you who made the abyss to yawn, and ' t i s thanks to you I fell i n to i t a n d have n o t ceased to fall since that a ccu rsed moment.
" N evertheless, M onsieur, I w ould forge t i t all, yes, everything i s effaced from my memory , I even ask your pa rdon for daring to upb r a i d you fo r wha t i s p a s t , but can you hide from you rself the fact that some recomp ense, some gratitude is owing to me ? Ah, deign not to seal up your heart wt en the wing of death brushes i ts shadow over my unhappy days ; ' tis not d e a th I fear, but di sgrace ; save me from the dread horror of a crimin a l ' s end : all I demand from you comes to that singl e mercy, r e fu s e me it not, and both Heaven and my heart will reward you someday."
I was weeping, I was upon my kn ees b e fore this ferocious man and, far from reading upon h i s hce the effect I thought I should be able to expect from the disturbances I fl a ttered mysel f I was p roducing in h i s soul, I distingu i shed nothing but a muscul ar altera tion caused by that sort o f lust whose germinal origins are in cruel ty. Saint-Florent was seated opposite me ; his wicked dark eyes considered me i n a drea dful manner, and I noticed h i s hand gli d e to a certain sector and his fingers begin to perform those cer tain motions which indicated I was putting him in a state which was by n o means th a t of p i ty ; h e conce aled himself withal, and, getting to his feet :
"Look h e r e , " he said, "your case rests enti rely in the hands o f Monsieur de C a rdoville ; I need not tell you w h a t o ffi c i a l p o s t h e occupies ; i t suffices that y o u know y o u r fate depends absolutely upon him ; h e and I have been intimate friends since childhood ; I shall sp eak to him ; if he agrees to a few a rrangements, you will be called
7 2 4 .. T H E l\l A R Q t; S DE S A D E
fo r a t sunset and in ord �r th a t h e may see you, you'll be brought to e i t h e r h i s home or mine ; such an interrogation, wrapped in secrecy, will make it much simJler to turn mat ters i n your favo r, which could not possibly be done here. If h e consents to bestow the favo r , j u s t i fy you rself w h e n yc u have your interview w i t h him, prove your innocence to him in a F > ersuasive manne r ; that i s all I can do for you. Adieu, Therese, Lep yourself ready fo r any eventuality and above all do not have ne waste my time taking fu tile measu r e s . " S a i n t-Florent l e ft .
N o thing could han equaled m y p e rplexi ty ; there had b e e n so l i ttle h a rmony between th a t man's remarks, the character I knew him to have, and his actual conduct, that I dreaded yet fu rther p i tfalls ; but, M a dam e , pause a moment and decide wheth e r I was right o r wrong ; was I in a position to hesi tate ? for my position w a s desperate ; and wa ; I not obliged to leap a t everything which had the semblance o f a � sistance ? Hence I decided to accompany the p ersons who would come to fe tch m e ; shoul d I be compelled to p ro s t i tute myself, I would put up wh a t de fense I coul d ; w a s it to dea th I was to be l e d ? too bad ; i t would not, a t least, be i gnomin ious, and I wou l d be ri d o f all my sufferings. N i ne o'clock strikes, the j a i l e r app e a r s , I trembl e .
" Follow me , " tha t C e rberus s ays ; "you are wanted by M es sieurs S a i n t-Florent and de C ardoville ; consider well and take a dvantage, as it befits y . m , of the favo r He aven offers you ; there a r e m a n y here who might d e s i r e s u c h a blessing and who w i l l n e v e r obtain it."
Arrayed a s best I a m abl e , I follow the warden who puts me into the keeping o f two strange tall fellows whose savage aspect doubles my fright ; not a word do they utte r ; the carri age rolls off and we h a l t b e fore an mmense mansion I soon recogn i z e a s Saint Florent's. Silence ensl rouds everything ; it augments my dread, however, my guides gr I S P my a rms, hustle m e along, a n d we climb to the fourth floor ; the re we di scover a numb e r of small decorated a p artments ; they s e em to me very mysterious indeed. As we p rogress through them every door closes shut behind us, and thus we a dvance till we reaC l a remote room in which, I notice, there a re no win dows ; Saint-Flo "ent awa i ts m e, and also the man I am told is Monsieur de C a rdov lle, i n whose h ands my case rests ; this he avy-
Jus tin e c� 7 2 5
s e t , fl e s hy p e r sonage, p r o v i d e d wi th a somb e r a n d f e r a l counte nance, could h a v e been about fi fty years of age ; a l though h e w a s in lounging costum e , ' tw a s r e a dily to b e seen h e was a gentl e m a n o f the b a r . An a i r of seve r i ty s e e m e d to distinguish his entire aspect ; it made a deep i m p r e s s i on upon me. 0 cruel i n j u s t i c e o f Providence ! ' t i s then p o s s i b l e V i r tu e m a y be o v e r a w e d by C ri m e . T h e two m en who h a d l e d me h i t h e r , a n d whom I w a s better able to m ake out by the gleam of t h e twenty candles w h i c h l i t t h i s room, w e r e n o t above twenty-fiv e and thi rty years old. The first, r e f e r r e d to a s La R o s e , w a s a d a rk h a n d some c h a p with H e rcules' o w n fi gu r e ; h e seemed to me the e l d e r ; t h e other had m o re effeminate features, the l o v e l i e s t chestnut l o cks and l a rge b rown eyes ; he w a s at l e a s t five feet ten inch e s t a l l , a very Adon i s , had the fi n e s t skin to be s e e n , a nd w a s c a l l e d Juli e n . As for S a i n t-Fl o r e n t , you a r e a c qu a inted with h i m ; a s much o f c o a rseness i n h i s t r a i ts a s in h i s c h a r a c t e r , y e t , neverthel e s s , certain spl e n d i d f e a t u r e s .
"Everything i s secured f a s t ?" S a int-Fl o r e n t asked Jul i e n . " We ' r e w e l l shut i n , y e s , M o n s i e u r , " t h e young m a n r e p l i ed ;
"your servants a r e o ff for the night i n accordance w i t h y o u r orders a n d the ga teke e p e r , who a l o n e i s on w a t c h , will follow h i s in structions to admit no one under any c i rcumstanc e s . " These few words enlightened me, I shivered, but wh a t coul d I h ave done, con fronted a s I w a s by four m e n ?
" S i t down over t h e r e , my f r i e n ds , " s a i d C a rdovill e , kissing the two men, "we'll c a l l fo r your co-op e r a t i o n when the n e e d a r i s e s . "
Whe reupon S a i n t-Florent s p o k e u p : "Theres e , " s a i d h e , p r e senting m e to C a rdoville , " h e r e is your j u dg e , this is the man u p on whom your f a t e depends ; we h a v e discu s s e d your p roblem ; but i t a p p e a r s to m e t h a t your c r i m e s a r e o f such a n a ture w e w i l l have much to do to come to terms about them . "
" S h e h a s exactly forty-two w i t n e s s e s a g a i n s t h e r , " r em a rk s C a rdoville , who takes a s e a t upon Jul i e n ' s kn e e s , who k i s s e s h i m upon t h e l i p s , a n d who p e rm i t s h i s fingers t o stray o v e r the young m a n ' s b o dy i n the most immodest f a s h i o n ; " i t ' s a p e r f e c t a ge since we condemn e d anyone to d i e for crimes more conclu s i vely estab l i s h e d . "
" I ? C onclu sively establ i s h e d c r i m e s ? " " C onclusively e s t a bl i s h e d o r inconcl u s i vely establ i shed, " quoth
7 2 6 + T H E M A R Q U I S DE S A D E
C a rdoviIle, getting to h i s fe et and coming up to shout, with much effrontery, a t my very n,)se, "you're going to burn pissing if you do not, w i th an enti re resig nation and the blindest obedience, instantly lend yourself to everyth ng we are going to require of you . "
"Yet further ho rrors I " I cried ; " a h indeed ! 'tis then only b y yielding to i n famies im ocence can e s c a p e t h e snares s e t f o r i t b y t h e wicke d ! "
"That's i t ; ' tis ord ained , " Saint-Florent broke i n j "you know, my d e a r : the weak yield to the strong's desires, or fall victims to their wi cke dness : that's all : that's your whole story, Therese, there fore obey. "
And while he spok: the libertine nimbly pulled up my skirts. I recoiled, fended him off, horri fied, but, having reeled backward into C a rdoville's arms, the l a tter grasped my h ands and thereupon ex posed me, de fenseless, t,) h i s colleagu e ' s assaults. The ribbons hold ing u p my skirts were ( ut, my bodice to rn away, my kerchief, my blouse, all were remov.!d, and i n no time I found myself b e fore those monsters' eyes a s n aked a s the day I came into the world.
" R esistance . . . " said one. " Resistance , " chimed in the other, both p roceeding to des Joil me, "the whore fancies she can resist u s . . . . " a n d not a garment was ripped from my body without my receiving a few blows.
When I was in the state they wished, they drew up their chairs, which were provided 'vith protruding armrests j thus a na rrow space between the chairs was left and into i t I was deposited ; and thus they were able to s :udy m e a t their leisure : while one regarded my fore end, the other mused upon my behind ; then they tu rned me round, and tu rned m e a gain. I n this way I was stared at, handled, kissed for thirty minute ; and more ; during this examination not one lubricious episode was n eglected, and I thought it s a fe to conj ecture, upon the basis o f thos,: p relimina ries, that each had roughly the same idiosyncrasies.
