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Chapter companions for The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas.

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  1. Chapter 1

    Introductory Note

    This introductory note presents an overview of 'The Vicomte de Bragelonne,' the longest and most powerful of the d'Artagnan series, highlighting its historical accuracy in depicting the French court from just before Louis XIV's marriage to the downfall of Fouquet. It discusses key figures such as Louis XIV, Louise de La Vallière, Madame Henrietta, Mazarin, Fouquet, and Colbert, and touches on the legend of the Man in the Iron Mask. The note also reflects on the characters of d'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, emphasizing their moral complexity and the blend of fact and fiction in Dumas's work.

  2. Chapter 2

    Dramatis Personae

    This chapter presents a comprehensive list of characters and their roles in the narrative, spanning the period from 1660 to 1671, including the French court, the Musketeers, and English figures.

  3. Chapter 3

    The Vicomte de Bragelonne

    The chapter introduces the Vicomte de Bragelonne, Raoul, as he returns to his father Athos's home after ten years, setting the stage for the unfolding drama of love, loyalty, and political intrigue.

  4. Chapter 4

    Part I: The Vicomte de Bragelonne

    The opening chapter introduces the setting of Blois and the household of the Duke of Orléans, where the young Vicomte de Bragelonne, Raoul, is presented as a noble and virtuous young man. The chapter establishes the political and social atmosphere of the court, hinting at the complexities of loyalty, ambition, and love that will unfold.

  5. Chapter 5

    The Letter

    In May 1660, the chapter opens at the castle of Blois, introducing the ennui of Gaston d'Orléans (Monsieur) and the court's dull routine. It focuses on two young women, Mademoiselle de Montalais and Louise de La Vallière, as they write a letter to Raoul de Bragelonne. Their playful banter reveals Louise's romantic feelings and Montalais's mischievous nature, set against the backdrop of courtly ceremony and provincial tedium.

