"The Three Musketeers" by Alexandre Dumas, Chapters 26–41

Anna
In 17th-century France, D'Artagnan wants to join an elite military force called the King's Musketeers. He is challenged to duels by three veterans, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, with whom he ends up sharing the motto "All for one, one for all." Read the full text here.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–14, Chapters 15–25, Chapters 26–41, Chapter 42–Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. polemic
    of or involving dispute or controversy
    But D’Artagnan took very little heed of the eloquent discourse of M. Bazin; and as he had no desire to support a polemic discussion with his friend’s valet, he simply moved him out of the way with one hand, and with the other turned the handle of the door of Number Five.
  2. unction
    smug self-serving earnestness
    “This gentleman, who is my friend, has just escaped from a serious danger,” continued Aramis, with unction, pointing to D’Artagnan with his hand, and addressing the two ecclesiastics.
  3. erudition
    profound scholarly knowledge
    D’Artagnan, whose erudition we are well acquainted with, evinced no more interest on hearing this quotation than he had at that of M. de Tréville in allusion to the gifts he pretended that D’Artagnan had received from the Duke of Buckingham.
  4. ecclesiastic
    a clergyman or other person in religious orders
    Now, I have confessed to these learned ecclesiastics, and that in all humility, that the duties of mounting guard and the service of the king have caused me to neglect study a little.
  5. syllogism
    reasoning in which a conclusion is derived from two premises
    “This is the point of departure; it is a syllogism. The world is not wanting in attractions. I quit the world; then I make a sacrifice. Now, the Scripture says positively, ‘Make a sacrifice unto the Lord.’”
  6. perdition
    the place or state in which one suffers eternal punishment
    “And people are wrong, D’Artagnan; for death is the door which leads to perdition or to salvation.”
  7. absolution
    the act of being formally forgiven
    “This is my story, then. Besides, the Scriptures say, ‘Confess yourselves to one another,’ and I confess to you, D’Artagnan.”
    “And I give you absolution beforehand. You see I am a good sort of a man.”
  8. interdict
    command against
    “Yes, but you have at least this consolation, that you can say to yourself she has not quit you voluntarily, that if you learn no news of her, it is because all communication with you is interdicted; while I—”
  9. prosody
    the study of poetic meter and the art of versification
    Yes, I dare say; verses perfumed with the odor of the billet from the attendant of Madame de Chevreuse. Teach Bazin prosody; that will console him.
  10. probity
    complete and confirmed integrity
    Besides, his probity was irreproachable, in an age in which soldiers compromised so easily with their religion and their consciences, lovers with the rigorous delicacy of our era, and the poor with God’s Seventh Commandment.
  11. draught
    a large and hurried swallow
    Athos emptied at a single draught the glass he held in his hand.
  12. broach
    bring up a topic for discussion
    Besides which, the Musketeer, after having exchanged a hearty shake of the hand with him, broached the matter first.
  13. inculcate
    teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions
    My drunkenness is always sad, and when I am thoroughly drunk my mania is to relate all the lugubrious stories which my foolish nurse inculcated into my brain.
  14. debauch
    a wild gathering
    You were still fast asleep, and I did not know what to do with myself; I was still stupid from our yesterday’s debauch.
  15. piquant
    having an agreeably pungent taste
    “Oh, oh!” said D’Artagnan, “Mousqueton has not caught these bottles with his lasso. Besides, here is a piquant fricandeau and a fillet of beef.”
  16. refractory
    stubbornly resistant to authority or control
    He guessed, likewise, by induction, that Porthos was taking his revenge for the defeat of Chantilly, when the procurator’s wife had proved so refractory with respect to her purse.
  17. simper
    smile in an insincere, unnatural, or coy way
    “We are then reconciled, dear Monsieur Porthos?” said she, simpering.
  18. defray
    bear the expenses of
    “As for me,” replied Athos to this recital, “I am quite at my ease; it will not be women that will defray the expense of my outfit.”
  19. vestige
    an indication that something has been present
    He rode up a very quiet street, looking to the right and the left to see if he could catch any vestige of his beautiful Englishwoman, when from the ground floor of a pretty house, which, according to the fashion of the time, had no window toward the street, he saw a face peep out with which he thought he was acquainted.