"Well, now, " Sain t-Florent s a i d to his friend, "did I not tell you she had a splend i d ass I"
"Yes, by God I her behind i s sublime," said the jurist who there upon kissed i t ; " I 've s e en damned few buttocks molded like these : why I look y e I solid and fresh at the same time ! . . . how d'ye sup pose that fits with such a tempestuous career ?"
Jus tin e 7 2 7
"Why, i t' s simply that she ' s never given herself of h e r own accord ; I told you th e r e ' s nothing as whimsical as this girl ' s ex ploits! She's never been h a d b u t b y rape"-and t h e n h e drives his five fingers simultaneou sly into the peristyle o f Love' s temple-"but she's been had . . . unfortuna tely, for i t ' s much too cap acious for me : accustomed to virgins, I could never put up with this."
Then, swi nging me a round, he repeated the same ceremony with my behind wherein he found the same fl aws.
"Ah well, you know our secret," said C a rdoville. "And I 'll employ i t too ," replied S a i n t-Flo rent ; " and you who
h ave no need o f the same resou r : e , you , who are content with a factitious a ctivi ty which, although painful for the woman, n ever theless brings enj oyment o f h e r to p e r fection, you , I hope, will not h a ve her till I ' m done . "
" Fa i r enough , " C a rdoville an swe red, "while watching you, I 'll busy myse l f with those p reludes so cherished by my lechery ; I 'll play the girl with Jul i en and La Rose while Y O ll m a sculinize Therese, and, so I think, the one's a s good a s the other."
" D oubtless a thou sand times better ; for you've no i d e a how fed up I am with women ! . . . do you suppose I would be capable o f enj oying those whores without the help o f the auxi l i a ry episodes we both use to add a tart fl avor to the bu sines.s ?"
With these words, h aving a ff o rded m e cle a r evidence their state called fo r more substantial pleasures, the impudicious crea tures rose and made me mount upon a l a rge chair, my forea rms l e aning upon its back, my knees p ropped upon its a rm s , and my behind a rched s o th a t it wa s p rominently thrust toward them. I was no sooner placed in this a t ti tude than they step p e d out of their breeches, tucked up their shirts, and save for their shoes, they thus discove red themselves completely naked from the waist down ; they exhibited themselves to me, passed several times to and fro before my eyes, making b o a stful d isplay o f their behinds o f which they were overweeningly p roud, for, they declared, they had p arts far superior to anything I could offer ; indeed, e a ch was womani shly made i n thi s region : ' twas especially C a r doville who was possessed o f elegant lines and maj estic form, snowy white color and envi able plumpnes s ; they whiled away a minute o r two polluting themselves in full view o f me, but did not ej acula te : about C ardoville, nothing
7 2 8 + T H E MA R Q U r ; DE S A D E
that was not of the most o rdinary ; as for Saint-Florent, 'twas mon strous : I shuddered to think that such was the dart which h a d immol ated m e . Oh J u s t He aven ! what need of mai denheads h a d a man o f those dimensions ? C ould i t be anything o t h e r t h a n ferocity which governed such c l prices ? But what, alas I were the other weapons I was going to be confronted by I Jul ien and La Rose, pla inly a roused by these exhibitions, also ridded themselves o f their clothes and advanced p i ke i n hand . . . . Oh, M a dame I never had anything similar soiled my g a z e , and whatever may h ave been my p revi ous representations, what now I beheld surp a ssed eve ryth ing I have been able to descr be until the p resent : 'tis like unto the a s cend ancy the imp erious e a gl e enj oys over the dove . Our two deb auchees soon laid hands upon those menacing spears : they caressed them , polluted them, dr ew them to their mouths, and the comb a t strai ghtway b e c a m e mo re in e a rnest. Sai nt-Flo r e n t crouches upon the a rmch a i r suppo rting me ; he i s so adjusted my widespre a d but tocks a r e on an exact l evel with his mouth ; he kisses them, his tongue p e n e trates into fi rst one then the other templ e . Saint-Florent p rovided C a rdoville wi :h amusement, the l atter offers himself to the p l e a sures o f La Ro!.e whose terrific member instantly vanishes into the redoubt dressed before him, and Julien, s i tuated beneath S a i n t-Fl o rent, excites h m with his mouth the whi l e grasping his haunches a n d modul ating them before the resolute blows of C a rdo ville who, treating his friend with intransi gent rudeness, does not quit him b e fo r e having wetted the sanctu a ry with his incense. N oth ing could equal C a rdo'lill e ' s transports when the crisis deprives him o f his senses ; soft ,y abandoning h imself to the man who is s e rving a s husband to him, but pressing h a rd a fter him o f whom he i s making a wife, thh dasta rdly libertine, with hoarse gasps like unto those of a dyin g man, thereupon pronounces indescribable blasphemi e s ; a s for Sai It-Florent, m e a sure gove rns his evolutions, h e restrains h imself, an([ the tableau i s dissolved without h i s h aving p e rformed his beau g es t e .
"Truly , " C a rdovil e says to his comrade, "you still give me a s m u c h ple a sure as y o u did w h e n y o u w e r e fi fteen . . . . I n d e e d , " he continues, turning and k . ssing La R o s e , " ' ti s true thi s fine l a d knows how to a rouse me too . . . . Have you not found me r a ther gul fy thi s evening, angelic boy ? . . . would you beli eve it, Saint-Floren t ?
Jus tille + 7 2 9
' t i s t h e thi rty-sixth time I 've h a d i t today . . . only natural that the thing be somewh a t d i l a ted ; I'm all yours, dear friend , " the abom i n able man pursues, fi tting himse l f into Julien's mouth, his nose glued to my behind, and his own offered to Saint-Florent, " I ' m yours f o r t h e thirty-s eventh. " Sain t-Florent takes h i s pleasure with C a r doville, La Rose his with Saint-Florent, and a fter a quick skir m i s h the l a tter burns i n his friend the same offering his friend h a d b u r n e d in him. I f Saint-Floren t ' s ecstasy was o f b r i e f e r du ration, i t wa s no l e s s i n tense, less noisy , les�, criminal t h a n C ardoville' s ; the one shouted, roared out everythirlg that came to his mouth, the other restricted h i s transports' scope without their being the less energetic for tha t ; S a i n t-Florent chose his words with c a r e , but they were simply yet filthier and more i mpure : distraction and rage, to select precise terms, seemed to characteri z e the delirium o f the one, wickedness and ferocity were the eminent qualities announced in the other's.
"To work, Therese, revive us," says C a rdoville ; "you see the l amps are extinguished, they've got to b e l i t again."
While Jul i e n enj oyed C a rdov ille and La Rose S a int-Florent, the two libertines inclined over me and one a fter the o ther inserted their langu ishing instruments into my mouth ; while I pumpe d one, I was obliged to go to the rescue o f the other and pollute it with my h ands, then I h a d to anoint the memb e r i tsel f and the a dj acent parts with a n alcoholi c l i qu i d I h a d bee n given ; but I was not to limit myself to sucking, I h a d to revolve my tongue about the heads and I was requi red to nibble them with my teeth while my lips squeezed ti ghtly about them. However, our two p a ti ents were being vigor ously thumped and j olted ; Julien and La Rose shi fted i n order to increase the sensations p roduced by entrances and exits. When a t length two o r t h r e e homages h a d flowed into t h o s e i m p u r e temples I began to p e rceive a degree o f fi rmness ; although the elder o f the two, C a rdoville' s was the first to manifest solidity ; he swung h i s h a n d and w i t h a l l t h e strength a t his command slapp e d o n e o f my titties : th a t was my reward. Saint-Florent was n o t f a r behind him ; he rep a i d my efforts by nearly tea ring one o f my e a rs from my h e a d . They backed away, revi ewed the situation, and then warned me to prepare to receive the tre a tment I richly deserved. An analy sis of these libertines' appalling langu a ge allowed to me to conclude
7 3 0 + THE MARQU S DE SADE
t h a t vexations were abo ut to descend like a h a i lstorm upon m e . To h a v e besought m e rcy in the s t a t e to which they h a d j u s t reduced m e would have been to h a ve fu rther a r o u s e d them : a n d so they placed m e , comple tely n lked a s I w a s , i n the center o f the c i rcle they formed by all fou r drawing up chairs. I w a s obliged to p a r a de from one to the next and to r e ceive the p enance e a c h in his turn chose to o rd e r me to do ; I had n o more compassi on from the youths than from the o l d e r m e n , but ' tw a s above all C a rdovi l l e who d i s tin gu i s h e d h i m s e l f by r e fi n e d t e a s i ngs which S a i n t-Florent, cruel a s h e w a s , w a s unable to dupli c a te without a n effort.
A b ri e f r e s p i t e sw:ce e d e d t h e s e vicious orgi e s , I w a s given a few i n s t ants to c a tc h my breath ; I h a d been beaten black a n d blu e , but w h a t surp r i s e d m e w a s t h a t they doctored a n d h e a l e d the damage done m e i n less t i m e than i t had taken to inflict it, whereof n o t the slightest trace r em a i ne d . The lubriciti e s were resumed.
