ever. As boon as night fets in, the fentinels rauft chal¬ 
lenge all who may prefent themfelves, and let no one pafs 
■until they have obferved him, and know him to be one 
who has leave to do fo. Before the bridge of the caftle 
•be drawn up, the officer of the guard mull: fend to inform 
the governor. Thofe who may be with him, that deep 
in the caftle, muff then retire within the place. As foon 
as the bridge is drawn up, the officer of the guard muft 
carry the keys to the lieutenant du roi, from whom he is 
to receive them, in cafe any order arrives from tlie king, 
and at the ftateci hour for opening the gates. 
“ Whenever an order comes from one of the fecretaries 
of liate for receiving, or letting at liberty, a prifoner, the 
governor muft return a me (Page to that minifter, by ac¬ 
knowledging the receipt of it. He will likewife take care 
that the minifter of Paris be inftantly informed of what¬ 
ever orders may be fent by any other minifter, as the Baf- 
tile is immediately within his department. When the go¬ 
vernor receives a letter from the lieutenant-general of the 
police, for admitting a prifoner, or fetting one at liberty ; 
that letter is called lettre d’anticipation, until fuch time as 
the king’s orders can be fent in form. Therefore, as foon 
as lie receives fuch a letter, he muft communicate the fame 
to the minifter of Paris. Whenever the governor receives 
orders from the king, or letters from the lieutenant-gene¬ 
ral of the police, regarding any tiling to be done in the 
caftle, he will not confide thofe orders to any one but the 
proper officers, vvhofe bufinels it is to execute them. As 
it fometimes happens that men of rank furrender them- 
felves at the Baftile, who are themfelves the bearers of 
•the lettre de cachet , and deliver it with their fword to the 
governor; whenever fuch a cafe happens, the governor 
muft immediately give information to the minifter by whom 
the lettre de cachet is counterligned, and defire his inftruc- 
tions refipedhng the manner in which the prifoner is to be 
treated. The governor muft endeavour to gain regular 
information of whatever paffes in the caftle; of the com¬ 
plaints of the prifoners, and of all other matters refpeft- 
ing them. On the arrival of a prifoner, the officer miift 
order the foldiers to retire into the guard-room, taking 
care that he is not feen by any one. The gate is to be 
opened at five in the'morning in hummer, and at fix in the 
winter. If workmen fiiould be employed in thecafile, as 
many fentinels muft be put over them as may be thought 
neceffary, who muft obferve thc;m with the fame attention 
they do the prifoners, in order thaf they may not approach 
thefe, nor do any thing that may be contrary to the rules 
of the place. When a corporal or any other is ordered to 
attend a prifoner, who may have perniiffion to walk in the 
garden, or on the towers, it is exprefsly forbidden, that he 
fpeak to him. He is to obferve his ailions, to take care 
that he make no figns to any one without, and to bring 
him back at the hour fixed, delivering him over to an of¬ 
ficer, or one of the turnkeys, as may have been ordered. 
“ The governor of the Baftile, or he who may command 
there for the time, is only to obey fuch orders as come 
from his majefty, or one of his fecretaries of ftate. The 
rules eftablifhed for the exterior as well as interior fervice 
of the caftle, can in no refpeiSl be altered but by the or¬ 
der of the governor; and, in cafe of his abfence, nothing 
is to be changed but by the exprefs order of tlie minifter 
who has the department of Paris. The governor is not 
to lie abroad, but by permiflion of the above minifter. 
The lieutenant du roi, the major, and other officers, muft 
conftantly pafs the night in the caftle; and, if it fhould at 
any time be thought neceffary, on account of ficknefs, that 
the lieutenant du roi or major fiiould be conveyed to any 
other place, the governor muft firft apprife the minifter. 
