Early French Prisons Le Grand and Le Petit Châtelets; Vincennes; The Bastile; Loches; The Galleys; Revolutionary Prisons

Louis XIV asserts himself--His use of State prisons--Procedure of reception at the Bastile--Life in the prison--Diet and privileges--Governing staff--De Besmaus--Saint Mars--Fou...

Huguenots sent to the galleys--Authentic Memoirs of Jean Marteilhe--Description of galleys--Construction--Method of rowing--Extreme severity of labor--A sea fight--Marteilhe sev...

Vincennes and the Bastile--Vincennes described--Castle and woods--Torture--Methods and implements--_Amende Honorable_--Flagellation and mutilations--Notable inmates--Prince de C...

Early governors of the Bastile--Frequent changes--Day of Barricades--Conspiracy of Biron--Assassination of Henry IV--Ravaillac--Barbarous sentence--Marie de Medicis left Regent-...

Closing days of the Bastile--Latest inmates--Lally-Tollendal suffers death for alleged treason--Damiens attempts life of Louis XV--Sentence and execution--Dumouriez in the Basti...

Anne of Austria--Her servant Laporte--Clandestine communication in the Bastile--Birth of Dauphin, afterward Louis XIV--Cinq Mars--His conspiracy--Richelieu's death--His characte...

State of France--Bad harvests--Universal famine--Chronic disturbances--Crime prevalent--Cartouche--His organized gang--His capture, sentence and execution--Pamphleteers and libe...

Louis XIV and the _lettre de cachet_--Society corrupt--Assassination common--Cheating at cards--Shocking state of Paris--"The Court of Miracles"--Prisons filled--Prisoners detai...

Provincial prisons--Loches, in Touraine, still standing--Favorite gaol of Louis XI--The iron cage--Cardinal La Balue, the Duc d'Alençon, Comines, the Bishops--Ludovico Sforza, D...

The Feudal System--Early prisons--Classes of inmates--Alike in aspect, similar in discipline--Variety of penalties--Chief prisons of Paris in the Middle Ages--Great and Little C...

The Marquise de Brinvilliers--Homicidal mania--Mysterious death of her father, M. D'Aubray--Death of her eldest brother and her second brother--Sainte Croix's sudden death--Fata...