There w e r e moments when all those bodies se eme d to form but one a n d when Sa int-Fhrent, lover and mi stress, received copious quantities o f what the i mpotent C a rdoville doled out with sparing economy : the next instant, no longer active but lending him sel f in every manner, both h i s mouth and hindquarters served a s altars to frightful homages. Car :loville cannot resist such a p ro fusion o f lib ertine scenes. Seeing hi:; friend brilliantly elevated, he comes up to offer himself to S a i n t-F orent' s lust, and the tradesman enj oys him ; I sha rpen the sp e a rs, I steer them in the direction they are to thrust, and my exposed buttocks provide a p erspective to the lubric i ty o f some, a target fc , r the besti ality of others. As all this wears on our two l ibertines be come more c i rcumspect, for considerable e f forts are the p rice of reanimation ; they emerge unscathed from the i r j oustings and thei r new state is such to terri fy me even more.
"Very well, La F�ose, " says S a i nt-Florent, " take the bi tch ; we'll tighten her up : it'! time for the stricturing."
I am not famili a r iVith the exp ression : a cruel experiment soon reveals i ts me aning. La Rose seizes me, he places my fl a nks upon a small c i rcula r repentance stool not a foot in di ameter : once there , l a cking any other supp )rt, my legs fall on one side, my head and a rms on the other ; my four limbs, stretched a s far apart as pos sible, a r e tied to the fl o n ; th e executioner who i s go ing to perform the stricturing catches l p a long needle through whose eye h e passes
Justine .. 73 1
a s tout waxed thread, and with complete unconcern for e i ther the blood h e is to shed or the sufferings h e i s going to cause me, the monster, directly before the two colleagues whom the spectacle amuses, sews shut the entrance to the temple of Love ; when fin ished, he turns m e over, now my belly rests upon the repentance stool ; my limbs hang free, they a r e a ttached as befo re, and the in decent shrine of Sodom is barricaded in th e same manner : I do not speak of my agonies, Madame, you must you rsel f fancy what they were, I was on the verge o f losing consciousness.
" Splendid, that's how I must h ave them , " quoth Saint-Flo rent when I had been turned over agai n and was lying on my buttocks, and when, in this posture, he spied well wi thin striking range the fortress he wanted to invade. "Ac:ustomed to reaping nothing but the first fruits, how, without this ceremony, should I be able to h a rvest any pleasures from this cre a ture ?"
S aint-Floren t had the most violent erection, they were currying and drubbing his device to keep it rampant ; grasping that pike, he a dvances : in order to excite him f u rther, Julien enjoys C ardoville before his eyes ; S aint-Florent opens the a ttack, maddened by the resi stance he encounters, he presses ahead with incredible vigor, the threads are strained, some sna p . Hell ' s tortures are a s naught to mine ; the keener my a gonies, the more piquant seem to be my tormenter's delights. At length, everything capitulates before his efforts, I am ripped asunder, the gli ttering dart sinks to the ulti mate depths, but Saint-Florent, a nxious to husband h i s strength, m e rely touch e s bo ttom and wi thdraws ; I a m turned over ; the same obstacles : the savage one scouts them as h e stands h e a ting his en gine and with his ferocious hands he molests the environs in orde r to put the place in fi t condition for assault. He presents himself, the n a tural smallness o f the locale renders his campaign more a rduous to wage, my r edoubtable vanquisher soon storms the gates, clears the entry ; I am bleeding ; but wh a t does it matter to the conqu ering hero ? Two vigorous heaves ca rry him into the sanctuary and there the villain consumm ates a drea d ful sacrifice whose rack ing pains I should not have been able to endure another second.
"My turn , " cries up C a rdoville, causing m e to be untied, " I 'll have no tailoring done, but I'm going to place the dear girl upon a camping bed which should restore her circulation, and bring out
7 3 2 -&- T H E M A R Q U I S DE SADE
all the wa rmth and mobi l i ty h e r temperament or her virtu e re fuse u s . "
Up on the s p o t L a R o s e opens a closet a n d draws o u t a cross made of gna rl e d , thorn y, spiny wood. 'Tis thereon the infamous debauchee wishes to ph:e me, but by means of wh a t episode will he imp rove his cruel enj oy 'Ilent ? B e fo r e at taching me, C a rdoville in serts into my behind a silver-colored ball the size of an egg ; he lubricates i t and drives . t home : it disappears. Immedi ately it is in my body I feel it enla rge and begin to burn ; without heeding my compl aints, I am lash4!d securely to th i s tho rn-studded frame ; C a rdoville p enetrates a 3 h e fastens himself to m e : he presses my back, my flanks, my butt ocks on the protuberances upon which they are susp ended. Julien fi :s himsel f into C a r dovill e ; obl i ged to b e a r the w e i g h t o f these two b o d i e s , and having nothing to supp ort my self upon but these accu rsed knots and knurs which gouge into my fl e s h , you may ea sily cc nceive wh at I suffered ; the more I thrust up against those who p �ess down upon m e , the more I am driven upon the i rr e gul arities which stab and lacerate me. Me anwhile the terrible globe has wo rke d its way deep into my bowels and is cramp ing them, burning them , tearing them ; I scream again and again : no words exi s t which can describe what I am undergoing ; all the same and all the whi l e , my murderer frolics j oyfully, his mouth glu ed to m i n e , h e s e em s to inhale my pain in order that i t may m a gn i fy his pleasure s : lis intoxication is not to be rendered ; but, a s i n h i s friend's instan:e, he feels his forces about to desert him, and like S a in t-Florent ;vants to taste everything b e fore they a r e g o n e enti r ely. I am tu rn ed o v e r a g a i n , am made to ej ect t h e a rdent sphere, and it i s set to p roducing in the vagina i tself, the same con fl agration it i gnited i n the place whence it has just been flush ed ; the ball enters, s e a r s , s, :orches the m a trix to its depths ; I am not spared, they fasten m e 1 elly-down upon the perfidious cross, and far more delicate p arts o f m e are exposed to molestation by the tho rny excrescences awaiting l hem. C a rdoville penetrates into the for bi dden passage ; he p e rl:orates it while anoth e r enjoys h i m in sim i l a r wise : and at l a s t deli rium holds my persecuto r in i t s grasp, his app alling shrieks announce the crime's compl etion ; I am inundated, then u n ti e d .
"Off y o u go, d e a r friends , " C ardoville s ays t o th e pair o f
Jus tin e <4- 7 3 3
young men, "get your hands on this whore a n d amuse yourselves in whatever way your whims advise : she's you rs, we're done with h e r . " T h e two you thfu l libertines s e i z e me. W h i l e one entertains himsel f with the front, the other buries h imsel f in the r e a r ; they change places and change again ; I am more gravely torn by their prodi gious thickness than I have been by S a int-Florent ' s artificial b a r ricadings ; both he and C a rdoville toy with the young men while they occupy themselves wi th m e . Saint-Florent sodomizes La Rose who deals in like manner wi th me, and C a rdoville does a s much to Julien who employs a more decent place to excite himsel f in me. I am the focal point o f these execra ble o rgi es, thei r absolute center and mainspring ; La Rose and Julien have each fou r times done reverence a t my altars, whilst Ca rdoville and Saint-Florent, less vigorous or more enerva ted, a r e content with one sacrifice offered to each o f my lovers. And then the l a s t measure o f seed i s sown by La Rose-' twa s h i gh time, fo r I w a s ready to swoon .
" My comrade h a s certa inly hur t you, There s e , " s ays Julien, "and I am going to r ep a i r all the damage . " He picks up a fl ask o f spirits a n d several t i m e s rubs a l l m y wounds. T h e traces o f m y execu tioners' a troci ties van i s h , but noth i n g a ssuages my pain, and never had I experienced any a s sharp.
"What with our skill at making the evidence o f our cruelties disapp e a r , the ladies who would like to lodge compl aints against us must have the devi l ' s own time getting themselves believed, e h , Therese ?" says C a rdoville. "Wh a t proofs d o y o u fancy could b e presented to support an accusation ? "
" O h , " Saint-Florent inte rrup ts, " the charming Therese is in no condition to l evel charge s ; on the eve of being immol ated herself, we ought to expect nothing but prayers from her."
"\Vell, she' d be ill-advi sed to undertake the one o r the other," Ca rdoville repli e s ; "she might inculp ate us ; but would she be heard ? I doubt i t ; our consequence and eminent stations in this c i ty would sca rcely allow anyone to notice suits which, anyhow, always come before u s and whereof we are at all times the masters. Her final torture would simply b e m a d e crueler and more p ro longed. Therese must surely sense we h ave amu s e d ourselves with her p erson for the natural, common , and uncomplex rea son which engages migh t to abuse feebleness : she must surely sense she can-
7 3 4 1- T H E M A R Q C S DE S A D E
n o t escape her sentence , th at it must be undergone, that she will unde rgo it, th a t i t woul d be in vain she m i ght divulge this evening's absence from j ail ; sh e ' d not be believed ; the j a i l e r-for he's ours -would deny it a t onc e. And so may this lovely and gentle girl , so penetra ted w i th t h e :�randeur o f Providence, peacefully o ff e r up to Heaven all she has j r st suffered and all that yet awa i t s her ; these will be as so ma ny expic tions f o r the frightful crimes which deliver her into the hands o f th law ; put on your clothes, Th erese, day is not yet com e , the two men who brought you hith e r a r e going to conduct you back to you � prison."
I wanted to say a word, I wanted to cast myse l f a suppli ant a t these ogres' feet, either to unbend thei r hea rts, o r a sk that the i r h ands smite away my l i i 'e. B u t I am dragged o ff , p i tched into a cab, and my two gu ides climb i n a fter me ; we had ha rdly started off when in famous desires i lflamed them again.