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  1. Chapter 6The Messenger
  2. Chapter 7The Interview
  3. Chapter 8Father and Son
  4. Chapter 9In Which Something Will Be Said of Cropoli—Of Cropoli and of a Great Unknown Painter
  5. Chapter 10The Unknown
  6. Chapter 11Parry
  7. Chapter 12What His Majesty King Louis XIV Was at the Age of Twenty-Two
  8. Chapter 13In Which the Unknown of the Hostelry of Les Medici Loses His Incognito
  9. Chapter 14The Arithmetic of M. de Mazarin
  10. Chapter 15Mazarin's Policy
  11. Chapter 16The King and the Lieutenant
  12. Chapter 17Marie de Mancini
  13. Chapter 18In Which the King and the Lieutenant Each Give Proofs of Memory
  14. Chapter 19The Proscribed
  15. Chapter 20Remember!
  16. Chapter 21In Which Aramis Is Sought, and Only Bazin Is Found
  17. Chapter 22In Which d’Artagnan Seeks Porthos, and Only Finds Mousqueton
  18. Chapter 23What d'Artagnan Went to Paris For
  19. Chapter 24Of the Society Which Was Formed in the Rue des Lombards, at the Sign of the Pilon d’Or, to Carry Out the Idea of M. d’Artagnan
  20. Chapter 25In Which d’Artagnan Prepares to Travel for the House of Planchet and Company
  21. Chapter 26D’Artagnan Travels for the House of Planchet and Company
  22. Chapter 27In Which the Author, Very Unwillingly, Is Forced to Write a Little History
  23. Chapter 28The Treasure
  24. Chapter 29The Marsh
  25. Chapter 30Heart and Mind
  26. Chapter 31The Next Day
  27. Chapter 32Smuggling
  28. Chapter 33In Which d’Artagnan Begins to Fear He Has Placed His Money and That of Planchet in the Sinking Fund
  29. Chapter 34The Shares of Planchet and Company Rise Again to Par
  30. Chapter 35Monck Reveals Himself
  31. Chapter 36Athos and d’Artagnan Meet Once More at the Hostelry of the Corne du Cerf
  32. Chapter 37The Audience
  33. Chapter 38Of the Embarrassment of Riches
  34. Chapter 39On the Canal
  35. Chapter 40How d'Artagnan Drew, as a Fairy Would Have Done, a Country-Seat from a Deal Box
  36. Chapter 41How d’Artagnan Regulated the “Assets” of the Company Before He Established Its “Liabilities”
  37. Chapter 42In Which It Is Seen That the French Grocer Had Already Been Established in the Seventeenth Century
  38. Chapter 43Mazarin's Gaming Party
  39. Chapter 44An Affair of State
  40. Chapter 45The Recital
  41. Chapter 46In Which Mazarin Becomes Prodigal
  42. Chapter 47Guénaud
  43. Chapter 48Colbert
  44. Chapter 49Confession of a Man of Wealth
  45. Chapter 50The Donation
  46. Chapter 51How Anne of Austria Gave One Piece of Advice to Louis XIV, and How M. Fouquet Gave Him Another
  47. Chapter 52Agony
  48. Chapter 53The First Appearance of Colbert
  49. Chapter 54The First Day of the Royalty of Louis XIV
  50. Chapter 55A Passion
  51. Chapter 56D’Artagnan’s Lesson
  52. Chapter 57The King
  53. Chapter 58The Houses of M. Fouquet
  54. Chapter 59The Abbé Fouquet
  55. Chapter 60M. de La Fontaine’s Wine
  56. Chapter 61The Gallery of Saint-Mandé
  57. Chapter 62Epicureans
  58. Chapter 63A Quarter of an Hour’s Delay
  59. Chapter 64Plan of Battle
  60. Chapter 65The Cabaret of the Image-de-Notre-Dame
  61. Chapter 6662: Vive Colbert!
  62. Chapter 67How M. d’Eymeris’s Diamond Passed Into the Hands of M. d’Artagnan
  63. Chapter 68On the Notable Difference d’Artagnan Finds Between Monsieur the Intendant and Monsieur the Superintendent
  64. Chapter 69Philosophy of the Heart and Mind
  65. Chapter 70The Journey
  66. Chapter 71How d’Artagnan Became Acquainted with a Poet, Who Had Turned Printer for the Sake of Printing His Own Verses
  67. Chapter 7268: d’Artagnan Continues His Investigations
  68. Chapter 73In Which the Reader, No Doubt, Will Be as Astonished as d’Artagnan Was to Meet an Old Acquaintance
  69. Chapter 74Wherein the Ideas of d’Artagnan, at First Strangely Clouded, Begin to Clear Up a Little
  70. Chapter 75A Procession at Vannes
  71. Chapter 76The Grandeur of the Bishop of Vannes
  72. Chapter 77In Which Porthos Begins to Be Sorry for Having Come with d’Artagnan
  73. Chapter 78In Which d’Artagnan Makes All Speed, Porthos Snores, and Aramis Counsels
  74. Chapter 79In Which Monsieur Fouquet Acts
  75. Chapter 80In Which d’Artagnan at Last Places His Hand Upon His Captain’s Commission
  76. Chapter 81A Lover and His Mistress
  77. Chapter 82In Which We at Length See the True Heroine of This History Appear
  78. Chapter 83Malicorne and Manicamp
  79. Chapter 84Manicamp and Malicorne
  80. Chapter 85The Courtyard of the Hôtel Grammont
  81. Chapter 86The Portrait of Madame
