historical facts, it is the fictitious adventures
of characters living in an historical atmosphere, that entertain us in
Dumas.

The minute inquirer may now compare the sixteenth-century 'Memoirs of
Monsieur D'Artagnan' (fictitious memoirs, no doubt) with the use made
of them by Dumas in 'The Three Musketeers' and 'Twenty Years After.'
The 'Memoirs' (reprinted by the Librairie Illustree, Paris) gave Dumas
his opening scenes; gave him young D'Artagnan, Porthos, Athos, Aramis,
Rosnay, De Treville, Milady, the whole complicated intrigue of Milady,
D'Artagnan, and De Vardes. They gave him several incidents, duels, and
"local color." By making Milady the wife of Athos, Dumas knotted his
plot; he added the journey to England, after the Queen's diamonds;
from a subordinate character he borrowed the clerical character of
Aramis; a mere hint in the 'Memoirs' suggested the Bastion
Saint-Gervais. The discrimination of character, the dialogue, and many
adventures, are Dumas's own; he was aided by Maquet in the actual
writing. In a similar way, Brantome and L'Estoile, in their 'Memoirs,'
supply the canvas of the tales of the Valois cycle.

The beginner in Dumas will assuredly find the following his best
works. For the Valois period, 'The Horoscope' (a good deal neglected),
'Queen Margot,' 'The Lady of Monsoreau,' 'The Forty-Five.' 'Isabeau of
Baviere,' an early novel, deals with the anarchy and misery before the
coming of Jeanne d'Arc. For Henri II., 'The Two Dianas' is indicated.
For the times of Richelieu, Mazarin, Louis XIV., we have 'The Three
Musketeers,' 'Twenty Years After,' and 'The Viscount of Bragelonne.'
These deal with the youth, middle age, old age, and death of
D'Artagnan, Porthos, Athos, and Aramis. The Revolutionary novels,
'Joseph Balsamo,' 'The Queen's Necklace,' and others, are much less
excellent. The Regency is not ill done in 'The Regent's Daughter'; and
'The Chevalier of Harmenthal,' with 'Olympe of Cleves,' has many
admirers. Quite apart from these is the immense modern fantasy of 'The
Count of Monte Cristo'; the opening part alone is worthy of the
master. 'The Black Tulip,' so warmly praised by Thackeray, is an
innocent little romance of the days of Dutch William. _Les jeunes
filles_ may read 'The Black Tulip': indeed, Dumas does not sacrifice
at all to "the Goddess of Lubricity," even when he describes very lax
moralities.

With a knowledge of these books, and of 'My Pets' and the 'Memoirs,'
any studen