"Hold h e r for me H quoth Julien to La Rose, " I simply must sodomi z e h e r ; I have never l a i d eyes on a behind which could s queeze m e so voluptuo lsly ; I 'll render you the same service."
There is nothing I can do to de fend mysel f, the p roj ect i s ex ecuted, Julien triump h s , and it is not wi thout a trocious a gonies I sustain this newest at tack : the assailant's exo rbitant bulk, the lacerated condition o f t lose p a rts, the fi r e with which that accursed ball had devou r e d my i ntestines, everything combined to make me suffer tortures which L l Rose renewed immedia tely h i s comp anion w as finished. B e fore a rriving I was thus yet another time victim of those wretched valet , ' criminal libertinage ; we reached our desti nation at last. The j ai l e r greeted us, he was alone, it was still n i ght, n o one saw m e enter.
"Go to sleep , The 'es e , " said h e , restoring me to my cell, " and if ever you wish to tell , i t makes no difference whom, that on this night you left prison, n member th a t I will contradict you, and that thi s useless accusation v 'ill get you nowhere . . . . "
And, s a i d I to myself when I was l e ft alone, I should regret dep a r ting this w o rl d ! I should dread to l e ave a universe freighted with such monsters 1 Ah ! were the hand o f God to snatch m e from t he i r clutches a t whatenr instant and in wha tever manner H e sees fi t ! why ! I'd compla i n 10 more ; the unique consol a tion which may
Jus ti n e .. 7 3 5
remain t o the luckless one bred u p i n thi s den o f savage beasts, his one comfort is the hope of leaving it soon.
The next day I heard nothing and resolved to abandon myself t o Provi dence, I languished and would touch no food. The day a fter that, C ardoville came to question m e ; I could not repress a shudder upon beholding the nonch alance wherewith that scoundrel walked in to execute his judici a ry duti e s-he, C ardoville, the most vill ainous o f mortals, he who, c ontrary to every a r ticle o f the j ustice in which h e was cl oaked, h ad j u s t so cruelly abused my in nocence and exploited my m isery ; it was in vain I pled my cause, the dishonest man's a rtfulness devised more crimes than I could invent de fense s ; when all the charges had been well e stablished in the view o f this iniquitous j u dge, and when the case was made, he had the impudence to a sk m e whether I knew in Lyon one M on sieur de Saint-Florent, a wealthy and estimable citizen ; I answered that I knew him, yes.
"Excellent," said C a rdoville, "no more i s needed. This M on sieur de Saint-Flo rent, whom you declare you know, also has a per fect knowledge o f you ; he h a s deposed tha t he saw you in a band o f thieves, that you were the first t o steal h:s money and his pocket book. He further deposes that yo ur comrades wished to spare his l i fe , that you recommended they take i t from him ; nevertheless, he managed to escap e . Saint-Florent a dds that, several years l a ter, having recogni z e d you in Lyon, h e yielded to your importunings and p ermitted you to come to pay him a call at his home upon con dition you would give him your word to behave well in fu ture and that, while h e was delivering a lecture on manners to you , whil e he was seeking to pe rsuade you t o persist along the p a ths of r i ghteous ness, you carried insolence and crime to the point of choosing these m oments o f kindness to steal a watch and one hundred IO llis he had l e ft lying upon the mantel. . . . "
And, profiting from the resentment and anger such a trocious calumni es p rovoked in me, C a r doville ordered the court clerk to write that my silence and my faci al exp ressions were ample acknowl e dgment of my guilt and were tantamount to a confession.
I threw myself upon the ground, I made the walls resound w i th my cries, I struck my head against the stone floor, hoping to obtain a speedier death, unable to find vehicles to give expression
7 3 6 .. T H E M A R Q U [ S DE S A D E
to my rage : "Vill ain I" I screamed, " I put my faith in the God of Justice who will revenge me fo r your crimes ; He shall c ry out in nocence, He shall m ak,� you repent you r disgraceful abuse o f the authority vested i n YOl l ! " C a rdoville rings and tell s the j ailer to take m e away, I appea r , says he, to be unsettled by desp a i r and remorse and, a t any rate, in no state to follow the inte rrogation ; "But, on the other h a n d , what remains to be asked or s a i d ? The doss i e r i s complete j she h a s confessed to all her crim es." And the vill ain l e aves peacefully I And divine lightning strikes him not I
The cas e w a s tried in short order ; motivated and directed by hatred, vengeance, and lust, the cou rt p romptly condemned me and I was disp a tched to P a ris for the confirmation of my sentence. While on this fatal j ou �ney, which, though guiltless, I made in the ch aracter of the last c f criminals, the most bi tter and the most dolorous thoughts gath ered in my head and completed the desola tion o f my heart. Unde r what doom-spelling star must I have been born, I wondered, in oder that I be utte rly incapable o f conceiving a single generous sent ment without immedi a tely being drowned in a sea of misfortunes ! And why is i t th a t this enlightened Provi dence whose j u stice 1 2 m pleased to worship, the while punishing m e for my virtues, simul taneously shows me those who crush m e w i t h t h e i r crimes carrid to the pinnacle o f happiness !
During my childhc od I meet a usurer ; he seeks to induce me to commit a theft, I refuse:, h e becomes rich. I fall amongst a band of thieves, I escape from :hem with a man whose l i fe I save ; by way of thanks, he rapes me. I reach the p roperty of an aristocratic debauchee who h a s m e set upon and devoured by his dogs for not h aving wanted to p oi so:l his aunt. From there I go to the home of a murderous and incestu J U S surgeon whom I strive to spare from doing a horrible deed : the butcher brands m e for a criminal ; he doubtless consummates his a troci ties, makes his fortune, whilst I am obliged to beg for my bread. I wish to have the sacraments made available to me, I wish fervently to implore the Supreme Being wh ence howbeit I receive so many ills, and the august tri bunal, a t which I hope to find purification i n our most holy mys teri e s , becomes the ble'ody theater of my i gnominy : the monster who abuses and plunG ers me i s elevated to his order's highest honors an d I fall back i nto the appalling abyss o f misery. I a ttemp t
Jus tine -+ 7 3 7
t o preserve a wom an from h e r husband's fu ry, t h e cruel o n e wishes to put me to death by draining away my blood drop by drop . I wish to reli eve a poor woman, she robs me. I give aid to a man whom a dver s a r i e s have struck down and l e ft unconscious, the thankless creature makes me tu rn a wheel like an animal ; he hangs me for h i s pleasure's sake ; all fo rtune's blessings accrue to him, and I come within an ace o f dying on the gallows for h aving been compelled to work for him. An unwo rthy woman seeks '�o seduce m e for a new crime, a second time I lose the l ittle I own in order to rescue her victim's treasure. A gentleman, a kind spi ri t wishes to comp ensate me for all my sufferings by the offer of hiB hand, h e dies in my a rms before being able to do anything for me. I r i sk my l i fe i n a fire i n order to snatch a child, who does not belong to me, from the flames ; the infant's mother accuses and launches legal p roceedings against me. I fall into my most m ortal enemy ' s hands ; she wishes to c a r ry me o ff by force and take me to a man whose p a ssion is to cut off heads : i f I avo i d th a t villa i n ' s swo rd i t i s so that I c a n trip and fall under Them i s ' . I implore th e p rotection o f a m a n whose l i f e a n d fortune I once saved ; I dare expect gra titlde from him, h e lures me to his house, he subm i ts m e to horrors, and there I find the iniqui tous j u dge upon whom my case depends ; both abu se me, both outrage me, both accelerate my doom ; fortune overwh elms them with favo rs, I hasten on to death.
That i s what I have received from m a nkind, that i s what I have l e a rn e d of the danger o f tra flicking with men ; i s it any wonder th a t my soul, stung, whipsawed hy unhappiness, revolted by ou t rage and inj ustice, aspires to n o tl'ing more than bursting from i ts mortal confines ?
A thou sand p a rdons , M a dame, s a i d this unlucky girl, termi nating h e r a dventures a t this point ; a thousand times over I a sk to be forgiven for having sull i e d your spirit with such a host of ob scenities, fo r h aving, in a wo rd, so long abused your p a ti ence. I have, perhaps, offended H e aven with impure recitals, I have l a i d o p e n my oid wounds, I h a v e disturbed y o u r e fl s e and rest ; farewel l , Ma dame, Godsp e e d ; the Star rises above t h e horizon, I hear my gu a rds summon me to come, let me run on to meet my destiny , I f e a r i t no more, ' twill abridge my tormen t : this l a s t mortal instant i s dreaded only by the favo red being who se days have passed un-
7 3 8 .. T H E MARQ U I S DE S A D E
clouded ; bu t the wretcr ed c r e a ture who has breathed nau ght but the venomous effi uvi a of reptile s , whose tottering feet have trod only upon nettl e s , who has never beheld the torch o f dawn save with feelings l ike unto those o f the lost travel e r who, trembling, p e rceives the thunderbol t's forked track ; s h e from whom cruel accident has snatched a'vay pa rents, all kin, friends, fortun e , p ro tection, a i d ; s h e who in all thi s wo rld h a s nothing more than tears to quench h e r thirst and fo r sustenance her tribulations ; she, I say, undi smayed sees death a dvance, she even y e a rns fo r it as for a s a fe h aven, a port wherein tr anquillity will be born again unto h e r when she is clasped to the b n ast of a God too j u s t to p e rm i t that inno cence, defiled and groulld under the heel on ea rth, may not find recompense fo r so many evils in another world.