  82. Chapter 87Le Havre
  83. Chapter 88At Sea
  84. Chapter 89The Tents
  85. Chapter 90Night
  86. Chapter 91From Le Havre to Paris
  87. Chapter 92An Account of What the Chevalier de Lorraine Thought of Madame
  88. Chapter 93The Surprise of Madame de Montalais
  89. Chapter 94The Consent of Athos
  90. Chapter 95Monsieur Becomes Jealous of the Duke of Buckingham
  91. Chapter 96Forever!
  92. Chapter 97Part II: Louise de La Vallière
  93. Chapter 98King Louis XIV Does Not Think Mademoiselle de La Vallière Either Rich Enough or Pretty Enough for a Gentleman of the Rank of the Vicomte de Bragelonne
  94. Chapter 99Sword-Thrusts in the Water
  95. Chapter 100Sword-Thrusts in the Water (Concluded)
  96. Chapter 101Baisemeaux de Montlezun
  97. Chapter 102The King's Card-Table
  98. Chapter 103M. Baisemeaux de Montlezun’s Accounts
  99. Chapter 104The Breakfast at Monsieur de Baisemeaux's
  100. Chapter 105The Second Floor of La Bertaudière
  101. Chapter 106The Two Friends
  102. Chapter 107Madame de Bellière's Plate
  103. Chapter 108The Dowry
  104. Chapter 109Le Terrain de Dieu
  105. Chapter 110105: Threefold Love
  106. Chapter 111M. de Lorraine's Jealousy
  107. Chapter 112Monsieur Is Jealous of Guiche
  108. Chapter 113The Mediator
  109. Chapter 114The Advisers
  110. Chapter 115Fontainebleau
  111. Chapter 116The Bath
  112. Chapter 117The Butterfly-Chase
  113. Chapter 118What Was Caught After the Butterflies
  114. Chapter 119The Ballet of the Seasons
  115. Chapter 120The Nymphs of the Park of Fontainebleau
  116. Chapter 121What Was Said Under the Royal Oak
  117. Chapter 122The King's Uneasiness
  118. Chapter 123The King's Secret
  119. Chapter 124Courses de Nuit
  120. Chapter 125In Which Madame Acquires a Proof That Listeners Hear What Is Said
  121. Chapter 126Aramis's Correspondence
  122. Chapter 127The Orderly Clerk
  123. Chapter 128Fontainebleau at Two O'Clock in the Morning
  124. Chapter 129The Labyrinth
  125. Chapter 130How Malicorne Had Been Turned Out of the Hotel of the Beau Paon
  126. Chapter 131What Actually Occurred at the Inn Called the Beau Paon
  127. Chapter 132A Jesuit of the Eleventh Year
  128. Chapter 133The State Secret
  129. Chapter 134A Mission
  130. Chapter 135Happy as a Prince
  131. Chapter 136Story of a Dryad and a Naiad
  132. Chapter 137Conclusion of the Story of a Naiad and of a Dryad
  133. Chapter 138Royal Psychology
  134. Chapter 139Something That Neither Naiad nor Dryad Foresaw
  135. Chapter 140The New General of the Jesuits
  136. Chapter 141The Storm
  137. Chapter 142The Shower of Rain
  138. Chapter 143Toby
  139. Chapter 144Madame's Four Chances
  140. Chapter 145The Lottery
  141. Chapter 146Malaga
  142. Chapter 147A Letter from M. Baisemeaux
  143. Chapter 148In Which the Reader Will Be Delighted to Find That Porthos Has Lost Nothing of His Strength
  144. Chapter 149The Rat and the Cheese
  145. Chapter 150Planchet’s Country-House
  146. Chapter 151Showing What Could Be Seen from Planchet's House
  147. Chapter 152How Porthos, Trüchen, and Planchet Parted with Each Other on Friendly Terms, Thanks to d’Artagnan
  148. Chapter 153The Presentation of Porthos at Court
  149. Chapter 154Explanations
  150. Chapter 155Madame and de Guiche
  151. Chapter 156Montalais and Malicorne
  152. Chapter 157How de Wardes Was Received at Court
  153. Chapter 158The Combat
  154. Chapter 159The King's Supper
  155. Chapter 160After Supper
  156. Chapter 161Showing in What Way d’Artagnan Discharged the Mission with Which the King Had Entrusted Him
  157. Chapter 162The Encounter
  158. Chapter 163The Physician
  159. Chapter 164Wherein d’Artagnan Perceives That It Was He Who Was Mistaken, and Manicamp Who Was Right
  160. Chapter 165Showing the Advantage of Having Two Strings to One’s Bow
  161. Chapter 166M. Malicorne the Keeper of the Records of France
  162. Chapter 167The Journey
  163. Chapter 168Triumfeminate
  164. Chapter 169The First Quarrel
  165. Chapter 170Despair
  166. Chapter 171166: The Flight
  167. Chapter 172Showing How Louis, on His Part, Had Passed the Time from Ten to Half-Past Twelve at Night
  168. Chapter 173The Ambassadors
  169. Chapter 174Chaillot
  170. Chapter 175170: Madame
  171. Chapter 176Mademoiselle de La Vallière’s Pocket-Handkerchief
  172. Chapter 177Which Treats of Gardeners, of Ladders, and Maids of Honor
  173. Chapter 178Which Treats of Carpentry Operations, and Furnishes Details Upon the Mode of Constructing Staircases
  174. Chapter 179The Promenade by Torchlight
