Read Trial of Gilles De Rais Online
Authors: George Bataille
Tags: #Non-Fiction, #Cultural Anthropology, #Psychology, #True Crime, #European History, #France, #Social History, #v.5, #Literary Studies, #Medieval History, #Amazon.com, #Criminology, #Retail, #History
Trial of Gilles De Rais (48 page)
Item, she says that Jean Hubert and Denis de Lemion, of the same place of Nantes, each lost his son,
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whom she knew and whose loss she had heard them bemoaning; and since their complaints, she had not seen the children again.
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whom she knew and whose loss she had heard them bemoaning; and since their complaints, she had not seen the children again.
Item, she says that given the complaint that she lodged with a fellow named Cherpy or with others of the said Lord’s men, because [her child] sometimes frequented the house of La Suze, near which the said Perrine was living, this Cherpy and the said Lord’s men told her that they thought he had gone to Machecoul to become a page.
[Signed:]
Étienne Halouart, De Touscheronde, Chatau
.
Étienne Halouart, De Touscheronde, Chatau
.
JEAN JENVRET and his wife, of Sainte-Croix-de-Nantes, declare under oath that two years ago, eight days before Saint John the Baptist’s Day, Lord de Rais then residing in Nantes in his house, La Suze, they had lost their son, aged nine, who was attending school, and who sometimes frequented the said house of La Suze; and they had not had any news of him since then, except that three weeks before, they heard that Perrine Martin, detained in Nantes prison, confessed to having led the said child to Lord de Rais, in his castle at Machecoul.
[Signed:]
De Touscheronde, Étienne Halouart, Chatau.
De Touscheronde, Étienne Halouart, Chatau.
JEAN HUBERT and his wife, of Saint-Leonard of Nantes, declare under oath that two years previously, on the Thursday following Saint John the Baptist’s Day, they lost a boy of thirteen, who was attending school; Lord de Rais then residing in his house in Nantes. Theretofore, this child, who had been employed for a week, lived with Prince, a member of the said Lord’s retinue. Prince, on engaging him, was supposed to set the child up in the best conditions and had promised to do him and his parents much good, but he did not return them their child or even give them a reason for letting him go. The child told them that this Prince had a horse that he dared not mount for fear the horse would kill him. Whereupon his parents told him that he should return to school, but the child responded that there was a proper gentleman staying with Lord de Rais, who called himself Spadin, whom he had struck up a friendship with, and whom he desired to stay with, as he had promised to fit him out well, convey him to another region,
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and do him much good. Trusting the child, the parents let him go, and he left, in fact, the very next day after his return from the said Prince, in fact, so that he spent only one night in their house. Subsequently, as he went to live at La Suze, where the said Lord was then, they saw their child there during the next seven days. But during this time, the said Lord was absent for four or five days, having left a party of his men and the said child at La Suze. And the day the Lord returned, the child came to his parents and told his mother that Lord de Rais was quite fond of him, that he had just cleaned his room and that his master had given him a round loaf of bread made for the said Lord, which he had brought her. Also he told her that a fellow named Simonnet, one of the said Lord’s servants, had given him another round loaf of the same bread to take to a woman in town. And the witnesses say that since that time, they have not seen their child again nor had any news of him, even though they complained about it to the said Lord’s men, who responded that a Scottish knight, who was quite fond of him, had taken him away. Also, a month before, they unsuspectingly complained in front of the wife of Master Jean Briand, and this woman accused the said Hubert’s wife of claiming that the said Lord had killed her child. To which Hubert’s wife responded that she had done nothing of the sort, but Briand’s wife retorted that she had, and that she was going to regret it, she and the others.
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and do him much good. Trusting the child, the parents let him go, and he left, in fact, the very next day after his return from the said Prince, in fact, so that he spent only one night in their house. Subsequently, as he went to live at La Suze, where the said Lord was then, they saw their child there during the next seven days. But during this time, the said Lord was absent for four or five days, having left a party of his men and the said child at La Suze. And the day the Lord returned, the child came to his parents and told his mother that Lord de Rais was quite fond of him, that he had just cleaned his room and that his master had given him a round loaf of bread made for the said Lord, which he had brought her. Also he told her that a fellow named Simonnet, one of the said Lord’s servants, had given him another round loaf of the same bread to take to a woman in town. And the witnesses say that since that time, they have not seen their child again nor had any news of him, even though they complained about it to the said Lord’s men, who responded that a Scottish knight, who was quite fond of him, had taken him away. Also, a month before, they unsuspectingly complained in front of the wife of Master Jean Briand, and this woman accused the said Hubert’s wife of claiming that the said Lord had killed her child. To which Hubert’s wife responded that she had done nothing of the sort, but Briand’s wife retorted that she had, and that she was going to regret it, she and the others.
