The Three Musketeers: The Original 1844 Unabridged and Complete Edition

by Alexandre Dumas

Overview

First published in 1844, The Three Musketeers is the most famous of Alexandre Dumas' historical novels and one of the most popular adventure novels ever written. Dumas' swashbuckling epic chronicles the adventures of d'Artagnan, a brash young man from the countryside who journeys to Paris in 1625 hoping to become a musketeer and guard to King Louis XIII. Before long, he finds treachery and court intrigue,and also three boon companions, the daring swordsmen Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. Together, the four strive heroically to defend the honor of their queen against the powerful Cardinal Richelieu and the seductive spy Milady.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781998382019
Publisher:	Aeons Classics
Publication date:	04/13/2024
Sold by:	De Marque
Format:	eBook
File size:	918 KB

About the Author

Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870), one of the most universally read French authors, is best known for his extravagantly adventurous historical novels. As a young man, Dumas emerged as a successful playwright and had considerable involvement in the Parisian theater scene. It was his swashbuckling historical novels that brought worldwide fame to Dumas. Among his most loved works are The Three Musketeers (1844), and The Count of Monte Cristo (1846). He wrote more than 250 books, both Fiction and Non-Fiction, during his lifetime.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1
The three gifts of monsieur d'artagnan the elder

On the first Monday of April, 1625, the market town of Meting, birthplace of the author of the Roman de Ia Rose, seemed to be in as great a turmoil as if the Huguenots had come to turn it into a second La Rochelle. A number of townsmen, seeing women running in the direction of the main street and hearing children shouting on doorsteps, hastened to put on their breastplates and, steadying their rather uncertain self-assurance with a musket or a halberd, made their way toward the inn, the Hotellerie du Franc Meunier, in front of which a noisy, dense, and curious throng was growing larger by the minute.

Panics were frequent in those times, and few days went by when an event of this kind was not recorded in the archives of one town or another. Noblemen fought among themselves; the king was at war with the cardinal; the Spanish were at war with the king. And then, besides all this secret or open warfare, there were robbers, beggars, Huguenots, wolves, and lackeys, who were at war with everyone. The townsmen always took up arms against robbers, wolves, and lackeys, often against noblemen and Huguenots, sometimes against the king, but never against the cardinal or the Spanish. It was because of these habits that the townsmen, on that first Monday of April, 1625, bearing a commotion and seeing neither a red and yellow Spanish flag nor the livery of Cardinal Richelieu, hurried toward the Franc Meunier inn.

When they arrived there, they were able to see the cause of the tumult.

A young man ... Let us sketch a rapid portrait of him. Imagine Don Quixote at eighteen, a Don Quixotewithout chain mail or thigh pieces, wearing a woolen doublet whose original blue had been transformed into an elusive shade between purple and azure. He had a long, dark face with prominent cheekbones, a mark of shrewdness; his jaw muscles were heavily developed, an infallible sign by which one can recognize a Gascon, even without a beret, and our young man wore a beret adorned with some sort of feather. His eyes were frank and intelligent; his nose was hooked, but finely drawn; he was too big for an adolescent and too small for a full-grown man. An untrained eye might have taken him for a farmer's son on a journey if it had not been for the sword that bung from a shoulder belt, slapping against his calves when he walked, and against his shaggy horse when he rode.

For the young man had a mount, one that could not fail to attract attention: a small Bearn horse twelve to fourteen years old, with a yellowish coat, an almost hairless tail and sores on his legs. He walked with his head lower than his knees, which made a martingale unnecessary, but he could still do twenty miles a day. Unfortunately his good qualities were hidden by his strange color and his outlandish gait. He had come into Meting a quarter of an hour earlier through the Beaugency gate, and since in those days everyone was a practiced judge of horses, his appearance had caused a sensation that cast disfavor on his rider.

This was all the more painful to young d'Artagnan (such was the name of the Don Quixote astride that other Rosinante) because he was well aware of how ridiculous his horse made him seem, even though he was an excellent rider. That was why he had sighed when he had accepted the horse as a gift from his father. He knew that such an animal was worth at least twenty livres; the words that had accompanied the gift, however, were priceless.

"My son," the Gascon nobleman had said in the Bearn accent that Henry IV never succeeded in losing, "this horse was born on my estate nearly thirteen years ago and has never left it. That should be enough to make you love him. Never sell him, let him die peacefully and honorably of old age, and if you go to war with him, treat him with consideration, as you would treat an old servant. At court, if you have the honor to go there, an honor to which our ancient nobility entitles you, be worthy of your noble name, worthily borne by your ancestors for over five hundred years. For yourself, your relatives, and your friends, never tolerate the slightest affront from anyone except the cardinal or the king. Remember this: it's by courage, and courage alone, that a nobleman makes his way nowadays. Anyone who trembles for even one second may lose the chance that fortune offered him precisely at that second. You're young, and you must be brave for two reasons: first, you're a Gascon; and second, you're my son. Don't be afraid of opportunities, and seek out adventures. I've taught you to use a sword. You have iron legs and a steel wrist. Fight duels at the drop of a hat, especially since duels are forbidden: that means it takes twice as much courage to fight one.

