do me justice, and, if you do it me not, that would be compelling me to seek means of doing it myself, and of giving up forever fortification and all its concomitants.  Examine, then, boldly and severely; away with all tender feeling, for I dare plainly tell you that in a question of strictest honesty and sincere fidelity I fear neither the king, nor you, nor all the human race together.  Fortune had me born the poorest gentleman in France, but in requital she honored me with an honest heart, so free from all sorts of swindles that it cannot bear even the thought of them without a shudder.”  It was not until eight years after the death of Louvois, in 1699, when Vauban had directed fifty-three sieges, constructed the fortifications of thirty-three places, and repaired those of three hundred towns, that he was made a marshal, an honor that no engineer had yet obtained.  “The king fancied he was giving himself the baton,” it was said, “so often had he had Vauban under his orders in besieging places.”

[Illustration:  Vauban——­534]

The leisure of peace was more propitious to Vauban’s fame than to his favor.  Generous and sincere as he was, a patriot more far-sighted than his contemporaries, he had the courage to present to the king a memorial advising the recall of the fugitive Huguenots, and the renewal, pure and simple, of the edict of Nantes.  He had just directed the siege of Brisach and the defence of Dunkerque when he published a great economical work entitled la Dime royale, the fruit of the reflections of his whole life, fully depicting the misery of the people and the system of imposts he thought adapted to relieve it.  The king was offended; he gave the marshal a cold reception and had the work seized.  Vauban received his death-blow from this disgrace.  The royal edict was dated March 19, 1707; the great engineer died on the 30th; he was not quite seventy-four.  The king testified no regret for the loss of so illustrious a servant, with whom he had lived on terms of close intimacy.  Vauban had appeared to impugn his supreme authority; this was one of the crimes that Louis XIV. never forgave.

In 1683, at Colbert’s death, Vauban was enjoying the royal favor, which he attributed entirely to Louvois.  The latter reigned without any one to contest his influence with the master.  It had been found necessary to bury Colbert by night to avoid the insults of the people, who imputed to him the imposts which crushed them.  What an unjust and odious mistake of popular opinion which accused Colbert of the evils which he had fought against and at the same time suffered under to the last day!  All Colbert’s offices, except the navy, fell to Louvois or his creatures.  Claude Lepelletier, a relative of Le Tellier, became comptroller of finance; he entered the council; M. de Blainville, Colbert’s second son, was obliged to resign in Louvois’ favor the superintendence of buildments, of which the king had previously promised