The honest Monsi( ur de C o rville had not heard thi s tale with out pro found emotion ; as for M a d ame de Lorsange i n whom, as we h ave s a i d , the monstrous e r rors o f h e r youth had not by any means extinguished sen ;ib i l i ty, as for :t\J adame de Lorsange, she was r e a dy to swoon.
" M ademoisell e , " S l id s h e to Justine, "it is difficult to l i s ten to you without taking the k eenest interest in you ; but, and I must avow i t ! an inexpl icable senti nent, one far more tender than this I de scribe, draws m e invinci bly towa rd you and does make of your ills my very own. You have d i sgu i s e d your name, you h ave conc e a l e d you r b i rth, I b e g y o u to di sclose y o u r s e c r e t to me ; t h i n k not that i t i s a v a i n curiosity which b i d s me speak t h u s to you . . . Great G o d ! m a y what I suspect b e t 'u e ? . . . 0 Therese ! were y o u Justine ? . . . were it th a t you would b e my sister I"
"Justine ! M a dame 1 ' t i s a strange name." " S h e woul d h ave b l �en you r age-" "J uliette ! is i t you [ h ea r ? " cried the unh appy prisoner, casting
he rself into Madame de Lo rsange ' s a rms ; " . . . you . . . my s i s t e r ! . . . a h , I s h a l l die f a r , ess m i s e r a b l e , for I h ave been a b l e to em brace you again ! . . . "
And the two sisters, clasped in each other's a rms, were pre vented by the i r sobs from hea ring one ano t h e r , and found exp res sion i n naught but tears.
l\Ionsi e u r de C o rv lle was unable to hold b a c k his own ; awa re
Jus ti n e 4 7 3 9
o f the overpowe ring significance o f this a ff a i r and sensing h i s in volvement in i t, h e moves into an adjoining room, sits down and writes a letter to the Lord C h ancellor , w i th fi e ry strokes, in a rdent ciphers h e p a ints i n all its horror the fate o f poor Justine, whom we shall continue to call Therese ; h e takes upon himself responsi bility for h e r innocenc e , he will guarantee i t under oath ; he asks that, until the time h e r case has been finally clarified, the allegedly gu ilty pa rty be confined to no o t h e r prison but his chateau, and Corville gives his word he will pro duce her in court the instant the C h i e f Justice signals his desire to have her appear there ; he makes himself known unto Therese's two gu ards, entrusts his corres pondence to them, makes himself �.nswerable for the i r prisone r ; he i s obeyed, Therese i s confided to hi m ; a carriage i s call ed for.
" C ome, my too unfortunate creature , " Monsieur de C o rville says to M a dame de Lorsange ' s interesting sister, "come hither ; all i s going to be ch anged j i t shall n ot be said your virtues ever re mained unrewarded and that the beauti ful soul you had from N a ture ever encountered but steel j foll o w us, 'tis upon me you depend henceforth . . . . "
And Monsieur de Co rville gave a brief a ccount o f wh a t he had just done.
" D e a rly beloved and respecta ble man , " said M a d ame de Lor sange , casting herself down befo r e h e r lover, "this is the most spl endid gestu re you have perfo rmed in your life, it i s such as comes from one who has true acqu a intance with the human h e a rt and the spirit of the law which is the avenger of oppressed innocence. There she stands, M onsieur, behold, th eJ:e i s your captive j go , Therese, go , run, fly at once and kneel down before this equitable p rotector who will not, as h ave all others, abandon you. 0, Monsieur, if those a ttachments o f love which have bound me to you have been cher ished, how much more so are they to become now that they are strengthened by the most tender esteem . . . . "
And one a fter the other the two women embraced the knees o f a so generous friend, and upon him they did shed the i r tears.
A few hours later they a rrived a t the ch ateau j once there, Monsieur de C o rville and M a dame de Lorsange both s trove with might and main to raise Therese from the ultimate deeps of un-
7 4 0 + T H E M :\ R Q C [ S D E S A D E
happiness to the pu re sl nshine of contentment and well-being. They took greatest j oy i n giying her to eat of the most succulent fo ods, they l a i d h e r to sleep in the finest o f beds, they did urge her to com mand and th ey made h , : r will to be done, and into their hospi table proceedings they introduced all the genti l i ty and understanding it were possible to exp e c t from two sensi tive soul s . She was given m edicines for several d lYs, she w a s b a thed, dressed, a rrayed in ele gant attire, embellish e d , the two lovers worshiped her, each labored at nothing but to make h e r forget her sor rows a s quickly a s might b e . An excellent surgeon was fetch e d ; h e undertook to make the ignominious mark disappear, and soon the cruel result o f Rodin's villainy w a s e ffectively I�one ; a n d everything responded to the cares h e r bene factors lavishe:l upon Therese : the shadowed memories o f m i s e ry w e r e already e ff aced from t h a t amiable girl ' s brow ; already the Graces had re-established their empi r e thereupon. For the livi d tints on h e r cheeks o f alabaste r were substituted the rosy hue ap p ropriate to her y e a r s ; wh a t had been withered by such a multitude of griefs was called ba,:k to · fresh new l i f e . Laugh ter, for so many years banished from h e r lips, reappeared again under the wings of Ple a sure. The very best news came from the Court ; Monsieur de C o rville had put all o f France in action, h e h a d reanimated the z e a l o f Monsieur S * * * , who collaborated with him to publicize There s e ' s ill-treatment and to restore her to a tranquillity to which she w a s so he avily enti tled. At length letters came from the King, they null i fi e d all the leg al p roce edings unjustly i n i ti a t e d against h e r , t h e y g a v e her b a c k t h e n a m e o f an h o n e s t citi z en, i m p o s e d silence upon all the realm's tr ibunals before which efforts had been made to defame h e r, and accorded h e r a thou sand crowns a y e a r , interest r e a l i z e d upon the gol d s e i z e d in the caunte rfei ters' D a uphine wo rk shop . They wished to make Ca rdoville and Saint-Florent answer for their misdeeds but, i n accordance w i th the fatality of the s t a r in tending upon all o f Th � rese's p e rsecutors, one o f them, C a rdovill e , h a d j u s t, before h i s c r imes were made known , been named t o t h e a dministration o f the :?rovince o f * * * , and t h e o t h e r to general sup ervision o f Coloni a . Trade ; each h a d already reached h i s desti n a tion, the edicts affect � d no one but the powerful fami l i e s who soon found means to q u i e t the storm and, pacifi cally installed i n For-
Jus tin e T 7 4 1
tune ' s sanctu a ry, those monsters' depredations were quickly for gotten .s
With wha t regards Therese, as soon a s she l e a rn e d o f so m any a greea ble developments she came well-nigh to exp i ring from j-oy ; for several days on end the sweetest tears flowed from her eyes and she rej oiced upon h e r gu ardians' � reasts, and then, all of a sudden, h e r humor altered, and ' twas impo ssible to ferret out the cause. She became somber, uneasy, troubled, was given to dreaming, sometimes she burst into weeping b e fore her friends, and w a s not herself able to expl a i n what was the subj ect of her woe. "I was not born for such felicity," said she to M a dame de Lorsange, " . . . o h , dear sister, ' t i s impossible i t l a s t much longe r . " She w a s a ssured all h e r troubl es were ove r , none r e m a i n e d , s a i d they, no more inqui etude fo r her ; ' tw a s all i n vain, nothing would qui e t her ; one might have said that this melancholy creatur,�, uniqu ely destined for sorrow, and feeling the hand o f misery fo rever raised above her head, al ready foresaw the final blow whereby she was going to be smi tten down .
Monsieur de C o rville was still residing on h i s country estate ; ' twas toward summe r ' s end, they had planned an outing when the approach o f a dreadful storm obl i ged them to p ostpone thei r p romenade ; the excessive heat h a d constrained them t o leave all the windows open. Lightning gli tters, shakes, hail slashes down, winds blow wrathfully, h e aven ' s fire convuls e s the clouds, i n the most hi de ous m anner makes them to seethe ; it seems as if N a tu r e were wearied out o f p a ti ence with what she has wrought, a s i f she were ready to confound all the elements that she m i gh t wrench new forms from them. Terrifi ed, M a dame de Lorsange begs her sister to make all h a ste and close the shutters ; anxio u s to calm her, Therese dashes to the windows wh ; ch a r e already being broken ; she would do b a ttle with the wind, she gives a minute ' s fi gh t, i s driven back and at tha t instant a blazing thunderbolt reaches her where she stands i n the m i ddle of the room . . . transfixes her.
M adame de Lorsange emits a terrible cry and falls i n a faint ; Monsieur de C o rville calls for help, attentions a r e given e ach wom an, M a dame de Lorsange is r evived, but the unhappy Therese
8 A s f o r t h e monks of S ai n t M ary - i n - t h e - Wood, s u p p r e s s i o n of t h e r e l igious orders w i l l exp o s e the atrociou s - crimes of t h a t h o r r i b l e crew.
742 .. T Il E M A R Q U I S D E S A D E
has been struck i n such wise hope i tsel f can no longer subsi st for h e r ; the l i gh tning enter e d her right breast, found the hea rt, and a fter having consumed her chest and face, burst out through her belly. The miserable tb ing was hideous to look upon ; Monsieur de C o rville orders th a t s h e be borne away . . . .
