The Devils Page #3

Virginity is also praised

as a noble virtue.

St Paul says that he who marries

does a good thing,

but he who remains chaste

does something better.

Then I am content

merely to do a good thing

and leave the best to those

that can face it.

Christ never forbade

the apostles to marry.

Most of them were married,

with families.

They gave them all up,

nevertheless, to follow Him.

Out of convenience, not obligation.

I mean, can you imagine

all those wives and children

traipsing across those endless deserts

and up the mountainsides?.

Oh, no, they remained well

and truly married until the end.

So there is no law of God

compelling Grandier to be celibate?.

I...

take the words of Our Creator

as my gospel,

"it is not good for man to be alone."

You've almost put my conscience at rest.

Who is responsible?.

Who is in charge here?.

Speak, you have tongues!

Who is responsible for this?.

I ask again, who is responsible here?.

Baron de Laubardemont,

First President of the Court of Appeal,

Member of the Council for the State

and now His Majesty's

Special Commissioner

for the demolition of the fortifications

of Loudun, at your service, Father.

For what purpose has

His Majesty authorised

the destruction of our town,

Baron de Laubardemont?.

I thought you would have been the first

to guess the purpose, Father,

and the first to condone it.

Loudun is a nest of dangerous Huguenots.

They outnumber we

good Catholics two to one.

Every single Protestant in Loudun

remained loyal to the King and to France

throughout the religious wars.

Today's loyalty is no guarantee

against tomorrow's rebellion.

I speak as I find.

Where is His Majesty's proclamation?.

Don't concern yourself with politics,

Father, your penitents are waiting.

Grandier! Grandier!

I ask you once again,

where is His Majesty's proclamation

authorising this demolition?.

For a common priest you act

uncommonly like a governor, Father.

- Where is your authority?.

- Here!

By the authority of our late Governor,

Sainte Marthe.

Assuring me full powers until such time

as a new election is held.

Here!

His Majesty's proclamation

has been delayed.

The matter of a few days,

a mere formality.

Should one more stone be torn

from our city walls, you

will be dead before

it touches the ground.

Stop!

Work will cease from this moment,

pending the arrival of the proclamation.

- Well done, Father.

- God bless you, Father.

- Only you could have done that, Father.

- Thank you.

Good, Father. Good.

We'll always think of you,

Father, for what you've done.

- Well done, Grandier.

- Well done.

- God bless you.

- Well done, Father.

It is a simple matter to understand,

Your Majesty.

The self-government of the small,

provincial towns of France must cease.

The first step is to pull down

all kinds of fortifications.

Yes!

So now it's the turn of our town.

- Is everything to be torn down?.

- That is what they want.

It is a trick, of course!

Every time there's a so-called

nationalist revival, it means one thing,

somebody is trying to seize control

of the entire country.

The significance of our walls

is that we are self-governing!

Yes!

Richelieu hates this.

He deceives the King.

If France is to fulfill her own destiny,

she must be free within herself.

Yes!

Ignorant and crafty provincials like us

cannot see beyond the city walls.

And so they are ordered to be torn down.

Will it broaden our view?.

Such men, sire, have little vision.

Their loyalties are to their cities,

not to France.

Yes!

When a man is intent on power,

as Richelieu is,

he can justify his actions

with absurdities.

Fortifications provide opportunities

for Protestant uprising.

Yes!

With our walls gone,

we shall be defenseless,

at the mercy of any enemy, as weak

and as helpless as a country village.

And with the security

of our independence gone,

our freedoms would go, too.

We must write to the King,

declare our loyalty

and trust in his wisdom and justice.

No!

All the others if you like, Richelieu.

If you can manage it. But not Loudun.

We once promised dear old Sainte Marthe,

the late lamented Governor,

that we would never touch

one teeny-weeny stone

of his precious city.

You would surely not expect us

to go back on our word?.

No, Your Majesty.

Yes!

Yes!

- Out you go, pretty little birdie.

- Fly away.

Another Protestant bird

for your bag, Richelieu.

Honourably done, Your Majesty.

Bye-bye, blackbird!

"Father Moussault was a very good man.

"It was God's will,

but his death leaves us with a problem.

"We need a new Father Confessor.

"I have never met you, Father Grandier,

"but God has often put you

into my thoughts lately."

Bless this ring, O Lord,

which we bless in thy name.

May she who is to wear it

be ever faithful to her husband.

May she enjoy the peace of mind

docile to thy will,

Loving and being loved in thee,

as long as life shall last.

"And so Father Grandier, I trust

you will become our spiritual director

"and provide us with

the guidance we need.

"Yours in Christ."

With this ring, I thee wed.

This gold and silver, I thee give.

With my body, I thee worship.

And with all my worldly gifts,

I thee endow.

In the name of the Father

and of the Son

and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

Grandier.

Grandier.

We should step out into the sunlight.

Bells should tell the world about us.

It shouldn't be night

and as quiet as this.

Dear God, my husband,

kiss me.

Son of a lawyer.

Nephew of the learned

Canon Grandier of Sainte.

Educated for 10 years at the

Jesuit College of Bordeaux

as undergraduate, theological student,

and after his ordination in 1615

as Jesuit novice.

At 27, after two years of advanced

theology and philosophy,

presented by the Jesuits

with the important living

at St Peter's in Loudun.

- Made Canon of...

- Cha!

With a progressive Jesuit upbringing,

it's not surprising your priest

is bold and wilful.

If he were allowed to become

governor of Loudun,

he would defend

Catholic and Protestant alike.

And have command

of the most heavily fortified town

in all Poitou, Your Eminence.

As long as Loudun stands, we will

never gain control of the Southwest.

Its fortifications must be demolished.

With the masonry, we could use

to build your new town of Richelieu.

Except the rebel priest

will not allow one stone to be touched.

- And neither will the King.

- That is a whim!

But in the fullness of time,

he will see that it is God's will.

And what of the militant

Father Grandier, Your Eminence?.

He is far from whimsical.

If only for the sake

of his immortal soul,

the priest must be humbled

and his pride crushed.

But with that Jesuit background,

it will not be easy.

You know what they say,

"Give us the first seven years

"of a man's life

and you can have the rest.

- "You'll never break him."

- I, too, have a maxim, Eminence.

Give me three lines of a man's

handwriting and I will hang him.

Doors!

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