Item, the witnesses say that after the loss of their child the said Lord stayed in Nantes about fifteen days, in the course of which Spadin sent for Hubert, so the latter says, and asked him where his child was; to which he responded that he did not know, but that he had entrusted him to Spadine
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and that he was responsible: whereupon the said Spadine retorted that he was crazy and that he himself was responsible for the loss of his child. They also say that they heard Degrépie, [the widow of] Regnaud Donete, Denis de Lemion and his wife, and Jean Jenvret and his wife likewise grumbling about losing their children.
153
and that he was responsible: whereupon the said Spadine retorted that he was crazy and that he himself was responsible for the loss of his child. They also say that they heard Degrépie, [the widow of] Regnaud Donete, Denis de Lemion and his wife, and Jean Jenvret and his wife likewise grumbling about losing their children.
Item, the same Hubert declares that he said to Princé after the loss of his son, he had committed a mortal sin for not having really tended and governed the child: this Princé told him then that it was not his problem, and that he was undoubtedly with a proper gentleman, who would do him much good.
[Signed:]
De Touscheronde, Étienne Halouart, Chatau
.
De Touscheronde, Étienne Halouart, Chatau
.
AGAICE,
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wife of Denis de Lemion, weaver, of the parish of Notre-Dame-de-Nantes, states that about a year and a half before, her nephew, the son of Colin
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Avril, was living with her and her husband; he was eighteen years old and sometimes frequented La Suze. And that on or about one particular evening while Lord de Rais was living there, one of his servants requested that she entrust him with her child so as to show him the house of the Archdeacon of Merles, promising to give her a round loaf; she accepted, accompanied him, then returned; on the following day the said child returned to the house of La Suze, intending to receive the said round loaf; since then he has not returned, and she has had no news as to what could have become of him.
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wife of Denis de Lemion, weaver, of the parish of Notre-Dame-de-Nantes, states that about a year and a half before, her nephew, the son of Colin
155
Avril, was living with her and her husband; he was eighteen years old and sometimes frequented La Suze. And that on or about one particular evening while Lord de Rais was living there, one of his servants requested that she entrust him with her child so as to show him the house of the Archdeacon of Merles, promising to give her a round loaf; she accepted, accompanied him, then returned; on the following day the said child returned to the house of La Suze, intending to receive the said round loaf; since then he has not returned, and she has had no news as to what could have become of him.
[Signed:]
De Touscheronde, Étienne Halouart, Chatau
.
De Touscheronde, Étienne Halouart, Chatau
.
JEANNE, the wife of Guibelet Delit, of Saint-Denis of Nantes, declares that a year ago last Lent she lost one of her children, aged seven, who frequented La Suze, where he had run into a man named Cherpy, cook for Lord de Rais, who was residing at the said place of La Suze when her child disappeared. And Master Jean Briand, who was living there, told her that he had seen the said child busy roasting meat, and according to him, had told the cook he was wrong to let him work in the kitchen like that; she has not seen the child again since nor had any news of him.
Item, she says that three or four months previously, she was complaining to the wife of the said Master Jean Briand, telling her how people were saying that Lord de Rais had small children caught to be killed; but two of the said Lord’s servants, whose names she does not know, arrived as she was speaking, and this Briand’s wife told them that the present witness claimed that the Lord was having small children killed, and the said woman told her that she and the others would regret it. The witness then excused herself to the said Lord’s servants.
[Signed:]
De Touscheronde, Étienne Halouard, Chatau
.
De Touscheronde, Étienne Halouard, Chatau
.
JEAN TOUTBLANC, of Saint-Étienne-de-Montluc, declares that a year ago last Saint Julian’s Day he went to Saint-Julien-de-Vouvantes, having left a young man of about thirteen at his house; the witness was the tutor of this boy, who lived at his house. But on returning from his trip, he discovered that the latter was gone, and he has not had any news of him since.
[Signed:]
De Touscheronde.
De Touscheronde.
JEAN FOUGERE, of the parish of Saint-Donatien, near Nantes, declares under oath that about two years ago he lost a son, aged about twelve, who was very beautiful; and since then he has been unable to find out what became of him.
[Signed:]
De Touscheronde.
De Touscheronde.
October 2, 1440.
JEAN FEROT, GUILLAUME JACOB, PERRIN BLANCHET, THOMAS BEAUVIS, ÉONNET JEAN, DENIS DE LEMION, of the parish of Notre-Dame-de-Nantes, declare under oath that they knew a son of Jean Hubert’s, a son of Regnaud Donete’s, and a son of Guillaume Avril’s who were living in the said parish of Notre-Dame, and they do not know what happened to these children, but they heard their fathers, their mothers, and their friends complaining bitterly about their disappearance. The witnesses have heard these complaints and verified this disappearance for two and a half years, without having had or heard news of them in these two and a half years, except that a year before they had heard that Lord de Rais and his men were taking children to be killed, and having them taken, and that there is public clamor (common report) on that score.
