Madame de Brinvilliers

"We've also settled that the last letter is B." "It is undoubtedly so." "I now suggest to you that the other letters from left to right are M, M, a small D, A, a small D, and then the final B." "Yes, I'm sure you're right.

I can make out the small Ds quite plainly." "What I have read to you tonight," said Dacre, "is the official record of the trial of Marie Madeleine d'Aubre, Marquise de Brinvilliers, one of the most famous poisoners and murderers of all time." I sat in silence, overwhelmed at the extraordinary nature of the incident and at the completeness of the proof with which Dacre had exposed its real meaning.

In a vague way I remembered some details of the woman's career, her unbridled debauchery, the cold-blooded and protracted torture of her sick father, the murder of her brothers for motives of petty gain.

I recollected also that the bravery of her end had done something to atone for the horror of her life, and that all Paris had sympathized with her last moments and blessed her as a martyr within a few days of the time when they had cursed her as a murderess.

Madame de Montespan, one of the favorites of Louis XIV, a woman of great beauty, died very suddenly at the age of 26, on June 30, 1672, and it was generally believed she had been poisoned.

the rumour seems to have been set on foot by one of her husband's old servants who professed to know the individual who had administered the fatal dose this man said he who was not rich withdrew immediately afterwards into normandy where he bought an estate on which he lived with grandeur a long time the poison was powder of diamonds mixed instead of sugar with strawberries voltaire who believed the whole story to be a myth states the court and city believed the princess had been poisoned with a glass of water of succoury after which she felt terrible pains and soon after was seized with the agonies of death but the natural malignity of mankind and a fondness for extraordinary incidents were the only inducements to this general persuasion the glass of water could not be poisoned since madame de lafayette and another person drunk what remained without receiving the least injury from it the princess had been a long time ill of an abscess which had formed itself in the liver for some time the young chevalier de lorraine the favorite of the duke of orleans rested under suspicion it being openly stated that the motive was to revenge the banishment and imprisonment which his behavior to the princess a short time before had drawn upon him public opinion was strengthened in the belief that the princess had met her death through poison by the fact that just at this time the mania for secret poisoning seemed to spread over france about this date a german apothecary and alchemist named glaser settled in paris together with two italians one of whom was called their professed object was a research to discover the philosopher's stone having lost the little they possessed in a very short time in the pursuit of this chimera they commenced the secret sale of poisons through the confessional their nefarious trade became known to the grand penitentiary of paris this dignity gave information to the government and the two suspected italians were promptly sent to the bastille where one of them died but exili while still in prison managed to carry out his business and found ready purchasers for his secrets and the number of deaths attributed to poison increased to such an extent that a special court for the investigation of poisoning cases called la chambre ordente was formed a few years later the whole of france was aroused by the confession of the marquise de brinvilliers of having poisoned her father two brothers and a sister her husband the marquis de brinvilliers invited a friend one captain sainte-croix who was an officer in his regiment to lodge in his house the too agreeable person of the lady of the house speedily charmed the visitor and to her credit she endeavoured to inspire her husband with a fear of the consequences but he obstinately persisted in keeping his young friend in the house with his wife who was both young and handsome with the result they soon conceived a passion for each other the father of the marquise one lieutenant daubray was greatly incensed on hearing of his daughter's indiscretions and obtaining a lettre de cachet had the captain sent to the bastile here sainte-croix was placed in the same cell as exili and the latter soon instructed him how he might easily revenge himself the marquise who found means of visiting her lover was informed how to obtain the poison and at once commenced operations on those members of her family who were most incensed against her with the result that first her father then her brothers and sister fell victims to her revenge suspicion resting on her she fled into belgium and was arrested at liege a full confession of her crimes written by her own hand was found upon her she was eventually beheaded and burnt near notre dame in july sixteen seventy six saint is said to have accidentally succumbed to the effects of poisonous fumes in his own laboratory the authorities on examining his effects as he left no family came across a small box to which paper was attached which contained a request that after his death it might be delivered to the marquise de brinvilliers who resides in rue neuve st paul this paper was signed and dated by sainte-croix on may twenty five sixteen seventy two on the box being opened it was found to contain a large collection of various poisons including corrosive sublimate antimony and opium when the marquise heard of the death of her lover she at once made every effort to obtain the box by bribing the officers of justice but failed la chausse the servant of sainte-croix laid claim to the property but was arrested as an accomplice and imprisoned on confessing many serious crimes he was broken alive on the wheel in sixteen seventy three evidence was brought to prove at the trial of de bervanier that both she and sainte-croix were secretly combined with other persons accused of similar crimes some distinguished people were implicated including penautier a receiver-general of the clergy who was afterwards accused of practising her secrets one crime seemed to bring another to light and two persons named la voisin and la vigoureux a priest named la sage and several others were next hailed before the tribunal and charged with trading with the secrets of exili and inciting people with weak minds to the crime of poisoning it was alleged that through their instrumentality a large number of married women had hastened the decease of their husbands the chambre audante or burning court as it was commonly called was established at the arsenal near the bastile and was rarely idle persons of the highest rank were cited to appear before it among others two nieces of cardinal mazarin the duchess of bouillon and the countess de soissons mother of prince eugene the countess de soissons had to retire to brussels the marchal de luxembourg was the next sensational arrest he was carried to the bastile and submitted to a long examination after which he was allowed to remain fourteen months in prison la voisin and his accomplices were eventually condemned and burnt at the stake which seemed to put a check on this series of abominable crimes which spread throughout france from sixteen seventy to sixteen eighty maria luisa daughter of louis the fourteenth who married charles the second king of spain is said to have died from the effects of poison in sixteen eighty nine voltaire states it was undoubtedly believed that the austrian ministers of charles the second would get rid of her because she loved her country and might prevent the king her husband from declaring for the allies against france they even sent her from versailles what they believed to be a counter-poison this did not arrive until after her death in the memoirs of the marquis de dangiot he says the king announced the death of his daughter at supper in these words the queen of spain is dead poisoned by eating of an eel pie and the countess de perny and the camarades zapataille and nina who eat of it after her are also dead of the same poison it is more than probable the unfortunate queen and her ladies succumbed to some putrefactive poison in the fish itself and were not killed by intent nothing was known of animal poisons in those days and such was the state of the public mind that nearly every sudden death was at once attributed to poison The close of the reign of Louis XIV was marked by the sudden deaths of no less than six members of the royal family in close succession.

The public's sorrow and excitement were great, and rumors and suspicions of poisoning were revived with fury unexampled.

The prince had a laboratory, and, among other arts, studied chemistry.