" N 0 , " s ays M a dame de Lo rsange, getting to her feet with the u tmos t calm ; "no, l eave her here be fore my eyes, l\l onsi eur, I have got to contemp l a te her in o rder to be confi rmed in the resolves I h ave j u s t taken. Listen to me, C arvill e , and above all do not oppose the decision I am a dopting ; for the present, noth ing in the world could swerve my design s .
" T h e unheard o f :;ufferings t h i s luckless creature h a s exp eri enced a l though she h a s always respected her duties, h ave something about them which i s toc extraordinary for me not to open my eyes upon my own sel f ; th i n k not I am blinded by that false-gleaming felicity which, i n the C01lrse of Therese's adventu res, we h ave seen enj oyed by the villains who ba ttened u p o n h e r . T h e s e c a p ri c e s o f H e a v en ' s h a n d a r e e n i �m a s i t i s n o t f o r u s to s o u n d , but which ou gh t never seduce u s . 0 th ou my friend ! The p ro sperity o f C rime i s but an o rdeal to whic 1 Provi dence woul d expose Vi rtue, it i s like unto the lightning, who se traitorous brilli anci es but for an instant embel l i s h the a tmosphe re, in order to hurl into death's very deeps the luckl ess one they h, ve dazzled. And there, before our eyes , is the example of i t ; th a ' : charming girl ' s incredible calamities, her terri fying reversals and uninte rrupted disasters are a warning is sued me by the Eternal , Who would that I heed the voice o f mine gui l t a n d cast myself into His arms. Ah, what mu s t be the punish ment I have got to fear from Him, I , whose libertinage, irreligion, a n d abandon o f every principle have stamped every instant o f my li fe ! What must I not ( xpect if ' ti s thus He h a s treated her who in all h e r days h a d not a si ngle sin whereof to repent ! Let u s sep a r ate, C a rville , the time has (I)me, no chain binds us one to the other, for get me, and approve th lt I go and by an eternal penance abj ur e , a t the Supreme B eing's f( et, the infami es wherewith I a m soiled ab solu tely. Th a t appallin s stroke was necessary to my conversion in this l i fe , it was needec for the happiness I dare hope for in an other. Fa rewell , Monsi eur ; the last mark o f your friendship I a sk is t h a t you institute no J e rquisitions to discover what shall have be-
Jus till e ,� 7 43
come o f me. Oh, Carville 1 I awa i t you in a better world, your vir tu es should l e a d you unto i t ; may the a tonements I make, to exp i a te my crimes, in this place where I go to spend the unhappy years that remain to m e , permit me to encoun ter you again someday."
M a dame de Lorsange l e aves the house immedi a tely ; she takes some money with her, leaps into a carriage, to Monsieur de C o rville abandons the rest o f her ownings a fter having recommended that they be turned into a pious l egacy, and fl i e s to Paris, where she takes a C a rmeli t e ' s veil ; not many yea r s go by before she becomes the exampl e of h e r o rder and the edifica tion, a s much by her gre a t piety a s by t h e wisdom o f her m i n d and t h e regul arity o f h e r manners.
l\I onsi eur de C a rville, worthy o f his country's h i ghest posts, a ttained to them, and, wha teve r were his honors, he employed them for no end but to bring happiness to the people, glory to his master, whom, " although a ministe r , " h e served well, and fortune to his friends.
o you who have wept tears upon hearing o f Virtu e ' s miseries ; you who have been moved to symp a thy for the woe-ridden Justine ; the while forgiving the perhaps too h eavy brushstrokes we h ave found ourselves comp elled to employ, may you a t least extract from this story the same moral which determined M a dame de Lor sange ! M ay you be convinced, with her, that true happiness is to be found nowhere but in Virtue's womb, and that i f, in keeping wi th designs i t i s not for us to fathom, God permits that i t be p e r secuted on Ea rth , i t is so that Virtue may be comp ensated by Heaven ' s most dazzling rewards.
Bibliography
I . WOR K S P U B L I S H ED D U RI N G T H E AU T H OR ' S LIFETI M E
LITERARY WOR K S
1 . Jus ti n e , o u les Malheurs de l a Pertu. En H o llan de, Chez les L i b raires a s s o cies [ Pa r i s , Girou a r d ] , 1 7 9 1 . Two volumes , 8 vo. Frontisp iece by Chery. During S a d e ' s l i fe time, there were six fu rther p rintings be tween the ini tial publication a n d 1 8 0 1 . S a d e ' s re-a rrest th a t ye a r put an e n d to t h e reprintings. These subsequent editions were : 1 ) En H o llande [ Pa r i s , Gi rou a r d ] , 1 7 9 1 . Two volumes, 1 2-
mo. Certain cop ies of thi� edition include twelve erotic en gravings.
2) A L o n dres [ Pa r i s , C a z in ] , 1 7 9 2 . Two volumes , 1 8 mo. Frontispiece and five eng r avings.
3 ) Tro isie m e [ fourth ] edi ti o n co rrigee et a u g m e n tee. Phila delphie [ Pa ri s ] , 1 7 9 4. Two volumes, 1 8 mo. Frontis piece a n d five engravings .
4 ) A L o n dres [ Pa r i s ] , 1 7 9 7 . Four volume s , 1 8mo. Further augmented e di tion. Six erotic engravings.
5 ) En H o llande [ Pa r is ] , 1 8 0 0 . Four volumes, 1 6mo. Pre sented a s the Tro is i e m e edi ti o n co rrigee e t augmen tee, thi s is actu ally a reprint of the original edition.
74.5
746 + T H E MAR QU I S DE SADE
6 ) En H o llande [ Paris ] , 1 8 0 1 . Four volumes, 1 6mo. Also presented a s the Tro is i e m e edi t i o n c o rrigee e t a u g m e n tee, this was a reprinting of the 1 8 00 edition.1
2 . A line e t Valc o u r, o u Ie R o m a n p h ilos o p h i q u e . Ecri t a la B a s tille u n a n ava n t la R ev o lu tio n de Fra n c e . Orne de q u a torze gravures. Par Ie ci t o y e n S * * * . A Paris, c h e z Girou ard, Li bra ire, ru e du B o u t-du-M o n de , n° 4 7, 1 793 . Eight volumes, 1 8 mo. There are actu all y three different editions o f this wo rk, b e a r ing different dates and, in some instances, containing sixteen rather than twelve engravings. Sade announced2 the book would appear at E a ster of 1 7 9 1 , bu t the instability of the times and the dfath of Girouard bene ath the gu illotine in 1 7 94 kept the bc'ok from app e a ring until 1 7 9 5 , which date should be taken ;,s the date of refe rence o f the original edi tion.
3. L a Phi lo s ophi e d a n s Ie b o u d oir. O llvrage p o s tlw m e d e l ' a u t e u r de "Ju s / i n e . " A L o n dres, aux dep ens de l a C o m p a g n i e , M D C CXCV. Two volumes, 1 8 mo. Frontispiece and fou r erotic e ngravings.
4. L a N o uv e lle Ju s / i n e, 0 11 le s Malh e urs de la V e r t u . O uvrage o rne d' u n fro n tis llice et de q ll a ra n t e s u j e ts graves a'vcc s o i n . E n H o ll a n d e [ Pa r is ] , 1 7 9 7 . Fou r volumes, 1 8 mo. T h e s e fou r volumes comp risc� the fi rst p a r t o f the defini tive edition o f this work, o f whi :h the second pa rt, i n six volumes, bears the title :
5 . L a N o Wl:elle hl5 l i n e , o u les M alh e llrs d e f a f/ e rtll, s u ivie de I'His t o ire de Ju li e t te , s a s o eu r [ 0 11 les Prosperi tes du vice . ] OU7)rage o r ne d ' i l n fro n tis pice e t d e c e n t suje ts gravis ave c s o i n . En H o ll a n d e [ Paris] , 1 7 9 7 .
6. Oxtiern, o u I I' S m a lh e u rs du lib ertinage, dra m e e n tro is actes e t e n p r o s e p a r D . -A .-F. S . R epris e n te au Theatre M o liere,
1 S e e the "Bibliographie d" s ffiu<Jres de Sade" drawn up by Robert Valenf;ay in Les Infortunes de la fl ertu, P nis, Les Editions du Point du Jour, 1946.
2 In a l etter of M a rch 6, 1 19 1 .
Bibliography ""&- 747
a Paris, en 1 7 9 1 ; e t a Persailles, sur celui de la Socihe Dra m a tique, Ie 22 frimaire, I' an 8 de la Republique. A P ersailles, chez Blaizo t, Libraire, ru e Satory. A n huitieme [ 1 S 0 0 ] . One volume , S vo , 48 p a g e s .
7 . Les Crimes de I' A m o ur, N ot/velles hCroiques e t tragiques ; precedees d'u n e Idee sur les romans et ornees de gravures, par D.-A .-F. Sade, au teur d' "Aline et P alco ur." A Paris, chez Masse, Cdi teur-proprihaire, rue H elvCtius nO 580. An VI I I [ 1 8 0 0 ] . Four volu m e s , 1 2 m o . Fou r fronti spieces. This work contains eleven s t o r i e s , a s follows : Vol . I -Juliette e t R au n ai, o u la Co nspirati o n d'A m b o ise,
n o uvelle historique; La D o u ble Epreuve. Vo l . I I-Miss Henriette S trals o n , o u les Elfe ts du desesp oir,
n o uv elle a nglais e j Faxelange, ou les Torts de [' ambitio n j Flo rville e t Co uvral, o u I e Fa talis m e .
