Trial of Gilles De Rais (49 page)

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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

BOOK: Trial of Gilles De Rais
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[Signed:]
De Touscheronde.
 
JEANNE, the mother of the said wife of Jean Darel, declares that a year ago Saint Peter’s Day, returning from Saint-Pierre-de-Nantes, where she was attending Vespers, she ran into the said child near the pillory and brought him just in front of Saint-Saturnin, thinking to bring him home with her, but lost him in a crowd of men in front of the church; she looked for him and asked in the church, but could not find him; and since then she has never seen him again nor had any news of him.
[Signed:]
De Touscheronde.
 
ÉONNETTE, the wife of Jean Bremant, living in the market at the house in which the said Darels live, declares that she well knew the said Darels’ child who went by the name of Olivier and was the age indicated above; she says that she is certain that at the time indicated above, the wife of the said Darel told her that she had lost her child and asked her whether she had seen him, and that she responded no; moreover, she says that to her knowledge, since that time the child never appeared in the house of his mother and father; and she has never heard that he had been found.
[Signed:]
De Touscheronde.
 
NICOLE, the wife of Jean Hubert, of the parish of Saint-Vincent, in Nantes, having sworn to speak the truth, declares under oath that around two years ago last Saint John’s Day she had a son named Jean, aged fourteen, whom she placed with a man named Mainguy, with whom he stayed only a short while because the said Mainguy died. Upon his decease, the said son came to live with her and his father; thereupon Lord de Rais, returning from Angers, came to stay in his house called La Suze, in Nantes. The son of the witness went to this house, where he made the acquaintance of a man named Spadine, who was living with the said Lord. This Spadine gave him a round loaf that the latter brought to the witness, saying that the former had given it to him and that he wanted the said child to live with him and ride in the company of the said Lord de Rais. The witness responded that that was fine. And once again her said son returned to La Suze, whence he returned shortly, bidding the witness goodbye several times, telling her that he was going to live with the said Spadine. And he left immediately, in fact, and since that time the witness has never seen him again nor learned anything whatsoever about what might have befallen him. Furthermore Jean Hubert, the husband of the witness and father of the child, declares that he showed up at La Suze afterwards, asking the said Spadine about his son, who told him twice that he did not know, that he had no choice but to leave and that the child was lost. And such is her deposition.
[Signed:]
De Touscheronde.
 
JEAN BUREAU and his wife; JEANNE, wife of Thibaut Geffroi, and her daughter; GUILLAUME HEMERI, having sworn to speak the truth, declare under oath that they knew this Hubert and his wife well; also that they knew well the said Jean, their child; that they have seen them living in the parish of Saint-Leonard of Nantes for a long time and that they were still living there around two years before, last Saint John’s Day. At this time the said Jean, their son, was living at home, and before and since that feast they had seen him in the house of his said mother and father. But a short while after this the child left or was led away; they did not know whither or in what direction, and never saw him again; after this, you could see his father and mother asking about him in this town and elsewhere. And such is their deposition.
[Signed:]
De Touscheronde.
 
LA DEGREPIE, the wife of Regnaud Donete, living in the parish of Notre-Dame-de-Nantes, having sworn to speak the truth, testifies; interrogated, she declares under oath that two years ago last Saint John the Baptist’s Day she and her husband were living in the house where they still live now. And one of their sons was living with them. Her husband hired himself out for a time to a man named Jean Ferot, baker, to learn the trade; and her said son often went with his father to put the bread in the oven. She declares, moreover, that before the designated time this son had met a certain number of Lord de Rais’ men, whom she herself did not know, according to her deposition; as soon as the said Lord came into town, her son frequented his house, but she did not know what he did there. She says, finally, that at the time indicated above, namely two years before, last Saint John’s Day, her son showed up at the house of the said Lord, and she has never seen him again since, and for all she knows he might be dead. As a result she betook herself to many places hoping for news, but has been unable to learn anything.
[Signed:]
De Touscheronde.
 
JEAN FEROT and his wife declare under oath that two years previously last Saint John’s Day, the now deceased Regnaud Donete had hired himself out to them to learn the baker’s trade; and his son, aged twelve, often came with him to put the bread in the oven. But they noticed several times that after having prepared half an oven, if he saw or knew that the said Lord de Rais was in town, he abandoned the bread and went to the the said Lord’s house, and they did not know what he did there. Now, in the period in question, although they cannot pin down the day, they saw him leave and have never seen him again since, and they do not know what became of him.
[Signed:]
De Touscheronde.
 
PIERRE BLANCHET and GUILLAUME JACOB declare under oath that they live near the house of Regnaud Donete’s widow; they are certain that two years ago last Saint John’s Day the now deceased Donete and his wife had a child, whom they knew well; and as soon as Lord de Rais was in town he went to his house, and they do not know what he did there. But after this one day when he went there, they never saw him again, and they do not know what has become of him. Such is their deposition.
[Signed:]
De Touscheronde.
III
 