[Signed:]
De Touscheronde.
De Touscheronde.
NICOLE, the wife of Vincent Bonnereau, PHILIPPE, the wife of Mathis Ernaut, JEANNE, the wife of Guillaume Prieur, of the parish of Sainte-Croix of Nantes, declare under oath that they knew a son of Jean Jenvret and his wife, who was living with Monsieur d’Étampes.
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This child was about nine years old, and they heard his father and mother complaining pitifully about his loss and disappearance. Since then, they have not seen the said child, nor heard any word of him. And they say that for six months they have heard it commonly said that Lord de Rais and his men were having little children taken and killed.
156
This child was about nine years old, and they heard his father and mother complaining pitifully about his loss and disappearance. Since then, they have not seen the said child, nor heard any word of him. And they say that for six months they have heard it commonly said that Lord de Rais and his men were having little children taken and killed.
Item, they say that they knew a young boy, the son of the deceased Éonnet de Villeblanche, and heard his mother complaining for three months about his loss and disappearance, and that they have not seen him again since then.
Item, RAOULET DE LAUNAY, tailor, deposes that around last Assumption Day he made a doublet for the said child, who was living with Poitou then. And it was this Poitou, not the said Macée,
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who haggled with him over the execution of this doublet, and who gave him twenty sous; he had not seen the child again.
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who haggled with him over the execution of this doublet, and who gave him twenty sous; he had not seen the child again.
[Signed:]
De Touscheronde.
De Touscheronde.
October 6, 1440.
JEAN ESTAISSE and MICHELE, the wife of the said Estaisse, of the parish of Saint-Clement, near Nantes, declare under oath that a son of the said Dagaie, named Perrot Dagaie, lived for two years or thereabouts with Master Gatien Ruis, and when he went to live with him, he could very well have been eleven years old. After having lived with him for these two years, he came home to his mother, where he remained one or two days and slept one night, to the witnesses’ knowledge. And since then, that is about two years ago this coming All Saints’ Day, the mother, the witnesses, and several of the neighbors were frightened one day to discover the disappearance of the said child; and to the witnesses’ knowledge, he has never been seen in the said parish or elsewhere. And the witnesses have heard many times that the said child’s mother was asking about him of the said Master Gatien, his men, and a fellow named Linache, living in Angers, lamenting and saying that she did not know what had become of him.
Likewise they have seen her asking about him while bewailing him to Tiphaine, the wife of Éonnet Le Charpentier, butcher, the sister of the said mother of the said child; which Tiphaine declared and reported it in the same manner.
Item, it was put to them whether they had heard it stated or claimed that the said Lord de Rais had taken this child or other children, or had them taken. They responded no, only since the arrest of the said Lord de Rais and his men; they also claim that up to the present, they had no knowledge of the said Tiphaine and Perrine,
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presently held in prison.
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presently held in prison.
October 8, 1440.
JEAN CHIQUET, parchment-maker, living outside the Sauvetout gate, deposes under oath that one month previously, or thereabouts, a man named Mace Drouet, haberdasher, from the vicinity of Chanteloup, near Rennes, came to lodge with him, the witness, and several other haberdashers with him. While they were talking together about the children who had been lost in the Rais region, the witness heard Drouet say that two other haberdashers and he had been to several fairs in the region of Rais, about a year before; he had left two children in the region of Rais, and he has not seen them again since; and he saw their father and mother again, who asked him for news, but he told them that he did not know what had become of the children.
[Signed:]
De Touscheronde.
De Touscheronde.
PIERRE BADIEU, haberdasher, of the said parish of Chanteloup, declares that a year ago, or thereabouts, he saw in the said region of Rais two young children, about nine years old; each had a pack and was going to the fairs, as the witness himself did; they were brothers, and the children of Robin Pavot of the said place. And he has never seen them again. Subsequently, he has been to the region from which they came and spoken to their parents and one of their brothers; these latter asked him for news, and he told them that he has not seen the two children again since having seen them in the said region of Rais. He adds that he heard the brother say that he had gone into various regions in the hope of obtaining some news but could learn nothing.
[Signed:]
De Touscheronde.
De Touscheronde.
JEAN DAREL, of the parish of Saint-Séverin, near Nantes, declares that he has been living in this parish for three years now, or thereabouts; a year or so ago, when he was sick in bed, where he had to remain a long time, a child of his, who lived in the house with him, was picked up off Rue du Marché where he was playing with other children; he does not know who picked him up or whither he was taken, and he has been unable to obtain any news since then, although he has been to many regions hoping to learn something.
[Signed:]
De Touscheronde.
De Touscheronde.
JEANNE, the wife of the said Darel, declares that a year ago Saint Peter’s Day she lost her son, named Olivier, then aged seven or eight, in the city of Nantes. And since that feast, she has not seen him again or had news of what could have become of him.
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