  20. phlegmatic
    showing little emotion
    “Be enlightened!” said Athos, phlegmatically.
  21. ruddy
    inclined to a healthy reddish color
    A tall, pale clerk, his face shaded by a forest of virgin hair, opened the door, and bowed with the air of a man forced at once to respect in another lofty stature, which indicated strength, the military dress, which indicated rank, and a ruddy countenance, which indicated familiarity with good living.
  22. lugubrious
    excessively mournful
    But the clerks were not the dupes of this deceit, and their lugubrious looks settled down into resigned countenances.
  23. consummate
    make perfect; bring to perfection
    “Now,” said he, “the sacrifice is consummated! Ah! if I had not the hope of peeping with Madame Coquenard into her husband’s chest!”
  24. supplant
    take the place or move into the position of
    “I would triumph over her, and supplant my rival.”
  25. vouchsafe
    grant in a condescending manner
    And he kissed the letter with passion, without even vouchsafing a look at the gold which sparkled on the table.
  26. imprecation
    a slanderous accusation
    All that which a man wounded in his self-love could let fall in the shape of imprecations and reproaches upon the head of a woman Porthos let fall upon the bowed head of the procurator’s wife.
  27. assiduously
    with care and persistence
    “No, madame; but they who so assiduously try to buy things cheap ought to permit others to seek more generous friends.”
  28. usury
    an exorbitant or unlawful rate of interest
    “You should have left it to me, then, madame, who know what they are; but you wished to be frugal, and consequently to lend at usury.”
  29. venal
    capable of being corrupted
    To the great lady she had given a heart vile and venal; to the soubrette she had given the heart of a duchess.
  30. dolorous
    showing sorrow
    And to all these questions poor Kitty, forced to put on a pleasant face, responded in a stifled voice whose dolorous accent her mistress did not however remark, solely because happiness is egotistical.
  31. effrontery
    audacious behavior that you have no right to
    “Fall voluntarily into my arms, hypocritical and dangerous woman,” said D’Artagnan, likewise to himself, “after having abused me with such effrontery, and afterward I will laugh at you with him whom you wish me to kill.”
  32. machination
    a crafty and involved plot to achieve your ends
    Jealousy, fury, offended pride, all the passions in short that dispute the heart of an outraged woman in love, urged her to make a revelation; but she reflected that she would be totally lost if she confessed having assisted in such a machination, and above all, that D’Artagnan would also be lost to her forever.
  33. fatuous
    devoid of intelligence
    “At least, I am now at liberty to believe, without too much fatuity, that you love another,” said the young man, in a caressing tone, “and I repeat that I am really interested for the count.”
  34. enjoin
    give instructions to or direct somebody to do something
    Almost instantly a female head was put out at the window, with two fingers placed upon her mouth, either to enjoin silence or to send him a kiss.
  35. injunction
    a formal command or admonition
    D’Artagnan then remembered the injunction: “If you value your own life or that of those who love you, remain motionless, and as if you had seen nothing.”
  36. remonstrance
    the act of expressing earnest opposition or protest
    He had, not the less, decided upon setting out that same evening; and in spite of the remonstrances that had been offered to him, he persisted in having the review, hoping by setting it at defiance to conquer the disease which began to lay hold upon him.
  37. bulwark
    a protective structure of stone or concrete
    Of the important cities given up by Henry IV. to the Huguenots as places of safety, there only remained La Rochelle. It became necessary, therefore, to destroy this last bulwark of Calvinism—a dangerous leaven with which the ferments of civil revolt and foreign war were constantly mingling.
  38. leaven
    an influence working subtly to lighten or modify something
    It became necessary, therefore, to destroy this last bulwark of Calvinism—a dangerous leaven with which the ferments of civil revolt and foreign war were constantly mingling.
  39. presage
    indicate by signs
    The cannonade of the Isle of Ré presaged to him the dragonnades of the Cévennes; the taking of La Rochelle was the preface to the revocation of the Edict of Nantes.
  40. forbearance
    a delay in enforcing rights or claims or privileges
    It may be observed that at the very moment when, thanks to the ray of the sun, he perceived the gun barrel, he was thinking with astonishment on the forbearance of his Eminence with respect to him.
Created on Tue Feb 07 09:39:48 EST 2023 (updated Tue Feb 07 14:18:09 EST 2023)

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