No officer belonging to the caftle is ever to go out of Pa¬ 
ris without the permiflion of the governor. It is his rna- 
jefty’s will that all the officers of the fluff make one round 
at lead daily ; that all thofe officers as above-mentioned 
fleep in the caftle ; and that, in the day-time, two conftant¬ 
ly remain in it. The king, having himfelf received the 
oath of fidelity from the governor, authorifes him to ad- 
I L E. 
minifter it to the other officers. It is his majefty’s will, 
that, in cafe of the abfence of the governor by leave or 
otherwife, the officer, who may command in the mean time 
in his ftead, (hall not allow any one from abroad to fee'or 
fpeak to any of the prifoners, unlefs upon production of 
an order from his majefty ; and that then the prifoner fliail 
receive the vifit in the council-room, in the prefence of 
two officers. The officers of the ftaff muft take their turn 
in vifiting the prifoners every day in their rooms, except 
fuch prifoners as the governor may forbid them to go to. 
They muft render an account of their vifits to the govern¬ 
or, or to him who may command in his abfence. His 
majefty orders the governor of his caftle of the Baftile to 
caufe the above regulations to be obferved; and com¬ 
mands all officers and other perfons belonging to it Aridity 
to conform to them according to their refpeftive duties 
and occupations. Done at Verfailles, the 20th of Sep¬ 
tember, 1764. (Signed) Louis.” 
When the Baftile was deftroyed, feveral regifters were 
found of the prifoners. The firft contained their names, 
the day of their arrival, the time of their difeharge or 
death, the tower where they were lodged, and remarks 
and obfervations upon them. Another book contained 
likewife their names, quality, day of arrival, and an inven¬ 
tory of the effects found on them. A third, called the 
difeharge-book, contained the priforier’s receipt for his ef¬ 
fects, which were always-delivered to him when he was 
let at liberty. In this book he likewife figned a declara¬ 
tion, to which he took his oath, that he would never re¬ 
veal any thing he had heard or feen in the Baftile; but, as 
many perfons have publifhed what they learnt there, we 
muft fuppofe that, as the oath was compulfatory, they 
thought themfelves difpenfed from obferving it. All that 
has come to light of thebe books, as well as other papers 
belonging to the Baftile, is only by detached parts. The 
books that have appeared refer to others that are wanting. 
The papers belonging to the prifoners were generally fent 
to the police-office; and without thefe, without the books 
mentioned as wanting, and the examinations of the pri¬ 
foners, the account given of them muft for ever be im¬ 
perfect. 
The manner of arrefting perfons may have differed, ac¬ 
cording to their importance with the public, or other cir- 
cumffances attending them ; fome were arretted in their 
houfes; fome fecretly in the roads or in the ftreets at night; 
and fome were even feized and brought away from foreign 
countries. M. Bertin de Frateaux was feized at Mary- 
bone in London, carried to Gravefend, put on-board a 
veffel there, landed at Calais, and was from thence con¬ 
veyed to the Baftile. His misfortunes feem to have been 
owing to an unnatural father; who, being on terms of 
intimacy with the minifter, obtained a.Jcttre de cachet to ar- 
rell and confine his own foil! 
The mode of treating all prifoners, after they arrived 
at the Baftile, feems to have been nearly the fame, except 
that fome had a greater degree of liberty than others, more 
conveniences, and a better table. But, if the offence was 
important, or, which was the fame thing, if it was thought 
fo by the minifter, the prifoner, however high in rank, was 
totally denied any communication with the reft of man¬ 
kind, except with thofe who belonged to the place, and 
were fent to him by the governor. So great was the fe- 
crecy obferved iif this prifon, that perfons have been pri¬ 
vately arrefted and confined in it for years, without its be¬ 
ing known even to their friends or families what had be¬ 
come of them, till they were able, on being difeharged, 
to tell their ftofy ; and, even then, the dread of being again 
deprived of their liberty induced them to be extremely 
circumfpeft in what they faid. As foon as a prifoner ar¬ 
rived at the Baftile, he was conducted to the council- 
chamber, where he was examined by the major in pre¬ 
fence of the lieutenant du roi. The- ufual quefiions re- 
fpeCled his birth, country, occupations, and matters of a 
public nature. Every thing was, taken from him that 
could be employed to commit any violence on himfelf o> 
others. 
