The Project Gutenberg eBook, A Modern Telemachus, by Charlotte M. Yonge,
Illustrated by W. J. Hennessy

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Title: A Modern Telemachus

Author: Charlotte M. Yonge

Release Date: December 29, 2007 [eBook #4271]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A MODERN TELEMACHUS***

Transcribed from the 1889 Macmillan and Co. edition by David Price, email
ccx074@pglaf.org

A MODERN TELEMACHUS

{'Be still' illustration: p1.jpg}

'Be still; I want to hear what they are saying.'--P. 2.

ILLUSTRATED BY W. J. HENNESSY.

London
MACMILLAN AND CO.
AND NEW YORK
1889

_All rights reserved_

_First Edition_ (2 _Vols. Crown_ 8_vo_) 1886
_Reprinted_ 1887, 1889

PREFACE

The idea of this tale was taken from _The Mariners' Chronicle_, compiled
by a person named Scott early in the last century--a curious book of
narratives of maritime adventures, with exceedingly quaint illustrations.
Nothing has ever shown me more plainly that truth is stranger than
fiction, for all that is most improbable here is the actual fact.

The Comte de Bourke was really an Irish Jacobite, naturalised in France,
and married to the daughter of the Marquis de Varennes, as well as in
high favour with the Marshal Duke of Berwick.

In 1719, just when the ambition of Elizabeth Farnese, the second wife of
Philip V. of Spain, had involved that country in a war with England,
France, and Austria, the Count was transferred from the Spanish Embassy
to that of Sweden, and sent for his wife and two elder children to join
him at a Spanish port.

This arrangement was so strange that I can only account for it by
supposing that as this was the date of a feeble Spanish attempt on behalf
of the Jacobites in Scotland, Comte de Bourke may not have ventured by
the direct route. Or it may not have been etiquette for him to re-enter
France when appointed ambassador. At any rate, the poor Countess did
take this route to the South, and I am inclined to think the narrative
must be correct, as all the side-lights I have been able to gain
perfectly agree with it, often in an unexpected manner.

The suite and the bag