  175. Chapter 180The Apparition
  176. Chapter 181The Portrait
  177. Chapter 182Hampton Court
  178. Chapter 183The Courier from Madame
  179. Chapter 184Saint-Aignan Follows Malicorne’s Advice
  180. Chapter 185Part III: The Man in the Iron Mask
  181. Chapter 186Two Old Friends
  182. Chapter 187Wherein May Be Seen That a Bargain Which Cannot Be Made with One Person, Can Be Carried Out with Another
  183. Chapter 188The Skin of the Bear
  184. Chapter 189183: An Interview with the Queen-Mother
  185. Chapter 190Two Friends
  186. Chapter 191How Jean de La Fontaine Came to Write His First Tale
  187. Chapter 192La Fontaine in the Character of a Negotiator
  188. Chapter 193Madame de Bellière’s Plate and Diamonds
  189. Chapter 194M. de Mazarin's Receipt
  190. Chapter 195Monsieur Colbert's Rough Draft
  191. Chapter 196In Which the Author Thinks It Is High Time to Return to the Vicomte de Bragelonne
  192. Chapter 197191: Bragelonne Continues His Inquiries
  193. Chapter 198Two Jealousies
  194. Chapter 199A Domiciliary Visit
  195. Chapter 200194: Porthos's Plan of Action
  196. Chapter 201The Change of Residence, the Trapdoor, and the Portrait
  197. Chapter 202Rivals in Politics
  198. Chapter 203Rivals in Love
  199. Chapter 204King and Noble
  200. Chapter 205After the Storm
  201. Chapter 206Heu! Miser!
  202. Chapter 207Wounds Within Wounds
  203. Chapter 208What Raoul Had Guessed
  204. Chapter 209Three Guests Astonished to Find Themselves at Supper Together
  205. Chapter 210What Took Place at the Louvre During the Supper at the Bastille
  206. Chapter 211Political Rivals
  207. Chapter 212In Which Porthos Is Convinced Without Having Understood Anything
  208. Chapter 213M. de Baisemeaux's "Society"
  209. Chapter 214The Prisoner
  210. Chapter 215How Mouston Had Become Fatter Without Giving Porthos Notice Thereof, and of the Troubles Which Consequently Befell That Worthy Gentleman
  211. Chapter 216Who Messire Jean Percerin Was
  212. Chapter 217The Patterns
  213. Chapter 218Where, Probably, Molière Obtained His First Idea of the Bourgeois Gentilhomme
  214. Chapter 219The Beehive, the Bees, and the Honey
  215. Chapter 220Another Supper at the Bastille
  216. Chapter 221The General of the Order
  217. Chapter 222The Tempter
  218. Chapter 223Crown and Tiara
  219. Chapter 224The Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte
  220. Chapter 225The Wine of Melun
  221. Chapter 226Nectar and Ambrosia
  222. Chapter 227A Gascon, and a Gascon and a Half
  223. Chapter 228Colbert
  224. Chapter 229Jealousy
  225. Chapter 230High Treason
  226. Chapter 231225: A Night at the Bastille
  227. Chapter 232The Shadow of M. Fouquet
  228. Chapter 233The Morning
  229. Chapter 234The King's Friend
  230. Chapter 235Showing How the Countersign Was Respected at the Bastille
  231. Chapter 236The King's Gratitude
  232. Chapter 237The False King
  233. Chapter 238In Which Porthos Thinks He Is Pursuing a Duchy
  234. Chapter 239The Last Adieux
  235. Chapter 240Monsieur de Beaufort
  236. Chapter 241235: Preparations for Departure
  237. Chapter 242The Inventory of Planchet
  238. Chapter 243The Inventory of M. de Beaufort
  239. Chapter 244The Silver Dish
  240. Chapter 245Captive and Jailers
  241. Chapter 246Promises
  242. Chapter 247Among Women
  243. Chapter 248The Last Supper
  244. Chapter 249In M. Colbert’s Carriage
  245. Chapter 250The Two Lighters
  246. Chapter 251Friendly Advice
  247. Chapter 252How the King, Louis XIV, Played His Little Part
  248. Chapter 253The White Horse and the Black Horse
  249. Chapter 254In Which the Squirrel Falls—In Which the Adder Flies
  250. Chapter 255249: Belle-Île-en-Mer
  251. Chapter 256Explanations by Aramis
  252. Chapter 257Result of the Ideas of the King, and the Ideas of d’Artagnan
  253. Chapter 258The Ancestors of Porthos
  254. Chapter 259The Son of Biscarrat
  255. Chapter 260The Grotto of Locmaria
  256. Chapter 261The Grotto
  257. Chapter 262256: An Homeric Song
  258. Chapter 263The Death of a Titan
  259. Chapter 264The Epitaph of Porthos
  260. Chapter 265The Round of M. de Gesvres
  261. Chapter 266King Louis XIV
  262. Chapter 267The Friends of M. Fouquet
  263. Chapter 268Porthos's Will
  264. Chapter 269The Old Age of Athos
  265. Chapter 270The Vision of Athos
  266. Chapter 271The Angel of Death
  267. Chapter 272The Bulletin
  268. Chapter 273The Last Canto of the Poem
  269. Chapter 274Epilogue
  270. Chapter 275The Death of d'Artagnan
  271. Chapter 276Endnotes