V o l . I I I-R odrigue, o u l a Tour enchan tee, c o n te allegoriqu e ; Laurence e t A n t o n i o , n 0 1welle i talien n e j Ern estine, n o u ve lle suCdois e .
V o l . I V-D o rgeville, o u I e Criminel par Vertu; la Com tesse de Sancerre, o u la R ivale de s a fille, an ecdo te de la Cour de B o u rg o g n e ; Eugen ie de Franval.
8 . L' A u teur d e "Le s Cri m es d e I A m o ur" a Pille terque, fo llicu laire . Paris, Masse, an XI [ 1 8 03 ] . 1 2 rna, 2 0 p a ge s .
9 . L a Marquise de Gange. Paris, Bech e t, Librairc, q u a i des A ugustins, n° 63, 1 8 1 3 . Two volumes , 1 2 m o .
POLITICAL PAl\1 P H L ETS
1 . A dresse d' u n citoyen de Pari�:, au r o i des Fra n�ais. P a r i s , G i rou a rd , no d a t e [ 1 7 9 1 ] . 8 vo , 8 p a g e s .
2 . S ec ti o n des Piques. Obs erva t i o n s presen tees a l' A s s e m b Ue adminis trative des /u3pi taux. 28 o c to bre 1 7 9 2 . D e l'Impri-
7 4 8 .. T H E M A R Q U S D E S A D E
m erie de la S e c ti £ ' n des Piques, rue Sain t-Fiacre, nO 2 . , 8vo, 4 p a ge s .
3 . Sectio n d e s Pique: . Idee s u r I e m o de d e la s a n c t i o n des L o ix ; p a r u n ci t o y e n d , ' c e t t e S e c ti o n . D e I'Imprimerie de la ril e Sain t-Fi acre n° 2, ,? n o vem bre 1 7 92. 8vo, 1 6 p a ge s .
4. Peti t i o n des S e c t i , m s de Paris it Ia Conve n ti o n n a tj o n a le. De I' impri m erie de la Section des Pi ques. No d a te [ 1 7 9 3 ] . 8vo, 4 p ages.
5 . S e c t i o n des Piql/ o . Ex traits des R egis tres des deli berati o n s de I' A s s e m b !ee § in erale e t perm a n e n t e de la S e c tio n des Pi ques. D e l'Impri m erie de la S e c ti o n des Piqu es, 1 7 9 3 . 8vo, 8 pages.
6 . L a S e c ti o n d e s Pi ques it ses Freres e t A m is de la So cieti d e ia Liberti e t dt l ' Eg ali ti, it Sain tes, dip artem e n t de la Chare n t e-Inferiett re. De I'Imprimerie de La S e c ti o n des P i q u e s , 1 7 9 3 . 8vo, 4 p a g e s .
7. S e c t i o n d e s Piqu es. D i s c o u rs p r o n o nce par l a S e c t i o n des Pi ques, aux m an n de M ara t et de L e Pelle tier, par Sade, citoy e n de cette . i e e ti o n e t m e m bre de la S o cieti p o pulaire. D e l'Imprim erie de la Section des Piques, 1 7 9 3 . 8vo, 8 p a ges.
8 . Peti t i o n d e l a Sec ti o n des Piques, aux repres e n tan s du p e up fe franr;ais . De l'Imprim erie de fa S e c t i o n des Piques, 1 7 9 3 . 8vo, 8 pages.
I I . P R I NCI PAL POSTH U M O U S P U B LI CATI O N S
1 . D o rei a ll Ia Biz tlrrerie du s o rt, co n te i n edi t p a r Ie m a r quis de S a de, p u b lii s ur Ie m an t/serit avec li n e n o tice sur l' all lellr [ s igned A. F. ( Anatole Franc e ) ] . Paris, Cha ravay freres, edi teur s , 1 8 8 1 . 1 ilmo, 64 p a ges.
B i b li o graphy + 749
2. His t o ri e t t es, C o n tes e t f a b l i a u x de D o n a ti e n - A lp h o n s e-Fr a n ( o i s , m arquis de Sade, p u b lih p o u r La p r e m i e r e f o is s u r l c s m a n u s crits a u t o grap h e s inedits p a r M allrice 11 ein e . A Paris, p o u r les m e m bres de la S o ciete du R o m a n Philo s o p h i q u e , 1 92 6 . 4to , 3 4 0 p a ges. Contains the following works : H I STORIETTEs-L e S e rp e n t ; L a S a i llie g a s c o n n e ; L' H e u r e u s e Fein t e ; L e !vI . . . p u n i ; L ' Eveque e m b o ur b e ; L e R ev /, n a n t ; L e s H arangueurs p r o v e n ( a u x ; A t trapez-m o i t o ujo u rs de m e m e ; L ' Ep o ux c o m plais a n t ; A v e n ture i n c o mpreh( n s i b l e ; L a Fle u r d e cha taig n i e r . CONTES ET FAB LIAux-L'In s ti t u t e u r p h i lo s o p h e ; L a Pru de, a u la R e n c o n tre i mprev : u ; Emilie de T o u rville, o u l a Cru a u te fra tern e ll e ; A u gu s t i n l d e Vill e b l a n c h e, a u I e S tra tageme de l' a m o u r ; S o i t fai t a;:n si q u ' i t est requis ; L e Presi d e n t mys ti{ie; L a M a r q u i s e de Thete m e, ou les Effe ts du lib e r t i n a g e ; L e T a li o n ; L e Cow de lui-m e m e , 0 11 Ie R a c c o m m o de m e n t imp rev u ; Il y a pIau p o u r deux; L ' Ep o llx co rrige; Ie M ari pretre, c o n te p r o v e m ; a l ; L a C h a t e l a i n e de L o ngue ville, o u l a Fem m e v e n g e e ; L e s Filo u s . ApPENDl c E-L es D angers de fa b i enfais a n c e ( D � rci ) .
3 . D i a l o g u e e n tre u n pretre e t un m o ri b o n d , p ar D o n a t i e n A lp h o ns e-Fr a n ( oi s , m arquis d e S a d e , p u b li e p o u r la p r e m i e r e f o i s s u r Ie m a n u s cri t a u t o grap h e i n edit, avec u n avan t-p r o p o s e t d e s n o t e s p a r M a u rice H e i n e . [ Paris] , Stendhal et Com p agni e , 1 9 2 6 . Small 4to, 6 2 / p a ges.
4. Co rresp o n d a n c e i n edi t e du M a r qu i s de S ade, d e ses pro ches et de s e s familiers, p u b liee avec u n e in tro ducti o n, des a n n ales et des n o te s par Paul B o u r di n . Paris, Libra i r i e de France, 1 9 2 9 . Small 4to, 4 5 2 p a ge s .
5 . Marquis de S a d e . L e s Info r t u n e s de l a Ver t u . Texte habli s u r Ie m a n u s er i t o riginal au t o g r ap h e e t p u b lie p o u r la pre miere fois avec li n e i n t r o du c ti o n par M a u rice 11 eine. Paris, E d i ti ons Fourcade, 1 9 3 0 . 8vo, 206 p a ges.
6 . L e s 1 20 J o u rnees d e S o d o m c, o u I ' E c o l e du lib ertin age, par Ie m arquis de Sade. Edi ti o n cri tique e t a b l i e sur Ie m anuscrit
7 5 0 + T H E M A R Q I J I S DE S A D E
o rigin al au to gra ty h e par Maurice Heine. A Paris , par S . e t C., aux dep e n s des Biblioph iles s o u s erip tellrs, 1 9 3 1 - 1 9 3 5 . Three volumes, 4to, 5 0 0 pages ( uninterrupted pagination throughout the t hree volumes ) .3
7 . Marquis d e Sad � . L ' A igle, Madem o is elle . . . , L e t tres p u b liees p o u r la p r e m iere fois s u r les m an us erits a u tograp h e s i n edits avec u n e Preface e t un C o m m e n taire par Gilbert L e i}' . Paris, Les Edif ons Geo rges Artigues, 1 94 9 . One volume, 1 6mo , 2 2 2 page,;.
8 . Marquis de S a d e . His t o ire s ecre te d'ls a b elle d e Baviere, rei n e de Fran c e . Publiee p o u r la premiere fois s u r le m a n u s c r i t au tograp h e i n ed i t avec u n avan t-p r o p o s p a r Gilbert L e ly . Paris, Librairie Gall imard, 1 9 5 3 . One volume, 1 6mo, 3 3 6 pages.
9 . Marquis d e Sad,�. L e Carillo n d e Vi n c e n n es . L e t tres i n edites p u b liees avec de 5 n o tes p a r Gilbert L e ly . Paris, "Arcane s , " 1 9 5 3 . O n e volurr e, 1 6mo, 1 0 6 pages.
1 0 . Marquis d e S a t � e . Cahiers p e rs o n n els ( 1 803-0 4 ) . Pu bliis p o u r la premiere fois s u r les m a n u s crilS a u to grap h es inedits avec une preface et des n o tes par Gilb ert L eZy . Paris, Correa, 1 9 5 3 . One volurr e, 1 2mo, 1 3 0 pages.
1 1 . Marquis de S a a e . M o n s i e u r Ie 6 . L e t tres i n edites ( 1 7 78- 1 784 ) p u b liees e . ' a n n o tees par G e o rges D a u m a s . Preface de Gilb e r t L e ly . Pa ris, Jull i a rd , 1 9 5 4 . One volume, 1 6mo, 2 8 8 p ages.
