Duchesse de Villeroy, and many other distinguished
personages, were celebrating his heroism.

Inquiry was made of the sergeant who had originally apprehended Fabre,
upon his offering himself in exchange for his father (long since
dead), and the sergeant confirmed the truth of the noble and generous
act. At the same time, M. Alison, first consul at Nismes, confirmed
the statement by three witnesses, in presence of the secretary of the
Prince de Beauvau. The result was, that Jean Fabre was completely
exonerated from the charge on account of which he had been sent to the
galleys. He was now a free man, and at last married the young lady who
had loved him so long and so devotedly.

One day, to his extreme surprise, Fabre received from the Duc de
Choiseul a packet containing a drama, in which he found his own
history related in verse, by Fenouillot de Falbaire. It was entitled
"The Honest Criminal." Fabre had never been a criminal, except in
worshipping God according to his conscience, though that had for
nearly a hundred years been pronounced a crime by the law of France.

The piece, which was of no great merit as a tragedy, was at first
played before the Duchesse de Villeroy and her friends, with great
applause, Mdlle. Clairon playing the principal female part.
Saint-Florentin prohibited the playing of the piece in public,
protesting to the last against the work and the author. Voltaire
played it at Ferney, and Queen Marie Antoinette had it played in her
presence at Versailles. It was not until 1789 that the piece was
played in the theatres of Paris, when it had a considerable success.

We do not find that any Protestants were sent to be galley-slaves
after 1762, the year that Calas was executed. A reaction against this
barbarous method of treating men for differences of opinion seems to
have set in; or, perhaps, it was because most men were ceasing to
believe in the miraculous powers of the priests, for which the
Protestants had so long been hanged and made galley-slaves.

After the liberation of Fabre in 1762, other galley-slaves were
liberated from time to time. Thus, in the same year, Jean Albiges and
Jean Barran were liberated after eight years of convict life. They had
been condemned for assisting at Protestant assemblies. Next year,
Maurice was liberated; he had been condemned for life for the same
reason.

While Voltaire had been engaged in the case of Calas he asked the Duc
de Choiseul for the liberation o