"My son, all I have to give you is fifteen ecus, my horse, and the advice You've just heard. Your mother will give you the recipe for an ointment that a Gypsy woman taught her how to make: it miraculously heals any wound that doesn't reach the heart. Make the most of all these gifts, and have a long, happy life.

"I have only one more thing to add: an example for you to follow. It's not MY own, because I've never appeared at court and I've fought only in the wars of religion as a volunteer. I'm speaking of Monsieur de Treville, who used to be my neighbor and had the honor of playing with our King Louis XIII—may God preserve him!—when they were both children. Sometimes their games turned into fights, and the king didn't always win them. The drubbings be got from Monsieur de Treville made him feel great respect and . . .

Table of Contents

Introdction xi

Author's Preface xxi

I The Three Presents of Monsieur d'Artagnam the Elder 3

II The Antechamber of Monsieur de Tréville 20

III The Audience 31

IV The Shoulder of Athos, the Baldric of Porthos, and the Handkerchief of Aramis 43

V The King's Musketeers and the Cardinal's Guards 52

VI His Majesty King Louis XIII 64

VII The Domestic Life of the Musketeers 85

VIII A Court Intrigue 95

IX D'Artagnan Begins to Show Himself 104

X A Seventeenth-Century Mousetrap 114

XI The Plot Thickens 126

XII George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham 145

XIII Monsieur Bonacieux 154

XIV The Man of Meung 164

XV Men of the Robe and Men of the Sword 176

XVI In Which Séguier, the Keeper of the Seals, Looks More Than Once for the Bell He Used to Ring 186

XVII In the Bonacieux Household 199

XVIII The Lover and the Husband 214

XIX Plan of Campaign 222

XX The Journey 232

XXI The Comtesse de Winter 245

XXII The Ballet of La Merlaison 257

XXIII The Rendezvous 265

XXIV The Pavilion 277

XXV The Mistress of Porthos 288

XXVI The Thesis of Aramis 308

XXVII The Wife of Athos 327

XXVIII The Return 348

XXIX The Hunt for Equipment 364

XXX Milady 374

XXXI English and French 384

XXXII Dinner at the Prosecutor's 392

XXXIII Mistress and Maid 402

XXXIV Concernig the Equipment of Aramis and Porthos 413

XXXV At Night All Cats Are Gray 422

XXXVI Dreams of Vengeance 430

XXXVII Milady's Secret 439

XXXVIII How Athos, Without Inconveniencing Himself, Acquired His Equipment 446

XXXIX An Apparition 456

XL The Cardinal 466

XLI The Siege of La Rochelle 476

XLII The Anjou Wine 490

XLIII The Inn at Colombire-Rouge 499

XLIV On the Utility of Stovepipes 509

XLV A Conjugal Scene 518

XLVI The Bastion of Saint-Gervais 525

XLVII The Council of the Musketeers 534

XLVIII A Family Affair 554

XLIX The Hand of Fate 571

L A Conversation Between Brother and Sister 580

LI "Officer!" 588

LII The First Day of Captivity 600

LIII The Second Day of Captivity 608

LIV The Third Day of Captivity 616

LV The Fourth Day of Captivity 626

LVI The Fifth Day of Captivity 635

LVII A Scene from Classical Tragedy 652

LVIII Escape 660

LIX What Happened at Portsmouth on 23 August 1628 670

LX In France 683

LXI The Carmelite Convent at Béthune 689

LXII Two Varieties of Demon 703

LXIII A Drop of Water 711

LXIV The Man in the Red Cloak 727

LXL Judgment 733

LXVI Execution 743

LXVII Conclusion 749

Epilogue 759

Dramatis Personae: Historical Characters 761

Notes on the Text of The Three Musketeers 772

Acknowledgments 791

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Rollicking."
— Independent

"Dumas is a master of ripping yarns full of fearless heroes, poisonous ladies and swashbuckling adventurers."
— Guardian

"The Napoleon of storytellers."
— Washington Post

Reading Group Guide

1. Discuss Dumas's use of historical events in the novel. Do you think a knowledge of history is necessary or unnecessary in order to enjoy the novel? Discuss the ways in which Dumas alters or takes liberties with real events in order to suit the story. Is his view of history sanitized in any way?

2. Dumas is thought of as the chief popularizer of French Romantic drama. In considering The Three Musketeers, do you think this reputation is an accurate one? How does Dumas use dramatic effect in the novel?

3. Contemporary critics were offended by the scenes depicting vice and violence in the novel. Do you find these scenes arbitrary or not?