1 2 . Marquis de S a de . Cen t onze No tes pour L a Nouvelle Ju� tin e . Co llect, o n "Le Terrain vagu e , " n o . IV. [ Paris, 1 9 5 6 . ] Small 4to, 1 5 8 pages ( unnumbered ) .
3 A n e a r l i e r e d i t i o n o f Th e 120 Days, e d i t e d by D r . Eugen D ii h re n , w a s p u b l i s h e d in 1 904. T h e v e r s i o n i s s o r id d l e d w i th errors, h o w e v e r , th at M a u r ice H e i n e ' s 1 9 3 1- 1 9 3 5 e d i t i o n m u s t r i ghtly fi g u r e as th e o r i g i n a l edition of this work.
Bibliography .. 7 5 1
III . P R I N C I PAL U N P U BLIS H ED MAN U S CRIPTS
1. CEuvres diverses ( 1 764-1 76 9 ) . Contains the one-act play L e Philo s o p h e s o i-dis a n t ; th e epistolary work Voyage de H o llan de ,. various letters, couplets, etc. Until the di scovery of this notebook, S a d e ' s e a rliest writing was thought to date from 1 7 8 2 .
2 . Les lu m e lles o u Ie Ch o ix diffi cile. Two-act comedy i n verse.
3 . L e Privaricateur o u Ie Magi s trat du temps passe. Five-act comedy in verse.
4 . J e a n n e L a i s n e, o u I e S i e g e de Beauvais. Five-act tra gedy i n verse.
5 . L' Eco le des jaloux o u l a F o U e Epreuve. One-act comedy in vers libres.
6. L e Mis an thrope par amour o u Sophie e t Desfrancs. Five- act comedy in v e rs li bres.
7. L e Capricieux, o u l' H o m m e i n egal. Five-act comedy in verse.
8 . Les A n tiquaire s . One-act comedy i n prose.
9 . H e n ri e t t e e t Sain t-Clair, o u la Force d u Sang. Prose drama i n five acts.
1 0 . Fra n c h i s e e t Trahis o n . Prose drama in three acts.
1 1 . Fanny, o u les Effe ts du des espo ir. Prose drama in three acts.
1 2 . La T o u r m y s terieu s e . Opera-c o m iqu e in one act.
1 3 . L' U n i o n des a r ts o u les R u s es d e I' a m o u r . A play i n alex andrines, prose and vers libres. In the Catalogue rais o n n e o f 1 7 8 8 , t h i s wo rk w a s t o comprise s i x p a rts a n d a fi n a l D ivertis s e m e n t . In the extant manuscript, the Divertis s e m e n t and one play, L a Fille m alh eureuse, are missing.
1 4. L es Fetes de l' a m i tie. Two acts incorp o r a ting prose , verse, a nd vaudeville.
7 5 2 .. T H E MARQ J I S D E SADE
1 5 . A delaIde de Bru n s wick, princesse de Saxe, even e m e n t du XI" siecle. Nove!.
I V . PRIN CIPAL U N PU B LI S H ED MAN U S CRIPTS EIT H ER
D E STROYED OR N OT RECOVERED 4
1 . L' Egare m e n t de l'info rtu n e . Three-act prose drama.
2 . T a n crede . One-� ct lyric p l a y in alexandrine verse with music intersp ersed.
3 . L a Fille m alheu1 e u s e . One-act comedy in prose.
4 . L a Fin e M o u ch t . Tale.
5 . L' H eureux Ec ht. n g e . Tale.
6. L a Fo rce du Sa;zg. Tal e .
7 . L e s In convenien I S d e l a p i tie. T a l e ( first draft ) .
8 . L es R eli q u e s . Tale.
9 . L e Cure de Pra � o . Tale.
1 0 . L a Marquise de Thele m e . Tale ( fi rst dra ft ) .
1 1 . Le P o r t efeuille d' u n h o m m e de le t tres. Of thi s p roj ected four-volume wo �k, there exi sts eleven h i s t o ri e t tes publ ished by M aurice Heine, an aver tiss e m e n t, the P oy age d e H o llande previously cited, and various fragments.
1 2 . La Lis te du S u i. s e . His torie t t e .
1 3 . L a Mes s e trap c h ere. His t o rie tte .
1 4. L'Ho n n e t e ivro q n e . His tori e t t e .
1 5 . N'y allez jam ais s a n s lu miere. His t o ri e t t e .
4 N u m b e r s 1 t h r o u gh 1 7 r " p r e sent works mentioned i n t h e 1 7 8 8 Catalog u e raiJ o n ni ; n u m b e r s 1 8 t h r o u gh 20 a r e w o r k s s e i z e d at S ad e ' s p u b l i s h e r , M asse, on 1 5 P entase, An IX ; n u m b e r 21 is the p r oj ected ten-vo l u m e w o r k b u r n e d at the Prlfecture d, Po lice a fter S a d e ' s d e a th.
1 6 . L a j u s tice v e n i ti e n n e . His t o ri e t te .
B i b li o graphy + 7 5 3
1 7 . A dela'ide de Miram as, a u Ie Fan a ti s m e pro te s t a n . His t o rie t t e .
1 8 . L es Dilass e m e n ts du lib e r t i n , au la Neuvain e de Cy there.
1 9 . L e s Caprices, au un p e u de t o u t . Political work.
2 0 . L es Co n v e rs a t i o n s d u chateau d e Ch arm e lle . The fi r s t d r a ft o f L e s ] o u rnees de Flo rb elle .
2 1 . L e s ] o u r n ees de Flo r b e lle, a u la Nature dev o ilee, s u ivies des M em o ires de I' abbe de M o d o s e et des A v e n tures d' Emilie de V o l n a n g e s erv a n t de pre u�'es aux a s s erti o n s , o uvrage o r n e de d e u x cen ts g r a v u r e s . This i mmense work, contained in over a hundred no tebooks, according to Lely's estimate, was bu rned hy the police a t the request and in the presence of S a d e ' s son, Donati en-Clau de-Armand.
Lit�rature
'Th� s u p N m� valu� of h i s t�stimony l i� s i n i ts abi l i t y to d i s t u r b us. It forc�s us to r��xamin� thoroughly th� basic probl�m which haunts our ag� in d irr�rmt forms: th� true relation betw�en man and man." -Simone de Beauvoir
"Justine is the most abominabl� book �ver engendered by the most d�prav�d imagination." -Napol�on Bonapart�
No other writer has so scandaliz:�d proper soci41ty as the Marquis de Sade, but d41spiN the
delib� rate destruction of over three-quarters of his work, Sade r�mains a major figuN in the
history of ideas. His influence on some of the gNatest minds of th� I�st century-from
Baudelaire and Swinburn� to Nietz:schel DostoY41vskYI and Kafka-is indisputable. This
volum� contains the only authentic and complete American edition of his most famous
work, Justine; Phi losophy in th� Bedroom, a major novel that pr�s�nts the cI�ar�st
s u m m a t i o n o f his p o l i t ical philosophy; and Eusln ie de Fra n va (, a nov � l I a w i d�ly
consid41Nd a mastnpi�c� of �ight�enth-century Fr�nch l i terature. This lit�rary portrait of
Sad� is compld�d by one of his �arli�st philosophical �rrortsl Dia fosue �etwl?en a Priest
and a Dyins M,ln, a sel�ction of his I�tters, a fi fty-pag� chronology of his l i fe , two
important �ssays on Sad�1 and a bibliography of his work.
"Shines a perv�rse and revealing spotlight on th� �ntiN e ra of the French Revolution . . • . An i m portant and elucidating book." -Robert Lowry, Chicaso Sun - Times
Co." J"i�n by E.elyn Kim
COVH p.\inring: Gust."'� CourbQ:f' Lc Somm�;/, court .. y 01 Gir.udonl Art R,soure<
Grov( Prus 841 Bro .• dw •• y
N,w York, NY 10003
m > Z
Distrib uted by Publ ishers Group West
5 1 7 9 5 )
9 7 8 08 0 2 1 3 2 1 8 5
I S B N 0 - 8 0 2 1 - 3 2 1 8 - 9
- Contents
- Foreword by Richard Seaver and Austryn Wainhouse
- Publisher's Preface
- Part One: Critical & Biographical
- The Marquis de Sade and His Accomplice by Jean Paulhan, of l'Academie Francaise
- Sade by Maurice Blanchot
- Chronology
- Seven Letters (1763-1790)
- LETTER I (1763)
- LETTER II (1777)
- LETTER III (1783)
- LETTER IV (1783)
- LETTER V (1783)
- LETTER VI (1790)
- LETTER VII (1790)
- NOTES TO LETTERS
- Note Concerning My Detention (1803)
- Last Will and Testament (1806)
- Part Two: Two Philosophical Dialogues
- Dialogue between a Priest and a Dying Man (1782)
- Philosophy in the Bedroom (1795)
- Part Three: Two Moral Tales
- Eugenie de Franval (1788)
- Justine, or Good Conduct Well Chastised (1791)
- Bibliography
- I. WORKS PUBLISHED DURING THE AUTHOR'S LIFETIME
- LITERARY WORKS
- POLITICAL PAMPHLETS
- II. PRINCIPAL POSTHUMOUS PUBLICATIONS
- III. PRINCIPAL UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPTS
- IV. PRINCIPAL UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPTS EITHER DESTROYED OR NOT RECOVERED
