"I am glad to see that the method of ruining oneself in the Middle Ages
did not differ sensibly from that of our days," said Des Hermies.
"However, our ancestors did not have Monte Carlo, the notaries, and the
Bourse."

"And _did_ have sorcery and alchemy. A memorial addressed to the king by
the heirs of Gilles de Rais informs us that this immense fortune was
squandered in less than eight years.

"Now it's the signories of Confolens, Chabanes, Châteaumorant, Lombert,
ceded to a captain for a ridiculous price; now it's the fief of Fontaine
Milon, of Angers, the fortress of Saint Etienne de Mer Morte acquired by
Guillaume Le Ferron for a song; again it's the châteaux of Blaison and
of Chemille forfeited to Guillaume de la Jumelière who never has to pay
a sou. But look, there's a long list of castellanies and forests, salt
mines and farm lands," said Durtal, spreading out a great sheet of paper
on which he had copied the account of the purchases and sales.

"Frightened by his mad course, the family of the Marshal supplicated the
king to intervene, and Charles VII,'sure,' as he said, 'of the
malgovernance of the Sire de Rais,' forbade him, in grand council, by
letters dated 'Amboise, 1436,' to sell or make over any fortress, any
château, any land.

"This order simply hastened the ruin of the interdicted. The grand
skinflint, the master usurer of the time, Jean V, duke of Brittany,
refused to publish the edict in his states, but, underhandedly, notified
all those of his subjects who dealt with Gilles. No one now dared to buy
the Marshal's domains for fear of incurring the wrath of the king, so
Jean V remained the sole purchaser and fixed the prices. You may judge