Page 992 - les-miserables

But let us consider the means. There can be no fleet, if, be-
side the sailing ship, that plaything of the winds, and for the
purpose of towing it, in case of necessity, there is not the
vessel which goes where it pleases, either by means of oars
or of steam; the galleys were then to the marine what steam-
ers are to-day. Therefore, galleys were necessary; but the
galley is moved only by the galley-slave; hence, galley-slaves
were required. Colbert had the commissioners of provinc-
es and the parliaments make as many convicts as possible.
The magistracy showed a great deal of complaisance in the
matter. A man kept his hat on in the presence of a proces-
sion—it was a Huguenot attitude; he was sent to the galleys.
A child was encountered in the streets; provided that he was
fifteen years of age and did not know where he was to sleep,
he was sent to the galleys. Grand reign; grand century.
Under Louis XV. children disappeared in Paris; the po-
lice carried them off, for what mysterious purpose no one
knew. People whispered with terror monstrous conjectures
as to the king’s baths of purple. Barbier speaks ingenuously
of these things. It sometimes happened that the exempts of
the guard, when they ran short of children, took those who
had fathers. The fathers, in despair, attacked the exempts.
In that case, the parliament intervened and had some one
hung. Who? The exempts? No, the fathers.

992 Les Miserables