RECORDS OF THE FINAL DAYS
 
Confessions of Henriet and Poitou
 
Henriet’s confession
159
 
Let it be known that the said Henriet had been a servant and valet of the said Lord de Rais and that, when the said Lord de La Suze
160
took the castle and fortress of Machecoul, the said Henriet heard it said by Milord Charles du Léon that dead children had been found at the bottom of a tower of the said castle; and when the said Milord Charles asked him whether he knew anything about it, he told him no, because he did not know at that time. But he said that when Lord de Rais had recovered the garrison of Champtocé and gone there to give it to the Duke our Sovereign Lord, the said Lord made him take an oath to reveal nothing of the secrets he intended to confide in him. That oath taken, he ordered the said Henriet and Poitou, as well as a fellow named Petit Robin, now deceased, to go into the tower where the said dead children were, take them, and put them in a coffer to be carried to Machecoul. And in the said tower he had discovered thirty-six heads that were put in three trunks, which were bound with cords and taken across the water to the said place of Machecoul, where they were burned, and not in Champtocé, because the said Lord de Rais only stayed there a day or two after having recovered the said place from the said Lord de La Suze, his brother, by handing it over to my said Lord Duke’s possession, to whom he had transferred it; and with that the said Lord de Rais betook himself to Machecoul where the said children were, who were nearly totally putrefied, because they had been killed well before the said Lord de La Suze took the said place; and by diabolical temptation, while he was being conducted to prison in the city of Nantes, the said Henriet considered cutting his throat so as to not divulge what he knew.
Item, the said Henriet declared that the said Gilles de Sillé and Poitou had delivered many little children to the said Lord de Rais in his room, with whom the latter had intercourse, exciting himself and spilling his seed on their bellies; but he did not have his way with them but once or twice. Sometimes the said Lord himself cut their throats, sometimes Gilles de Sillé, Henriet, and Poitou slit them in his room; and they wiped up the blood that ran on the spot; and dead, the children were burned in the said room of the said Lord, after the latter had gone to lie down. The said Lord took greater pleasure in cutting their throats or watching their throats be cut than in knowing them carnally. And this Henriet, Gilles de Sillé, and a man named Rossignol had brought and handed over to him about forty, who were killed and burned in the same fashion. This Henriet nabbed those he delivered while they were begging, and the said Sillé, Poitou, and Rossignol burned them.
Item, the said Lord and Master François Prelati met alone for five weeks in a room at Machecoul to which the said Lord had the key. And the said Henriet heard that a hand of wax and a piece of iron had been found in it.
Item, he declared that Catherine, the wife of a man named Thierry, who was living in Nantes, gave him her child to be admitted as a chorister of the said Lord. And he, Henriet, led him to his room at Machecoul. And there the said Lord and Poitou made him swear to reveal nothing of their secret. The child delivered, the said Henriet returned to Nantes, where he remained for three days. But on returning to Machecoul, he did not see the child again and was told that he was dead. Henriet said that this was the first child that he had delivered to the said Lord; and he thinks that it was about four years previously.
Item, he said that he delivered to the said Lord, at his house, La Suze, in Nantes, a child of Guibelet Delit’s, another of Jean Hubert’s, another of one named Donete, another of one named Lemion, all four from Nantes. The said Lord had sexual intercourse with them in the said house, and they were killed and burned.
Item, he said that Hillary, a Breton, belonged to the said Lord’s chapel, then left it, putting his brother in his place.
Item, he said that Poitou conveyed a beautiful child from La Roche-Bernard to the said Lord at Machecoul, who was likewise put to death.
Item, he said that children were taken to Nantes, and brought to the house of La Suze, where they were killed and burned in the room where the said Lord slept, who was in bed when they burned them; by his order, they placed large or long logs on the andirons in the fireplace, and two or three dry faggots on top of the logs, after which they placed the children; and the ashes of those burned were dispersed in various spots at Machecoul.
Item, he said that he had a beautiful page of Master François’ killed at Machecoul.
Item, he said that a young and beautiful boy who was living with Rodigo at Bourgneuf-en-Rais had been brought by Poitou and killed at Machecoul, so Poitou told him. And Henriet said that he was not present at the death of the said child, but that he had heard it said by Poitou or by Gilles de Sillé that this child had been put to death like the others.
Item, he said that Prince delivered to Poitou a young page who was living with him, whom Henriet knew, who was put to death as well; he adds that the said murders of children had occurred in the room where the said Lord slept at Machecoul, or at the entrance, and that after burning their bodies, to move more quickly, they sometimes burned the garments and shirts of these children piece by piece in the flames, in such a manner that no one could detect the smoke.
Item, he said that Master François Prelati often went into the room of the said Lord and remained there an hour or two alone with him.
Item, he said that Master Eustache went looking for the said Master François and that he heard him say that he would summon Master Aliboron, that is, the devil; and that he heard Master Eustache say that Master François would make him come for a jug of wine.
Item, he heard that André Buchet, who belonged to the chapel of the said Lord, and presently belongs to that of the Duke, sent children from Vannes to the said Lord at Machecoul, and that his own servant, named Raoulet, brought him one who was put to death, and that this was around the time when the Duke paid the said Lord money due on Champtocé. He also said that the said Raoulet presently lives with Jamet Thomas of Nantes, and that the said André received from the said Lord a horse worth sixty royals.
Item, he said that Milord Roger de Briqueville, Gilles de Sillé, Poitou, and Rossignol knew about the aforementioned.
Item, he said that he had heard that he loved to see the children’s heads cut off after having had sex with them on their bellies, their legs between his own; and sometimes he was on their bellies when the heads were separated from their bodies, other times he cut them behind the neck to make them languish, which he delighted in doing; and while they languished it happened that he had intercourse with them until their death, occasionally after they were dead, while their bodies were still warm; and there was a
braquemard
to cut their heads off with; and if occasionally the beauty of these children did not conform to his fantasy, he cut their heads off himself with the said cutlass, whereupon he occasionally had intercourse with them.
Item, he heard the said Lord say that there was no man alive who could ever understand what he had done, and it was because of his planet that he did such things.
Item, he said that occasionally the said Lord had the said children dismembered at the armpits and that he delighted in seeing the blood; and he heard Master Eustache Blanchet say that the said Lord could not accomplish what he had set out to do without offering up the feet, legs, and other members of the said children to the Devil; that he, Henriet, killed twelve by his own hand; and sometimes the said Lord asked Milord de Sillé, him, Henriet, and Poitou which of the slaughtered children had the most beautiful heads.

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