4. Many critics have described the musketeers as well-developed stereotypes, but are there ways in which the musketeers transcend these stereotypes? Are there other, perhaps more complex ways of interpreting the four protagonists?

5. Discuss Dumas's female characters, in particular Milady. What is her role in the novel, and what does this reveal about Dumas's views of women, if anything? Does Dumas depict a war between the sexes?

6. How do the chapter endings contribute to Dumas's masterly maintenance of pace? How does this kind of device recall a play, and how does this speak to Dumas's strengths stylistically?

7. In what ways is The Three Musketeers a bildungsroman? Would you characterize the work as a youthful novel?

Editorial Reviews

Peter Raby has adapted the Dumas text into a sprawling, multi-scened extravaganza written mostly in purple ink—the only color for this kind of tale.

Toronto Telegram

How thorough Mr. Raby has been in his recapitulation of Dumas' plot...This is a piece of master carpentry, with special skill in the dovetailing

Toronto Globe & Mail

"The test of a translator is his capacity to capture this characteristic interplay of the heroic and the ribald; the sincere and the ironic; the vanished past and the approaching present. And at this task Ellsworth succeeds, giving us a Three Musketeers with more clarity, energy, and simplicity than any previous English edition."

Open Letters Review

"The Red Sphinx is wonderful. There’s plot and counter-plot, duels, passion, murder, romance, disguises, poets and assassins. Readable and compelling."

Historical Novels Review [praise for 'The Red Sphinx']

"There is swash and buckle aplenty, and even plumage if that’s what does it for you. And it is great fun."

The Spectator [praise for 'The Red Sphinx']

"Fans of The Three Musketeers can rejoice in the 800-page English translation of this largely forgotten sequel."

Newsday [praise for 'The Red Sphinx']

"A royal treat for fans of historical fiction. I am confident that librarians and English literature teachers around the world are leaping for joy at the publication of The Red Sphinx, and I join them in this excitement."

Bookreporter [praise for 'The Red Sphinx']

"The Red Sphinx sparkles and shines in a new translation. Races along with pointed humor and broad quips. Fun permeates this big book. The rest of 2017's fiction will have to look sharp: An old master has just set the bar very, very high."

Christian Science Monitor [praise for 'The Red Sphinx']

Newly translated, a sequel to The Three Musketeers is as fresh as ever. In Lawrence Ellsworth’s excellent, compulsively readable translation, The Red Sphinx is just the book to see you through the January doldrums. And maybe those of February, too.

Michael Dirda - The Washington Post [praise for 'The Red Sphinx']

The Red Sphinx is a vivid and beautifully-crafted story dense with colorful characters and an irresistible charm.”

Tony Cliff

"Newly translated, a sequel to The Three Musketeers is as fresh as ever. In Lawrence Ellsworth’s excellent, compulsively readable translation, The Red Sphinx is just the book to see you through the January doldrums. And maybe those of February, too."

Michael Dirda

"As far as I can tell, Lawrence Ellsworth is responsible for one of the biggest literary projects happening right now in the English language. Ellsworth is working on a massive and daunting scale. He’s translating the entirety of Alexandre Dumas’s stories of The Three Musketeers (1844), all 1.5 million words of it. The third volume, Twenty Years After, appeared late last year. In Ellsworth’s hands, these stories of swashbuckling and all-for-one-and-one-for-all friendship feel new again. The Three Musketeers is an enormously entertaining tale for the ages."

The Brooklyn Rail

"Lawrence Ellsworth provides a vibrant, modern-day English translation of the classic high adventure. Ellsworth’s rendition is addictively readable in this lengthy but fast-paced novel. He masterfully captures Dumas’s distinctive voice and humor. Highly recommended for readers of literary classics who have not yet read or would like to reacquaint themselves with the tale."

Historical Novels Review

"The classic French epic in a new translation by Lawrence Ellsworth brings freshness to the story of d'Artagnan and his pals."

The New York Times Book Review

"When Dumas wrote The Three Musketeers in 1844 he upped Shakespeare’s ante. The author’s mold-breaking use of short paragraphs and abundant dialogue provided a template for the modern page-turner. Though Dumas was accused of playing fast and loose with history, he actually brought it thrillingly alive. A rip-snorting new translation of The Three Musketeers by the American Lawrence Ellsworth captures all the excitement and flair of Dumas’s great historical adventure that spawned several sequels and numerous films, TV series and cartoons. Ellsworth does a wonderful job of communicating the energy, humor and warmth of Dumas’s work. Ellsworth’s snappier approach, which included putting back all the racier scenes elided from the Victorian translations, suits Dumas much better. It also helps to put an end to the lie, persistent in the English-speaking world, that Dumas’s brand of popular fiction does not deserve the same attention as more ‘serious’ works."

The Wall Street Journal

"I do not say there is no character as well-drawn in Shakespeare [as D'Artagnan]. I do say there is none that I love so wholly."
—Robert Louis Stevenson

From the Publisher